Kaduna (Nigeria) — Nigeria’s Presidency, Aso Rock, has described the series of attacks on President Muhammadu Buhari, by a PDP Presidential aspirant, Sule Lamido, on war against corruption, as an indication of the level of intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the opposition in the country.
Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a reaction to the latest of the interviews published on Saturday, says, it is clear that the opposition politicians are seeking the destruction of key national institutions such as the courts, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and everything good that the nation stands for.
“It is only in Nigeria that a leader will divert money belonging to the public into his children’s account then turns round to start pontificating on public morals, in the process subjecting the nation’s honest leadership to daily attacks based on falsehood.
“ It is even worse that such a person, facing criminal prosecution will start going round saying he wants to be president. Is this not one of the reasons why other countries are laughing at Nigeria? This is hooliganism. It is not opposition politics.”
As stated by the Buhari Media Support Group, BMSG, “the nation’s war against corruption spearheaded by EFCC was incidentally formulated by the past PDP administration. It is a tragic irony that the leaders of the same party are doing their utmost to weaken or destroy it. Watch it, is that why he is seeking to lead the country?
“Time and again, President Buhari had lamented that strongmen had destroyed the country’s strong institutions and that it will take strong men to rebuild them. He deserves the support of everyone to rebuild such institutions because they serve a common good.”
Appealing to opposition politicians to give President Muhammadu Buhari the support he needs to rebuild national institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission they either stifled or destroyed, the presidential spokesman challenged the presidential candidate to convince Nigerians that his trenchant attacks against the government and the judiciary were not a smokescreen to becloud the atmosphere of his criminal prosecution.
“In his diatribe published in the Vanguard newspaper last week, it is clear that the former governor not only set out to mock the President but the judiciary and important national institutions as part of an orchestrated plot to divert public attention from his scam related cases.
“If President Buhari’s war against corruption as he said, was a mockery what does one say of Governor Lamido’s sworn efforts to sabotage the country’s efforts to rid itself of the cancer of corruption?
“If accountability of public officials is the very essence of a mature democracy, it is indeed ironic that a politician seeking the leadership of the country making a mockery of institutions and leaders seeking to entrench that.
“As a country, Nigeria settled for President Buhari not just as president but the watchman of people’s wealth. The citizens are happy with that and the whole world is applauding. African Union, the AU just named him as the champion of the war against corruption. Opposition politicians like Governor Lamido need to come to terms with the fact that their act needs updating.”
Gombe (Nigeria) — College of Administrative and Business Studies (CABS) Potiskum, Yobe State northeast of the Country, has expelled 16 Students who were caught cheating during first semester examination in the Institute.
The Rector of the College, Musa Auta, who disclosed this while reacting to a petition written by the expelled students of the Institute said that no amount of threat would make the Institution reverse its action against the culprits.
“We will not pardon them, we won’t go against the ethics of the examination committee of the College and the expulsion followed recommendation of a five-man Committee set up by the Academic Board of the College.
According to him, the Committee found two cases of impersonation, 15 students caught copying from the exhibit material “10 out of the 17 students appeared before the committee and admitted being guilty.
“Those who feel they are not comfortable with the action are free to go to Court, my administration would no longer tolerate examination malpractice and cheating.
“I took oath to be fair and honest to all irrespective of any inclination in the discharge of my responsibilities, even if my wife, or son was caught cheating during examination disciplinary action would be taken against him or her.
He disclosed that the saboteurs had made efforts to frustrate any meaningful decision adopted by the school, but the management declined.
“We want to maintain standard in our academic dealings,” he said.
The Rector further commended Yobe State government for the support and cooperation, which enabled the college to be accredited by National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
“Governor Ibrahim Gaidam is doing well in the education sector, despite set back brought about by terrorists during the era of Boko Haram”, the Rector said.
Former Nigeria's Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd)
Former Nigeria’s Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd)
By Amos Tauna
Kaduna (Nigeria) — Former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has expressed dismay over lack of unity among different denominations of the Church in Nigeria.
He therefore called on Christians in the country to be guided by the word of God for the overall unity of the body of Christ.
