Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Friday 13th November 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 13/11/20
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Impose Heavy Sanctions On Buhari, Top Officials Over Killing, Persecution Of #EndSARS Protesters, Adeyanju, Others Tell US Government
Some Nigerians have asked the United States Government to impose heavy sanctions on President Muhammadu Buhari and other top officials of his administration for carrying out rights violations against citizens.
The calls follow the recent killing of many EndSARS protesters in Lagos and other parts of the country by security operatives and also the ongoing persecution of persons, who participated in and supported the peaceful demonstrations across Nigeria.
#EndSARS
On Wednesday, the Nigerian Government came under fire for tagging #EndSARS campaigners as terrorists with prominent citizens and groups condemning the Central Bank of Nigeria for freezing the bank accounts of 20 participants in the protest.
A wave of street protests swept across Nigeria in October as young people poured out to demand an end to police brutality and bad governance in the country.
In a bid to break the peaceful demonstrations, the government sent in armed thugs and security operatives, who unleashed terror on the people.
The climax came on October 20 when the Lagos State Government drafted in soldiers of the Nigerian Army to attack demonstrators at the Lekki Toll Gate area of the state.
According to Amnesty International, over 10 persons lost their lives following the attack by the soldiers.
A Judicial Panel of Inquiry has been established by the Lagos Government to unravel the incident of October 20 and brutality by personnel of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
Urging the US Government to punish Buhari, Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, and others, who played active roles in killing and abusing the rights of citizens, the young Nigerians said that was part of the best ways justice could served.
Speaking with SaharaReporters on Thursday, rights activist and Convener of Concerned Nigerian, an advocacy group, Deji Adeyanju, said that rights violations and crimes against the Nigerian people by the Buhari administration must not go unpunished.
He said, “The government has carried out several human rights violations against citizens in the country from killing of Shiites, who were protesting the massacre of over a thousand of them, attack on their leaders, destructions of their worship homes, killing of members of IPOB to the killing of #EndSARS protesters in Lekki and attacks constantly unleashing pro-government thugs on protesters here in the FCT, in Lagos.
“I have been beaten several times. Arresting journalists, arresting human rights defenders like myself and several people — arresting and jailing people for their views on social media, these are all anti-democratic acts which I believe should come with sanctions and I believe the greater sanction which the United States of America can do is not to encourage our government to continue to clampdown on the civic space because if they do, the civic space which is already shrunk will continue to shrink further.
“Again we must ensure that the tenets of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press — you can see how they have been using the NBC to clampdown on media houses in the country; now there is an attempt to regulate social media and other anti-democratic vices.
“Our development partners the US, UK, EU must act in a way that sends a clear message that those who do not support democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and all these fundamental freedoms will face sanctions and not just with visa ban but with economic sanctions, freezing of assets, they must block assets for borrowing loans because that is what this government is habitual for. They must stop to send them weapons.
“People are jailed for no reason — look at the #EndSARS protesters that have just been released who spent days in Suleja Prison. Several journalists were jailed, Agba Jalingo was arrested. Jones Abiri was locked up in prison for two years for doing virtually nothing.
“There are so many people who are in DSS detention facilities who we don’t even know their names. Look at the extra-judicial killings done by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad so these are crimes that must not go unpunished.”
Tor Terver, a student, who participated in the #EndSARS protest, said it was shameful that the Nigerian Government was enabling terrorist but repressing peaceful demonstators and called for punishment of those at the helm of affairs.
He said, “I participated in the Markurdi protest and I was almost arrested even though we were peaceful. This is the same Nigerian Government that does graduation for Boko Haram members, what did we do wrong? This is a thing of disgrace.
“So what I will say to Mr Joe Biden is that he should really focus on Nigeria, like during Obama time which I believe he was a part of. Visa ban not just for them but for their families because that’s the only way they will feel the heat — they cannot be destroying things here but enjoying what the founding fathers of America laboured for so I hope things change with this new government.”
A civil servant, who only wanted to be identified as Mrs Henrriata, urged America’s President-elect, Biden, to ensure his administration considers military intervention in troubled spots across the country.
“Buhari is incompetent, Buratai is incompetent and we all know this but the problem is that it is costing Nigerians their lives. If you look at places the Borno, how long has that been going on for? We should learn to ask for help. I will tell the new people to consider coming to those places to help,” she said.
