Monday, 13 March 2017
Ife Crisis: Normalcy returns as warring factions sue for peace
Leaders of both Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo indigenes residing in Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Monday, called for an end to ethnic clashes in the ancient city.
They spoke at a news conference organised by the Ife Progressive Forum/Action Council in Ile-Ife.
The Seriki Hausawa of Ife, Alhaji Abubakar Madagali, said the disturbance which momentarily eroded the peace of the ancient city was unnecessary.
Madagali said many of his subjects suffered colossal losses, adding that some had died and many more sustained injuries.
The leader of the Hausa community said authorities concerned must step up efforts to resolve the crisis without delay.
He added that “we initially came here to seek for greener pastures, but Ife has now become our home.
“It latest crisis was not a clash between us and the Yorubas, instead, it was a misunderstanding between some persons which escalated.
“All we are saying now is for us to embrace peace and continue to live together.
“I want to assure the Ile-Ife public that the Hausa community is not planning any retaliation. We view the incident as a misfortune ordained by Allah.”
On his part, Mr Lawrence Awowoyin, the President of Ife Progressive Forum/Action Council, said the crisis was masterminded by hoodlums.
According to him, a committee has been set up to look into the root cause of the crisis with a view to finding a lasting solution.
He said the crisis had either political or ethnic colouration, but hinged on land dispute between a Yoruba family and Hausa community.
“We all regret the unfortunate clash between certain individuals around Sabo area of Ile-Ife, which led to loss of lives and property.
“The love of Ife people toward all ethnic groups from time immemorial is not in doubt.
“The crisis was an offshoot of misunderstanding between two individuals at Sabo area of Ile-Ife. This misunderstanding was unfortunately hijacked by hoodlums in the area.
“It is unthinkable for anyone to think that the fracas was ignited by Ife community. We coexisted with Hausas, Igbos and other ethnic groups for decades without discrimination.”
He, therefore, urged security agents to be fair and objective in handling the issue to eliminate the looming tension.
He said “we condemn in its entirety any form of ethnic clash, militancy and insurgency anywhere in Nigeria and in Ife land in particular.
“It is our position that we are all creatures of Almighty God, hence, we are all citizens of the world and we abhor bloodshed in all ramifications.
“We sympathise with victims from both sides. It is a known fact that both Yoruba and the Arewa community suffered colossal losses and deaths from the crisis.”
The Ezendigbo of Ireland, His Highness Chief Ezekeil Onyejekwe, who was in Ife, urged the warring parties to eschew bitterness and live together in one accord.
He said the incident was unfortunate, adding that it was the first time such an ugly disturbance would occur in the ancient city. `
There was a bloody clash between the Hausa community and the Yorubas in Ile-Ife, Osun State on March 8, where lives were lost and property worth millions of naira were destroyed.
Although the ugly incident was immediately contained by Osun State security operatives, tension was said to be high in the city.
Meanwhile, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, had inaugurated a truth and reconciliation committee to ensure peace between the Hausa community and Yorubas in the ancient city.
Oba Ogunwusi inaugurated the committee in his palace on Saturday in Ile-Ife, Osun.
The Ooni described members of the Hausa community in Ile-Ife as his subjects and co-owners of the town with whom he enjoyed tremendous loyalty in the last 14 months of his reign.
He said “thank God for the normalcy; I commend Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, for being proactive and the security agents for their efforts toward ending the crisis.’’
The royal father condemned the actions of those behind the fracas and expressed optimism that they would soon be apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law.
The post Ife Crisis: Normalcy returns as warring factions sue for peace appeared first on Vanguard News.
Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2n1Ym4n
Saturday, 11 March 2017
Ogun police arrest medical doctor for killing own mother
The Ogun Police Command said it had arrested one Dr. Emmanuel Ogah, who allegedly stabbed his biological mother to death.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta Saturday by its Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the command said the arrest was sequel to a complaint by the elder brother of the suspect, Cletus Ogah.
It said the elder brother reported at Itele Ota Divisional headquarters that his younger brother had stabbed his 62 year-old mother, one Janet Ogah, to death.
