A former President of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Dominic Oneya is dead.
According to family sources, the former army general who hails from Agbarho community, in the Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta state, died on Thursday at his Effurun GRA residence in the state.
Oneya, who died at 73, was in 1996 to 1998 military governor of Kano State.
And between 1998 and 1999, the late army general was the military governor of Benue State during the reign of Abdulsalami Abubakar.
The late army general was born on May 26, 1948.
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Gunmen suspected to be bandits have kidnapped the father of the Speaker of Zamfara State House of Assembly, Alhaji Nasiru Muazu Magarya.
The armed men also abducted the Speaker’s stepmother, uncle and four others during an attack on his community, Magarya in the Zurmi Local Government Area of the state.
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The speaker represents Zurmi East in the State House of Assembly.
Zurmi told Daily Trust that the armed men invaded the community on Wednesday evening.
“This is the fourth time they are attacking the community. The first one, they killed some people while during the second assault they torched residential houses and carted away cows and other domestic animals,” he said.
The Director General, Press Affairs of the state House of Assembly, Mustapha Jafaru Kaura told the newspaper that they would soon issue a press statement on the matter.
“I’m right now with the Honourable Speaker, we will issue statement, give us some times please,” Mustapha said.
Spokesman for the state police command, SP Muhammad Shehu, also said the command would soon issue a press release.
Mrs. Mercy Excellent Ihem, a pregnant woman has narrated how one Barrister Umeakuekwe Stanley Izuchukwu forcibly evicted her family from their home, destroyed the roof and ceiling of her apartment, and made her go into forced labour.
The incident happened on July 2, 2021, at No 5, HVW Close, Federal Housing, Kubwa, Abuja following a disagreement over the renewal of rent.
The property is said to be managed by Izuchukwu on behalf of its owner, Mr. Yahaya Omaye, who is based in the United States of America (USA).
Izuchukwu allegedly hired some people who invaded Mrs Ihem's apartment and destroyed the roof and ceilings, leaving her children homeless, despite not having any court order backing the eviction of the family from the house.
The lawyer who was said to be at loggerheads with Mrs Ihem had threatened to make life miserable for her for refusing to vacate the apartment.
SaharaReporters gathered that Mrs. Ihem moved into the one-bedroomed apartment on April 5, 2020, and was expected to renew the rent the same month in 2021.
She said she had pleaded with the lawyer to give them till the following month (May) to make the payment, but he refused to allow them to renew the rent.
Trouble started when Izuchukwu insisted that if they must stay in the apartment, she must pay the rent in April using another tenancy agreement after staying for one year.
But when Mrs. Ihem eventually informed him of her readiness to pay for the rent the lawyer changed his mind and rejected the money, telling her that a new tenant had paid for the property and that she should move out.
Following this development, she was subjected to all manner of humiliation and harassment, with electricity and water supply deliberately cut off while the roof and ceilings of her apartment were destroyed by unknown persons believed to be acting on the orders of Izuchukwu, to force her out a day before her Estimated Delivery Date (EDD) as she was pregnant at the time.
She also alleged that showering debris from the destruction carried out in the house fell on one of her children.
The lawyer was said to have ignored all the entreaties and appeals made by neighbours and friends of Mrs Ihem, to be patient and allow the woman to have her baby before taking any action.
Mrs. Ihem was later admitted on July 3 to a private hospital at Gwagwala, where she eventually had her baby.
She explained that her blood pressure (BP) rose to 189/120 owing to the traumatic experience she had been passing through.
She said, "Barrister Stanley came on Saturday and said 'Madam, if you people don't want to park out, I will make life more miserable for you, and I will also jail you. He disconnected the electricity and water supply to my apartment.
"I was uncomfortable and started having labour pains on July 1st in the night, I managed till July 2nd before leaving for the hospital. If I had gone to Kubwa General Hospital, they would have carried out a Cesarean Section (CS) because my blood pressure (BP) was very high. I delivered my baby with my BP reading 180/150.
"On my way to the hospital, people started calling me on the phone but I couldn't pick up because I was in labour. A friend called me from London to inform me that they were removing the roof and ceilings of my apartment.
"Roof fell on the head of one of my children when they were destroying the house. All my properties have been destroyed by rain.
"They threw my children outside because my husband was not staying with us in Abuja, he was in Lagos. I don't know what made him treat us like this when we had never had any issue at all.
"When the Barrister visited me in the house, I asked him 'why are you doing this as if we have owed you for over a year? This is just April and my husband told him that he will be coming next month'. But he refused and insisted that we must move out of the house."
Mrs. Ihem also accused Izuchukwu of conniving with the police in an attempt to twist and change the narrative and conceal the truth.
She said he submitted a petition at Kubwa Divisional Police Headquarters (Phase 4), accusing her of being guilty of breach of public peace and criminal trespass.
Investigation revealed that the lawyer told the police that he had never met Mrs. Ihem in his life and that she was a criminal staying in the house illegally.
The police, upon receiving the petition, hurriedly invited and detained Mrs Ihem's husband, Victor Ihem.
However, he was later released when he provided the police with the receipt of the rent and tenancy agreements bearing Izuchukwu's name, signatures, and office address to prove they occupied the apartment legally.
The documents further revealed that Izuchukwu deliberately twisted and distorted facts to turn the case against the family after the damage already caused them.
However, when SaharaReporters contacted Izuchukwu for reaction, he denied all allegations levelled against him, saying that he was the one that filed a petition against her for damaging his properties.
He also said he was not in Abuja when the incident happened and that the police had brokered a peace deal for them.
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Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje has said Nigerian unity should not be debated despite numerous challenges confronting the country.
The governor said the nation’s forefathers who liberated the country from British colonialists sought its unity at all cost and did not speak of secession for their ethnic groups.
Kano Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
He then urged different separatist groups, mainly Biafra and Yoruba Nation agitators, to suspend their secessionist activities in the interest of a united Nigeria.
The Kano state g1overnor urged the aggrieved groups to call for restructuring instead of sponsoring and promoting separatist agenda.
