LinkedIn is closing down its social networking site in China, marking the departure of the last major US social media company from the country.
The Microsoft-owned company announced on Thursday that it was closing down the localised version of its popular networking website after “facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China”.
LinkedIn has 53m users in China, making up about 7 per cent of its total user base. Microsoft does not disclose how much of China contributes to LinkedIn’s revenues, which Microsoft recently said had passed an annual level of $10bn.
The company said it would replace the Chinese version of its website with a new job-board service called “InJobs”, without any of the social media functions of the full LinkedIn site. On this stripped-back version, Chinese users will not be able to share posts or news articles.
LinkedIn was called in by the country’s internet regulator in March and ordered to clean up its online content. In the same month, LinkedIn said it was “temporarily pausing new member sign-ups for LinkedIn China” as it tried to become compliant “with local law”.
Several human-rights activists and writers who focused on China have had their profiles blocked in the country in recent months for posting “prohibited content” according to the company.
A South African woman has been left traumatised after she was kidnapped and raped for four days by two men she claimed to be Nigerians.
The 35-year-old mom of three from Gugulethu, Cape Town, said she received a call inviting her for a job interview in Tyger Valley Mall last Monday October 11. She was picked up and taken to a house where she was repeatedly raped by the Nigerian men.
According to her aunt: "A Xhosa woman called her and told her about the interview that was set up for that morning. She was excited and thought that she had gotten a breakthrough and she asked them if she had to bring any documents and they said no. She was going to be interviewed for the receptionist role.”
The aunt says a woman in a white Toyota Corolla collected her niece and drove to a house in Tyger Valley.
"She said when she got to the house she was locked inside as the lady said she had to be somewhere else and would be back for the interview. But suddenly a man came through the door and told her to UnCloth and raped her. On Tuesday another man joined in the sexual assault.”
Meanwhile, the victim’s worried mother went to the police on Tuesday to report her daughter missing.
"Later that day she received my niece’s picture with a caption: We have your daughter’s phone,” explains the aunt.
"They didn’t demand anything, that is when I decided to go on Facebook on Wednesday to report this. She was then dumped at the Hout Bay Harbour where she got help and the police took her. She is still very traumatised and finds it difficult to talk about the incident.”
SAPS’ Joseph Swartbooi, who confirmed the incident, said the case is under investigation by the Bellville Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit.
"Anyone with information is urged to share anonymously with Crime Stop on 08600 10111:" he added.
Several people were killed and others injured by a man using a bow and arrows to carry out attacks in the Norwegian town of Kongsberg on Wednesday, local police said.
'We can unfortunately confirm that there are several injured and also unfortunately several killed in this episode,' local police official Oyvind Aas told a news conference.
'The man who committed this act has been arrested by the police and, according to our information, there is only one person involved.'
'The man has been apprehended ... from the information we now have, this person carried out these actions alone,' police chief Oeyvind Aas told reporters.
He declined to comment on the number of casualties.
The motive for the attack, which took place in several locations in the town centre of Kongsberg, were not yet known but it is understood officials are probing a possible terror motive.
The attacks took place over 'a large area' of Kongsberg as the suspect moved through the town, police said. Local media reported the suspect opened fire from inside a Coop Extra supermarket in the town's west.
Officers have cordoned large areas of the town, a municipality of around 28,000 people in southeastern Norway.
Police said the suspect had been taken to a police station in the nearby town of Drammen but gave no other details about the man.
'There is no active search for other people,' Aas said.
The wounded have been taken to hospital. However the number of wounded, or their condition, were not yet known.
Norway's minister of justice and public security, Monica Maeland, has received updates on the attacks and was closely monitoring the situation, the ministry said.
The Federal Government has mandated civil servants to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), said workers who refuse to get vaccinated will be barred from assessing their places of work.
Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the presidential steering committee (PSC) on COVID-19, announced this at a briefing on Wednesday.
He said starting from December 1, workers who do not show proof of vaccination and or a negative COVID-19 result will be barred from government offices.
“With effect from 1st December, 2021, Federal Government employees shall be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result done within 72 hours, to gain access to their offices, in all locations within Nigeria and our Missions. An appropriate service wide advisory/circular will be issued to guide the process,” he said.
Our attention has been drawn to statements and reports in the media mis-characterising as a call for devaluation, the view of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN that the Naira exchange rate was being kept artificially low.
Prof. Osinbajo is not calling for the devaluation of the Naira. He has at all times argued against a willy-nilly devaluation of the Naira.
For context, the Vice President’s point was that currently the Naira exchange rate benefits only those who are able to obtain the dollar at N410, some of who simply turn round and sell to the parallel market at N570. It is stopping this huge arbitrage of over N160 per dollar that the Vice President was talking about. Such a massive difference discourages doing proper business, when selling the dollar can bring in 40% profit!
This was why the Vice President called for measures that would increase the supply of foreign exchange in the market rather than simply managing demand, which opens up irresistible opportunities for arbitrage and corruption.
It is a well known fact that foreign investors and exporters have been complaining that they could not bring foreign exchange in at N410 and then have to purchase foreign exchange in the parallel market at N570 to meet their various needs on account of unavailability of foreign exchange. Only a more market reflective exchange rate would ameliorate this. With an increase in the supply of dollars the rates will drop and the value of the Naira will improve.
The real issue confronting the economy on this matter is how to improve the supply of foreign exchange, but this will not happen if we do not allow mechanisms like the Importers and Exporters window to work. If we allow this market mechanism to work as intended, we will find that the Naira will appreciate against the dollar as we restore confidence in the system.
….INEC now free to determine mode of transmission of results during elections, including electronic transmission or manual transmission
THE Senate has approved that Political parties in Nigeria should adopt direct primaries to all elective positions.
It equally said that the primaries should be monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The approval on Tuesday was sequel to motion for Re- Commital of some Clauses of the Electoral Act No.6 2010( Repeal and Re- enactment) Bill , 2021( SB. 122) to the Committee of the Whole as sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, All Progress Congress, APC, Kebbi North.
