Connect with us

News

Herdsmen’s Killings: Group Threaten to Drag Buhari, Osinbanjo to International Criminal Court

Published

on

A Non-Governmental Organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has threatened to drag President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over herdsmen’s killings across the country.

HURIWA also lambasted the Osibanjo-led committee on the herdsmen killings for recommending dialogue with Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders of Nigeria.

The group said it would amount to a treasonable felony to dialogue with alleged sponsors of the mass killings allegedly perpetrated by armed Fulani herdsmen.

The rights group said: “What a sane administration in a properly administered constitutional democracy ought to do is to enforce the relevant laws by arresting, prosecuting and legally sanctioning the leadership of Miyetti Allah cattle owners’ association who were clearly seen addressing media conferences and threatening fire and brimstone just few days before each of the deadly attacks targeting farming communities which escalated in the last three years.”

The rights group said it had instructed its legal team to file additional material evidences to the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands to reinforce an earlier petition it sent to the same global crimes court on the incessant Fulani herdsmen’s terrorism all over Nigeria with the renewed mandate to list Osinbanjo and his committee dialoguing with Miyetti Allah as defendants.

In a media statement, HURIWA’s National coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and its National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf carpeted the Presidency for persistently deploying armed security forces only after innocent Nigerians were massacred by armed Fulani marauders.

HURIWA criticised the Directorate of Public Relations at the Nigerian Defence Headquarters “for insisting that it wouldn’t deploy soldiers to protect farmers coming under attacks from armed Fulani herdsmen, but only to hurriedly despatch military troops soon after the dastardly criminal act of mob killing of seven suspected Hausa/Fulani travellers by some unruly mob in Gboko, Benue State as if the military of Nigeria has become the official Hausa/Fulani police under President Muhammadu Buhari.”

HURIWA warned the Buhari administration to stop stoking the fire of mutual suspicions through its preferences for nepotism in appointments of strategic security chiefs and favouritism in the selective deployment of armed soldiers only to chase after cattle rustlers and to protect Hausa/Fulani herdsmen from possible reprisals after every violent attacks of farming communities by armed Fulani herdsmen.

“May we remind President Muhammadu Buhari of the time tested facts that the ongoing executive lawlessness which has made most other communities outside of Hausa/Fulani to live in fear will precipitate a long drawn out civil unrest in the nearest future unless the government addressed the lopsided appointments of defence chiefs, which favours Hausa/Fulani and balance the composition to have semblance of federal character in line with extant constitutional provisions.

“Impunity truly makes key government officials who constitute the cabal in the Presidency to commit lawless activities such as condoning armed Fulani attacks because they share ethno-religious affiliations with the armed Fulani herdsmen and these criminal act of impunity is being carried out because these officials feel protected by Buhari.

“Let the President be reminded that his discriminatory policies in matters of national security is a danger to the continuous existence of Nigeria.

“The heightened manifestations of abuse of power by Buhari and his officials, the oppressive deployment of soldiers to crush the Indigenous People of Biafra, the decimination of the mechanisms of Rule of Law and above all, the twin evil of the applications of tribalism and nepotism in national security affairs are grave threats to national peace and inter-ethnic harmony.”

The group condemned the President “for abysmally failing to discharge his primary constitutional duty, which is to provide security to all Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity or religious persuasions and also for adopting discriminatory policies both in appointment of heads of security forces in a pattern that shows clear biases against other ethno-religious communities outside of his Hausa/Fulani cleavages.

“The decision by the presidency to set up the Prof. Osinbanjo-led committee on the incessant armed Fulani attacks amounts to grave compromise of Nigeria’s national security interest. Why handle the grave security threats posed by armed Fulani terrorists like a village engagements when there are laws against mass murders? This amounts to desecration of our constitution.”

HURIWA also condemned the refusal of the National Assembly to employ the constitutional powers of impeachment against President Buhari, who, in its view, not only flagrantly violated the federal character principle in appointments of heads of national security team, but is now holding dialogue sessions with alleged sponsors of genocide which undermines constitutional democracy.

GrassRoots.ng is on a critical mission; to objectively and honestly represent the voice of ‘grassrooters’ in International, Federal, State and Local Government fora; heralding the achievements of political and other leaders and investors alike, without discrimination. This daily, digital news publication platform serves as the leading source of up-to-date information on how people and events reflect on the global community. The pragmatic articles reflect on the life of the community people, covering news/current affairs, business, technology, culture and fashion, entertainment, sports, State, National and International issues that directly impact the locals.

News

The Peruvian Government Has Officially Classified Transgender, Nonbinary And Intersex People As “Mentally ill”

Published

on

According to the country’s ministry of health, the controversial decision was made to ensure the country’s public health services could “guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health” for the trans community.

It also categorises “dual-role transvestitism,” “fetishistic transvestism,” and “other gender identity disorders” under the same bracket of mental illness.

The new law will change language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) to reflect the view of trans and intersex people as a mental health disorder.

Trans groups across Peru have loudly condemned the decision as a step backwards for the country’s already complex relationship with LGBTQ+ rights.

Continue Reading

News

Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

Published

on

The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.

Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.

Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.

She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.

Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.

The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.

According to her narration,

She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”

Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.

She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.

After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.

The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”

After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.

The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.

The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.

Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.

Her trial is ongoing.

Continue Reading

News

First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

Published

on

The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.

They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.

In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.

Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.

“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.

“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.

While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

Continue Reading

Trending