The policemen in Ogun State on Thursday rescued eight pregnant teenagers and also arrested a man
and a woman for allegedly operating a baby sales syndicate
Angela Chigozie 29from Abia State and her husband allegedly runs the home they called
Divine herbal hospital atTunde Senbanjo Street at Ajunwon area of the
state.
The rescued girls aged between 16- 21 are in different
stages of pregnancy.
Narrating how the police discovered the home, CP Okoye said “This
is the result of community policing. The home was discovered through
information we received and our officers came to investigate but the first time
they did not get anything incriminating but we kept working and our diligence
paid off when the police men stormed the area again last week and saw five
girls in different stages of pregnancy. The police men did not relent in their
investigation as they stayed put in the apartment.They later discovered that the woman (Mrs.
Chigozie) hid three of the girls in wardrobe in her room. The police noticed a
human head and opened the wardrobe and three pregnant girls were seen hiding
inside. One of them slump due to suffocation and she was rush to the hospital
where she was revived. Eight of them are in our custody including thr woman and
a man who assist her in the home”
At least six vehicles, including
a 33,000 litres fuel tanker were on Wednesday morning burnt in a filling
station in Lagos State.
Eye witnesses told NAN that the fire started about 6am at
the Mobil Filling station, Oba Akran Road, Ikeja while the tanker was trying to
enter the station to off load the products.
One of the eye witnesses, a commercial bus driver, who
simply identified himself as Kunle told NAN that the fire spread across the
busying Oba Akran road and caused traffic gridlock for hours
``The timely intervention of fire servicemen from Alausa
stop the fire from spreading to other areas,’’ Kunle said.
Mr Rasak Fadipe, Director, Lagos State Fire Service told NAN
that they got an emergency call from members of the public about 6.20 am that
the filling station was on fire.
Fadipe however said before they received the call, fire fighters
noticed a thick smoke in the sky from the direction of the station and
he ordered a 10,000 litre water truck to the scene.
``When we got the call informing us that the fire was in a
filling station, I then ordered four more trucks of 10,000 litres each of
chemical fume. It took us about two hours to put out the fire with other
emergency agencies around.
``No life was lost, one person sustained injuries and taken
to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja for treatment. The fuel
tanker and five other cars were completely burnt.
``Other things burnt include a transformer supplying
electricity to the area, electricity pole, cables and the roof of the filling
station,’’ Fadipe said.
He added that information revealed that
the fire incident occurred when the tanker attempted to maneuver its way into
the station to prevent crashing into vehicles waiting to buy fuel.
``We learnt the tanker stepped on an object that lifted it
sideways and there was a spillage of the product, resulting to fire explosion.
The fire followed the spilled products across the road,’’ he said.
NAN reports that efforts to speak with the station manager
prove abortive as no one was willing to talk to the press. (NAN)
Human Rights organisations on
Wednesday in Lagos staged a peaceful protest at the Consular General of Ghana
over the killing of a Nigerian, Godwin Anyogu in Cape Coast, Ghana.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the groups carried
different placards with inscriptions ``Save Nigerian students in Ghana,
Justice for Godwin Anyogu, No more killing of Nigerians in foreign land among
others.
They started the protest at the Lagos State University
Teaching Hospital gate, Ikeja through the High Court, Ikeja to the Consulate at
Oba Akinjobi, GRA to present their letter to the official.
The leader of the group and president, Paths of Peace
Initiatives, Mr Dandy Eze said that the rights groups are protesting the death of the
Nigerian without the Ghana police arresting the suspects.
``We wish to bring to your notice the killing of a Nigerian
student, Mr Godwin Anyogu, who was a student at the University of Cape Coast,
Ghana.
``The Nigerian was murdered by his roommates and others who
allegedly collected his school fees of $4,600 (about N7.3 million).
``Afraid that the late Anyogu would travel to Nigeria on
Feb. 19th, 2014 to reveal the collection of his money to his
parents, the gang decided to kill him on same date.
``Since then, the Ghanaian Police in support of the
University authority failed to fish out the killers even when they know them.
``We are therefore using this medium to ask your government
to look into this matter and call the police to arrest the suspects and the
stolen school fee refunded,’’ Eze said.
The mother of the deceased, Mrs Ngozi Anyogu, who also
participated in the protest, told the Ghana officials that she needs justice in
her son’s death.
Mr Isaac Essisili, the Deputy Consular General of Ghana in
Nigeria, who received the protesters’ letter assured them that his home country
was aware of the incident, stressing that justice would be done.
``We are aware of what is happening. We are responding to a
petition send by the deceased father to ECOWAS court. We will send this
petition letter now to Ghana for necessary action.
``I can assure you that the government was looking into the
case seriously. I employ you to be calm while the investigation is going
on. Ghana and Nigeria are one. We console
the family for the death.
``I may not visit the family officially due to international
laws, but on a personal ground, I would visit them to commiserate with the
family,’’ Essisili said. (NAN)
MIO/
====
Fire
The spokesperson for the police
in Lagos, DSP Ngozi Braide, said they
have arrested a 27-year-old woman for allegedly inflicting injuries on a
10-year-old girl over an alleged bed-wetting.