The command said that following the complaint, the DPO of the division, CSP Lukman Raheem, led detectives to the scene at No 16, Ololade street, Lafenwa, Itele Ota , where the suspect was arrested.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, who has just finished his NYSC programme, came back home three days earlier and had been having issues with the deceased since then.
“In his statement, the suspect claimed that his mother was in the habit of insulting and disgracing him in the presence of her apprentices, and that frustrated him into taking her life,” it said.
According to the command, the corpse of the deceased, a food vendor, has been deposited at the Ota General Hospital morgue, for autopsy.
It said that the State Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, for further investigation.
The post Ogun police arrest medical doctor for killing own mother appeared first on Vanguard News.
Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2mUhNMB
Monday, 20 February 2017
‘Spiderman’ thief gets eight years for $100m Paris art heist
This file photo taken on January 30, 2017 shows Vjeran Tomic, the main suspect in the case of the 2010 theft of five masterpieces from the Paris Modern Art Museum, arriving to his trial at the Court house in Paris. The courthouse will deliberate on the trial of the 2010 thefts of five masterpieces of Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Braque and Leger from the Paris Modern Art Museum.<br />BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
A thief nicknamed “Spiderman”, who snatched five masterpieces from a top Paris museum, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Monday over one of the biggest art heists in recent years.
Vjeran Tomic and two accomplices were also jointly fined a whopping 104 million euros ($110 million) over the theft of the paintings by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Fernand Leger and Amedeo Modigliani from the Musee d’Art Moderne on the night of May 20, 2010.
The fine corresponds to the estimated value of the artworks, which are still missing.
A lawyer representing the City of Paris, which runs the museum, call their disappearance an “unspeakable” loss to humanity.
Tomic, a 49-year-old seasoned burglar of Croatian origin, admitted robbing the gallery, which is home to more than 8,000 works of 20th-century art.
On his arrest he told police he was asked to steal Leger’s “Still Life with Candlestick” from 1922, and never imagined he would be able to grab four more.
– Security lapses –
The case revealed extraordinary security lapses at the museum in the ritzy 16th district, on the banks of the Seine.
The motion-detection alarms had been out of order for two months when Tomic, who staked out the building for six nights, slipped inside after using acid to dislodge a window pane.
After grabbing the Leger without creating a disturbance he went on a stealing spree, taking Picasso’s cubist “Dove with Green Peas” from 1912 — alone worth an estimated 25 million euros — Matisse’s “Pastoral” from 1905, Braque’s “Olive Tree near Estaque” from 1906, and Modigliani’s “Woman with a Fan” from 1919.
Three guards on duty failed to spot him. His silhouette popped up only briefly on a security camera.
The paintings were only found to be missing from their frames when the museum reopened the next day.
Jean-Michel Corvez, a 61-year-old antique dealer who admitted to ordering the theft of the Leger on behalf of an unnamed client, and Yonathan Birn, a 40-year-old watchmaker who admitted to hiding the paintings for a time, were given sentences of seven and six years respectively.
On top of their collective fine, the three men were given individual fines of between 150,000 and 200,000 euros each.
Corvez also had his home seized and was banned from dealing in antiques or art for five years.
– ‘Bored with his bourgeois life’
During the trial Birn told the court he had dumped the paintings but the court expressed doubt over that claim, noting the lack of proof of their destruction.
An art lover, he had admitted to becoming enraptured with Modigliani’s “Woman with a Fan”.
His lawyer had described him as an impressionable man, who was bored with his “nice little bourgeois life”.
Tomic, a master burglar, said he took five paintings because he “liked” them.
Athletically built and 1.90 metres (six foot 2 inches) tall, he had gained his nickname by clambering into posh Parisian apartments and museums to steal valuable gems and works of art.
He was spotted by a homeless man as he roamed around the museum in the days leading to the theft.
Police arrested him after receiving an anonymous tip and tracking his mobile phone.
There has been a spate of art thefts in Europe in recent years.
