Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Monday 16th May 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 16/05/22
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E2%80%94christian Alleged Blasphemy: No Votes In 2023 For Politicians Who Fail To Condemn Deborah’s Murder—Christian Youths
The Christian Association of Nigeria (Youth Wing) has warned that any politician who fails to mourn or condemn the gruesome murder of Miss Deborah Samuel, who was killed by a mob over alleged blasphemy, should forget about their votes in the 2023 general elections. The youth group condemned the killing of Deborah by fellow students of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto.
Ms Samuel was killed by the mob, who also burnt her body. A statement signed by Belusochukwu Enwere, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (Youth Wing) on Sunday, lamented that most of the presidential aspirants campaigning to lead the nation have failed to condemn the barbaric action. The statement reads, “Today is the 4th day Miss Deborah Samuel was killed by Muslim extremist students who chose to take the laws into their hands and yet most of our Nigerian political class who are gunning to lead us as a country failed to condemn or to commiserate with the bereaved family. “Even after killing Deborah, the miscreants continued to destroy people’s properties, burning church facilities and going from house to house intimidating peaceful Christians. The security agencies should do the needful before this becomes a religious war.”This is nauseating and disheartening indeed. Any politician who failed to mourn with the nation especially the Christians in this sorrowful time should forget our votes in 2023. We will mobilize Christian youths across the nooks and crannies of the country to ensure that such persons are stopped because he or she will be a misrepresentation of the nation. Nigeria is a secular state, not a religious nation. “We call on all Christian youths to continue to be peaceful and not take laws into their hands. God must surely fight to avenge the killing of Deborah. Her death will unearth the evil agenda of the wicked ones in Nigeria.”
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BREAKING: Nigeria Appoints Jose Peseiro As New Super Eagles Coach
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced José Santos Peseiro as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles, the country’s senior men’s national team.The NFF announced the appointment on Sunday, saying his appointment is with immediate effect but subject to the signing of agreed terms between the coach and the football federation.
The NFF said Mr Peseiro, 62, will take charge of the Super Eagles starting with friendlies with Mexico and Ecuador later in May.It, however, failed to disclose the duration of the Portuguese coach’s appointment. Mr Peseiro has coached clubs and national teams in four continents— Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.He has coached at Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto, Panathinaikos, Rapid Bucharest, Sporting Braga, Victoria Gumaraes, Al-Hilal, Al-Wahda, Al-Ahly Cairo, Sharjah FC and Real Madrid (assistant coach during the Galacticos era), and worked as Head Coach of the Saudi Arabian and Venezuelan national teams.Peseiro is expected to lead out the Super Eagles for the first time against Mexico at the AT & T Stadium in Dallas, Texas on May 28. From there, the team will fly to New Jersey to face Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison on Thursday, June 2.The NFF also announced that former Nigerian international forward, Finidi George will now be the First Assistant to Peseiro, with Salisu Yusuf to be the Second Assistant as well as Head Coach of the CHAN and U23 National Teams. Usman Abdallah is the Third Assistant while Eboboritse Uwejamomere will be the Match Analyst and another former Nigeria international, Ike Shorounmu will be the Goalkeepers’ Trainer.Peseiro succeeds Augustine Eguavoen who failed to qualify the Super Eagles for the 2022 World Cup holding in Qatar.
