IYANDA'SBLOG

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The wave of protests follow a backlash to the government's response to rape allegations.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Harry Styles, Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion all put on a spectacle. But who are Silk Sonic?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Beekeeper Erika Thompson says the video, viewed over a million times, was "just a normal Tuesday".

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Chinese and Russian exports have declined while the Middle East has seen big growth in imported arms.

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have re-arrested a robbery suspect four months after he was released from Kirikiri Correctional Centre.

The suspect, Taiwo Sunmonu, 23, was arrested while he and his gang members were allegedly robbing unsuspecting Lagosians at Ajayi Street, Oto Awori in Ijannikin.

The statement read, “The Lagos State Police Command has arrested one Taiwo Sunmonu, m, 23, on 13th March, 2021 at 11.30 pm, for armed robbery after he was released from the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in November 2020, having served a five-year jail term.

“The suspect was arrested by the police operatives attached to Ijaninkin Division, while responding to a distress call, as the suspect and his gang members were robbing unsuspecting Lagosians at Ajayi Street, Oto Awori, Ijannikin in Lagos State. But other members of the gang escaped. 

“The suspect has confessed to the crime and other crimes he had participated in. After the arrest, one locally-made pistol and live ammunition were recovered from him.

“In another development, a brave victim of armed robbery attack, George Bankole, male, of Fadal Cooperative Estate, Ikorodu, struggled with some armed robbers that robbed him in the area on 12th March 2021, at 8 pm and recovered a locally-made pistol with live cartridges from them. 

“The victim informed the police that the armed men dispossessed him of his mobile phones and bags before they eventually escaped. He summoned the courage to proceed to Ikorodu Division, Igbogbo, to report the incident and hand over the arms for further investigation. The police operatives have however embarked on a discreet investigation into the matter.”

CRIME News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2OXD7k8

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have re-arrested a robbery suspect four months after he was released from Kirikiri Correctional Centre.

The suspect, Taiwo Sunmonu, 23, was arrested while he and his gang members were allegedly robbing unsuspecting Lagosians at Ajayi Street, Oto Awori in Ijannikin.

The statement read, “The Lagos State Police Command has arrested one Taiwo Sunmonu, m, 23, on 13th March, 2021 at 11.30 pm, for armed robbery after he was released from the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in November 2020, having served a five-year jail term.

“The suspect was arrested by the police operatives attached to Ijaninkin Division, while responding to a distress call, as the suspect and his gang members were robbing unsuspecting Lagosians at Ajayi Street, Oto Awori, Ijannikin in Lagos State. But other members of the gang escaped. 

“The suspect has confessed to the crime and other crimes he had participated in. After the arrest, one locally-made pistol and live ammunition were recovered from him.

“In another development, a brave victim of armed robbery attack, George Bankole, male, of Fadal Cooperative Estate, Ikorodu, struggled with some armed robbers that robbed him in the area on 12th March 2021, at 8 pm and recovered a locally-made pistol with live cartridges from them. 

“The victim informed the police that the armed men dispossessed him of his mobile phones and bags before they eventually escaped. He summoned the courage to proceed to Ikorodu Division, Igbogbo, to report the incident and hand over the arms for further investigation. The police operatives have however embarked on a discreet investigation into the matter.”

CRIME News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2OXD7k8

The Senator representing Borno South District, Ali Ndume has lamented the rising insecurity in the country, stating that Nigerians don’t seem to understand the seriousness of the situation.

Ndume also said the clamour for a northern Presidency in 2023 would amount to the North seeking a third term in office, describing such a move as unconstitutional.

Speaking at a media briefing on Saturday, the Senator opposed the call for amnesty for repentant bandits, insisting that criminals and bandits should be brought to justice.

“The fundamental thing that keeps the country going is security and welfare of the citizens. That’s why our constitution clearly states that the purpose of government is the security and welfare of the citizens. You know these two key things are now under threat in Nigeria.

“At the beginning, it started like a joke, starting from small stealing and all that. That culminated in armed robbery. In the early 70s in this country, you hardly hear of armed robbery. I remember when we were in secondary school. One of the first armed robbers that were executed at the beach in Lagos was Oyenusi; they called him ‘rob and kill’. Over 30,000 people gathered at the beach to watch his execution with his colleagues. The next one that was famous was that of Anini. But other than that, before today, armed robbery was a small crime in Nigeria.

