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IYC Pushes For Constitution Review, Deputy N’tional President Tasks Committee On Encompassing Law

Published

1 year ago

June 18, 2024

Editor

The Deputy National President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Comrade Freedom Atigbi, has appealed to the committee saddled with the responsibility of reviewing constitution of the apex Ijaw youth body to do all it could to bring to bear a constitution that is encompassing.

The Deputy National President made the appeal at a constitution review public hearing held at Ogbe-Ijoh clan in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, Western Zone.

According to Atigbi, the present national executives of the IYC met and deliberated extensively on the present constitution, discovered several lucuna, and agreed an amendment of the present constitution, a process he said would have commenced since January but due to some circumstances it couldn’t start.

The National Deputy Presiden acknowledged the fact that successful IYC national executives made attempts to review the constitution but failed due to the manners they handled it – starting the amended process towards the end of their tenure.

He said: “Before now, successful governments at the Council have promised to put a constitution review committee but along the line they would not do anything until ro towards the end of their tenure. And you know when you start a constitution amendment process towards the end of your tenure a lot of politics will come to play.”

He continued: “But the present NEC sat and discussed issues extensively, and agreed that the constitution amendment process should commence immediately. Our plan was that the process will start by January, and by March it should be adopted but due to some circumstances we are still on it.

“So, at NEC, we have done our part, I want to therefore appeal to you to put all that is possible to bring to bear a constitution that is encompassing so that at the end of the day, your names (constitution review committee members names) and our names (National Executives of IYC) will be in good record.”

He also appealed to members of the executives to give the necessary support to the committee for a successful process.

On his part, Chairman of the 9-man Constitution Review Committee, Barrister Matthew Ayibakura, promised to do everything possible to be transparent and make sure everyone aired his or her view.

According to him, the committee members have no right to input their opinions but to take people’s views across the three zones and chapters, compiled such opinions and submit such to the National Executives for further action.

The committee chairman said they have been to Eastern and Central zone for the public hearing, adding that after Western Zone hearing, the committee would move to Lagos and Abuja before compilation of council members’ views for onward submission to NEC.

Earlier, in his welcome address, Chairman, Western Zone of the IYC, Comrade Nicholas Igarama, while thanking the committee members for effort being put in place so far, promised the committee of an enabling environment.

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Morocco Jails French Rapper Maes For Kidnapping Bid

Published

11 hours ago

November 26, 2025

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A Moroccan court has sentenced French rapper Maes to seven years in prison on charges including the formation of a criminal gang and attempted kidnapping, local reports said Wednesday.

Maes, who has roots in Morocco and whose real name is Walid Georgey, was arrested upon landing in Morocco in January after fleeing the United Arab Emirates, where he feared he could be extradited to France, the reports said.

French authorities had issued an international arrest warrant for him over a separate criminal case.

He appeared in court late Tuesday and was found guilty of “forming a criminal organisation, attempted abduction and unlawful confinement” of a rival in Morocco, news website TelQuel reported.

The rapper with over a billion views on his YouTube channel was accused of tasking a gang and hitmen with killing the rival, but the plot was foiled, TelQuel added.

Maes has denied all charges, with his lawyers calling the case “empty” and “arguing that no evidence linked him to the other defendants”, TelQuel added.

Ten other people were sentenced as part of the case, with terms ranging from one to 10 years, according to news website Media24.

AFP was unable to independently verify the reports as prosecutors were not immediately reachable for comment.

In 2020, when Maes was one of France’s most-streamed rappers, he fell victim to extortion attempts in his native Sevran, a suburb north of Paris, according to reports.

He retaliated by opening fire with weapons he had at home, leading to a shootout. He then fled to Dubai with his family, according to an interview with French YouTube channel LEGEND.

Following the killing of his manager in 2022, he was suspected of ordering reprisals against those he believed were behind the murder, according to reports.

