Oxfam has renewed calls for global action, urging citizens around the world to sign petitions demanding that wealthy polluters pay for climate-related damage as communities continue to reel from worsening climate impacts.
The appeal follows a series of devastating climate crises that have disrupted lives and livelihoods in Malawi, which, like many other developing nations, is grappling with droughts, floods, and erratic weather patterns that threaten food security and economic stability.
Through its petitions, Oxfam is calling on governments and world leaders to impose taxes on large corporations and fossil fuel companies, introduce wealth taxes on super-rich individuals, close tax loopholes that allow major polluters to evade responsibility, and ensure that collected funds reach communities hardest hit by extreme weather events such as floods and wildfires.
Jan Oldfield, Interim CEO, Oxfam GB
“We’re urging people to stand together for a fair, sustainable future where communities thrive,” said Zara Sarvarian, Oxfam’s strategic media manager, speaking on Jan. 10, 2026.
She said signing the petition allows individuals to contribute to a collective push for climate justice and long-term sustainability.
Oxfam says the climate crisis is deepening poverty and inequality in developing countries, with vulnerable communities bearing the heaviest burden despite contributing least to global emissions.
The organisation is calling on citizens worldwide to add their voices to growing demands for accountability from those most responsible for climate change.
The petition forms part of Oxfam’s broader “Make Rich Polluters Pay” campaign, which seeks to hold corporations and governments accountable for their role in driving the climate crisis.
The campaign was launched in 2023 and underwent a major relaunch in June 2025.
In November last year, Oxfam delivered a petition bearing more than one million signatures to Brazil’s minister of the environment and climate change during the COP30 climate summit, underscoring rising global pressure for climate justice.
Sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages are getting cheaper, due to consistently low tax rates in most countries, fueling obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancers and injuries, especially in children and young adults.
In two new global reports released on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling on governments to significantly strengthen taxes on sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages. The reports warn that weak tax systems are allowing harmful products to remain cheap while health systems face mounting financial pressure from preventable noncommunicable diseases and injuries.
Sugar-sweetened beverages
“Health taxes are one of the strongest tools we have for promoting health and preventing disease,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “By increasing taxes on products like tobacco, sugary drinks, and alcohol, governments can reduce harmful consumption and unlock funds for vital health services.”
The combined global market for sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages generates billions of dollars in profit, fueling widespread consumption and corporate profit. Yet governments capture only a relatively small share of this value through health-motivated taxes, leaving societies to bear the long-term health and economic costs.
The reports show that at least 116 countries tax sugary drinks, many of which are sodas. But many other high-sugar products, such as 100% fruit juices, sweetened milk drinks, and ready-to-drink coffees and teas, escape taxation. While 97% of countries tax energy drinks, this figure has not changed since the last global report in 2023.
A separate WHO report shows that at least 167 countries levy taxes on alcoholic beverages, while 12 ban alcohol entirely. Despite this, alcohol has become more affordable or remained unchanged in price in most countries since 2022, as taxes fail to keep pace with inflation and income growth. Wine remains untaxed in at least 25 countries, mostly in Europe, despite clear health risks.
“More affordable alcohol drives violence, injuries and disease,” highlighted Dr Etienne Krug, Director of WHO’s Department of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention. “While industry profits, the public often carries the health consequences and society the economic costs.”
WHO found that across regions:
tax shares on alcohol remain low with global excise share medians of 14% for beer and 22.5% for spirits;
sugary drink taxes are weak and poorly targeted with the median tax accounting for only about 2% of the price of a common sugary soda and often applying only to a subset of beverages, missing large parts of the market; and
few countries adjust taxes for inflation, allowing health-harming products to become steadily more affordable.
These trends in tax persist despite a 2022 Gallup Poll finding that the majority of people surveyed supported higher taxes on alcohol and sugary beverages. WHO is calling on countries to raise and redesign taxes as part of its new 3 by 35 initiative, which aims to increase the real prices of three products, tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks by 2035, making them less affordable over time to help protect people’s health.