“You see people involved in banditry, kidnapping, and of course, the insurgency that has bedevilled the North-East for the past 11 years now, to the extent that in Maiduguri now, once it’s 5 o’clock, you cannot go in or come out of Maiduguri. From all angles. By 10 o’clock, Maiduguri is shut down. You can’t go anywhere. In fact, this is even an improved situation.

“We hear of kidnapping, banditry, and all sorts of crime these days. The nation is on the brink of collapse. The unfortunate thing is that Nigerians, from top to bottom, still trivialise, tribalise, or give the situation religious colouration, and we’re now in this sorry state.”

Insurgency Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2YKFerQ

The Senator representing Borno South District, Ali Ndume has lamented the rising insecurity in the country, stating that Nigerians don’t seem to understand the seriousness of the situation.

Ndume also said the clamour for a northern Presidency in 2023 would amount to the North seeking a third term in office, describing such a move as unconstitutional.

Speaking at a media briefing on Saturday, the Senator opposed the call for amnesty for repentant bandits, insisting that criminals and bandits should be brought to justice.

“The fundamental thing that keeps the country going is security and welfare of the citizens. That’s why our constitution clearly states that the purpose of government is the security and welfare of the citizens. You know these two key things are now under threat in Nigeria.

“At the beginning, it started like a joke, starting from small stealing and all that. That culminated in armed robbery. In the early 70s in this country, you hardly hear of armed robbery. I remember when we were in secondary school. One of the first armed robbers that were executed at the beach in Lagos was Oyenusi; they called him ‘rob and kill’. Over 30,000 people gathered at the beach to watch his execution with his colleagues. The next one that was famous was that of Anini. But other than that, before today, armed robbery was a small crime in Nigeria.

“You see people involved in banditry, kidnapping, and of course, the insurgency that has bedevilled the North-East for the past 11 years now, to the extent that in Maiduguri now, once it’s 5 o’clock, you cannot go in or come out of Maiduguri. From all angles. By 10 o’clock, Maiduguri is shut down. You can’t go anywhere. In fact, this is even an improved situation.

“We hear of kidnapping, banditry, and all sorts of crime these days. The nation is on the brink of collapse. The unfortunate thing is that Nigerians, from top to bottom, still trivialise, tribalise, or give the situation religious colouration, and we’re now in this sorry state.”

Insurgency Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2YKFerQ

Last year, a friend of mine who works at an international financial institution pointed me to the reason various state governments in Nigeria have failed to access grants and secure a lasting development partnership. “We have so many grant opportunities available,” he said, “but the conditions appear like a huge sacrifice for them.” He was in Nigeria along with a team to meet with various government officials, and discuss the eligibility criteria for the financing and partnership programmes rolled out by the organization, but the visit left him utterly confused. He couldn’t understand the reluctance to open up government processes and allow for an independent audit of public accounts. 

Gimba Kakanda

My friend, however, didn’t immediately get the dilemma before the politicians. As tempting as the “free” dollars intending donors were offering was, opening up the government’s financial records for public assessment is an invitation to intense scrutiny and barrage of questions for which intelligent answers, from those in charge, may not be available. So, these state governments, specifically those who operate off the book, settle for the convenient options of dodging such partnerships to squander federal allocations which come with minimal or no supervision at all. Strangely, the most ambitious of them still apply for such grants despite their poor credentials, having been misled by well-paid consultants and, thus, end up with a ton of rejections and updated application guidelines from the donor organizations. 

In January, when Sokoto state emerged as the topmost beneficiary of the World Bank-assisted States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme, it instigated conversations in public policy circles. It came to many policy analysts with some shock. No one seemed to know what reforms were going in the state to warrant topping such an important index. Sokoto state received N6.612 billion through the Ministry of Finance, topping the list, with the Kano state, which has the most number of people in the country, attracting N1.710 billion, which was the lowest grant. The logic of this distribution of N123.34 billion performance-based grant to eligible states may elude onlookers, but it’s based on the extent to which the states opened up their book and adhered to measurable transparency tools. 