Ganduje said this during the Second Quarterly Public Lecture Series of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Press Corps, held at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja on Thursday.
repeat here that Nigeria is a united and indivisible country. Our constitution has taken care of that. I don’t see secession as the way out of the current challenges afflicting the nation. Instead, advocates of secession should have a change of heart and I recommend dialogue as a crucial option for addressing their problems.
“The Biafran agitators and a small section of the Yoruba nation agitating for Oduduwa Republic should therefore always have this at the back of their minds in their political calculations and transformations.
“It is on record that the great Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first president of Nigeria, was an Igbo man and also a perfect negotiator and foremost champion of Nigeria’s unity. The same for the great Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He never agitated for secession.
“He was loud and clear on the restructuring of the federation. And that demand is even louder and the debate is on and no one is troubling agitators for agitating for restructuring of the federation. What is more, the governing party, the APC has a working document already on this (restructuring). This is the way we should all go. There should be no secession distraction at this time,” Ganduje said.
He also stated that other ethnic minorities can only have their interests protected under one Nigeria.
“Secondly, they argue that in addition to the big three ethnic groups, we have over 300 others scattered across the country. So if the country breaks up into three, dominated respectively by each of the big three, as is advanced by the separatists, what will be the fate of these other minorities?
“So they posit that this ethnic and religious diversity can best be managed within a federal republic of a united NigGovernor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje has said Nigerian unity should not be debated despite numerous challenges confronting the country.
The governor said the nation’s forefathers who liberated the country from British colonialists sought its unity at all cost and did not speak of secession for their ethnic groups.
He then urged different separatist groups, mainly Biafra and Yoruba Nation agitators, to suspend their secessionist activities in the interest of a united Nigeria.
The Kano state g1overnor urged the aggrieved groups to call for restructuring instead of sponsoring and promoting separatist agenda.
Ganduje said this during the Second Quarterly Public Lecture Series of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Press Corps, held at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja on Thursday.
“Let me repeat here that Nigeria is a united and indivisible country. Our constitution has taken care of that. I don’t see secession as the way out of the current challenges afflicting the nation. Instead, advocates of secession should have a change of heart and I recommend dialogue as a crucial option for addressing their problems.
“The Biafran agitators and a small section of the Yoruba nation agitating for Oduduwa Republic should therefore always have this at the back of their minds in their political calculations and transformations.
“It is on record that the great Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first president of Nigeria, was an Igbo man and also a perfect negotiator and foremost champion of Nigeria’s unity. The same for the great Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He never agitated for secession.
“He was loud and clear on the restructuring of the federation. And that demand is even louder and the debate is on and no one is troubling agitators for agitating for restructuring of the federation. What is more, the governing party, the APC has a working document already on this (restructuring). This is the way we should all go. There should be no secession distraction at this time,” Ganduje said.
He also stated that other ethnic minorities can only have their interests protected under one Nigeria.
“Secondly, they argue that in addition to the big three ethnic groups, we have over 300 others scattered across the country. So if the country breaks up into three, dominated respectively by each of the big three, as is advanced by the separatists, what will be the fate of these other minorities?
“So they posit that this ethnic and religious diversity can best be managed within a federal republic of a united Nigeria,” Ganduje added. eria,” Ganduje added.
August 26 and 27, 2021 have been fixed for the burial of the late Nollywood actress, Rachel Oniga, by her family
This was disclosed on Wednesday by the actress' son, Mr Oniga in Lagos.
Mr Oniga noted that the wake would hold on August 26 at her residence in Magodo, Lagos while she would be laid to rest on August 27 at a cemetery yet-to-be disclosed by the family.
Rachel Oniga died at age 64 on Friday, July 30 after battling with a heart-related ailment.
Her son, Mr Oniga explained that her death shocked many because she cared about people’s well-being.
”My mother’s death is shocking to me. In fact, I don’t believe she is dead. When I see her phone ring, and she is not there to take the call, the reality dawns on me,” he said.
“She was a philanthropist who is always bothered about the needs of others.”
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The United States Government has described the ban on the operations of Twitter in Nigeria and the directive that all social media platforms operating in the country must register and obtain a licence as worrisome.
US Consul General to Nigeria, Claire Pierangelo disclosed this during an event tagged ‘A Conversation on Press Freedom, Freedom of Expression and Civic Space in Nigeria’ said the actions “have no place in a democracy and an infringement on the rights of Nigerians to freedom of expression.”
“Nigerian government’s ongoing suspension of Twitter and stated intent to introduce registration requirements for other social media platforms are deeply worrisome,” Pierangelo said.
She asserted that “banning or significantly restricting social media, including under threat of prosecution, undermines Nigerians’ human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Peoples Gazette reports.
She said the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration's orders have significant consequences on the freedom of the press but stated that the US was encouraged by the meetings between Twitter and the government to resolve the suspension.
The Buhari-led government had on June 4 announced the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. Telecommunication companies started blocking access to Twitter on June 5, after they received a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission to block access to Twitter.
Nigerian government had cited the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence as the reason for the suspension.
Following the ban, groups including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), had dragged the government to the ECOWAS court.
The government however told a Federal High Court in Lagos that it had not stopped Nigerians from using Twitter, adding that many Nigerians still used it every day.
Since the ban, most Nigerians have been using Virtual Private Networks to continue to access the microblogging site.
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The Imo State Police Command has released the photo of a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Fatmann Dooiyor, killed during an attack by unknown gunmen on Omuma Divisional Headquarters in the state on July 26.
Omuma is the hometown of Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma in Oru East Local Government Area of the state.
Police spokesman, Mike Abattam in a statement said the command is proud of Dooiyor, describing him as a patriot, professional and dedicated officer.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Abutu Yaro, wished the deceased eternal rest.
The police had on Monday confirmed the arrest of 26 suspects in connection with Dooiyor’s killing.
Parading the suspects, Abattam, alleged that they were responsible for the recent attacks on the Omuma and Njaba divisional police headquarters.
Abattam said guns, magazines and other weapons were recovered from the hideout of the suspects when it was raided by the personnel of the command.
