The African Bar Association has issued a sharply worded continental warning over rising xenophobic attacks in South Africa, calling on the African Union to move “swiftly and decisively” before violence against fellow Africans spirals further out of control.

In a strongly framed “Clarion Call” released on May 5, 2026, AfBA President Ibrahim Eddie Mark condemned the attacks as a betrayal of the pan-African solidarity that once united the continent during South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle.

“The African Union must act swiftly and decisively to address the ongoing xenophobic attacks against fellow Africans in South Africa,” the statement declared. “There is absolutely no justification for such violence.”

The intervention comes amid renewed tensions and growing concerns over the safety of African migrants and workers living in South Africa, where sporadic outbreaks of anti-foreigner violence have repeatedly triggered outrage across the continent.

AfBA’s statement struck an emotional and historical tone, reminding South Africa that many African nations made sacrifices during the country’s long battle against apartheid—offering political support, refuge, and solidarity when the nation was isolated under white minority rule.

“That shared history should be a foundation for unity—not division,” Mark said, warning that xenophobic violence threatens the very idea of African brotherhood and continental integration.

Read Also: The sickness called xenophobia, By Funke Egbemode

The legal body argued that isolated diplomatic reactions from individual African countries would not be enough to confront what it described as a continental crisis requiring coordinated intervention. While some governments have begun taking measures to protect their nationals, AfBA warned that fragmented responses risk weakening Africa’s collective influence and long-term effectiveness.

“What is needed is a coordinated and unified response led by the African Union,” the statement stressed. “Only a collective approach can deliver meaningful, consistent, and enforceable outcomes.”

AfBA further cautioned that repeated attacks on African migrants undermine the vision of a united, peaceful, and economically integrated continent at a time when Africa is pushing deeper regional cooperation under frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Analysts say the association’s intervention reflects growing frustration among African institutions over what many perceive as cyclical outrage without sustainable policy action. Xenophobic attacks in South Africa have, over the years, triggered diplomatic tensions, retaliatory protests in other African countries, and renewed debates about migration, unemployment, and governance failures.

But AfBA insists the issue now transcends domestic politics.

“Africa cannot afford to turn against itself,” the statement said. “Immediate action is needed to protect lives, restore dignity, and reinforce the spirit of African brotherhood.”

The association also warned that failure by the African Union to take visible leadership on the matter could erode confidence in continental institutions designed to promote unity, peace, and collective security.

As anger spreads across social media and concern grows among African communities abroad, pressure is mounting on the African Union to demonstrate whether pan-African solidarity remains merely symbolic—or whether it can still translate into decisive action when Africans come under attack on African soil.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, May 7, convicted a former Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, on a 12-count fraud and money laundering charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, said it was satisfied that the anti-graft agency had successfully established the former Minister’s culpability beyond reasonable doubt.

The court convicted him on all grounds of the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/273/2024.

Mamman, who served in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was found complicit in the illegal diversion of public funds totalling about ₦33.8 billion.

The court found that he made a cash payment of $655,700 (equivalent to ₦200 million) for landed property in Abuja, without recourse to a financial institution.

He was also found guilty of criminal breach of trust in relation to funds released by the federal government for the Mambilla and Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant projects.

The court noted that most of the funds were siphoned through Bureau de Change operators (BDCs), who converted the money into foreign currencies and handed it over to the defendant.

“The evidence of the prosecution is overwhelming as against the scanty and almost absent defence of the defendant.

“The defendant did not offer any credible evidence to rebut the prosecution’s case,” Justice Omotosho held.

The trial judge lamented that the defendant, as Minister of Power, was not bothered about leaving a lasting legacy.

“Rather than creating a legacy to tackle the epileptic power supply in the country, the defendant was living large at the expense of ordinary citizens.

“Little wonder that Nigerians have remained in darkness till today,” the judge added.

Meanwhile, the defendant was absent when he was convicted by the court.

Consequently, the court deferred his sentence, even as the EFCC applied for a warrant of arrest to be issued against him.

A lawyer, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed, who announced his appearance for the defendant, told the court that since last Tuesday when the notice of the scheduled judgment was issued, the defendant’s whereabouts had remained unknown.

He said the defendant’s personal assistant later disclosed that he was sick.