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The Killing of Nigerian Christian Student Has Everything to Do With Religion By Leo Igwe
Humanists are outraged by the gruesome murder of a female college student in Sokoto in Northern Nigeria. Such a horrific act is a sordid reminder of the threat of Islamic extremism in Nigeria. Muslim students at Shehu Shagari College of Education accused a Hausa Christian, Deborah Yakubu, of blasphemy; they beat their colleague to death and burnt the corpse. Ms. Yakubu reportedly protested against posting religious messages on the student Whatsapp platform. Her protest angered some Muslim students who mobilized and subsequently killed her.The brutal killing of Ms. Yakubu is not an isolated incident. Many Muslims and non-Muslims adjudged to have insulted Islam or its prophet have suffered a similar fate in the region. In 2007, some Muslim students in Gombe lynched their female Christian teacher for desecrating the Quran. There have been other violent attacks and murders of alleged blasphemers in Muslim-dominated areas in Kano, Niger, and other parts of Islamic Northern Nigeria. Persons accused of blasphemy have been sentenced to death by sharia courts in Kano. Others like Nigerian Humanist, Mubarak Bala, have been given long prison sentences. Muslim clerics and state officials have openly and publicly endorsed the execution of blasphemers.For instance, in 2015, Islamic theocrat, Bashir Ahmad tweeted this comment after a sharia court sentenced nine persons for blasphemy: “I cannot pretend or keep silent. I support the death penalty for blasphemy. That is my belief and I will never support #SaveKanoNine”. So it is patently untrue and misleading for anyone to say that the brutal murder of Ms. Yakubu and other blasphemy-related attacks, sanctions, and bloodletting in Northern Nigeria have nothing to do with religion. No, they do. As the case of this Christian woman has shown, these bloodletters are usually motivated by their religious belief in the prophet of Islam; Islamic teachings and orientations, and by their quest to placate Allah and inherit the paradise in the hereafter.
So if Nigeria wants to end these horrific attacks and killings, it should take a critical look at how Islam is professed and practised in Northern Nigeria. Nigeria needs to determine if Islam is a religion or a death cult; if Muslims operate within the law or above the law and if Islamic privilege is a state policy. Look, Islam has a history of violence and bloodletting that persists. The government must admit that jihadist Islam is entrenched and pervasive. Boko Haram militants are not only in the Sambisa forest. Islamic extremists exist and operate in several mosques, courts, police, and army stations. Boko Haram jihadists and their sympathizers are not a small minority as some people claim. They populate government houses, schools, colleges, and universities.So it is high time Nigeria confronted this big elephant in the room, that is Islamic extremism. Muslim leaders should stop living in denial; they should stop pretending that jihadist Islam is not a huge problem. Muslim leaders should stop deceiving the world and saying that blasphemy killings and attacks have nothing to do with religion, in this case, Islam. No, these killings have everything to do with Islam as practised in Northern Nigeria. And the way Islam is preached and practised in Northern Nigeria must change. The government must address this toxic tendency and habit that makes Muslims value their religious and prophetic icons more than human lives. Nigeria must tackle this savage and dreadful inclination of Muslims to kill, attack or maim others at the slightest provocation. Nigerian authorities should monitor the activities of Muslim clerics because these religious actors use their preaching and Quranic indoctrination programmes to radicalise young Muslims and turn them into merchants of hate, violence, death, and destruction. The government should protect the rights of those who criticize the teachings and traditions of Islam and its prophet because it is through a critical examination of Islamic doctrines and practices that these extremist ideas and tendencies could be exposed and expunged. Nigeria should take measures to end impunity and ensure that those who indulge in blasphemy-related attacks or killings are brought to justice. Those who carry out these barbaric acts should not go scot-free. They are murderers and criminals and should be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed to serve as a deterrent to others. Usually, when Muslims attack or kill for blasphemy, no arrest is made. In cases where arrests are made, nobody is prosecuted; and in situations where some are charged to court, they are later acquitted. This culture of impunity must end if Nigeria must make progress in this 21st century. There should be serious consequences for blasphemy-related attacks. The Nigerian government should repeal blasphemy laws because as long as there are provisions that criminalize insults on religion, freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression will not be guaranteed and these savage attacks in the name of Allah or Prophet Muhammad will continue.
