Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s first post-independence leader, has died aged 95.
His family confirmed his death to the BBC. Mr Mugabe had been receiving treatment in a hospital in Singapore since April.
He was ousted in a military coup in 2017 after 37 years in power.
Mr Mugabe’s early years were praised for broadening access to health and education for the black majority – but his later years were marked by rights abuses and corruption.
He won Zimbabwe’s first election after it secured independence from the UK, becoming prime minister in 1980.
He abolished the office in 1987, becoming president instead.
His successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, expressed his “utmost sadness”, calling Mr Mugabe “an icon of liberation”.
Mr Mnangagwa had been Mr Mugabe’s deputy before replacing him.
Veteran Nigerian rapper, Ikechukwu has just shared his sad experience with SARS operatives in Lagos.
Narrating his ordeal, the rapper said, ‘I was kidnapped by sars last night. Two mins away from my house, taken to Lagos island and made to exhaust my ATM allowance or i would be killed and no one would know’.
Not by armed robbers. But when u are robbed and they are armed fully, 5 ak-47’s. Blows to the head and bundled into a vehicle.
Isn’t it the same thing. And then after you will now tell me our government is working. Things are in place. Bla bla. Let me tell u now straight up. I dont care who you are, if you are rolling solo in this town and sars get you. Day or night. If they get ur phone. Its over for you.
They dont have names or numbers on their uniforms. They literally said to me “na you burn this our hilux here yesterday abii”. Acting like they didnt know who I was and were gonna rope me in anything they felt or do with me what they would. After collecting all the money in lagos island they start laughing telling me i’m too stubborn that when will i introduce them to don jazzy. Oh so u know me. One even bragged about working alot with wazobiafm.
Thanx for that info at least now i have a point to start my own investigation. I could’ve been shot and left in the dark space on that dark road. No ID no phone. Who would ID me. Who would be looking for me for days?
Afterall my people saw me enter uber heading home. On the island. Shey i’m safe. Good morning. Its a good day to be alive. I don’t even know what hashtag to put sef. Its ok. I recorded a video initially from when I got home last night but it was too long and it made me cry again. So i just said lemme just yan straight no need for in the moment.
Just the facts. We are not safe. End of story. Know as u dey take move.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Air Peace Airlines has volunteered to send an aircraft to South Africa from Friday, September 6, to evacuate Nigerians who wish to return to the country, free of charge.
According to a statement signed by the ministry’s spokesperson, Ferdinand Nwonye, the development follows the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other African migrants.
The statements reads, “The general public is hereby advised to inform their relatives in South Africa to take advantage of this laudable gesture.
“Interested Nigerians are therefore advised to liaise with the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria and the Consulate General of Nigeria in Johannesburg for further necessary arrangement.”
Nigerian musician Tiwa Savage has cancelled her performance at the upcoming DSTV Festival in Johannesburg.
She said, “I refuse to watch the barbaric butchering of my people in SA. This is sick. My prayers are with all the victims and families affected by this.”
This tweet has led to her being pelted by insults by South Africans who claim not to know of her existence.
Nigerians have however come out in full force to support our diva:
Nollywood Actress, Mercy Johnson Okojie has come under attack on social media over her attitude to fellow actresses in the entertainment industry.
It all started when Sonia Ogiri made an Instagram post she titled ‘healing process’, sharing her bitter experience with Mercy Johnson.
She accused Mercy of hating her for no reason.
Recounting how she started her journey in Nollywood, Sonia said it was all good till she met Mercy Johnson.
According to her, Mercy did mean things to her, including asking movie producers not to give her movie roles.
She wrote: “Healing process; Hey sis Meecy Johnson Okojie I think is time to talk about all the pain you inflicted on me all these years in order for my healing process to take place.
“I hope MOTHERHOOD has changed you and you now understand when a mother wants to make her kid or kids proud of her tomorrow and just like you were overwhelmed by the love people showed you on your birthday, I hope you show/act true love towards people too.
“I needed to revisit this so as to get it off my chest cos holding it in all these years felt like I was imprisoned and it’s about time set my free.