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has condemned the imprisonment of 52 students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, in Edo State, who were arrested in connection with a protest against rising kidnappings in the area, and has demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the organisation described the “remand of the students at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre on charges of malicious damage and robbery” as absurd, unjust, and morally bankrupt, accusing the Edo State government and operatives of the Nigeria Police Force of turning state violence on victims while kidnappers continue to operate freely.
Gov. Monday Okpebholo of Edo State
According to eyewitness accounts and media reports, security forces carried out a midnight raid on student hostels in the early hours of Sunday, at about 3 a.m. Armed officers forced their way into rooms, dragged students from their beds, and arrested them in a sweeping operation that threw the campus into fear. Some of those detained were reportedly unconnected to the protest and were taken away in their sleepwear.
The protest itself, which took place on Saturday, January 10, 2026, was a desperate cry against the wave of abductions plaguing Ekpoma, the headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area. Students, alongside community members, had marched to demand basic security after repeated abductions near hostels and along school routes. Just a day after the protest, another kidnapping was caught on CCTV, reinforcing claims that the area had become very unsafe.
CAPPA said the state’s response exposed a warped sense of judgment.
“Instead of hunting kidnappers who operate openly and violently, the government is punishing innocent victims who simply asked for protection,” the statement said.
The organisation said the arrests reflect a deeper failure of governance in Edo State and across Nigeria, where insecurity grows while governments criminalise those who speak out.
CAPPA warned that students now live under siege.
“Journeys to school are becoming more and more dangerous. Hostels have become targets. Learning is collapsing under fear and trauma. Yet leaders hide behind privilege while ordinary people pay the price,” the statement noted.
According to Zikora Ibeh, Assistant Executive Director of CAPPA, peaceful protest remains a constitutionally guaranteed right in Nigeria and a basic tool for holding power to account.
“These students are victims twice over. First by kidnappers and organised gangs, then by the state,” Ibeh said. “Young people now risk abduction on their way to school and violence where they live. This situation damages learning and scars mental health. Female students face even higher risks, including sexual violence. The cost is long-term and devastating,” she added.
CAPPA said the crackdown fits a national pattern in which protests against government failure are increasingly criminalised, and security forces are deployed to crush legitimate grievances.
“In a country awash with wealth and huge resources, public security has collapsed into an economy of violence, complete with scouts, criminal gangs, informants, negotiators, and ransom brokers who calculate deadlines on human life, all because governments have lost any real sense of responsibility toward the people,” the organisation said.
“Families are losing their savings, selling their futures, and living with constant pain just to survive. Fear now controls how people move, where they go to school, and how they work. Because the government has failed to protect them, many communities have been forced into self-defence, setting up local patrols and informal security arrangements that often expose them to further danger and retaliation. In some cases, communities have had no choice but to submit to the rule of violent groups who govern through extortion and fear.”
CAPPA expressed solidarity with the detained students and all Nigerians living under insecurity. It called on the Edo State Government and security agencies to drop all charges and release the 52 students immediately.
The organisation also demanded an independent investigation into the arrests and accountability for abuses recorded during the raid. It urged the Edo State Government to stop criminalising protest and start governing by investing in real security oversight, engaging students and communities honestly, and addressing root causes such as poverty, unemployment, and social neglect.
“Jailing frightened students will not stop kidnappings,” CAPPA said. “Only political will and genuine commitment to public safety will.”
The Centre for Climate Change and Development (CCCD), Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi, Nigeria, and the Institut du développement durable et des relations internationale (IDDRI), Paris, France, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) are set to host a high-level policy workshop under the Ukama Platform.
The workshop, entitled “Trade, Investment and Green Industrialisation in Nigeria: Strengthening Relationships with the EU”, will hold on Thursday, January 15, 2026, in Abuja.
The workshop comes at a critical moment as Nigeria seeks to diversify its economy away from oil dependence while aligning industrial growth with climate and sustainability objectives in line with changing global transition in international trade and industry.