The police spokesman had said, “Sequel to the recent attack on the Omuma and Njaba police stations, where the bandits were swiftly repelled by the tactical teams of the Imo State Police Command, and the unfortunate loss of a divisional police officer, one of the bandits, Emmanuel Nnaji, 15, a native of Awala in the Ideato South LGA of Imo State, was arrested with bullet wounds and brought to the station.
“On interrogation by the command’s tactical teams, the suspect gave a vivid description of a hotel located in Orlu as the place where the bandits stayed and planned before they executed their dastardly act on the police stations. He further stated that the owner of the hotel had been accommodating and assisting them financially.
“He then volunteered and led security forces to the location of the hotel. On arrival, the hotel and house were cordoned off and searched; the following exhibits were recovered from the 26 arrested suspects, including seven females: one AK-47 rifle with two magazines loaded with 55 rounds of live ammunition, five pump action guns, two double-barrelled cut-to-size guns, four double-barrelled locally-made pistols, three single-barrelled locally-made pistols, eight live cartridges, charms, two bags of weed suspected to be Indian hemp, Biafran flag and beret, ESN cap, four pairs of army camouflage uniforms, a camouflage bag, and a signboard with the Biafra insignia.
“It is on good record that it was in the same hotel that the head of a young man was severed and placed on the road close to the hotel premises. Presently, investigation is ongoing and the suspects are undergoing interrogation.”
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There are indications that Precious Chikwendu, a former beauty queen and estranged wife of former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has been arrested and detained by the police in the Federal Capital Territory.
A human rights activist, Harrison Gwamnishu stated in a Facebook post on Wednesday nights disclosed that Precious was detained after honouring an invitation by the Force CID, Area 10 in Abuja.
Fani-Kayode and Precious ChikwenduINSTAGRAM/@REAL_FFK
This followed allegations of criminal intimidation, blackmail, deflation of character and malicious publication by Fani-Kayode against his ex-wife, according to the police invitation letter sighted by SaharaReporters.
Gwamnishu wrote, "I spoke to Precious Chikwendu this morning and she told me she’s going to honor Police invitation. I immediately reached out to Tracy Mcwary to follow up and ensure she get (sic) all necessary support.
"She has been detained by police, courtesy Femi Fani-Kayode who has continued to deny her access to her kids. For those of you saying back off, Precious is my friend and there is no way Harrison will back off.
"A mother needs her children and that’s all seek #FreePrecious."
The former beauty queen also shared a photo of a letter from the police inviting her for questioning at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Abuja.
“So these two, think they would use the police that is meant for all of us to intimidate me? Jokers. Mr Fani-Kayode and Grace Bent, you would tell me what this show of power is all about if not for my kids. If you had any shame, you would sit with my lawyers and straighten issues. It’s a shame we got to this bridge,” she said.
Precious and the former Minister have been locked in a child-custody battle following their break-up in August 2020.
Fani-Kayode, who had had a hat-trick of marriages before meeting Precious with whom he has four sons, including a set of two-year-old triplets, accused her of infidelity.
Sources told SaharaReporters that the former Minister started physically abusing Precious from the first year of their marriage -- the same fate that befell her three predecessors.
The violence, it was gathered, increased as the years went by.
FFK as the ex-minister is often referred to, was said to have ordered Precious to abort her last pregnancy, claiming it did not belong to him.
The sources said Precious ignored him but got savage beating, including on her belly for the recalcitrance.
A source said Fani-Kayode always hit the woman violently in presence of their homehelps and sometimes threatened her with a gun by sticking the weapon in her mouth to warn her against squealing.
He sometimes instructed his bodyguard to hit the ex-beauty queen.
Fani-Kayode’s first wife, Saratu Attah, whom he married when he was 22, was also regularly pummeled by him.
Sources said the woman, daughter of the late Adamu Attah, was viciously beaten for requesting a swimming pool in their home on Marine Road in Apapa, Lagos. FFK's next marriage was to Yemisi Odesanya, daughter of a judge. She is now known as Yemisi Wada after remarrying.
In newspaper interviews, the woman told stories of Fani-Kayode's viciousness and lack of care for their daughters, the reason for which he was excluded from the marriage of one of them, Temitope, in 2014.
Despite the disconnect between him and the children, FFK never fails to advertise his "love" for them on Facebook on their birthdays.
Precious recently told the Court of Appeal in Abuja that her former husband lacks the capacity to cater for their four children.
Precious alleged the oldest among their children had stopped school, and that their young triplets had yet to start schooling.
The plaintiff, who demands a monthly payment of N3.5 million for the upkeep of their four sons, had alleged in her suit before an Abuja High Court that Fani-Kayode, “beat her up on several occasions even while she was pregnant.”
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The #RevolutionNow Movement has postponed the RevolutionNow nationwide protest which was slated for today, August 5, to a later date.
And as it marks its second anniversary on Thursday, August 5, it has set its sight on pursuing an "intensive struggle" to free the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, who started the #RevolutionNow Movement, while explaining the reason for the postponement, said it is due to the need to have a bigger and larger mass action for the year (2021), but noted that the movement will engage in symbolic activities for today (Thursday).
The activist also observed that since the inception of the RevolutionNow protest in 2019, many Nigerian citizens have now gained more confidence and knowledge of how a revolution will help them out of their current misery.
A media advisory from #RevolutionNow read, “Today is August 5, 2021, as expected, today marks the 2nd anniversary of the introduction of REVOLUTION into the political lexicon of Nigeria’s checkered history. It was the first time a group of courageous citizens took on the behemoth corrupt, undisciplined, incompetent, feudalistic and fascist Nigerian political system with the plan to distinctly demolish it to save Nigerians from perdition and possible extinction.
“When the event of August 2019 hit in over 20 cities across Nigeria too it took many by surprise such that 5 million people searched and sought to know the meaning of REVOLUTION on google.com.
”Today, many of our citizens have gained more consciousness and better political understanding of how a REVOLUTION would put an end to their misery and birth a new era where social and economic justice will be accorded a prime place in their lives.