The defence lawyer’s spirited efforts to persuade the court to defer the judgment to a later date failed.

The trial judge referenced news items indicating that the defendant had been actively involved in political activities, having purchased a form to contest the governorship election in Taraba State.

On his part, the EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, urged the court to proceed with the judgment, insisting there was no reasonable justification for the defendant’s absence.

“My Lord should go ahead. If the judgment is in his favour, we know what to do. If it is against him, we also know what to do,” the prosecution counsel added.

Mamman was arrested in 2021, about four months after he was removed from office by ex-President Buhari.

The EFCC produced 17 witnesses who testified before the court and tendered 43 exhibits before closing its case.

The agency, among other things, alleged that he conspired with staff members of the ministry to divert about ₦22bn that was meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.

The anti-graft agency said its investigations revealed that the suspects used the funds to acquire choice assets, both within and outside the country.

A pregnant woman reportedly lost her unborn baby after the gas supply for the generator used during a caesarean section operation allegedly finished at Lapai General Hospital in Lapai, Niger State.

The incident reportedly occurred on April 17, 2026, during a surgery at the hospital’s maternity ward, where relatives of the patient allegedly rushed home to provide a gas cylinder so doctors could continue the surgery.

According to sources and an eyewitness who spoke to SaharaReporters, the hospital’s gas supply finished while the operation was ongoing, forcing the patient’s family to look for an alternative.

Describing the incident, the eyewitness said the surgery had already commenced before the hospital ran out of gas, putting the hospital in darkness.

“It all happened at Lapai General Hospital at the Maternity Ward. It was during the C/S operation that their gas finished. We had to rush home to bring our own gas cylinder because the operation was already in progress,” the eyewitness said.

The source explained that the patient involved in the operation was his stepmother, adding that he and his brother had to leave the hospital in search of a gas cylinder.

“Yes, I happened to be there so I’m an eyewitness, and it involved my stepmum. My brother and I had to rush home to bring a gas cylinder when theirs got exhausted,” the source said.

He added that the incident left his father devastated after the family eventually lost the unborn baby.

“My dad felt devastated, and that’s how we lost the child,” the source said.

Another source alleged that the pregnant woman had been admitted for a caesarean section before the hospital’s gas generator suddenly stopped functioning during the procedure.

“On April 17, 2026, a pregnant woman was admitted to Lapai General Hospital for a (CS). While the operation was ongoing, the hospital’s gas generator suddenly went off,” the source said.

The source further alleged that the patient’s husband had to provide a gas cylinder from home before the operation could continue.

“Shockingly, the situation became so critical that the woman’s husband had to rush home to bring his own gas cylinder just so the surgery could continue. Tragically, the unborn baby was lost before the operation could be completed,” the source said.

Residents also alleged that the maternity ward has operated for years without adequate facilities and proper lighting.

One resident claimed that health workers often attend to pregnant women in labour with torchlights because of poor conditions at the hospital.

“The maternity ward in Lapai operates in darkness and lacks proper hygiene. Pregnant women in labour are often delivered using torchlights, and this has reportedly been going on for more than three years,” the source said.

The resident further alleged that the hospital had been without oxygen cylinders for years, leading to repeated loss of lives.

“This has been the case for almost three years now, and the entire Lapai General Hospital has been without oxygen cylinders. Many babies and many lives have been lost,” the source said.

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has discharged and acquitted Ibrahim Usman, who spent about 10 years in custody without conviction, after ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the charge of defilement against him beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Rahman Oshodi, who delivered the judgment on Tuesday in Charge No. ID/4091C/2017, held that the prosecution’s case was manifestly weak and failed to establish the essential ingredients of the offence under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

The court also faulted both the prosecution and custodial authorities, describing the prolonged detention as a grave institutional failure within the criminal justice system.

Usman was arrested on June 14, 2016, over allegations of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in February 2016 at Ipaja, Lagos. However, the prosecution did not file charges until March 2017.

The court noted that when the case came up for arraignment, authorities at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Custodial Centre repeatedly failed to produce the defendant before different judges despite several production warrants.

This persisted between October 2017 and February 2020, leading to the case being struck out on February 13, 2020, by Justice Sybil Nwaka (now of the Court of Appeal) for want of diligent prosecution after the defendant could not be produced in court.