The former Head of State lamented that the different denominations in the Church have caused dissatisfaction, stressing that the word of God should be the watchword of every believer.
General Gowon was speaking in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria at the official inauguration of Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians, CNNC.
The former Head of State stressed the need for different denominations to be united based on the scripture, adding that without the word of God, it might not be possible for the Congress to achieve its noble objectives.
He enjoined officials of CNNC to work in harmony with other Christian bodies to propagate the true word of God for the salvation, peace and unity of the region and the country in general.
Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara in his remarks, observed that the biggest problem confronting the Church is disobedience, adding that unless the Church realises that, it would continue to have problems.
He enjoined Christians to learn to forgive, stressing that it was only when believers forgive that they would be forgiven by the Almighty.
The Speaker observed that denominations have taken the centre stage of the Church other than the unity that supposed to help Christians work as a family irrespective of their denominations.
“The word of God should guide every Christian in all spheres of life. Until the Church understands this, the better for it or it will continue in endless challenges,” he noted.
Dogara praised the founders of CNNC for their foresight in bringing Christians in the north together while assuring them of his support to the Congress.
The interim Chairman of CNNC, Professor Adamu Baikie, said that the congress was not a political organization neither a front for any political party. “We shall resist any attempt to clandestinely use the platform of the Congress to promote the political interests of any individual or group of individuals.”
He added, “We are also committed to creating awareness among Northern Nigeria Christians to stand firm against every form of violence, discrimination and intimidation being meted out to any citizen of this country; and above all, to work towards the unity and indivisibility of the Nigerian State. These, among other things, are the basic tenets of the objectives we intend to pursue.
“We wish to make it clear that we are not unmindful of the fact that there are other organizations and/ or religious associations that abound in the country, the North in particular. We acknowledge their pioneering efforts and appreciate the work they have done and have continued to do. We have no desire whatsoever to undermine their efforts or obliterate their very coexistence with all people irrespective of religion, tribe or ethniccity.
“We shall eschew bitterness; we shall promote and uphold the principles of mutual respect and understanding as is expected of decent people. A machinery will be put in place to concretize the involvement of other associations in the activities of the Congress on a mutual basis having regard to the unifying objectives of the congress
Kaduna (Nigeria) — The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kaduna State council, north west of the country has accused the state government of resorting to crude propaganda and diversionary tactics.
According to NLC, the government was trying to depict the rally organized and attended by the leadership of the entire Labour Movement in Nigeria as an agitation by 21, 000 unqualified teachers.
A statement issued by the state Chairman, Adamu Ango, and made available to newsmen, said, NLC would never be intimated, but would continue to play its historical role of the conscience of society and protector of workers’ rights using all means available to it within the confines of the law.
“Our attention has been drawn to the contents of press briefing by Adamu Mansur, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Kaduna dated 8h November, 2017 and we react to same.
“That, the Kaduna State government as usual, instead of addressing the core issues relative to the impasse between it and the Labour Movement has resorted to crude propaganda and diversionary tactics by trying to depict a rally organized and attended by the leadership of the entire Labour Movement in Nigeria as an agitation by 21,000 unqualified teachers.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the rally held in Kaduna on 8h November 2017, was peaceful and same was held in exercise of our members constitutional rights guaranteed under, Section 35(1), 39(1) and 40 of the 1999 Constitution .
“Fortunately, in Kaduna State, similar rights have been exercised in support of the state government’s decision to take external loan without let or hindrance, labour stated.
“That, by organizing the peaceful rally of 8h November, 2017, the Labour Movement did not offend the provisions of any extant law and no (member of the Labour Movement).
“Recent events in the Educational sector have vindicated the Labour Movement whose advice to government to utilizing the over N10 Billion expended on the school feeding programme in the development of infrastructure and teacher education/retraining was ignored.
“The government in the face of its lack luster performance resultant inter-alia, from lack of Teacher education/retraining cannot now turn around and claim to be more patriotic or concerned about falling standards of education than the Labour Movement.