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Bill Gates Pledges $70m To Ensure Entire World Gets COVID-19 Vaccine
Bill Gates
Bill and Melinda Gates have pledged to donate an additional $70m to ensure that everyone around the world had access to the new COVID-19 vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech had announced success in early vaccine trials for Coronavirus.
Bill Gates
Business Insider
As part of moves to ensure that the vaccine circulated round the world, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in a statement signed by the duo announced on Thursday that it would commit an additional $70m to make sure vaccines are available for everyone — not just those, who could afford them.
It reads, “COVID-19 anywhere is COVID-19 everywhere. That is why we have to ensure that everyone gets equal access to tests, drugs, and vaccines when they are available — no matter where you live in the world.”
The new vaccine also faces challenges in distribution because it requires special ultra-low-temperature freezers that aren’t found in typical doctor’s offices — an issue that led many to speculate there could be disparities in its administration.
PUBLIC HEALTH
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Getting COVID-19 Vaccine Utmost Concern, Nigeria’s Vice President, Osinbajo Says
Yemi Osinbajo
Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has said that the country was working to get the new COVID-19 vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech had announced success in early vaccine trials for Coronavirus, which they said could be available in small numbers to vulnerable groups in the United States and other Western nations, sparking concerns about access to others living in developing countries.
Yemi Osinbajo
In a statement on Thursday, Osinbajo said, “We need to keep the virus under control. While our guards are still firmly in place, getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a matter of utmost concern.
“On this, we are encouraged by the efforts of WHO and other international agencies working to ensure that vaccine delivery will be equitable across all countries, regardless of the priority of orders and ability to pay.
“We are encouraging private investment to upscale our health sector, with emphasis on improved facilities and affordable universal healthcare.
“The sheer scale of disruptions to our lives and livelihoods caused by COVID-19 certainly caught us all by surprise.”
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Nigerian Soldiers Kill Five Boko Haram Insurgents, Recover Arms
Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have inflicted casualties on Boko Haram/Islamic State for West Africa Province terrorists, killing five in recent encounters in North-East Nigeria.
This was disclosed on Thursday by Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, during a briefing in Abuja.
Eneche added that the troops also recovered a cache of arms during the operation.
He said, “Troops executed attacks on terrorists’ hideouts and repelled attacks on own troops’ locations. During the encounters, the superior firepower of own troops resulted in the decimation of several BHT/ISWAP terrorist elements.
“Notably, between 7 and 8 November 2020, troops of 27 Task Force Brigade located at Buni Gari of Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State neutralized five Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists. In the course of the encounter cache of arms and ammunition were recovered.”
Enenche added that in one of the operations conducted on November 8, 2020, troops of Operation Accord acting on credible intelligence on the movement of suspected gun runners at Tangaza town in Sokoto State arrested two suspects, Abubakar Mohammed and Ansi Usman Janare and recovered one light machine gun, four AK47 rifle magazines, 586 rounds of 7.62mm nato ammunition, 100 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and one motorcycle.
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Ekiti State University Workers Protest Alleged Irregularities, Deductions In Salary
Aggrieved members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities at the Ekiti State University have protested the alleged irregularities in the payment of their salaries.
The workers, who demonstrated on Thursday within the university campus in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, accused management of the institution of continually paying them half month salaries.
Chanting solidarity songs, the university workers said for more than 15 months, they had been subjected to untold hardship in the institution despite their services.
Florence Daudu, Vice Chairman of the union, said workers had been receiving unnecessary deductions any time their wages were paid by the university management.
She said, “We got an amputated and fractional 60 per cent of September salary with 100 per cent Ekiti State Government tax and pension deductions.
“This payment contravenes the general order and convention on the take-home of an employee.
“On no condition should an employee go home with less than 66.66 per cent of his gross after statutory deductions, commitment, and obligations.
“It is essential to inform the governor of Ekiti State that EKSU staff are yet to receive the October salary, this was not your promise during the electioneering campaign.”
According to her, Governor Kayode Fayemi had pledged to increase the subvention given to the institution from N260m to N400m but that was yet to be fulfilled.
Secretary of the union, Azeez Aguda, said other agitations of the workers include the non-remittance of over 25 months contributory pension to various payment platforms of account.
He added that over 1000 members of staff were disengaged in December 2019 unjustly, noting that the management of the school does not care about their welfare.
