NEWS THAT MADE HEADLINES THIS WEEK

A Canadian woman has been convicted of killing her friend (Ms Gargol) after police discovered the murder weapon used in a picture of the pair on social media.
Cheyenne Rose Antoine, 21, pleaded guilty on Monday to killing Brittney Gargol, 18, in Canada two years ago. Antoine was sentenced to seven years for manslaughter. She was identified as a suspect after she posted a selfie on Facebook of the two of them, showing her wearing the belt hours before Ms Gargol died.
Ms Gargol was found strangled to death near a landfill in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with Antoine’s belt near her body.

Antoine, who was initially charged with second-degree murder, showed up at another friend’s house hysterical the night of the murder and confessed to hitting Ms Gargol and strangling her, CBC reported from court.

As part of her plea, Antoine accepted responsibility for Ms Gargol’s death but said she does not remember killing her. “I will never forgive myself. Nothing I say or do will ever bring her back. I am very, very sorry… It shouldn’t have ever happened,” she said in a statement through her lawyer.

SOURCE: BBC

STORY 3

Guinea healer held over faking hundreds of pregnancies

Police in Guinea say they have arrested a healer for conning hundreds of women into believing they were pregnant.

N’na Fanta Camara gave women who had been unable to conceive a mixture of leaves, herbs and other medicines that caused them to bloat and look pregnant.
For her services, patients paid $33 (£24), in a country where the average monthly wage is around $48 (£35).

Police believe Ms Camara made thousands of dollars a month, though she says she was only trying to help.

On Tuesday, more than 200 women protested outside the police station in the Guinean capital of Conakry where Ms Camara was held.Over 700 women aged 17 to 45 are believed to have been affected by Ms Camara’s pregnancy “cure”.

Ms Camara, however, maintains she didn’t do anything wrong. “I work very hard to help [the women] realise their dream but the rest is in the hands of God,” she told reporters in Conakry.
A court is expected to charge her soon with endangering people’s lives through fraudulent means.

SOURCE: BBC

STORY 4

‘Infuriation, disappointment and outrage’ over Trump’s ‘shithole countries’ remarks

The African Union, a group representing the continent’s countries, and African ambassadors to the United Nations Friday sharply denounced Trump’s reference to African nations as “shitholes” and called on him to retract his statement and apologize.

“The African Union Mission wishes to express its infuriation, disappointment and outrage over the unfortunate comment made by Mr. Donald Trump, President of the United States of America, which remarks dishonor the celebrated American creed and respect for diversity and human dignity,” the African Union mission to the United States said in a blistering statement.
Condemning the comments “in the strongest terms,” the AU demanded “a retraction of the comment as well as an apology, not only to the Africans, but to all people of African descent around the globe.”

African UN envoys issued a statement saying their group is “extremely appalled at, and strongly condemns the outrageous, racist and xenophobic remarks attributed to the President of the United States of America.”
The envoys released a joint statement Friday after an emergency meeting was held to address the issue.
The group “is concerned at the continuing and growing trend from the US administration towards Africa and people of African descent to denigrate the continent and people of color,” it said.

SOURCE: BBC

STORY 5

Aunts of 13 captive children reveal years of secrecy and concerns

For decades, Elizabeth Flores begged to see her nieces and nephews. Even Skype would do.

But her sister and brother-in-law, Louise and David Turpin, kept such a secret life that they wouldn’t let her in.
“When that happens for 20 years, and it was before the kids even were there, you don’t think it’s abnormal,” Flores told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.

“If it had been like two years ago that she cut us off, then we might think, wow, something’s not right. But this has been going on before they even had children … they were real private, and they didn’t come around much.”
The world now knows some of what was happening inside the Turpins’ 4-bedroom house. Their 13 children were held captive — with some shackled and chained with padlocks.

Now the children are free, and the parents are in custody. The Turpins face charges of torture and child endangerment; bail was set at $9 million. It was not immediately clear whether they have hired an attorney.

SOURCE: CNN

STORY 6

Kidnappers kill 2 cops, abduct 2 Canadians, 2 Americans

Kidnappers have killed two Nigerian policemen and abducted two Americans and two Canadians in Kaduna state.

The foreigners were kidnapped on Kwoi-Jere road in Kagarko Local Government Area on their way to Abuja from Kafanchan and Kaura. They were ambushed around 7:00 PM on Tuesday.

Kidnapping is rife in the Kaduna axis of the country and despite efforts by the police in flushing out suspects, it continues. Mukhtar Aliyu, a spokesman for the Kaduna state police, has confirmed the latest kidnapping.
SOURCE: NAN

STORY 7

N700million Found In Don Wanny’s Bank Accounts Frozen, To Be Forfeited To Federal Government

It has been revealed that millions of naira found in the account of alleged kidnap kingpin, Don Wanny will be forfeited to the government.
A top official of the State Security Service, SSS, on Wednesday revealed that N700 million was found in the account of alleged kidnap kingpin, Don Wanny who was tracked and killed by security operatives at his hideout in Enugu.

He is alleged to have masterminded the killings of 23 worshipers on New Year’s Day, in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers.

The source told the News Agency of Nigeria on condition of anonymity on Wednesday that the operation that led to his death was successful and averted further bloodshed in the state. The operative said that Mr. Waney was under intense SSS surveillance for over a year before he was tracked and killed.