It later emerged that the prosecution was unaware that the defendant remained in custody.

Even after the case was reassigned, custodial authorities again failed to produce him between December 2023 and January 2024, despite fresh court orders. He was eventually brought before the court on March 14, 2024.

Justice Oshodi described the conduct of the custodial authorities as persistently deficient.

“A production warrant issued by a High Court is a lawful command. The custodial authorities’ failure to comply with it in this case is a matter of grave institutional concern,” the court held.

At trial, the prosecution called only one witness, a medical doctor who merely interpreted a report prepared by another doctor who neither testified nor tendered the report in evidence.

Under cross-examination, the witness admitted he did not personally examine the alleged victim.

The court held that, in the absence of the medical report and testimony of its maker, the evidence could not sustain the charge.

Justice Oshodi further ruled that the prosecution failed to establish the age of the alleged victim and did not provide evidence linking the defendant to the offence, noting that key witnesses, including the complainant, were not called.

“The prosecution’s evidence was so manifestly insufficient that it required no answer,” the judge held.

The court also found that the defendant’s decision to rest his case on that of the prosecution was justified, as no prima facie case had been established.

Justice Oshodi emphasised that the delay was not caused by the court but by the prosecution’s failure to diligently pursue the case and the custodial authorities’ disregard for court orders.

He noted that systems such as the Lagos Criminal Information System were created to prevent such occurrences by tracking defendants across the justice system.

“The fate of this defendant illustrates what happens when such systems are not effectively utilised. He was detained at public expense for years without trial,” the judge said.

Justice Oshodi subsequently discharged and acquitted the defendant, ordering his immediate release from custody.

“The defendant is not guilty. I discharge and acquit him. He is to be released forthwith,” he ruled.

After denials that German authorities rejected Femi Fani-Kayode as Nigeria’s envoy, Ambassador-designate, following accounts such as a reported verbal insult directed at the UK High Commissioner during a 2026 Ramadan dinner, erratic behaviour, divisive past statements, specifically ethnocentric and tribalistic comments, he has now been reassigned to South Africa as Nigeria’s High Commissioner by President Bola Tinubu.

After descibing the allegations as “a lie from the pit of hell”, Fani-Kayode vehemently denied being “rejected” by Germany, labeling the reports as “total fabrication” and “fake news”.

By May 7, 2026 when he had been reassigned, he claimed he requested the redeployment to South Africa for “personal reasons,” citing a preference for its pan-African outlook and strong ties with Nigeria.

This was disclosed personally by Fani-Kayode on Thursday afternoon via a post on his verified Facebook page.

Weeks ago, the Federal Government announced Fani-Kayode’s posting to Germany. Since then, he couldn’t resume at his duty post with reports suggesting that he was rejected by the country.

However, the Ambassador-designate has now claimed that he personally rejected the Germany posting because he was ‘not comfortable with Germany for a number of personal reasons’ and given the fact that he had lived in Europe most of his life.

He wrote: “It gives me pleasure to announce the fact that Mr. President has graciously approved my posting as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa.

“This came a few days after the initial posting to Germany was announced and after I made a formal representation to the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, that I was not comfortable with Germany for a number of personal reasons and given the fact that I had lived in Europe most of my life I would prefer to go to South Africa which is a country that I had never been to and for which I have so much interest.

“I also expressed the fact that I would rather serve in a country that shares some of my convictions, beilefs and values when it comes to world affairs, that has the biggest economy in Africa, that has closer ties to Nigeria and that is more proximate to my political thinking when it comes to foreign affairs and a pan African vision.

“I therefore made an application for a redeployment to South Africa two days after the initial announcement was made and I am pleased to say that after the then Foreign Minister (H.E. Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar) heard my reasons he considered them favourably after which he conveyed the request to Mr. President who graciously approved it.

“I will be eternally grateful to Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this favourable consideration.

“I also take this opportunity to thank Senator Sam Enang, who was originally posted to South Africa and who was pleased to go to Germany instead, to agree for a straight swap.

“I take this opportunity to once again confirm that this was my choice and that Germany NEVER formally rejected me, which was a fake report that was published in an irresponsible online magazine that thrives on sensationslism, lies and blackmail.