Braide said this on Tuesday in her office while parading the
suspect before newsmen, stressing that the offence was allegedly committed on
Feb. 29.
She said that the suspect, who claimed to work with a
private security company in Lagos allegedly beat up the victim with stick and
inflicted different injuries on the body of the girl.
``On Feb. 29th, police at Onikan Division got an
information that a little girl was in one hospital in a critical condition. The
officers went there and found the victim with her face and hands swollen as a
result of beating.
``The victim was later referred to the Military Hospital,
Awolowo Road, Ikoyi for better treatment as previous hospital taken her to
rejected her due to her condition.
``An NGO, the Hands that Cares was also invited into the
case by a good Nigerian. The NGO has taken over the case with a view to settle
the hospital bills, while calling for prosecution of the suspect.
``The State CID, Panti-Yaba had investigated the case and
the suspect will be charge to court. The legal department of the State CID
would advise us on the offence she will be charge with.
``We are going to prosecute the case in collaboration with
the NGO,’’ Braide said.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the
parade, the National Coordinator of the Hands that Cares, Mrs Jacinta Nworie said
that the suspect was a younger sister to the victim’s father.
Nworie said that the suspect allegedly collected the girl
from her father in Kogi State under the guise that she would train her in
Lagos.
``The condition we met the girl in the hospital was so bad.
The victim told us that the suspect allegedly beat her with tooth, inserted hot
ointment into her private part and use stick on her body.
``We met a man who claimed to be her father pleading that
the suspect should be release as it is a family matter, but we are not so sure
he is the father.
``We will release the girl to him if he can provide evidence
to his relationship with the girl,’’ Nworie said.
The suspect, who also spoke with NAN said that she never
meant to inflict the injuries on the girl, stressing that she was angry with
her for bed-wetting. (NAN)
MIO/
====
Monday 10 March 2014
Man, wife arrested for stealing $50,000 from employer
The Special Fraud Unit has arrested one
Festus Chukwuemeka, an employer of a Bureau de Change for stealing the
sum of $50,000 from his employer. The police also arrested Festus’ wife,
Blessing in connection with the alleged theft.
A petition dated January 27, 2014 to the Commissioner of Police, SFU
alleged that the suspect was sent to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in
company of three other staff by his employer, to collect the total sum
of $50,000 for foreign exchange business.
However ,the suspect allegedly absconded with the money and switched off all his phones.
The police said the suspect replaced his old phone number with a new
one and was only in contact with his wife, one Blessing Chukwuemeka and
his girlfriend, one Susan Ehwefan.
The police was however able to track down the fleeing suspect at the Republic of Benin, where he was hiding.
A statement by the SFU reads: “The suspect, Festus Chukwuemeka is a
32-year-old employee of a Bureau de Change, from Umuoma Okpofe in
Ezinihite Mbaise, Imo State. A mechanical engineering graduate of Abia
State University, he stated that he was employed as a driver to the
petitioner and was sent with the other staff to collect $50,000 from CBN
and as soon as he collected the money, he bolted away to Cotonou with
the said sum and switched off all his phones.
The suspect, who is married with four children, alerted his wife,
Blessing to run away with their four children which she immediately
complied with. The suspect was arrested at Benin Republic with the
assistance of Benin Republic Police authorities while he was trying to
purchase a Hiace Bus.
“He confessed to the alleged crime and stated that the sum of $17,000
was with his wife at a village after Idiroko. The wife, Blessing
Chukwuemeka, a 26-year-old petty trader with no formal education was
also arrested. She is a native of Ehime Mbano, Imo State. She admitted
that the husband called her on 21st January, 2014 and told her to run
away from the house to avoid police arrest because he had stolen a huge
sum of money from his employer.
“She further admitted that the money was kept under her custody and
that the husband came from time to time to collect from her. She was
arrested at Idiroko in a friend’s house where she was hiding. The sum of
$15,000; 2,620,000.00 CFA and N76,500.00 was recovered from her”.
“Why I opened 25 bank accounts ” – Okonkwo, fraud suspect.
A 39-year- old man, Okonkwo Nwachukwu
who specialized in opening multiple accounts with different names is
currently undergoing interrogation at the Special Fraud Unit after he
was handed over to the police by suspicious bankers.
The suspect however said the cashless policy of the Central Bank of
Nigeria forced him to open the 25 bank accounts with Zenith Bank.
A petition, dated 12th February 2014 to the Commissioner of Police,
Special Fraud Unit alleged that the suspect appeared at Amuwo Odofin
Branch of Zenith Bank to open a savings account and presented an already
completed savings account opening package with the name Obiozor Ifeanyi
and identified himself as such with a National Identity Card.
The Petitioner stated further that while the Customer Service office
was checking the documents, the suspect went to the Marketing Unit and
collected another savings account opening package and completed same
with another name Ogueji Nnamdi and returned to the Customer Service
Desk and presented same for account opening with another National
Identity Card bearing Ogueji Nnamdi.