The Senate had earlier approved a provision in the Electoral Bill which allowed parties to use either direct or indirect mode of primaries in nominating candidates for elections during primaries.
The Senate has also agreed that INEC can now determine the mode of transmission of results during elections, including electronic transmission or manual transmission.
Abdullahi in his lead debate said that the amendment to Clause 87( 1) Nomination of candidates by parties, read, “A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Bill shall hold direct primaries for aspirants to all elective positions, which shall be monitored by the Commission”.
This is different from the earlier adopted one which read, ” 87(1) A Political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Act shall hold direct or Indirect primaries for aspirants to all elective positions, which may be monitored by the Commission.”
Abdullahi said, “Recalls that the Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 (Repeal and re-enactment) Bill, 2021 was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“Observes that after critical examination of the Bill by the Senate Committee on INEC, some fundamental issues which require fresh legislative action on the following clauses – 43, 52, 63, and 87 were observed.
“Desirous of the need to address the observation by the Committee and make necessary amendments; and “Relying on order 1(b) and 53(6) of Senate Standing Order.
“Accordingly resolves to: Rescind its decision on the affected Clauses of the Bill as passed and re-commit same to the Committee of the Whole for consideration and passage.”
Order 1(b) of the Senate Standing Orders reads: “In all cases not provided for hereinafter or by Session or other Orders or practice of the Senate shall by Resolution regulate its procedure.
Also, Order 53(6) of the Senate Standing Orders reads: “It shall be out of order to attempt to reconsider any specific question upon which the Senate has come to a conclusion during the current session except upon a substantive motion for rescission.”
The approval followed an amendment to Clause 52(3) of the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North) during the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Committee’s had initially recommended in in Clause 52(3) that, “The Commission (INEC) may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.”
I’ve said it several times that Professor Yemi Osinbajo is as dangerous as his principal, Muhammadu Buhari!
They plot all the evils afflicting this country together.
He’s in on every action of the regime. Because Muhammadu Buhari’s deceiving the Bozo that he plans to hand over power to him, he’s blabbing up and down. Buhari remains one of Nigeria’s most unpopular rulers ever! Buhari has no iota of credibility both as a human being or a “leader” Shame on miniman OSINBAJO.
Recall that Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eye housemate, Kayvee, was withdrawn from the BBNaija season six show over mental health issues.
Today is World Mental Health Awareness Day!!! As someone with a lived experience, I know how vital mental wellbeing is and how easy it is to be labelled, judged and seen through the lens of one’s mental health condition, especially as a public figure.
It hurt to read negative comments about my experience, but I then realised that the real problem is people's limited knowledge about mental health. Mental health is simply how a person is faring with their psychological and emotional well-being.
The @bigbronaija show was a once in a lifetime opportunity and one I will always be grateful for. Although I intended to go far, when I noticed something wasn’t right with my emotional well-being, I did the best thing for myself by seeking help. I chose my well-being.
#WorldMentalHealthDay is a chance to talk about the importance of mental health, recognise the signs, triggers and getting help. Never be afraid to seek help. #FreeYourMind
Recovering was easier because I had my support network around me— family, friends, #KayVeeFC⚡️and well-wishers who uplifted me with their words.
This #WorldMentalHealthDay, I ask that we educate ourselves on mental health conditions and support those living with it. I hope to continue to use my voice for social advocacy.�⚡️
Naew Na reported from the press briefing at immigration HQ in Suan Phlu, Bangkok, yesterday.
The case with the top billing went to the activities of Region 1 officers who were told by an informant that a colored man was dealing drugs in the downtown area.
He was using WhatsApp to communicate - an app popular with Europeans, Americans and Africans, said the media.
A sting was set up for the late evening of October 5th with the informant arranging to buy drugs by meeting in the toilets of a mall in the Bang Rak, Silom area of downtown Bangkok.
Immigration knew the suspect would arrive by BTS and had staked out the Saladaeng station when they saw a black man matching the description.
He was followed then confronted at the toilets where he tried to flush several packets of drugs down the toilet.
Police retrieved three ziplock sachets of ice and ketamine.
Arrested was Nigerian national George aged 28.
He said he got the drugs from a Thai woman in Ramkhamhaeng and could make a profit by selling them on to foriegners who paid above the market price.
His passport had absolutely no stamps in it and there was no record of him on the immigration biometrics system.
He was charged with possession with intent to sell Class 1 and 2 narcotics and illegal entry and detained.
Some information he supplied is being used to expand the case.
In April 2021, an insurgent named Mallam Sadiqu set up an empire in the local sprawl of Shiroro, Niger State. As a Boko Haram jihadist, he took control of political and social life in about 25 communities.
Sadiqu started his infiltration of the communities like a ‘gentle man of God’ before professing himself as a Boko Haram commander spreading Islamic extremism, which coincides with the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād’s school of thought.
He would later declare himself a “constituted authority” and threaten to ‘waste’ anyone who refused to swallow his decisions or tried to expose him to the government.
He set up a cabinet for his Islamic government and read publicly the rules and regulations, rewards and penalties for certain acts, emphasising his mission to fight the government and take over the state.
“He told them that he was not harmful to the general public because he was a Boko Haram [insurgent],” a source familiar with Sadiqu’s system of government told FIJ. “He said he was not fighting the masses but the government. He said everybody should settle down to live their normal lives. But they would have protocols.”
After declaring himself an authority, he recruited ruthless young people who had taken part in rural banditry and cattle theft, overpowering Dogo Gide, a feared bandit leader in Shiroro. He empowered his recruits with swords, powerbikes, AK47s and Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs).
He then ruled communities like Kaure, Kusasu, Pai, Chukuba, Kwaki, Kurebe, Iburo, Kushaka, Kushaku, Biko, Alaita, Dnasepa, Kokokki, Nakundna, Afapi, Kampani, Kudumidna, Sakko, Ajatayi, Lukupe, Badna, Alai Kwaki, Bududna and Maimalufa.
“If you have a female child of 12 years, you have to marry her out,” Sadiqu was quoted to have ordered residents of these communities.
