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Police said their decision "follows extensive shoreline and substantial aerial searches".

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The BBC's M Ilyas Khan looks back at a year in Kashmir, from the Pakistani perspective.

 

Businessman and member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Shina Peller, has been released by the police in Lagos after being arrested earlier on Monday.

Peller was arrested and held at the Maroko Police Station, Victoria Island, after going to secure the release of some persons, who had visited his nightclub to unwind over the weekend during a special annual show.

The lawmaker’s offence was not disclosed to him at the time of his arrest while his phones were also seized.

However, one of his aides, Shina Popoola, has now confirmed that the lawmaker had been released on bail after the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, Lagos.

 

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Following an attack on human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, and several members of the civil society movement by some suspected hired government thugs, SaharaReporters can confirm that the activist is currently in a critical state.

Adeyanju was brutally attacked on Monday in Abuja during a peaceful protest tagged #FreedomRally in front of the National Human Rights Commission headquarters.

Many of the hired government protesters were seen carrying President Muhammadu Buhari's posters while disrupting the peaceful demonstration by activists to unleash mayhem. 

When our correspondent visited Adeyanju at the hospital on Monday evening, his condition was still in bad shape. 

Apart from physical injuries sustained, the activist was having difficulty breathing normally.

Adeyanju also found it difficult opening his eyes as a result of the severity of the attack on him by the ruthless hired thugs.

Operatives of Department of State Services and policemen at the scene of the deadly assault did little or nothing to rescue victims from their attackers.

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Opeyemi, wife of pro-democracy campaigner and journalist, Omoyele Sowore, has spoken out against the attack on rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, and other protesters in Abuja on Monday.

Adeyanju was attacked by pro-government supporters during a protest at the office of the National Human Right Commission to demand the freedom of Sowore and other politically detained persons in the country.

The protest was going on peacefully until the sponsored thugs invaded the area and pounced on the protesters, picking out Adeyanju for heavy assault.

While speaking on a radio programme on WNYC in the United States on Monday, Opeyemi stated that the level of violence and disregard for rule of law in Nigeria was rapidly increasing as well as frightening.

She said, “There was a protest where they (Nigerian Government supporters) beat up one of the key organisers of the protest.

“The level of violence and disregard for the rule of law has really been frightening.

Speaking further, she said Sowore’s aim was to move Nigeria to a functioning democracy and a country that works for all citizens regardless of ethnicity and social background.

Sowore was rearrested by operatives of the Department of State Services on December 6, 2019 inside the Federal High Court, Abuja, less than 24 hours after he was released on bail after spending 125 days in detention.

He was first arrested on August 3 for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to demand a better country from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The government has accused him of insulting Buhari and planning to bring down his regime.

Despite two court orders directing his release on bail, Sowore remains detained by the DSS and is yet to be told the reason for his rearrest. 

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Opeyemi, wife of pro-democracy campaigner and journalist, Omoyele Sowore, has spoken out against the attack on rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, and other protesters in Abuja on Monday.

Adeyanju was attacked by pro-government supporters during a protest at the office of the National Human Right Commission to demand the freedom of Sowore and other politically detained persons in the country.

The protest was going on peacefully until the sponsored thugs invaded the area and pounced on the protesters, picking out Adeyanju for heavy assault.

While speaking on a radio programme on WNYC in the United States on Monday, Opeyemi stated that the level of violence and disregard for rule of law in Nigeria was rapidly increasing as well as frightening.

She said, “There was a protest where they (Nigerian Government supporters) beat up one of the key organisers of the protest.

“The level of violence and disregard for the rule of law has really been frightening.

Speaking further, she said Sowore’s aim was to move Nigeria to a functioning democracy and a country that works for all citizens regardless of ethnicity and social background.

Sowore was rearrested by operatives of the Department of State Services on December 6, 2019 inside the Federal High Court, Abuja, less than 24 hours after he was released on bail after spending 125 days in detention.

He was first arrested on August 3 for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to demand a better country from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The government has accused him of insulting Buhari and planning to bring down his regime.

Despite two court orders directing his release on bail, Sowore remains detained by the DSS and is yet to be told the reason for his rearrest. 

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The Christian Association of Nigeria has commended the move by the United States in placing Nigeria on 'Special Watchlist’ of countries violating religious freedom.