“The events at the Kaduna State House of Assembly after the rally by the Labour Movement cannot be attributed to it, and same is a replica of the sad events at the NUJ secretariat, Kaduna, where supporters of the state government openly attacked law abiding citizens who were there to address press conference and unfortunately nobody has been prosecuted or is being prosecuted for participating in the dastardly act.
“The attempt by the Kaduna State Government to sack 21,000 teachers in the public schools of Kaduna State is in public domain and therefore, pupils in public schools coming out to demonstrate on the streets was not orchestrated by the Labour Movement,” the statement maintained.
It added, “We hereby affirm in unmistakable terms, that the Labour Movement will never be intimated and it will indeed continue to play its historical role of the conscience of society and protector of workers’ rights using all means available to it within the confines of the law, the said.
Arrested suspects paraded by Nigerian Police Force
Arrested suspects paraded by Nigerian Police Force
By Iliya Kure
Kaduna (Nigeria) — Nigerian Police says it has arrested 16 suspects in activities related to kidnap and armed robbery in a raid it carried out in Abuja, Niger and Kaduna States.
“Special Tactical Squad (STS) and his personnel under the Operation Absolute Sanity stormed and raided some identified kidnappers den, camps, Blackspot and Criminal hideouts in the forests located in the FCT, Niger and Kaduna States and successfully smashed four (4) notorious gangs and arrested the following sixteen (16) suspects in the act of kidnapping and collection of ransom,” says a statement by spokesman Jimoh Moshood.
According to the statement, the rescued kidnapped victims have since been united with their families.
It also says, the ‘Operation Absolute Sanity’ outfit has received a boost with the posting of additional Personnel and needed support to tackle Kidnappers, armed robbers and Car Snatchers on major roads along Abuja corridors and environs, including Abuja – Kaduna, Abuja – Minna – Bida, Birnin Gwari – Funtua, Abuja – Lokoja among others.
“The Inspector-General of Police has directed Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) in the zones and State commands across the country to beef up security in their Area of Responsibilities (AOR) and ensure massive deployment of Armed Police Personnel, Patrol Teams and undercover operatives to black spots, flash points and other vulnerable criminal spots to nip in the bud all forms of crimes and criminality nationwide throughout this period to the upcoming Christmas and New Year festivities and beyond.
“They are also to make sure that detection of crimes that couldn’t be prevented is prompt to serve as effective deterrent to who-will-be criminal. The ongoing raids on criminal hideouts, black spots will be sustained throughout the country.
“The Inspector General of Police wishes to extend sincere appreciations and gratitude to the people in the communities, towns and villages along Abuja – Kaduna, Abuja – Minna – Bida, Birnin Gwari Funtua, Abuja – Lokoja and other highways for the supports and assistance being rendered in terms of prompt information and complaints to the Police Personnel deployed for these operations,” the statement says.
The UN report urged the ICC, based The Hague, to launch an inquiry.
In 2015 security forces launched a crackdown after major protests against President Nkurunziza’s decision to stand for re-election. Groups disagreed over whether the candidacy was constitutional.
But the case of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, one of the ICC’s “most wanted”, has highlighted the difficulty of getting a non-member to co-operate in surrendering suspects.
Responding to news of the ICC case, a senior Burundian presidential spokesperson accused the court of “outrageous lies to implement Westerners’ hidden agenda to destabilize Africa”.
The country’s justice minister, Laurentine Kanyana, called the court’s decision a “fraud”.
She said her government had no intention of co-operating with the investigation.
The ICC and global justice:
Based on the Rome Statute adopted in 1998, the court came into force in 2002.
It was ratified by 123 countries, and Burundi is the only one to have withdrawn. Now there are 122 – including 34 African nations
The United States is a notable absent member of the court
The court aims to prosecute and bring to justice those responsible for the worst crimes – genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes
But only Africans have been prosecuted so far, fuelling criticism
Note: This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.
Image copyrightMohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed MkhaitirImage caption M’khaitir says he did not mean to cause offence
An appeals court in Mauritania has reduced a death sentence given to a blogger to a two-year jail term.
Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed M’khaitir was convicted of blasphemy in 2014.
He will be set free as he has spent more than two years in jail. His lawyer called the news a “great victory”.
