Yesterday, Linda Ikeji TV crew attended the #IStandWithNigeria protest which held in Lagos yesterday. We interviewed a few Nigerians who are totally disillusioned with the government of this country. SeyiLaw, Charly Boy and Sowore Omoyele also spoke. Watch the video above...
Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts
Wow! Protest Begins In Lagos & Abuja With Seyi Law Taking The Forefront (Photos)
One of the protesters say the protest is to express the anger of Nigerians and the hardship being faced by them.
It is also said that protest will also begin any moment from now in Port-Harcourt and Enugu. More photos...
Richard Akuson Writes On How Sad Tuface Idibia Chickened Out On His Planned Protest
Richard Akuson is a publicist, writer and One of Cosmopolitan Nigeria's Top 8 Nigerian Fashion Power Brokers of 2016. He writes...
I'm tired.
Nigeria has failed me as the Buhari led government has once again incredibly cheated us, And are on the verge of bullying us into silence with false reports. But what breaks my heart the most is how easily and quickly @official2baba left us all hanging dry.
I don't know what must have been said to you sir behind closed doors but I really hoped you had the nerves and sinew of men like Martin Lurther King, Nelson Mandela and even Fela Kuti to champion a change in Nigeria. I sadly believed in you and thought for once, a young Nigerian would be the change we need. But no, you cowed out of this when Nigerians, Nigeria, history and posterity needed you the most.
I just hope you never expect me to ever take you seriously again.
Similarly, my heart bleeds for other Nigerian celebrities with legions of loyal fans and platforms that turned deaf ears to this cause and at this crucial time when sitting on the fence is as good as standing with Buhari. @genevievennaji @realomosexy @tiwasavage @wizkidayo @davidoofficial @donjazzy and your likes. I especially kept refreshing your pages hoping that you'd post something that supports or hints on this crucial cause. But no, you all decided to sit still and let other Nigerians fight for us all.
I am deeply ashamed, especially of Genevieve Nnaji who I'd admired since I first watched her Lux ad campaign on TV years ago. For once, I really hoped you'd crawl out of your shell and truly stand for something. Alas, just like the rest you turned tone deaf ears. You have surely lost my respect.
It breaks my heart to say this to all Nigerian celebrities that have decided to stand on the wrong side of this fight as history is about to be made, my dearest people: Fame, beauty, and life are fragile, fleeting things, it's the impact that you create, the lives that you change and the social/societal causes that you stand for and lend your voices to that outlive you and your careers.
I wish you'd supported this with as much zeal as you promote your projects. But no, you have all decided to stay deaf and dumb.
#istandwithnigeria
Tuface Backs Out, Cancels Peaceful Protest
Tuface, has canceled the much-publicised February 6 protest, citing “security challenges”.
In an Instagram post and a short video, Tuface announced the cancellation of the protest scheduled to hold in Abuja, Lagos and other parts of the country.
He said, “Dear Nigerians, due to security concerns and public safety consideration, I hereby announce the cancellation of the march.”
We Won’t Stop 2face, Other Nigerians From Protesting – Presidency
The Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity to the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, Mr. Laolu Akande gave the statement in a series of tweets.
According to him, “This administration will not prevent Nigerians from expressing themselves in peaceful protests, it’s a fundamental right of the people.”
He said further that, “No govt has ever laid out the kind of Social Investment Prog, the Buhari govt is now running across the nation, that will touch millions.”
The popular Afro-Pop artiste, 2Face Idibia, had earlier in the week, called for the support of his fans and colleagues via his social media platforms to join his march against the crippling economic state of the nation. The protest is slated for February 6, 2017.
Lagos Police Vows To Stop Tuface’s Planned Protest
Popular musician, TuFace Idibia who joined the call for protest by some concerned Nigerians over the state of the nation, had used his social media platforms to appeal to his supporters to join the movement.
But Owoseni, who had earlier stated that there was no official request from the protesters notifying security agencies of their plan, said Wednesday that intelligence report indicates that criminals might hijack the process.
According to the police chief, the command wasn’t ready for that kind of demonstration and as such would not allow it to hold.
He said no matter how good an intention is, hoodlums would always find a way to harass, rob and attack innocent members of the public, who may wish to go about their Lawful duty.
Owoseni said: “Information reaching us revealed that some hoodlums are planning to hijack the peaceful protest. And as such, we won’t allow it to hold in Lagos. We know that Tuface do not have the capacity to contain such a crowd and we will not fold our hands and watch while things go out of
hand.”
At a press conference held earlier in the week, Owoseni said: “The Civil Society had said that they do not need police permission to carry out any peaceful protest, but they should also be aware that there might be those who share an opposing view. This set of persons may want to disrupt the peaceful demonstration and would want to attack demonstrators.
