Headline

Police Under Fire For Shooting Journalist

Published

2 years ago

May 31, 2022

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has described as an act of aggressive and misplaced terrorism, the shooting of The Nation’s correspondent by operatives of the Nigeria Police in Osun.

The group condemned the shooting which happened on Tuesday when the Nation’s correspondent, Toba Adedeji was covering students’ protest at Orita Olaiya.

HURIWA said it is regrettable that the Nigeria Police force has not learnt any positive lessons from the nationwide protests last year in which millions of Nigerians demonstrated against its brutality, aggression and gross human rights violations.

HURIWA lamented that due to the ineffective leadership of the Police Service Commission, PSC, there is a steady spike in cases of professional misconduct, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to reorganise the hierarchy of the PSC given that the current leadership has become lethargic and unproductive.

HURIWA in the statement signed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said it is simply an act of terrorism against media freedoms for the men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force to turn their guns against media workers whose profession revolves around bringing information about the activities of government to the people.

The rights group said the reason why the police operatives have continued to torture and kill journalists is that cases that have happened in recent times were swept under the carpets, adding that the Police authority is much more concerned about covering up the evil practices of their operatives than ensuring that those who go against the law are sternly reprimanded and sanctioned in line with the due process of the law.

HURIWA said it is incumbent on the citizens of Nigeria to resist any attempt by security forces to undermine the enjoyment of the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights and must at every time resist the attempt to frustrate the job of the members of the fourth estate of the realm whose responsibilities are protected under Section 22 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which makes the media as the conscience of the nation and the Vanguard of good governance.

The organisation said the moment the media becomes too scared to monitor the activities of government then democracy will die a natural death.

HURIWA blames the widespread Police impunity and lawlessness for the demise of professionalism and discipline amongst the ranks and file just as the Rights group tasked the Inspector-General of Police Alhaji Usman Alkali Baba to ensure that the police operatives comply with the Nigeria Police Act of 2020 which obliges them to adhere strictly to the due process of the law, respect fundamental human rights of the citizens and to operate within the guidelines that oblige the operatives to adhere to best global practices.

HURIWA has also called for the arrest and prosecution of the police operatives who shot at the journalist.

It, therefore, called on the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the unprovoked attack against the correspondent of The Nation Newspaper in Osun State and to pay adequate compensation.

DAILY POST.

Headline

Grammy Winner Found Dead In Her Apartment

Published

8 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

Grammy-winning singer Mandisa, who rose to fame on season five of “American Idol,” has died.

She died on Thursday, April 18 at the age of 47, her representative said Friday.

“We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased,” her representative said in a statement. “At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details.”

“We ask for your prayers for her family and close knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement concluded.

A post on the artist’s Facebook page said early Friday: “Mandisa was a voice of encouragement and truth to people facing life’s challenges all around the world. She wrote this song for a dear friend who had passed in 2017.”

“Her own words say it best. I’m already home / You’ve got to lay it down / ‘cause Jesus holds me now— / And I am not alone.”

Born and raised in Citrus Heights, California, Mandisa studied music in college before auditioning for Idol in 2005.

Mandisa’s shot to stardom after placing ninth on “American Idol,” alongside favorites like Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry, Paris Bennett, Elliott Yamin and eventual winner Taylor Hicks.

After her Idol elimination, Mandisa went on to release her debut album, True Beauty, in 2007. The LP debuted at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums charts, a historic feat that made Mandisa the first new female artist ever to debut on the top of the chart’s 27-year history.

True Beauty was the first six albums Mandisa would release throughout her career, including an acclaimed 2008 holiday record, It’s Christmas, and her most recent offering, 2017’s Out of the Dark.

She went on to win a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2014 for her album “Overcomer.”

Headline

Man Sets Self On Fire Outside Trump Trial Venue

Published

10 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

A man set himself on fire Friday outside the court where Donald Trump is standing trial in Manhattan, with officers rushing to extinguish the flames.

Burning clothes were strewn in the park, which was locked down by authorities, while ambulances lined up nearby on standby, an AFP correspondent at the scene saw, describing a strong smell of burning chemicals.

The scene unfolded moments after the full panel of 12 jurors and six alternates was selected for the trial of the former president in a hush money cover-up case.

“A male did light himself on fire outside of the Supreme Courthouse. We’re still gathering details from the field,” said a New York Police Department spokesman.

The fire department did not respond to a request for comment, but media reported the man had been taken away for medical treatment.

The incident happened in a park opposite the 100 Centre Street courthouse, which has been used by authorities to corral protesters, both pro-Trump and anti-Trump, as well as by some members of the media.

The park, which is close to several courthouses and other buildings, is a popular local lunch spot.

Trump’s criminal trial, the first of a former president, is being conducted amid tight security in a 15th-floor courtroom swarming with Secret Service officers as well as court police.

New York’s police department had promised a major deployment to ensure the trial passes off safely, with the force’s head of intelligence John Hart calling it a “major challenge.”

AFP

Headline

Police Storm Iranian Embassy In Paris After Man ‘In Suicide Vest’ Threatened To Blow Himself Up

Published

15 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

A man has surrendered to police after he reportedly threatened to blow himself up at the Iranian consulate in Paris with a suicide vest.

According to Mail Online, the man gave himself after 2pm, walking out of the consulate with his hands in the air and giving himself over to police at the scene.

‘He had no explosives or weapons on him,’ said a security source. ‘He was placed under arrest immediately and taken away to a secure police station for questioning.’

Specialist BRI officers continued to swarm around the area, together with sniffer dogs, just in case explosives had been hidden in the area.

‘The security perimeter will be maintained for a while yet,’ said the source.

The individual was for a time holed up inside the building in the French capital’s 16th arrondissement in a room with the ambassador, one report said.

He was said to be wearing an explosive belt and equipped with an object that resembled a grenade, Europe 1 and other sources reported earlier.

The area was cordoned off and evacuated, with a police source saying that an ‘intervention was imminent’.

This suggested officers had been preparing to storm the building.

‘A witness saw a man enter carrying a grenade or an explosive belt,’ a source told France’s AFP news agency, adding that an elite police unit had been mobilised after the consulate requested an intervention.

‘The man presented him at the consulate, and then removed his coat, to show off an alleged explosives vest,’ another security source said at the scene.

‘He said he was carrying a grenade, and then placed a national flag on the floor. He said he wanted to avenge his brother.’

Police ordered the city’s Metro Line 6 to be interrupted as a safety measure.

Europe 1 reported that the embassy contacted the police requesting assistance, reporting that the man was inside the building. It said he was holed up in a room inside the consulate ‘in the presence of the ambassador’.

There were no reports of an explosion.

The incident came amid increasing tensions between Israel and Iran, with the Jewish state today launching strikes against the Islamic Republic.

This was in response to Iran launching over 300 missiles toward Israel on Saturday, 99 percent of which were intercepted by Israel and its allies.