How did a ‘gentle man of God’ turn out to be the most dreaded terrorist and rebel threatening the Government of Niger State?
FROM KAURE TO KUREBE
Stories of murders, abductions and human rights violations dominate the communities controlled by Sadiqu and his loyalists. On April 27, Abubakar Bello, the Niger State Governor, confirmed the hoisting of the Boko Haram flag in Kaure, Sadiqu’s headquarters in Shiroro.
The governor revealed how the terrorist took the women of some residents and gave them to his boys.
“I am confirming that there are Boko Haram elements here in Niger State,” he said. “Here in Kaure, I am confirming that they have hoisted their flags. Their wives have been seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members.
“I just heard that they have placed their flags at Kaure, meaning they have taken over the territory. This is what I have been engaging the Federal Government on. Unfortunately, it has now got to this level. If care is not taken, even Abuja is not safe.”
Following the governor’s public outcry, a contingent of soldiers stormed Kaure community to dislodge Sadiqu and his fighters.
“Unfortunately, it was just a military operation to dislodge the terrorists. A military base was not established in the community,” a source told FIJ. “So, after everything, the terrorists reconvened in Kurebe, a nearby village, and established another Boko Haram headquarters in Shiroro.”
STARTED AS A MISSIONARY, NOW AN INSURGENT
According to multiple accounts of locals in the communities, Sadiqu started by preaching to residents in the Lakma axis, especially in the Kaure area. He enjoined them to embrace Islamic jurisprudence and “fear Allah”.
“At a point, he was going around as a missionary and people were even getting to believe him,” said a youth leader in one of the communities. “It was later that he started using force. So, his boys started carrying guns.”
KNOWN BUT FACELESS
Almost everybody in the 25 communities controlled by Sadiqu knows him but “nobody dares obtain his picture or describe how he looks to an alien in the area”.
Residents who confided in FIJ said Sadiqu is considered a sacred human whose face or physical appearance must not be in the public domain. Moreover, taking or displaying pictures is forbidden in the terrorist’s territories.
“He has made himself the constituted authority so much that if you have a case to settle, you go to him instead of going to the court or the police,” one of the locals said. “Even if you’re coming to his vicinity, you cannot come with a phone or a camera because his boys will search you from checkpoint to checkpoint. Nobody has any image of Mallam Sadiqu at the moment.”
“Anyone seen taking pictures in his territory could be killed,” another local added. “It is seen as a dangerous offence here.”
TEARS OF A PEOPLE
Residents under Sadiqu’s control are grieving but they dare not shed tears. An attempt to report Sadiqu’s atrocities attracts severe punishment. Anyone who tries it could be stoned to death, according to multiple accounts of locals.
“You can imagine telling uneducated people how the government has abandoned them and how they (the terrorists) are there to fight the government for them. They are brainwashing the people and that is a danger,” a concerned Shiroro youth told FIJ.
“We only hope the government can take back these communities from this dangerous man.”
The Niger State Government is aware of the presence of Sadiqu and his men. But the governor said he is helpless.
Suleiman Chukuba, Chairman of Shiroro Local Government, confirmed the influx of Boko Haram elements, saying, “Only four wards have been affected.”
He said the residents know from their mode of preaching that they are Boko Haram elements.
“They told villagers that they had money to help them and that they had guns to give them to fight the government. And that is the same doctrine we know Boko Haram elements promote,” he said.
TROOPS' NEUTRALISE THREE UNKNOWN GUNMEN IN A SHOOTOUT
Troops of Sector 5 of Exercise GOLDEN DAWN deployed in Enugu, have neutralised three unknown gunmen who attacked a Nigerian Police checkpoint along Okija-Onitsha expressway on 7 October 2021.
The gallant troops engaged and overwhelmed the gunmen with superior firepower, forcing them to flee the scene. Troops however gave them a hot pursuit, and engaged the gunmen in a gun duel.
The 3 gunmen, who drove in 2 Vehicles ( a Hilux and Hummer bus), eventually succumbed to troops' effective firepower, while others fled with gunshot wounds.
Troops also recovered one vehicle and 2 motorcycles, while conducting further exploitation of the general area for the fleeing terrorists.
Unfortunately, a soldier paid the supreme price, in the line of duty, for his country.
The Chief of Army Staff Commends the troops for the feat and urges them to sustain the momentum against all criminal elements operating in the region. The COAS also sympathises with the family of the fallen hero and prays for the repose of his soul.
Multiple lawmakers were caught on camera dozing off as President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2022 appropriation bill to the National Assembly on Thursday.
In a live video of the presentation broadcasted by Channels Television and monitored by FIJ, no fewer than three lawmakers were seen sleeping. The identity of the lawmakers had not been obtained as of press time, due to the mandatory mask worn by all attendees.
Buhari submitted a N16.39 trillion 2022 budget proposal to the joint session of the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives for consideration. This includes appropriations for government enterprises.
With a crude oil benchmark price of $57 per barrel and a daily oil production estimate of 1.88 million barrels per day, the proposed total expenditure for the coming year is put at N16.39 trillion.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, convicted and sentenced the son of former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Taskforce Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, Faisal, to 14 years imprisonment.
The Court, in judgement that was delivered by trial Justice Okon Abang, found Faisal guilty on a three-count money laundering charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him.
It held that the anti-graft agency successfully established that Faisal, operated a fictitious bank account with the United Bank for Africa, UBA, through which his father, Maina, laundered the sum of N58.1million.
The court noted that the said fund which was deposited into the account that was operated in the name of Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, was sequentially withdrawn by the Defendant and his father, between October 2013 and June 2019.
Justice Abang said he was satisfied that the EFCC proved all the essential ingredients of the charge, stressing that the Defendant reasonably ought to have known that inflows into the bank account formed proceeds of an unlawful act of corruption by his father.
While the court sentenced the Defendant to 5 years in count 1 and 3 of the charge, he was sentenced to 14 years on count 2 of the charge.
The court held that the charge would run concurrently, starting from Thursday.