Having surpassed states with a larger revenue base and population, Sokoto state’s SFTAS story made news headlines and drew the curiosity of Nigerians who must’ve had enough of the secrecy with which bureaucracy functions in Nigeria. This is even more so because the state has been mostly quiet in the news, and so its emergence at the top of the index caught the Nigerian public, especially those with no keen interest in government beyond Abuja, unaware.  

However, SFTAS, as designed in the collaboration between Nigeria and the World Bank, is adopted to “strengthen the fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability in participating Nigerian states”. But qualifying for this grant isn’t just based on accountability alone, applying states are expected to present verifiable records of their revenue mobilization, public procurement procedures, and debt sustainability. I was personally intrigued by how the state, which scored a lowly 2/5 in 2019, strove to achieve 14/15 in 2020. I had to read up and ask questions to properly understand how a state considered as the heart of the conservative system would overtake "modern" Nigerian states in a race like this one. 

I've remembered that at the onset of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal’s second tenure, he busted a salary-racketeering cartel and announced the state would, thenceforth, save about N500 million monthly from erasing ghost-workers. Two years down that line, with the automation of payment and revenue-collection platforms by the government, it’s unsurprising that the state’s fiscal reforms paid off, and had become an example of the open government for states in search of development grants. 

When, late last year, Sokoto featured in my private conversation with Seun Onigbinde, the co-founder of BudgIT, a civic organization that breaks down government spendings, he observed that “Sokoto has been doing well on our index.” With an automated financial management information system that allows for real-time reporting of government inflows and outflows, the state has made easy any intending foreign or external partner’s efforts to verify its expenditures. 

Sometime in January, at a roundtable discussion tagged “Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability of Nigerian States” by the Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), the Sokoto state model was projected for praise and emulation. Urging states to prioritize revenue generation and fiscal transparency, the participating public finance experts asked other states to “learn from Sokoto State that was able to lead the table of performing states". Rotimi Olarewaju, profiled as a financial analyst in the report, “noted that Sokoto state must be praised and used as an example for other States since it is showing others that winning the World Bank performance-based grant is possible.” 

Along with his team, Sokoto state’s hardworking Commissioner of Finance, Abdussamad Dasuki, has demonstrated the practicality of fiscal responsibility in a system with largely frail institutions of governance and attendant corruption. Like a typical Nigerian state, Sokoto has been a haven of ghost-workers and has a minimal revenue base to drive a jamboree among the politicians. But, despite these glaring disadvantages, the state still opened its books to subject its spendings and earnings to public examination. 

Beyond this search for a template, an open government stirs up the interest and participation of even the politically apathetic in policymaking. The Freedom of Information (FOI) bill exists to drive these practices, but that’s not activated the response required to sustain transparency. The choice to treat governments as secret organizations is a culture that has kept money in the pockets of too many politicians and public servants, and the fiscal reform measures demonstrated by the Sokoto government, is a template worthy of emulation. One that all state governments would do well to replicate.

In a democracy, transparency should be given, not a favour to be negotiated. The point must be driven in the minds of those in public office that being accountable to those who entrusted one in the office should be seen as part of the job, not some extra cost, on the part of officeholders. It's commendable now that the SFTA project is helping us underscore the importance of this element of democracy. 

 

Kakanda is an Abuja-based public affairs analyst

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Gimba Kakanda Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2PYpkKl

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
It is the latest nation to act over reports of blood clotting but the WHO says it is safe.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
It would be a "game-changer" if Donald Trump stepped in, Dr Anthony Fauci says.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The US president is awaiting the outcome of a misconduct probe into NY Governor Andrew Cuomo.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Disney said the blockbuster film regained top spot over the weekend knocking off Avengers: End Game.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The US didn’t shut down until late March, but Americans were talking about the virus before that.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The French president may not be able to repair relations with Algerians, argues writer Maher Mezahi.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
A Hindu-Muslim couple, who dated secretly for 13 years, are now facing a fresh obstacle: the government.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The global e-sports sector is expected to see revenues of more than $1bn in 2021.

Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Grace Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, on Sunday, said the Nigerian elites have failed the country in all sectors.

Kaigama disclosed this during his homily at St. Fabian’s Parish, Efab-Jabi in Abuja.

Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Grace Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama

The Archbishop stated that Nigeria’s situation had been made worse by the failure of the political class to tackle injustice and nepotism in the country.

