Headline

38 Years After, DSS Removes Top Journalist From Watchlist

Published

2 years ago

May 12, 2022

The Department of State Security, DSS, has removed journalist, Lanre Arogundade, from watchlist.

Arogundade was featured for 38 years in the DSS list but the Director-General of the Service, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, said that his name has been removed.

Addressing a delegation from the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) who visited him in Abuja, Mr. Bichi said the DSS acted based on a long-time watchlist.

Arogundade, director of the Lagos-based International Press Centre (IPC), has since February 10 been detained by officers of the DSS after he arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, upon his return from Banjul, The Gambia.

Bichi, while providing more details said the journalist was put on the list during his days as the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

Arogundade was NANS president between 1984 and 1985 while he was student at the Obafemi Awolowo University. President Muhammadu Buhari was Nigeria’s head of state at the time.

The DSS DG said after Arogundade was initially removed, there arose another case of mistaken identity triggered by a request by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

According to Mr. Bichi, “We don’t intercept people willfully at airports. We do so based on requests from other government agencies who may have issues with the persons affected”.

The DSS DG spoke on Mr Arogundade’s case after the IPI Nigeria delegation condemned the journalist’s treatment by the secret service while also raising other cases of harassment of media professionals by the agency.

Responding to the other issues about violation of the rights of journalists, which were raised by the IPI Nigeria delegation, the SSS boss emphasized the need for close collaboration between the media and the Service.

He said this was necessary to address many of the ‘misconceptions’, because “our mission is peace”, and that though a security outfit, “the SSS is too friendly” to be antagonistic of the media.

Earlier in his remarks, the President of IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, lamented the rising incidents of violation of the rights of journalists while performing their constitutional duties of upholding the people’s right to know and holding governments, individuals and corporations accountable.

Citing the 2021 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, Mr Mojeed lamented the ranking of Nigeria as one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, who he said are often spied on, attacked, arbitrarily arrested or even killed.

He reiterated the commitment of IPI Nigeria in ensuring credible and independent journalism, media freedom, freedom of speech and the free flow of news and information, saying, “We will always stand firm and resist any measure or action that threatens these matters and principles for which we stand”.

He said all oppressive and repressive policies and actions directed at the media must be resisted so as not to allow authoritarianism, poor governance and corruption to thrive in Nigeria.

“As we all know, Section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution is clear in compelling “the press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media to, at all time, be free to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people,” he said.

He appealed to the SSS DG to educate and prevail on officers and men of the Service all over the country to desist from harassment of journalists, and that they should also not allow themselves to be used by politicians, public office holders and other individuals who happen to be on the wrong side of media reporting.

“Such (aggrieved) individuals should be advised to seek redress in court instead of coming to the SSS (to complain),” Mr Mojeed added.

The president informed his host that IPI Nigeria would henceforth demand accountability in any case of harassment of journalists in the country.

“For a start, we are opening a black book to document all security personnel and other individuals involved in the harassment of journalists in Nigeria,” he said. “The records so gathered will be shared periodically with embassies, and all relevant international and human rights groups across the world. We will use the records for intense advocacy with a view to getting perpetrators to be held accountable one way or another.”

Those in the IPC Nigeria delegation to the SSS headquarters included its Secretary, Ahmed I. Shekarau; the Director, Digital Media, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Hajia Sani; the General Manager/CEO of Trust TV, Ibrahim Shehu; a director with Ambience Blue Communication, Tunde Ipinmisho; Deputy Editor, 21st Century Chronicle, Catherine Agbo; and Ag. Editor, Peoples Daily, Sunday Ode.

Headline

Teenager Jailed For Life For Murder Of 16-year-old Boy At House Party

Published

12 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Editor

A teenager who stabbed Mikey Roynon, 16, to death with a “zombie knife” has been jailed for life.

Shane Cunningham, 16, fatally stabbed Mikey Roynon in the neck with a large hunting-style knife during a 16th birthday house party in Bath, Somerset in June 2023.

Mr Justice Saini sentenced him to life in jail with a minimum sentence of 16 years before he could be released for parole after he was convicted of murder.

Teenager jailed for life for murder of boy, 16, at house party
Shane Cunningham

His co-accused – Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight, both 16 – were convicted of manslaughter after being acquitted of the more serious charge.

A judge sentenced Bushnell to nine years of youth detention, while Knight was given nine-and-a-half years’ youth detention.

The judge ruled that all three could be identified despite their age after an application by the PA news agency.