AFP

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UK Court Clears Comedy Writer Of Harassing Transgender Woman

Published

11 hours ago

November 26, 2025

Editor

A London court on Tuesday cleared Emmy award-winning comedy writer Graham Linehan of harassing a transgender activist online but found him guilty of criminal damage to their mobile phone.

Linehan, who co-created the popular 1990s sitcom “Father Ted” but has more recently become well-known for his gender critical views, had been accused of sending Sophia Brooks “abusive and vindictive” messages on social media.

He was also charged with criminal damage after deliberately knocking a phone out of Brooks’s hand as they filmed him on the sidelines of a London conference.

Ruling on the case, District Judge Briony Clarke said she was not convinced Linehan’s conduct “was oppressive and unacceptable beyond merely unattractive, annoying or irritating”.

Clarke also concluded Brooks was not “as alarmed and distressed as they portrayed themself to be”.

But convicting Linehan of criminal damage, the judge ruled he was “angry and fed up” and did not use “reasonable force” when the phone was taken from Brooks.

Clarke fined him £500 ($655) and ordered him to pay costs of £650 and a statutory surcharge of £200.

The Irish writer, who also co-created the popular sitcoms “Black Books” and “The IT Crowd”, became embroiled in a free speech row in Britain earlier this year over his anti-transgender stance.

It followed his arrest at London’s Heathrow Airport by armed police over accusations of inciting violence with his X posts insulting transgender people.

The arrest sparked a backlash and claims of state overreach, including from US tech billionaire Elon Musk. But in October, UK prosecutors said they would take “no further action” in that case.

AFP

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Prosecutors Seek Jail For Italian Influencer Ferragni In Fraud Case

Published

11 hours ago

November 26, 2025

Editor

Italian prosecutors asked a court on Tuesday to sentence fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni to one year and eight months in prison if found guilty of alleged fraud over charity endorsement deals.

The Instagram star and businesswoman has been on trial since September for aggravated fraud over promotions of a pandoro cake — a Christmas treat similar to a panettone — and Easter eggs, which purported to raise money for charity or social causes.

The 38-year-old, who is based in Milan, told the court during the closed-door hearing on Tuesday that she denied the charges and had always acted “in good faith”, her lawyer Giuseppe Iannaccone said.

Leaving the audience, Ferragni told a throng of journalists that she felt “confident… I can’t say anymore”.

A verdict is expected in January.

Aggravated fraud carries a jail term of between one and five years.

But Ferragni has chosen a fast-track trial, which gives defendants a sentence reduction — meaning she cannot receive more than a maximum penalty of two years and three months, according to a source close to her team.

In Italy, people sentenced to prison for less than two years rarely serve jail time.

Ferragni started out with a fashion blog, The Blonde Salad, in 2009, and in 2017, Forbes magazine named her its top fashion influencer.

Chronicling her glamorous lifestyle and being paid to promote high-end brands, she built the blog into a lucrative business, then used it as a springboard to launch her own eponymous label with stores around the world.

Her trailblazing story even became a Harvard Business School example of how social media fame can be monetised.

But the fraud accusations have hit her reputation and her endorsements.

Outside court for a hearing earlier this month, Ferragni acknowledged to journalists that it was a “difficult phase of my life”.

The allegations relate in part to Ferragni’s 2022 endorsement of a pandoro cake purportedly to raise funds for children undergoing treatment at a Turin hospital.

In December 2023, Italy’s communications watchdog (AGCOM) fined two of Ferragni’s companies one million euros ($1.2 million) for unfair commercial practices for the “Pandoro Pink Christmas” promotion — around the same sum they had made in the deal.

Shoppers were led to believe that buying the special edition cake made by Balocco would benefit the hospital, but it only received a single 50,000-euro donation from the company.

Balocco was fined 420,000 euros at the same time.

AGCOM also investigated Ferragni-branded Easter eggs from 2021 and 2022, linked to a social enterprise initiative.

Ferragni and her husband, rapper and music producer Fedez, who were one of Italy’s most famous celebrity couples, split in 2024.

AFP