He noted that many Nigerian elites have failed and must acknowledge the depth of pain, sadness and lack of progress their decisions have caused the nation and repent of their sins.

“We must admit that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the ideals of genuine patriotism to build a nation of our dreams,” he said.

“We must ask the question, ‘Why are things not working well despite the enormous blessings of God upon Nigeria?’ Until we desist from greed, injustice, discrimination, myopic view of religion, parochial ethnic interests instead of the common good, political insensitivity and the tendency to surreptitiously corner our common patrimony for the benefit of a few, we will continue dancing dangerously on the precipice.”

Kaigama explained that the reality on the ground was that the country was bedevilled by hunger, poverty, and general insecurity.

While alluding to the biblical story of the ancient serpent that was erected by Moses in the desert after Israel’s sin of rebellion against God, which was punished with the bites of fiery serpents, the Archbishop said,

“Like the Israelites, Nigerians in this journey of life have been badly bitten; we have been wounded by our human passions and inclinations, battered by our concupiscence, and propensity to become inhuman to one another on account of religion, ethnicity and politics

“In the midst of the ‘snake bites’ of hunger, poverty, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, etc., which has left us almost helpless, we must raise our eyes in faith to our Lord God.

“Like Nicodemus, who was a leading Jew of great wealth and position, but wanted enlightenment from Jesus, so must all our men of influence and power in our country genuinely seek God’s face.”

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2LlZdaO

A former militant leader, Asari Dokubo, has dared President Muhammadu Buhari as he has constituted a Biafran government after declaring same.

Buhari had in 2017 said his government would not allow dismemberment of Nigeria.

Asari Dokubo

”We cannot and we will not allow such advocacy. As a young army officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about 2 million lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. 

“Those who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through.

“I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through. Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly.

“At all events, proper dialogue and any desired constitutional changes should take place in a rational manner, at the National and State Assemblies,” he had said.

However, Dokubo on Sunday declared himself the leader of the new Biafra defacto Customary Government (BCG).

In a statement signed by Uche Mefor, BCG’s Head of Information and Communications, the former militant leader named those who would serve as leaders in the government alongside himself.

He said, “We as people have resolved that as Biafra, it’s time for us to take our destiny in our hands and bring freedom to ourselves and our children and the generation of Biafrans yet unborn. I hesitate a little but I thank God that it’s time for us to do our duty and our service to motherland, I have accepted this role. I have dedicated my life hundred percent to play this role.

“My first act today in taking this position is to name those who would be on the driver’s seat to navigate through this period of tempest, this period of uncertainty with me. I want to call on our brother, George Onyibe to come on board to join as the secretary of the defacto customary government of the State of Biafra. He will take care of the administrative, day-to-day administration of the Biafra State.

“I also call on our brother Emeka Emeka Esiri to take care of the legal needs of this nascent government. My brothers and sisters, the four of us will kick start the process, others will come on board. We want volunteers who are committed. We want volunteers because there is nothing anymore. We are the people who have volunteered to salvage ourselves and the rest of us.

“I also call on Biafrans in the various provinces of the Biafra nations in Aba, Abakiliki, Anang, Awka, Calabar, Degema, Eket, Enough, Nsuka, Ogoja, Oji River, Okigwe, Onitsha, Opobo, Orlu, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Umuahia, Uyo and Yenegoa province. We are going to proceed to set up provincial structures of government starting with provincial assemblies and provincial governance and administrators.”

Dokubo also mentioned education and agriculture as key areas of focus. He condemned the stoppage of food transportation to the South.

“You are all aware of the recent plot where they decided to stop food from the North. They failed woefully, they will continue to fail. The Government of Biafra State will look to make sure that we only eat what we can produce.

“Nobody can stop us. Nobody can blockade us as they did in the first war. We’re not going to fight any war with anybody, we’re walking to freedom. We will not shoot any gun with them, they will prepare their weapon but they will have nobody to kill with their weapon,” he added.

Politics News AddThis :  Featured Image :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2StEKEA

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
How lives on both sides of the divide in Nagorno-Karabakh were changed by the last year's fighting.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
More than 60,000 people have fled the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region to seek refuge in neighbouring Sudan.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Dene Bingham photographs dangerous seas and wild places from a remote coast in Western Australia.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The bodies of 270 German soldiers have lain hidden since they were buried alive by a French bombardment.

