Apo six: Igbo Youths protest court’s judgment

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They were charged with culpable homicide for the killing of Ifeanyi Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Isaac Ekene, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony Nwodike and Augustina Arebun.

The Igbo Youth Associations, Apo in FCT, on Friday staged a peaceful protest to FCT High Court and Ministry of Justice, decrying Thursday’s judgment on the Apo six case.

The Chief Judge of the FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello, had in his judgment condemned to death, Emmanuel Baba and Ezekiel Acheneje, and discharged, Danjuma Ibrahim, Nicholas Zakariah and Sadiq Salami.

They were charged with culpable homicide for the killing of Ifeanyi Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Isaac Ekene, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony Nwodike and Augustina Arebun.

The five were among six arraigned over the killing of the traders on June 7, 2005 on suspicion that they were armed robbers. Othman Abdulsalam, the Divisional Police Officer in Apo, and the sixth defendant on the charge sheet is currently on the run.

The protesters through their spokesman, Chief Chemezie Ifeh and Chief Motimor Ihejirka, said that they were not happy with the judgment which condemned only two and the main person was set free.

“Danjuma Ibrahim, the DCP killed Ifeanyi Ozor and now he is free and he was the one who gave the order to the two junior officers to kill the remaining five.

“We demand that if Danjuma would be free; let the two condemned officers be set free because they acted under the instruction of their superior. “We demand that this case should not be left to go away like this, extra-judicial killing must stop.

“We are submitting our letters to you and hope that you will act on it,’’ Ihejirika said. At the Ministry of Justice, Mr Hamza Tahir of the Legal Drafting Department, commended them for their peaceful protest, and promised to take their message to the minister who was not on sit.

“The judgment have just been passed, and if your letters are submitted, we will look at it as well as the proceedings and the judgment. “The minister is committed to justice and will look at the issues you may raise in your letter, it can go to appeal and also get to the Supreme Court if the need be,” he assured.

Earlier, Mr Edward Meniru, the senior bother of Chinedu, who was among the killed Apo traders, said “Our father died because of my brother’s murder and our mother since then was sick “We demand justice for this killing,” Meniru said.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mQ1zEg

Apple, Samsung vow to fix flaws, after CIA hacking report

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(FILES) This file photo taken on August 13, 2008 shows the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the lobby of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia.<br />The CIA can turn your TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control your car, according to a trove of alleged documents from the US spy agency released on March 7, 2017 by WikiLeaks. The group posted nearly 9,000 documents it said were leaked from the Central Intelligence Agency, in what it described as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials.<br />/ AFP PHOTO / AFP FILES / SAUL LOEB

Apple and Samsung vowed Wednesday to quickly fix any vulnerabilities in their products following WikiLeaks’ disclosure of an alleged CIA hacking arsenal capable of breaking into iPhones and other devices.

The archive released on Tuesday claims to show the CIA exploiting weaknesses it discovers in hardware and software systems — without informing manufacturers of the flaws in question.

“While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities,” Apple said in an emailed statement.

“We always urge customers to download the latest iOS to make sure they have the most recent security updates.”

Samsung offered a similar response.

“Protecting consumers’ privacy and the security of our devices is a top priority at Samsung,” a statement from the South Korean electronics giant said.

“We are aware of the report in question and are urgently looking into the matter.”

WikiLeaks claims the documents it released on Tuesday are part of a vast trove of leaked CIA documents, tools and code representing “the majority of its hacking arsenal.”

The CIA would neither confirm nor deny the documents were genuine.

According to the documents, the CIA has produced more than 1,000 malware systems — viruses, trojans, and other software that can infiltrate and take control of target electronics.

These hacking tools have allegedly targeted iPhones, Android systems such as the personal phone reportedly still used by President Donald Trump, popular Microsoft software, and Samsung smart TVs.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lYRFLT

Two Germans kidnapped in Kaduna (Read full details)

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Two German archaeologists have been kidnapped in Kaduna state, northern Nigeria, police said on Thursday, stoking fears of more abductions in a region hit by rising violence.

The pair, who were working with Nigeria’s National Commission for Museum and Monuments, were seized at about 8:55 am (0755 GMT) as they worked at an excavation site in southern Kaduna on Wednesday.

Federal police chief Ibrahim K. Idris said the men had been assigned security personnel for their own protection but that they did not go with them to the dig site into ancient Nok culture.

Surveillance helicopters and anti-kidnapping and counter-terrorism officers have been deployed in the hunt for the perpetrators, he added.

The foreign ministry in Berlin made no comment on the kidnapping but residents said two women, also thought to be German, were with the men when they were attacked.

“The abductors came wielding guns and machetes and asked the two Germans to follow them into the bush,” said a resident who asked not to be identified because of security fears.

“Surprisingly, they did not kidnap the two female German colleagues of the men. They fired shots into the air to scare off the villagers before abducting the Germans,” he added.