The most recent, in 2015, involved the theft of five paintings worth 25 million euros by renowned British artist Francis Bacon in Madrid.
Spanish police arrested seven people last year suspected of being involved in that theft.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mfzUIT
Sunday, 19 February 2017
Olubadan to celebrate 1st Coronation anniversary
Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji PHOTO: NAJEEM RAHEEM
The Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, would on March 4 honour some prominent Nigerians with chieftancy titles as part of activities to mark his first coronation anniversary.
Chief Lekan Alabi, Chairman, Olubadan First Coronation Anniversary Planning Committee, announced this at a news conference in Ibadan on Sunday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oba Adetunji was installed the 41st Olubadan of Ibadan land on March 4, 2016.
Alabi said that the anniversary was to thank God for the peaceful reign and appreciate the people for their unflinching support to the monarch since his installation last year.
Alabi, who holds the title of Agbaakin Olubadan of Ibadan land, said the celebration would hold from March 1 to 6.
Among activities lined up for the weeklong celebration were city carnival, anniversary lecture, tree planting campaign, religious services, royal banquet and presentation of chieftancy titles.
Alabi urged residents of the ancient city to continue their support for the monarch for a peaceful and prosperous Ibadan land.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lai9gB
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
Somalia’s ex-PM elected president
Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo
Former Somali prime minister Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who holds joint American citizenship, was elected president on Wednesday, vowing to crack down on corruption and Al-Shabaab militants.
The 55-year-old former premier, whose hails from the Darod clan and who goes by the nickname “Farmajo”, won after incumbent president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud admitted defeat in a second round of voting by lawmakers.
“This is the beginning of unity for the Somali nation, the beginning of the fight against Shabaab and corruption …” a triumphant Farmajo said after being declared the winner in a long, drawn-out election process in the conflict-wracked nation.
Civilians took to the streets and soldiers fired celebratory gunfire in the capital Mogadishu which had been near-deserted for two days with roads and schools closed and residents urged to stay indoors for fear of a strike on the capital by Shabaab militants.
And Somali refugees in Dadaab, the world’s biggest refugee camp in eastern Kenya, also erupted with joy and sang the national anthem when hearing Farmajo had won, according to an AFP correspondent.
“Time has come for us Somalis. I thank God. This is the man we need, he cares for us, he cares for the poor men and women,” said 60-year-old Anfi Kassim who has lived in the camp since 1992.
After six hours and two rounds of voting, a crowded field of 21 presidential candidates was whittled down to the two veteran politicians.
Farmajo failed to win the required two thirds majority, but had 184 votes to Mohamud’s 97, prompting the incumbent to drop out to avoid a third round.
The father of four served as prime minister for only eight months between 2010 and 2011 and was ousted in a deal to form a new government and postpone elections that year.
However several of his moves, such as implementing regular payments of soldiers, were well received and many supporters took to the streets of Mogadishu to protest his removal.
Farmajo was born in the capital to a family from the southern Gedo region, and moved to the United States where he studied history and political science at the University of Buffalo.
He went on to work in the foreign ministry and as a diplomat in Washington before the collapse of Siad Barre’s military regime in 1991 which led to civil war and decades of anarchy in Somalia.
– Limited vote –
Farmajo also ran for president in 2012, in the first election inside the country since 1991. In that election only 135 clan elders picked the lawmakers who went on to elect the president.
In 2016 Somalia had been promised a one-person, one-vote election. However political infighting and insecurity saw the plan ditched for a limited vote running six months behind schedule.
Although the election is billed as its most democratic in nearly five decades, only 14,000 delegates were able to vote for the lawmakers who went on to elect the president.
The long, drawn-out election has largely consisted of horsetrading between different clans, with widespread allegations of vote-buying and corruption, leaving it a distant process to the average Somali.
The internationally-backed government still has limited control over a country where swathes of countryside are controlled by Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militants who regularly launch deadly strikes against Mogadishu.
– ‘Most expensive election’ –
If Farmajo is serious about cracking down on corruption, he has his work cut out for him in a country listed as the most corrupt in the world by Transparency International.
