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Gunmen suspected to be armed bandits have attacked Amarawa community in the Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing at least 10 persons.

A source in the community said the bandits with sophisticated weapons stormed the village on Sunday and started shooting indiscriminately.

He said, “More than 10 villagers were killed while houses and other properties were destroyed.

“Many others have fled their homes to seek refuge in nearby communities within the local government.”

The attack comes few days after gunmen killed three persons in Bargaja village of Isa Local Government Area and one other at a community under Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto state.

It was gathered that the armed bandits invaded Bargaja around 2 pm on Thursday, shooting sporadically.
 
A resident said six persons were shot in village, but only three died while the remaining three were injured.

Sokoto, like many other states across the North, has witnessed sporadic attacks by bandits and kidnappers that have claimed the lives of many.

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Gunmen suspected to be armed bandits have attacked Amarawa community in the Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing at least 10 persons.

A source in the community said the bandits with sophisticated weapons stormed the village on Sunday and started shooting indiscriminately.

He said, “More than 10 villagers were killed while houses and other properties were destroyed.

“Many others have fled their homes to seek refuge in nearby communities within the local government.”

The attack comes few days after gunmen killed three persons in Bargaja village of Isa Local Government Area and one other at a community under Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto state.

It was gathered that the armed bandits invaded Bargaja around 2 pm on Thursday, shooting sporadically.
 
A resident said six persons were shot in village, but only three died while the remaining three were injured.

Sokoto, like many other states across the North, has witnessed sporadic attacks by bandits and kidnappers that have claimed the lives of many.

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A Nigerian man, Prince Chukwama Hezekiah, has been arrested by police officers in the Junagadh district of India in connection with an online scam of Rs 1.32 crore (N52 Million) with a Mendarda-based person.

According to the Times of India, Junagadh police arrested Hezekiah who uses two names, George Martins and Emmanuel Chukwuma Hezekiah, to defraud people following a complaint.

Google/cybercrime

It was gathered that earlier on January 13, Jivraj Pansuriya, 70, a resident of Mendarda town of Junagadh district, lodged a complaint against unidentified persons with the cyberpolice station of Junagadh district after he was cheated of Rs 1.32 crore.

According to the police, Pansuriya wanted to set up a trust hospital and in this connection came into contact with Hezekiah who promised to bring him donations from foreign countries for his proposed charitable trust.

An unsuspecting Pansuriya believed in Hezekiah's words and started sending money to him and his associates as and when asked through online transactions.

The septuagenarian later realised that he was being defrauded but it was already too late and he had already sent Rs 1.32 crore to the fraudsters. 

His complaint had led to the arrest of the 38-year, who was a resident of Palam Road in Dwarka of New Delhi.

A police officer said, “Based on the mobile numbers and bank account numbers, we traced the accused to New Delhi’s Dwarka and sent a team to nab him. We brought the accused to Junagadh and he has confessed similar crimes as well."

The police said that the accused also confessed to having committed three more crimes of similar nature in Gurugram, Rajasthan and Mumbai.

The police prepared a list of mobile numbers and bank account numbers through which the accused gang were siphoning money from online victims.

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A Nigerian man, Prince Chukwama Hezekiah, has been arrested by police officers in the Junagadh district of India in connection with an online scam of Rs 1.32 crore (N52 Million) with a Mendarda-based person.

According to the Times of India, Junagadh police arrested Hezekiah who uses two names, George Martins and Emmanuel Chukwuma Hezekiah, to defraud people following a complaint.

Google/cybercrime

It was gathered that earlier on January 13, Jivraj Pansuriya, 70, a resident of Mendarda town of Junagadh district, lodged a complaint against unidentified persons with the cyberpolice station of Junagadh district after he was cheated of Rs 1.32 crore.

According to the police, Pansuriya wanted to set up a trust hospital and in this connection came into contact with Hezekiah who promised to bring him donations from foreign countries for his proposed charitable trust.

An unsuspecting Pansuriya believed in Hezekiah's words and started sending money to him and his associates as and when asked through online transactions.

The septuagenarian later realised that he was being defrauded but it was already too late and he had already sent Rs 1.32 crore to the fraudsters. 

His complaint had led to the arrest of the 38-year, who was a resident of Palam Road in Dwarka of New Delhi.

A police officer said, “Based on the mobile numbers and bank account numbers, we traced the accused to New Delhi’s Dwarka and sent a team to nab him. We brought the accused to Junagadh and he has confessed similar crimes as well."

The police said that the accused also confessed to having committed three more crimes of similar nature in Gurugram, Rajasthan and Mumbai.

The police prepared a list of mobile numbers and bank account numbers through which the accused gang were siphoning money from online victims.

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The police in Ogun State have arrested two tenants, Anthony John and Jimoh Idowu, for gang-raping their neighbour’s 16-year-old daughter in the Owode Egba area of the state.

The tenants were arrested last Thursday when they broke into their neighbour’s room around 2 am and dragged the teenager to Anthony’s room where they took turns to rape her.

It was gathered that 35-year-old John and Idowu, 21, were arrested at the Owode-Egba Police Division when a report was made.