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Emulate Late President Yar’Adua In Resolving Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB Issues, Pentecostal Fellowship Of Nigeria Tells Buhari
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, South-East zone on Sunday, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to learn from how the late President Umaru Yar’Adua handled some critical situations as Nigeria’s leader. The PFN asked Buhari to reconsider his hard stance on the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Buhari’s administration has insisted that it will allow the courts to decide Kanu’s fate.But speaking during a prayer rally organised by the PFN in Enugu, the National Vice Chairman (South-East) of the Christian body, Bishop Maxwell Korie, said the stand of the Nigerian Government is not in anyone’s interest.The cleric, who expressed worry over the level of insecurity in the zone, identified dialogue as the solution to the problems.He said, “We are deeply concerned with the level of insecurity in the South-East zone and having reviewed the situation, we urge the Federal Government to invite the agitation groups to a dialogue table to negotiate what their issues and misgivings are. “The past administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua used dialogue to solve the problems of the Niger Delta region. So, we advise the incumbent administration of Muhammadu Buhari to borrow a leaf from the Yar’Adua administration.”This is the sure and fastest way towards resolving these issues.”Speaking on the 2023 presidential election, he restated the PFN’s stand that the body would vote against any political party that fielded a Muslim-Muslim ticket.He said, “Any joint ticket of two Muslims in the office of the President and the Vice President in the forthcoming 2023 general elections, shall not be tolerated, it is dead on arrival.”All the political parties should take note of this, especially the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).””All PFN blocs have already been instructed to mobilise and vote against such a political part that fields two Muslims in the Presidential election come 2023,” he added.He disclosed that the solemn Assembly and prayer rally was borne out of the vision that God gave to the National President of the PFN, Bishop Francis Wale Oke.He stated that it is the responsibility of the church of Jesus Christ to preserve Nigeria as one single entity and prevent it (Nigeria) from destruction.In his remarks, the Enugu State Chairman of PFN, Bishop Godwin Madu urged Christians not to despair but to remain prayerful and resolute.
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Sokoto Protest: Ohanaeze Youths Spit Fire Over Attack On Igbo Businesses, Threaten Revenge If Same Occurs In Future
The youth wing of the Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council has condemned Saturday’s attacks on Igbo residents in Sokoto State.It, however, threatened to retaliate if such happens in future.
Viral videos show how businesses belonging to Igbos in Sokoto were attacked by Muslims protesting against the arrest of two suspects involved in the recent killing of Miss Deborah Samuel, a Christian female student accused of blasphemy.Scores of protesters could be seen destroying and looting shops supposedly belonging to Southeasterners.A statement issued by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council on Sunday said it was enraged that Ndigbo could become the subject of attacks over an issue they knew nothing about.The statement signed by its President, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, said the action of Sokoto youths was provocative. While describing the attack as unacceptable, Okwu charged Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal to ensure that there would be no repeat of such a “mindless attack and all destroyed businesses paid for”.The statement partly read, “We are enraged that Ndigbo are once more victims of an unprovoked attack in Sokoto State over an issue that has to do with a Christian student from Niger State.“It is quite sad that Ndigbo have remained endangered species in Nigeria, justifying the quest for secession by separatist groups led by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.“The news we are getting from Sokoto, which we have confirmed to be true, is totally unacceptable and we demand that there should be no repeat of such carnage.“Governor Aminu Tambuwal must see to it that Ndigbo and their properties are protected in Sokoto State. Any further attack on them will come with dire consequences. We also demand that those whose properties were looted must be compensated by the government.“Ndigbo have suffered so much in this country and we are warning that enough is enough. If they repeat this aggression against our people in the North, it would come with a commensurate reaction.”
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God Will Avenge Murder Of Deborah Over Alleged Blasphemy, Destruction Awaits Her Killers—Christian Association In Abuja, 19 Northern States
The Christian Association of Nigeria (19 Northern States and Abuja) has expressed deep sadness over the gruesome murder of Miss Deborah Samuel, a female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto for alleged blasphemy.CAN (19 Northern States and Abuja), which is the umbrella organisation of all Christians in Northern Nigeria, condemned the killing of Ms Deborah “in the strongest terms possible”, saying the fate of some Egyptians in the Red Sea, as narrated in the Bible, will befall her killers and collaborators.
