Former South African President Jacob Zuma dances on stage before addressing his supporters following the postponement of his corruption trial outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, on May 26, 2021.

South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma reported back to prison on Friday only to be swiftly released, in the latest twist over the 81-year-old’s contempt of court sentence.

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Zuma was ordered to report back to prison and arrived at 6:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) at a detention facility in the eastern town of Estcourt, where he was “admitted into the system”, the prison service said.

But he was let go in just over an hour as part of a “remission process” aiming to address overcrowding in prison, according to Correctional Services national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale.

“Upon admission into the system he was subjected to administrative processes… He was then released,” Thobakgale told a press conference in Pretoria.

Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in June 2021 after refusing to testify before a panel probing financial corruption and cronyism under his presidency, but was freed on medical parole just two months into his term.

He started serving his term early in July 2021.

His jailing sparked protests that descended into riots and looting that left more than 350 dead in the worst violence to hit the country since the advent of democracy in South Africa.

The following month, he was admitted to the hospital for an undisclosed condition before being granted medical parole.

In November last year an appeals court found the release was illegally granted and ordered Zuma back to the Estcourt Correctional Centre in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.

South Africa’s prison service, which had granted Zuma’s conditional release, appealed the decision, but the bid was dismissed by the Constitutional Court last month.

Thobakgale said the ex-president was ordered to return to jail on Friday in compliance with the ruling.

But Zuma immediately benefited from a remission of non-violent offenders approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said.

More than 24,000 inmates, about two-thirds of them under correctional supervision and parole, are to be released under the process, said Lamola.

The move “will alleviate overcrowding,” which “poses a direct threat to inmate health, security, and management, and it could lead to a surge in gangsterism,” the minister said.

Mzwanele Manyi, a spokesman for Zuma’s foundation, said the ex-president was “at home” and consulting with his legal team.

Zuma served as president from 2009 to 2018 before being forced out over graft allegations.

Besides his 2021 contempt of court conviction he is facing separate charges of corruption in an arms procurement scandal dating to the late 1990s, when he was vice president.

Governors of the five South-East states met on Thursday at the Government House, Enugu, Enugu State.

The governors, who constitute the regional South-East Governors’ Forum, are Alex Otti (Abia), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Dr Peter Mbah (Enugu) and Senator Hope Uzodimma (Imo).

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Today’s meeting marks the first to be held among the five governors since the inauguration of new governors into office on May 29, 2023.

It was gathered one of the things featured prominently on the agenda was the Monday sit-at-home enforced in the region by the Indigenous People of Biafra and the demand for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist group, IPOB, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services since June 2021.

A Federal High Court in Lagos, on Thursday, fixed August 15 to entertain applications regarding the custody of Godwin Emefiele, suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Emefiele is facing trial on a two-count charge bordering on “illegal possession” of firearms.

During proceedings on Thursday, K.A. Fagbemi, the prosecuting counsel, asked the court to hear the Federal Government’s application seeking a stay of execution of the court order on Emefiele’s bail.

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Fagbemi said the Federal government filed its application first and served it on the defence counsels on August 4.

Responding, Victor Opara, counsel to Emefiele, said priority should not be given to the Federal Government based on the time of filing since the court order was disobeyed.

Opara argued that the applications of both parties should be entertained on the same day.

He added that the federal government has nothing to lose since the defendant is in its custody.

After listening to both arguments, the judge ruled that the applications filed by both parties will be heard on August 15.

Recall on July 25, Emefiele was granted bail in the sum of N2omillion by Justice Oweibo. The judge, however, ordered that the suspended apex bank boss be kept in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions.

But the Department of State Services insisted that Emefiele must return to its custody, a development that led to the face-off between the secret police and prison officials.

After the face-off, DSS rearrested Emefiele on the court premises.

The secret service proceeded to file an application before a high court of the federal capital territory seeking to further detain the suspended CBN governor.

The application was struck out after it was withdrawn by the service over jurisdictional concerns.

On August 3, the Federal Government also filed an application before the federal high court in Lagos, seeking leave to appeal the order granting bail to Emefiele.

In the application filed by Nkiru Jones-Nebo, a deputy director of public prosecutions of the federation, the federal government also sought a stay of execution of the order remanding Emefiele in the custody of the NCoS.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Parklane, has said that at least four medical doctors leave the hospital every month for greener pastures.

The President of ARD in ESUTH, Dr Chukwunonso Ofonere, disclosed this in an interview in Enugu on Thursday.

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Ofonere said that the demand for the replacement of the doctors on a one-to-one basis was part of the agitations behind their current nationwide strike, which entered its ninth day on Thursday.

