Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Monday 13th July 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 13/07/20
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Child Witch Persecution And Police Intervention In Ogun State By Leo Igwe
Leo Igwe
The news that a couple tortured their granddaughter for witchcraft circulated widely on social media. Someone drew my attention to the report in The Nation newspaper. That was late on July 9, 2020. I tried reaching the correspondent, who reported the news through the online editor of The Nation, without success. I rang up the Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, Abimbola Opeyemi, but he did not pick or return my calls. I checked the time and found out that it was 10:45 pm.
I decided to try contacting him the following day. Early on July 10, about 7:45 am, I called the police spokesperson again, and he did not pick or return my calls. I called the Commissioner of Police and he answered. I told him about the case of the child witch persecution at Awa Ijebu and the interest of the Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AFAW) that is supporting the victim. The CP told me that they had not briefed him. He said he would contact the Divisional Police Officer in the area immediately. He asked me to call back in 10 minutes. The CP called in less than 10 minutes and the DPO of Awa Ijebu was on another line. He asked the DPO to give me his number and instructed him to provide me all the necessary assistance. And the DPO did.
I later called the DPO and he invited me to come over to the station for a meeting. I arrived at Awa Ijebu Police Station at about 11:00am the same day. The DPO was not on seat. I called him on the phone, and he asked me to wait for him. He arrived at the station 10 minutes later and ushered me into his office. He invited the Divisional Crime Officer to join in the meeting.
The DPO explained what happened. The station received a report of a seven-year-old girl, who was tortured and abused by the grandparents on July 7. The police arrested the couple. In the course of the investigation, they found out that the girl was tortured for being a witch. The father of the girl died in 2017. And the mother brought the girl and her younger brother to Awa Ijebu. She abandoned them with the father and stepmother and disappeared. The grandfather took the girl to two pastors and an imam who said that the girl was a witch. That the girl was responsible for the death of the father and was also planning to kill him.
Leo Igwe
Carissa Snedeker-Wikimedia commons
They told him that the girl was responsible for the financial difficulties that he was encountering. To exorcise the witchcraft, the grandfather tied up the girl on several occasions and applied burnt rubber/plastics all over her body- on the head, hands, back, and the private parts. While the step-grandmother flogged her in the course of the torture. The alleged girl witch had wounds all over the body and the younger brother, six, was malnourished. The DPO said they tried to get the suspects to disclose the full details of the pastors and the imam, who stated that the girl was a witch without success. The suspects said that one of the pastors had died while others were roadside practitioners. The suspects also refused to disclose the whereabouts of the children’s mother. The police liaised with the office of the Social Welfare Department of the Ministry of Women Affairs in Ijebu-Igbo and charged the matter to court. The DPO told me that during the court session, the local magistrate was shedding tears while listening to the story of this girl. The magistrate remanded the couple in custody at Igbeba. The court handed the children over to the Social Welfare Department until the conclusion of the case.
The DPO drove me to the Social Welfare unit in Ijebu-Igbo, and the officer later took me to an orphanage where the alleged witch girl and the brother were staying. The two children had been taken to a hospital for a medical check-up and were hospitalised later the same day. During a brief meeting with the manager of the orphanage, he asked for more support for the medical care, education, and overall development of the children. We discussed ways that AFAW could help in supporting the children and the orphanage.
The police in Ogun State must be commended for the diligent way they handled the case of this girl. Also, in 2018, the police in Ogun State arrested and prosecuted those implicated in a case of witchcraft-related murder. Unfortunately, this kind of professionalism has not been displayed in other parts of the country in processing cases of witch persecution and killing. For instance, in Cross River, the police have yet to arrest those who were implicated in the burning of alleged witches in the Boki Local Government Area. A father, who set the children ablaze in Plateau State has not been arrested. But this case in Ogun State has illustrated the importance of institutional synergy in combating witch persecution. It took the combined efforts of the police officers in Awa Ijebu, social welfare in Ijebu-Igbo and the Ministry of Justice to realise this prompt and effective response to a case of child witch persecution in the state. This institutional synergy is needed in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Abia, Lagos, Delta and other parts of the country where victims of witch persecution and killing are crying for justice.
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Ondo Deputy Governor Asks State Assembly’s Speaker To Resign Over Impeachment Plot
Agboola Ajayi
Deputy governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, has demand the immediate resignation of the Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Bamidele Oleyelogun.