“The struggle for #RevolutionNow slated for today was dedicated to the release of unjustly detained citizens by the regime.
“We are happy to announce that the cowardly regime led by Muhammadu Buhari has yielded by releasing Shiites leader Ibrahim El-ZakZaky, #Oduduwa12 abducted from the home of Sunday Adeyemo aka “Sunday Igboho,” #Dunamis5 arrested and tortured for wearing #BuhariMustGo T-shirts to Church, several #EndSarsProtesters have all been granted reprieve while we pursue our next intensive struggle to #FreeNnamdiKanu and several other victims of impunity, we commend our commitment colleagues for a job well done!
“These token victories would however not eclipse our ultimate goal to upturn the rotten system of patronage, greed, predatory conduct and authoritarianism by the Nigerian political elite led by Buhari.
”However, due to the need to have a bigger and larger mass action for this year, it was decided that we would step down today’s direct action and only engage in symbolic activities. A new date will soon be announced for global mass action against tyranny and oppression in Nigeria. There is no alternative to a People’s revolution. #Revolutionnow #Buharimustgo.”
Meanwhile, Sowore earlier said only a revolution can set Nigerians free from the shackles of bad leadership and tyranny in the country.
He also noted that the results of the 2023 general elections have been written in advance by Nigerian leaders.
Sowore had called on Nigerians to join the August 5 nationwide protest taking place in all cities and towns in continuation of agitations such as the #RevolutionNow and #TakeItBack struggles.
Also, the Coalition for Revolution (CORE) has earlier declared August 5, 2021, the commencement date of protests against bad leadership in Nigeria
Tagged ‘Buhari Is A Full-Blown Pandemic, Quarantine Tyranny', the group urged Nigerians to troop out to demand a better Nigeria. It listed a series of demands which it said are non-negotiable.
On August 03, 2019, two days before the planned #RevolutionNow nationwide protest, the Department of State Services (DSS) abducted Sowore around 1:30 am in Lagos State for creating and championing ‘#RevolutionNow’, a hash tag used to criticise President Muhammadu Buhari's administration on social media over poor governance.
The activist and Amnesty International designated Prisoner of Conscience had accused the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration of badly managing the affairs of the country and called on Nigerians to reject the wickedness of the government.
He was moved to the agency's headquarters in Abuja where he was illegally detained for 144 days despite different court orders issued for his release.
The DSS had accused Sowore of baseless crimes like money laundering and that he was plotting to overthrow President Buhari even though it failed to produce any evidence to substantiate its claim.
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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has warned Nigeria's security operatives and unknown gunmen in the country to desist from killing innocent people in the South-East or face the wrath of the group.
IPOB alleged that the nation’s army and police are still silently killing residents of the region.
File Photo: IPOB members
The group stated that the victims are mostly arrested and killed by soldiers and police officers who tag them as members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) to execute their ethnic cleansing agenda in the region.
It also accused Nigerian security forces of feeding the public with lies by saying it invaded ESN camps, adding that no member of the group was missing.
IPOB disclosed these things in a statement by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, made available to SaharaReporters on Wednesday.
Powerful mentioned in the statement that the people of Okporo and Umutanze in Orlu, Imo state are being killed by unknown gunmen.
“We the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), ably led by our great leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, hereby caution those who call themselves unknown armed men rampaging communities in Biafra land particularly those killing innocent people in Okporo and Umutanze Orlu, Imo State, to immediately stop the ethnic cleansing or brace for mass resistance by the people.
“Nigeria Police should stop parading innocent people and tagging them as ESN personnel because there is no nobody looking or missing in IPOB.
“Parading innocent people and tagging them ESN shows that Nigeria police and army have failed it and don't know their job, since Nigeria abandoned their duty and focus on dishing false information to the public.
“We are out to expose them with their covert lies. Those you paraded to the public are not ESN members. Nigeria must stop ridiculing itself in the world because everyone is watching their activities.
“Nigerian Police must release those they picked and tagged them ESN operatives or charge them to court. ESN is special people ordained by God Almighty Chukwu Okike Abiama which Nigeria army and police will not approach where they are," it said.
The group also said “Nigerian army, police and other security agencies cannot reach or enter ESN camp," adding that the information both have been given to the public is false.
“If this secret genocide is not halted, both the perpetrators and their sponsors will be dealt with in no distant future. It is regrettable that some shameless politicians would connive with the oppressors to kill their own who committed no crime other than demanding their freedom from the Nigeria contraption.
“These Efulefus and evil politicians decided to sponsor Nigeria army and police to attack innocent Biafrans in Orlu and other places in Biafra land to implicate IPOB and ESN,” the statement read.
IPOB accused Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma and other politicians in the region of conniving with the security agents to kill innocent people.
It stated that the security forces are disguising as unknown gunmen to massacre people, but declared to resist the genocide and retaliate if they do not stop.
IPOB in the statement titled, ‘The Secret Genocidal Attacks On Biafrans By The Nigeria Security Agents Disguising As Unknown Armed Men Must Stop – IPOB’, vowed to check the attacks.
“Today, the Nigerian army and police are killing our people, burning their houses and blaming their abominable actions on unknown gunmen. We, therefore, warn them to stop this madness or they will be testing the will of our gallant Eastern Security Network, ESN, operatives.
“The unprovoked attacks by Nigerian Army and Police on innocent Biafran citizens under the guise of unknown armed men must stop or the monsters will consume those that created them. IPOB will no longer allow the ongoing secret genocide against hapless Biafrans by the wicked Nigeria security agencies and their collaborators.
“We are warning politicians and traitors amongst us supporting this evil agenda to call it quits or brace up for the wrath of the people. We are aware that Fulani terrorists in Abuja instructed Hope Uzodinma to create them to implicate IPOB and ESN but we will prove to them that we are smarter.
“It is ridiculous to think that IPOB which has been operating for many years now will suddenly start killing,” the statement added.
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Katsina Emirate Council has banned open grazing of animals within the Katsina metropolis and its surrounding areas.