“This is why we advise individuals or group of persons who may wish to embark on civil demonstration to inform the police so that adequate security arrangement would be provided.”
The Nation
Thousands Of Women Take To Britain's Streets As Part Of International Demonstrations Against Trump
Thousands of women and men have gathered ahead of a global 'solidarity' march in the wake of the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.
The Women's March on London event, which 40,000 people had pledged to attend, is being held in conjunction with others taking place in cities across the world to promote women's and human rights.
Several thousand people across all ages and genders descended on Grosvenor Square in London on Saturday before the rally at 2pm.
They came holding a rainbow of placards with slogans such as 'dump Trump', 'reject hate, reclaim politics' and 'no to racism, no to Trump'.
Beginning at the American Embassy in London, the march on Saturday will snake its way around the streets of the capital and finish with a rally in Trafalgar Square.
Marches are also happening in other UK cities including Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast, Liverpool and Cardiff, with thousands expected to attend.
About 100 American Protesters Strip N*ked in Protest Against Donald Trump as They March Towards His Building (Photos)
A crowd of about 100 Americans have marched on the streets in protest against President-elect, Donald Trump.
Nigerians Protest In London For The Prosecution Of The Shiites Leader
Nigerians in the United Kingdom, Thursday, demanded the immediate prosecution of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky for alleged terror related activities, saying the prosecution became necessary, as he (El-Zakzaky) has been indicted by investigations into a faceoff between his group and the army in December 2015.
They took to the streets of London, in the United Kingdom to demand the prosecution of the Shi’ite leader.
Recall that El-Zakyzaky has remained in detention since being arrested following the incident that made the military launched an operation to clear out members of his group, who obstructed the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff and reportedly made an attempt on his life.
The Movement of the People of Nigeria, whose members protested at the Commonwealth Secretariat, in London, alleged that the delay in arraigning the IMN leader as a mistake that has made his followers bolder and more dangerous.
The movement also slammed Iran for interfering in the affairs of Nigeria by its backing for the IMN, which it described as a terror organisation with a demand that IMN members also be tried and their finances investigated for subversion for inviting Iranian intervention in Nigeria’s internal affairs. UK Coordinator of the Movement of the People of Nigeria, Joe Mayowa warned that the protests would spread to other world cities and major Nigerian cities if the federal government fails to immediately begin prosecution of El-Zakyzaky and other IMN leaders that were indicted by several reports on his group’s faceoff with the army last year.
In a statement on behalf of the movement, Mayowa noted that that the federal government had made similar mistake in the past when founding members of the Boko Haram terror group were not diligently prosecuted. He said: “It was that mistake that bred the bloodthirsty horde that carried out attacks in Abuja and some other cities in Nigeria. Nationals of Commonwealth nations were killed in those attacks.
The decision not to prosecute pioneer Boko Haram members was driven by local politics but the fallout was felt by nationals of all nations on earth. “A greater mistake is being made by not prosecuting members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) for their acts of violence against the state and against citizens of Nigeria and Commonwealth nations.
The group’s members have mirrored every single crime committed by Boko Haram in its formative years yet nothing significant have been done to put its members on trial for breaching the peace in manners that resulted in the loss of life.
“It may also not be a mistake, in which case the delay in prosecuting detained IMN leaders could be a silent plea for international backing by the Nigerian government. It is important the world is able to reassure the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that they have the world’s support for nipping the growing terror of IMN in the bud.
“A clear message must be sent to the government that the firmness with which it deals with the IMN threat is a matter global interest as any fallout from delay in dealing with the threat posed by the group will affect the whole world.
“For the avoidance of doubt, events of December 2015, when IMN members made an attempt on the life of a senior administration official sparked off chains of events that proved the group is not to be treated with kid’s gloves. Those events exposed the fact that the IMN has the capacity to take on the Nigerian state in battle and would not shy away from attempting it if drastic measures that enjoy international support are not taken.
“The result of several investigations of those events is profound. They all want the prosecution of the IMN leader, Mr Ibraheem El-Zakyzaky and all those that supported him in that insurrection. The Kaduna State Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by Governor Nasir El-Rufai clearly indicted him and recommended him for prosecution. “The report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHCR) specifically demanded an immediate trial of El-Zakyzaky and his supporters for causing that injurious breach of the peace,” he stressed.
Saudi Women Take To Twitter To Demand End To Guardianship Rules
An open letter to the Saudi king is the latest sign of growing demands from Saudi women for basic rights and end to male controls
The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia recently made an official statement saying that Saudi Arabia would never abolish the guardianship system, which legally grants men the ability to control parts of a woman's life. Some Saudi women, opposing his views, wrote an open letter to the king, petitioning against the guardianship system, and asking that women be treated as adults, not legal minors. That debate has gone viral on Arabic Twitter.