The court ordered that the 21-year-old Faisal, who had since June 24, 2020, failed to appear for his trial, should be arrested anywhere he is found in Nigeria and remanded in any Correctional Service Center to serve his jail term immediately.
It further held that in the event that the Defendant traced to anywhere outside the country, the Federal Government, “shall legally or lawfully commence extradition proceeds to bring him into the country to serve the jail term”.
The court ordered that the company through which the fund was laundered, Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, be wound up, with funds in it forfeited to the government.
It will be recalled that the court had on November 24, 2020, issued a bench warrant for security agencies to arrest Faisal wherever he is found, shortly after his bail was revoked.
EFCC closed its case against him after it called three witnesses that testified in the matter.
It alleged that Maina’s son had sometimes between 2013 and 2019, received the sum of N58.11million, being proceeds of a corrupt act by his father.
He was also accused of failing to properly declare his assets before the EFCC.
Faisal had reportedly pulled a gun to challenge operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS that arrested his father at a hotel in Abuja on September 30, 2019.
The EFCC had ealier told the court that it got intelligence report that Faisal had escaped to the United States of America.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan has told his colleagues in the upper legislative chamber to talk less to the media in order not to give a wrong impression about them.
Lawan made the remarks on the floor of the senate on Wednesday following a motion on privilege by Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy senate president.
Omo-Agege had drawn the attention of his colleagues to the remarks made by Enyinnaya Abaribe, Senate Minority leader, when he appeared on Channels Television on Tuesday night.
While speaking on the programme, Abaribe had reportedly alleged it was the All Progressives Congress (APC) members of the Senate that voted to give three percent to host communities instead of five percent in the recently enacted Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
“Most specifically, he made a remark that prior to the consideration of the bill, there was an agreement of the entire senate that the host communities will be given five percent,” he said.
“And notwithstanding that agreement, the APC, as a party, took a party decision to reduce the five percent for the host communities to three percent.”
Omo-Agege described Abaribe’s statement as false.
Abaribe was absent from the plenary session.
But commenting on Omo-Agege’s concern, Lawan said Senators have the responsibility to inform the public accurately on what transpires in the red chamber.
“When the senate takes a decision, we should inform the public correctly because it is our duty to give the correct information to the public,” he said.
“I will encourage us to talk less to the press on ways that will give the press a wrong impression. We should concentrate more on talking to our colleagues in the senate.
“I would have loved to give the minority leader an opportunity to speak but this is a matter of privilege. I hope all of you have learnt a lesson or two from this.
“There is no point giving wrong information because we never vote along party lines.”
President Muhammadu Buhari would, on Thursday, present the 2022 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly.
The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, gave the hint on Tuesday after reading and referring President Muhammadu Buhari’s submission of the revised 2022-2024 Medium Term Fiscal Framework to the Committee on Finance for legislative input.
Buhari in letter to the upper chamber dated October 4, 2021, explained that the revision was necessitated by the need to reflect the new fiscal terms in the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, as well as other critical expenditures in the 2022 budget.
According to him, the underlying drivers of the 2022 fiscal projections, such as oil price benchmark, oil production volume, exchange rate, GDP growth, and inflation rate reflect emergent realities and the macroeconomic outlook, and remain unchanged as in the previously approved 2022-2024 MTEF/FSP.
“The PIA established a progressive fiscal framework aimed at encouraging investment in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry.
“This significantly alters the Oil and Gas fiscal terms and has necessitated changes in the 2022-2024 Medium Term Fiscal Framework.
“The fiscal effects of PIA implementation are assumed to kick in by mid-year 2022. The revised 2022-2024 Fiscal Framework is premised on hybrid of January-June (based on current fiscal regime) and July-December (based on PIA fiscal regime), while 2023 and 2024 are now fully based on the PIA”, he said.
Accordingly, President Buhari listed the changes to the 2022 Fiscal Framework projections to include Gross Revenue projection decreased by N341.57 billion, from N8.870 trillion to N8.528 trillion; decreased deductions for federally funded upstream projects costs and 13 percent derivation by N335.3 billion and N810.25 million respectively; and Net Oil and Gas revenue projection declined by N5.42 billion from N6.540 trillion to N6.535 trillion.
Buhari added that also to be modified in the fiscal framework was a decline in Net Oil and Gas Revenue by N5.42 billion; and an increase in projected FGN’s Retained Revenue from N8.36 trillion to N10.13 trillion.
Giving a breakdown of the projected increase in Federal Government’s revenue, he said N837.76 billion was from increase in revenue of Government Owned Enterprises; N697.6 billion from MDAs Internally Generated Revenue; the introduction of Education Tax of N306 billion and Dividend of N8.3 billion from the bank of industry as revenue lines; and FGN share of oil price royalty of N96.9 billion which is expected to be transferred to the Nigerian Sovereignty Investment Authority based on the provisions of the PIA.
He added that the FGN Aggregate Expenditure (including GOEs and Projected-tied Loans) is projected to increase by N2.47 trillion, from N13.98 trillion to N16.45 trillion.
Buhari noted that the increase in expenditure was due to N100 billion additional provision to INEC, to cater for the 2023 General Elections; and the provision of N54 billion to NASENI, which represents 1 percent FGN share of Federation Account.
Others are additional provision of N510 billion in the Service Wide Votes to cater for National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (N300 billion), Police Operations Fund (N50 billion), Hazard Allowance for Health Workers (50 billion), Public Service Wage Adjustments (additional N80 billion), and MDAs’ Electricity Bills Debt (additional N37 billion); and additional Capital provision of N1.70 trillion.
He explained that the provision for additional capital in the framework was as a result of projected increases in Capital Supplementation by N179.1 billion; GOEs Capital by N222.1 billion; TETFUND Expenditure by N290.7 billion; Multi-lateral/Bi-lateral Project-tied Loans by N517.5 billion; and MDAs Capital Expenditure by N390.5 billion (including N178.1 billion provision for population and housing census to be carried out in 2022.
The Deputy Senate President, after reading the President’s letter referred same to the Committee on Finance.
