Monthly Archives: November 2020

As recorded on House of Commons Hansard Nigeria: Sanctions Regime [James Gray in the Chair] Here is the full transcript of the 23 Nov 2020 debate as recorded in Hansard. https://youtu.be/RJ9CZaRoTkE 6.00 pm Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con) I beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 554150, relating to Nigeria and the sanctions regime. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. I thank the 220,330 people who have signed the petition—when I last checked it this morning—especially the 853 who are my constituents in Chipping Barnet. This petition has been prompted by disturbing events in Nigeria over recent weeks. There have been widespread protests regarding the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigerian police, known as SARS. That unit has a deeply controversial reputation and the hashtag #EndSARS started to appear prominently on social media in 2017. Reports…

Emmanuel Akinwotu West Africa correspondent, Tue 24 Nov 2020 10.21 GMT Protests against Sars security unit in west African country were violently suppressed Labour has called for the UK government to consider suspending the funding and training of security forces in Nigeria, where protests against a notorious police unit were brutally suppressed last month. Kate Osamor, the MP for Edmonton, said she had serious concerns about a lack of oversight of the UK’s role, especially in relation to the special anti-robbery squad (Sars), which was disbanded in October after allegations of killings and abuse. The same month, protests against police abuses were brutally suppressed by the Nigerian police and military, which have been authorised to purchase at least £127m-worth of UK registered arms since 2008. Dozens of protesters were killed, including at least 12 people gunned down by soldiers in Lagos, according to Amnesty International. Despite widespread outrage,…

on November 19, 2020 By GWG Staff United States-based Cable News Network, CNN has rebuffed what it described as threats by the Nigerian government against it saying that it stands by its story on the Lekki Tollgate shooting of October 20. Responding to the threats of sanctions against the news network by the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed on Thursday, CNN said that its story was the product of extensive investigations. CNN said that video evidence obtained was also geolocated. Mohammed had at a press briefing on Thursday threatened CNN with unstated sanctions for what it described as unprofessional journalism. “Like everyone else, I watched the CNN report. I must tell you that it reinforces the disinformation that is going around, and it is blatantly irresponsible and a poor piece of journalistic work by a reputable international news organization,” Mohammed told reporters at…

'They pointed their guns at us and started shooting' https://youtu.be/GuEcSr1Z7bo Editor's Note: (This story contains graphic imagery of injury and death. The full names of some interviewees and the identities of others have been withheld for their safety.)View this interactive content on CNN.comView this interactive content on CNN.com Sometime after midnight on October 21, Elisha Sunday Ibanga answered a phone call from his older brother's number. The person on the other end of the line -- a stranger -- broke the news that Ibanga's brother, Victor, had been shot dead at the Lekki toll gate, in Lagos, Nigeria, where he had been peacefully protesting against police brutality earlier that night. "The person told me that the police took his body away," Ibanga, 24, told CNN. An eyewitness to Victor Sunday Ibanga's death told CNN the 27-year-old entrepreneur was shot in the head during the protest.…

OPINION Published 2 days ago  on 2020/11/12 ByDavid Hundeyin Estimated Reading Time: 17 “I’ve been getting calls. I’ve been getting many calls, David. You have been writing things. Have you seen the SSS Headquarters in Abuja? It goes 7 storeys underground. When they put you inside there, even with these your glasses, you won’t be able to see anything.” These remarks, delivered at a family function in 2019 with a smile and a laugh from the mouth of an uncle who had just retired from a top job at one of Nigeria’s security agencies, was the first time I ever received something that could be classified as a “threat.” At the time, I was no stranger to receiving angry feedback over my work. Just a few weeks before, a daughter of Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh had obtained my number and called me angrily over a BusinessDay column…

Press Release For immediate release, TUESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 2020 THE FATHERLAND GROUP   STATEMENT ON THE LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT’S JUDICIAL PANEL OF INQUIRY INTO THE LEKKI MASSACRE Background On Tuesday 20th October, a number of civilians were massacred by members of the Nigerian armed forces at a peaceful demonstration calling for an end to police brutality, #ENDSARS, at the Lekki Tollgate. The incident attracted worldwide condemnation and triggered international demonstrations with calls for the perpetrators to be identified and held to account. None of the state actors has yet accepted responsibility for the incident. Instead there has been an orchestrated campaign of denials: the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sano-Olu denied that fatalities had occurred; the Nigerian Army denied that its soldiers were present at the location, let alone being involved in the massacre, and that reports suggesting otherwise were “Fake news”. Following an…