Ajayi said the call for the resignation of the Speaker became necessary following the rejection of his letter by the state’s Chief Judge for the setting up of a panel to probe him (Ajayi).
Oleyelogun had written a letter to the Chief Judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, to set up a seven-man panel to probe Ajayi over allegations of gross misconduct.
The deputy governor in a statement on Sunday by his Media Adviser, Allen Sowore, said, “We demand the immediate resignation or removal of the inept and mediocre Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon Oloyelogun, whose incompetence has brought the exalted parliament into disrepute.
Agboola Ajayi
“This will go a long way to preserve our democratic gains, restore the dignity of the legislature and principle of separation of powers.”
According to the deputy governor, the decision of the Chief Judge to reject the illegal and fraudulent move by a section of the Ondo State House of Assembly to impeach him had rekindled the confidence of the people in the judiciary.
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He said, “With the decision, the judiciary of Ondo State has demonstrated its independence and thus made a clear statement about its commitment to secure and sustain the principles and lofty ideals of our constitutional democracy.
“We are reminded of the triumph of the human spirit across the age against totalitarianism and encouraged to bring to live the progressive provisions of our constitution that are antidotes to satanic demagoguery and maximum leadership.
“The deputy governor is humbled by the epochal decision, and reinvigorated to continue to stand for the good of the people as arrow head of the move to return government to where it rightly belongs – the people of Ondo State.”
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Police Rescue American Lady Held Captive For 16 Months In Lagos By Facebook Lover
Police have successfully rescued an American citizen, who was confined to a Lagos hotel where she was held against her wish for over a year by a Nigerian man she met on social media.
Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, in a statement on Sunday said the victim, who hails from Washington DC, United States, arrived Nigeria on February 13, 2019 on a visit to one Chukwuebuka Kasi Obiaku, 34, a native of Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, who had promised to marry her on May 15, 2019.
But instead of keeping to his promise, he held her captive in a hotel, extorting money totaling $48,000 and took control of her credit and debit cards as well as the operation of her bank accounts including the receipt of her monthly retirement benefits and allowances as a retired nurse over the period he held her hostage.
Mba said, “She was however rescued by police operatives attached to the Intelligence Response Team, Ogun State Annex, following information received from a Nigerian in the Meiran area of Lagos State.
“The rescue of the American lady comes on the heels of a similar case of an abducted Philippino lady who was lured to Nigeria by her supposed lover whom she equally met on Facebook.
“Investigations reveal that the suspect, Chukwuebuka Kasi Obiaku is a graduate of Business Administration and Management and an Internet fraudster who has defrauded many unsuspecting members of the public both locally and internationally.
“He subsequently held her captive in a hotel, extorted from her monies amounting to a total of $48,000.”
Police said the suspect will be charged to court on conclusion of investigation and prosecuted in line with the Cybercrime Prevention/Prohibition Act, 2015.
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EXCLUSIVE: Governor Akeredolu’s Second Term Ambition Shaky As APC Screening Committee Allegedly Fails To Clear Him For Party’s Primary Election
Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
There is currently anxiety in government circle in Ondo State following the alleged disqualification of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu from the party’s governorship primary election by the All Progressives Congress screening committee.
Although, the alleged disqualification of the governor was yet to be made public, it was reliably gathered that some bigwigs in the party, who got wind of the situation, had intervened to save Governor Akeredolu from the embarrassment of not participating in the exercise.
It was learnt that Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, was leading moves to get the disqualification overturned.
Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
Reports had earlier emerged on Saturday that Segun Abraham was the aspirant disqualified by the screening committee but his media office quickly debunked the claim.
The APC has fixed its governorship primary election for July 20, while the Independent National Electoral Commission scheduled the governorship election for October 10, 2020.
The aspirants, who participated in the Ondo APC screening exercise include Joseph Olusola Iji, Odimayo Okunjimi, Olayide Owolabi Adelami, Isaacs Duerimini Kekemeke, Olusola Oke Alex, lfeoluwa Olusola Oyedele and Olajumoke Olubusola Anifowoshe.
Others are Awodeyi Akinsehinwa Akinola Colinus, Olubukola Adetula, Dr Abraham Olusegun, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Dr Nathaniel Adojutelegan.
But there are fears already over the fate of the state governor in participating in the APC governorship primary election as the leadership of the party was yet to release the result of the screening committee.
SaharaReporters gathered that the party decided to hold on to the result of the screening since it didn’t favour the governor.