“We need the management to address the non-remittance of over 15 months staff cooperative deductions amounting to N2.4bn.
“And the non-payment of three months outstanding salaries of July, August and September 2018 because if all these are not done, then they should be expecting an industrial action from us,” he said.
Spokesperson for the university, Mr Bode Olofinmuagun, could not be reached for comments at the time of this report.
Education
LABOR/WORKERS’ RIGHTS
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Police Arraign Medical Doctor For Allegedly Raping Married Woman In Adamawa
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A medical doctor, Phillips Duru, has been arraigned for allegedly raping a married woman in Adamawa State, SaharaReporters has learnt.
Dr Duru, a staff of state’s Specialist Hospital, Yola, allegedly raped the woman in the course of medical examination at his private clinic.
Illustration
The Patient Safety League
He was arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court 1 on Thursday in Yola by the police.
After preliminary hearing, the Magistrate, Aliyu Bawuro, adjourned the case for further hearing until November 26.
Spokesperson for the police in the state, DSP Sulaiman Nguroje, confirmed the case, saying, “The plaintiff had reported the alleged rape, prompting the police to take it up.
“The matter was reported to the police through a complaint by the victim, who said she and her husband visited the hospital and met the doctor over a health challenge.
“Thereafter, the doctor was invited and then charged to court after due investigation.”
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#FreeEromosele: Lawyer Writes Police To Release Activist On Bail
Adene Eromosele
Lawyer representing Adene Eromosele, Babatunde Jinadu, has written to the Nigeria Police Force to release the rights activist on bail.
Eromosele was arrested from his home on Saturday by some officers from the Lagos State Police Command.
Adene Eromosele
He was arrested for actively participating in the recent #ENDSARS protest.
The lawyer in the letter directed to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Area 10, Garki, Abuja, said Eromosele was being tacitly denied bail by the police, who has deliberately refused to enter his name on detainees’ list.
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#EndSARS
BREAKING: Nigeria Police Arrest #EndSARS Promoter In Lagos
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The lawyer also brought to the notice of the DIG that Eromosele, who has liver problem, was beginning to react to the poor condition and inhumane treatment he was subjected to in the prison cell.
He added that the activist needed to access medical treatment immediately.
Jinadu said, “It is pertinent to bring to your notice that in all the cells that our client had been detained, his name was not put on the detention list including the FCIID where he is currently being detained.
“This experience brings to us the feeling that the Nigeria Police Force has been preventing our client from legal representation.
“We also wish to inform your office that our client has been on Malaria and Typhoid medications with the following drugs: Suitrox 250mg, Adult Act Clartem-DS, B-Complex, Paracetamol as prescribed to him at the clinic he was taken to from the FCIID.
“It is against these experiences by our client that we hereby passionately apply for administrative bail from your highly exalted office to be able to allow him united with his family again and to enable him to recuperate and recover fully.
“We have suggested some of his relatives as sureties. We shall be grateful if our honest application is favourably considered.”
The lawyer decried that the police have been asking Eromosele questions that are “tricky, pregnant, and misleading” in order to make him to nail himself.
Eromosele has been in detention for five days and is yet to be charged to court on any offence.
He was arrested in Lagos and moved to Abuja where he is currently being detained and interrogated.
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#EndSARS
Nigeria Police Continue Crackdown On Protesters, Move Arrested Persons to Abuja
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#ENDSARS: Osun State Panel Of Inquiry Begins Sitting
The Osun State Panel of Inquiry has commenced sitting to hear cases of brutality and extrajudicial killings against the police in the state.
The 13-man panel is being chaired by Justice Akin Oladimeji (retired).
The panel began the hearing as five cases were attended to by the panel on Thursday.
Rtd Justice Oladimeji stated that the panel was not a regular court of law where law was strictly applied to cases but rather a fact-finding panel, urging petitioners not to digress from the facts.
He encouraged petitioners to state their facts, noting that the panel will make proper recommendations to the government.
He said, “Therefore, it is the duty of every petitioner and in fact all parties who present petitions and defence before this panel to bring all facts and evidence in support of their cases before the panel.
“We are neither prophets nor seers that can see what the ordinary eyes cannot perceive. Every petitioner who has suffered injury or loss wants damages or compensation to be paid to him.
