NB: Anyone who knows Eric or his family in Nigeria. If you knew Eric, have any information about his relatives, or are from his hometown in Anambra State, please contact:

Paul Kizito Eze

Phone: 714-768-9074

President Donald Trump doubled down Monday on his threat to wreck Iran’s civilian infrastructure, warning US forces could destroy every bridge and power plant in the country within four hours and that a truce proposal from international mediators was not yet enough.

Five weeks into the Middle East war triggered by a joint US-Israeli air assault on Tehran, the US leader has demanded that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping by midnight GMT on Tuesday, or face a newly devastating round of bombing.

Both Trump and Iran have said that a proposal touted by international mediators for a 45-day ceasefire is not yet ready, and in a Washington press conference, the US president dialled up his warlike rhetoric once again.

“We have a plan — because of the power of our military — where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again,” Trump said.

Trump had earlier accepted the ceasefire plan was a “significant proposal”, but went on to say it was not good enough. Iranian state media quotes officials stating that Tehran too “has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict”.

Trump said intermediaries “are negotiating now” on improving the ceasefire proposal, which US media reported was being mediated by Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey.

Iran’s military said it would “continue the war as long as the political authorities see fit”.

Trump’s latest threats, including a profanity-laced social media post on Sunday, have sent shockwaves through the international community.

International Committee of the Red Cross chief Mirjana Spoljaric warned that “deliberate threats… against essential civilian infrastructure” are illegal.

But talk of a ceasefire came as the US and Israel were striking targets across Iran, including major petrochemical facilities, and as Iran continued missile and drone attacks around the region.

Iran’s virtual blockade of Hormuz has sent oil and gas prices soaring and pushed countries around the world to enact measures to contain the fallout.

Earlier Monday, Israeli strikes had hit major Iranian petrochemical facilities, including in Asaluyeh on the Gulf coast, the country’s biggest, and another outside Shiraz in central Iran.

Israel’s military said it had also struck Iranian air force targets, including planes and helicopters at airports in Tehran and elsewhere.

Iran’s Guards posted on Telegram on Monday that their intelligence chief Majid Khademi, had been killed at dawn in US-Israeli strikes.

Israel’s military also said it had killed Asghar Bagheri, commander of the Guards’ Quds Force special operations unit, on Sunday.

“We will reach anyone who seeks to harm us,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The Guards’ Intelligence Organisation vowed a “major retaliatory strike” against those responsible for killing their commanders, their official Sepah News website reported.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they launched an attack targeting Israel, supporting their backer Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The war, which erupted on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has engulfed the Middle East and roiled the global economy.

The worldwide oil squeeze has hit aviation, with Indonesia on Monday saying it would increase a jet fuel surcharge and low-cost carrier Air Asia X announcing ticket price hikes of up to 40 per cent.

South Korea will send ships to fetch oil from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu, avoiding Hormuz altogether, a ruling party MP said, while Taiwan’s government said it too would take the Red Sea route.

Gulf nations allied with the US have also been sucked into the war, with Kuwait and the UAE reporting strikes and injuries from Sunday to Monday.

Iran has continued to launch attacks at Israel, where the military and medics said four bodies were recovered from a residential building in the northern city of Haifa that was struck by a missile.

Iranian media reported several attacks on residential areas of Tehran, while the state broadcaster said gas outages hit parts of the capital after a strike on a university.

AFP

Some Nigerians in India have raised the alarm over what they described as increased racial profiling and brutalisation by the Indian police.

They lamented visa regularisation challenges and high renewal fees, which they said had made life unbearable in the Asian country.

Some of the residents alleged that some Nigerian students were physically assaulted, adding that reporting to the authorities had changed nothing.

The allegations are coming amid growing agitations by student bodies demanding urgent diplomatic intervention in the situation.The National Association of Nigerian Students recently staged a peaceful protest at the Indian High Commission in Abuja over what it described as “alarming reports” of inhumane treatment of Nigerian students in India.

NANS issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government for urgent diplomatic engagement, warning that it would escalate advocacy actions nationwide if the issues were not addressed.

Speaking with journalists during the demonstration, the NANS Vice President (Special Duties), Abubakar Mallawa, decried the alleged ill-treatment of Nigerians, adding that the association had received multiple distress reports from students in Indian cities, particularly Mumbai, over visa challenges, discriminatory practices and systematic profiling.