The prohibition on open grazing in Katsina Emirate was contained in a statement signed by Wakilin Kudin Katsina, Alhaji Abdu Iliyasu, on Wednesday.
President Muhammadu Buhari on his farm in Daura, Katsina State
According to Iliyasu, the order became effective from Tuesday, August 3, Vanguard reports.
The spokesman for the Katsina Emirate Council, Mallam Iro Bindawa said he was out of town and could not comment on the development until he returned.
Governor Aminu Masari had last month, revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved N6.25 billion for the state for a ranching project, adding that N5 billion of the money had already been made available.
This comes on the heels of the Nigerian Government’s opposition to the ban on open grazing by Southern Governors in their meeting in Asaba, Delta State, some months ago.
It came as Kaduna State government established on Wednesday the death of 25 persons in renewed attacks on four communities of Kauru Local Government Area of the state by bandits.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, confirmed this while giving an update on the attacks on Ungwan Magaji, Kishicho, Kigam and Kikoba villages of Kauru Local Government on Tuesday.
He also said property worth hundreds of millions of naira were damaged during the attack.
“The figures bring the total number of those who died in the attack to 25, with three persons injured, 68 farms destroyed and 63 huts burnt,” he said.
The newspaper also reported that gunmen, suspected to be bandits, invaded some homes and abducted five persons, including two children in Suleja, Niger State.
The gunmen had raided Kwankwashe, a community located along Suleja-Madalla highway in Niger, about 30 minutes drive to Abuja.
Efforts to reach the spokesman of the state police command, Wasiu Abiodun, at press time were futile.
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The first female Senator from the North-East, Grace Bent has denied an allegation by Precious Chikwendu, a former beauty queen and estranged wife of former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode that she was using the police to intimidate and harass her.
Precious had alleged on her social handles that Bent was after her life and running errand for Fani-Kayode to deny her custody of her children.
But the former senator in a statement obtained by SaharaReporters stated that “as a mother and law-abiding citizen, she has decided to clear her name from the malicious statement by seeking justice through the law enforcement agency and also weighing the option of a legal proceedings.”
Bent stated that she has never had anything to do with Precious as she has only met her twice.
In a statement signed by her Public Relations Officer, Timothy williams, the former Adamawa Senator noted that she had to make a swift report to the law enforcement agency as the allegations made against her person are weighty.
The statement read, “As a civil and law-abiding citizen of Nigeria, the distinguished Senator immediately reported the matter to the Police, and investigation is ongoing. For the records, a swift report had to be made to the relevant enforcement agency, because the publication alleged that the distinguished Senator was after the life of Ms. Precious Chikwendu.
“This is a very weighty allegation of assassination tendencies and intendment.
The publication also alleged that Senator Grace Bent was out to pervert the course of justice by making efforts at muscling Ms. Precious Chikwendu to abandon her child custody suit.
“This is another bold allegation of criminality and disregard for the rule of law which no citizen of Nigeria who knows his / her onions would be mute over.
"Lastly the publication falsely alleged that the distinguished Senator is on an errand for Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and that they will together abusively activate the machineries of enforcement agencies against Miss Precious Chikwendu.
“As earlier noted a complaint has been submitted for investigation bearing in mind that the publication was primarily meant to incite the public against the distinguished Senator and to criminally damage the reputation she has built over the years.
“Senator Grace Bent is a mother to many and a grandmother who appreciates family values and mutual respect for all and sundry. Her interface with Ms. Precious Chikwendu is not in any way significant, and is limited to about only two occasions.
“This is the more reason it became imperative to lodge the complaint, because the suggestion that the Senator wants to murder her is dangerous, inexplicable and unfathomable. Unfortunately, the witness referred to in the said publication is Mrs Binta Sambo Dasuki, of whom Col. Sambo Dasuki (her husband), and the husband of Senator Grace Bent, Chief Jackson Bent, have been very good friends and were military course mates for several decades.
“Similarly, Senator Grace Bent and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, the former Minister of Aviation who was once married to Precious Chikwendu, have been friends and political affiliates for many years, with mutual respect for each other. Friends don’t deny each other, when they go through stormy waters.
“Her utmost respect for the dignity of the Court will not in the remotest terms, allow her to interfere with judicial process or the course of justice, whether in the custody case involving Chief Femi Fani–Kayode's children or any other person.
“Finally, Senator Grace Bent is consulting with her team of lawyer and will not hesitate to seek appropriate redress against the wrongs meted against her, both in law and equity.”
NewsAddThis : Original Author : SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :
German sportswear manufacturing company Puma has announced the dissolution of their kits contract with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
The German company disclosed the termination of the four-year deal in a letter dated August 4 and was signed by PUMA’s Director Manuel Edlheimb obtainable to SaharaReporters on Thursday.
“We are referring to the licensing and sponsoring agreement signed between our company and your federation.
“As a direct consequence of the recent developments, particularly at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 and pursuant to clauses 9.2 and 7.3 of the Agreement, we hereby terminate the Agreement with immediate effect.
“PUMA especially declares to be discharged from any or all obligations towards all stakeholders involved and reserves all rights against these entities and individuals.
“The official notification is dispatched to all stakeholders listed on page two,” Edlheimb said in the statement.
The AFN under the leadership of Ibrahim Gusau had agreed the $2.76 million (about N1.2 billion) deal with Puma on July 24, 2019, in Doha, Qatar but the contentious deal is one of the major causes of the crisis rocking the agency.
It had split the athletics body into two factions, with both Gusau and his vice president Sunday Adeleye accused of sidelining other members of the board during the signing of the deal.
The Sunday Dare-led sports ministry insisted that Team Nigeria athletes were not going to use Puma kits at the ongoing Olympic Games despite the Gusau group sending them to Tokyo.
“It is common knowledge that the former AFN president, Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, with his co-travellers, is desperate to extricate himself from a contract that he controversially signed the AFN into, which has now placed him in a position of trying to blackmail Team Nigeria into wearing the kits.
“Ibrahim Gusau has conveniently neglected to tell Nigerians that he and Sunday Adeleye signed a non-disclosure agreement with Puma, with the details unknown to the ministry and board members of the AFN.
