President Donald Trump of the United States is considering issuing sweeping travel restrictions for the citizens of dozens of countries as part of a new ban.

According to an internal memo regarding the move, a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups would be affected.

The first group of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea among others, would be set for a full visa suspension.

In the second group, five countries, including Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan, would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions.

According to the memo, in the third group, a total of 26 countries that includes Belarus, Pakistan and Turkmenistan among others would be considered for a partial suspension of US visa issuance if their governments do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days.

The move harkens back to President Donald Trump’s first term ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

It could be recalled that Trump issued an executive order on January 20 immediately after his inauguration requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats.

That order mandated several cabinet members to submit by March 21 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their vetting and screening information is so deficient.

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu will appear before a new judge on March 21, 2025.

Ekwutosblog learnt that Kanu will appear before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Speaking with Ekwutosblog, Kanu’s lead Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, said the legal team is primed and ready.

Ejimakor, however, disclosed that Kanu’s legal team has not been served with the charges he would face before Justice Omotosho.

Kanu has been facing charges over his pursuit for the actualization of Biafra.

In September 2024, Kanu had challenged Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja to recuse herself from his trial.

Following his call, Justice Nyako recused herself but the Chief Judge of the Abuja Federal High Court rejected her decision.

In December, Justice Nyako adjourned Kanu’s case indefinitely.

Against this backdrop, Kanu vowed never to appear in court until an impartial judge is appointed to preside over his case.

Ejimakor said: “It’s now official that Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu shall appear before a new Judge on 21st March 2025. It’s a milestone; and we are primed & ready.

“He will appear before Justice James Omotosho of Federal High Court in court 7.

“The case will start new like it has never held before. Everything that was done from 2015 when he was arrested to the last time that he appeared before Justice Binta Nyako are gone including the appeals that are pending, they are gone out of the window.

“He would be rearraigned on charges that we have not seen, we can mention that we received a hearing notice but no charges have been sent to us.

“We really don’t know the charges we are facing on March 24. The government has a trick they always do, they will serve you a day before the hearing so that you don’t have time to study the charges.

“Sometimes they serve you will you are in court but the charges would have been in the court registry and we can’t start asking the court to give us copy.”

The Federal Government says it has officially commenced the construction of two bypasses on the 2nd Niger Bridge, linking the Asaba-Benin and Enugu-Onitsha dual carriageways.

This announcement follows the release of 30% mobilization funds to the construction firms involved.

It also followed an assurance by the federal government that between December 2025 and March 2026, the government would complete the reconstruction of the East-West Road badly damaged by flood incident years ago in Rivers State.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed this while speaking with journalists during his inspection of the ongoing federal government road projects in Rivers State.