The police spokesperson, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said in a release that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Ajogun, ordered the transfer of the suspects to the anti-human trafficking and child labour section for further investigation and diligent prosecution.

Oyeyemi said, “Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command on Thursday arrested two men who conspired to gang-rape the 16-year-old daughter of their co-tenant. The suspects were arrested following a complaint lodged at Owode-Egba divisional headquarters by the victim.

“She reported that she was at home with her younger siblings at Efunye village via Owode-Egba, when the two suspects, who are living in the same house with them, broke into their apartment at about 2 am and dragged her into Anthony’s room.

“She stated further that the duo knew that her parents had travelled and they capitalised on that to forcefully break into their room, using a cloth to cover her mouth after which they took her to Anthony’s room where they took turns to have carnal knowledge of her.

“Upon the report, the detective arrested the two suspects. On interrogation, the two suspects confessed to the commission of the crime without any sense of remorse. The victim has been taken to Owode-Egba General Hospital for medical treatment.”

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The police in Ogun State have arrested two tenants, Anthony John and Jimoh Idowu, for gang-raping their neighbour’s 16-year-old daughter in the Owode Egba area of the state.

The tenants were arrested last Thursday when they broke into their neighbour’s room around 2 am and dragged the teenager to Anthony’s room where they took turns to rape her.

It was gathered that 35-year-old John and Idowu, 21, were arrested at the Owode-Egba Police Division when a report was made.

The police spokesperson, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said in a release that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Ajogun, ordered the transfer of the suspects to the anti-human trafficking and child labour section for further investigation and diligent prosecution.

Oyeyemi said, “Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command on Thursday arrested two men who conspired to gang-rape the 16-year-old daughter of their co-tenant. The suspects were arrested following a complaint lodged at Owode-Egba divisional headquarters by the victim.

“She reported that she was at home with her younger siblings at Efunye village via Owode-Egba, when the two suspects, who are living in the same house with them, broke into their apartment at about 2 am and dragged her into Anthony’s room.

“She stated further that the duo knew that her parents had travelled and they capitalised on that to forcefully break into their room, using a cloth to cover her mouth after which they took her to Anthony’s room where they took turns to have carnal knowledge of her.

“Upon the report, the detective arrested the two suspects. On interrogation, the two suspects confessed to the commission of the crime without any sense of remorse. The victim has been taken to Owode-Egba General Hospital for medical treatment.”

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No fewer than 10 policemen attached to the convoy of Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State sustained injuries in an accident on Monday.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the accident happened while the governor was inspecting a 60- kilometre road project in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state.

The road is designed to connect the people of Tafawa Balewa LGA to Yelwan Duguri and the environs of Alkaleri LGA of the state.

It was learnt that the Toyota Hilux conveying the police officers veered off the road around 1:30 pm and somersaulted twice after losing control as a result of the huge dust that made visibility almost impossible.

However, no life was lost but all the police personnel involved in the accident had been taken to the Bununu general hospital for treatment as of the time of writing this report. 

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No fewer than 10 policemen attached to the convoy of Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State sustained injuries in an accident on Monday.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the accident happened while the governor was inspecting a 60- kilometre road project in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state.

The road is designed to connect the people of Tafawa Balewa LGA to Yelwan Duguri and the environs of Alkaleri LGA of the state.

It was learnt that the Toyota Hilux conveying the police officers veered off the road around 1:30 pm and somersaulted twice after losing control as a result of the huge dust that made visibility almost impossible.

However, no life was lost but all the police personnel involved in the accident had been taken to the Bununu general hospital for treatment as of the time of writing this report. 

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No fewer than 10 policemen attached to the convoy of Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State sustained injuries in an accident on Monday.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the accident happened while the governor was inspecting a 60- kilometre road project in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state.

The road is designed to connect the people of Tafawa Balewa LGA to Yelwan Duguri and the environs of Alkaleri LGA of the state.

It was learnt that the Toyota Hilux conveying the police officers veered off the road around 1:30 pm and somersaulted twice after losing control as a result of the huge dust that made visibility almost impossible.

However, no life was lost but all the police personnel involved in the accident had been taken to the Bununu general hospital for treatment as of the time of writing this report. 

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The Jukun Development Association of Nigeria has called on farmers and other tribes in the Middle Belt to intensify the supply of all kinds of foodstuffs to the southern part of Nigeria.

The apex socio-cultural and political organisation of the Jukun people worldwide, in a press statement in Abuja, faulted the stance of a certain group of individuals who said food supplies to the southern part of Nigeria should be halted.

The association’s National President, Chief Bako Benjamin, said those individuals calling for the boycott of food supply to the South were speaking for themselves and not the entire population of the North, which the Middle Belt is part of.

Bako said it was the duty of the security agencies to give maximum security to all traders of foodstuffs coming to markets in the southern part of Nigeria for legitimate businesses.

Bako, who further said those calling for the boycott of Southern Nigeria on food supply may have genuine grievances, adding that the method adopted through punitive and systematic starvation of the southern part of the country was dangerous for a united Nigeria.

