Abuja (Nigeria) – Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, has highlighted the essence of professionalism among Police officers saying, it was imperative for officers to exhibit professionalism while respecting human rights at the course of discharging their duties.
Arase made this known during a Seminar and book launch in Abuja as part of activities lined up for the 2016 Nigeria Police Week Celebration. The theme for the celebration is, “International Human Rights Standards and Trends in Community-Driven Policing.”
According to him, policing under a democratic setting imposes a sacred and legal obligation of respect for citizens’ rights by law enforcement agents, particularly, Police.
While acknowledging the impunity with which the Nigeria Police infringes on the fundamental human rights of the citizens, he maintained the Force remains conscious and sensitive to the need to respect citizens’ rights in the discharge of their duties.
Minister of Interior, Abdulraman Dambazzau, in a remark commended the leadership of Police Force for its policing vision but was quick to remind the officers of the need to focus on professionalism in order to execute their constitutional mandate.
The theme of the seminar focused on rebranding the police Force to become human rights-friendly.
President Obama recently called the current election cycle “vulgar,” suggesting that the tenor of the current presidential campaign is divisive and damaging to the reputation of the United States. It seems that many Americans agree.
In the 2016 State of the Bible: The Bible and Politics released today, American Bible Society found that 51 percent of American adults surveyed think politics would be more civil if politicians read the Bible on a daily basis. In addition, 53 percent of those surveyed believe politicians would be more effective if they read the Bible on a regular basis.
The survey, commissioned by American Bible Society and conducted by Barna Group, shows that nearly half of Americans (46 percent) believe the Bible has too little influence in society, while those who think the Bible has too much influence has waned to just 19 percent; down 13 percent from the 2011 report. Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of Americans surveyed—80 percent—view the Bible as sacred literature, a percentage unchanged from last year. And more Americans, 66 percent compared with 69 percent in 2015, also agree that the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life.
“Americans still believe the Bible has the power to improve the most uncertain or tumultuous of life’s challenges—even politics—when God’s Word is allowed to influence them. At American Bible Society, we see the transforming power of Scripture everyday, from broken families being restored to men and women overcoming trauma to teens being released from addiction,” said Andrew Hood, director of communications of American Bible Society. “We have a 10-year goal of seeing 100 million people in the U.S. experience the transforming power of the Bible by engaging with it. Whether a politician or a preacher, a truck driver or a teacher, all can have their lives positively changed by God’s Word.”
The State of the Bible is an annual report from American Bible Society on behaviors and beliefs about the Bible among adults in the U.S. For more information about the latest State of the Bible, visit AmericanBible.org.
Survey Methodology: The 2016 State of the Bible: The Bible and Politics report contains the findings from a nationwide study commissioned by American Bible Society and conducted by Barna Research (a division of Barna Group). Two research methodologies were used for the study; one included 1,008 telephone interviews (including cell phone interviews) with adults in all 50 states in the U.S., while the second study consisted of 1,000 online surveys using a nationally representative panel. The use of two methodologies provided a larger sample size for key questions and ensured even greater representation among all age groups. The telephone interviews were conducted Jan. 20 – 28, 2016, and included U.S. adults 18 years of age or older. The online surveys were conducted Jan. 28 – Feb. 16, 2016.
Kaduna (Nigeria) — The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, also known as the Shiite, Wednesday raised alarm over alleged plans by Nigerian Army to attack it members in Katsina State.
In a statement, President of the Media Forum of the movement, Ibrahim Musa, said reports from Katsina indicates that the Nigerian army is amassing troops in an attempt at a clampdown on the Islamic sect in the town.
“Early in the morning armed troops were seen surrounding the main Juma’at mosque, where a peaceful maulud procession of the daughter of the Prophet, Nana Fatima (AS) was scheduled to take off. Seeing this and due to the peaceful disposition of the Islamic Movement, the take-off venue of this yearly event was changed to another neighbourhood of the town, and the procession went round some major streets of the town and ended without any incident.
“However to our consternation, reinforcement was brought from neighbouring formations of the army, and roadblocks were mounted on almost all the major roads leading to Katsina city.
“We have been reliably informed that the army is set to replicate the wanton destruction of lives and properties it carried out in Zaria last December. The army it seems has vowed to attack the Markaz Islamic centre in the town any moment from now, possibly kill all its occupants and raze it to ground just as it did to Husainiyya Islamic centre in Zaria.
“The Islamic Movement is amazed at what happened to our fundamental constitutional right to peaceful assembly and practice of religion in a democratic setting. This maulud procession is a yearly event that has been going on in several cities across the Nation for decades without any incident, like so many of our educational programs. Why we should be the subject of brutal attack by the authorities is mind boggling.
“We are of the view that there is a ‘jihadi’ element in the Nigerian army that wants to hide under the cloak of our secular national army to achieve the clandestine aim of wiping out members of the Islamic Movement all over the federation. If that is the case, they should come out in the open and declare their intentions, since the Nigerian army we know is forbidden to do the bidding of any religious agenda.
“Also reports reaching us from Kebbi state have confirmed to us that security agencies in various local governments of the state have ordered members of the Islamic Movement to stop any educational program they are known to engage in. The report states that any attempt to disregard what was said to be an order from the Federal government, would be met with ruthless clamp down. In fact, about ten members of the Islamic Movement are presently facing prosecution simply for attending an educational session in a mosque in Birnin Kebbi. Wither freedom of religion in this country?
