Hundreds of people gathered to cheer as a woman was publicly caned in Indonesia for having affectionate contact with a man who was not her husband. University student Nur Elita was rushed to hospital after receiving five lashes in front of a jubilant crowd.
The 20-year-old was forced to kneel as a masked man whipped her repeatedly outside the Baiturrahim Mosque in Aceh, Indonesia's only province to enact Sharia law. Her companion, 23-year-old Wahyudi Saputra was also caned. Under Sharia law, unmarried men and women are not allowed to get too close to each other due to the "khalwat" offence.
"Take these punishments as a lesson. What has been done by these convicts should not be taken as an example," said Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor Zainal Arifin. "And to the public, I ask that you do not isolate those who have been convicted here today. And also, those who have been convicted are reminded not to repeat the same mistakes," he added.
Elita could be seen doubling over in agony as she was brutally whipped. After the punishment was meted out, she was carried from the stage to an ambulance and transported to hospital to receive treatment.
An additional four men also received five lashes each for gambling, which is a crime under Sharia law. Earlier this year, a district in the conservative Aceh province invoked a bylaw requiring schools to teach boys and girls separately, while another city in the region previously barred female passengers from straddling a motorcycle when riding with a male driver.
Hundreds of people gathered to cheer as a woman was publicly caned in Indonesia for having affectionate contact with a man who was not her husband. University student Nur Elita was rushed to hospital after receiving five lashes in front of a jubilant crowd.
The 20-year-old was forced to kneel as a masked man whipped her repeatedly outside the Baiturrahim Mosque in Aceh, Indonesia's only province to enact Sharia law. Her companion, 23-year-old Wahyudi Saputra was also caned. Under Sharia law, unmarried men and women are not allowed to get too close to each other due to the "khalwat" offence.
"Take these punishments as a lesson. What has been done by these convicts should not be taken as an example," said Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor Zainal Arifin. "And to the public, I ask that you do not isolate those who have been convicted here today. And also, those who have been convicted are reminded not to repeat the same mistakes," he added.
Elita could be seen doubling over in agony as she was brutally whipped. After the punishment was meted out, she was carried from the stage to an ambulance and transported to hospital to receive treatment.
An additional four men also received five lashes each for gambling, which is a crime under Sharia law. Earlier this year, a district in the conservative Aceh province invoked a bylaw requiring schools to teach boys and girls separately, while another city in the region previously barred female passengers from straddling a motorcycle when riding with a male driver.
The Senior Staff Association of the Nigerian Universities has called for an indefinite strike on December 24, 2015 to protest a recent decision of the Federal Government to sack 2,000 university workers across the country by January, 2016.
The National President of SSANU, Mr. Samson Ugwoke, said during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday that the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, and the National Universities Commission had written letters of termination to 2,000 members of staff of the universities.
Ugwoke said that the senior staff union of the universities had already dispatched letters to the Ministry of Education, the NUC and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to withdraw the letters of termination issued to varsity workers of the University of Ilorin, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto and others.
He said that SSANU also urged the Education Ministry and the other agencies to ensure immediate withdrawal of similar letters to vice chancellors to terminate the appointment of personnel of university staff primary schools.
He said the letter dated December 17, 2015 also copied President Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Senate, Bukola Saraki, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige and others.
Ugwoke added that the 2,000 workers affected in the planned retrenchment exercise were drawn from 31 universities and were employed by the councils of the various institutions to make the requisite contribution to educational development in the institutions and the society over the years.
The SSANU leader noted that the directive to sack the workers who are expected to leave service in January 2016 was contained in a circular said to have been written and signed by a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Education, Mr. E.O Fayemi, on behalf of the minister.
He stated further that the circular dated April 21, 2015, was attached with a memorandum and report from the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission dated March 2014 and February 2014 respectively.
According to him, the commission responded to the circular by directing the removal of personnel of staff schools and other institutions affiliated to the universities from the payroll.
He said, “The implementation of this directive would be a gross violation and breach of the SSANU/FGN 2009 Agreement, which explicitly stated that the University shall bear full capital and recurrent cost of University Staff primary schools.
“It is further shocking to note that till date, the Federal Ministry of Defence still funds the capital and recurrent costs of over 100 Army Children Schools, Command Children Schools, Navy Primary Schools and Air Force Schools; while the Ministry of Police Affairs still funds its Police Children Schools, all from the Federal Treasury.
“We are surprised that an agency of government, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, could continue with this callous, wicked, insensitive and ill-intentioned agenda, despite our calls, letters, press releases and publications on the issue.
“With the advent of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, we had written series of public and confidential letters on same with no positive response.”
He said that 90 per cent of the pupils of the university staff schools were children of the staff of the institutions stressing that the schools were established alongside other academic components of the universities in some cases.
The unionist said SSANU had to give the December 24, 2015 deadline to the Federal Government as part of the efforts to prevent the over 2000 workers of the universities from being sacked.
Several efforts by Saturday PUNCH to get the response of ASUU National President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, was resisted because he said, “I am out of the country and you don’t expect me to answer you from abroad.”
Also when contacted, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of State for Education, Anthony Akuneme, directed our correspondent to the office of the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu.
But several calls and SMS to the Assistant Director of Press in the Education Ministry, Abdul Onu, were not replied.
The Deputy Senate President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has warned that unless the downward slide of the Nigerian economy is halted, the country may witness a revolution by citizens.