Earlier this month, a clip emerged of the grand mufti in Saudi Arabia, who is the head of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas, knocking down rumours that the country would ever abolish the Saudi guardianship system, which currently restricts adult women from rights afforded to Saudi men. Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh claimed that removing the guardianship system would be a crime against Islam’s teachings and said he saw no merit to the trending hashtags calling for the end of guardianship.
When asked if he was concerned with the recent opposition expressed on Arabic Twitter against the guardianship system, the Sheikh said that the tweets and hashtags were “a crime against Islam” and posed an existential threat to Saudi society. “This is an evil call that goes against the Sharia and the instructions of the prophet,” he responded sternly.
The guardianship system, as it stands now, treats women, in effect, as legal minors. That rule was put into place based on the Quranic interpretation that states that guardians should protect and care for their women.
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women…” Quran’s Al-Nisa, 4:34.
In Saudi Arabia, the default guardian is the father, whose duty is to protect his daughter until her husband becomes her new guardian. This, of course, complicates issues if a girl is born to a widower or if the girl grows into a woman and never marries. In some cases, a son may become the legal guardian to his mother, thus becoming the authority over her.
Poland women go on strike to protest against law to ban abortion
Thousands of women across Poland are expected to go on strike in both their working and domestic lives to protest against a proposed new law that will effectively ban abortions.
Female workers across the country are planning to stage the walk-out tomorrow in a bid to bring the economy to a standstill and highlight their disgust at the proposed abortion bill.
They plan to wear black all day and will also refrain from doing any domestic chores in the household, including cooking and cleaning, as well as abstaining from sex.
Poland currently allows terminating pregnancy only at an early stage and when it threatens the life or health of the mother, when the baby is likely to be permanently handicapped or when pregnancy originates from a crime, for example rape or incest.
If the proposed new ban comes into force, it means all terminations would be criminalised and women could face up to five years in jail. Medics found assisting the termination would also be liable for prosecution and a prison sentence.
Critics fear the new law could mean that women who suffer miscarriages would be investigated and doctors could be put off conducting routine procedures on pregnant women in fear of being accused of facilitating an abortion.
Tomorrow's strike, dubbed 'the black protest', will take place in more than 60 different Polish cities.
Magda Staroszczyk, a strike co-ordinator, told the Guardian: 'A lot of women and girls in this country have felt that they don't have any power, that they are not equal, that they don't have the right to an opinion. This is a chance for us to be seen, and to be heard.'
The protest has been inspired by an all-out strike more than 40 years ago by women in Iceland, when 90 per cent refused to work, cook, or look after their children for a day in October 1975.
Sad! Hundreds Die In Ethiopia During ‘Peaceful’ Protest
Dozens have been killed and injured in Ethiopia's Oromia region after security forces confronted protesters at a festival, witnesses say.
Some people died in a panicked stampede after police employed tear gas and baton charges, they said.
Thousands had gathered for a religious festival in Bishoftu, 40km (25 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa.
Some reports said police responded after anti-government protesters threw stones and bottles. Others said demonstrators were entirely peaceful.
Ethiopia's government said in a statement that "lives were lost", adding: "Those responsible will face justice".
An Oromo activist, Jawar Mohamed, is quoted as saying nearly 300 people were killed and many more injured. He said troops and a helicopter gunship had opened fire, driving people off a cliff and into a lake.
3,000 Ebonyi Women Farmers On Peaceful Protest To Plead With FG For HerdsmenExit In The State
Ishiagu (Ebonyi) – No fewer than 3,000 Ishiagu women on Friday staged a peaceful protest against the destruction of farm crops by herdsmen to the Palace of the traditional ruler of the community, Ezego Moses Ngele. The women, mainly peasant elderly farmers, marched peacefully to the palace of the monarch. They demanded urgent action to end the alleged indiscriminate destruction of cash crops and other farm produce by herdsmen grazing their cattle in the area. Chanting solidarity songs and brandishing green leaves, the women urged the traditional ruler to prevail on the herdsmen to stop using their cattle to destroy their crops. The protesters also requested for immediate exit of the herdsmen from the community to save their farm lands and the people from imminent famine. The spokesperson for the group, Mrs Janet Aja, said that they were at the palace to register their grievance over the destruction of their crops by herdsmen who allow their cattle to feed on their cash crops and other farm produce in their farms. Aja said that all the crops including yam, cassava and rice, among others, have been destroyed prematurely by the rampaging herdsmen. They expressed fears that the farmers might be left with nothing to harvest. She said that farmers, especially the women in the community, were at present not able to go to their farms for fear of being attacked by the herdsmen. “The women are in your palace to inform you that our crops and farm lands are destroyed daily by cattle rearers and that we no longer go to our farms for fear of being attacked, raped or killed. “Our rice, yams, cassava and other crops in our farms have all been destroyed and eaten up by their cattle. “We demand urgent action from you as the community father to end the indiscriminate destruction of crops and farm lands by these foreigners. “We don’t want the killings and destruction we hear that happen in other communities between them and farmers to happen in our own community.” She said that the women would employ every peaceful means to ensure that the herdsmen stopped their nefarious acts in the community as well as ensure that they were evicted from the town. “We hope that your Majesty will handle this situation by providing a lasting solution to the menace otherwise the women of this community will protest naked at Government House in Abakaliki, ” she added. Ngele, while commending the women for their peaceful disposition, said that the palace would collaborate with other stakeholders and security agencies in dealing with the problem. He expressed regret over the destruction of economic crops and assured the women that a permanent solution would be found. “We sympathise with you over on the indiscriminate destruction of your farm lands but want to assure you that we will not relent in our efforts to find a last solution to the manace. “It was good that you first registered your grievances with the palace and this shows the enormous respect you have for the institution and for me. “We want to assure you that no stone will be left unturned in providing a lasting solution to the problem.” He further assured the women that governments at all levels were making concerted efforts to stem the security challenge and urged them to remain law-abiding and respect constituted authority.