A source at the party’s headquarters in Abuja told our correspondent that the screening committee discovered how Akeredolu had been involved in anti-party activities, leading to the low votes recorded by President Muhammadu Buhari in Ondo during the 2019 election.
The source explained that the committee also had some weghty petitions against the governor, forcing them to put the result of the screening on hold.
“The main problem we are battling with in Ondo now is that we have discovered that people have turned against the governor and we are scared of fielding him as our candidate for the October election,” the source said.
He revealed that the national leadership of the party had also realised that there was no method of primary adopted that would work in the favour of the governor.
According to him, the 11 other aspirants screened had written to the committee to reject any indirect mode of primary election.
The source added that none of the aspirants was ready to step down and support the second term ambition of the governor after they were all interviewed in Abuja.
“What we heared was that five out of the 11 aspirants are for the governor and he gives them money to buy forms but we later found out that they were all lies because we interviewed all of them and they disclaimed it.
“But we know some of them would still step down and that is if we pick a candidate that would be accepted to them but not Akeredolu,” the source added.
Reacting to the issue, the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Oyewamide Ojo, said that the news of his disqualification was a ploy to distract his supporters.
He said, “This is yet another distraction unleashed with the aim of deceiving the unsuspecting public and diverting attention from the self-imposed pains on the part of those behind the story. It is clearly, coming from those who have chosen the perfidous political path.
“Governor Akeredolu is not just participating at the party primary, he shall be re-elected by the grace of God come October 10, 2020.”
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Group Seeks Justice For Victims Of Forced Labour In Kano, Offers Free Legal Service
A pro-labour organisation, International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network (Nigerian Chapter), has expressed readiness to provide free legal service to 126 workers rescued by police in a rice mill in Kano.
The police had on Monday in Kano discovered the company where workers were being held against their will for close to three months.
In a statement issued by Benson Upah on sunday on behalf of the organisation, the group said the action constituted not only unwholesome labour practices but also an infringement on the rights and liberty of the workers.
The group said it would work with the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress and their affiliate unions in Kano State to ensure that the workers get justice.
The statement warned unscrupulous employers of labour, Nigerians and foreign employers of labour that the days of workplace tyranny were over.
ILAW called on the police, Ministry of Labour, Nigeria Immigration Service and other appropriate authorities not to relent in their efforts in ensuring that perpetrators of dastardly acts were made to face the law.
The statement reads, “The conduct of the rice mill company is not only barbaric and nihilistic, it also goes against the grain of decent work agenda to which we all subscribe.
“Accordingly, we call upon the police, the Ministry of Labour, immigration (the company is alleged to be Indian) and other appropriate authorities not to relent in their efforts in ensuring that the full weight of the law be visited upon the culprits.
“This is made necessary and urgent by the fact that Popular Farm are allegedly not first time offenders. At the time of this infraction, they were alleged to be on suspension from the membership of the Rice Processors Association of Nigeria over some issues.
“We will embark on all lawful means to ensure that the Kano 126 get justice.”
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Katsina Governor, Masari, Voted N500m To APC Convention In 2018 Despite State Being One Of The Poorest In Nigeria
Governor of Katsina state, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari
SaharaReporters has obtained a document on how Katsina State governor, Aminu Masari, ordered the release of N500m to the National Convention Committee of the All Progressives Congress in 2018.
In a letter dated May 29, 2018 and signed by Political Adviser to the governor, Aliyu Hamisu, the state’s Accountant-General was ordered to release the money as part of the state’s contribution to the party’s convention that year.
Governor of Katsina state, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari
The letter reads, “I am directed to convey approval for the release of N500,000, 000 only to the Special Adviser, Political, to enable the office extend KTSG assistance and donation to the National Convention Committee to enable it carry out the national convention at FCT, Abuja.”
A recent report by National Bureau of Statistics rated Katsina the 13th poorest state in Nigeria.
The state currently has a 16,000 deficit in public school teachers, making it one of the most educationally backward cities in the country.
Analysts say N500m would go a long way in addressing the lack of adequate teachers in the state if it were ploughed into the education sector of the state by Governor Masari.
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Dubai Firm Bars Nigerians From Applying For Job After Arrest Of Hushpuppi, Others
A Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based company, Shirley Recruitment Consultants, has released details for recruitment of merchandisers and stated that Nigerians were exempted from applying.
This comes days after Ramon Olorunwa Abass popularly known as Hushpuppi and other Nigerians were arrested for Internet fraud in Dubai and extradited to the United States.