AU-EU trade and Investment Summit-Nigeria Map
The Nigerian Climate Change Act 2021 and National Renewable Energy Action Plan provide an important foundation for green industrialisation in the country. Yet, persistent gaps remain in policy coordination, financing frameworks, trade facilitation, and implementation. At the same time, it is believed that evolving Nigeria–EU engagements on sustainable trade, green energy, and investment, alongside continental opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) present a huge and timely opportunity to strengthen cooperation and unlock green industrial value chains.
The workshop will have the Co-Chairs of the Ukama Platform and Director of CCCD, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, and Dr Sebastien Treyer, Executive Director of IDDRI, alongside other critical stakeholders including representatives from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, private sector players, representatives of the diplomatic corps, senior policymakers, development finance institutions, and research organisations, among others.
The workshop is designed to commence with the presentation of the policy brief to set the analytical context for the workshop discussions with three technical sessions structured to help guide discussions and frame implementable outcomes.
Technical session (i), which will be on “Policy Landscape”, will examine existing trade, climate, and industrial policy frameworks, identify gaps, and clarify institutional needs. Technical Session (ii) on “Financing for Green Industrialisation in Nigeria” will explore strategies to mobilise public and private capital for green investments. Technical Session (iii) will examine “Trade Facilitation, Regional Integration, and Green Industrial Value Chains”, drawing insights from participants with a focus on enabling trade and investment in green industrial sectors.
Overall, the workshop will produce a concise policy brief with actionable recommendations aimed at strengthening Nigeria-European Union cooperation, and establishing a sustained dialogue path to advance green industrialisation, investment, and inclusive economic growth across Africa.
The Ukama Platform is the Africa-Europe platform for sustainable development thinkers with the aim of building informal dialogue process between a diversity of African and European experts.
By Gboyega Olorunfemi (Senior Research Associate, CCCD) and Elisabeth Hege (Senior Research Fellow, IDDRI), coordinators of Ukama Platform
A new study led by researchers at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in collaboration with African partners shows that electric vehicles could be economically competitive in many African countries before 2040 – just as long as charging infrastructure is developed and geared specifically towards solar powered off-grid systems.
The number of vehicles in Africa is expected to double between now and 2050 – faster than on any other continent. The question is not whether mobility will increase, but how. A new study led by researchers at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, in collaboration with African partners from Makerere University (Uganda), University of Port Harcourt (Nigeria) and Stellenbosch University (South Africa), shows that electric vehicles, combined with solar-powered off-grid charging systems, could be economically competitive in many African countries well before 2040.
Electric vehicle taxi in Accra, Ghana. Photo credit: Tobias Schmidt / ETH Zurich
“Many models have assumed that combustion engine vehicles will continue to dominate in Africa through mid-century,” says lead author Bessie Noll, a senior researcher in the Energy and Technology Policy Group at ETH Zurich, headed up by Professor Tobias Schmidt. “Our findings show that, under certain conditions, e-mobility is feasible sooner than many people think.”
A key aspect of the study is vehicle charging. In many regions of Africa, the electrical grid is unreliable or non-existent. The researchers therefore analysed 52 African countries and more than 2,000 locations for a scenario, in which electric vehicles are charged using dedicated solar power facilities and stationary batteries, independent of the grid.
What helps here is that the cost of solar power and batteries has fallen sharply in recent years. At the same time, more and more affordable electric vehicles are hitting the market, especially from China. Motorbikes and eScooters are particularly economical today.
“We wanted to know what would happen if the charging system were designed specifically for daily demand,” explains second lead author Christian Moretti, a research scientist in the Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis at PSI. “Even we were surprised by the results: these systems are significantly cheaper than is often assumed, and in many contexts they are even more reliable than the existing electrical grid.”
Specifically, the team’s calculations show that a compact solar system is enough for a small car that travels around 50 kilometres (approx. 30 miles) per day. The cost of charging accounts for only a very small portion of the total vehicle costs. In many places, switching to electric scooters and motorbikes already makes good financial sense.