A statement signed by Chaplain Jechonia Gilbert, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of CAN (19 Northern States and Abuja) and dated Sunday, May 15, 2022, called the Nigerian and Sokoto governments to bring the culprits to justice. It advised Christian parents across Nigeria not to send their children to schools in Sokoto and other states hostile to Christians till the respective governments can protect them. It said, “While CAN does not and will not encourage casting aspersions on any Religion or religious leader of any faith, CAN frowns on hiding under the gab of any religious extremism to perpetrate any form of criminality against her members, especially in Northern Nigeria. “God Almighty is not and can never be a weak God for a mere mortal to fight and defend Him. On the contrary, it is He who keeps, watches and defends us. CAN believe that life is sacred and must never be taken by another unless directed by the State. “The CAN (19 Northern States and Abuja) is calling on the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Sokoto State government under governor Aminu Tambuwal not to resort to the government’s usual rhetoric but must demonstrate political will and capacity to bring the perpetrators of this criminality to justice; otherwise, others may take a cue from this and turn our fatherland to a country of lawlessness at every slightest provocation. “CAN believes that Nigeria is a country governed by the rule of law and order. Therefore, any act of lawlessness and criminality must not be swept under the carpet. CAN, 19 Northern States, is calling on every Christian parent across the nation especially, Northern states to discourage sending their children to any school in Sokoto State, pending when the Federal and State governments are ready and willing to secure the lives of our children both in Sokoto and other states that are hostile to Christians and Christianity. “We are urging all Christian leaders to terminate their participation in Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), until their counterparts of Islamic faith show commitment to tame their followers on equal terms. Northern CAN prays for the immediate family and indeed the church of the late Deborah Samuel not to lose hope in God’s ability to avenge the death of their daughter. We appeal and counsel those who feel and think that killing and oppressing Christians is a demonstration of their service to their God to learn from history. Those that tried it in Egypt and their experiences should be enough warning. There is a Red Sea awaiting them, even those who are secretly encouraging them, must partake in the Red Sea experience.”
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Italy, Dubai-bound Drugs Blocked In Lagos As Anti-narcotics Agency, NDLEA Seizes Over 200,000 Tramadol Tablets In Abia, Kaduna, Others
Fresh bids by drug cartels to export Tramadol, Ecstasy MDMA and Cannabis to Milan, Italy and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos have been foiled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. The Anti-narcotics Agency also seized 203, 879 tablets of various pharmaceutical opioids and illicit substances during raids on Abia, Kaduna, Yobe and Kogi states.
The spokesperson for NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.At the Lagos airport, a female passenger, Odia Emiliana Efe was arrested on Monday, 9th May while trying to board a Royal Air Moroc flight from Lagos via Casablanca to Milan, Italy with 1, 000 tablets of Tramadol 200mg concealed in food items, the statement added.Babafemi said, “Five days after, Friday, 13th May, a freight agent, Kareem Ibrahim was arrested at the SAHCO cargo shed of the airport for attempting to export food items in which were hidden blocks of cannabis weighing 6.65kg and 24grams of ecstasy drug, MDMA to Dubai in UAE.“In Abia, three trucks loaded with drugs coming from Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra were intercepted in Aba, Abia state. When properly searched in the presence of the owners on Wednesday, 11th May, 67,100 tablets/capsules of Tramadol and 12,650 ampules of pentazocine, morphine and dopamine were recovered.”On the same day, NDLEA operatives in Kaduna arrested a notorious drug dealer, Shehu Kabiru, aka Dan-Zaira, wanted by the Kastina Command of the Agency for jumping bail. Recovered from him include 45,000 tablets of Diazepam weighing 41.5kg; 50,000 tablets of Exol, weighing 15.6kg; 1,500 tablets of Rohypnol weighing 700 grams and 300 bottles of codeine weighing 41.5kg.“In Yobe state, no fewer than 7,029 tablets of Tramadol, D5, and Exol, as well as 1.5kg cannabis, were recovered from a drug dealer, Ibrahim Yakubu when his hideout was raided in Unguru town on Sunday 8th May, while in Rivers state, one Chekiri Richard Obomanu was arrested at Eleme area on Wednesday, 11th May with 207.2kg cannabis.“No less than 19,600 tablets of Tramadol coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Abuja were intercepted and recovered along Okene/Abuja highway on Wednesday, 11th May by NDLEA operatives in Kogi state.“Meanwhile, five members of a syndicate, which conducts fake recruitment into security agencies, have been arrested in coordinated operations in Zamfara, Kebbi and Bauchi states. Leader of the gang, Yakubu Sani was first arrested in Gusau, Zamfara state. His criminal gang issues fake NDLEA employment letters and identity cards to unsuspecting members of the public for the sum of N400, 000 per person.“A follow-up operation in Zuru, Kebbi state led to the arrest of another gang member, Ibrahim Isah, while three others; Dahiru Musa Limanchi, Gambo Danladi and Umar Abubakar, were nabbed in Bauchi state. Recovered from them include a fake NDLEA ID card; NDLEA guarantor form; INEC offer of appointment letter; Nigerian Customs Special Replacement Form and appointment letter; Nigerian Correctional Service Replacement Form; credentials of some applicants; receipts and passport photos; five SIM packs and one MTN SIM card.”