“The minister and the ministry will not commit the Nigerian government and Nigerian athletes to a deal which the ministry has not sighted the contractual documents that ties Nigerian athletes to a five-year contract with Puma,” the sports minister, Dare said.
Before Team Nigeria’s departure, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo had unveiled Afa Sports as the official kits supplier for Team Nigeria.
But explaining the cause of the crisis, Adeleye, a former Technical Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, said the AFN already had a contract with Puma.
In an interview with Arise TV, Adeleye said, “There is another disaster waiting for Nigeria. We have a contract with Puma, which we signed in 2019 and we got kits worth $2.7 million. Puma were supposed to kit Nigerian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics but the minister is saying the athletes should not wear them because he is bringing another company to kit them.
“Now, Puma is already threatening because part of the agreement was that we would wear the kits at the Olympics. Now that we are not wearing these kits at the Olympics, Nigeria risks being charged to court for breach of contract.”
Adeleye said the Puma kits were still made available for the athletes but the sports minister, Dare said rejected offer.
Adeleye added, "We know there is this leadership crisis, but we agreed that even though we are not going to the Olympics the team should have the kits which have since been supplied.
"They are our athletes going to Japan to compete for our country. Mark it, we did not pay a dime, But the minister is saying because he has a problem with Ibrahim Gusau and Sunday Adeleye you will not have the kits. $2.7 million dollar worth of kits for free for 5 years. In this country where we are borrowing to do almost everything, you are saying you don’t care if Puma will take us to court? I think something is wrong somewhere.”
According to Adeleye, the Puma kits were sent to the Nigerian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan but the minister insisted that Team Nigeria would have nothing to do with the kits.
This, according to him, could be costly if Puma presses for compensation.
According to the Gusau-led AFN, gold medallists at the Olympic Games were billed to get $15,000, silver medallists, $5,000, and bronze medallists $3, 000 from the terminated Puma deal.
SportsNewsAddThis : Original Author : SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :
A YouTuber, Israel Balogun who runs the Wholeness Africa Initiatives channel, has alleged death threats to his life by members of the Omega Fire Ministries led by Apostle Johnson Suleman over a 'Miracle Money' scandal.
In one of his videos on YouTube, Balogun analysed and condemned a video from two of the programmes of the church, one in Atlanta, USA, titled, 'Impact 2021' which was held in July and a June 2021 programme, Holy Ghost Conference 2021 held in Auchi, Edo State Nigeria, tagged, 'Harvest of Miracle Money'.
Balogun, in the video, that has generated controversies, had said there was nothing like miracle money but a planned scheme to make people believe angels were dropping money into their accounts.
He also alleged that the pastor and ministers of the church will use such tactics to take double of such amounts from church members who received the miracle money.
The video of the controversial programme shows Suleman saying, "The Holy Ghost just whispered to me, I'm going to pray and make declarations, after that you will check your account.”
Another voice said, "Papa (a term used by church members for Suleman), there is a miracle alert here, she just got her alert of $1,000."
Suleman said again, "Miracle alert, as you get it, run here. Angels begin to put money in your account."
In his analysis that has now brought about threats, Balogun said, "Apostle Suleman is destroying the gospel of God, why would a man begin by telling people there will be miracle money in their accounts, you are using the name of Christ to do Miracle or Magic?
“This is not the gospel, this man stood in the midst of the people, in the church in Atlanta and in his church in Nigeria asking people to bring out their phones and there would be miracle money in their account. You must not fold your arms and allow such a thing to continue, Nigerian Christian leaders must dissociate themselves from something like this, they must tell the world that they are never part of the gospel that this man is preaching.
“This is not Christ, this is not Christianity, this is voodoo, this is magic, this is not from God and it can never be from God. God does not deposit money in people's accounts, angels do not share money. It is either this guy has some people behind the scenes who have pre-collected people's bank details, who do not even know they wanted to use it for anything.
“They might have asked people to fill some particular forms and asking them to make their bank details on that form and using that form to distribute the money at the time the programme was going on. These people are going to pay more for the money they collected, time will come when they will ask them to sow the seed and pay 'dangerous tithes', they will pay double of that money back to the ministry and this man (Suleman) is using this tactic. There is nothing like angels distributing money into people's accounts.
.
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"This video is that of a man who has an arrangement with some guys, this is what they do behind the scenes. They would have collected information of people before now and so when the man starts the programme, the guys who want to do it have already programmed it, automated payments at the time the money will be released.
“And when the time comes, those people will pay in double because that trick will make them believe it is God and henceforth whatsoever the man of God tells them has to be obeyed, that is why I said the church must stand against that kind of practice and bring sanity back to Christianity.”
In a follow-up video, Balogun said he was being threatened for all he had said in the video. According to him, members of the Omega Fire Ministries have reached out to him, threatening to kill him and ’get rid of him'.
He said, "After the video that I made analysing how Apostle Johnson Suleman did a 'Miracle Money' in Atlanta and in his church in Nigeria, this year 2021, June and July, I have received countless calls, messages from his members telling me that they are coming after me, that I will get missing, they will make sure no one hears of me, that they have the power to send me to where I belong.
“As a matter of fact, one of them said and confirmed on his platform that he will let me hear the language that I understand and I think the last time such message was mentioned in my country, Nigeria, means that anyone who carries firearms will be shot or those called bandits shot on sight and I have never been part of bandits or to carry firearms, but the guy said I will be gotten rid of."
Balogun also played a recording from the conversation he had with one Obi-West Utchaychukwu, a purported follower of Apostle Suleman who said, "You are suffering, you are looking for followers, you have the guts to ridicule Apostle Suleman, wait I will send my photo to you, you will see my photo on WhatsApp, I travelled to Ukraine and I interview undercover.
“I have Adelaja, your mentor, on my palm and for me to kill you is a small thing and I will pick you up, I am already on your case. You are looking for followers that will subscribe to your channel. You want to use the man of God, you want to use Apostle Suleman for ridicule so that you will get traffic to your page, you are lying, I will get you, go and mark it, I will get you."
