News
Zelensky reveals one condition to give up territory as war intensifies

Published
7 months agoon
By
Ekwutos Blog
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been adamant that his country would not trade any territory in exchange for peace with Russia and Vladimir Putin, but recent remarks might be a sign that this blanket policy has changed.

A Russian Federal Bailiffs Service officer guards a corridor leading to a courtroom inside the court in Yekaterinburg, 18 July 2024
© AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky
In a rare public display of Russian secret agents, state television Russia-1 interviewed two former spies who returned to Moscow as part of the US-Russia prisoner swap.
Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva were posing as Argentinian citizens after settling in Slovenia in 2017. The duo reportedly used their residence in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, to travel to other NATO and EU member states.
In the interview, the Russian reporter presented a bag with stuffed toys to the children and asked their parents how to say “Cheburashka”, a character from Soviet and Russian cartoons, in Spanish.
Allegedly, the two children were not aware of their parents’ true identity and did not speak their native tongue.
In the interview, Dultseva explained how she similarly did not think or speak in Russian, and faced difficulty adopting the language back upon her return to Moscow.
The couple’s two teenage children lived in foster care after their parents’ arrest in 2022 and, according to Dultseva, were almost placed for adoption.
“We were threatened that the Argentinian side allegedly wanted to take our children. The children could be given to another family for adoption,” Dultseva said.
“But we felt that the Slovenian special services also did everything possible to keep the children in Slovenia to keep us together.”
Yashin: People’s support ‘my source of strength’
Meanwhile, one of the political activists released by the Kremlin, Ilya Yashin, thanked his supporters via a stream on his YouTube channel. He said he felt empowered after receiving around 30,000 letters and postcards and added: “it was literally my source of strength, because not a single day in prison did I feel abandoned, forgotten, or alone.”
The Russian activist previously admitted that he felt burdened by his release, as many of his comrades remain behind bars. Yashin spoke about the details of the prison swap and said that two more Russian dissidents should have been released as part of the deal.
“The Russian side deceived, betrayed their counterparts in the negotiations, leaving (Russian opposition activist Alexei) Gorinov and (associate of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Daniel) Kholodny actually hostage,” Yashin said.
Yashin was imprisoned in 2022 for criticising Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In his livestream, he vowed to stay committed to his anti-war position.
He added that he spoke to a German government official and warned, “if you allow Putin to devour Ukraine now, he will 100% move on. There are no illusions.”
Russia did not turn a corner, experts say
The prisoner swap between Russia and the West is the largest exchange since the Cold War, but the CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Jodie Ginsberg, warned of the precedent it might set for future governments.
“Our concern is that this doesn’t set a precedent for future governments to feel that they can simply take innocent journalists, for example, imprison them and use them as bargaining chips for the release of, prisoners abroad.”
Ginsberg warns that the swap does not signify an improvement in press freedom in Russia. “This doesn’t mean that Russia has turned a corner or that Russia now suddenly has press freedom”.
She adds that the country was the fourth largest jailer of journalists worldwide in 2023, making it one of the most restrictive environments for journalists globally.
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AEDC gives reason as darkness hits parts of Abuja

Published
12 hours agoon
March 6, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Some parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, are currently experiencing electricity disruption.
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, confirmed the outage in a statement on its X account on Thursday.
According to the disco, the areas affected by the outage are Kajah estate, Navy estate, Mararaba Loko, Pyanko, Karshi, Gishiri, Lingu Crescent, Agape Hotel, Zenith Bank, FCDA Quarters, Polaris Bank, and Glov Regional Office.
The company said the power disruption was due to a technical fault on its feeder serving the affected locations.
AEDC said, “We regret to inform you that the power outage is due to a technical fault on the feeder serving these areas.
“Our dedicated technical team is working tirelessly to restore power as quickly aspossible.”
Business
Afenifere youths write Tinubu over alleged plot to stop crude supply to local refineries