Bako said the security agencies should identify the criminals that burnt trucks and destroyed properties in Shasha and prosecute them accordingly.

He said, “All Nigerians need to thank the Yoruba people for their hospitality and kindness for hosting all tribes in Nigeria. So, they should never be repaid with evil.

“The individuals calling for the boycott of foodstuffs to the southern part of Nigeria may be unaware that millions of northerners, including their leaders that escaped hunger, poverty, starvation, banditry, Boko Haram, and the collapse of almost all the extreme northern states are now taking refuge in the South-West.

“So, such calls to stop food supply to the South are not only reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous, but lack logic and understanding of the true situation in the country.”

He called on the security agencies to move quickly and arrest as well as prosecute those making such divisive calls.

"The situation may degenerate into a national unrest which may be difficult to handle,” Bako added.

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The Jukun Development Association of Nigeria has called on farmers and other tribes in the Middle Belt to intensify the supply of all kinds of foodstuffs to the southern part of Nigeria.

The apex socio-cultural and political organisation of the Jukun people worldwide, in a press statement in Abuja, faulted the stance of a certain group of individuals who said food supplies to the southern part of Nigeria should be halted.

The association’s National President, Chief Bako Benjamin, said those individuals calling for the boycott of food supply to the South were speaking for themselves and not the entire population of the North, which the Middle Belt is part of.

Bako said it was the duty of the security agencies to give maximum security to all traders of foodstuffs coming to markets in the southern part of Nigeria for legitimate businesses.

Bako, who further said those calling for the boycott of Southern Nigeria on food supply may have genuine grievances, adding that the method adopted through punitive and systematic starvation of the southern part of the country was dangerous for a united Nigeria.

Bako said the security agencies should identify the criminals that burnt trucks and destroyed properties in Shasha and prosecute them accordingly.

He said, “All Nigerians need to thank the Yoruba people for their hospitality and kindness for hosting all tribes in Nigeria. So, they should never be repaid with evil.

“The individuals calling for the boycott of foodstuffs to the southern part of Nigeria may be unaware that millions of northerners, including their leaders that escaped hunger, poverty, starvation, banditry, Boko Haram, and the collapse of almost all the extreme northern states are now taking refuge in the South-West.

“So, such calls to stop food supply to the South are not only reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous, but lack logic and understanding of the true situation in the country.”

He called on the security agencies to move quickly and arrest as well as prosecute those making such divisive calls.

"The situation may degenerate into a national unrest which may be difficult to handle,” Bako added.

Food Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/3uMyXvB

The Jukun Development Association of Nigeria has called on farmers and other tribes in the Middle Belt to intensify the supply of all kinds of foodstuffs to the southern part of Nigeria.

The apex socio-cultural and political organisation of the Jukun people worldwide, in a press statement in Abuja, faulted the stance of a certain group of individuals who said food supplies to the southern part of Nigeria should be halted.

The association’s National President, Chief Bako Benjamin, said those individuals calling for the boycott of food supply to the South were speaking for themselves and not the entire population of the North, which the Middle Belt is part of.

Bako said it was the duty of the security agencies to give maximum security to all traders of foodstuffs coming to markets in the southern part of Nigeria for legitimate businesses.

Bako, who further said those calling for the boycott of Southern Nigeria on food supply may have genuine grievances, adding that the method adopted through punitive and systematic starvation of the southern part of the country was dangerous for a united Nigeria.

Bako said the security agencies should identify the criminals that burnt trucks and destroyed properties in Shasha and prosecute them accordingly.

He said, “All Nigerians need to thank the Yoruba people for their hospitality and kindness for hosting all tribes in Nigeria. So, they should never be repaid with evil.

“The individuals calling for the boycott of foodstuffs to the southern part of Nigeria may be unaware that millions of northerners, including their leaders that escaped hunger, poverty, starvation, banditry, Boko Haram, and the collapse of almost all the extreme northern states are now taking refuge in the South-West.

“So, such calls to stop food supply to the South are not only reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous, but lack logic and understanding of the true situation in the country.”

He called on the security agencies to move quickly and arrest as well as prosecute those making such divisive calls.

"The situation may degenerate into a national unrest which may be difficult to handle,” Bako added.

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Residents of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State have said suspected armed bandits are currently walking freely with arms in some communities in the council area.

“As I am speaking to you now, armed bandits are being sighted with guns walking around unchecked by the river bank of Gunugo village, Jiko village and Manta village,” one of the residents told SaharaReporters.

“The bandits are patronising local shops. They are moving freely. Nobody has the courage to look at them twice.”

There have been repeated attacks in Shiroro LGA in the past two weeks.

On February 25, armed men raided Gurmana community in the council area, killing and kidnapping residents.

The bandits also launched another attack on the community few days later.

SaharaReporters gathered that over 15 people who tried to escape drowned in River Kaduna.

The bandits as well attacked Manta village in Shiroro LGA.

SaharaReporters gathered that the bandits, heavily armed with assorted sophisticated weapons, came into the village on motorcycles, shooting sporadically.

“Manta village of Manta district in the Shiroro Local Government Area was under siege by the armed bandit last night. They shot into the air frequently to instill fear in the victims,” a source had told SaharaReporters.