IGP Bans BBOG Protests in Abuja and Its Environs, Deploys Anti-riot Police (Photos)
The Bring Back Our Girls advocacy Group has been given a fatal blow as the Inspector General of Police has banned it from holding protests in Abuja.
Photos: One Killed, As FUNAAB Students Protest Insecurity On Campus
According to reports, Abisoye Taiwo, a year one Forestry and Wildlife Management of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) was reportedly shot dead by a police officer in Abeokuta as the students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) took to streets to protest over insecurity and crimes happening in the institution.
The school which has been under watch by the Federal Government, had its Vice Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole alongside the University Bursar, Moses Ilesanmi invited yesterday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) for investigation over “unbridled corruption and betrayal of public trusts”.
The victim
Police kills protesting youth in Kogi
There was uproar yesterday in Umomi community in the Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State when some policemen attached to the Ugwolawo division opened fire on a crowd of protesting youths.
Two of the youths, identified as Okaye Omodi and Zekeri Mohammed, were shot dead by the officers, who immediately fled to their station.
It was gathered that the youths were protesting the arrest and detention of some residents, including a retired police officer identified as Peter Adama.
A Punch correspondent gathered that Adama and others were arrested around 11pm on Tuesday by some officers attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
A resident, Jeremiah Idege, said the operatives swooped on the community after some Fulani herdsmen reported that their cows had been killed by some residents. Idege claimed that the allegation was false, saying that the herdsmen had actually invaded and destroyed the community’s farmland.
He said. “We have issues with the Fulani herdsmen and that has been on for as long as 15 years. They have been destroying our farmland with reckless abandon. As I speak with you, our community is wrecked.
“The little we have left was ravaged again by their cows recently and we reported the matter at the Ugwolawo Police Division. We were given four policemen to follow us to assess the level of damage done to our crops.
“Later, the police said we should come to a roundtable meeting with the herdsmen so they could resolve the case; but we refused. We just asked them to leave in peace. If we collect any money from them, they will say they have bought the lands and they will completely take over what we have left.”
It was learnt that a few days after the mediation failed, the herdsmen reported that some cows had been killed by the residents.
Punch was told that some of the community leaders followed the herdsmen round to see the alleged dead cows, but found none. Another resident of the community, Sani Emmanuel, said the herdsmen made the allegation because they were asked to leave the village.
Emmanuel said on Monday, the Fulani leaders reported again at the police station that another set of cows had been killed.
He said, “On Tuesday, around 11pm, a group of policemen entered our village and started breaking doors and ransacking our homes. They arrested a lot of people, including Adama, who is retired police officer.”
Emmnauel said the arrest did not go down well with the community youths, who trooped out on Wednesday to protest the continued destruction of their farmland without any help from the security agents.
Punch Metro was told that the youths blocked the roads and sang solidarity songs. A witness, who did not want his name in print, said the protest was peaceful.
He said, “The protest, which started around 10am, was peaceful and it was within our village. Suddenly, armed policemen from the Ugwolawo division drove in and shot live bullets into the crowd. We all fled without knowing what had happened. The policemen had left before we knew they had killed two people.”
The corpses were said to have been abandoned on the road until the Ata of Igala, Mr. Michael Idakwo, reportedly arrived at the scene and ordered that the victims’ families should take them away for burial.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Kogi State Command, William Aya, confirmed the incident, adding that the state Commissioner of Police had gone to visit the scene.
He said, “I don’t have all the details of what transpired now. But the state Commissioner of Police has gone to see what actually transpired and assuage the residents. I will get back when I finally get the details.”