“The Islamic Movement therefore enjoins fellow citizens to call the federal government to order. Rather than pursue a religious agenda, specifically a Saudi-wahabbi sponsored agenda to kill whom they label Shiites, the federal government should devise means of relieving the masses that voted it into power the myriads of the day to day hardship they encounter in their lives.
“Even as we keep watch of events by the army in Katsina and other places, we wish to reiterate our demand of immediate release of our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqoub Zakzaky and other brothers and sisters of the Islamic movement held incommunicado for close to the past four months. They did no wrong; hence they should be set free unconditionally,” The statement states.
Kaduna (Nigeria) — Nigerian Army Wednesday buried the remains of kidnapped Col. Samaila Inusa at the old Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA ) burial ground in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria.
The body dressed in the country’s national colour of green-white-green, arrived the old NDA cemetery at about noon time, from the 44 Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna.
He was given the military honour of three gun salutes.
Chief of Administration at the Army Headquarters, Maj-Gen. Ado Abubakar, said “Col. Inusa was a great soldier. We all feel the pains. Though death is inevitable and nobody can run away from it.
“I came in to represent my boss, the Chief of Army because the Nigerian Army is mourning the death of one of us that has really served this country greatly and we are not really happy the way he died. But whatever that happen and see to the end of it all.”
In a remark, Commander, Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Major General Kasim Abdulkarim said “I feel very bad because the officer is directly under me. He was a loyal, committed and hard working officer. We should take our personal security seriously,” he said.
Colonel Inusa was kidnapped on Saturday, but the kidnappers dropped-off his wife and left with him in his car, heading towards Abuja.
Col. Inusa was born in 1972 in Nasarawa Local Government of Kano State. He attended Ramat Special Primary School between 1979-1985 and proceeded to Ahmadiyya Secondary School, Kano and obtained his West African School Certificate in 1991.
The late Col. Inusa gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1992 as a member of the 44th Regular Course and passed out 1997 with a Bachelor of Biological Science.
He was aide-de-camp to Sierra-Leon Vice- President, and he was promoted to the rank of Colonel last year and his last appointment was that of a Chief Instructor at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji, near Kaduna.
Ghanaian government has dropped charges against British fugitive David McDermott suspected of involvement in narcotics business.
State prosecutor announced this when the case was called Wednesday.
The state says it wants to concentrate on a case for his extradition which is pending at the High Court.
The 42-year-old David McDermott who is a son-in-law of outgoing Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Henry Kofi Wampah, was arrested in Ghana on March 11.
He was brought before an Accra Circuit court on March 14 and charged with illegal possession and dealing in narcotics.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was remanded.
He is on the list of UK’s most wanted following his alleged role in a conspiracy to import £71 million worth of cocaine into the UK in 2013.
Lagos (Nigeria) – A Magistrate Court in Lagos, South-west Nigeria on Wednesday sentenced a 36-year-old dismissed police officer, Okpambe Anthony, to three years imprisonment for impersonation.
The Chief Magistrate, Paul Adedamola, in his ruling, did not give the convict an option of fine, saying it will serve as deterrent to others.
Anthony had been charge for impersonation.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Uche Simon, told the court that the accused had on March 19 at 2.00 p.m. at Iyana Oba in Ojo area of Lagos committed the offence.
He said Anthony, who was dismissed from service in 2015, was arrested in a police uniform.
“The accused unlawfully parade himself as a police officer by wearing a full police Sergeant uniform.
“The photograph of the accused in a police uniform was tendered as exhibit in court among other evidences, “he said.
The offence, he noted, contravened the provisions of Sections 79 (1a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Borno (Nigeria) – The Chibok Community in North-east Nigeria has denied that the suspected female suicide bomber that was arrested in Cameroon was from their community.
Chairman of the community, Tsambido Abana, said on Tuesday that the suspect had never attended a conventional school, noting that the minor, who does not speak English, was believed to be from Bama area of Borno State.
Asked if his group had seen the girl’s picture, Abana stated that it was not released to him or his community members, adding that the picture was given to Aisha Oyebode of Murtala Muhammed Foundation for verification.
He said he would not approach the foundation for the picture, noting that it was clear that the girl was not from Chibok, based on the information released by the government.
The BringBackOurGirls group also said it had not seen the picture of the suspect, saying it was not made available to them.
The young woman was one of two would-be suicide bombers arrested in northern Cameroon on Friday, with Nigeria planning to send a delegation including Chibok parents to the Cameroonian capital Yaounde to meet her.
Reverend (Dr) Jeremiah Gado, President of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Tuesday emerged candidate to contest for the office of President in the coming national election of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), representing ECWA/TEKAN (Tarayya Ekklesiyoyin Kristi A Nigeria) bloc.
A selection process was held, where Rev. Gado polled 15 votes to defeat his co-contestant, Rev. Jerry Madibo who got seven votes.
This is the first time the ECWA/TEKAN bloc is contesting for the office of the CAN President.
Rev. Gado will contend with the candidate representing Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC).
CAN has five blocs namely Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, OAIC, ECWA/TEKAN and Christian Council of Nigeria.
Based on the current CAN constitution, only ECWA/TEKAN and the OAIC blocs can contest for office of the President in the coming election.
In an interview, Rev. Gado told journalists “Today is historical. It marks the beginning of wining, understanding and love and I am calling on members of my block not to relent; this is just the beginning we need to canvass support from within and outside,”
CAN was formed in 1976, consisting mainly of Catholic and Protestant Churches. It later expanded to include Pentecostal Churches.
