Sahara Reporters Latest News Sunday 4th August 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Sunday 4th August 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 04/08/19

target=_blank>Five Die In Anambra Cult Clash

Five people have been reportedly killed in a cult clash in Anambra State.
The causes of the violence could not be confirmed but the incident occurred on Friday night at Idemili-North and Oyi axis, ThePunch reports.
A source said: “Five persons were killed during the clash”.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident.
He said the police were on the trail of those involved in the fracas.
He said, “It was a cult clash. They equally shot two others at Ogidi. Police patrol teams rushed to the scene and took the victims to Iyenu hospital for medical attention but they were certified dead on arrival.
“The police are intensifying efforts to apprehend perpetrators in order to bring them to justice.”

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target=_blank>Buhari Orders Manhunt For Herdsmen Who Killed Catholic Priest

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a manhunt for the killers of a Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Paul Offu, by yet-to-be-identified persons, the Punch reports. Offu was a priest serving at St. James Greater Parish Catholic Church, Ugbawka, Enugu State. The killing led to a protest by Catholic priests in the state on Friday. They had marched to the office of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, demanding justice. The Presidency, in a statement by Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, on Saturday, said the President condemned the attack and condoled with the parishioners and family of the cleric. He ordered a manhunt for the suspected killers for immediate prosecution. He said, “President Buhari expresses deep shock and dismay over the killing of another priest, ordering a thorough manhunt for the killers and their immediate prosecution. “The President commiserates with the government and people of Enugu State, the family of Rev Fr. Offu and members of the parish and all Christians.” Buhari described the killing as “barbaric and unwarranted’’, adding that his administration would step up the fight against “lawlessness and recklessness.’’ The President was quoted as saying that “the entire nation is shaken by the horrible assassination of this priest. The statement further said Buhari had directed law enforcement agencies to “act swiftly in their investigations and bring the perpetrators of the horrific crime to book.” He also urged all religious leaders to “pray for peace, healing, and security of the country.”
“The administration will continue to guarantee the freedom of religion and protect places of worship as well as the lives of citizens wherever they live,” the statement noted.

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target=_blank>Again, Gunmen Kill Nigerian In South Africa

Benjamin Simeon, 43-year-old Nigerian living in South Africa, has been killed by unknown gunmen in Johannesburg.
According to a statement released by Sunny-Wenike Douglas, spokesperson for the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA), Simeon was killed in the early hours of Saturday.
Simeon, who was a Taxi driver, was killed just as he dropped off a passenger from his vehicle, ChannelsTelevision reported.
The statement reads: “The Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa received with sadness and regrettably announce the tragic death of Mr Benjamin Simeon, 43 years old. He was a native of Okposi in Ebonyi State. He was allegedly shot by yet-to-be unidentified gunmen in the wee hours of today, the 3/08/2019 at Verona and High Street in the south of Johannesburg.

target=_blank>Sowore Needs No Permission To Protest, Says CDHR Chairman

Malachy Ugwummadu, the Chairman of the Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), says Omoyele Sowore does not need the permission of the Nigeria Police Force or the Nigerian Government to call for a protest.
He said this in an interview with SaharaReporters on Saturday.
“Omoyele Sowore, like any other person involved in this protest, does not need the permission of the government, let alone the commissioner of police or any law enforcement agency including the DSS,” he said
He mentioned cases in the court of appeal which serve as a precedence for peaceful protest to be held without permission from the state.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration had clamped down on several protests, was a beneficiary of the court of appeal’s order that negated the crackdown on protests by the police.
“Interestingly, that case was taken out by Mr Femi Falana on behalf of the same President Buhari and Chuka Okadigbo who were dispersed with their large crowd during a rally by the state agency,” he said.
He said any Nigerian has the constitutional right to free assembly and move within Nigeria.
Ugwummadu said by arresting Sowore, the government had only given credence to the demands of angry Nigerians who are determined to hold the government accountable through protest.
He added: “Nobody plans a bloody revolution and come to be advertising it and give the date of the protest. Revolution in the sense that we cannot begin to accept the status quo as it is. We must find a way of alerting the political calculation in the country, in a manner that retrieves power and hand over power to the people such that their rights to dignity as guaranteed by the constitution are restored.”
He called on President Buhari to order the release of Sowore immediately.

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target=_blank>Gunmen Kidnap Katsina Varsity Lecturer

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Some gunmen have kidnapped Abubakar Idris, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State.
Idris was abducted in Kaduna State, according to a statement made by the police.
A statement by Mr Yakubu Sabo, spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, said the lecturer was kidnapped from his home at Baranawa area in Kaduna South Local Government Area of the state.
In a report by Channels TV, the Command’s Public Relations Officer added that after an investigation was conducted into the abduction, it was discovered that Idris was likely trailed by the hoodlums while he was returning home.
He was said to have been forced into his captors’ car while they zoomed off to an unknown destination.
Sabo, however, said the police was already making efforts rescue the victim.
He added that the suspects would also be apprehended and brought to justice.

