Headline
Northern Cyprus: FG Requests Turkey To Protect Nigerians, Lists Slain Citizens
Published
3 years agoon
By
Editor
The Nigerian government has requested the Turkish government to ensure the safety of its citizens in Northern Cyprus.
This is contained in a statement issued by Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, on Thursday in reaction to recent developments.
Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media and Public Relations reacted to a letter purportedly written to the commission by the Turkish Ambassador.
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The reported memo by the envoy Hidayet Bayraktar was on the welfare of Nigerians living in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
The federal agency said no official letter was received till date, except the unsigned one being circulated in the media.
Balogun recalled that NiDCOM chief, Dabiri-Erewa and officials visited the Turkish Embassy twice to discuss issues about Nigerians but got no response from Bayraktar.
He said petitions are received regularly from Nigerians, especially parents whose children had been victims in Northern Cyprus.
The spokesman lamented that a number of deaths recorded in TRNC are yet to be resolved.
Some which occurred from 2016 till date include: Ibrahim Khaleel Bello (25), son of Justice Amina Ahmad Bello of Kaduna State High Court (2020); Gabriel Soriwei, a first year student of Electrical Electronics of Cyprus International University, Nicosia.
Kennedy Taomwabwa Dede (28), an Eastern Mediterranean University student killed on February 1, 2018; Walshak Augustine Ngok, a student of Marine Engineering at Near East University, murdered on April 19, 2019.
Osabanjo Adeola Owoyale (33), found dead on July 1, 2019; Augustine Wallies killed on April 19, 2019; Stanley Eteimo (28); Hassan Babatunde (28); Temitayo Adigun.
Kubiat Abasi Abraham Okon, Oziegbe Gospower Airekugose, Olasubomi Ope were other listed victims of murder.
NiDCOM expressed optimism that the Turkish Embassy would provide a positive response to its demand for the protection of Nigerians.
The statement, however, clarified that the commission’s recent statement was only an advisory.
“One has the option to either key into it or ignore. It should not be misconstrued as an attempt to scare away potential travellers to TRNC.”
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The agency added that whether it is Nigerians killing Nigerians or drug-related crimes, there is danger emanating from Northern Cyprus.
Nothing that unfortunate criminal incidents are recorded across the globe, it maintains the occurrence of such incidents is not a daily routine.
NiDCOM urged Turkey and TRNC authorities to take all unsolved murder cases seriously by ensuring thorough investigations.
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Headline
Court Jails Two For Targeting President With Sorcery
Published
4 hours agoon
September 15, 2025By
Editor
A Zambian court on Monday sentenced two men to two years in prison with hard labour on charges of attempting to use witchcraft to kill the country’s president.
Mozambican national Jasten Mabulesse Candunde and Zambian village chief Leonard Phiri were arrested in December in possession of charms, including a live chameleon.
Police said they planned to use the charms to harm President Hakainde Hichilema, and they were charged with professing knowledge of witchcraft and possession of charms.
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“The motive of the crime was to kill the head of state,” magistrate Fine Mayambu ruled in the capital Lusaka on Monday.
“The convicts were not only enemies of the head of state but all Zambians. I therefore sentence them to 24 months imprisonment with hard labour from the date of their arrest,” he said.
The prosecution said the men had been hired by the brother of opposition MP Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda, who is facing trial for robbery, attempted murder and escaping custody.
Headline
Two Nigerians Face Jail Terms In Liberia’s Piracy Trial
Published
4 hours agoon
September 15, 2025By
Editor
Criminal Court ‘D’ in Monrovia is set to deliver judgment this week in Liberia’s first piracy trial, involving two Nigerian nationals accused of hijacking a cargo vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.
According to court records, the defendants were arrested earlier this year after a Liberia-flagged ship was seized by armed men while transporting goods through international waters. The crew sent a distress signal, prompting international maritime forces to intervene.
The suspects were subsequently transferred to Liberian authorities under global maritime cooperation protocols.
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According to Liberia’s news platform, Front Page Africa, the case has attracted attention because Liberia maintains one of the world’s largest open ship registries, yet prosecutions for piracy within its domestic courts have not previously occurred. Under international law, Liberia holds jurisdiction over crimes involving ships registered under its flag.
On Monday, proceedings took a new turn when defense lawyer, Cllr. Bestman Juah, informed the court that the defendants had admitted responsibility for the hijacking and were requesting a plea-bargain arrangement. State prosecutors did not oppose the request, leaving open the possibility of reduced sentences in exchange for full cooperation.
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Resident Judge Mameita Jabateh-Sirleaf, who presides over Criminal Court ‘D’, will rule on whether to accept the plea deal and determine the sentencing framework. The ruling could also address deportation measures following imprisonment.
Criminal Court ‘D’ handles cases involving armed robbery, terrorism, hijacking, and other serious crimes, and the piracy trial represents a growing trend of transnational offenses being prosecuted within Liberia’s judicial system.
As of press time, the court has not announced the date for sentencing.
Headline
Spain Cancels $825m Israel Arms Deal Over Gaza
Published
4 hours agoon
September 15, 2025By
Editor
The Spanish government has cancelled a contract worth nearly 700 million euros ($825 million) for Israeli-designed rocket launchers.
The move comes after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced last week that his government would “consolidate in law” a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel over its offensive in Gaza.
The contract, awarded to a consortium of Spanish companies, involved the purchase of 12 SILAM rocket launcher systems derived from the PULS platform made by Israeli firm Elbit Systems, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance.
First reported by local media and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the cancellation was formalised on Spain’s official public contracts platform on September 9.
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The following day, Sanchez unveiled measures aimed at stopping what his leftist government called “the genocide in Gaza”.
It includes the approval of a decree imposing a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel due to its military offensive in Gaza, launched after the Hamas attacks in October 2023.
Spain applied the ban as Israel stepped up its military onslaught.
Spain has also formalized the cancellation of another contract for 168 anti-tank missile launchers, which were to be manufactured under license from an Israeli company.
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That contract, valued at 287 million euros, had been first reported by the press in June.
According to Spanish daily La Vanguardia, the government is undertaking a broader review to phase out Israeli weapons and technology from its armed forces.
Sanchez has emerged as one of Europe’s most outspoken critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Gaza policy.
READ ALSO:Hamas Accepts New Gaza Truce Plan – Official
Relations between the two countries have been tense for months.
Israel has not had an ambassador in Spain since Madrid recognized the state of Palestine in 2024.
Last week, Spain recalled its ambassador to Israel after heated exchanges over Sánchez’s new measures.
The Barcelona-based Delas Centre, a security research institute, estimated in April that since the start of the Gaza war, Spain had awarded 46 contracts worth $1.044 billion to Israeli companies, based on public tender data.
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