A diverse continent
Something the study also highlights are the significant differences within Africa. In countries like Botswana or South Africa, where financing conditions are more stable, electric vehicles could become competitive sooner. In countries like Guinea, where financing costs are high, the transition will likely be slower. “Africa is not a single, uniform market,” stresses Noll. “The framework conditions vary enormously, as does the point at which e-mobility makes sense financially.”
Synthetic fuels not an option
The researchers also compared electric vehicles to cars powered by synthetic fuels. These vehicles perform significantly worse. Even under very optimistic assumptions, such as production using highly affordable solar power in Chile, the costs remain high.
“Synthetic fuels are urgently needed in other areas, such as aviation and industry,” says Moretti. “They don’t make sense as a priority for passenger transport in Africa.”
Financing the primary issue
According to the researchers, the biggest obstacle to e-mobility is financing, rather than technology. In many African countries, loans are expensive because investments are considered risky. This affects electric vehicles, in particular, since the initial outlay is higher.
“If financing costs can be reduced, the transition will accelerate dramatically,” says Noll. Potential options include government guarantees, new financing models or international support. E-mobility could also create new economic opportunities for Africa, through things like local assembly, new services or jobs along the supply chain.
What the study doesn’t show
The analysis, published in Nature Energy, is deliberately based on a simplified scenario. In their calculations, the researchers did not take into account existing electrical grids, import duties, value added tax or government subsidies. Their aim was to compare the different drive technologies in purely technological and economic terms.
The researchers also did not model in detail infrastructure issues, such as the expansion of public charging stations, or social and political factors, such as import regulations on used vehicles. “We first wanted to understand whether e-mobility is feasible and affordable in principle,” says Noll. “How each country manages their specific transition depends heavily on local conditions and policy decisions.”
How does e-mobility affect public finances?
A second study, which Bessie Noll is involved in and which was published in Nature Sustainability, reveals another dimension of the transition. This study examines the implications of the global transition to electric vehicles for public finances worldwide. Today, taxes on petrol and diesel generate around $900 billion per year worldwide. In many countries, this revenue finances road building and more broadly transport infrastructure. With the rise of electric vehicles, this revenue is at risk of disappearing.
Low-income countries are bearing the brunt. Here, fuel taxes account for more than nine percent of total government revenue on average, significantly higher than in wealthier countries. At the same time, these countries often have less institutional capacity to introduce new tax regimes quickly.
“The transition to electric vehicles makes sense in terms of climate policy, but poses difficult budgetary questions for a lot of countries,” notes Noll. Early tax reforms and international support could help to avoid financing gaps.
Together, both studies show that e-mobility in Africa is technically and economically feasible, but it will take forward-thinking policies that take a holistic view of energy, transport and financial issues if it is to achieve its full potential.
The 23km Phase One of the Lagos-Badagry Highway is 95% completed, the Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, said on Monday, January 12, 2026, in Lagos.
Umahi made this known while inspecting the project.
The minister noted that the highway comprised three lanes and two carriageways with a train track.
Construction of Lagos-Badagry Highway
He expressed satisfaction at the quality and pace of the work being handled by CGC Construction Company.
“I can say they have completed the job to about 95 per cent. What is left for them to finish this phase one is only 300 metres.
“We have directed them to put the solar lights, not cable lights as they proposed. We are building for tomorrow,” he said.
Umahi said that the Federal Government was working on Section Two of the project, which is 22km.
“I want them to still do the same three lanes, two carriageways up to Seme Border, although it is part of the Lagos-Abidjan route.
“The point where we will get to the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway is also the point where the tunnel is coming, which means that the flyover there is imperative.”
He noted that the tunnel would begin from Ahmadu Bello Way on Victoria Island and go underground at a point.
“It will pass through the fishery school underground and go through the Ogogoro Island, and from there, it will go through the Snake Island and we come over to that junction and join the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway through the flyover,” he said.
He said that President Bola Tinubu was committed to the development of Nigeria.
Nigeria plans to build an underground tunnel in Lagos.
It is expected to connect Victoria Island to Snake Island and extend toward Badagry, linking the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway.