The Federal College Of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos state has refuted a publication by a Nigerian newspaper, ThisDay, which alleged the institution's management installed CCTV cameras in hostels to watch students' nakedness.

The school's provost, Wahab Azeez, made this known on Friday during a press conference held at the institution's academic board hall.

ThisDay had in the report published on March 6 alleged that the students protested the installation of the CCTV cameras which were installed to monitor students' activities.

It read, “... the protest broke out in the early hours of yesterday, after the school’s Dean of Students, Wahab Azeez, was alleged to have entered the hostel at midnight, to chase students out, over some behaviour he couldn’t condone which he saw via the cameras.

“According to some of the students, the CCTV camera was installed almost everywhere in the female hostel thereby denying them of personal privacy.

“Some female students also revealed that the school management and lecturers had been watching their nakedness since after the installation of the cameras, as they claim their lecturers had said it to their faces before.”

But speaking on Friday, the provost, Azeez, said the students staged a protest against the ejection of some illegal female occupants, refuting the claims of the report.

The provost also pointed out that the CCTV cameras are part of an ongoing project towards safeguarding the lives and property of both students and staff of the college against attacks by some unscrupulous elements who have in times past, perpetrated evil in the hostel at night. 

He said the cameras were not yet functional, questioning the allegations made by respondents in the report that some lecturers see their nakedness.

According to Azeez, the CCTV cameras, when fully installed, will not in any way violate the privacy of the students but will only be within and around the hostels to identify those who go in and out of the hostels.

Describing the college's Dean of Student Affairs, Paul Ojelade, as a ‘decent and respected scholar’, the provost said there was no way the dean would have invaded the hostel at such a time quoted by the report — 12 am.

Azeez said the school recognises the rights of the students to agitate under a just cause and will not allow lecturers to threaten students with failure for speaking up.

He said, “It is true that some students demonstrated on Friday morning, March 5, 2021, basically to protest the ejection of some illegal female student occupants from the Independence Hall and not because of what was reported that it was 'over some behaviour the Dean of student affairs couldn't condone which he saw via the cameras'. This reportage was not true at all.

“The purported installation of cameras is still ongoing in the public spaces of in the college and not only in the female hostel in order to deny our cherished female students their personal privacy. How on earth would the management and lecturers that are saddled with the responsibility of overseeing young men and women turn around and be watching their nakedness?

“We challenge the ThisDay reporter and his informant to show evidence of this falsehood he published. We are teachers of teachers and provide teaching and learning and mould characters and we would not allow any criminal and indecent behaviours among the management officers, academic and non-teaching staff, and students. We equally challenge the ThisDay reporter to mention the names of lecturers who told the students that management and lecturers had been watching the female students' nakedness since the purported installation of the CCTV cameras.

“How would ThisDay allow the kind of reportage to drag its reputation into the mud by publishing such falsehood without cross-checking the authenticity or otherwise? The management of our college will want ThisDay to independently contact the EXCO of the Students Union Government to confront the Dean of Student Affairs in writing where the Dean told them that the illegal female occupants ejected from the hostel that Friday night, were seen on the CCTV cameras before he came to chase them.

“The CCTV project came about as a result of attacks on students in the night, especially female students. From the college's management position, the publication is not only damaging to the image of the college but malicious. For the records, the College had experienced breeches of the female hostels by hoodlums at night on several occasions. Similarly, with the incessant security challenges, the College processed and obtained TETfund sponsorship to install CCTV cameras on the perimeter of the fences of the college as well as approaches to buildings including male and female hostels (not in the room nor the bathroom or toilet areas).

“The installation of the CCTV system is just underway, yet to be completed and not yet active; therefore, no student privacy could have been breached by the system rather it was an installation done purely for security reasons.”

The provost further explained that the school management believes in students' rights as guaranteed in the Nigerian constitution as it is one of the few where students' union activities flourish.

He also refuted an allegation by one of the respondents in the report who said the college lacked a good environment to study. Azeez said the school has modern facilities in the classrooms, hostels, and library, and a students' activities center which will soon be completed.