“Their story was not only irresponsible and insulting but was also a total and complete fabrication based on hearsay, beer parlour talk and cheap gossip and designed to embarass my goodself, the Federal Government and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Worse still they listed a number of clearly outlandish and absurd reasons for this purported and fake “rejection” which they patched together and concocted reflecting the malevolent condition of their perverse imagination.”

He said their ‘findings’ after a preliminary investigation was that the story was not only sponsored but was also written with malicious intent and designed to hurt and destroy his career and bring him into both national and international opprobium and disrepute.

“We have reported the online magazine and the individuals that are behind it with a petition to the relevant security agencies for necessary action.

“I have also briefed my lawyers to take up the matter and we shall be suing them in a civil action for defamation.

“What actually happened was that the day an “agreement” was sent to South Africa by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was on March 13th, it was leaked to them and they falsely and maliciously reported that it was sent only because I had been formally rejected by Germany which they knew to be false.

“They attempted to establish falsehood as fact and this is unacceptable and far below the par of professionalism and proper journalism.

“If there was such a formal rejection I challenge them to bring the proof with documentary evidence.

“I repeat this never happened and I urge the media to be far more circumspect with such reports.

“This statement has been made necessary due to the concern that many of my friends and loved ones have expressed over the matter and in an attempt to set the record straight.

“God-willing, I look forward to serving as Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, a nation that I admire and respect given its remarkable and inspiring history,” Fani-Kayode stated.

Fresh controversy has erupted inside Nigerian Bar Association after the Court of Appeal in Abuja adjourned a politically sensitive case challenging the association’s refusal to release materials used in its disputed 2024 presidential election.

The Instituted by Tobenna Erojikwe, the first runner-up in the July 2024 NBA presidential poll, is rapidly evolving into a broader test of transparency, internal democracy, and accountability within Nigeria’s most influential legal body.

But what unfolded in court on Thursday only deepened suspicions.

After the appellate court rejected an adjournment request from NBA lawyers, who claimed they could not make it to Abuja due to travel difficulties, the hearing took an unexpected turn when key legal documents, including parts of the respondents’ filings, were reportedly missing from the justices’ case files.

The development forced the court to postpone proceedings until May 11.

Now, lawyers across the country are asking an uncomfortable question: What is the NBA trying to keep hidden?

At the base of the dispute is a constitutional provision many lawyers argue should make the matter straightforward.

The Second Schedule, Part II, Paragraph 8 of the NBA Constitution requires the association to provide election materials—including databases and other relevant records—to any interested party upon request, in the interest of transparency and openness.

Erojikwe says that after finishing second in the July 20, 2024 NBA presidential election, he requested access to the materials used for the electronic vote audit—but was denied.

He subsequently approached the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory seeking an order compelling the NBA to comply with its own constitution. The trial court however, sided with the NBA.

The court held that releasing the records could violate data privacy protections and ruled that Erojikwe would first need the consent of all lawyers who participated in the election before accessing the materials. To critics, the ruling was extraordinary.

Supporters of the appeal argue that the judgment ignored clear exceptions contained in Nigeria’s data protection laws and created what they describe as an impossible standard for electoral accountability.

One lawyer familiar with the dispute compared the logic to asking a presidential candidate to obtain consent from every Nigerian voter before Independent National Electoral Commission could release election results sheets or voting records.

But NBA insists that the “evaluation of the evidence before the court as per the dictate of the provisions of Section 133 of the Evidence Act, 2011 and the decision on Oyovbiare v Omamurhomu (1990) 10 NEWLY (PT.621) 23 AT 34 Paragraphs F-G, the Appellant has not put anything on his side of the scale held by Lady Justice to enable this court interfere with the judgment of the lower court. No perversity has been shown to warrant disturbing the finding of the learned trial court judge. “

 Delay Tactics or Due Process?

The atmosphere around the appeal has become increasingly tense.

According to Erojikwe’s legal team, the NBA has repeatedly delayed proceedings despite the urgency of the matter, especially with another NBA election expected in July.

During Thursday’s proceedings, counsel to the appellant, Okechukwu Umemuo, opposed the NBA’s adjournment request, accusing the association of deploying procedural tactics to frustrate the hearing.

He urged the court to invoke Order 6 Rule 8(2) of the Court of Appeal Rules 2021, which allows applications to proceed even when a party fails to appear after filing its processes.