Meanwhile, The Federal Government has ordered immediate commencement of palliative works on the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Road to address critical failures and restore traffic flow.
Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, gave the directive during an inspection of the federal highway linking Lagos and Ogun states.
He said that although about 22km were assessed, active intervention would focus on about 18km of the most distressed sections of the road.
Umahi said that the Federal Government was already handling about 60km on the corridor and they were being executed in phases based on urgency.
He attributed the road’s failures to unresolved concession issues and misjudged engineering parameters during an earlier construction.
The minister said that the repair would begin immediately, mostly at night, targeting sections that prevented free movement of vehicles.
According to him, low-lying failed areas will be reconstructed with concrete to ensure durability.
Umahi said that the Ota-bound carriageway suffered more severe damage than the Lagos-bound carriageway.
He said that a second phase would involve full resurfacing, replacement of bridge expansion joints, and installation of solar streetlights.
The minister gave the assurance that the concessionaire would operate and maintain the road as soon as works on it would be completed.
President Bola Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Sunday, January 11, for the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), which began on Monday, January 12.
The president’s aircraft landed at the Presidential Wing of Zayed International Airport at 11:30 p.m. local time.
This is disclosed in a statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday.
President Bola Tinubu on Sunday arrived at Abu Dhabi for the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Tinubu was received by Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi.
Also at the airport were Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and members of the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi.
Several Nigerian officials, including the Minister of Budget and Planning, Atiku Bagudu, welcomed the President at his hotel.
Others were the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Mohammed Mohammed.
Tinubu arrived from Europe, where he engaged in consultations with Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron.
The 2026 ADSW, themed “The Nexus of Next, All Systems Go,” focuses on sustainable development, climate action, energy transition, and inclusive growth.
The visit underscores Nigeria’s commitment to global sustainability dialogue and strengthens diplomatic and economic ties with the UAE.
Total rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State cost N43 billion while the bridge’s Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) Centre cost about N2.5 billion.
The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, made this known on Monday, January 12, 2026, in Lagos while addressing journalists.
Umahi said that the scope of work covered total rehabilitation of 14km by 14 metres width by two carriageways.
Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos
“It also includes rebuilding and repainting of some concrete works and replacing expansion joints and putting solar lights.”
He said that establishment of the CCTV centre was part of the Third Mainland Bridge rehabilitation contract.
“The total contract sum for rehabilitation of the bridge is N43 billion.
“The cost of the CCTV centre is not more than N2.5 billion,” he said.
He emphasised that the CCTV centre did not cost N40 billion as reported in some quarters.
Inaugurating the CCTV centre on Sunday, Umahi had said that the current administration met a terrible Third Mainland Bridge.
“When we came on board in 2023, we met a very terrible Third Mainland Bridge, Carter Bridge and Iddo Bridge both on the pavement, surface, infrastructure above the water and even infrastructure below the water.
”The president, therefore, directed total re-evaluation and rehabilitation of the surfaces of the Third Mainland Bridge and changing the expansion joints.”
According to the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr. Olufemi Dare, the CCTV centre is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
“We have a boat that has been bought for surveillance of the bridge. There are two Hilux vans, too.
“We have 240 solar panels in this environment. The whole place is fully air-conditioned. We have 10 inverters inside the building.
”We have a transformer, a 300KVA transformer. We have a standby generating plant and monitoring screens,” he said.
The Federal Government of Nigeria on Monday, January 12, 2026, in Abuja lauded Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) support to tackle environmental challenges in the country.
Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Lawal, said this at the National Capacity Building Workshop on Project Oversight for GEF, Operational Focal Point (OFP) and Implementing Partners in Nigeria.
“The Global Environment Facility has remained a long-standing and strategic partner to Nigeria in addressing our critical environmental challenges.”
Malam Balarabe Lawal, Minister of Environment
He said that the workshop underscored the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to strengthening environmental governance, improving project delivery, and ensuring that Nigeria maximises the benefits of global environmental financing.
Lawal, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Mahmud Kambari, said that the nation faced a complex mix of environmental issues.