The Petitioner added that this attempt to open another savings
account within minutes, with another identity, made the Customer Service
Officer to be suspicious and consequently, she decided to search the
system with phone number 08162502677 supplied by the customer and
discovered that the same person had already opened about 25 savings
account at various branches of the bank bearing different names.
It was also further alledged that he opened and operates a corporate
account number belonging to Chukon Integrated Limited and he also
identified himself as Okonkwo Nwachukwu when he opened the said account.
The suspect, who hails from Okija Ihiala LGA of Anambra State, said
he is into cargo business and accompanies goods from China to Lagos. He
stated that his office is located at Market Trade Fair, Lagos.
A confessional statement from the police obtained from the suspect reads:
“I opened the multiple accounts to enable me run my business
successfully. The cashless policy does not allow me to withdraw huge sum
of money in one account and, as such, I was advised to open multiple
accounts so as to spread my money. I have N50,000.00 each in 15
different accounts while the remaining accounts have N20,000.00,
N10,000.00 and N5,000.00 respectively. I forged the National Identity
Card and PHCN bills through the help of one Pepper who is still at
large. I came back from China on 27th January 2014 and started the
multiple account opening from 5th February, 2014 to 7th February when I
was apprehended.”
The Unit’s Spokes person, Ngozi Isintume Agu said investigation is
on-going to unravel the suspect’s motive behind the multiple account
opening.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of the Unit, Zubairu
Muazu also advised banks to properly cross check and scrutinize their
prospective account opening customers.
He commended the Zenith Bank management for their quick discovery of
the antics of the fraudster and advised other banks to be at alert for
such fraudsters whom it is believed work as a syndicate to defraud
members of the public.
The residents of Shanle community,
Ikorodu have appealed to the Lagos State government and security
agencies to save them from armed men that have laid a siege to the
community for weeks.
The people of Shale said the gunmen, numbering about 100 and believed
to be from the neighbouring Jajo community stormed their village on
February 17th and have continued to unleash terror on them since.
When our correspondent visited Shanle, some of the armed men were
seen loitering around while building sites were destroyed. Reports say
the gunmen claimed they were acting on the orders of one Mr. Lamina,
popularly known as Sir K.
The residents said the armed men claimed that that Shanle belongs to them and that they have restored to force to reclaim it.
Balogun Sonubi, the secretary of the Ogunbashe/Odunekan royal family
of Shanle said the gunmen are land grabbers on a mission to take what
lawfully belongs to his family.
Narrating how the gunmen invaded the community, 85- year-old Sonubi said residents were thrown into panic and confusion.
“On Febuary 16th, I came home and found a paper from the
Area “N” police command that I am wanted in the station. I went to the
station and I was informed that I am under arrest for gun possession and
that I have cocaine in my house. The police told me that people from
Jajo reported that I am threatening their lives. I was shocked and
embarrassed at this allegation and I denied that I knew nothing they
were accusing me of. The police detained me and I was granted bail.
“The next day, I was at home when a group of boys with machetes and
other dangerous weapon stormed my house. They told me that they are from
Sir K, whom we know as Lamina and they said Shanle village belonged to
them and they have come to take what rightfully belonged to them. The
hoodlums were led by one Waheedi Yaya Oshin, who claimed to be the new
Baale (traditional ruler) in Jajo. I was shocked because this land
belonged to our great grand-parents and we have been living in the
village for more than 500 years. Jajo shares boundary with us, but there
has never been any problem until last week when some people are coming
to claim our land”.
Sonubi said he reported the matter to the Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad at Adeniji Adele.
“I do not want the men in Shanle to confront these boys from Jajo. I
have reported to Federal SARS and I am expecting them to come and arrest
the trouble maker . The boys from Jajo removed the sign board we
erected and they have been on ground, harassing us. They are busy
collecting money from us, shooting as they please.”
The petition he sent to the police identified one Suraju Yaya Oshin,
Akeem Aripo, Waheed Oshin and others of ‘conspiracy, unlawful possession
of fire-arms, malicious damage and threat to life.’
A resident of the area, who requested anonymity, said he was considering relocating from the community because of the threats.
“I have been living in this community since 2003. Everywhere has been
peaceful until some gun men started terrorising us. On Saturday 22nd
February, ten armed men on okada (motorcycle) stormed my house and
stopped the renovations work going on. They flogged the men working.
They seized the tools they were using and I asked them whom they were.
The men told me they are new owner of Shanle village and I should meet
them at Jajo so they can tell me what to do to continue staying on the
land. They took all the building materials and left. I traced them to
Jajo and they told me to pay money for ratification of land. They also
charged the bricklayers N15,000. While they asked me to pay N50,000. I
told them I am a civil servant and I don’t have that amount. They later
forced me to part with N6000. I am living in fear with my family. If I
have my way, I will relocate from this community.”
Another resident of the community, who identified himself as Mr. Eze, said the gunmen are bent on causing public disorder.