Order 6 Rule 8 (2) of the Court of Appeal Rules 2021 which provides that:

(2) Where the parties have filed written address and other relevant process in relation to an application, any of the parties or their legal representatives do not appear on the day fixed for hearing of the application, the application will be treated as having been duly argued; provided that the application will still be treated as argued even where a party has failed to file his processes and the time limited for filing has expired.

The court agreed and dismissed the NBA’s request for adjournment.

But just as proceedings appeared set to move forward, another complication emerged: several key filings, including the respondent’s brief of argument, were nowhere to be found in the justices’ files, despite reports that court registry officials had confirmed their presence earlier that morning.

The missing documents abruptly halted the hearing.

 Growing Questions Inside the Legal Community

The dispute is now triggering broader scrutiny within the legal profession over how the NBA conducts its internal elections—particularly its electronic voting system.

For many observers, the controversy is no longer just about one candidate’s request for documents.

It is about institutional credibility.

“If the process was clean and transparent, why should it be difficult to audit?” one Abuja-based lawyer familiar with the matter asked privately after Thursday’s proceedings.

The NBA, however, insists the lower court’s judgment was legally sound.

In its filings, the association argued that the appellant failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify overturning the trial court’s ruling and maintained that no perversity had been established warranting appellate interference.

Still, critics say the association’s resistance to releasing election materials risks undermining confidence in the credibility of its own democratic processes.

And with another election cycle approaching fast, pressure is mounting for answers.

d man k!lls domestic worker’s toddler daughter ‘because house wasn’t cleaned properly’

A 21-year-old man has been arrested in Driekoppies, Schoemansdal, Mpumalanga, South Africa for the murder of a domestic worker’s three-year-old daughter. 

The suspect allegedly killed the toddler on account of the worker not cleaning the home properly. 

Mpumalanga police said the incident took place when the child accompanied her mother to work.

Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, said it is alleged that the child’s mother, a domestic worker at the residence, left her daughter sleeping on a couch.

“When she later could not find her, the suspect directed her to the garage, where she discovered the child’s lifeless body with head injuries,” Mdhluli said.

Police and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were dispatched to the premises. 

Upon arrival at the home, medical personnel confirmed the child had died.

“When questioned about the incident, the suspect allegedly stated that he was angry because the mother did not clean the house properly,” Mdhluli said.

According to police, the suspect resides with his grandmother, who employed the victim’s mother.

A case of murder has been opened for investigation. 

The suspect is expected to appear in the Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, May 7, 2026. 

In a moment that underscores the global impact of Nigerian intellectual leadership, renowned human rights lawyer and academic Chidi Odinkalu has been named the 2026 recipient of the Fletcher School’s prestigious Paddock Teaching Award.

The award, established in 1993 in memory of Professor James L. Paddock, recognizes exceptional teaching, deep subject mastery, and a sustained commitment to students. It is one of the most respected honours at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, a leading institution for global affairs.

Odinkalu’s selection carries particular weight because it is driven by student nominations and endorsed by the Student Council, making it a direct reflection of classroom impact rather than administrative preference. In academic circles where metrics often overshadow mentorship, this distinction signals something rarer: genuine influence on the intellectual and personal development of students.

Colleagues describe Odinkalu as a scholar who does not merely teach law and policy but challenges assumptions, confronts uncomfortable truths, and equips students to engage critically with global justice systems. His work, rooted in decades of advocacy across Africa, brings lived experience into academic discourse, bridging the gap between theory and reality.

The recognition comes at a time when questions around governance, human rights, and accountability continue to dominate global conversations.

For many observers, Odinkalu’s award is not just a personal achievement but a broader statement about the value of voices shaped by real-world struggles entering and reshaping elite academic spaces.

At Fletcher, where future diplomats, policymakers, and global leaders are trained, the impact of such teaching extends far beyond the classroom. It influences how the next generation understands justice, power, and responsibility.

For Nigerian observers, the honour also carries symbolic significance. It highlights a recurring paradox: while some of the country’s brightest minds are celebrated globally, their expertise is often underutilized or contested at home.

Still, moments like this serve as a reminder that excellence, even when challenged locally, resonates unmistakably on the global stage.

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University is one of the oldest and most prestigious graduate schools for international relations in the United States. Located in Medford, Massachusetts.