Mogadishu-based anti-corruption NGO Marqaati in a report released this week described rampant vote-buying, and alleged that civil servants had gone unpaid for seven months and public lands sold off to fund lobbying for MP positions.
“When delegates refused to take money and vote a certain way, they would be replaced, intimidated, harassed and, in some incidences… shot,” read the report.
The report said some delegates were paid up to $30,000 each to vote for MPs, while presidential candidates seeking to sway MP votes were reported to have to fork out between $50,000 and $100,000 per lawmaker.
According to Marqaati this made it “the most expensive election, per vote, in history.”
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lrEMLp
Sharapova handed Madrid Open wildcard
/ AFP PHOTO / PAUL CROCK
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has been handed a wildcard for the Madrid Open in May just weeks after completing a 15-month ban for doping, organisers confirmed on Wednesday.
The Russian who won the French Open for her fifth Grand Slam in 2014 – shortly after winning the Madrid Open that year – plans to make her return to the circuit in Stuttgart on April 26.
“Sharapova requested an invitation to play in the tournament and after careful consideration, we decided to give her a wild card,” said tournament director and former Wimbledon champion Manolo Santana.
“Maria is one of the best players of the last 15 years and also a past winner of our tournament.
“In Madrid she always plays well and I’m sure she will come back to the courts highly motivated and hoping to do well in her first tournaments.”
Sharapova hasn’t played on tour since testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.
However, her initial two-year ban by the International Tennis Federation, was reduced to 15 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“Sharapova is one of those players that all tennis fans want to see,” added tournament CEO Gerard Tsobanian.
The tournament runs from May 6 to May 13.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lldPw1
Sunday, 29 January 2017
Confusion and Protest 2 Days After Donald Trump’s ‘Muslim Immigration’ Order
The atmosphere of chaos and criticism that followed President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting on entry into the U.S. of people from seven Muslim-dominated countries continued on Sunday, as a series of planned protests sought to build on what became a national phenomenon overnight.
Protesters at airports across the country reacted with jubilation last night at the news that in response to a legal challenge issued by the ACLU a federal court in Brooklyn had granted an emergency stay on the president’s executive order that bans immigration from Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Libya.
Following the court’s decision, the Department of Homeland Security said in a press release that it “will continue to enforce all of the president’s Executive Orders in a manner that ensures the safety and security of the American people.”
The statement noted that Trump’s executive orders remain “in place,” despite the emergency stay.
“The president’s Executive Orders remain in place — prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time if required for national security or public safety,” the release said.
The ACLU contended that the stay applied nationally to all cases, but that was not necessarily clear from the ruling, and an atmosphere of confusion still surrounds the orders, and how they will be applied going forward.
Today, the spontaneous protests that were sparked by news of travelers being detained were expected to continue in a more planned fashion at airports across the country.
Protests are scheduled today in New York, Washington, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago and other cities.
The protests started Saturday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where hundreds of people chanted “No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here,” angered at the detention of a number of people arriving from the countries listed in Trump’s order, including the two Iraqi men whose cases were taken by the ACLU.
As the day went on, the protests spread to other major airports like Washington Dulles International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
The two Iraqis who were detained at JFK were both released later in the day, drawing widespread media attention.
One of the men, Hameed Jhalid Darweesh, expressed his gratitude for those who supported him while he was detained.
“America is the land of freedom,” Darweesh said. “The land of freedom, the land of the rights. This is what brought me to come here, and I’m very thankful.”
Neither Darweesh nor the other Iraqi were technically refugees according to the definition in the president’s executive order at the time of their detention, but appear to have come to the U.S. on visas, a Trump administration official tells ABC News.
A senior Department of Homeland Security official said that 375 travelers were affected by the executive order Saturday at airports across the country.
Within that group, 109 people were in transit and then denied entry to the U.S., 173 were denied entry to the U.S. before boarding their flights in a foreign port, and 81 were granted waivers because of their legal permanent resident or special immigrant visa status.