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Residents of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State have said suspected armed bandits are currently walking freely with arms in some communities in the council area.

“As I am speaking to you now, armed bandits are being sighted with guns walking around unchecked by the river bank of Gunugo village, Jiko village and Manta village,” one of the residents told SaharaReporters.

“The bandits are patronising local shops. They are moving freely. Nobody has the courage to look at them twice.”

There have been repeated attacks in Shiroro LGA in the past two weeks.

On February 25, armed men raided Gurmana community in the council area, killing and kidnapping residents.

The bandits also launched another attack on the community few days later.

SaharaReporters gathered that over 15 people who tried to escape drowned in River Kaduna.

The bandits as well attacked Manta village in Shiroro LGA.

SaharaReporters gathered that the bandits, heavily armed with assorted sophisticated weapons, came into the village on motorcycles, shooting sporadically.

“Manta village of Manta district in the Shiroro Local Government Area was under siege by the armed bandit last night. They shot into the air frequently to instill fear in the victims,” a source had told SaharaReporters.

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Some suspected bandits on Sunday night stormed the residence of a cattle dealer, Sani Na'indo, and slaughtered him along with his two sons in Agama Lafiya, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

SaharaReporters gathered when the gunmen arrived at his house, they asked him to call out his male children.

File Photo: Gunmen middleeastpress

An eyewitness told SaharaReporters that when the two children of the farmer heard the voices of their father and the bandits, they peeped to have a glimpse of what was happening.

The source said, "They slaughtered them immediately. One of them was in Senior 
Secondary School 2. The only one that escaped the attack is a student in the state college of education and he wasn't at home at the time they invaded their residence."

Another neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told SaharaReporters that those who perpetrated the evil were suspected bandits threatening the peace of the state.

"Though we have yet to establish the identities of those behind the evil act, we suspect they were bandits. Nobody is safe in this state again. Kidnapping and banditry are the order of the day in our state now. We need the government at this critical time," the source said. 

The spokesman for the state police command, SP Muhammad Shehu, said they had received the report of the incident and five prime suspects had been arrested in connection with the case.

"They are currently undergoing discreet investigation at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department and will be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded," he said.

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Some suspected bandits on Sunday night stormed the residence of a cattle dealer, Sani Na'indo, and slaughtered him along with his two sons in Agama Lafiya, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

SaharaReporters gathered when the gunmen arrived at his house, they asked him to call out his male children.

File Photo: Gunmen middleeastpress

An eyewitness told SaharaReporters that when the two children of the farmer heard the voices of their father and the bandits, they peeped to have a glimpse of what was happening.

The source said, "They slaughtered them immediately. One of them was in Senior 
Secondary School 2. The only one that escaped the attack is a student in the state college of education and he wasn't at home at the time they invaded their residence."

Another neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told SaharaReporters that those who perpetrated the evil were suspected bandits threatening the peace of the state.

"Though we have yet to establish the identities of those behind the evil act, we suspect they were bandits. Nobody is safe in this state again. Kidnapping and banditry are the order of the day in our state now. We need the government at this critical time," the source said. 

The spokesman for the state police command, SP Muhammad Shehu, said they had received the report of the incident and five prime suspects had been arrested in connection with the case.

"They are currently undergoing discreet investigation at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department and will be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded," he said.

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The African lawyers under the aegis of the African Bar Association have condemned the illegal detention of one Mr Alex Saab, a Venezuelan Ambassador, in Cape Verde. 

This was contained in a press release issued on Monday signed by its President, Hannibal Uwaifo, and made available to SaharaReporters. 

In the letter, the association of legal representatives in Africa was alerted to the infringement on his human rights by his family. 

It read, "The African Bar Association is in receipt of a petition from the family of a Venezuelan diplomat, Mr. Alex Saab who is being unlawfully detained in Cape Verde under very controversial circumstances and in violation of International Law and ECOWAS Protocols. 

"The Governing Council of the Association which authorised its human rights and international law committees to investigate the matter, we hereby respectfully forward to you the results of the investigation and conclusions as follows:

"Upon receipt, the Governing Council of the Association immediately authorised the Human Rights Committee and the Executive Council to investigate the grievous allegations contained in the petition. The result of the investigation reveals very serious infractions of 
the ECOWAS Protocols, the Charter of the African Union, gross violent violations of international law, abuse of human rights, and disobedience of court orders by the government of Cape Verde.

"It is the view of the African Bar Association that unless the Cape Verdean authorities are immediately called to order and pursue the path of the rule of law and respect for the 
Vienna Convention, the ECOWAS region, and the AU will soon be thrown into a crisis of monumental proportion which may turn the sub-region and the continent into a laughing 
stock with dire consequences for our diplomats and their diplomatic immunity.