Reacting to another part of the publication which stated that 7, 000 students were cramped in one hostel, the provost said the school has a total of 3,646 students only while 1, 544 are comfortably accommodated in the hostel.

According to him, the law guiding the school hostels does not allow for 'squatters' or illegal occupants which was part of why the Dean of Students' Affairs had gone to the hostel to evict some students from the place.

He urged the press to always verify claims before publishing to avoid damaging the image of institutions and individuals.

Education News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/3rNzziS

The leader of Boko Haram terrorists, Abubakar Shekau, has lambasted Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, for negotiating with bandits.

Gumi had recently embarked on a tour to armed bandits’ hideouts in the forests to strike peace deals with the criminals.

Sheik Gumi

The cleric’s tour had drawn mixed reactions among Nigerians, with many, including the governor of Kaduna state Nasir El-Rufai, condemning the move.

But in an audio that is 1 hour and 55 minutes long, obtained by DAILY NIGERIAN, Shekau said Gumi was among those who deliberately transgress.

“Oh Ya Ahmad Gumi! Oh Ahmad Gumi, now you are wandering around, addressing Fulanis, and thinking you are serving God.

“Just because you are called doctor or Sheikh? Woe unto you, Ahmad Gumi,” he said.

Quoting chapter 7:175 of the Qur’an, the terrorists leader said of Gumi: “And relate to them O Prophet the story of the one to whom We gave Our signs, but he abandoned them, so Satan took hold of him, and he became a deviant.”

Shekau also faulted the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, who is a Muslim cleric, for joining a government under democratic setting.

“To you (Gumi) and others like Pantami, who is even a minister, huh? And still a cleric? Ask yourself! Oh clerics who savour the taste of power seasonings, ask yourselves,” he said.

“You all know democracy is the ideology of Jews and Christians, why didn’t you leave government?

“Despite knowing the truth, you are using the Qur’an to preach democracy. Why this?”

Boko Haram Insurgency Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/3qrne3g

The leader of Boko Haram terrorists, Abubakar Shekau, has lambasted Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, for negotiating with bandits.

Gumi had recently embarked on a tour to armed bandits’ hideouts in the forests to strike peace deals with the criminals.

Sheik Gumi

The cleric’s tour had drawn mixed reactions among Nigerians, with many, including the governor of Kaduna state Nasir El-Rufai, condemning the move.

But in an audio that is 1 hour and 55 minutes long, obtained by DAILY NIGERIAN, Shekau said Gumi was among those who deliberately transgress.

“Oh Ya Ahmad Gumi! Oh Ahmad Gumi, now you are wandering around, addressing Fulanis, and thinking you are serving God.

“Just because you are called doctor or Sheikh? Woe unto you, Ahmad Gumi,” he said.

Quoting chapter 7:175 of the Qur’an, the terrorists leader said of Gumi: “And relate to them O Prophet the story of the one to whom We gave Our signs, but he abandoned them, so Satan took hold of him, and he became a deviant.”

Shekau also faulted the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, who is a Muslim cleric, for joining a government under democratic setting.

“To you (Gumi) and others like Pantami, who is even a minister, huh? And still a cleric? Ask yourself! Oh clerics who savour the taste of power seasonings, ask yourselves,” he said.

“You all know democracy is the ideology of Jews and Christians, why didn’t you leave government?

“Despite knowing the truth, you are using the Qur’an to preach democracy. Why this?”

Boko Haram Insurgency Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/3qrne3g

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The education ministry is probing a Kabul directive banning older girls from singing at public events.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Hearings at the world court over the maritime dispute are due to start on Monday.

A Nigerian activist based in Hungary, Fredrick Omoyoma Odorige is set to launch his book written in honour of the golden anniversary of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore.

According to Odorige, the book titled 'Beyond The Broken Chains', was written in recognition of the fact that every genuine activist is a genuine patriot. 

“The book has 356 pages, 92 chapters with about 40 coloured pictures. It is a revolutionary compendium that objectively chronicles all the events that took place from that wistful night of 3rd August 2019 when men from the State Security Service, ominously decked in black and armed with IWI Tavor-21 bullpup assault rifles, stormed and whisked away the pro-democracy activist, journalist and former presidential aspirant,” the author said.

“I recorded every court session and included several essays and concrete recommendations for a country where about 5,000 persons in government hold sway over 206 million and leading them through the dangerous path of gross abuse of human rights and social deprivation.