“Ps Tell your fans not to come for me cause you and you alone knows I’m not lying. Have a great day.”
Also another Nollywood Actress, Angela Okorie backed the claim made by Sonia, as she alleged that Mercy Johnson “did worse things to her and even fought her spiritually and physically.”
“She did worse than that to me and I confronted her and she started fighting me spiritually and physically, oil dey my head small small witches no reach Abeg,” she wrote on her Instagram page.
However, Mercy Johnson is yet to respond to any of the allegations on her social media pages.
Chelsea’s 25-man squad for the 2019/2020 season, have been published.
Squads were confirmed ahead of the first game of the season, but the Premier League has just released them now, following the closure of the European transfer window on Monday.
The 25-man squad system was introduced at the start of the 2010/2011 season.
Squads cannot include more than 17 non-homegrown players, with eight members of the team having to be developed in England.
Chelsea squad list:
Abraham, Tammy*
Alonso Mendoza, Marcos
Arrizabalaga Revuelta, Kepa
Azpilicueta Tanco, Cesar
Barkley, Ross*
Batshuayi, Michy
Borges Da Silva, Willian
Caballero Lazcano, Wilfredo Daniel
Christensen, Andreas Bodtker*
Giroud, Olivier
Jorge Luiz, Frello Filho
Kante, Ngolo
Kovacic, Mateo
Loftus Cheek, Ruben*
Palmieri Dos Santos, Emerson
Rodriguez Ledesma, Pedro Eliezer
Rudiger, Antonio
Tomori, Fikayo*
Zouma, Kurt Happy
Orji Kalu, Chief Whip of the Senate, has condemned the attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, describing it as ill conceived, disheartening and wicked.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by Mr Kunle Oyekunle of Orji Kalu Media Office, the former governor of Abia questioned the essence of the renewed attacks on Nigerians.
“The gruesome killings, looting, arson of property belonging to Nigerians and attack of Nigerian Embassy in South Africa is ill-conceived, disheartening and wicked.
“How can any sensible person attack and burn a fellow human being just because he or she has a feeling to do so?
“Those mindless criminals who attacked and prevented law abiding Nigerians to freely conduct their businesses must be made to pay for their crimes.
“Arresting them is not enough,’’ he stressed.
While emphasising that South Africans lived and carried out their businesses peacefully in Nigeria, Kalu said there would be no reason to allow them operate further if South African government failed to protect the lives of Nigerians.
“If the South African government fails to do more to protect the lives of Nigerians, there should be no reason to allow them to operate freely in Nigeria.
“All their enterprises deserve to be closed down including MTN, DSTV, Shoprite among others.
“In the spirit of brotherhood, we have supported them. Our doors have always been open, but it’s time to retaliate by shutting our doors,” he said
The Senate Chief Whip, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for dispatching a special envoy to the South African government.
He urged the Federal Government to hasten the intervention process and institute stiffer measures against South Africa over the endless xenophobic attacks.
Meanwhile, Mr Adetola Olubajo, President, Nigeria Union South Africa, said on Monday that the attacks began on Sunday morning in Jeppestown area of Johannesburg, when a building was set ablaze by an angry mob.
“The mob also looted several shops that were around the vicinity suspected to be owned by foreign nationals.
“But the police later dispersed the mob and made some arrests.
“Late in the evening of Sunday, Sept. 1, a group of violent locals, suspected to be Zulu hostel dwellers besieged Jules Street in Malvern, Johannesburg, looted and burnt shops and businesses with Nigerians being the most victims.
According to witnesses living on Jules Street, the Zulu hostel dwellers were very organised and well-coordinated in looting and burning of shops and businesses suspected to be owned by foreign nationals.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that over 70 shops and businesses were destroyed, looted and burnt on Monday night in Malvern area of Johannesburg.
The governorship primary election ended abruptly in the early hours of Wednesday when gunmen invaded the venue of the election, Lokoja Confluence Stadium.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that voting had ended and sorting of votes were going on when the gunmen came to the venue at about 1:45 am and started shooting from different directions.