"Ambassador Saab in his capacity as Special Envoy of Venezuela was travelling from Caracas to Tehran on 12 June 2020. His plane made a technical refuelling stop on the Cape 
Verdean island of Sal during which he was detained. The African Bar Association finds this detention unlawful for two reasons:

"No Red Notice had been issued at the time of the detention —it was only issued on the next day, 13 June. Neither on the day of his arrest nor eight months later, has any evidence of the supporting arrest warrant issued by the United States been provided to Ambassador Saab or his defense team. The Red Notice was cancelled on 25 June 2020, yet Cape Verde continued to unlawfully detain Ambassador Saab until an extradition request from the United States arrived a week later. The extradition request, which not only had the three first pages missing, contained a copy of the arrest warrant issued in the name of someone else and not Ambassador Saab.
"Two, Ambassador Saab enjoys immunity and inviolability due to his status as a Special Envoy of Venezuela. He was carrying documents which identified him as such as well as the purpose of his humanitarian special mission to Iran. This evidence has been deliberately ignored by Cape Verde as it has bent over backward to accommodate 
the external interests."

The group posited that Cape Verde who also has judges in the Economic Community of West African States ought not to work against its provisions. 

It continued, "Cape Verde claims that it is not bound by the ECOWAS Court decision because it did not sign the 2005 protocol which extended the court's authority to hear human rights cases. We regret to say that, Cape Verde is being economical with the truth and it reflects the true extent of the pressure being applied upon it by external forces because:

"Cape Verde appointed judges to the ECOWAS Court and their Chief of Justice is a member of the Judicial Committee of the ECOWAS Community.

"Additionally, Cape Verde has fully engaged in the ECOWAS Court proceedings by appointing a defence counsel, Dr Henrique Borges, who submitted written defence as 
well as engaged in oral discussions going into the merits of the case during the main hearing which took place on 5 February.

"Cape Verde neither opposed nor abstained from the decision of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to approve the Supplementary Protocol. This is confirmed by the final communiqué of the 28th session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held in Accra on 19 January 2005. It was issued on behalf of all the Heads of State and Government and clearly convey the views of all Heads of State and Government on the extension of the jurisdiction of the ECOWAS Court with immediate effect."

The association said the "actions of Cape Verde violate the core principles of international law codified in Article 2 par. 1 of the Charter of the United Nations, namely, to protect and preserve the principle of sovereign equality among states".

"Ambassador Saab was legally admitted to the territory of Cape Verde — he was made to purchase a 'visa-on-arrival' when he was detained," it continued. 

"Having entered Cape Verde legally, he can only be expelled from it by virtue of a decision taken in accordance with the law. It is the view of the African Bar Association that the administrative and judicial decisions taken by Cape Verde to extradite him to the USA to face criminal charges are neither in compliance with the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights nor with customary international law."

"The African Bar Association understands from its investigations that the allegations brought against Ambassador Saab by the United States have been challenged in the United 
States which also in our respectful opinion should put Cape Verde on the side of caution," the statement added.

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The African lawyers under the aegis of the African Bar Association have condemned the illegal detention of one Mr Alex Saab, a Venezuelan Ambassador, in Cape Verde. 

This was contained in a press release issued on Monday signed by its President, Hannibal Uwaifo, and made available to SaharaReporters. 

In the letter, the association of legal representatives in Africa was alerted to the infringement on his human rights by his family. 

It read, "The African Bar Association is in receipt of a petition from the family of a Venezuelan diplomat, Mr. Alex Saab who is being unlawfully detained in Cape Verde under very controversial circumstances and in violation of International Law and ECOWAS Protocols. 

"The Governing Council of the Association which authorised its human rights and international law committees to investigate the matter, we hereby respectfully forward to you the results of the investigation and conclusions as follows:

"Upon receipt, the Governing Council of the Association immediately authorised the Human Rights Committee and the Executive Council to investigate the grievous allegations contained in the petition. The result of the investigation reveals very serious infractions of 
the ECOWAS Protocols, the Charter of the African Union, gross violent violations of international law, abuse of human rights, and disobedience of court orders by the government of Cape Verde.

"It is the view of the African Bar Association that unless the Cape Verdean authorities are immediately called to order and pursue the path of the rule of law and respect for the 
Vienna Convention, the ECOWAS region, and the AU will soon be thrown into a crisis of monumental proportion which may turn the sub-region and the continent into a laughing 
stock with dire consequences for our diplomats and their diplomatic immunity.

"Ambassador Saab in his capacity as Special Envoy of Venezuela was travelling from Caracas to Tehran on 12 June 2020. His plane made a technical refuelling stop on the Cape 
Verdean island of Sal during which he was detained. The African Bar Association finds this detention unlawful for two reasons:

"No Red Notice had been issued at the time of the detention —it was only issued on the next day, 13 June. Neither on the day of his arrest nor eight months later, has any evidence of the supporting arrest warrant issued by the United States been provided to Ambassador Saab or his defense team. The Red Notice was cancelled on 25 June 2020, yet Cape Verde continued to unlawfully detain Ambassador Saab until an extradition request from the United States arrived a week later. The extradition request, which not only had the three first pages missing, contained a copy of the arrest warrant issued in the name of someone else and not Ambassador Saab.
"Two, Ambassador Saab enjoys immunity and inviolability due to his status as a Special Envoy of Venezuela. He was carrying documents which identified him as such as well as the purpose of his humanitarian special mission to Iran. This evidence has been deliberately ignored by Cape Verde as it has bent over backward to accommodate 
the external interests."