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target=_blank>Four Arrested For Planning Jailbreak

The Edo State Police Command said on Saturday that it had arrested four suspects in connection with an attempt to attack Oko Maximum Prison in Benin to free several kidnappers remanded in the prison, ThePunch reports.
Confirming the arrest, the Commissioner of Police, Dan Mallam, said the remaining suspects were still being trailed as his team would not relent until they are caught.
According to Dan Mallam, the suspects had given some vital information about the planned attack.
Special police detectives acting on intelligence report had beefed up security around the prison and foiled the attempted jailbreak.
Police sources said the suspects had planned to launch a dynamite attack on Oko Prison in Benin City to release some convicts and those standing trial.

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target=_blank>Concerned Nigerians Condemns Arrest Of Sowore

Concerned Nigerians, a human right group, has condemned the arrest of Omoyele Sowore by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). The group made this known in a statement signed by Deji Adeyanju, the convener and Hauwa Abdulsalam, national secretary. The group said: “We are worried that our rights as citizens enshrined in Section 40 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to freely assemble and protest against maladministration and bad governance is no longer guaranteed. “At a time when democracy is being entrenched and strengthened all over the world, Nigeria is sliding back into the dark days of military regime where citizens are being hounded and afraid to ask salient questions as to how they should be governed. “Nigeria has become a nation where bandits, who have killed thousands of citizens, are holding meeting with government officials in government houses, where the army is releasing Boko Haram members and saying they can become president & where government negotiates frequently with armed groups. “We have equally read the statement of the Nigerian Police Force describing the #RevolutionNow protest as a ploy to force regime change in the country. It’s greatly worrisome that the police, with the power to investigate, will not care to find out what the objective of the group is, as clearly spelt out in their demands. “The #RevolutionNow group is advocating for an economy for all, an end to incessant killings in the country, equal opportunity for every Nigerian, free education for all, living wages and an end to impunity by the people in government. These demands are not out of place and shouldn’t be seen as treasonable felony or act of terrorism. “The authorities should know that there’s no other way to describe an act of terrorism than the weaponization of poverty by the political class. The Nigerian Police, making these frivolous allegations against a group with a well spelt out agenda that encompasses economic emancipation for the Nigerian people are equally not immune to the systemic failure that the group wants an end to. “Finally, it’s never too late for the Nigerian government to retrace its step and respect the rights of citizens to freely assemble and express themselves. The Buhari-led government and those behind the arrests of our comrades should know that power is transient and their actions are capable of derailing our 20 years of democratic journey. Enough is enough!”

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E2%80%99s-arrest-will-only-strengthen-revolutionnow-movement-ibrahim-b-anoba target=_blank>Sowore’s Arrest Will Only Strengthen the #RevolutionNow Movement By Ibrahim B. Anoba

Omoyele Sowore, AAC presidential candidate, speaking at the ADF event in Akure on Sunday.

I checked my Facebook feed this morning, Saturday, August 3, like I normally do almost every morning. I believe one of my greatest fears—or should I say positive anticipation—for Nigeria may have just been set in motion: Omoyele Sowore was arrested by officers of the Department of State Services.
Or, to put it as it should be: The Nigerian government arrested the leader of a peaceful group that demands a revolution. But the arrest of Sowore will do almost nothing to kill the #RevolutionNow movement, instead, it would likely do the exact opposite.
The Bad News
The bad news is for the Nigerian government that has finally proved its tyrant tendency to the world, yet again. This government does not know how to comply with judicial orders or tolerate dissent.
We have seen the same intolerant pattern since Muhammadu Buhari and his old guard in the All Progressives Congress came into power in 2015. We have seen it in the initial refusal to release the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky—after numerous court orders.
The same authoritarian tendency and apathy for due process showed in the way the Federal Government defied court orders in compliance with the bail of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, by allowing him to seek medical attention outside the country. The same power drunkenness prevented the FG from punishing the officers responsible for the death of numerous innocent Shiites protesting the continued detainment of El-Zakzaky a few weeks ago right at the President’s doorstep in Abuja.
We have seen this tyrannical and authoritarian attitude all too much.
The Good News
The good news, though, is that the FG may have just turned on the gas on the imminent inferno of the revolution descending directly on the political order of Abuja with the arrest of Sowore.
If those that called the shots of this arrest thought the agitation for a radical political change will simply ‘disappear’ with Sowore in jail, they need to immediately refresh their understanding of Political Change in Africa 101.
Or to save them time, I’ll just make it crystal clear:
1.    Arresting the face of a revolution in contemporary Africa, especially one led by the youth with the weapon of social media at the revolution’s disposal, will only aid the demand for change, not hurt it. The FG can ask Yoweri Museveni of Uganda about the Bobi Wine arrest.
2.    Making such arrest in a constitutionally democratic country—at least on paper (by the way, that is all that is needed)—will draw greater international attention and demand for due process on the government by multinational institutions and treaties to which the government belong. Again given the revolution vital global attention.
3.    Arresting the leadership of a revolution that has the backing of the country’s majority (nearly 70 percent of the country’s 190 million population are below age 35) will only earn it more popular support, especially as the public already disapprove of the state of the country’s security and economy. The recent victory by Sudanese over Omar Al-Bashir and subsequently, the Transition Military Council; the uprisings that deposed Algeria’s Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, all have a similar background with Nigeria’s present situation—besides the fact that the deposed leaders were in power for a longer period.
What Next for #RevolutionNow?
There is no need to remind this government about its limits as provided by the constitution. What every Nigerian need to do right away—regardless of if they subscribe to the political philosophy of this revolution or not—is to reinforce support for the #RevolutionNow movement by joining peaceful protests.
International media outlets will run the clips of hundreds of protesters on the streets of Abuja and Lagos if the planned August 5 protest goes ahead. It is a powerful way to draw the global attention needed to drain the Abuja swamp.
Twitter is already going ballistic with the news of Sowore’s arrest. More tweets about the reasons why the demanded change cannot be delayed with the hashtag #RevolutionNow will keep the ball rolling.
I honestly do not pray the FG comes to the realization of its bad move to arrest Sowore by releasing him soon. As ironic as this may sound, Sowore’s arrest is the exact accelerant the fire of #RevolutionNow needs to burn; The impact of Bobi Wine’s arrest in a strong example. Nigerians should seize this moment.
Everyone must play their part. The local media must cover this development fairly. Every Nigerian youth must take part in a protest in whatever peaceful way they can.
This government will not yield with an easy shove—African governments do not. The only language they understand is a sustained demand for radical change. And that is what we must give them. #RevolutionNow!