“This panel is empowered to make recommendation on award of such damages or compensation but we cannot do so unless you come and demonstrate to us how and where you sustained injury or loss.
“It is the fact and evidence that you place before us that we must use to assess the injury victims have suffered in the hands of SARS in each of the cases, and the damages claimed by the petitioners or any other parties as the case may be.”
Chairman said the panel, if need be, will visit scenes of panels, to ascertain the level of fact tendered before it.
He urged everyone, who has been a victim of police brutality not to be afraid to submit petitions.
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Nigerian CSOs Challenge Senate To Publish Report Of Public Hearing On Social Media Bill
Twenty-nine civil society organisations have asked the Nigerian Senate to publish the report of the public hearing conducted on the infamous Social Media Bill.
The groups condemned the Nigerian Government for trying to unnecessarily regulate the usage of the social media in the country.
The 29 CSOs stated that the regulation of social media was not only antithetical to democratic norms but also a blatant attempt to infringe on citizens’ rights to freedom of expression.
The CSOs that made the call include the Centre for Liberty, Dinidari Foundation, Dorothy Njemanze Foundation, FEMBUD, Centre for Impact Advocacy, Mojirayo Ogunlana-Nkanga (Media and Press Freedom Advocate, Lex Initiative for Rights Advocacy and Development, Raising New Voices Initiative, TechHerNG and Invictus Africa.
Others are Education as a Vaccine, Women’s Health and Equal Rights Initiative, Youth Concerns Development Foundation-Africa, Adopt A Goal Initiative, Concerned Nigerians Group, Free Nigeria Coalition, Mothers And Marginalised Advocacy Centre, TRIBE XX LAB, Sterling Centre for Law and Development, Access to Justice, Enough is Enough, Center for Fairness on Public Administration, Stand To End Rape Initiative, GlobalRights, Haly Hope Foundation, Girl Child Enlightenment and Intervention Centre, YIAGA AFRICA, The Interactive Initiative for Social Impact, and Let’s Help Humanitarian Foundation.
They posited that regulating the social media will further shrink the civic space and prove to the world that Nigeria does not honour its commitments to the various international human rights instruments to which it was a recognised signatory.
“More importantly, we consider the lingering silence of the Nigerian Senate regarding the report of the public hearing on the social media bill since the 9th of March 2020, to be of great disservice to the Nigerian people.
“There has never been a more important time, for the Senate to make public the content of the report on the public hearing on the social media bill, led by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele’s Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
“We, therefore, remind the Nigerian Senate that its primary responsibility is to serve the Nigerian people and to advance policies that are genuinely tailored to enhance public good.
“And so, we unreservedly call on the Senate to make the committee’s report following the public hearing, public as a matter of urgency and responsibility. We further reiterate the fact that the social media bill was overwhelmingly rejected during the public hearing and this should be adequately represented in the committee’s report,” the CSOs said in a joint statement.
The CSOs hope the Social Media Bill would subsequently be removed from further consideration upon the publication of the committee’s report.
They stated that there were many democratic ways through which the Nigerian Government could deal with the menace of fake news and misinformation in our society without eroding human rights.
“Such tools and processes should not stifle the voices of citizens or create punitive legislations.
“The entire African continent and the world are watching to see how Nigeria deals with this important issue.
“We hope our leaders would stand with the people for the sake of peace and unity in our beloved country,” the CSOs added.
Free Speech
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Rawlings: Akufo-Addo Declares Seven-day Of Mourning, Flags To Fly At Half-mast
Ghana’s President, Akufo-Addo, has declared seven days of national mourning following the death of a former President of the country, Jerry John Rawlings.
He has also directed that all national flags should fly at half-mast for the next seven days in all parts of the country from Friday, November 13.
Rawlings, who headed Ghana for 20 years until 2001, died on Thursday at the age of 73.
Ex-President Of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, Is Dead | Sahara Reporters pic.twitter.com/Yxgo5tN6kg— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) November 12, 2020
In a statement he personally signed on Thursday, Akufo-Addo added that he and his Vice President have suspended their political campaigns ahead of the country’s election for seven days in honour of the former revolutionary leader.
He said, “A great tree has fallen, and Ghana is poorer for this loss.
“Government will work closely with the family of President Rawlings on the arrangement for a fitting State Funeral for the late President, and will keep the nation informed accordingly.”
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