Odita Sunday 
WORLD • ASIA
Taiwan’s Lai Vows Not to Give Up Freedom as Record Defence Budget Is Set
President William Lai Ching-te told thousands outside the Presidential Office on National Day that Taiwan “cherishes peace” and will not give up its freedom, adding the island is open to exchanges but will not accept subordination. His government has set aside a record NT$1.1 trillion (about $34.5 billion), more than 3% of GDP, for defence in 2027, which he said is meant to deter war, not provoke it. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the speech “distorts the truth”; Taiwan reported 21 Chinese aircraft and seven navy ships around the island in 24 hours.
Taiwan is also awaiting US approval of a $14 billion weapons package that includes the Patriot air-defence system.
AFRICA • SOUTH AFRICA
Anti-Migrant Unrest in Johannesburg and Durban; Home Affairs Withdraws Asylum Directive
Unrest in Johannesburg and Durban entered a second day on 9 October, with cars torched, foreign nationals attacked and shops looted; police used tear gas and stun grenades. Home Affairs withdrew its asylum-processing directive and will draft a replacement that follows a Constitutional Court ruling. Immigration is a major issue ahead of the 4 November elections, with unemployment above 30 per cent. Nigerians in South Africa will be watching closely, after earlier reports of deaths among their number this year.
In Ethiopia, airstrikes, and artillery fire hit parts of Tigray, with at least 17 reported killed in air attacks northwest of Mekelle, while in Kenya a preliminary Ebola test was reported negative, pending an official statement.
NIGERIA • SECURITY
Twenty Imo Corps Members Freed After a Week in Captivity; Parent Says Families Paid ₦6m Each
Twenty prospective NYSC corps members abducted on their way to orientation camps were abducted by suspected kidnappers in Imo State on Wednesday. They were offered postings to any of the six South-West states. A parent said the families paid ₦6 million in ransom for each graduate; that account has not been confirmed by the authorities. Earlier reports that some captives had been rescued by families disputed security forces.
NIGERIA • ELECTIONS
Candidates Face Disqualification Over Party Registers After Supreme Court Ruling
From Diaspora Dispatch Nigeria Desk
The Supreme Court’s 24 September ruling in INEC v Zenith Labour Party affirmed sections 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld INEC’s revised 2027 timetable. Anyone who took part in more than one party primary, or whose name was not on a party’s register as at May 2026, risks disqualification. INEC commissioner Mohammed Kudu Haruna said parties fielding candidates not on their submitted registers will not be allowed to contest, and that the commission would decide the implications “next week.”
NIGERIA • POWER & CUSTOMS
Blackouts Deepen Across Seven States; Customs Seizes ₦3.67bn of Suspected Narcotics
Residents of Niger, Kwara, Rivers, Imo, Abia, Cross River and Kaduna report fewer than three hours of power a day, down from about six over the previous three months, saying they are “paying for darkness”; all power stations are reported to be operating below capacity.
Illustration: containers at a port.
Customs and the NDLEA intercepted two 40-foot containers at Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, carrying suspected Delta-8 cannabis-infused cookies and gummies worth an estimated ₦3.67 billion, hidden among used vehicles and spare parts. The first consignment, 890 packs weighing 598.08 kg, was intercepted on 2 September.
NIGERIA • DELTA STATE • TRIBUTE
Onicha-Uku Bids Farewell to Mrs Maureen Isioma Asiweh (née Bardi)
Family, friends, and dignitaries gathered at Onicha-Uku, Delta State, for a well-attended and successful funeral service in honour of the late Mrs Maureen Isioma Asiweh (née Bardi). The occasion drew mourners from far and wide, who came to celebrate a life well lived and to stand with the bereaved family.
Among those present were members of Class 84 of St Pius Xth Grammar School, Onicha-Ugbo who turned out in large number to condole with their classmate Mr Patrick Bardi and to support her family.
PHOTOGRAPH
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Photograph: Class 84, St Pius Xth Grammar School, at the funeral
Diaspora Dispatch extends its condolences to the Asiweh and Bardi families. May her soul rest in peace.
EXCHANGE RATE WATCH
Official (CBN, Fri close): about ₦1,331 / US$1.
Street: buy ₦1,365–₦1,375, sell ₦1,380–₦1,390.
Weekend quotes are thin; confirm with a bureau before trading.
ELECTION WATCH
INEC to decide candidate-eligibility fallout “next week.”
Multiple primaries or missing from May 2026 register: risk of disqualification.
South Africa votes 4 November amid migrant tensions.
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