Cunningham had claimed he was acting in self-defence, claiming during the trial that Mikey had swung a knife towards friends in the garden of the property. But the jury saw through his story following a trial at Bristol crown court.

Mikey collapsed on the driveway with heavy bleeding from a single knife wound to his neck.

Police, paramedics and doctors soon arrived at the scene in Weston, a north-west suburb of Bath, but Mikey died.

The defendants ran off and threw away their weapons, two of which were recovered by police.

Detective Inspector Mark Newbury said: “That three boys armed themselves with knives to go to a teenage girl’s 16th birthday party is utterly unconscionable.

“Mikey went to that party to socialise and to have a good time. Instead, he was attacked with a horrifying weapon, suffered a catastrophic injury and tragically lost his life.

“Mikey was a much loved teenage boy and his family have been left totally devastated.

“They have shown incredible bravery and have courageously spoken out against knife crime since his death, which is something they should never have to do.

“Since Mikey’s death, other young lives have been lost across our policing area and as a result we have launched a proactive operation to tackle and disrupt serious violence and knife crime involving young people.

“However, we know police enforcement alone won’t solve the problem and we’re working closely with our local authority partners, our colleagues in education and health and the Violence Reduction Partnership to identify the root causes and divert young people away from criminality.

“Our communities are also key and we’d like to encourage parents to talk to their children about knife crime – to make sure that they understand the terrible consequences carrying a knife can have and also how to report if they have concerns about someone they know carrying a knife.”

Headline

Shock As Woman Who Visited Hospital For Scan Was Told She’s Dead

Published

14 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Editor

A woman was left shocked when she turned up to a hospital scan only to be told by staff that her records showed that she was already ‘’dead.”

Susan Johnson from Scarborough was left ‘shaking by a leaf’ after staff at the Bridlington Hospital in Yorkshire told her their records showed she’d been dead for four months.

The incident left Susan, 62, a retired housekeeper, baffled that her husband Bob needed to bring her a strong coffee to help calm her nerves.

The mother-of-two told BBC News: ‘I gave them my letter and their first words were, “ooh you’re dead”.

‘I said, “pardon?”. I was in shock.

‘Then they put something on the computer so I could have the scan and then they just said, “bye” and that’s it.’

It is unclear how the mistake happened as when Susan contacted her GP, they told her that the mistake had been fixed.

However, when she contacted the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the call handler told her she was still marked as already dead on the system.

‘On the computer you’re dead,’ she was told. Susan then informed her she couldn’t be dead as she was on the phone and talking.

The error meant that Susan’s carer’s allowance for looking after her disabled husband Bob briefly stopped, though this has now been fixed.

She said she shut down completely after the news and said there was nobody to talk to about the mistake.

Scarborough Medical Group told the BBC they’d received an electronic instruction about the ‘death’ from Primary Care Support England (PCSE).

Susan is concentrating on her hobbies of gardening and knitting as she recovers from the shock.

An NHS spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an issue involving a civil death registration being incorrectly recorded against a patient’s medical record.

‘This was removed within 24 hours of it being reported to us in March 2023 and the patient was re-registered by their GP.

‘We would encourage the patient to contact us directly so we can explain further.’

Headline

PHOTOS: Sandhurst Trained: UK High Commissioner Hosts First Nigerian Female To Graduate From Premier British Military Institution

Published

19 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Editor

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has congratulated Princess Owowoh on making history at the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS).

Taking to X.com on Thursday, Montgomery expressed his pleasure in meeting Owowoh, who was accompanied by an officer from the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Sharing photos, he wrote, “I was pleased to meet 2nd Lt. Princess Owowoh, the first Nigerian female officer cadet to graduate from the UK’s

#RMASandhurst, accompanied by Lt. Col Nyiam from the #NDefenceAcademy to congratulate her on making history, hear about her experience, and reflect on our Nigeria-British relationship.”

Owowoh graduated from the RMAS as the first-ever Nigerian female officer on April 12.

She joined the NDA in Kaduna in 2018, where she was appointed as a cadet lance corporal in her second year.

She rose to a cadet sergeant in her fourth year and was appointed company senior under Officer Charlie (CSUO C) in her fifth year.

Owowoh held the appointment with two other female counterparts and made history by becoming the first female to hold the position of CSUO at the academy.

During her fourth year, she completed the academic component of the commissioning course, achieving first-class honours in biological sciences.

See the photos below: