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Blood flow as Muslim communities fight over praying ground

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Hell was let loose in Igboora town, Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State when Muslims on Friday turned against one another, injuring many over claims of right to Eid Praying Ground by two Islamic groups from Igboora and Igbole communities.

A report by Saturday Tribune learnt that the property of the traditional ruler of Igbole, the Asao of Igbole, Apostle Olusanjo Ojo was not also spared as his Sport Utility Vehicle was razed, while another car and the palace were vandalised.

Seven people, including the Chief Imams of Igbole and Igboora have been arrested, while five motorcycles said to have been used to convey those who fomented trouble to the scene were also recovered, along with some dangerous weapons.

Trouble was said to have started when the Chief Imam of Igboora, Alhaji Alobalowo went to Igbole Praying Ground, said to have been donated to the Muslim community, to lead prayers, but met stiff resistance from the Chief Imam of Igbole and his supporters who said that Alobalowo had no right to the ground because it was situated outside his community.

The argument over whose right it was to lead prayers at the ground reportedly broke into a fracas, with different weapons like cutlasses, axes, sticks and stones used by the two groups to fight one another.

Saturday Tribune learnt that it took the intervention of the Area Commander of Ibarapa Area Command, ACP Sola Oketuyi, who led policemen and operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to the community to quell the fight and restore normalcy.

The Igbole Muslim faithful allegedly destroyed the Igbole traditional ruler’s property because, according to a senior police officer, they claimed he was supporting the Chief Imam of Igboora against his own community’s Imam.

Giving a background into the problem that led to Friday’s fracas, a source who spoke under the condition of anonymity said that the fight had been on for about seven years after the death of the Chief Imam who was leading the two communities in prayers.

According to the source, “two people have been fighting over the leadership of Muslim faithful during Islamic festivities, after the death of the former Chief Imam. The case was taken to court and the Chief Imam of Igboora won.”

It was further gathered from a reliable source that the Igbole Praying Ground was given to Igboora Muslim community by the traditional ruler of Igbole.

The source said that the two groups did not use the praying ground in 2017, but this year, Chief Imam of Igbole reportedly approached the Baale of Igbole to plead with the Chief Imam of Igboora for the usage of the land, pending the time the court case would be finalized, which was agreed to.

However, the Chief Imam of Igboora and his supporters, having won the case, decided this year that instead of using the central mosque as was being done before, this year’s prayers should be held on the praying ground.

Though the Ibarapa Area Commander reportedly called the two Chief Imams to a peace meeting before Friday, the bloody clash still broke out.

Meanwhile, Saturday Tribune learnt that the seven suspects had been transferred with the case to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation.

When contacted, the police spokesperson in Oyo State, Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the arrest, saying that peace and normalcy had been restored in the two communities.

“It was an intra-religious clash between two Muslim communities of Igbole and Igboora. As soon as the report was received, policemen were drafted to maintain law and order.

“Seven suspects, including the two chief Imams, have been arrested and some dangerous weapons, such as cutlasses and axes used during the clash were recovered.

“The state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude has directed the State CID to carry out discrete investigation into the incident,” Ajisebutu said.

*Tribune

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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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Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Arrive Nigeria Today, May 10th

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex came into Nigeria for a private visit following an invitation by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.

The Director of Sports, Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, said the founder of Invictus Games will spend three days in Nigeria and would interact with wounded soldiers and their families.

He said the visit scheduled from 10th to 13th May 2024 would help wounded soldiers in their recovery efforts.

Marquis said: “Because we realised that 80 per cent of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery programme, they are getting better.

“Their outlook on life is positive. You know, when you are engaged in, you experience a permanent disability, you know, issues, it affects your mental health and also your outlook on life.”

Prince Harry and Meghan who are already in Nigeria, First made a visit to children at the Lights Academy in Abuja, Nigeria.

Here are pictures.

Prince Harry and Meghan at Light Academy In abuja

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