The US in its list placed Nigeria amongst countries whose governments had engaged in or tolerated the severe violation of religious freedom.

CAN in a statement by Special Assistant, Media and Communications, to the President of the organisation, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, said it welcomes the move despite the fact that it was not contacted before the decision was taken.

The organisation added that there were enough evidence to prove that the subtle Islamisation agenda and nepotism were real, adding that all key appointments made since the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari followed the same blueprint.

The statement reads, “These are facts and they are violations of some portions of the 1999 constitution (as amended). These include but not limited to Sections 10, 13 (3-4), 15 (2) (d) and (4).

“We are not happy that our country is being listed among the nations where religious intolerance is one of their hallmarks but it gladdens our hearts that at least the global community is not unaware of the fact that Nigerian Christians are becoming endangered species in their land.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Government through Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, rejected the label by the US, accusing America of being misled by disgruntled elements. 

 

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Bolaji Adeniyi, a 48-year-old man pretending to be an operative of the Department of State Services, has been arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State.

Adeniyi was said to have defrauded some persons seeking visa to travel abroad. 

Adeniyi was accused to have been committing the offence since 2011 but was finally caught and arrested on October 2019 at Ode community in Akure. 

SaharaReporters gathered that the accused had falsely been obtaining huge money from his unsuspecting clients almost eight years while also diverting such funds to personal use.

He was accused to have collected N2, 360,000 from Okuepusu Uchenna (m), Elijah Moses (m) and Oluremi Bamidele (f), with a pretence to procure Canada, United States and Egypt visas for them.

The offence committed by Adeniyi was said to be contrary to Section 383 and punishable under Sections 484, 419 and 390 (a) of the Criminal Code Cap 37, Volume 1, laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.

The prosecutor, Inspector Sulaiman Abdullateef, prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him gather his witnesses before the trial begins.

Adelanke Akinrata, lawyer to the accused, prayed the court to admit his client in bail in liberal term since the prosecutor was still gathering witnesses.

Chief Magistrate Victoria Bob-Manuel in her ruling, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N2.5m with a credible surety in like sum. 

She noted that the surety must also present evidence of tax clearance for 2019, two passport photographs, while the houses of both defendant and surety shall be verified by the court.

The case was adjourned until January 29, 2020 for hearing.
 

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Agboola Ajayi, deputy governor of Ondo State, has said there there is no dispute between him and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu despite moves by the incumbent to re-contest the governorship election of the state next year. 

Ajayi said news that he had fallen out with Akeredolu was being spread by some persons to cause crisis in the state.

He said, "The governor and myself are doing very well. 

"We are brothers and are working together for the progress of Ondo State."

There had been rumours that Ajayi may dump the All Progressives Congress to contest the governorship under the platform of another party next year.
 

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Agboola Ajayi, deputy governor of Ondo State, has said there there is no dispute between him and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu despite moves by the incumbent to re-contest the governorship election of the state next year. 

Ajayi said news that he had fallen out with Akeredolu was being spread by some persons to cause crisis in the state.

He said, "The governor and myself are doing very well. 

"We are brothers and are working together for the progress of Ondo State."

There had been rumours that Ajayi may dump the All Progressives Congress to contest the governorship under the platform of another party next year.
 

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board has fixed the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination between March 14 and April 4.

Optional mock examination for candidates will take place on February 18.

JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, said this at a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday in Abuja where he met with Commissioners for Education from the 36 states.

Oloyede said registration for the UTME would start on January 13 and end on February 17.

 

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Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has rubbished talks that the ninth National Assembly was a rubber-stamp of the executive.

Speaking at a meeting with his constituents in Surulere, Lagos, the lawmaker said the legislature will disagree with the executive only when needed.

He said, “This is a new dispensation. There will be checks and balances. There will be separation of powers.

“We will agree with the executive if we have to and we will disagree if we have to.

“Our watchword is to protect the interest of the Nigerian people. That is the oath that my colleagues and I swore to.

“People, critics and members of other parties have said the 9th Assembly was a rubber-stamp of the executive.

“It is better to be a rubber-stamp and bring progress than fight the executive without progress. When two elephants fight, the grass suffers.

“The fact is that the National Assembly is not a rubber-stamp.”