“I came back from my business and I was told that some men came to my
neighbor’s house to carry their building materials away. I have been
living in Shanle since 2010. As I was relaxing in my house, the gun men
moved into the compound again and started beating the bricklayers up. I
tried to speak with these boys, but they took the tools away. They said
we have to pay for the land again or they will keep terrorising us. The
police must step in to prevent the loss of lives and property.”
The traditional ruler of the community, Mr. Salau Bakare said the
armed men also invaded his house and opened fire at his family.
“On February 17th, about 12noon, about 50 of the armed men
stormed my compound and they told me that they were in my house to kill
me. I told them they can’t. They came on motorcycle. They moved to the
next community and on their way back, they started shooting. There was
commotion in the
air. People were running, my family members ran away. The hoodlums told
me they are from Jajo, a neighouring community we share boundary with.
“The Baale of Jajo, Samson Ekudebe Abudu came to see me and he told
me his nephew, one Waheedi Yaya Oshin is the one behind the mayhem. The
armed men stole my Toyota Camry car. They have been going around
collecting money from people building houses, terrorizing others. They
set construction sites ablaze .They claimed to own Shanle. But the Baale
told me the elders of Jajo did not send the armed men. We implore the
government and the police authorities to come to our rescue to stop this
reckless behaviour of these senseless men”
The Lagos State commissioner of police, Mr. Umar Manko said officers
from the Special Anti Robbery Squad Ikeja will be deployed to restore
order in the community
“I will direct SARS policemen to go there and arrest any trouble maker,” he said.
Police figures show alarming increase in number of rape and assault cases in Lagos. The statistics are worrying.
Recently, the Lagos State Police Command released its yearly report
on the crime situation in the state and one column that jumps out is the
increase in the number of sexual assault cases, including those
directed at minors.
The figures, released by the state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim
Manko show that sexual assault of minors has increased in the last one
year, and that rape and indecent assault rose from 129 reported cases
in 2012 to 132 reported cases in 2013.
A senior police officer however cautions that though there is a rise
in reported cases of rape in the state, actual cases may be higher as
the fear of stigma and poor handling of the case might prevent more
cases of rape to be reported.
One such incident was a case of minor-on-minor reported at the
Ikorodu area of the state recently. This time, it was a 14-year-old boy
who allegedly raped a nine year old girl. The girl later died as a
result of the rape. The police said the boy had sex with the girl about
five times, she developed sharp pains in her vagina and reported to her
father, but she died shortly after.
Last December, a 12-year-old boy was arrested over allegation he
defiled a 3-year-old girl in Agege. The boy, though a minor, was charged
to court.
In January, the police arrested Yusuf Ojuolape and one Akibu over
allegation they defiled six-year-old twin sisters at Okeran Street,
Lagos Island on January 18th. The crime was exposed after the mother of
the girls noticed the swollen vaginas and raised alarm.
The police has since arraigned Yusuf at the Ebute-metta magistrate court while Akibu is said to have gone on the run.
While the case of the alleged defilement of the twins provoked, a
27-year-old man, Adegoke Apata, was charged to court for allegedly
raping his neighbour’s 14- year-old -daughter at the Ikotun area of the
state .
The charge reads: “That you, Adegoke Apata, on January 19, 2014,
around 5.30pm at 9, Omotayo Street, Abaranje Ikotun, Lagos, in the Lagos
Magisterial District, did forcefully have sexual intercourse with one
(name withheld), aged 14 years, which caused her harm and thereby
committed an offence punishable under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of
Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.” Apata however denied the allegation. When girls become mothers
Last month, the police also charged three men to court for alleged defilement of a 12-year-old primary school pupil.
The girl, who was in Primary 6 but had to stop schooling due to the
stress of the early pregnancy that resulted from the multiple rape, said
the men, who are her parents’ tenants, took turns to sleep with her
whenever her mother went out her business. She is five months pregnant.
The accused are Shaibu Isiaka 29; John Obah, 30 and Vincent Amaechi, 28.
The police arraigned the accused on a three count charge to wit
defilement. The accused were granted bail in the sum of N250, 000 each
with two sureties who have landed property in Lagos state and a Level 12
Lagos State Civil Servant. The case was adjourned to Feb. 12 2014.
A 14 year-old girl, name withheld, gave birth to a baby girl at the
Ignado General Hospital in January. She expressed happiness over the
birth of her child but lamented that the baby would be seen as a child
of rape.
Narrating how she got pregnant, the girl said: “Our neighbor called
Tobi forced himself on me when he told me to come and collect money for
my examination. He did it once and since I don’t know anything about
pregnancy, I just went about my business until my mother noticed it and
took me to the hospital. I cannot hate the child. She is mine. Though I
would like to go back to school and graduate from the university, I
cannot do that now until the baby is grown. But I will do all my best to
take care of her and still go back to school”
Mrs. Williams, the mother of the 12 year-old girl who was raped by
four men at Oworonshoki, said she will nurse her daughter to deliver her
baby.