Apart from being blacklisted from applying for jobs in some Dubai firms, Nigerians have also been barred from applying for tourist visa to the Arabian tourist hub.
In a letter, the UAE authorities made it known that Nigerian passport holders were not permitted to obtain a tourism visa to the country in the meantime.
“Dear applicant, Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately, your visa application has been rejected as Nigerian passport holders are not permitted to obtain a tourism visa to the UAE in the meantime,” part of the letter read.
Hushpuppi is accused by the Federal Bereau of Investigation in the US of scamming several individuals and businesses of millions of dollars through various Internet fraud and risks maximum sentence if convicted for the offence.
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COVID-19: Delta SSG, Ebie, Discharged From Isolation Centre After Recovery
Secretary to the Delta State Government, Chiedu Ebie, has been discharged from isolation centre in Asaba, the state capital, where he had been undergoing treatment for Coronavirus.
Recall that Ebie and the Commissioner for Information in the state, Charles Aniagwu, on June 20 tested positive for the virus.
While Aniagwu was discharged last week after testing native, Ebie remained in the isolation centre for more examination.
Confirming the discharge of the SSG in a statement, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okowa, Olisa Ifeajika, said Ebie, who had been at the isolation centre for 21 days, was discharged on Sunday after testing negative for the virus.
He said, “The SSG’s discharge brought the number of discharged cases of the virus so far in the state to 583.
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“As at Sunday, Delta had recorded 1,359 confirmed cases of the pandemic, with 745 of them active, while 31 lives had been lost to the virus.
“Ebie thanks Deltans and other Nigerians who prayed for him and had continued to pray for other patients of the virus.”
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E2%80%93katsina-traditional-leader Banditry Left Us With 500 Widows, 1,600 Orphans –Katsina Traditional Leader
Activities of armed bandits in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State have killed many men and women, forcing no fewer than 500 women to become widows and over 1,600 children to become orphans, district head of Batsari, Alhaji Muhammad Mu’azu, has said.
According to PUNCH, Mu’azu said about four million cows, which are mainly bulls, were rustled by bandits in the area.
He said, “The losses are unquantifiable. I cannot actually quantify the losses in terms of monetary value. I will only say the monetary losses are in millions of naira. For instance, how much can bring back those who were killed by the bandits? You cannot quantify the loss of a single human being in terms of naira and kobo.
“Yet, we have lost over 300 people to the bandits. The bandits killed our innocent, able-bodied men and women. Specifically, the bandits have killed at least 300 men. Because of the deaths, we now have no fewer than 500 widows and 1,600 orphans.
“Also, the model school where the internally displaced persons are taking refuge is filled to the brim because of the bandits’ activities. Apart from disrupting our farming activities, the bandits rustled between three million and four million cows which are mainly bulls.
“Also, our children could not go to school anymore in all the areas that the bandits attacked because of their safety. Some of the children are being relocated to other places considered safer.”
Bandits attacks and kidnappings have been on the rise in Katsina State in recent times, leaving many deaths and displacement behind in its trail.
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Global Coalition Writes Buhari Over Magu, Says Anti-corruption Fight May Suffer Setback
Anti-corruption groups, Re:Common, Globalwitness and The Corner House based in Europe, have written to President Muhammadu Buhari on what they consider the unfortunate treatment of Ibrahim Magu.
Magu was arrested on Monday by a combined team of officials of the Department of State Services and Force Criminal Investigation Department after failing to honour two invitations from the panel.
He has been detained since then and the police authorities on Friday withdrew his security.
His travails followed a memo by Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation, in which the suspended anti-graft czar was accused of grave malfeasance.
The groups in a letter signed by Lucas Manes of Re:Common, Nicholas Hildyard of Corner House, Simon Taylor of Globalwitness, and their Nigerian counterpart, Olanrewaju Suraju of the HEDA, said the unceremonious removal of Magu may erode the recent gains in the fight against corruption.
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BREAKING: Why Magu Was Suspended —President Buhari
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The letter reads, “What is going on in Nigeria is of concern to the international community. Mr Magu has proved himself to be up to the task. His determination to fight corruption is evident by the recovery of stolen funds and properties plus his own high moral ground earned at the cost of diligence and hardwork never before seen. His political removal questions the will of Nigeria to deal with a major cause of the country’s underdevelopment which is corruption.
“However, we very much hope that you will find a way forward that protects the huge strides made by the EFCC under Magu’s acting chairmanship.”
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