He said that the number of doctors that left the facility had caused a “serious shortfall” in manpower in the hospital.

He said, “A minimum of four of our colleagues leave every month and we are asking for a one-to-one replacement of the many doctors that have left the hospital for some years now.”

He said that the body had continued to dialogue with the State Government on the need for the one-to-one replacement for over five years to no avail.

The state ARD boss said: “The demand is for the improvement of healthcare delivery in the overall interest of the citizenry.

“This situation has led to the doctors in ESUTH being over overworked daily.

“And, at times, one doctor works in a medical active department for close to 12 hours, especially weekends.

“Doctors come to work in the morning and stay late in the evening.

“Shifts are irregular and some doctors cover close to two shifts due to the lack of replacement and insufficient manpower.”

Ofonere regretted that the unhealthy situation had adversely affected the quality of healthcare delivery due to the depletion in the number of doctors vis-a-vis the ever-growing patients’ size.

He said that the dangerous dimension to the challenge was the continuous attack on doctors in the hospital by angry patient’s relations.

“Often, our colleagues are yelled at, harassed, intimidated and physically assaulted by relations of patients, who feel they were not getting adequate and personal attention, especially when the sickness gets worse.

“We have recorded situations, where colleagues were stabbed with sharp objects by relatives, while others were threatened with dangerous weapons.

“A hospital is not a war zone or place for violence due to its sensitive nature and condition of various patients within it,” Ofonere said.

He opined that replacing the doctors that exited from the system would help to ensure adequate manpower to give quality attention to patients and also protect the doctors from public resentment.

He also said that with the current hyperinflation in the country, the doctors were asking for a 200 per cent salary increment “to be at par with the 2014 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure”, being enjoyed by their counterparts in federal health institutions.

“This will also help to check the brain drain syndrome among doctors,” Ofonere said.

He described the N5,000 monthly hazard allowance to doctors in the hospital as an insult

.“Our counterparts in federal health institutions collect a minimum of N35,000 monthly.”

He asked, “Looking at it critically, how much can we be paid to cover the clinic and pathological hazards doctors are exposed to in the course of their daily duty?”

He regretted that the State Government had yet to pay the Medical Resident Training Fund, which was agreed to help doctors update their knowledge and advancement.

“Our counterparts in federal health institutions have been enjoying the benefit of the fund but we are still left behind,” Ofonere further said.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has ordered its standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic.

The President of ECOWAS, Omar Alieu Touray, made the declaration while reading the resolution of ECOWAS on the Niger coup at the ECOWAS Extraordinary meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

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Below is the communique issued at the end of the meeting in Abuja.

The Authority having considered the memorandum presented by the President of the ECOWAS commission on the current situation in the Republic of Niger, as well as ECOWAS engagement since the last extraordinary summit;

and having considered the reports of the envoys of the chair, to Niger and various other places;

Carefully considered the report and recommendations of the ECOWAS committee of chiefs of defense staff;

extensively discussed the latest development in Niger since the last extra ordinary Summit held on 30th July 2023.

Noted that all diplomatic efforts made by ECOWAS, in resolving the crisis have been defiantly repelled by the military leadership of the Republic of Niger;
taking note of the expiration of the one week ultimatum given for the restoration of constitutional order in the Republic of Niger decide as follows:

A. Reiterates its strong condemnation of the attempted coup d’etat and the continued illegal detention of President Mohammed Bazoam, his family and members of his government

B. Further condemns the condition in which President Bazoum is being detained and hold the CNSP fully and solely responsible for the safety, security and physical integrity of President Bazoum, members of his family and government.

C. Uphold all measures and principles agreed upon by the extra ordinary Summit held on Niger on 30th July 2023.

D. Underscore the determination of the ECOWAS authority to keep all options on the table for the peaceful resolution of the crisis.

E. Enforce all measures in particular border closures and strict travel bans and assets freeze on all persons or groups of individuals whose actions hinder all peaceful efforts aimed at ensuring the smooth and complete restoration of constitutional order.

F. Warn member states who by their action directly or indirectly, hindered the peaceful resolution of the crisis in Niger about the consequences for their action before the community.

G. Call on the African Union to endorse all the decisions taken by the ECOWAS authority on the situation in Niger.

H. Further call on all partner countries and institutions including the United Nations to support ECOWAS, in its effort to ensure a quick restoration of constitutional order, in conformity with its normative instruments.

I. Direct the President of the Commission to monitor the implementation of the sanctions.

J. Direct the Committee of the chief of defense staff to activate the ECOWAS standby force with all its elements immediately.

K. Order the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.

L. Underscore its continued commitment for the restoration of constitutional order through peaceful means.