The Committee which is Chaired by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola was mandated to report back tomorrow, Wednesday, October 6, 2021.
“You will have to report back to us latest tomorrow (Wednesday), to enable us use it as a predicate for the budget presentation on Thursday”, Omo-Agege said.
Family Kicks As Accountant-General, Idris Secretly Marries 16-year-old Girl As Fourth Wife
The family members of a 16-year-old Kano State girl, identified simply as Hussain, have kicked against her marriage to the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.
The family accused Idris of luring the teenager with millions of naira.
SaharaReporters gathered that the Accountant-General tied the knot with the young woman in a secret wedding held recently in Kano.
A source told SaharaReporters that Hussain’s family had kicked against the wedding but Idris insisted on marrying her despite the over 40 years age gap between the two.
Idris will turn 61 on November 25, 2021.
“This is our late sister’s daughter by name Hussain; she’s just sixteen, not long that she clocked sixteen years old but it’s very unfortunate that a lady called Amina was the one that linked or brought the Accountant-General to our house in order to seek her hand in marriage.
“This, she did, knowing that this is a very young girl, what does that mean? It shows the accountant general is just after that small girl to take advantage of her youthful age.
“Immediately I heard, I messaged him because when I was working with the then Head of Service, I had the opportunity of having his contact when we met over a serious matter about the country. So I messaged him on WhatsApp regarding his wedding; I sent him my picture, that of my son, my late sister and the daughter, Hussain. He replied that it’s a small world which confirmed the wedding was true,” a top family source confided in SaharaReporters.
The family source added that the Accountant-General had bribed some media organisations they contacted for help and their request to expose his atrocities was therefore turned down.
"He went as far as bribing this girl with a gold of over N200million, iPhones, buying cars for her, giving her millions of naira – all to buy her attention. He started meeting different people that he wanted to know the girl’s family; he married the girl, just like that.
“There was no investigation just because he is the Accountant General of the Federation. Why are things happening in this country like this? He even told the girl to go and look for any house of her choice in Abuja, that he is ready to purchase it for her.
“He is spending the government money and every media house we go to report him, he pays them not to air or report the story. Please help us for justice to be done. This girl is just sixteen years old,” the source added.
SaharaReporters had in a series of detailed investigations exposed how Idris acquired several properties whose value run into many billions of naira since he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the administrative head of the treasury in June 2015.
A visit to Gezawa Commodity Market Limited and Gezawa Integrated Farms Limited owned by Idris lend credence to the allegations made by concerned citizens and some stakeholders on how and where the AGF got the money he used in acquiring the multi-billion naira firms, both in Kano through his direct family members.
The shareholdings of both firms indicate a spread of Idris family members on the official board.
There have also been questions asked about how the AGF bought 'Sokoto Hotel' in Kano with N500million cash.
SaharaReporters gathered that Idris upon acquiring the hotel, ordered its immediate demolition with the intention to build a multi-billion naira shopping mall on the property.
Despite clocking 60 years in 2020, Idris succeeded in pulling different strings in the Presidency to secure an extension of his appointment beyond the legal limit.
SaharaReporters gathered that he engaged the services of highly placed persons including governors, senators and emirs who prevailed on President Buhari to give him the extension.
The action is however against the civil service rules, which states that a career civil servant must disengage from service either after attaining 60 years of age or having worked for 35 years, whichever comes first.
It was also against a recent circular from the office of the Head of Service to all agencies of the Nigerian Government which says, “For avoidance of doubt and in order to maintain discipline and integrity of the extant public service rule which prescribed 60 years of age or 35 years of service for mandatory retirement, should strictly be complied with.
“Accordingly, the following guidelines shall apply. (I) that career officers who take up tenured appointment should at the point of taking up the appointment retire from service to ensure they run their term uninterrupted.
“(II) that career officers who have not retired from service before the commencement of their tenured appointment must leave office on attainment of mandatory age/years of service for retirement and (iii) that career officers who are currently holding tenured appointment are required to retire from service with immediate effect and continue to run their term. Failure to do so would mean that they would vacate office on attaining the mandatory age or at the expiration of their term whichever comes first.”
Electricity consumers in some parts of Lagos State will have to endure power outage over the next eight weeks.
The power outage, which will run from 8am to 6 pm daily, begins on October 11.
The Chief Technical Officer, Ikeja Electric (IE), Jide Kumapayi, who made this known in Lagos, explained that the reason is to enable the IE carry out an upgrade to the 132KVA conductors from Ogba to Ikeja.
He listed areas to be affected to include Oregun axis; Police Training College axis; Anifowoshe; Ojodu; Oba Akran; Magodo; Omole Phase 1 and Oke-Ira, among others.
Swedish artist who survived two murder attempts after drawing the Prophet Mohammed is killed in mystery car crash along with his two police protection officers
A Swedish artist who survived two murder attempts after drawing a cartoon of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed has died in a horror car crash.
Lars Vilks, 75, was killed Sunday when the police car he was traveling in veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a truck.
Both vehicles caught fire and the truck driver, 45, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The two police officers who were tasked with protecting Mr Vilks also died, according Swedish news outlet Expressen.
The crash is being investigated by the special prosecutor's office.
The collision occurred just before 3pm in Markaryd, in the province of Kronoberg, Sweden.
It comes after Mr Vilks received numerous threats for drawing the Prophet Muhammad with a dog's body in 2007.
In 2015 lone gunman Omar El-Hussein fired shots at the front of the Krudttonden cafe where Mr Vilks was taking part in a debate on free speech.
Meanwhile Colleen LaRose, 51, of Pennsberg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill Mr Vilks in 2011 and was convicted in 2014.
National Police Chief Anders Thornberg said: 'It is with dismay and great sadness that I received the news that our two colleagues and our security person died this afternoon.
'My thoughts go out to their relatives, families, friends and co-workers.
'I am also in contact with the police in the region to make sure that they get the support they need.'
The relatives of Mr Vilks and the two officers have been notified.
Head of the special prosecutor's office Anders Jakobsson said: 'With the information I have now, it indicates that it is an accident.