“This is my cross. I will carry it. She is already five months
pregnant and there is nothing I can do than to cater for her and pray
for safe delivery of the baby. She is too small to be a mother, so I
will step in for her. You can see how she is behaving like a child
herself; so what will she know to do when the baby come. So this is
entirely my responsibility. I will however ensure that such a thing does
not happen again. I will do that by taking her for family planning so
she can continue her education. I want her to go to the university and
become somebody in life”.
Franca Attoh, a lecturer and consultant in the Department of
Sociology, Lagos State University blames increasing cases of rape on
phonographic films.
“The internet is readily available with video clips of sexual
displays. People can just watch it any how and when such men do not have
access to women to satisfy their aroused sexual desires, they may
pounce on any female child. I will suggest that parents take out time to
discuss sex with their children. Let them confide in you so that they
do not fall prey to rapists. The effect of rape can lead to having a
dysfunctional society where future mothers, wives and sisters have pent
up anger over the trauma they face as rape victims. It is necessary that
a stronger commitment towards eradicating rape , and other sexual
crimes are pushed in the front burners “ Tips to Protect Your Child From Abuse
1. Talk.
Talk often with your child and set a tone of openness. If your child
comes to you with concerns or questions, make time to listen and talk to
them.
2. Teach.
Teach your child key safety principles. For instance:
· The names of their body parts so that they have the
language to ask questions and express concerns about those body parts.
· Let your children know that if someone is touching them or talking to
them in ways that make them uncomfortable that it shouldn’t stay a secret.
3. Empower.
Your child should know that s/he has the right to speak up if they
are uncomfortable, or if someone is touching them. It’s okay to say “no”
even to adults they know and family members. Remember, abuse is more
often perpetrated by someone known to the child and it may escalate over
time, particularly if the abuser is a family member
4. Implement.
Implement Internet safety protocols, and parental controls through
platforms such as the Google Family Safety Center or your DSTV decoder.
5. Educate.
Educate yourself about the signs of childhood sexual abuse. Warning signs include:
· Difficulty walking or sitting
· Bloody, torn, or stained underclothes
· Bleeding, bruises, or swelling in genital area
· Pain, itching, or burning in genital area
· Frequent urinary or yeast infections
· Withdrawal
· Sleeping & eating disorders
· Phobias, Anxiety and Guilt
· Psychosomatic symptoms (stomachaches, headaches)
· School problems (absences, drops in grades)
· Poor hygiene/excessive bathing
· Regressive behaviors – thumb-sucking, etc.
Less than a week to the commencement of
the national conference, a constitutional lawyer, Dr Tunji Abayomi, has
filed a suit with the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, praying
it to stop the federal government from going ahead with the proposed
national conference.
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/ 167/204 and dated 3 March, 2014, argued
that President Goodluck Jonathan has no constitutional power to convoke
or convene a National Conference without the express backing of a law
ratified by the National Assembly.
Attorney-General of the Federation, the President of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives were joined as defendants in
the suit are.
The plaintiff asked the court to determine whether a National
Conference can be convened by the President and/or government of Nigeria
without a law made by the National Assembly enabling them to do so.
He further alleged that the federal government has already concluded
plans to spend billions of public money to fund the conference despite
the absence of any law enabling the President to convoke the conference
and notwithstanding the limited power invested in the President to use
money to execute law or any legally authorized national idea.
Consequently, he prayed the court to restrain the federal government
from going ahead with the conference, noting that if not restrained,
billions of tax payers’ money will be spent unconstitutionally by the
government under the guise of organizing a national conference.
Dr Abayomi also told the court that the President was working with
“deliberate speed” to convene the conference, a move he said ought to be
subjected to an intense judicial scrutiny.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the matter.
I will call him Sochukwuma. A thin,
smiling boy who liked to play with us girls at the university primary
school in Nsukka. We were young. We knew he was different, we said,
‘he’s not like the other boys.’ But his was a benign and unquestioned
difference; it was simply what it was. We did not have a name for him.
We did not know the word ‘gay.’ He was Sochukwuma and he was friendly
and he played oga so well that his side always won.
In secondary school, some boys in his class tried to throw Sochukwuma
off a second floor balcony. They were strapping teenagers who had
learned to notice, and fear, difference. They had a name for him. Homo.
They mocked him because his hips swayed when he walked and his hands
fluttered when he spoke. He brushed away their taunts, silently,
sometimes grinning an uncomfortable grin. He must have wished that he
could be what they wanted him to be. I imagine now how helplessly lonely
he must have felt. The boys often asked, “Why can’t he just be like
everyone else?”
Possible answers to that question include ‘because he is abnormal,’
‘because he is a sinner, ‘because he chose the lifestyle.’ But the
truest answer is ‘We don’t know.’ There is humility and humanity in
accepting that there are things we simply don’t know. At the age of 8,
Sochukwuma was obviously different. It was not about sex, because it
could not possibly have been – his hormones were of course not yet fully
formed – but it was an awareness of himself, and other children’s
awareness of him, as different. He could not have ‘chosen the lifestyle’
because he was too young to do so. And why would he – or anybody –
choose to be homosexual in a world that makes life so difficult for
homosexuals?
