11-Year-Old Kareem Olamilekan Trends, As President Macron Congratulates Him On Drawing!

High-point of the French President, Emmanuel Macron's visit to Nigeria, was when he was presented the drawing of an 11-year-old artist, Kareem Waris Olamilekan, at the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos, Tuesday, July 3, 2018.

From Left: Kareem Olamilekun, President Emmanuel Macron, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi, Ambode, at the New Afrika Shrine,  Lagos, Tuesday, 3rd July, 2018.

"Very touched, congratulations to this young boy!" President Macron Twitted.

President Emmanuel Macron, embarked a two-day official visit to Nigeria, Tuesday, July 3, 2018, to foster closer relationship with English-speaking Africa.  

The French President was received at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria's capital city, by Nigeria's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, at about 3:10pm (local time). This visit came 17 years after Macron's stay in Nigeria. "It's very emotional for me to come back to Nigeria 17 years after my stay. I didn't imagine I’d be back in these conditions." President Macron twitted.

Nigeria's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama (left) welcomes President Emmanuel Macron to Nigeria, Teusday, 3rd July, 2018.

Nigeria's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, stated that this visit "will strengthen economic, trade, and cultural relations between France and Nigeria, while reinforcing French support in the security area.

Later on, President Macron met with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, where information made available revealed that issues that bothers on security was discussed. 

Muhammadu Buhari twitted: "Our discussions focused on security, especially regarding G5S and stabilizing the Sahel; economic issues; and the Inter Basin Water Transfer for Lake Chad. Our two countries also signed a number of Agreements."

French President, Emmanuel Macron (left) in a hand-shake with Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja, on Teusday, 3rd July, 2018.

The Nigerian government further pledged to "continue to work with France for the benefit of both countries, in security, the fight against corruption, the economy, and in tackling the effects of climate change."

Five Dead As Lone Shooter Storms The Capital Gazette Office In Maryland!

About five people were reportedly shot dead and several others wounded at The Capital Gazette offices at 888 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, Maryland, United States, when a lone gunman shot sporadically at employees through a glass door to the office, Thursday afternoon, June 28, 2018. 

Photo Credit: NewYork Times

Authorities responded and an individual was taken into custody in connection to the shooting.

President Donald Trump, Maryland governor, Larry Hogan and some top Politicians in the United States have commiserated with victims and their families .  

The Capital Gazette is owned by Landmark Media Enterprises.

Black Thursday In Lagos, As Fuel Tanker Explodes!

Nine people were confirmed dead, eight adults and a minor, when a Mack tanker loaded with about 33 litres of the fuel, driving inwards the popular Berger bus-stop, towards Lagos-Ibandan express way, lost control, fell-over, spilled its content on the road, resulting into an explosion and fire out-break. The incident occurred at about 5:23 pm, Thursday, June 28, 2018.

Information revealed that four persons sustained various degree of burns, while over 50 vehicles were razed in the inferno. 

Eye-witness reports however suggests the number of causalities might be higher than earlier stated, as many people were trapped in their cars when the explosion happened.

The Lagos state government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information ans Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, commiserates with families of persons who lost their lives as well as properties. The government described the incident as unfortunate and regrettable, while promising to put-in measures to ensure safety of lives and properties for residents.

The road remain closed as rescue officials are still at work.

Domestic Violence: To What Extent Is A Child Protected ?!

Recently, a popular Nigerian Actor, Cossy Ojiakor, accused her neighbour, identified as Mr. Martin Obinka Maruche of beating his wife on the streets of Badore, Ajah area of the Lekki- Peninsula axis of Lagos state, Nigeria.

Photo credit: Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter

According to Ms. Cossy Ojiakor, "...Tonight, another episode...he was beating her on the streets,  his daughter begged him to stop and he hit the little girl with his belt...I stupidly went to intervene and he used the belt to wipe me so hard...". 

The case according to Cossy Ojiakor was reported to Ilaso Police station, but Mr. Maruche failed to honour Police invitation.

When Roving Informant contacted Mr. Maruche on phone, to confirm the accusation, he replied  "Yes this is Mr. Obinka Maruche, the one and only". 

After establishing that we were speaking with the accused, our reporter asked the reason he beats his wife and flogged his child. Mr. Maruche replied "If you want to know the truth about this case, come to the station tomorrow (June 27th, 2018) I will be speaking on the case tomorrow". 