Nigerians had labelled the legislature with that tag following how it had proved all requests of the executive arm of government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari in recent times.

The passage of the 2020 budget into law and approval of a loan request by President Buhari without hesitation had sparked those talk.

Observers see the approval of N37bn for renovation of the National Assembly complex in Abuja by Buhari as reward for the lawmaker’s recent cooperation with his administration. 

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Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has rubbished talks that the ninth National Assembly was a rubber-stamp of the executive.

Speaking at a meeting with his constituents in Surulere, Lagos, the lawmaker said the legislature will disagree with the executive only when needed.

He said, “This is a new dispensation. There will be checks and balances. There will be separation of powers.

“We will agree with the executive if we have to and we will disagree if we have to.

“Our watchword is to protect the interest of the Nigerian people. That is the oath that my colleagues and I swore to.

“People, critics and members of other parties have said the 9th Assembly was a rubber-stamp of the executive.

“It is better to be a rubber-stamp and bring progress than fight the executive without progress. When two elephants fight, the grass suffers.

“The fact is that the National Assembly is not a rubber-stamp.”

Nigerians had labelled the legislature with that tag following how it had proved all requests of the executive arm of government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari in recent times.

The passage of the 2020 budget into law and approval of a loan request by President Buhari without hesitation had sparked those talk.

Observers see the approval of N37bn for renovation of the National Assembly complex in Abuja by Buhari as reward for the lawmaker’s recent cooperation with his administration. 

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Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Cross River State, Ben Ukpepi, has regained his freedom after being kidnapped last Tuesday.

Spokesperson for the police in the state, Irine Ogbo, confirmed the release but said no arrest had been made.

She said, “He was rescued on Sunday at about 9:15pm in Ikot Edem Odo in Akpabuyo.

“It was the combined security outfit of the state government called ‘Scolombo’ that secured his release.

“Though we may have pockets of security problem, our security agencies are all over the place.

“Though we have not arrested anybody, we are on the trail of them. Soon, we shall pick them up.” 

 

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Nigeria’s Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, said in a post on Twitter that Nigeria’s law on civil defamation was an insufficient punishment for hate speech.

Keyamo’s comments came after a report on Fulani herdsmen abducting passengers from an Owerri, Imo State-bound bus from Abuja went viral.

He said, “For those against regulation of social media, what should happen to this purveyor of totally fake news that can set a whole tribe against another?

“Can a civil suit for defamation cure this? Certainly not. There must be punishment for this type of behaviour, but not death penalty.”

 

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Nigeria’s Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, said in a post on Twitter that Nigeria’s law on civil defamation was an insufficient punishment for hate speech.

Keyamo’s comments came after a report on Fulani herdsmen abducting passengers from an Owerri, Imo State-bound bus from Abuja went viral.

He said, “For those against regulation of social media, what should happen to this purveyor of totally fake news that can set a whole tribe against another?

“Can a civil suit for defamation cure this? Certainly not. There must be punishment for this type of behaviour, but not death penalty.”

 

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Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, has said that there was nothing wrong in having ‘cabals’ around Nigeria’s leader, which helps him run government.

Shehu stated this while addressing journalists in Abuja.

He said, “What is the meaning of a cabal? I just googled the Thesaurus and among many other definitions, what they are saying is that a cabal means ‘conspire, intrigues, mystique, occult, secret’.

“There is no government in this country that we have had that some people were not accused of being a cabal in that government and it is because every administration and every president must have a secretariat.

“Every president must have people who advise him. It is not a sin, it is not an offence to have people that you take into confidence.

“Elsewhere, they call it ‘kitchen cabinet,’ but in our own country, we are being derogatory and we term them cabals so that it will tarnish their own good standing.

“In fact, to some of our elite, the President is a bad man because you cannot go to him and say give me oil well and he will sign the paper and give you.

“So, we understand the game that is playing out and there is always a price, in any case, to pay for that kind of exposure.

“Even the kind of things that are being said of the President himself, if he did not offered himself to serve, people would not even have the chance to say them against him.

“So, we will live with it, we will accept it because it goes with the territory.”

 

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A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday dismissed an application for post-conviction bail filed by former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, who is serving a 12-year imprisonment for N7.65bn fraud. 

Justice Mohammad Liman ordered Kalu to remain in correctional services custody pending the outcome of his appeal against his conviction.