The truck driver was airlifted to hospital by helicopter, where he will be questioned by police over what happened.
The car carrying Mr Vilks was reportedly travelling at a high speed before it veered into the other lane and collided with the truck, becoming wedged underneath it. Both vehicles caught fire.
Police spokesman Rickard Lundqvist said: 'I can not say at the moment if there are any criminal suspicions.'
The busy E4 road where the crash occurred has been closed off while police speak to witnesses. It is set to re-open at around 3am.
According to Expressen, the rescue service and the police said it would take a lot for a vehicle to be able to pass into the other lane, given that it is separated by a wire fence.
The section of the road has reportedly been rebuilt several times in recent years to improve traffic safety.
A police press conference is scheduled for Monday.
President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on Sunday, with the country’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, insisting on chauffeuring him to dinner.
Buhari’s aircraft, Nigerian Air Force 001, touched down at the newly built VIP Terminal of Bole International Airport at 5:06 p.m (Nigerian time).
The president was accorded a full guard of honour by the Ethiopian National Defense Force.
After the airport ceremony, the prime minister gestured to him to join him in a waiting SUV, while the Ethiopian leader took control of the steering wheel himself.
They arrived at the newly built Friendship Park for a private dinner also attended by the President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde, and the President of Senegal, Macky Sall.
The president is in the East African country to attend the inauguration of Zewde for another five-year term in office.
While there, the president is expected to deliver a goodwill message at the inauguration event scheduled to hold at the historic Meskel Square.
President Buhari will join other African leaders, who will attend the event in person, including the Presidents of Djibouti, Kenya, South Sudan, Senegal, Somalia, Uganda and the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He will also attend a State Dinner at the National Defence Headquarters, Addis Ababa.
Speaking on the significance of President Buhari’s visit to the country, the Ambassador of Nigeria to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Victor Adeleke, praised the cordial relations between Nigeria and Ethiopia.
He told correspondents: ‘‘Nigeria and Ethiopia enjoy warm cordial relations, they are equally the two largest democracies in Africa, in this wise, the attendance of President Buhari at the inauguration ceremony of Prime Minister Ahmed is an indication of the President’s commitment to strengthening democracy in Africa.’’
The Ambassador, who holds concurrent accreditation to Djibouti and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), explained that the visit would also afford President Buhari the opportunity to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and Ethiopia.
He added that over the years there had been much eagerness and zeal on the part of both countries to cooperate towards positive agreements, part of which had led to the exchange of official visits at the highest level.
The Envoy further said: ‘‘You will recall that the then Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Dessalegne visited Abuja, Nigeria in July 2014 where he was guest of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
‘‘In the same vein, at the invitation of Prime Minister Ahmed, President Muhammadu Buhari undertook a State Visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February 2020.
‘‘Nigeria and Ethiopia are both working on several areas of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of Defence, Aviation, Science and Technology, Industry, Trade and Investment, Agriculture, Health, Youth and Sports Development, Communication, Information and media as well as extending assistance to Ethiopia through the Technical Aid Corps programme.”
GOVT DIRECTS RESTORATION OF TELECOM SERVICES IN GUSAU METROPOLIS TODAY
Governor Bello Mohammed (Matawallen Maradun, Shattiman Sakkwato, Barden Hausa) has directed for the restoration of telecommunications services within the state Capital of Gusau only with effect from today, Friday, 1st October, 2021.
The restoration of the service at the state Capital becomes imperative following the tremendous success recorded in the fight against banditry in the state and to ease the hardship faced by both the private and public sectors of the state.
Government finds it necessary to ease the tight measure after the recorded success desired of it which has no doubt destabilsed the syndicate of criminals terrosisibg the state leading to the successes recorded against them by the security operatives.
Governor Matawalle promises that his administration will continue to monitor closely the unfolding developments and will announce further decisions of Government on measures being taken appropriately.
A Nigerian national was indicted today in federal court in Boston in connection with allegedly operating an unlicensed money transmitting business to launder the proceeds of online investment fraud schemes.
Tochukwu Abel Edeh, 31, a Nigerian national previously residing in Jacksonville, Fla., was indicted on one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to conduct an unlicensed money transmitting business. Edeh was previously charged by criminal complaint and has been in custody since his arrest on Sept. 2, 2021.
According to the indictment, Edeh managed used car dealerships and currency transfer services in Texas, Florida and Nigeria. This included a trading company as well as a cryptocurrency and e-commerce firm, both of which were based in Nigeria, through which Edeh exchanged Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for profit.
The indictment alleges that in or around 2015, Edeh conspired with others to launder and transmit proceeds of Ponzi-style investment fraud schemes based in Nigeria. Specifically, the schemes purported to offer trading and Bitcoin investing services when, in fact, investor funds were allegedly stolen and later victims’ investments were used to pay purported returns to earlier investors. Edeh allegedly laundered the fraud proceeds using a network of co-conspirators in the United States and using his personal and business accounts in the United States and Nigeria. Edeh, along with his alleged co-conspirators, did not hold money transmitting licenses in their respective states of residents, nor were they registered as money transmitters as required by federal law.
The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the laundered funds, whichever is greater. The charge of conspiracy to conduct an unlicensed money transmitting business provides for a sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Division of Enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of Mendell’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The death toll from a riot at one of Ecuador’s largest prisons has risen to 116, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso said on Wednesday, adding that he would send additional security forces and free up funds to avoid a repeat.
Another 80 inmates were injured during Tuesday night clashes at the Penitenciaria del Litoral in Guayas province, which has been the scene of bloody fights between gangs for control of the prison in recent months.
“It is unfortunate that criminal groups are attempting to convert prisons into a battleground for power disputes,” Lasso told reporters in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city. “I ask God to bless Ecuador and that we can avoid more loss of human life.”
Tuesday’s clash is the most deadly act of violence ever reported in Ecuador’s penitentiary system. Similar clashes took place in February and July 2021 in various prisons throughout the country. At least 79 people died in the February violence, and 22 in July.