What "station" are we expected to "come to"? our reporter asked,  but Mr. Maruche declined giving further details. 

Actress Cossy Ojiakor further on her Instagram handle, revealed that she has "been getting verbal threats from his (Mr.  Maruche) friends and family."

Based on the allegation that a minor, (a child) was 'flogged' by the father with a leather belt, simply because she wanted to safe her mother from further beating; Roving Informant calls on the Nigerian Police, Child Protection Agencies, well meaning individuals and organisations to intervene in cases such as this, to ensure that children are protected in domestic-violence situations.

Photo Speak: Trade-fair - Okokomaiko Express, A 'No-No' Situation!

The situation of the ever busy Trade-fair - Okomaiko axis of Lagos- Badagry expressway is touching. 

Once an area of the road is blocked, due to on-going constitutions, the entire axis is shut-down as was the situation as seen in photos below, taken in the morning hours of Monday, June 25, 2018. 

With the "finishing-date" of the construction of Lagos-Seme Border railway and express way not-yet-known, and judging by the rather slow and discomforting pace of the construction, we are left with no choice but to call-out relevant authorities to buckle-up and finish-up this road, whiles at it, a etter alternative should be put in plan to easy the plights of people living in and plying this axis.

Death-Sentence Of Five Youths In Northern Nigeria, Incessant Killing Of Unharmed-Unsuspecting Nigerians By Headsmen....Enough Of This Madness

Notable Nigerians have waded into a recent 'death-sentence' of five men, by a Yola Court, north-east Nigeria, presided over by Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri, over an alleged killing of a herdsman.

According to report, the men identified as: Alex Amos, Alheri Phanuel, Holy Boniface, Jerry Gideon and Jari Sabagi, from Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, on June 1, 2017, allegedly conspired and attacked three herdsmen, at Kadamun village in Demsa local government area, in the process, one of the herdsmen, identified as Adamu Buba, was killed. It was gathered that the convicts, after killing Buba, threw his body into a river and injured several cattle.

Justice Waziri maintained that the case against the accused persons, had been proved beyond reasonable doubt by the counsel to the state, Mr. Salihu Mohammed. He ruled: “I hereby sentence the accused persons on counts one and two to death by hanging, while on counts four and five, I sentence the accused to three years in prison to run concurrently....Any aggrieved party is at liberty to file an appeal to the Court of Appeal, Yola Judicial Division within 90 days from today.”

Following the verdict, stakeholders across Nigeria's religious organisations have reacted: The Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari, to intervene in the death-sentence on the five convicts.

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, (PFN) an arm of the Christian Association of Nigeria, faulted the death-sentence, saying the "government should rather find a way to stop activities of the headsmen, and provide adequate security to all Nigerians". 

”it looks as if it is vengeance for a Yola court to condemn five Christians to death for allegedly killing herdsman when herdsmen are rampaging everywhere killing and maiming innocent Christians and going free. 

“Though we are not backing anybody to commit crime, we rather feel that justice must seem to have been done in the case of the five Yola people. Then entire leadership of PFN protests totally against the judgment and calls for appeal to squash it.

“It is high time the Federal Government intervened and ensure that those Christians are not killed to forestall further religious conflict within that axis.

“Instead of killing people for herdsmen, Federal Government should rather find a way to curtail their activities and provide adequate security to all Nigerians, which the present administration promised on ascension to power in 2015.”- PFN.

Retrospectively, in July, 2016, a mother of seven, Eunice Elisha, was killed while she was preaching in the early hours of the day, around Pipeline, Kubwa area of Abuja, Nigeria's capital territory. 

Before the killing of Eunice Elisha, Reverend Zakariya, a member of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), was reportedly killed by people suspected to be herdsmen in Obi Local government area, Nasarawa state, north-central Nigeria. According to reports, Reverend Zakariya, was attacked on his farm. The killers chopped off his head, arms and legs with a machete.

On March 5th, 2018, 26 persons were reportedly killed by suspected herdsmen, at Omusu community, Ojigo, Benue state, middle belt, Nigeria. A day after slain Omusu indigents were laid to rest, in a mass burial, attended by the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, the Nigerian Army confirmed the killing of 25 persons in an attack, this time in Rafiki and Dong communities, Plateau State, Jos-North local government, central- Nigeria. The fully armed attackers were suspected to be headsmen.