“Some of the people who were killed died from stray bullets during the operation by the murderous gang. It was easy to monitor Waney because we had our agent on a constant watch that gave us in-depth knowledge of his whereabouts and activities. Waney had companies that he used as fronts. He used one of these companies to front for surveillance jobs and leak repairs for a major oil company. We know where his family stayed; we know that his boys camped at a forest in Imo state from where they usually launched their operation. Waney was always hiding in Enugu and Ogoja (Cross River). He bought a car in Imo state and took it to Enugu – as part of his plans to change his identity,” the source revealed.

An ash coloured Lexus ES330 salon car is currently parked at SSS premises in Port Harcourt. The source said that Mr. Waney had more than 30 active fighters and many volunteers who allegedly worked for top politicians in the state. It said that Mr. Waney’s accounts at First Bank and Unity Bank had been frozen and would be forfeited to the federal government at the end of the investigation.

“The banks are fully cooperating with an ongoing investigation which would unravel his financial transactions from the time the accounts where opened,” the source added.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the deceased militant leader had more than N700 million at some undisclosed banks which is currently being monitored.
Mr. Waney and his second-in-command, Ikechukwu Adiele, and another suspected gang member, Lucky Ode, were killed by security forces in Enugu and their corpses paraded at 6 Division Nigerian Army Port Harcourt on January 7. Mr. Waney and his gang members received amnesty from the Rivers Government in 2016 but later reneged on the terms of the amnesty deal.

SOURCE: TORI NEWS

STORY 8

Wake up, CAN tells Buhari over herdsmen’s killings

The President Buhari-led Federal Government has by its defective response to killings by herdsmen wasted the huge public approval on which it rode into power, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) noted yesterday.
The body called for the immediate replacement of the inspector general of police and the redeployment of all police commissioners. It also urged Buhari to overhaul the National Security Council, with a view to sharing its membership equally between Christians and Muslims. It sought the designation of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) as a terrorist organisation and called for the arrest of its leaders.

Briefing journalists in Abuja, CAN National General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Musa Asake, accused Buhari of creating the impression that he was in power to serve only the interests of his Fulani ethnic group. He claimed the president was undemocratic, had no respect for human rights and the rule of law, and was adopting a Sharia ideology.

Asake regretted that the president had also failed to protect Nigerians by willfully permitting herdsmen to kill, destroy communities and turn the entire Middle Belt into a killing field, while enjoying government’s protection from counter attack, arrest or prosecution. The murderous Fulani herdsmen have enjoyed unprecedented protection and favour to the extent they have begun to treat Nigeria as a conquered territory. And rather than prosecute them, the security forces, usually manned by Muslims from the North, offer them protection, he said. According to him, instead of bringing the leadership of Miyetti Allah to book for being the masterminds of the genocide, top functionaries of the government are advocating grazing colonies, with a view to granting them free land and support.

“By failing to curb the attacks of the Fulani herdsmen, President Buhari has failed to uphold Section 14, Para. 2 (b) of the Constitution that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.

“The Christian Association of Nigeria has reviewed the catalogue of horrendous and inhuman attacks on several states and mostly Benue State from 2013 to 2018. The impression has now been firmly established that the Islamists of the North have ‘legalised jihad’ in Nigeria,” Asake said

Rising from six hours of debate, yesterday, over the killings, the Senate urged Buhari to protect life and property in the country. It deliberated on the matter based on a report by its committee on security and infrastructure. It also sought the arrest, within 14 days, of persons involved in the Benue incident and mandated its President, Bukola Saraki, to meet with Buhari and ensure the recommendations are implemented.

“The president must act. Those responsible must be held accountable. Military all the time cannot be the solution. The military is being stretched. That is not good for us. More importantly, action must begin to happen, to show to Nigerians that we are not just talking. We need to ensure that this never happens again. We need to restore hope,” Saraki said.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

STORY 9

Everton sign Arsenal winger Walcott

Everton signed England winger Theo Walcott from Arsenal in a deal worth a reported £25 million ($34 million, 28.3 million euros) on Wednesday.

Walcott had been out of favour with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger for much of this season and has opted to move to Goodison Park in a bid to kick-start his faltering career. The 28-year-old made just 16 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions this season and last started a Premier League game for the Gunners in April.

There’s something about this move I’ve just felt good about,” Walcott said.

“It felt like it was time for me to move on.

“It was sad but it’s exciting at the same time and I want to reignite my career and push Everton to win things as they have done before.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

STORY 10

ECOWAS, FG to tackle challenge of livestock movement

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Federal Government are spearheading the renewed efforts aimed at tackling the problems associated with transhumance and its attendant security concerns in the sub-region.
Transhumance is the movement of livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle, typically to lowlands in winter and highlands in summer.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Marcel de Souza, stated this while receiving the Minister of Interior, General Abdurahman Danbazzau (rtd) and his team yesterday in Abuja. He said the collaboration had become imperative giving the complex problem of transhumance and the need to checkmate the activities of herdsmen in West Africa. He told his guests that the clashes between herders and farmers had become incessant resulting in pockets of draught and increasing movement of cattle to coastal areas within the sub-region.

“And if herders are moving with arms at a time when there is a reduced number of arable land, this has a serious security implication. Whereas it is the ECOWAS Commission that regulates the movement of arms into West Africa,” he stated.
SOURCE: THE GUARDUIAN