Dozens of people arrived at the jail to seek information about relatives and demand accountability from officials responsible for the inmates’ safety, while the government bolstered military presence outside the facility. Lasso said the state would assist the families of dead and injured inmates.
The South American country’s Prosecutor’s office said earlier on Wednesday that six of the slain prisoners at Penitenciaria del Litoral had been decapitated.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has previously condemned the violence, and Human Rights Watch urged Ecuador’s government to fully investigate the prison violence and bring those responsible to justice.
Lasso in August said the government would provide more funding for the overcrowded prison system to build new wards and install new equipment to improve security.
The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky revealed that he is confident that the majority of Nigerians will choose the Islamic system of government over the neocolonial system of government.
This is just as he accused the Federal Government of gross violation of his fundamental right by being disallowed to travel out of the country for treatment despite his deteriorating health condition.
The Islamic scholar made the statement while responding to questions in an exclusive live programme with the Iranian Press TV monitored in Kano Wednesday evening, being the first interview he had with the media since his release on July 28.
“Even after the incarceration, we are still in another incarceration since they have refused to allow us to travel outside the country.”
The scholar also stated that the Islamic Movement is being democratic by simply seeking for the Islamic system of governance as against the neocolonial system in the country today adding that it is the choice of the majority of Nigerians if a plebiscite were to take place.
“I believe that if there will be a plebiscite in this country and people will be asked ‘which system would you like? Is it the status quo, which is inherited from the British colonialists or the Islamic system?
“I’m sure that the majority will choose the Islamic system. [Because] it will be the government of the people after all,” he added.
Zakzaky said, although, the authorities in Nigeria strictly forbid any such vote, he did not rule out the prospect of the establishment of such a system in Nigeria.
“However, this depended on the people being given the choice” similar to what happened in Iran with the referendum that followed the victory of the country’s Islamic Revolution in 1979.
“Nigerian authorities admit in private not in public, that they fear the Islamic Movement and the potential that it may help establish the Islamic system just as the Revolution in Iran.
“But all the IMN is after is democracy. What is a democracy? It is the government of the people” he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari is deeply saddened by the gruesome killing of Dr Chike Akunyili, the husband of the late former Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Dora Akunyili.
The President shares the pain of the offspring of Prof and Dr Akunyili, their families and friends whose lives will never remain the same after the inhuman and reprehensible act that happened in Onitsha, Anambra State.
President Buhari has fond memories of working with the late Dora Akunyili at the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and Nigerians will never forget the memory of the amazon, who distinguished herself as a courageous, dependable and patriotic citizen.
Enjoining security agencies and leaders of thought to work harder to bring an end to the violence being unleashed on innocent Nigerians, the President assures the grieving families who lost their loved ones in the incident that the perpetrators of the heinous act will face both the judgment of man, and that of God.
A media blitz for 2023 Presidential campaign has begun in London for All Progressives Congress leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
In a viral video, shared by Arise TV on Monday, images of the APC leader, who is recuperating in London, were on display at some train stations.
Some said the adverts are on display at Heathrow Airport as well.
Tinubu’s photographs were also plastered on the walls and the escalator.
“We don’t know who is behind it”, said Tinubu’s spokesman, Tunde Rahman.
He guessed it may be Nigerians in the diaspora.
Some of the messages in the advert blitz read: “Asiwaju for 2023′, “Call to Serve, Let’s Go”, “Asiwaju the right man for the job”, “Yes We can”, “Asiwaju Ready to serve”.
P.M. News has done some screenshots of the campaign.
In recent months, there have emerged many groups campaigning for Tinubu, on the suspicion that he will soon officially declare his interest in succeeding Buhari in 2023.
Three people are dead and more than 50 are injured after an Amtrak train carrying 141 passengers and 16 crew derailed in Montana on Saturday afternoon.
Eight cars out of the 10 cars on Amtrak's Empire Builder 7/27 train derailed as it carried passengers from Chicago to Seattle, according to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office. Two train cars reportedly separated and slid down a 30 foot embankment.
Police confirmed that three passenger onboard died as a result of their injuries.
'We are deeply saddened to learn local authorities are now confirming that three people have lost their lives as a result of this accident,' Amtrak released in a statement.
Amanda Frickel, the disaster and emergency services coordinator for Hill County, Montana told The New York Times 'well over' 50 people are injured.
She added that six counties sent rescuers and five hospitals are on standby to accept patients. Several helicopters are on standby, as well.
Amtrak also reported they are working with local authorities to help those who are injured.
'Amtrak is working with the local authorities to transport those who were injured to medical care, and to safely evacuate everyone else at the scene,' Jason Abrams. Amtrak's Public Relations Manager said in a statement.
Passengers said that the derailed cars on the track near Joplin, Montana, have left some passengers trapped inside.
One passenger said she heard a boom and felt the carriage 'pitching violently side-to-side,' according to CBS.
Another passenger Megan Vandervest was asleep when the train derailed.
'My first thought was that we were derailing because, to be honest, I have anxiety and I had heard stories about trains derailing,' she told The New York Times. 'My second thought was that’s crazy. We wouldn’t be derailing. Like, that doesn’t happen.'
She described the feeling as 'extreme turbulence on a plane,' but was among the lucky ones whose train car stayed on the tracks.
However, the cars behinds hers weren't. Three cars back, was completely off the track, the one in front of that was toppled over, while the one behind her was tilted, she told the Times.
There were approximately 147 passengers and 13 crew members onboard.
Some passengers are being transported to Liberty Community And Senior Center.
'We're going our best,' the spokesperson from the senior center said.
The state's medical supplies are low and beds are limited in hospitals due to COVID-19, but nursing homes have limited capacity.
The train's derailment is suspected to have happened between the Havre and Shelby stops in Montana, according to KXLY.
It is suspected that the train derailed near the switch at East Buelow. The cause of the derailment is not clear.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is launching a "go team" to investigate the derailment. Amtrak and NTSB, who owns the tracks, are looking into the derailment as well.
Crews set up ladders on the side of the cars in what appears to be a rescue effort to safely remove passengers.