“The Broken Chains is woven around Sowore`s restricted movement of 553 days from Justice Ojukwu to Chief Magistrate Bello. It documents, from RevolutionNow, to EndSARS, how peaceful protesters were arrested and dehumanised by the same security officers that are equally suffering. The book shows the unjustified freezing of bank accounts, institutionalised impunity, disobedience to court orders, invasion of the court, payment of ransom in the name of bail conditions while terrorists are being pampered; immunity for those who became governors when they had ongoing corruption cases; the loud silence of he that was elected to lead from the front; the marches, the solidarity of relentless supporters and die-hard comrades; till the day Sowore identified the police officer that tortured him and broke his nose. It is a literary analysis with several essays laced with the bare facts of history and the motion of politics in a pseudo-democracy. It is deeply researched, unearthing and audacious.

“It is a publication of what the Nigerian media seem to be too afraid to report. The book is an academic reference material for researchers because it is history, politics, statistics, philosophy, and literature rolled in one. It is a panacea against bad governance and a fear killer, for anyone who dares to hope.

“It is to encourage Nigerian activists that they are not alone. You know, it is always to the detriment of the people when their activists are not supported and celebrated. Our problems remain today because people like Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Tai Solarin, Gani Fawehinmi, and others fought for us while we watched from a distance. This 'e nor concern me' attitude must no longer be allowed to continue. 

“In a period where History is no longer taught in our schools, it is important for us to have comprehensive documentation of human rights abuses, and how activists like Sowore passed through thick and thin in a selfless effort towards birthing a new Nigeria. It is not enough that we praise the efforts of Bobi Wine of Uganda and we embarrass and disrespect our own through the agents of the government. If you observe very well on the social media, the government, through the office of the Special Adviser on Social Media and the Ministry of Information, allegedly have some persons they hire to comment negatively against activists on social media.

“They use fake profiles in such a way that one person could register 10 fake accounts. If you do not understand their game, you might believe that Sowore is hated by the people. Those hired hands are sufferers who were paid to fight their co-sufferers. 

“Now that the government attacks, arrests, and detains journalists and peaceful protesters, they inadvertently encourage Nigerians in the diaspora to speak and write more. The more they take away the freedom and dignity of our compatriots back home, the more we shall react from the diaspora. Nobody owns Nigeria more than Nigerians. 

“The virtual launching will take place on 14 March 2021 by 4 pm Nigerian time. All inquiries about the book should be sent to: brokenchain1621@gmail.com.”

For over three decades, Sowore has consistently lamented the ineptitude of government institutions and overly corrupt politicians in Nigeria.

In 1989, Sowore took part in student demonstration, protesting against the conditions of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan of $120 million to be used for a Nigerian oil pipeline. Included among the conditions of the IMF loan, was a reduction in the number of universities in Nigeria from 28 to 5.

As the students’ union president of the University of Lagos between 1992 and 1994, he led a series of protests and demonstrations against the then-military government. His agitations for a better Nigeria and utter hatred for looters of Nigeria’s wealth have seen him arrested, detained, and in many cases, brutalised.

He was also deeply involved in the demand for a democratic government taking over from military rule on June 12, 1993.

Acknowledging Sowore's stride in the June 12 struggle in his memoir, a journalist, Niyi Babade, quoted the activist as saying, “Unannounced they came out of an unmarked grey vehicle and saw the ugly scenes then opened fire on all of us.

"I spent some quality time in my resting place (in the) the gutter till I heard the singing voices of the students of the University of Lagos led by Yele Sowore heading to (Moshood) Abiola’s house. I crawled out of my hiding and tried to get an exclusive shot when the hoodlums among the students attacked me and wanted to confiscate my camera but with the heroic effort of Sowore I was spared and allowed to join them as one of the hoodlums and a journalist which then gave me unlimited access to exclusive footage of the day till we got to Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola’s house."

After being expelled twice for political reasons and because of his student activism, Sowore graduated in 1994, got his final results in May 1995. He had his National Youth Service Corps programme in Yola, Adamawa State, from 1995-1996 but was never given a discharge certificate to date.