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Buhari’s Daughter, Zahra, Shares Video Of Saudi Islamic Cleric Warning Muslims Against Jungle Justice When People Insult Prophet Muhammad
Zahra Buhari-Indimi, daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari has shared a video of Saudi Islamic scholar, Sheikh Assim Al-Hakeem, teaching Muslims how to react to people who insult the Prophet. In the video, Sheikh Al-Hakeem advised Muslims to desist from taking matters into their own hands when there is a case of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Zahra reposted a few seconds of the video on her Instagram stories on Sunday, in response to the gruesome murder of a female Christian student in Sokoto, Deborah Samuel, for alleged blasphemy on Thursday. She was killed by her fellow students who are Muslims, and her body was also burnt. Her remains were laid to rest in her hometown, Tunga Magajiya, in the Rijau local government area of Niger State on Saturday Sheikh Al-Hakeem is said to be one of the prominent propagators of Islam in English in Saudi Arabia.The Imam said, “This depends if you are in a Muslim country. This is a major offence that requires the intervention of the Muslim ruler. You simply report these individuals to the court or to the Muslim ruler. “It’s the duty of the Muslim ruler to execute after going through the legislative processes and going in front of a panel of judges.”“You must not take matters into your own hands because this will turn the community into a jungle,” he said.
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18-year-old Kills 10, Injures Three In Racially Motivated Shooting At US Supermarket
Payton Gendron, an 18-year-old white man, has shot dead 10 people in a black neighbourhood of New York state.Three others were wounded in an attack described as racially motivated.
Eleven of the victims were Black, and two were white, according to officials.
Gendron drove more than 200 miles to mount his attack, which he also live-streamed, CNN reports.Joseph Gramaglia, Buffalo police commissioner, said the suspect killed nine customers and a retired police officer working as an armed security guard.“He exited his vehicle. He was very heavily armed. He had tactical gear. He had a tactical helmet on. He had a camera that he was live-streaming what he was doing,” Gramaglia said.Stephen Belongia, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Buffalo field office, told reporters that the shooting is being investigated as “both a hate crime and a case of racially motivated violent extremism”.US President Joe Biden condemned what he called an “abhorrent” act.Gendron has now been arraigned on a charge of first-degree murder, which carries a sentence of life without parole. He is being held without bail.
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Violent Religious Protest: Catholic Church Suspends Masses In Sokoto, Says Bishop Kukah Is Safe
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, on Saturday said he is safe after protests rocked parts of Sokoto city over the detention of two persons linked to the gruesome killing of Deborah Samuel.This was contained in a statement on Saturday signed by the Director, Social Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Rev. Fr Christopher Omotosho.
Omotosho noted that Kukah’s residence was not attacked though rampaging hoodlums vandalised and torched two of the parishes presided over by the preacher.The statement read, “The Sokoto State Government has declared 24-hour curfew to help stem the ongoing protests embarked upon by Muslim youth in the state capital today.“During the protest, groups of youths led by some adults in the background attacked the Holy Family Catholic Cathedral at Bello Way, destroying church glass windows, those of the Bishop Lawton Secretariat were also attacked and a community bus parked within the premises vandalised.“St. Kevin’s Catholic Church Gidan Dere, Eastern By-pass, was also attacked and partly burnt; windows of the new hospital complex under construction, in the same premises were shattered.“They were promptly dispersed by a team of Mobile policemen before they could do further damage.“The hoodlums also attacked the Bakhita Centre located along Aliyu Jodi Road and burnt down a bus within the premises.”He noted that there will be no Mass in Sokoto metropolis until the curfew is lifted.Deborah, a student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, was lynched and burnt by a mob on Thursday over allegations of blasphemy.The police said two suspects had been arrested in connection to her gruesome murder. Hundreds of placard-carrying Muslim youths protested in Sokoto on Saturday morning and demanded the release of the two suspects.The Muslim protesters clashed with security operatives who fired shots to disperse the surging demonstrators.Governor Aminu Tambuwal subsequently imposed a curfew on the state amid rising tension.
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