The new law that criminalizes homosexuality is popular among
Nigerians. But it shows a failure of our democracy, because the mark of a
true democracy is not in the rule of its majority but in the protection
of its minority – otherwise mob justice would be considered democratic.
The law is also unconstitutional, ambiguous, and a strange priority in a
country with so many real problems.
Above all else, however, it is unjust. Even if this was not a country
of abysmal electricity supply where university graduates are barely
literate and people die of easily-treatable causes and Boko Haram
commits casual mass murders, this law would still be unjust. We cannot
be a just society unless we are able to accommodate benign difference,
accept benign difference, live and let live. We may not understand
homosexuality, we may find it personally abhorrent but our response
cannot be to criminalize it.
A crime is a crime for a reason. A crime has victims. A crime harms
society. On what basis is homosexuality a crime? Adults do no harm to
society in how they love and whom they love. This is a law that will not
prevent crime, but will, instead, lead to crimes of violence: there are
already, in different parts of Nigeria, attacks on people ‘suspected’
of being gay. Ours is a society where men are openly affectionate with
one another. Men hold hands. Men hug each other. Shall we now arrest
friends who share a hotel room, or who walk side by side? How do we
determine the clunky expressions in the law – ‘mutually beneficial,’
‘directly or indirectly?’
Many Nigerians support the law because they believe the Bible
condemns homosexuality. The Bible can be a basis for how we choose to
live our personal lives, but it cannot be a basis for the laws we pass,
not only because the holy books of different religions do not have equal
significance for all Nigerians but also because the holy books are read
differently by different people. The Bible, for example, also condemns
fornication and adultery and divorce, but they are not crimes.
For supporters of the law, there seems to be something about
homosexuality that sets it apart. A sense that it is not ‘normal.’ If we
are part of a majority group, we tend to think others in minority
groups are abnormal, not because they have done anything wrong, but
because we have defined normal to be what we are and since they are not
like us, then they are abnormal. Supporters of the law want a certain
semblance of human homogeneity. But we cannot legislate into existence a
world that does not exist: the truth of our human condition is that we
are a diverse, multi-faceted species. The measure of our humanity lies,
in part, in how we think of those different from us. We cannot – should
not – have empathy only for people who are like us.
Some supporters of the law have asked – what is next, a marriage
between a man and a dog?’ Or ‘have you seen animals being gay?’
(Actually, studies show that there is homosexual behavior in many
species of animals.) But, quite simply, people are not dogs, and to
accept the premise – that a homosexual is comparable to an animal – is
inhumane. We cannot reduce the humanity of our fellow men and women
because of how and who they love. Some animals eat their own kind,
others desert their young. Shall we follow those examples, too?
Other supporters suggest that gay men sexually abuse little boys. But
pedophilia and homosexuality are two very different things. There are
men who abuse little girls, and women who abuse little boys, and we do
not presume that they do it because they are heterosexuals. Child
molestation is an ugly crime that is committed by both straight and gay
adults (this is why it is a crime: children, by virtue of being
non-adults, require protection and are unable to give sexual consent).
There has also been some nationalist posturing among supporters of
the law. Homosexuality is ‘unafrican,’ they say, and we will not become
like the west. The west is not exactly a homosexual haven; acts of
discrimination against homosexuals are not uncommon in the US and
Europe. But it is the idea of ‘unafricanness’ that is truly insidious.
Sochukwuma was born of Igbo parents and had Igbo grandparents and Igbo
great-grandparents. He was born a person who would romantically love
other men. Many Nigerians know somebody like him. The boy who behaved
like a girl. The girl who behaved like a boy. The effeminate man. The
unusual woman. These were people we knew, people like us, born and
raised on African soil. How then are they ‘unafrican?’
If anything, it is the passage of the law itself that is ‘unafrican.’
It goes against the values of tolerance and ‘live and let live’ that
are part of many African cultures. (In 1970s Igboland, Area Scatter was a
popular musician, a man who dressed like a woman, wore makeup, plaited
his hair. We don’t know if he was gay – I think he was – but if he
performed today, he could conceivably be sentenced to fourteen years in
prison. For being who he is.) And it is informed not by a home-grown
debate but by a cynically borrowed one: we turned on CNN and heard
western countries debating ‘same sex marriage’ and we decided that we,
too, would pass a law banning same sex marriage. Where, in Nigeria,
whose constitution defines marriage as being between a man and a woman,
has any homosexual asked for same-sex marriage?
This is an unjust law. It should be repealed. Throughout history,
many inhumane laws have been passed, and have subsequently been
repealed. Barack Obama, for example, would not be here today had his
parents obeyed American laws that criminalized marriage between blacks
and whites.
An acquaintance recently asked me, ‘if you support gays, how would
you have been born?’ Of course, there were gay Nigerians when I was
conceived. Gay people have existed as long as humans have existed. They
have always been a small percentage of the human population. We don’t
know why. What matters is this: Sochukwuma is a Nigerian and his
existence is not a crime.