Balogun continued, "This call comes from a man who called himself Obi-West Utchaychukwu, he lives in Finland and he called me on WhatsApp threatening me that my life is about to come to an end because I spoke against the 'Money Miracle' of Apostle Johnson Suleman in Atlanta and not only that, many of the members of Omega Fire have come to my DM to threaten me, that they will shut me up, they said they know the address of my house, that they know where my wife works and where my family resides, they said they are coming for me.
“I am making this video to Nigerians and to anyone watching it right now, if I get missing, if nothing is being heard of my family, if anything happens whatsoever, know that these men are the ones behind it. They will say it, they will do it and this phrase of 'you will get missing is common to Omega Fire Ministries founder, Apostle Suleman because on many occasions people had issues with him and we have heard audio messages of him talking to someone that the person will not be found anymore.
“I don't know when I will get missing but I am calling on Nigerians and other well-to-do individuals, please do not let my death be in vain, because these men could be dangerous and whatever it is.
“I, Israel Balogun, will not stop talking until the day I get missing, I will keep talking about the messages that have polluted our pulpits that have turned our Christianity to paganism, I will continue to talk until mammon is dethroned, and Christ takes over his pulpit in Nigeria, I will continue to talk until you guys stop encouraging laziness and commanding money into people's accounts.
“God himself designed the earth that until we till the ground, we can never make profit. It is labour that gives profit, not a miracle when people begin to have money in their accounts just by a pastor commanding it, you have destroyed the value of labour, work, dignity, you make people believe in miracles that can change their stories overnight instead of them to pass through the process of success.
“Apostle Johnson Suleman, you can kill me, you can get rid of me, you can call IGP (Inspector General of Police) to pick me up today but remember, there are millions of my kind that will rise up in Nigeria, that will spring forth; they will speak and demand that you stop doing this.”
ChristianityNewsAddThis : Original Author : SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :
Crowds of people have gathered in Melbourne's CBD to protest Victoria's sixth lockdown.
Video of the rally showed people, many of them maskless, walking through the city on Thursday night and chanting "Free Victoria", "sack Dan Andrews" and "no more lockdown".
There was a strong police presence and footage shot by a protester appeared to show several people being arrested.
"If you wait, it will spread. Once it spreads, you can never even hope to run alongside it, let along get out in front of it and bring it back down to zero or a low number of cases.
"This thing moves so fast. There is no debate or discussion about this - the Delta variant moves at lightning speed and by the time you get the people they have already infected, all the people they live with, all the people they work with, all the people they spend time with.
"We can't allow that to happen otherwise we are locked down until Christmas."
Three teenagers have been charged after an alleged assault in Sydney's west left another boy fighting for his life in hospital.
Police and paramedics were called to the house on Perigee Close in Doonside yesterday afternoon where a 16-year-old boy was found unresponsive and suffering injuries to his head and chest.
They were all taken to Blacktown Police Station where they have now been charged.
They face charges of causing grievous bodily harm to a person with intent and detaining in company with intent to get advantage, occasioning actual bodily harm.
They are assisting with inquiries.
They were refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Children's Court tomorrow.
No fewer than 115 people have been killed and 500 arrested in the South-East region of the country by Nigerian security agents in four months.
Also, both the military and police have jointly tortured innocent civilians and subjected them to crueltreatment in their numerous raids.
Among those who became victims of ruthless attacks of the security operatives were the volunteers of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), a militia arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
These revelations were made by Amnesty International in a Press Release obtainable to SaharaReporters on Wednesday.
“Amnesty International documented at least 115 persons killed by security forces between January and June 2021. Many relatives of the victims told Amnesty International that they were not part of the militants that were attacking security agents.
“Many of the victims were deposited at government hospitals in Imo and Abia states. According to several hospital sources all the victims deposited by the police had bullet injuries.
“Nigerian security forces have committed a catalogue ofhuman rights violations and crimes under international law in their response tospiralling violence in southeast Nigeria, carrying out a repressive campaign since January which has included sweeping mass arrests, excessive and unlawful force, and torture and other ill-treatment,” said Amnesty International in the statement.
Most of the alleged atrocities unleashed by the nation’s main security agents were carried out in Imo, Anambra and Abia states.
“The evidence gathered by Amnesty International paints a damning picture of ruthless excessive force by Nigerian security forces in Imo, Anambra and Abia states,” said Osai Ojigho, Country Director at Amnesty International.
According to the statement, the security agents haunted South-East residents who they believed were part of the ESN that have killed their men and attacked government infrastructural facilities.
The non-governmental human rights organisation also stated that media firms and eyewitnesses documented some of these inhumane activities of the army and police against armless civilians.
“Nigeria’s government has responded with a heavy hand tokillings and violence widely attributed to the armed group calling itself Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of the Indigenous People ofBiafra (IPOB), a pro-Biafra movement.
“According to government officials, the ESN killed dozens of security operatives and attacked at least ten public buildings, includingprisons, police stations, and other public buildings from January to June. In response, security forces comprising military, police, and Department of State Services (DSS) have killed dozens of gunmen, as well as civilians where attacks have been committed.
“Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that the security forces have engaged in excessive use of force, physical abuse, secret detentions, extortion, burning of houses, theft, and extrajudicial executions of suspects.
“Human rights groups estimated that the death toll ofviolence between January and June 2021 in Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi statesmight run into the hundreds. The police said ESN fighters killed 21 of its personnelin Imo state alone.
“Amnesty International carried out an extensive investigation to document the human rights violations and crimes under international law in Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi and Abia states from January 2021.
“The organisation documented 52 incidents of unlawful killings and 62 cases of arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment and torture. Media reports, video and audio recordings reviewed show that the Nigerian security forces also employed excessive force and other unlawful means to address the rising violence,” the statement continued.
While establishing some of the horrible occurrences, the Amnesty International buttressed its points with the incident of a German-based Uguchi Unachukwu killed by soldiers at Sam Mbakwe Airport in Owerri at the last day of May. It also spoke about another man, Matthew Opara shot dead by soldiers near Owerri on May 25.