He noted that the affected students and other Nigerians engaged in legitimate businesses had faced difficulties in renewing visas, mass arrests linked to immigration status, denial of rental accommodation based solely on nationality, closure of Nigerian-owned shops, confiscation of goods, and, in some cases, forceful entry into residences and detention under degrading conditions.

The group also raised concerns over  the visa application process, alleging that Nigerian applicants were often required to pay interview and processing fees but denied visas without clear explanations.

In a recent interview on Arise TV, the National Secretary of NANS, Anzaku Shedrack, said the group had been receiving disturbing videos showing the brutalisation of Nigerians in several parts of India, and called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene.

A video clip played by the tv station showed some suspected Indians attacking and stoning an individual, said to be a Nigerian, on the floor.

In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the Education Coordinator of the Association of African Students in India, Rajasthan chapter, Abisola Williams,  said Nigerians were going through tough times in India.

Williams also admitted that Nigerian students were seriously affected by regularisation challenges.

The third-year physiotherapy student explained that India does not grant permanent residency to international students.

“It’s either you’re a student or a professional with a work visa. As for Nigerians, we have to renew our visas every year, as students or professionals,” she said.

Williams noted that Indian authorities reserved the right to deny visa extensions to students who failed to meet academic or financial obligations.

Another Nigerian student in Delhi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that Nigerians were required to pay 10,000 rupees (about N146,000) every three months to renew their visas, a fee she claimed is lower for students from other African countries.

“Other students from other African countries do not pay for it. We were told it was an agreement between the Indian and Nigerian governments for students to pay every three months. I know Zimbabweans who are not paying to renew visas, while Ghanaians pay a maximum of 500 rupees, which is about N8,000. This is just unfair. That’s the cross Nigerians bear to regularise their stay in India.  They don’t give us enough time to raise the money. But for other nationals like Zimbabweans, they get about eight months before their next visa expires,” the student said.

She added that the fee was not disclosed during visa processing in Nigeria and that many students only became aware of it after arriving in India.

The student further alleged that Indian police actively track Nigerians, whose visas had expired, leading to arrests, intimidation and deportation.

“When my visa was about to expire, I went to renew it, but was surprised to learn it was 10,000 rupees. After that, the police came looking for me because I had not renewed my visa.

“I have seen male students who were bullied and harassed because of this. They don’t believe we live by the rules. Anything that goes wrong is attributed to Nigerians, and it’s unfair.

“There are people who have faced serious injustice in the hands of these officers. Some were taken to deportation camps. I knew someone who was deported to Nigeria for this,” she said.

Drug crimes in India

No fewer than 50,000 Nigerians are believed to be resident in India.

Analysts believe that the Nigerian community is being targeted due to increased arrests of some people from the country for alleged drug trafficking.

In 2024, Indian agencies arrested 660 foreign nationals for drug-related crimes.

No fewer than 106 of the suspects were reported to be Nigerians, the second highest. Nepal was first on the list with 203 nationals.

Also, 2,356 Nigerians were deported by India between 2019 and 2024, with removals quadrupling from 339 in 2021 to 1,470 in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Nigerians are police informants – Diplomat

But a diplomat in India said some Nigerians were being used as informants by the Indian police.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that such people were usually induced with money.

“Fellow Nigerians report one another to the police when they have disputes. They become informants because the authorities give them a share. When Nigerians are arrested, the police extort money from them, and the informants take a cut. These practices put the country in a bad light,” the source said.

The envoy urged the Federal Government to pursue reciprocity so that Indian students in Nigeria would receive similar visa terms.“Sometimes, people assume any black person involved (in a crime) is Nigerian, which is not always the case. Due diligence is necessary before drawing conclusions.”

The source also urged Nigerians to comply with local laws.

The official added, “People should ask why Nigerians are being maltreated. What offence did they commit? You are in another country and must obey their laws. Some individuals have overstayed for years without valid visas. Once caught, there may be consequences.”

On the quarterly visa renewal, the official said the issue also affects Nigerian diplomats and called for reciprocal measures.

“As diplomats, our families renew visas yearly. It is an issue we have raised at the highest level, but nothing has been done. The best approach is reciprocity. We should ensure their families get similar terms, while we consider shorter durations for their students.”
PUNCH