Killing Of Children By Boko Haram: Government Not Doing Enough
Two child’s right organisations,
Africans Unite Against Child Abuse (AFRUCA-UK) and the Centre for
Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE
Nigeria) have strongly criticised the Federal Government for what they
describe as ‘negligence and indifference’ in the growing number of cases
of killings, especially of children and young students in Northern
Nigeria in recent times.
Citing the examples of the killings of an estimated 50 students of
the Federal Government College in Buni Yadi, Yobe State in the early
hours of February 25 by suspected members of the extremist Boko Haram,
the organisations said it was unacceptable that under a sovereign state
such atrocities could be going on unabated.
‘The killings of young, innocent and completely hapless students have
reached not only an alarming but also an unacceptable level. If we
agree that we have a government then the government should be able to
protect its people particularly the young and vulnerable. Unfortunately
that is not what we are seeing under this administration,’ said Betty
Abah, Executive Director of CEE-HOPE Nigeria.
She added that it was high time both government and individuals
shelved ethnic bias and religious sentiments and face the common enemy
which is terrorism.
‘We cannot continue as if all is well. A nation where children are
unsecured and cannot look to any future, either arising from
potential-stifling corruption at the highest level or the fear of being
slaughtered like mere chickens shouldn’t exist in the first place, let’s
face the raw fact,’ Mrs Abah added.
Debbie Ariyo of the UK-based AFRUCA described the situation as
disheartening. “It is the role of government to help secure lives and
property. It is not right that our children are exposed to harm and
danger at the hands of terrorists this way. Government needs to act to
ensure better protection for the citizens, especially children. In the
same vein children and families who have been displaced through the evil
acts of terrorism need to be offered protection and accommodation,” she
said.
The groups specifically lamented the series of recent killings of
students and children by Boko Haram ranging from the July 6 2013 attack
at Mamudo Government Secondary School in Yobe where at least 41 children
and one teacher were killed; the 29 September 2013 Gujiba College
massacre where suspected gunmen entered the male dormitory in the
College of Agriculture in Gujiba, Yobe State, killing at least 44
students and teachers; the Baga massacre of April 19 to 20, 2013 in
Borno State where over 228 people were murdered as well as the first
major onslaught on March 8, 2010 in the Dogo Nahawa in Plateau State
where more than 500 villagers including several children were killed in
cold blood. There were also other attacks carried out in churches,
markets with high children casualty.
‘The entire world is watching the gross human rights abuses and
outright slaughter of children with hardly any forms of reprisal action
by the government, and we urge the government to end this evil trend
henceforth. The rights of children to adequate protection even in
conflict and war situations are protected under national and
international laws and edicts and Nigeria cannot be an exception,’ the
statement added.
No fewer than six persons have
reportedly been killed in the last few days in a renewed cult-related
violence in parts of Edo state.
This recent upsurge in violence shatters what looked like a respite in gang war in the state.
Among the dead is a 500 level computer science student of the
state-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, identified as Osagie
Osamudiamen, who was allegedly shot at close range in a popular hotel in
the University town about two weeks ago.
A musician, simply identified as Jonathan, was also reported killed
in front of a hotel opposite at the popular Ekiosa market, near 3rd
Junction, in the state capital about four days ago.
Also, about four other persons were reported killed at Upper Sakponba
axis of the of Benin, specifically around St. Saviour road, near Niger
College.
The late Osamudiamen, who was said to be leader of one of the cult
groups in the university, was said to have been trailed to the location
where he was alone after being tricked to dislodge his aides who were
always with him.
There is no clear reason for the renewed clash, as a lady in AAU was also reportedly attacked with acid during the week.
Attempts to speak to leaders of the Rainbow Coalition, a body made up
of leaders of the various secret cult groups in the state that have
been championing peaceful co-existence among various the groups, failed
as calls made to their mobile phones were either not picked or did not
connect at all.
Edo State Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Moses
Eguavoen, who confirmed the killings, however said his office was still
expecting a coordinated report from the various Divisional Police
Officers whose areas of jurisdiction the killings took place.
NDLEA discovers drugs in dried fish consignment from Thailand
Officials of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nigeria Aviation Handling Company
(NAHCO), Murtalla Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have
detected narcotics hidden inside a consignment of dried fish imported
from Thailand.
Anti-narcotic Agents have apprehended a 35-year-old customs licensed
agent, Chukwu Onyekachi Emmanuel in connection with the illicit import.
The shipment was detected during inward screening of goods onboard an
Ethiopian airline flight.
According to the NDLEA Airport commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, three
different narcotics were found in the consignment containing dried fish.
“Three types of drugs were found concealed in dried fish. The drugs
recovered by the NDLEA during the search operation include 24 packs of
morphine injections weighing 14.960kg, 24 packs of pethidine injections
weighing 10.820kg and 157 packs of apresolineinjections weighing
3.505kg.
In all a total of 29.285kg was seized and a customs licensed agent
who handled the clearance of the shipment had also been apprehended”
Hamza stated.It is pertinent to note that unlike cocaine, heroin and
methamphetamine drugs like morphine, pethidine and apresoline are not
frequently seized in the country. Besides, the seized drugs have been
industrially prepared in injectable forms.