“Uguchi Unachukwu, a German-based businessman was killed by soldiers on 31 May at a checkpoint near Owerri airport on his way out of the country. The police are yet to investigate the crime.
“Mathew Opara, a 45-year-old businessman, was shot by soldiers on 25 May 2021 in Orji, near Owerri. Witnesses told Amnesty International that he was returning from work when he ran into a team of soldiers in an armoured vehicle and Hilux vans shooting at residents.
“He was shot in the chest and could not receive immediate medical help because of the violence. His family said the military acknowledged the killing but did not launch an investigation or offer any apology,” Amnesty International added.
United in grief and anger, families of the victims and several thousand Lebanese have marked one year since the horrific explosion at Beirut's port with a moment of silence and prayers at the foot of the silos that was shredded by the blast on that fateful day.
A few blocks away, groups of protesters hurled stones and Molotov cocktails and clashed with security forces near Parliament, which they accuse of blocking the investigation into the port blast by refusing to lift immunity of senior politicians implicated in negligence that led to the explosion.
Police responded with water cannons and volleys of tear gas.
The grim anniversary came amid an unprecedented economic and financial meltdown, and a political stalemate that has kept the country without a functioning government for a full year.
“We have to call for justice and we have to stand together, all of us together as one people, next to the families, to really ask for truth and justice," said Nada Hjeily whose close friend died in the blast.
The explosion killed at least 214 people, according to official records, injured and maimed thousands and devastated entire neighbourhoods of the Lebanese capital.
It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history — the result of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate igniting after a fire broke out.
The explosion tore through the city with such force, it caused a tremor across the entire country that was heard and felt as far away as the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, more than 200 kilometres away.
It soon emerged in documents that the highly combustible nitrates had been haphazardly stored at a port warehouse alongside other flammable material since 2014, and that multiple high-level officials over the years knew of its presence and did nothing.
A year later, there has been no accountability, and the investigation has yet to answer questions such as who ordered the shipment of the chemicals and why officials ignored repeated internal warnings of their danger.
Several thousand people gathered at various locations in Beirut on Wednesday, chanting slogans against the country's political class widely blamed for the port disaster and years of corruption and mismanagement that plunged Lebanon into bankruptcy.
They all marched toward the port.
“This is too big of a crime for it to be swept under the carpet,” said Sara Jaafar, an architect whose house opposite the port was totally destroyed, as she marched toward the rally there.
“It’s important for foreign countries to know we are against this murderous ruling class," Ms Jaafar added.
A year on, she has not been able to go back to her home, which like so many remains in ruins.
Protesters converged on the highway that snakes around the port, covering the streets with a sea of Lebanese flag and walking up and down the bridges over the motorway.
Families of the victims walked down the road parallel to the explosion site, carrying posters with photographs of their loved ones.
The crowds lined up on both sides broke out in applause, in a show of support and respect.
They then held a memorial and prayers inside the port, which still holds the ruins of the giant silos.
Names of each of the killed were read out.
A huge metal gavel with the words “Act for Justice” was placed on a wall opposite the port.
“We are all victims of this system,” Paul Naggear, father of three-year-old Alexandra, who perished in the blast, said.
He spoke on a podium outside the port, his wife Tracy standing next to him.
Flags flew at half-staff over government institutions and embassies, and even medical labs and COVID-19 vaccination centres were closed to mark the day, which had been declared a national day of mourning.
Reflecting the raw anger at the country's ruling class, posters assailing authorities were hung on the facades of defaced buildings across from the port.
“Here starts your end and our beginning,” read one poster that took up the space of five floors of a high-rise.
“Hostages of a murderous state,” read another.
“This is a day of pain and grief. It is the day we lost our loved ones and relatives and children.
"We hope all those coming down (to the streets) in solidarity with us to respect our pain,” Ibrahim Hoteit, who lost his brother in the blast and is now a spokesman for the families fighting for accountability, said.
The blast, coupled with the devastating economic crisis, political stalemate and rising poverty, have posed the gravest threat to the small country's stability since its 1975-90 civil war.
In a statement today, the Lebanese army said it arrested a number of people who were on their way to take part in anniversary commemorations, saying they had a large number of weapons and ammunition in their possession.
In Beirut’s eastern neighbourhood of Gemayzeh, a fist fight broke out between supporters of the Lebanese Communist Party and others who support the right-wing Christian Lebanese Forces.
Several people were lightly injured in the stone-throwing, before security forces opened fire, shooting into the air and dispersed the two sides.
Later, protesters marched toward the parliament building and began throwing stones from behind a giant metal barrier, setting off clashes with security forces, which fired volleys of tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
In an extensive investigative report, Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called for an international probe into the port blast, accusing Lebanese authorities of trying to thwart the investigation.
HRW said a lack of judicial independence, constitution-imposed immunity for high-level officials and a range of procedural and systemic flaws in the domestic investigation rendered it “incapable of credibly delivering justice.”
The explosion — which destroyed and damaged thousands of homes and businesses — and the lack of accountability have added to the deep political and sectarian divisions, tensions and anguish in a country reeling from multiple crises, including an economic unravelling so severe it has been described by the World Bank as one of the worst in the last 150 years.
The crisis has led to a dramatic currency crash and hyperinflation, plunging more than half of the country’s population below the poverty line.
The international community has refused to help Lebanon financially before wide reforms are implemented to fight widespread corruption and mismanagement.
Meanwhile, an international conference co-hosted by France and the United Nations on Wednesday raised $370 million in aid for Lebanon's growing humanitarian needs, including $118.6 million pledged by France, the former colonial power in Lebanon.
The money is intended for the people of Lebanon, bypassing the government.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis recalled the suffering of the Lebanese people, as he held his first weekly audience with the public since surgery a month ago.
“A year after the terrible explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, that caused death and destruction, my thoughts go to that dear country, above all to the victims, to their families,’’ the pontiff said.
“And so many lost the illusion of living,’’ he added.