According to the report, votes in eight out of the 10 ballot boxes have already been counted and sorted out before the disruption by the gunmen.
The Premier League have released the 25-man squads for every team for the 2019/2020 season.
Squads were confirmed ahead of the first game of the season, but have just been released now, following the closure of the European transfer window on Monday.
The 25-man squad system was introduced at the start of the 2010/2011 season.
Squads cannot include more than 17 non-homegrown players, with eight members of the team having to be developed in England.
Manchester United squad list:
Bailly, Eric Bertrand
De Gea Quintana, David
Grant, Lee Anderson*
Hoelgebaum Pereira, Andreas Hugo*
James, Daniel Owen*
Jones, Philip Anthony*
Lindelof, Victor Jorgen Nilsson
Lingard, Jesse Ellis*
Maguire, Jacob Harry*
Martial, Anthony Joran
Mata Garcia, Juan Manuel
Matic, Nemanja
McTominay, Scott*
Mitchell, Demetri Kareem*
Pogba, Paul Labile*
Rashford, Marcus*
Rojo, Faustino Marcos Alberto
Romero, Sergio German
Santos, Frederico Rodrigues De Paula
Shaw, Luke Paul Hoare*
Tuanzebe, Axel*
Wan-Bissaka, Aaron*
Young, Ashley Simon*
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday, explained to the Federal High Court in Abuja that it declared the Hopes Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the last election, Ambrose Owuru, wanted over fraud charges pending against him in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
EFCC’s lawyer, Ibrahim Audu, said this at the hearing of Owuru’s fundamental rights enforcement suit challenging the legality of being declared wanted by the commission in a July 10, 2018 newspaper publication.
Justice Nkeonye Maha after hearing parties to the case on Tuesday, fixed October 7 for judgment on the legality of the publication and whether the former presidential candidate was deserving of the N500m sought as damages in the suit.
Audu told the judge that Owuru was avoiding trial in the criminal case instituted against him by the commission, prompting the court in Port Harcourt to issue an arrest warrant against him.
The commission said the criminal charges against Owuru bordered on obtaining money by false pretence.
Audu said, “He was evading his trial and the High Court duly issued an arrest warrant against him. It was on the basis of the arrest warrant that the publication was made.”
Earlier on August 7, 2019, the matter came up at the preliminary stage before another vacation judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Taiwo Taiwo.
A lawyer representing Owuru, Mr. Eze Nnayenlugo, said the criminal case referred to by the commission involved “a land transaction”, and that the case had been withdrawn.
But the EFCC insisted that the criminal case was still pending before the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court and was never withdrawn.
Earlier on Tuesday, Owuru’s lawyer, Chukwunoyerem Njoku, urged Justice Maha to grant his client’s prayers, including an award of N500m for the damage allegedly done to his reputation with the EFCC’s publication.
He also sought other restraining orders against the anti-graft agency to stop it from further making such publication.
Njoku insisted that the commission had no power to declare anybody wanted without the backing of a court order.
“There is nothing in the exhibit tendered by the respondent (EFCC) that empowers it to make that publication,” Njoku added.
But replying to that line of argument, Audu said there was also no provision of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act that made a court order, a condition precedent to declare a defendant facing criminal charges wanted.
“There is nothing in ACJA that says for the publication to be made, there must be a court order,” he added.
Audu said that the subject matter of the suit, “is not one of the enforceable rights under Chapter 4 of the Constitution or under the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules”.
He maintained that the suit ought to have been filed as a libel case instead of a fundamental rights enforcement suit.
He also argued that the Supreme Court had admonished other lower courts “not to be misled in treating every infraction as a violation of the fundamental rights”.
Justice Maha, after listening to the parties, on Tuesday, fixed October 7 for judgment.
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal had on August 22, 2019 dismissed an election petition filed by Owuru to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory at the February 23, 2019 poll.
He had since filed his notice of appeal before the Supreme Court to challenge the tribunal’s decision.