The group posited that Cape Verde who also has judges in the Economic Community of West African States ought not to work against its provisions. 

It continued, "Cape Verde claims that it is not bound by the ECOWAS Court decision because it did not sign the 2005 protocol which extended the court's authority to hear human rights cases. We regret to say that, Cape Verde is being economical with the truth and it reflects the true extent of the pressure being applied upon it by external forces because:

"Cape Verde appointed judges to the ECOWAS Court and their Chief of Justice is a member of the Judicial Committee of the ECOWAS Community.

"Additionally, Cape Verde has fully engaged in the ECOWAS Court proceedings by appointing a defence counsel, Dr Henrique Borges, who submitted written defence as 
well as engaged in oral discussions going into the merits of the case during the main hearing which took place on 5 February.

"Cape Verde neither opposed nor abstained from the decision of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to approve the Supplementary Protocol. This is confirmed by the final communiqué of the 28th session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held in Accra on 19 January 2005. It was issued on behalf of all the Heads of State and Government and clearly convey the views of all Heads of State and Government on the extension of the jurisdiction of the ECOWAS Court with immediate effect."

The association said the "actions of Cape Verde violate the core principles of international law codified in Article 2 par. 1 of the Charter of the United Nations, namely, to protect and preserve the principle of sovereign equality among states".

"Ambassador Saab was legally admitted to the territory of Cape Verde — he was made to purchase a 'visa-on-arrival' when he was detained," it continued. 

"Having entered Cape Verde legally, he can only be expelled from it by virtue of a decision taken in accordance with the law. It is the view of the African Bar Association that the administrative and judicial decisions taken by Cape Verde to extradite him to the USA to face criminal charges are neither in compliance with the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights nor with customary international law."

"The African Bar Association understands from its investigations that the allegations brought against Ambassador Saab by the United States have been challenged in the United 
States which also in our respectful opinion should put Cape Verde on the side of caution," the statement added.

International News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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Carla Bruni has said ‘the fight continues’ after her husband, former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, was found guilty of corruption.

Sarkozy was on Monday handed a three-year prison sentence, with two years suspended and the option of being detained at home with an electronic bracelet for the third year. 

He is almost certain to appeal and remains free, with no arrest warrant issued. 

According to DailyMail, the 53-year-old singer-songwriter Bruni took to Instagram to express her anger at the court’s verdict.

A caption alongside a picture of the pair reads: ‘What insane relentlessness my love @nicolassarkozy…. The fight continues, the truth will emerge #injustice.’

It comes as former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of corruption today at a court in Paris and convicted for trying to illegally influence a judge during his time in office.

The verdict is the latest twist in the tumultuous political career of the 66-year-old, who ruled France from 2007 to 2012 and remains a favourite for many on the right.

The conviction is likely to undermine any attempted comeback to frontline politics, an ambition he has denied, but which has been promoted by many supporters ahead of 2022 presidential elections.

Only one other French president, Sarkozy’s political mentor Jacques Chirac, was put on trial after leaving office, but he was excused from having to attend his 2011 corruption trial because of ill health.

Chirac received a two-year suspended sentence over the creation of ghost jobs at the Paris city hall to fund his party when he was a mayor.

The verdict on Monday related to a case of influence peddling and corruption, one of at least four separate investigations into the former leader, who married former supermodel and singer, Carla Bruni while in office.

Sarkozy was accused of offering to help a judge obtain a senior job in Monaco in exchange for putting pressure on an inquiry into his campaign finances.

The former president told the court during the trial he had ‘never committed the slightest act of corruption’.

Prosecutors called for him to be jailed for four years and serve a minimum of two, and asked for the same punishment for his co-defendants – lawyer Thierry Herzog and the judge Gilbert Azibert.

‘The events would not have occurred if a former president, as well as a lawyer, had kept in mind the magnitude, the responsibility, and the duties of his office,’ prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon told the court as the trial wound up in December.

The graft and influence-peddling charges – among several legal cases against him – carry a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of one million euros ($1.2 million).

Prosecutors say Sarkozy and Herzog tried to bribe judge Azibert over an inquiry into claims the former leader had received illicit payments from L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt during his successful 2007 presidential campaign.

The state’s case is based on wiretaps of conversations between Herzog and Sarkozy, with prosecutors accusing him of ‘using secret telephone lines’ to cover up his attempt to infiltrate the court.

Prosecutor Celine Guillet said it had been established ‘with certainty’ that judge Azibert transmitted confidential information about the Bettencourt case to his friend Herzog.

One conversation ‘overwhelmingly’ showed that Sarkozy had promised to intervene to get Azibert a post in Monaco, she said.

Sarkozy’s lawyer Jacqueline Laffont lashed out at the flaws and ’emptiness’ of the prosecutor’s accusations, with the defence also claiming that the tapped conversations had been just ‘chats between friends’.