Published
2 days agoon
March 5, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
The Afenifere Youth Renewal Group (AYRG) has written President Bola Tibubu, expressing concern over an alleged plot to frustrate domestic refineries, including the Dangote Refinery, from meeting Nigeria’s PMS consumption demand.
The alleged plot, said to be masterminded by a cabal comprising petroleum importers and officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), involves a plan to obstructing the supply of crude oil to local refineries.
In a letter co-signed by Chief Semiu Oriade and Otunba Opeoluwa Ayeola, the President and Secretary General, respectively, AYRG warned that the planned obstruction could have severe economic implications for Nigeria.
According to the Afenifere youths, possible consequences of the plot include artificial scarcity of petroleum products, further astronomical hike in pump prices, and economic hardship for millions of Nigerians.
The group further warned that it would erode economic gains recorded under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.
Praising the President for his reforms, including removal of subsidy, which it said has liberated the economy from the stranglehold of corrupt oil cartels, AYRG warned that economic saboteurs can derail the progress made by the administration.
Parts of the letter read, “We write not only as concerned citizens, but more as stakeholders who are deeply invested in the development, stability, and prosperity of our dear country. It is now abundantly evident that certain vested interests within the NNPC are actively and deliberately trying to thwart the excellent advancements of your administration by obstructing the supply of crude oil to local refineries,” the letter said.
“This insidious plot, if not urgently curtailed, has the potential to erode the significant economic gains recorded under your leadership and plunge Nigeria back into the dark era of crippling fuel importation.
“Since its inception, it is believed that your administration has demonstrated a strong commitment to breaking the chains of economic enslavement that have long held our dear country hostage.
“The audacious removal of the fuel subsidy; a long-standing albatross on the neck of our nation’s economy as for decades lined the pockets of a privileged few at the expense of national progress, is undoubtedly a landmark decision that signaled the dawn of economic liberation for Nigeria.
“Your efforts in dismantling this fraudulent subsidy regime has liberated our economy from the stranglehold of corrupt oil cartels who, under the guise of serving the nation, have siphoned trillions of naira into private coffers while keeping Nigeria dependent on imported petroleum products.
“However, it has come to our attention, through credible sources and observable patterns, that certain elements within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), whose nefarious schemes were disrupted by your administration’s bold policies, are actively working to undermine the progress of your administration.
“These individuals, driven by selfish interests and a desire to maintain their stranglehold on the nation’s resources, are orchestrating a dangerous plot to halt the supply of crude oil to local refineries.
“Their ultimate goal is to force Nigeria back into the era of fuel importation, thereby paving the way for a return to exorbitant petrol prices, hyperinflation, and economic hardship for millions of Nigerians.
“We believe that the deliberate strangulation of crude supply to our local refineries is not just an economic crime; it is a direct assault on the sovereignty of Nigeria as a self-sustaining oil-producing nation.
“This country is abundantly blessed with crude oil reserves that should place us among the leading self-reliant petroleum producers in the world. Yet, due to years of systemic sabotage, corruption, and vested interests, Nigeria was forced to endure the humiliation of exporting crude oil only to buy it back at exorbitant prices as refined fuel.
“Your Excellency, we are heartened that your administration’s economic vision has come a long way in putting an end to this absurdity by reviving our refineries, ensuring local refining capacity is maximized, and cutting off the parasitic network of fuel importers who have, for decades, profited at the detriment of national prosperity.
“But rather than embrace the future of a self-sufficient Nigeria you are creating, these saboteurs, threatened by their loss of illicit profits, are hell-bent on reversing your policies by crippling local refining operations.
“Moreover, these individuals, who have long profited from the opaque and corrupt fuel subsidy regime, feel threatened by the removal of the subsidy. For decades, they have enriched themselves at the expense of the Nigerian people, siphoning billions of dollars meant for the development of our nation.”
The Afenifere Youth Renewal Group urged the President Tinubu to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the NNPC, and mandate uninterrupted supply of crude to local refineries.
It will be recalled that recently, there were reports that the NNPCL intends to adjust its crude allocation to Dangote Refinery following the coming onstream of the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries. The Port Harcourt and Warri refineries currently operate at a combined capacity of about 135,000 barrels per day.
Under the Federal Government’s naira-for-crude initiative, the NNPCL currently allocates 300,000 barrels of crude per day to Dangote Refinery.
News
You won’t be free if forensic shows human blood in ‘Okite’ – Soludo to Anambra native doctors

Published
2 days agoon
March 5, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, has disclosed that all confiscated ‘Okite’ boxes used by native doctors in the state would be subjected to forensic analysis.
Soludo said the owners of these Okite boxes would be free if no human blood is found in them after forensic analysis.
Speaking in Awka, Soludo warned of consequences if human blood is found in the boxes.
Over 30 suspected native doctors and pastors are under investigation as part of the state government’s efforts to restore law and order.
However, Soludo accused the native doctors of misleading young people with promises of supernatural protection for illegal activities, including drug trafficking, cyber fraud (Yahoo Yahoo), and kidnapping.
He said: “Many Okite are now in our custody, and the only thing that can save their owners is if forensic tests show no traces of human blood.
“They made Okite for these youths, assuring them they could pass security checkpoints undetected with hard drugs.
“But once caught, they end up in jail worldwide. When that failed, they turned to cyber fraud, and when that too failed, they became kidnappers in search of easy money.”

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