The blogger’s article was considered insulting to the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, although he said it was meant to criticise the use of religion to justify discrimination.
‘Huge relief’
His blog was accused of questioning choices made by the Prophet Muhammad during holy wars in the 7th Century.
It also attacked the mistreatment of black Mauritanians who he argued were discriminated from birth.
The case, in the north-western city of Nouadhibou, has divided the country, an Islamic republic.
As the appeal opened on Wednesday, conservative Muslim protesters were demanding his execution by hanging.
But Alioune Tine from Human Rights group Amnesty International said his release was “a huge relief” because he had “been jailed for nearly four years simply for peacefully expressing his opinions”.
His lawyer Fatimata Mbaye told the AFP news agency that: “The law has been pronounced and religion has been respected”.
Note: This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.
Image copyrightZack BaddorfImage caption Ongoing sectarian fighting in the Central African Republic has displaced more than a million people
The UN mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) released rebel fighters accused of shooting a UN peacekeeper, confidential documents seen by the BBC show.
The two men were handed back to their commander in 2015 despite injuring the UN peacekeeper – a war crime under international law.
Because the incident happened shortly before crucial elections, UN officials chose to “appease the electoral process” by “set[ing] the alleged war criminals free, handing them over”, a UN report says.
This revelation is the latest blow for a peacekeeping mission beset by problems.
‘This cannot go unpunished’
The incident itself took place in December 2015.
Four rebel soldiers belonging to a mainly Muslim militia, Union pour la Paix en Centrafrique (UPC) which translates as the Union for Peace in CAR, approached a UN checkpoint on motorcycles in the central town of Galaboroma.
A peacekeeper asked them to stop and told them to put their hands above their heads for a search. But instead, two of the men took out weapons and aimed at the UN troops, a confidential investigative report reveals.
UN soldiers shot back, killing a rebel named Junior and injuring another.
The remaining two rebels were arrested and transferred to the battalion headquarters in the nearby mining town of Bambari. The detained men had allegedly injured one of the UN peacekeepers.
For its part, the UPC denied that its troops had attacked the UN peacekeepers. “It’s false,” said UPC spokesman Souleymane Daouda.
Image copyrightZack BaddorfImage caption Around 13,000 United Nations peacekeepers are deployed in CAR at a cost of nearly $900m (£686m) per year
But the UN’s top official in Bambari at the time, Zlatko Bars-Dimitroff, recommended an “immediate transfer” of the rebels to Bangui for a “proper investigation” by local judicial authorities.
For the next 14 days, a flurry of emails between senior UN and CAR officials decided the fate of the two rebels – Rodolphe Sombo-Igain and Ilyassa Ibrahim.
‘They effectively let them go’
“Kindly convey to UPC leadership that by taking such reckless actions their elements have committed a serious crime which cannot go unpunished,” Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in CAR, known as Minusca, wrote in an email obtained by the BBC.
“UPC would receive a strong message that attacks against Minusca [the UN peacekeeping mission in CAR] will have consequences (no impunity),” Mr Bars-Dimitroff wrote in agreement.
Yet, in order to “appease the electoral process in Ouaka Region, UN authorities decided to set the alleged war criminals free, handing them over to local UPC leader Ali Darassa,” the confidential UN report says.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Media captionFergal Keane visits Bambari – where UN peacekeepers separate two rival warlords.
Human Rights Watch has documented multiple war crimes committed by Mr Darassa and his faction, one of the major rebel groups fighting for control of the country’s resource-rich central region.
Technically, the two rebel soldiers were released on “liberté provisoire”, (provisional freedom) and effectively means the court can still investigate the suspect while that person is free from detention.
But “releasing someone on ‘liberté provisoire’ in the current context, is effectively just letting them go,” explained Human Rights Watch researcher Lewis Mudge.
Early warning signs of genocide?