Azibert, who was a senior adviser at France’s highest appeals court at the time, never got the job in Monaco.
Sarkozy’s lawyers argued this pointed to the absence of corruption, but prosecutors said French law makes no distinction between a successful corruption attempt and a failed one.

Sarkozy was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in the Bettencourt affair but still faces a raft of other legal woes.

Also found guilty with him were his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, 65, (left) and Gilbert Azibert (right), the 73-year-old retired judge who was said to have been bribed – with both having denied wrongdoing

On March 17, he is scheduled to face a second trial over accusations of fraudulently overspending in his failed 2012 re-election bid.

He has also been charged over allegations he received millions of euros from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 election campaign.

And in January, prosecutors opened another probe into alleged influence-peddling by Sarkozy over his advisory activities in Russia.

Sarkozy’s long-running legal travails helped sink his comeback bid for the 2017 presidential vote, but he has surfed on a wave of popularity since announcing his retirement from politics in 2018.

Lines of fans queued over last summer to have him sign his latest memoir, ‘The Time of Storms’, which topped best-seller lists for weeks.

Corruption International News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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Carla Bruni has said ‘the fight continues’ after her husband, former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, was found guilty of corruption.

Sarkozy was on Monday handed a three-year prison sentence, with two years suspended and the option of being detained at home with an electronic bracelet for the third year. 

He is almost certain to appeal and remains free, with no arrest warrant issued. 

According to DailyMail, the 53-year-old singer-songwriter Bruni took to Instagram to express her anger at the court’s verdict.

A caption alongside a picture of the pair reads: ‘What insane relentlessness my love @nicolassarkozy…. The fight continues, the truth will emerge #injustice.’

It comes as former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of corruption today at a court in Paris and convicted for trying to illegally influence a judge during his time in office.

The verdict is the latest twist in the tumultuous political career of the 66-year-old, who ruled France from 2007 to 2012 and remains a favourite for many on the right.

The conviction is likely to undermine any attempted comeback to frontline politics, an ambition he has denied, but which has been promoted by many supporters ahead of 2022 presidential elections.

Only one other French president, Sarkozy’s political mentor Jacques Chirac, was put on trial after leaving office, but he was excused from having to attend his 2011 corruption trial because of ill health.

Chirac received a two-year suspended sentence over the creation of ghost jobs at the Paris city hall to fund his party when he was a mayor.

The verdict on Monday related to a case of influence peddling and corruption, one of at least four separate investigations into the former leader, who married former supermodel and singer, Carla Bruni while in office.

Sarkozy was accused of offering to help a judge obtain a senior job in Monaco in exchange for putting pressure on an inquiry into his campaign finances.

The former president told the court during the trial he had ‘never committed the slightest act of corruption’.

Prosecutors called for him to be jailed for four years and serve a minimum of two, and asked for the same punishment for his co-defendants – lawyer Thierry Herzog and the judge Gilbert Azibert.

‘The events would not have occurred if a former president, as well as a lawyer, had kept in mind the magnitude, the responsibility, and the duties of his office,’ prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon told the court as the trial wound up in December.

The graft and influence-peddling charges – among several legal cases against him – carry a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of one million euros ($1.2 million).

Prosecutors say Sarkozy and Herzog tried to bribe judge Azibert over an inquiry into claims the former leader had received illicit payments from L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt during his successful 2007 presidential campaign.

The state’s case is based on wiretaps of conversations between Herzog and Sarkozy, with prosecutors accusing him of ‘using secret telephone lines’ to cover up his attempt to infiltrate the court.

Prosecutor Celine Guillet said it had been established ‘with certainty’ that judge Azibert transmitted confidential information about the Bettencourt case to his friend Herzog.

One conversation ‘overwhelmingly’ showed that Sarkozy had promised to intervene to get Azibert a post in Monaco, she said.

Sarkozy’s lawyer Jacqueline Laffont lashed out at the flaws and ’emptiness’ of the prosecutor’s accusations, with the defence also claiming that the tapped conversations had been just ‘chats between friends’.

Azibert, who was a senior adviser at France’s highest appeals court at the time, never got the job in Monaco.
Sarkozy’s lawyers argued this pointed to the absence of corruption, but prosecutors said French law makes no distinction between a successful corruption attempt and a failed one.

Sarkozy was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in the Bettencourt affair but still faces a raft of other legal woes.

Also found guilty with him were his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, 65, (left) and Gilbert Azibert (right), the 73-year-old retired judge who was said to have been bribed – with both having denied wrongdoing

On March 17, he is scheduled to face a second trial over accusations of fraudulently overspending in his failed 2012 re-election bid.

He has also been charged over allegations he received millions of euros from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 election campaign.

And in January, prosecutors opened another probe into alleged influence-peddling by Sarkozy over his advisory activities in Russia.

Sarkozy’s long-running legal travails helped sink his comeback bid for the 2017 presidential vote, but he has surfed on a wave of popularity since announcing his retirement from politics in 2018.

Lines of fans queued over last summer to have him sign his latest memoir, ‘The Time of Storms’, which topped best-seller lists for weeks.