“It was purely political. The first time I was expelled was because of my participation in the Babangida Must Go/anti-SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme) protests that grounded Nigeria. The second time was after the military authorities targeted the student leadership by empowering and employing the services of cult gangs on campuses against us. It was at the height of the June 12 protests against the regime of General Sani Abacha,” he said in an interview in 2016. 

The activist fled Nigeria and went to the United States in 1999 for urgent medical treatment of his vital organs.

Upon relocating to the US, Sowore continued with his activism by starting Sahara Reporters, a citizen journalism platform that continues to expose corruption. 

Sowore was arrested by men of the Department of State Services, a domestic intelligence agency with a history of repression on 3 August 2019 ahead of a planned nationwide #RevolutionNow protest.

He was moved to the agency's headquarters in Abuja where he was illegally detained for 144 days despite different court orders issued for his release.

The DSS accused him of baseless crimes like money laundering and that he was plotting to overthrow President Muhammadu Buhari even though it failed to produce any evidence to substantiate its claim.

His detention was declared as arbitrary and illegal under international law by the United Nations Working Group on arbitrary detention, under the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).

The UN group lambasted the Nigerian government and asked it to stop the unlawful prosecution of the activist for his attempts to organise a peaceful protest in August of 2019.

It pointed out that the charges against him were quite vaguely defined and that such vagueness seems to have been used to make an ordinary exercise of freedom sound like a threat to national security and a terrorist act.

ACTIVISM Arts Books Politics News AddThis :  Featured Image :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/3qtmB9n

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The minister for health says it is precautionary after reports of serious blood clotting events in Norway.

Mrs Eunice Aghanya, the wife of retired police commissioner, Ibezimako Aghanya, has been reportedly hacked to death in her Makurdi residence by unknown assailants.

The deceased, it was gathered, had returned home Friday evening at about 4 pm and parked her car in the compound where she lived alone behind Kismet Hotel, off David Mark Bye-Pass in Makurdi town.

Retired police commissioner, Ibezimako Aghanya Daily Trust

 According to a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, her husband, Mr Aghanya, who lives in Lagos, had made attempts to talk to his wife Friday evening.

When he couldn’t reach her, he called his younger brother, who also resides in Makurdi, to check on his wife since it was unusual quickly.

 “When the younger Aghanya got to the house, Mrs Aghanya’s car was seen parked, but the door to the house was locked.

 “He had to break the door to gain entrance into the house. On getting inside, he met Mama Aghanya in a pool of her blood already dead. She was stabbed on the head by her attackers.

“It is strange that she could be murdered in this manner in her private residence that has a police outpost just in front of her house,” he said.

Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Catherine Anene, said an investigation into the matter was already in progress. Husband of the deceased, Mr Aghanya served as Benue State Police Commissioner before being transferred to Kogi State, where he also served before retiring some years back, Vanguard reports.

CRIME News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/3lfQwQD

Mrs Eunice Aghanya, the wife of retired police commissioner, Ibezimako Aghanya, has been reportedly hacked to death in her Makurdi residence by unknown assailants.

The deceased, it was gathered, had returned home Friday evening at about 4 pm and parked her car in the compound where she lived alone behind Kismet Hotel, off David Mark Bye-Pass in Makurdi town.

Retired police commissioner, Ibezimako Aghanya Daily Trust

 According to a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, her husband, Mr Aghanya, who lives in Lagos, had made attempts to talk to his wife Friday evening.

When he couldn’t reach her, he called his younger brother, who also resides in Makurdi, to check on his wife since it was unusual quickly.

 “When the younger Aghanya got to the house, Mrs Aghanya’s car was seen parked, but the door to the house was locked.

 “He had to break the door to gain entrance into the house. On getting inside, he met Mama Aghanya in a pool of her blood already dead. She was stabbed on the head by her attackers.

“It is strange that she could be murdered in this manner in her private residence that has a police outpost just in front of her house,” he said.

Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Catherine Anene, said an investigation into the matter was already in progress. Husband of the deceased, Mr Aghanya served as Benue State Police Commissioner before being transferred to Kogi State, where he also served before retiring some years back, Vanguard reports.

CRIME News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/3lfQwQD

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The Biden administration has tried several ways to get in touch with North Korea, officials say.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
US-Mexico border facilities are under pressure amid a rise in the number of unaccompanied children.