The number of people being held at U.S. airports is expected to dwindle today, but passengers at airports across the world may be kept from boarding flights to the U.S.
Trump said the executive order was part of a vetting plan to prevent “radical Islamic terrorists” from reaching American soil.
The seven-page document calls for an immediate suspension of immigration from countries with ties to terror — Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Libya — for a time period of 90 days. But none of the countries on the list have had anything to do with terror incidents on U.S. soil since the 9/11 attacks, and Saudi Arabia — where 15 of the 9/11 hijackers were from — is not included.
It also calls for the complete suspension of Syrian refugees for an indefinite period. It also calls on the secretary of state to suspend the entire U.S program for admitting refugees for 120 days while authorities review the application and adjudication process.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said today on “This Week” that the seven countries had been identified by the Obama administration as needing further scrutiny, and said other countries could be added to the list at a later date.
Source: ABC NEWS
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2kgAUyD
Shaky Dortmund leak late equaliser (Read full details)
< Previous
Next >
Daniel ROLAND / AFP
Daniel ROLAND / AFP
Borussia Dortmund conceded a late goal in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s low-key Bundesliga return on Sunday in a 1-1 draw at Mainz which cost them third place in the table.
Aubameyang, the German league’s top scorer with 16 goals, was back in Dortmund’s starting line-up following Gabon’s group-stage exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, but he had just two shots on goal in Mainz.
Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel had lamented their shaky defence after last Saturday’s scrappy 2-1 win at Werder Bremen and they again looked unstable at the back.
This was Dortmund’s fourth draw in their last five league games.
Last season’s runners up are now fourth — fourteen points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, who won 2-1 at Werder Bremen on Saturday thanks to goals by Arjen Robben and David Alaba.
Borussia took the lead with just three minutes gone in Mainz.
Midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin lost possession, which Dortmund’s Germany winger Andre Schuerrle snapped up to provide the final pass for Marco Reus to rifle home.
Mainz’s Japan striker Yoshinori Muto had the ball in the net on 15 minutes, but the goal was ruled offside.
The hosts snatched a point seven minutes from time when midfielder Danny Latza was left unmarked to head home a cross at the far post as Mainz pushed for the winner in the frantic final stages.
Earlier, midfielder Janik Haberer and ex-Bayern Munich striker Nils Petersen netted for Freiburg in Sunday’s shock 2-1 win over Bundesliga high-fliers Hertha Berlin.
“It’s unpleasant to play against us,” said Petersen. “We defended well and we have the quality up front to use our few chances. “We’re all pulling in the right direction — big compliment to the team.”
Having pushed league leaders Bayern all the way in last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat at the Schwarzwald Stadion, hosts Freiburg earned a deserved win on Sunday to climb to eighth in Germany’s top flight.
Haberer, who had given Freiburg a shock lead against Bayern before Robert Lewandowski netted twice, put the hosts ahead against Hertha when he drilled home Vincenzo Grifo’s pass across goal on 39 minutes.
Freiburg sealed the win when super sub Petersen netted his sixth goal of the season, all of which have come as a replacement, on 87 minutes when he finished off a move started by his own goalkeeper and beat three defenders.
Less than a minute later, Hertha pulled a goal back when ex-Dortmund striker Julian Schieber rifled home.
The defeat, Hertha’s sixth of the season, leaves Pal Dardai’s Berlin sixth in the table.
“We played okay for an away game, but we had no clear chances, just mistakes in their defence,” said Dardai, whose team has now suffered two straight defeats after their 3-1 loss at Leverkusen.
“We have to improve that.”
On Saturday, second-placed RB Leipzig ended 10-man Hoffenheim’s unbeaten run this season with a 2-1 comeback win to stay just three points adrift of Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded Bavarians.
Hoffenheim were the last undefeated team left in Europe’s top leagues before Marcel Sabitzer’s 77th-minute winner dealt the visitors their first loss of the campaign after striker Sandro Wagner’s dismissal.
Shaky Dortmund leak late equaliser
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2jsLf6o