Corruption International News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has begun moves to take a shot at the 2023 presidency, SaharaReporters has learnt. 

Malami's bid, it was further gathered, will rely heavily on funds in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission under the care of the new chairmanship. 

Abubakar Malami

SaharaReporters learnt that Malami, who has the new EFCC Chairman, 40-year-old Abdulrasheed Bawa, in his pocket, has shelved his earlier ambition of contesting the Kebbi State governorship election and is rather eyeing the Presidency. 

It was gathered that Malami would use his influence in the Presidency to attempt to change the permutations in the All Progressives Congress or rather look for another party as cover to pursue his ambition.

“The AGF has upgraded to presidential campaign. He has abandoned the Kebbi State governorship ambition. He said he is too big to contest for governor, having made so much money under the Buhari administration.

“He has been a minister for eight years and now he is in charge of the EFCC after putting Bawa, his boy, there. He was desperate to take over the anti-graft agency so that he could make more money and determine candidates for the 2023 elections,” a source close to Malami said.

See Also Exclusive Inside The Multi-billion Naira Corruption-fuelled Jet-setting World Of Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami 0 Comments 7 Months Ago

Malami was instrumental in the sacking of the former acting EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu, from office, after having years of discord with Magu.

As part of his grand plot to achieve his 2023 ambition, the AGF had also fought to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Bawa, despite detailed investigations indicting the 40-year-old of fraudulent acts.

SaharaReporters had two weeks ago reported that a 13-page investigation report by the EFCC, which indicted Bawa who was then the Port Harcourt Zonal Head, was forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 but the President failed to read or act upon it.

The report, titled, ‘Investigation Report – Re: Alleged Case of Conspiracy, abuse of office and criminal diversion of Federal Government Properties’, in which the suspect was Abdulrasheed Bawa, detailed how Bawa was recommended for disciplinary actions.

It had been exposed that the report was forwarded to the President’s office, but the AGF influenced how it was dumped and not acted upon by President Buhari.

Only last Thursday, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay, had warned that he was not comfortable with the fact that Malami and the new EFCC Chairman, Bawa, share the same state of origin.

He had expressed fears about the influence Malami would have on Bawa which may impair the activities of the commission.

“I noticed that they both come from the same state of Kebbi and they may even be related. For me, that is not a very healthy thing because the chairman of the EFCC and the EFCC are supposed to be independent.

“They are not politicians, they are trained, security officers. The attorney-general is a politician who has all the weaknesses and loads of a politician. He has people he is obliged to,” Sagay had said.

Corruption Politics Exclusive News Reports AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/305PvjU

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has begun moves to take a shot at the 2023 presidency, SaharaReporters has learnt. 

Malami's bid, it was further gathered, will rely heavily on funds in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission under the care of the new chairmanship. 

Abubakar Malami

SaharaReporters learnt that Malami, who has the new EFCC Chairman, 40-year-old Abdulrasheed Bawa, in his pocket, has shelved his earlier ambition of contesting the Kebbi State governorship election and is rather eyeing the Presidency. 

It was gathered that Malami would use his influence in the Presidency to attempt to change the permutations in the All Progressives Congress or rather look for another party as cover to pursue his ambition.

“The AGF has upgraded to presidential campaign. He has abandoned the Kebbi State governorship ambition. He said he is too big to contest for governor, having made so much money under the Buhari administration.

“He has been a minister for eight years and now he is in charge of the EFCC after putting Bawa, his boy, there. He was desperate to take over the anti-graft agency so that he could make more money and determine candidates for the 2023 elections,” a source close to Malami said.

See Also Exclusive Inside The Multi-billion Naira Corruption-fuelled Jet-setting World Of Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami 0 Comments 7 Months Ago

Malami was instrumental in the sacking of the former acting EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu, from office, after having years of discord with Magu.

As part of his grand plot to achieve his 2023 ambition, the AGF had also fought to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Bawa, despite detailed investigations indicting the 40-year-old of fraudulent acts.

SaharaReporters had two weeks ago reported that a 13-page investigation report by the EFCC, which indicted Bawa who was then the Port Harcourt Zonal Head, was forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 but the President failed to read or act upon it.

The report, titled, ‘Investigation Report – Re: Alleged Case of Conspiracy, abuse of office and criminal diversion of Federal Government Properties’, in which the suspect was Abdulrasheed Bawa, detailed how Bawa was recommended for disciplinary actions.

It had been exposed that the report was forwarded to the President’s office, but the AGF influenced how it was dumped and not acted upon by President Buhari.

Only last Thursday, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay, had warned that he was not comfortable with the fact that Malami and the new EFCC Chairman, Bawa, share the same state of origin.

He had expressed fears about the influence Malami would have on Bawa which may impair the activities of the commission.

“I noticed that they both come from the same state of Kebbi and they may even be related. For me, that is not a very healthy thing because the chairman of the EFCC and the EFCC are supposed to be independent.

“They are not politicians, they are trained, security officers. The attorney-general is a politician who has all the weaknesses and loads of a politician. He has people he is obliged to,” Sagay had said.

Corruption Politics Exclusive News Reports AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/305PvjU