This increases risk of abuse particularly among injecting drug
addicts. The suspect who lives in Lagos with his wife and three children
told investigators that he was paid to clear the consignment. “A client
asked me to clear the consignment. I was told that the content is dried
fish. In the process, NDLEA officers said that they wanted to search
it.
I told them that it contained fish but they are free to search.
However, during examination, packs of injections were found under the
dry fish. I was then arrested” Chukwu stated. He hails from Imo State.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade in his reaction
promised to charge all persons linked with the import to court. “The
Agency shall prosecute all persons connected with the unlawful import”
Giade stated.
The NDLEA boss warned that agentsare liable and will be prosecuted if narcotics are found in their consignments.
Meanwhile, the suspect will be charged to court soon.
The Rivers state police command have
expressed concern over the activities of unscrupulous persons who parade
themselves as clergymen.
Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, the Rivers State Commissioner of police, also
advised that members of the public should be wary of such “God’s men”.
The police boss gave this warning following the arrest of three pastors for alleged fraud.
“These fraudsters, masqurading themselves as prophets, are on the
loose and prey on the gullible members of the public through the use of
false prophesy and divine pronouncements,” Ogunsakin said.
The suspects, according to the police boss, were exposed following
reports by one Mr. Umejiego ,a Director of a private organisation who
was lured into a false scheme through his wife by the operator of a
Church named “Favour Anointing Ministry.
The church, at number 7A Ojoto Lane Mile 3,Diobu, Port Harcourt is allegedly operated by one Prophet Victory Ibe.
“Ibe confessed to be a perpetual dupe and that he has always had in
his possession a pro-forma change of ownership which he used to make
people part with their properties,” he said.
The police alleged that Mr. Ibe tricked Mr. Umejiogo to part with his
Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep to “sow as seed” into Mr. Ibe’s life.
“He (Ibe) thereafter produced a change of ownership which he promptly
got signed by the unsuspecting victim who immediately handed over the
original documents to him(Ibe) together with the vehicle ” Mr. Ogunsakin
said.
Luck however ran out on Mr. Ibe when the vehicle was involved in an accident.
Church robbery: Slain policemen not on official duty – Commissioner
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo
State, Mr Mohammed Indabawa, on Monday said the two policemen killed
during a robbery operation in a church on Sunday in Ibadan were not
on official duty.
A gang of robbers invaded Vine Branch Church on Queen Elizabeth Road,
Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State on Sunday, killing two policemen.
It was gathered that the robbers attacked the church to snatch offering and tithe boxes.
The policemen were said to have escorted some bank officials to pick up the church offering and tithes.
Indabawa, who spoke to journalists in Ibadan, described the
incident as unfortunate, but insisted that the officers were not on
official assignment.
“We are, however, investigating what or who took them there,” Indabawa said.
Two policemen were shot when armed robbers invaded the Vine Branch Church located on Queen Elizabeth Road in Ibadan.
The robbers reportedly struck soon after the offerings were
collected, attacking the van brought in by bank officers and the two
policemen shortly after the offerings were collected.
Although the robbers were unable to access the money, the two
policemen were shot dead while many church members were injured.
Indabawa, however, said that the police would not condone any
criminal act, adding that they would do everything to curtail crime
in the state, especially with the approaching elections.
The police also paraded nine robbery suspects arrested between January and February for different robbery cases.
Two of the paraded suspects confessed to hijacking a trailer marked
KRD 949 XB that was conveying soya meal on the Ibadan-Ife expressway
on February 6.
The master-mind of the incident confessed to reporters that he was
owed four months salaries by the company conveying the product.
“I planned the hijacking with my friends to get back at the company
for not paying my salaries for four months and laying me off.
“I am on N17, 500 per month and I intended selling off only the
product. I have never stolen before now and I am, therefore, asking to
be forgiven,” he said.
Another suspect was arrested with bullet wounds on his thigh.
He stated that he sustained the wound on January 13 at about 2.18
a.m while escaping after a robbery operation at Idi Ori, Sasa, Ibadan.
The Bauchi State Police Command on
Tuesday confirmed the kidnap of Yusuf Nuhu, a member of the state House
of Assembly, by unknown gunmen.
The spokesman of the command, Haruna Mohammed, told newsmen in Bauchi
that Nuhu, who represents Lame constituency in the House, was abducted
on Monday night in Zalau village.
Mohammed said that a police patrol team pursued the kidnappers into a
forest on the boundary between Bauchi and Kaduna states.He said that
the kidnappers abandoned their car when they realised they were being
pursued by the police and took Nuhu into the forest.
He said that the police had cordoned off the area and were searching for the kidnappers and their victim.
Mohammed said that the car had been recovered, adding that eight
rounds of ammunition were found in it.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that Nuhu is the latest victim of kidnapping in the state.
It would be recalled that three health workers on polio vaccination
exercise were abducted in Darazo town on March 2; two of the workers
were later released.
The third victim, Malam Ali Garba, is still being held by the
abductors, even as the police command says its men are doing their best
to free Garba from his abductors.