The local and police chief Idris both said two locals were killed.

– Airport road –
The kidnapping took place off the main road linking Kaduna airport, to the north of the state capital, Kaduna city, with the national capital, Abuja, 220 kilometres (137 miles) away.

Safety on the road has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks since the federal government announced the closure of Abuja’s only airport for essential runway repairs.

All domestic flights will be diverted to Kaduna from March 8 for six weeks but international carriers have refused to re-route their services, reportedly because of fears about capacity.

In July last year, Sierra Leone’s defence attache to Nigeria was kidnapped by armed men with AK-47 assault rifles in military fatigues at a fake check-point on the Abuja-Kaduna road.

Nigeria’s government has promised to increase security on the route but many foreign missions and companies have advised staff to limit their travel during the closure period.

Extra checkpoints could add several hours on to journeys following a renewal of long-standing violence between herdsmen and farmers in southern Kaduna since December last year.

Some estimates say the clashes between the Muslim, largely Hausa-speaking Fulani cattle drivers and mainly Christian farmers have left as many as 800 dead. But the official toll is about 200.

– ‘Entrenched’ problem –
Kidnapping for ransom was previously almost exclusively seen in the oil-rich south, where criminal gangs singled out the wealthy and expatriate workers in targeted or opportunistic attacks.

But it has gradually spread northwards as Nigeria’s oil-dependent economy imploded, to the extent that the Control Risks consultancy said it was “entrenched” countrywide.

In the first half of 2016, Nigeria was the fourth riskiest place for kidnap in the world, the risk management firm said in September last year.

In the north, a government crack-down on cattle rustling has been blamed for a rise in abductions.

Nnamdi Obasi, senior Nigeria researcher at the International Crisis Group, said poverty had made “anybody, just anybody” a target and had led to a rise in “spontaneous” kidnappings.

But so-called “express kidnappings”, while harder to stop, tended to be less violent and most victims were released without harm, he said.

Abductions were hurting foreign investment but also Nigerians, said Obasi.

“They don’t want to go to some places… they think twice before travelling by road and sometimes don’t have the money to travel by plane. It’s very harmful for the local economy.”

Security consultant Don Okerere said kidnapping was under-reported.

“For every 10 reported incidents of kidnapping, there are probably six or more that aren’t reported,” he said. “A lot of victims will rather ‘play ball’ than involve the police.”

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Guardiola keen to keep peace with Aguero

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Manchester City's Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero / AFP PHOTO / Oli SCARFF /

Pep Guardiola insists his relationship with Sergio Aguero remains strong despite mounting speculation over the Manchester City striker’s future since the arrival of Gabriel Jesus.

Teenage sensation Jesus took Aguero’s place in Guardiola’s starting line-up before breaking a bone in his foot, an injury that may rule the Brazilian out for the remainder of the season.

That forced Guardiola to recall Aguero for an FA Cup fifth round draw at second tier Huddersfield on Sunday.

But it was an uninspired performance by Aguero in the goalless draw and the rapport between forward and manager looked strained.

With just two goals to his name since the end of November, recent events have fuelled the speculation that Aguero, 28, could end his six-year stay with City once the current campaign is over.

But, as Guardiola prepared for the first game of a two-legged tie with Monaco in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, the City boss insisted he is handling Aguero no differently to at any time in the past.

“Sergio has enough experience. He knows, everyone knows,” Guardiola told reporters on Monday.

“We are going to talk with him like with all of his team-mates to convince him in these two games, 180 minutes, that we are not going to be able to do our best performance because in this level it is so demanding in the Champions League.

“It is one of the most beautiful competitions to play, maybe not the most important, but the most beautiful and we have to do our best.

“But the guys who score goals, it is talent, instinct. How they have to move, create spaces. He does not need to be controlled like a TV remote control. He is going to do it himself.”

– Slump –
Guardiola confirmed City captain Vincent Kompany’s injury problems are still continuing after he missed the Huddersfield game and he will sit out the first leg against Monaco.

The City manager, however, hopes Kompany’s leg injury will have recovered in time for the FA Cup replay against Huddersfield next week.

Meanwhile, City’s forward Kevin De Bruyne insists he is happy with his form despite a dramatic drop off in his goalscoring output this season.

Having scored 16 times last season, De Bruyne has netted just five this term, and hit the net twice in the last 18 games dating back to the start of November.

“No, not at all. I never look at my stats,” said De Bruyne when asked if he was worried by his slump.

“I know it is very important for other people. Because I play deeper and not everyone sees that, I am comparing that.

“I can see very good how well I am playing for the team, even without me scoring. If we can win a title I will be very happy.

“I am playing very consistently. I played a little more defensively than at the start of the season but we changed a lot of positions for me personally.

“I know people are looking at a lot of statistics, for me I am playing better than last year but maybe statistically a bit worse.”

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2m0QnVc