There are reports of numerous spontaneous attacks, and killings of vulnerable men, women, children, young and old, in communities across north and central Nigeria, by suspected herdsmen. Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and all they ever laboured for, to become refugees in other communities. Regrettably, able bodied individuals, have been maimed for life and forced to depend on others for survival. 

Agriculture/food production, which is responsible for over 90% of the Nigeria's wealth, before Oil Boom, have been destroyed by suspected "herdsmen". Some of these killing were reported to be Politically induced. 

Governor Samuel Ortom, while condoling victims of Omusu-clash, at the mass-burial of the reported 26 casualties, made a repeat-call for the arrest of a group of Fulani cattle breeders in Nigeria, whose reported utterances, betrayed as being the sponsors of killings in the state. 

Ortom added that the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches establishment Law of Benue State, believed to be the roots of farmers/headsmen clashes across the country has come to stay.

On their part, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, through its National Publicity Secretary,   Alhaji Yisuf Ardo,  in a January 6, 2018 publication in the Dailies, denied the "sponsor-claim". The group condemned and distanced itself from herdsmen-killings. 

According to a Nigerian Daily, the Nations Newspaper, January 6th, 2018 publication, Alhaji Yisuf Ardo said.  "We are peace loving people, we believe in love for one another. Any Fulani Pastoralist that doesn't believe in peace is not part of us". 

Ahead of the Common Wealth Heads of Government meeting in April 2018, during an interaction with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in London, Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, while responding to a comment on the farmers/herders clashes in different parts of Nigeria, said: “The problem is even older than us. It has always been there, but now made worse by the influx of armed gunmen from the Sahel region into different parts of the West African sub-region. “These gunmen were trained and armed by Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. When he was killed, the gunmen escaped with their arms. We encountered some of them fighting with Boko Haram. “Herdsmen that we used to know carried only sticks and maybe a cutlass to clear the way, but these ones now carry sophisticated weapons. The problem is not religious, but sociological and economic. But we are working on solutions". Buhari said.

Following this development, key questions on Herdsmen attack remain:

• Who are these 'armed-to-the-teeth' herdsmen?
• Where do they really come from?
• Who is/are their sponsors?
• Why have they eluded apprehension and apprehension and Justice thus far?
• If they are from Libya, or neighbouring Senegal and The Gambia, is the Libyan, Senegal and The Gambia Governments aware of this development?
• What concrete measures are the Nigerian, Libyan, Senegalese and The Gambian governments putting in place to end this menace?

Police Investigates Damboa Suicide Bombings, Urges Residents To Remain Vigilant!

Scores were reportedly killed, some main-stream reports puts casualty figure at between 31 and 32 following a bomb attack at Abachari area, outskirts of Damboa Local Government Area Borno state, north-eastern Nigeria.  

Police reports put the number of casualties at 21.

The bomb attack, which was carried out by six suicide bombers main-stream reports said, left between 48 and 84 people injured. 

Information made available by the Bornu state Command, through its  Public Relations Officer, Okon Edet, disclosed that the attack took place Saturday evening, June 16, 2018, at about 24:45 hrs. 

“At the sound of the explosion, personnel of the Nigeria Police and members of the civilian JTF mobilised to the scene discovered 20 dead bodies and 48 injured persons in a suspected terrorist attack.

“The wounded and the dead were evacuated to a hospital while the scene of the crime was sanitised by a deployment of police EOD unit.” Edet said.

Giving details of the horrific incident, eye-witnesses who spoke to Punch Newspapers further revealed: “At the sound of the explosion, personnel of the Nigeria Police and members of the civilian JTF mobilised to the scene discovered 20 dead bodies and 48 injured persons in a suspected terrorist attack.

“Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, thus increasing the number of casualties.

“There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 persons and left several others injured.”

It was gathered that attacks carried out earlier in Shuwari and Abachari neighbourhoods on Saturday, June 16, 2018, at about 8:30pm by two suicide bombers left six people dead. 

Most of the casualties, reports claimed "were from the rocket fired at the gathering of sympathisers". The eye witness said.

...and "misfiring by the Nigerian Army". A claim the Army denied.

The Police stated that investigation into the incident is on-going, while members of the public were urged to continue to be vigilant and watchful.

Boko-haram terrorist group is suspected to be behind this attack.