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Communal clash claims 4 in C’ River, as mercenaries sack 3 villages

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BY: Ikenna Oluka

Tragedy struck in Bisae local government as four persons have been reportedly killed in a renewed communal clash between Abanwan and Orugbam in Cross River State. 

The warring communities have been at daggers drawn over some parcel of land.

This is coming barely four months after both communities went to war in the first week in December last year, destroying houses and killing innocent persons in the process.

But the recent hostility seems to revenge by the Orugbam community whose houses were allegedly burnt down last year by the neigbouring Egbor, Ipene and Abanwan communities following a quarrel that ensued during burial arrangements for a late indigene of the area.

It was alleged that youths from Orugbam attacked Egbor, Ipene and Abanwan communities in the wee hours of Sunday killing four persons and razing buildings within the areas.

It was further alleged that since Orugbam community was burnt down last year, the residents have been living as refugees at Unwana, Afikpo and the surrounding Ebonyi communities and finally invaded Egbor, Ipene and Abanwan communities to avenge what happened to them in December last year.

A witness, Bassey Abeni, said: “The warlords numbering over 60 youths, believed to be Orugbam people with mercenaries from Ebonyi, invaded Egbor about 4:00 am on Sunday; after killing two people there, the razed the community.

“They moved to the nearby community, Ipene, and not seeing anybody, burnt down houses before going for their target, Abanwan where they also killed two people before setting the village on fire.”

Abeni, who said the people of Ipene heard gunshots suspected to be machine guns early on Sunday and fled the community before the Ebonyi warlords arrived, added that the villages were deserted while the people were hiding in the bushes.

“As I am talking to you now, all of us are in the bush. We suspected that one day the Orugbam people would strike because when they were sacked from their communities last year, they promised that they would revenge.”

Another witness, Emmah Ugah, from Egbor, alleged that the Ebonyi people had always been in alliance with Orugbam to take over the oil plantation in Egbor and were often assisted by Orugbam until the later was sacked last year.

“The problem has always been the oil plantation in Egbor where Ebonyi people have always come to exploit and they have always been assisted by Orugbam. The whole problem in Erei land began from the point where Orugbam, backed by Ebonyi people, wanted to take over the plantation from Egbor, and other Erei communities refused,” he stated.

Confirming the incident, the Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade, Mr. Ani Esin, said the military and regular policemen have taken over the place.

“Yes, we have information that there is a crisis there but the soldiers are on the ground and they are on top of the situation,” he said.

Also confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, DSP Irene Ugbo, said: “Our men, both the mobile policemen and the regular policemen are on the ground now. While I cannot confirm the casualty figure, I learnt houses have been burnt,” she said.

Source: Daily Sun report

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

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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.

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

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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.

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First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

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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.

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