One Twitter user Emily Rose reported her boyfriend's grandfather was on the train that flipped. She cited that he has 'cuts and bruises' but 'is okay.'
A firefighter reported to KXLY said rescue crews are 'large amounts of people trapped.'
Empire Builder trains 7/27 and 8/28 are cancelled for services today between Minot, North Dakota, and Shelby, Montana. Train will be limited for the next few days.
The Federal Government has banned students in Senior Secondary School one and two from taking from applying for and taking external West African Senior School Certificate Examination, the National Examination Council, and National Business and Technical Examinations Board.
This was contained in a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Education to principals of federal unity schools.
It was titled In the circular with no: FME/DBSE/US/DOC/III/16 and signed by the ministry’s Director Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir.
The circular was confirmed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Ben Bem Goong, on Friday.
The government threatened to expel any SSS One and Two students who take the exams.
This, the education ministry, said would help to maintain decorum and boost standards of education in schools.
The circular read, “The ministry’s attention has been drawn to the flagrant disregard to its directive on (the) writing of external examinations such as NABTEB (NTC and NBC), WASSCE, NECO (SSCE) by SS1 and SS2 students.
“Students who are involved in the practice find it difficult to settle down on serious studies. They become unruly and distract other students from achieving their goals.
“Any student caught to have written any of the above examinations in SS1 or SS2 classes will be expelled from the college. All students must write these examinations after they have been duly registered for the examination by the college.
“All students of Federal Unity College should adhere strictly to the content of this circular. And Principals are advised to bring the content of this circular to the knowledge of all parents of the college.”
One of the founders of the Taliban and the chief enforcer of its harsh interpretation of Islamic law when they last ruled Afghanistan said the hard-line movement will once again carry out executions and amputations of hands, though perhaps not in public.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi dismissed outrage over the Taliban’s executions in the past, which sometimes took place in front of crowds at a stadium, and he warned the world against interfering with Afghanistan’s new rulers.
“Everyone criticized us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments,” Turabi told The Associated Press, speaking in Kabul. “No one will tell us what our laws should be. We will follow Islam and we will make our laws on the Quran.”
Since the Taliban overran Kabul on Aug. 15 and seized control of the country, Afghans and the world have been watching to see whether they will re-create their harsh rule of the late 1990s. Turabi’s comments pointed to how the group’s leaders remain entrenched in a deeply conservative, hard-line worldview, even if they are embracing technological changes, like video and mobile phones.
Turabi, now in his early 60s, was justice minister and head of the so-called Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice — effectively, the religious police — during the Taliban’s previous rule.
At that time, the world denounced the Taliban’s punishments, which took place in Kabul’s sports stadium or on the grounds of the sprawling Eid Gah mosque, often attended by hundreds of Afghan men.
Executions of convicted murderers were usually by a single shot to the head, carried out by the victim’s family, who had the option of accepting “blood money” and allowing the culprit to live. For convicted thieves, the punishment was amputation of a hand. For those convicted of highway robbery, a hand and a foot were amputated.
Trials and convictions were rarely public and the judiciary was weighted in favor of Islamic clerics, whose knowledge of the law was limited to religious injunctions.
Turabi said that this time, judges — including women — would adjudicate cases, but the foundation of Afghanistan’s laws will be the Quran. He said the same punishments would be revived.
“Cutting off of hands is very necessary for security,” he said, saying it had a deterrent effect. He said the Cabinet was studying whether to do punishments in public and will “develop a policy.”
In recent days in Kabul, Taliban fighters have revived a punishment they commonly used in the past — public shaming of men accused of small-time theft.
On at least two occasions in the last week, Kabul men have been packed into the back of a pickup truck, their hands tied, and were paraded around to humiliate them. In one case, their faces were painted to identify them as thieves. In the other, stale bread was hung from their necks or stuffed in their mouth. It wasn’t immediately clear what their crimes were.
Wearing a white turban and a bushy, unkempt white beard, the stocky Turabi limped slightly on his artificial leg. He lost a leg and one eye during fighting with Soviet troops in the 1980s.
Under the new Taliban government, he is in charge of prisons. He is among a number of Taliban leaders, including members of the all-male interim Cabinet, who are on a United Nations sanctions list.
During the previous Taliban rule, he was one of the group’s most ferocious and uncompromising enforcers. When the Taliban took power in 1996, one of his first acts was to scream at a woman journalist, demanding she leave a room of men, and to then deal a powerful slap in the face of a man who objected.
Turabi was notorious for ripping music tapes from cars, stringing up hundreds of meters of destroyed cassettes in trees and signposts. He demanded men wear turbans in all government offices and his minions routinely beat men whose beards had been trimmed. Sports were banned, and Turabi’s legion of enforcers forced men to the mosque for prayers five times daily.
In this week’s interview with the AP, Turabi spoke to a woman journalist.
“We are changed from the past,” he said.
He said now the Taliban would allow television, mobile phones, photos and video “because this is the necessity of the people, and we are serious about it.” He suggested that the Taliban saw the media as a way to spread their message. “Now we know instead of reaching just hundreds, we can reach millions,” he said. He added that if punishments are made public, then people may be allowed to video or take photos to spread the deterrent effect.
The U.S. and its allies have been trying to use the threat of isolation — and the economic damage that would result from it — to pressure the Taliban to moderate their rule and give other factions, minorities and women a place in power.
But Turabi dismissed criticism over the previous Taliban rule, arguing that it had succeeded in bringing stability. “We had complete safety in every part of the country,” he said of the late 1990s.
Even as Kabul residents express fear over their new Taliban rulers, some acknowledge grudgingly that the capital has already become safer in just the past month. Before the Taliban takeover, bands of thieves roamed the streets, and relentless crime had driven most people off the streets after dark.
“It’s not a good thing to see these people being shamed in public, but it stops the criminals because when people see it, they think ‘I don’t want that to be me,’” said Amaan, a storeowner in the center of Kabul. He asked to be identified by just one name.
Another shopkeeper said it was a violation of human rights but that he was also happy he can open his store after dark.
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