“These environmental issues according to him, ranges from desertification encroachment on the northern frontiers, plastic pollution which threatens Nigeria’s cities and waterways.
“Biodiversity loss across key ecosystems, oil contamination in the Niger Delta, to climate change risks that continue to endanger lives and livelihoods.
“These challenges demand not only financial resources, but also strong institutional capacity to plan, implement, monitor, and oversee projects effectively.
“In this regard, GEF-supported projects have played a significant role in advancing environmental sustainability in Nigeria.”
The minister said that through its interventions, GEF had supported biodiversity conservation initiatives that have helped conserved over 500 indigenous plant species.
He said that it had also promoted sustainable forest management, and strengthened community-based conservation efforts across the country.
“In the area of climate change mitigation, GEF projects have focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable land-use practices, contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s climate action goals.
“GEF has also been instrumental in addressing land degradation by supporting initiatives that promote sustainable agriculture, restore degraded landscapes, and enhance food security and ecosystem health,” Lawal said.
The permanent secretary in his remarks noted that the workshop was the outcome of the shared desire to strengthen Nigeria’s engagement with GEF.
Kambari was represented by Mrs. Nkechi Aneke, Director, Department of Planning Research and Statistics in the ministry.
Kambari said the workshop was also to ensure that Nigeria was fully equipped to manage its portfolio to international standards.
The permanent secretary noted that with more than three decades of partnership with the GEF, Nigeria continued to benefit from programmes and projects that address biodiversity conservation.
“Climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation control, international waters management, and the reduction of chemicals and waste.
“However, achieving real impact requires more than funding, it requires coordination, technical competence, and strong oversight,” the permanent secretary said.
Kambari commended the funding support of GEF in collaboration with the Tropical Biology Association (TBA) for facilitating the workshop.
Dr Michael David, the Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food, Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), said that the training was part of GEF’s initiative.
David said the initiative was to provide some financial support and capacity building to over 144 countries with GEF operational focal point offices.
“So here in Africa, the Tropical Biology Association is leading the work in 25 countries while the African Wildlife is organising this same training in 29 other countries.
“So it’s basically for the OFP to strengthen oversight. Project oversight is important,” David explained.
He lauded GEF’s initiative to address biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution as well as its support for environmental sustainability in Nigeria.
Chinese national, Lin Yunhua, the notorious kingpin of a wildlife trafficking syndicate convicted in 2021 for smuggling 2.6 tons of ivory, rhino horns, and pangolin scales worth millions, entered a not-guilty plea on Monday, January 12, 2026, to seven corruption-related counts before High Court Judge Redson Kapindu, capping a saga marked by a controversial presidential pardon, international outcry from conservation groups, and allegations of deep-rooted bribery within Malawi’s justice and prison systems.
Yunhua, who led the Lin-Zhang cartel that turned Malawi into a hub for illegal wildlife trade across southern Africa since his arrival from China in 2009, faces two charges of corrupt practices for allegedly offering K30 million and house construction completion in 2019 to Maula Prison’s then-officer-in-charge, Aaron Ganyavu Kaunda, aiming to sway Chief Resident Magistrate Violet Chipao toward a lighter sentence in his original case.
Chinese national Lin Yunhua at the court
Additionally, five counts of abuse of public office accuse him of persuading prison officials to allow unauthorised excursions from Maula Prison between 2022 and 2023 to his residences in Lilongwe’s Area 9, Biwi, Kanengo, and Bunda neighbourhoods while serving his 14-year term.
The case, resurfacing after Yunhua’s shock pardon by former President Lazarus Chakwera in July 2025 – which drew condemnation from groups like the Environmental Investigation Agency for undermining anti-trafficking efforts – led to his swift re-arrest by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on fresh bribery claims involving a High Court judge and prison staff.
Kapindu, who dismissed Yunhua’s bail and unlawful detention bids in November citing flight risk, adjourned proceedings to Tuesday for a ruling on the case’s direction, as Malawi’s conservation commitment faces scrutiny amid ongoing human and wildlife trafficking crises fueled by corruption.