Liman held that there was no valid ground for granting the application.

He discountenanced the grounds of ill-health raised by Kalu, saying that he did not prove that the diseases he mentioned were contagious.

Liman also discountenanced the other grounds.

On the grounds that the bail would enable Kalu to represent his constituency in the Senate, the judge held that his constituents knew that he was on trial and still voted him into power.

On the grounds that the appeal might be delayed, Idris said that developments had broken past records on that.

He said, “It is not in dispute that there are practice directions involved in appeal but in recent times, this practice directions have been enhanced for speedy hearing and determination of high profile corruption cases.

“I believe the applicant can take advantage of these rules to run through the appeal channel.

“I found nothing in favour of the applicant in this application; it is, therefore, discountenanced.” 

Arguing the bail application of Jones Udeogo, charged, convicted and jailed along with Kalu, his counsel, Mr S. Elema (SAN), urged the court to grant him bail on grounds of ill-health.

Elema said that Udeogo, the Commissioner of Finance in Abia during Kalu’s tenure as governor, had tuberculosis and cancer.

Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Adebisi Adeniyi, however, opposed the application.

The court adjourned the case until January 17 for ruling on Udeogo’s bail application.

Kalu had on December 17 prayed the court to grant him bail from the Ikoyi Custodial Centre pending determination of an appeal against his conviction.

Justice Liman had on December 5 convicted Kalu and sentenced him to a concurrent jail term of 12 years for N7.2bn fraud.

The EFCC prosecuted Kalu together with Udeogo and Kalu’s company, Slok Nig. Ltd.

They were charged on an amended 39 counts of fraud.

The trial, which started in 2007, recorded some setbacks but eventually ended in October 2019 when parties in the suit adopted written submissions.

On December 5, the judge found all the three defendants guilty.

He found Kalu and Slok Nig. Ltd. guilty of all the 39 counts of the charge, and convicted Udeogo on 34 counts.

Idris sentenced Udeogo to a concurrent 10 years jail term and ordered that Slok Nig. Ltd. should be wound up and all its assets forfeited to the Federal Government.

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The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has described its leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, as ‘a prisoner of faith’. 

The movement was reacting to claims by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who on Sunday claimed that Shia leader was been held in prison on criminal charges.

Mohammed’s reaction was triggered by a report by the United States Commission on Inter-Religious Freedom, which designated Nigeria as one of the countries to be placed on a special watchlist for severe forms of religious violation. 

In a statement on Monday, spokesperson for IMN, Ibrahim Musa, said, “We, the members of the Islamic Movement and our leader, Sheikh El-Zakzaky, are entitled to freedom of religion, association and expression like every Nigerian citizen, all of which the Buhari regime is denying us and perpetually persecuting us because of our faith and beliefs. 

“Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky is undoubtedly a prisoner of faith.” 

Musa said if anyone should be tried for crimes against humanity, it should be officials of the Buhari administration involved in the 2015 massacre of the IMN sect in Kaduna.

He said, “If anyone deserves to be held and tried for crimes, it would be top officials of Buhari’s government who killed over 1000 unarmed citizens extra-judicially and buried them in mass graves, and have used all the might of governance to hide the truth and obstruct the course of justice. 

“Furthermore, many local and international human rights organisations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Islamic Human Rights Commission have all investigated and documented the atrocities meted on members of the Islamic Movement and its leadership purely based on their religious beliefs.”

 

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Being a teenager isn't easy when you're standing in for your political activist mother.

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For thousands of refugees in North Korea, the ship was their only chance of survival.

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How closely tied is tech in cities to government monitoring?

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As the country deals with deadly bushfires, focus is on the government's climate policies.

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A German teenager who vanished in 2017 is discovered in the home of a child pornography suspect.

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Two men smash into the cabin of the unresponsive driver and halt a speeding tram in Germany.

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The journalist’s killing in Turkey by Saudi agents caused a major diplomatic crisis for the kingdom.

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A girl found a handwritten message, claiming to be from Chinese prisoners, in a Christmas card.

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Another 300 people have been taken to hospital after drinking the same batch of lambanog.

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The boat was carrying 600 gallons of diesel when a crane collapsed, causing it to sink.

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Volunteer firefighter Russell Scholes left his own home to burn while tackling Australian bushfires.