Ibrahim B. Anoba is the Editor of African Liberty and an African History columnist for Cato Institute’s Libertarianism.org project. He is based in Washington D.C. and can be found on Twitter @Ibrahim_Anoba.

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target=_blank>Jailed Activist Bares Breasts Over Conviction

Stella Nyanzi

Bwiza.com

Ugandan academic who once called President Yoweri Museveni a “pair of buttocks” has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Activists condemned the jailing of Stella Nyanzi for cyber harassment, saying it undermined Uganda’s commitment to freedom of expression.
She attended Friday’s sentencing via video link, against her will, and exposed her breasts in protest.
She was acquitted on a second charge, of “offensive communication”.
But when this was announced on Thursday, she gave a passionate speech in which she said she was disappointed with that verdict, prompting cheers from her supporters.
“I intended to annoy Yoweri Museveni. We are tired of his dictatorship”, she was quoted as saying.
Uganda has a poor record on freedom of expression according to Reporters Without Borders, which says President Museveni “tolerates no criticism”.
Earlier this year, Ugandan authorities detained BBC journalists who were investigating the illegal sale of government drugs. Nyanzi, 44, is an accomplished researcher who previously lectured at Makerere University, one of East Africa’s most prestigious institutions.
She is known for her frequent anti-government posts on Facebook, some of which take the form of poems, and which are often laced with profanity.
“My presence in your court as a suspect and prisoner highlights multiple facets of dictatorship. I exposed the entrenchment of autocracy,” she wrote in her most recent post, about the court case. “I refuse to be a mere spectator in the struggle to oust the worst dictator.”
Her cyber harassment convictions relates to a Facebook of last year in which she said she wished Mr Museveni, 74, had been burned up by the “acidic pus” in his late mother’s birth canal.
Rights groups Amnesty International has called on the Ugandan authorities to overturn the verdict and free Nyanzi, who has been detained in jail since November 2018.
“This verdict is outrageous and flies in the face of Uganda’s obligations to uphold the right to freedom of expression… and demonstrates the depths of the government’s intolerance of criticism,” said Amnesty’s East Africa Director Joan Nyanyuki.
Nyanzi has previously been arrested for another Facebook post, in which she referred to the president as a “pair of buttocks”. She is still on trial in that case, BBC reports.

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Internet Is Not Water, Says African Leader As He Defends Blackouts

Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has justified the government’s right to shut down the internet, saying it is done to save lives, BBC reports.
“Internet is not water, the internet is not air,” he told journalists in the capital, Addis Ababa as he defended the closure of internet services in the wake of a coup attempt in June.
He gave a warning that if people used the internet to incite people to kill fellow citizens and destroy property, then a switch-off could be long term.
“Internet is very important… it has brought about technological convergence.
Internet is very important… it has brought about technological convergence.
“It eases communication and facilitates trade when we use it properly.
It eases communication and facilitates trade when we use it properly.
“However, if we use it as a revolution tool to incite others to kill and burn, it will be shut down not only for a week but longer than that.”
“However, if we use it as a revolution tool to incite others to kill and burn, it will be shut down not only for a week but longer than that.”
Abiy, who has brought in sweeping reforms since coming to power in April last year, said it was better to incur economic losses than the loss of a single life.
The internet and text services were also shut down earlier in June when national school exams were being held to prevent cheating.

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