Call for medical panel to examine Buhari’s mental state

 

Former minister and presidential aspirant, Obi Ezekwesili has called for the setting up of a medical panel to examine President Buhari’s mental state.

Ezekwesili, Buhari’s staunch critic, made the call on Twitter Sunday, against the backdrop of massacre in North east, banditry and kidnapping around the country.

The constitution normally empowers the National Assembly to create such a panel, where a president, because of ill-health is unable to do his job.

But in a Twitter thread, Ezekwesili said “we the people”, as Nigerians can also push for such medical empanelling.

I think that at this stage and depth of fragility of the Nigeria-State, Privacy has to yield ground to our Right-to-know as citizens, the state of health of @MBuhari .

We really must assess the physical or mental capability of @NGRPresident to carry on the duties of office.�

Citizens can collectively push for an Independent Panel to help us make the critical medical determination of the state of mind and body of our President, @MBuhari .

The conditions of Nigeria have become too grave for us all to sit still and watch a train wreck in the making.

As an extremely concerned citizen, I hereby demand for a #MedicalPanelOnBuhari since we obviously cannot trust the State House Physician to provide us accurate information.

It is reasonable demand now for citizens to have full disclosure on the state of health of @MBuhari

- PM NEWS

Singaporean woman gives birth to baby with COVID-19 antibodies

 

A Singaporean woman, who was infected with COVID-19  during pregnancy, has given birth to a baby with antibodies against the virus.

According to Straits Times, a Singaporean publication, the baby was born earlier in November.

The birth of the child offers a new clue as to whether the novel virus can be transferred from mother to child.

Celine Ng-Chan, the mother of the child, was quoted to have said her doctor suspected that she transferred the antibodies to her child during pregnancy.

“My doctor suspects I have transferred my COVID-19 antibodies to him during my pregnancy,” she reportedly said.

Ng-Chan is said to have been mildly ill from the virus and was discharged after two and a half weeks in the hospital.

According to studies from China, antibodies that protect against COVID-19 are present in newborns of mothers who have had the the virus and possess these antibodies.

In transmission of the virus from mother to fœtus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says it is unknown if a pregnant woman infected with COVID-19 can pass the virus to her fœtus or baby during pregnancy or childbirth.

The active virus has not been found in samples of fluid around the baby in the womb or in breast milk till date.

Photo credit: Straits Times

50-year-old caught raping 10-year-old neighbour’s daughter in Ondo

 

A 50-year-old man has been nabbed in Akure, the Ondo State capital for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl.

The culprit, Kamoru Smaila committed the act at Adelabu street, Danjuma axis of Akure South Local Government area of the State.

Smaila, who was caught by neighbours after the victim raised an alarm, denied having canal knowledge of the girl but feigned ignorance of how semen and blood stain got to the girl’s body.

According to one of the neighbours, the suspect took the girl to an uncompleted building to perpetrate the evil act.

Meanwhile, the girl said the suspect was chasing her around and forcefully raped her. She added that he covered her mouth when she was trying to shout.

Following the incident which attracted onlookers, it took the intervention of the men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to rescue him from mob action.

Confirming the incident via telephone, the Public Relations Officer of NSCDC in the State, ASC Olufemi Omole said the matter is under investigation, and the victim has been taken to the government hospital for medical check up.

- DAILY POST

66 Nigerians jailed in Bangladesh for fraud

 

Sixty-six Nigerians are spending various terms in prisons in Bangladsh for fraud and other crimes, a report by the country’s top newspaper, Dhaka Tribune said.

The Nigerians make up majority of the 86 Africans jailed across the country.

The other 20 prisoners are from Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana, Algeria, Mali and Kenya.

There are 2927 people from 32 African countries now staying in Bangladesh.

Among them, 455 have already crossed their visa expiration dates.

Many Nigerians end up staying in Bangladesh past their visa expiration date due to the long visa renewal process.

There is no Nigerian embassy in Bangladesh, and visas have to be processed in New Delhi.

A total of 157 Africans are accused of fraud and some other charges, according to information from the Special Branch (SB) of police

The Dhaka Tribune said fraudsters from Nigeria have recruited Bangladeshi counterparts to join their crimes and have succeeded in scamming many victims

Several fraudsters from Nigeria have been detained by Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies over the past year, leaving honest members of Bangladesh’s Nigerian community feeling ashamed.

Members of the Nigerian community said the parlous economic condition in Nigeria led many of their countrymen to turn to a life of crime, including fraud.

Nigerian fraudsters come to countries like Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan as they see them as lands of opportunity, and they bring disrepute on the entire community when they are caught.

Asking to remain anonymous, a Nigerian student in Bangladesh said: “There are good people and bad people in every country. Please do not judge us because of the misdeeds of these criminals [Nigerian fraudsters].”

In raids on August 6 and July 22 this year and July 4 last year, a total of 16 Nigerians and two of their Bangladeshi associates were detained by law enforcement agencies.

On October 23 this year, Nigerian Chukwuemeka Samuel was detained from Dhaka’s Khilket area for fraud.

Most of the fraudsters travelled to Bangladesh on business visas. Several Nigerian students are in the country on student and player visas, but there are no allegations of criminal activities against them.

The scams used by the caught Nigerian fraudsters differed in minor details but shared a similar structure.

Bangladeshi fraudsters often play crucial roles in the scams by posing as local officials.

The scammers would usually make first contact with potential victims through fake accounts on social media platforms or messenger services, such as Facebook or WhatsApp.