Image copyrightAFP
In 2013, Muslim militias called the Seleka seized power in Central African Republic
Largely Christian fighters known as the anti-Balaka took up arms to fight back
More than a million people have since been displaced by continued fighting, and thousands killed
In August, the UN’s aid chief said he saw “early warning signs of genocide” in Central African Republic
About 13,000 United Nations peacekeepers are deployed in the country at a cost of nearly $900m (£686m) per year in the mission known as Minusca
The UN mandate includes fighting against impunity, but numerous allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse have been made against peacekeepers
Since 2011, there have only been two criminal sessions in the country – both at the high court in Bangui. Neither of these sessions addressed crimes committed during the conflict.
Officials within the UN have questioned the decision to release two rebel soldiers. One staff member, Nicholas Vysny, wrote in an internal email chain that the peacekeeping mission needs to be “careful… to avoid giving the impression that justice is negotiable”.
Image copyright.Image caption A copy of the UN’s preliminary fact-finding report into the two rebel fighters released in December 2015 despite causing injury to a peacekeeper
Indeed, there is a pattern of the UN peacekeepers not seeking accountability of armed groups.
Just one day before the Galaboroma incident, Mr Darassa’s rebels “attacked the Ngakobo displacement camp with complete impunity and continue to commit war crimes in the region,” says Mr Mudge of Human Rights Watch.
The researcher found that the rebels killed eight civilians, shooting one in the head. The UPC denies the allegations.
Releasing the prisoners was “a difficult decision,” said Diane Corner, a senior political leader at the UN during the incidents.
Image copyrightZack BaddorfImage caption Bambari town, in the centre of the country, is home to 40,000 internally displaced people according to UN figures from February 2017
“The need to ensure calm for the elections was a concern,” Ms Corner told the BBC. However, looking back, she said, “it was not the motivation” for the release of the two detainees.
UN spokesman Vlad Monteiro said the rebels were released “to allow for further investigations to continue.” Yet, nearly two years later, no charges against the pair have been made.
“When Darassa’s men can shoot at peacekeepers and massacre civilians with no repercussions, it does open the question as to the level of commitment of the national government, Minusca and international partners towards ensuring accountability,” Mr Mudge said.
“The real problem is that Darassa understands this impunity,” Mr Mudge continued. “He is not stupid and he grows more and more bold every time his men kill and rape without repercussion.”
The BBC was unable to speak directly with either Mr Sombo-Igain or Mr Ibrahim, the two alleged war criminals, to get their account of the incident.
‘Body never found’
This wasn’t the first time the UPC may have got away with murder.
A few months prior to the Ngakobo incident, a UN peacekeeper, Warrant Officer Claude Buzindu Bendera, disappeared in Bambari.
At around 23:00 one evening in July 2015, the father of six had walked alone from his post towards another UN building, passing Mr Darassa’s guarded compound on the way.
Minutes later, nearby UN troops heard a “burst” of 5 or 6 gunshots. Claude Bendera never arrived at his destination.
The commander of the Congelese battalion, Colonel Clement Bitangalo Bulime, immediately contacted three members of the UPC who “tried to hide the matters,” according to the incident report.
After UPC rebels barred access to the alleged crime scene the next day, UN investigators discovered military shoelaces along with “goat skin and blood marks” that had been washed “with the objective of removing the blood stains”.
Image copyrightZack BaddorfImage caption Minusca peacekeepers search for the missing soldier before discovering discarded shoelaces and goat skin stained with blood Image copyrightZack Baddorf
The incident report concludes: “All evidences indicates that knowingly or unknowingly the Warrant Officer was killed by the UPC armed group person and later on they tried to hide the scene with putting [sic] lots of fake and diversionary means.”
Publicly, the UN never acknowledged his presumed death and he still hasn’t been logged as a death in public UN documents.
“The fate of disappeared peacekeeper remains unclear. The body was never found,” said Vlad Monteiro, a UN spokesman.
“We remain optimistic that he may be alive.”
Attempts to contact his family using next of kin information were unsuccessful. The spokesman for the DR Congo army could not be reached.
For his part, Mr Darassa denied everything, telling the UN “he was not aware of the source of the gunshots”.
Two days later the UN resumed business as normal, holding a “security meeting” with UPC leaders.
During the meeting, Mr Darassa suggested creating a new committee to make the public aware of “the need for greater social cohesion for the return of peace”.
Note: This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.