After gaining the victim’s trust, the scammers would offer them a sum of money as a gift or prize.

Chukwuemeka Samuel would claim to be Coca Cola representative Richard Phillip and told his victims they had received a cash prize.

Some of the fraudsters would contact their victims while posing as female American soldiers in Syria who wanted to give away their money.

When the victims came to collect the money, usually at Dhaka airport or Chittagong port, they would be met by the Bangladeshi associates of the Nigerian fraudsters.

The Bangladeshi fraudsters, posing as customs officials, would demand that the victim pay a 10% “customs tax” before collecting the money.

The fraudsters sometimes threatened to file embezzlement charges against the victim if they did not pay. After collecting the “tax” from the victim, the fraudsters would disappear without giving anything in turn.

One victim lost Tk2 crore in this manner, after being told she had won Tk20 crore at an online art competition.

The fraudsters had initially contacted her through email and asked her to submit a painting.

Nigerian Jacob Frank, who owns a restaurant opposite Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka and has been living in Bangladesh for many years.

He helped many fraudsters from Nigeria with their entry visas, according to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Organized Crime unit Additional Superintendent of Police Zakir Hossain.

Most of the fraudsters who have been detained gained visas by claiming they were travelling for garment business purposes, Zakir added.

“Among the culprits, most of them lived in the Basundhara and Pallabi areas. There is no evidence of any crime by Nigerian students or those who are here on player visas,” the CID official continued.

Additional Superintendent of Police Zakir said there are two main reasons fraudsters from Nigeria target Bangladesh.

“First, there are a lot of uneducated people in Bangladesh and it is easy to cheat them, so they are easy targets.

“Second, there are quite a few people who are very greedy and the Nigerian fraudsters take advantage of this greed as well,” he said.

- PM NEWS

Donald Duke: Security operatives selling weapons to Boko Haram

 

Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River state, has alleged that security operatives sell weapons to Boko Haram.

According to the United Nations, Boko Haram killed more than 100 civilians in an attack on farmers in Borno state on Saturday.

Speaking on Channels TV on Sunday, the former governor said there is a need to investigate the source of the insurgents’ arms and ammunition.

He said most of the weaponry used by Boko Haram come from military armoury.

“Most of the weaponry used by Boko Haram come from our armoury. We will need to look into that. Why are we selling weapons to the enemy?” he asked.

Duke said there is a need for a “complete revamp of our security network” to avoid losing the country.

He said there should be police presence in every five kilometres, adding that their “presence is a deterrent”.

The ex-governor said graduates who can think like perpetrators of crime should be recruited into the force to improve intelligence gathering.

He asked the federal government to train and motivate policemen and soldiers fighting the insurgents.

“The level of people we bring into the force is a bit too low. Crime is a lot more sophisticated than that. We need people who can think alongside the perpetrators of the crime. We need to up the ante and train them and motivate them. There has to be an insurance scheme to look after them,” he said.

“Motivate the soldiers in the northeast. I think they are under-motivated. We need to task them on intelligence gathering. More of intelligence than firepower.

On the other front, by now, we need to develop a strategy on kidnap. Are the police properly motivated? I doubt it, and they don’t have enough weaponry.”

- THECABLE

Police arrest daughter who butchered her mother, sliced her body into parts in Uyo

 

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command said it has arrested one Mary Ime, a resident of Umoh Obot in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, who reportedly butchered her mother, Eka Ime on Friday, 27th November, 2020, and sliced her body into different parts.

It was gathered that angry youths led by elders compelled her to park her mother’s parts into a basin and walked round the community in total condemnation of the incident.

It was further gathered that when the police came to arrest her, she said that she did not care if she was arrested or not

But the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Odiko Macdon, who confirmed the incident in Uyo, expressed surprise at the action.

He said no right thinking person would slaughter her own mother in such a gruesome manner, adding the police would conduct a test to certify her state of mind before she is charged to court.

According to the PPRO, “The story is true; she butchered her mum. We are suspecting that she is not of sound mind but we do not have any medical capacity yet to say so.

“Medical personnel will have to determine if she is of sound mind, because no right thinking person will kill her mother by butchering her.

“As we speak, we have her in our custody. We have gathered the parts of her mother and deposited in the mortuary. By the time we ascertain her state of mind we will charge her accordingly, we have conducted preliminary investigation and more discreet investigation is on the way and she will be charged to court immediately after that.”

- DAILY POST

Reports: Military informed ahead of Zabarmari attack, but did nothing

 

Residents of Zabarmari, where Boko Haram slaughtered no fewer than 43 rice farmers, informed the military ahead of the weekend attack.

But the military failed to heed the warning and protect the people.

A survivor named Abubakar Salihu, told Daily Trust, that the villagers foresaw danger after they arrested one of the Boko Haram terrorists and handed him to security operatives.

“We informed military beforehand that our members sighted Boko Haram in large numbers but nothing was done about it.

“It was a sad day for us in Zabarmari; it could have been averted but the military failed to act on the information we gave them,” he said.

Another rice farmer, Mohammed Alhaji, said the victims were busy harvesting rice when the insurgents summoned and assembled them.

“It was a deliberate act to ensure that we do not harvest our farm produce. We need the federal government to assist us and secure our lives,” he said.

The imminent attack came on Saturday, as Boko Haram terrorists rounded up farmers on rice fields and slit their throats or beheaded them.

A total 43 bodies were recovered in one location after the attack.

Bodies recovered from other locations have increased the death toll to 110.

- PM NEWS