Speaking at the opening of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) South East Zonal Executive Council meeting, Mr. Ekweremadu expressed dismay at the handling of the Nigeria’s economy by the All Progressives Congress, APC-led federal government.
He listed the reduction in value of the Naira which exchanged for about N250 to a dollar at the parallel market as well as lack of clear-cut economic blue print as major causes of hardship on the populace.
“Traders who depend on forex are now trapped,” he said at the event in Enugu on Saturday. “In the next six months Onitsha and Alaba markets will shut down. If government does not do anything, I’m not a prophet of doom, but I believe if nothing urgent is done to reverse the ugly development, we will have revolution in our hands.”
“Both our nationals and foreigners are worried; we need to inform APC that Nigerians are dying, unless APC changes style, Nigerians will in 2019 be begging PDP to come back,” he said.
The Deputy Senate President said his party, the PDP, supports the fight against corruption, but it must not be selective and should follow due process and not media trial.
He said PDP is currently facing trying moments but it will come out stronger. He also frowned at the development in the Kogi governorship elections where he alleged that APC governor-elect contested without a deputy.
Yahaya Bello of the APC was declared winner of Kogi governorship election after he defeated incumbent governor Idris Wada of the PDP. Mr. Bello’s election was, however, marred in controversy after he was selected by his party to replace Abubakar Audu who died after he won the main election. Mr. Audu’s deputy, James Faleke, has rejected his nomination as deputy to Mr. Bello and instead asked to be declared governor.
Also at the PDP meeting on Saturday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, challenged the APC-led government to publish the names of those who have reportedly returned stolen funds. He said such people should be tried and jailed if convicted.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently said the government would publish the names of ex-public officials who served in the Goodluck Jonathan administration and were secretly returning stolen public funds to his administration.
Earlier while welcoming the delegates, the National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the South East, Austin Akobundu, said the South East remains one of the geo-political zones in the country where the party was dominant. He urged members to take up the challenge of helping to rebuild the party.
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has declared his Muslim-majority country an Islamic republic, saying the move marks a break with the colonial past.
Mr. Jammeh told state TV the proclamation was in line with Gambia’s “religious identity and values.”
He added that no dress code would be imposed and citizens of other faiths would be allowed to practise freely.
Some 90 per cent of Gambians are Muslim. The former British colony’s economy relies heavily on tourism.
However, relations with the West have soured recently, the BBC reports.
The European Union temporarily withheld aid money to Gambia last year over its poor human rights record.
Mr. Jammeh has been president of the tiny West African country for 21 years.
“As Muslims are the majority in the country, the Gambia cannot afford to continue the colonial legacy,” Mr. Jammeh told state TV, explaining his decision to proclaim an Islamic republic.
Other Islamic republics include Iran, Pakistan and – in Africa, Mauritania.
Mr. Jammeh withdrew Gambia from the Commonwealth in 2013, describing the organisation as neo-colonial.
In 2007, he claimed to have found an herbal cure for Aids.
Several persons are feared dead after soldiers reportedly opened fire on members of the Islamic movement of Nigeria in their Husainiyya base in Zaria, Kaduna state.
A resident of the area, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, said a truckload of soldiers came to the Husainiya area and surrounded it and “all of a sudden we heard gun shots and many people died”.
“The soldiers are still there and they have evacuated some of the corpses while others were taken by the site members” the witness said.
Another witness told PREMIUM TIMES more than 20 corpses were laying on the ground.
“The soldiers have killed many people here, possibly up to 20,” he said. “The leader of the sect, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky is leaving his home to where the soldiers are. He is saying he does not care if he is killed too.”
The spokesperson of the Army, Sani Usman, could not be reached for comments at this time.
The News Agency of Nigeria is however quoting Mr.Usman, a colonel, as saying the clash resulted from an assassination attempt on the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai.
The Army spokesperson reportedly said it was some suspected shiites who first attacked the motorcade of Mr. Buratai, a lieutenant general.
PREMIUM TIMES is unable to independently confirm that version of event at this time.
There has been a history of violence between members of the movement and the military.
A similar clash last year led to the death of many members, including the sons of the movement’s leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Saturday, escaped assassination attempt, as members of the Muslim sect, Shiites allegedly attacked his convoy in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Vanguard reports that seven persons lost their lives in the clash between soldiers attached to Buratai’s convoy and the Shiite Muslim sect.
The cause of the clash could not however be confirmed as at the time of going to press.
This came as President Muhammadu Buhari was a guest in Kaduna today, to grace the Kaduna Music Festival, as well as received a honorary award given him by the Kaduna State University (KASU), at its convocation ceremony.
The reigning Miss Gwer West, Her Majesty Miss Ruth Adoo Igbo recently visits hospitals in Gwer West Local Government. The
young beauty pageant donated materials and gift of all sorts to the
hospitals, she also prayed with the sick and urged them to have faith in
God as he will heal all their sickness. She was accompanied by Miss Guma and other friends.
BREAKING: Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio Sacked From The Senate
SaharaReporters can authoritatively confirm that the Senate Minority Leader for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Godswill Akpabio, has been sacked today. Mr. Akpabio is a Senator representing Akwa Ibom State, and is the former two term governor of that State.
SaharaReporters can authoritatively confirm that the Senate Minority Leader for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Godswill Akpabio, has been sacked today. Mr. Akpabio is a Senator representing Akwa Ibom State, and is the former two term governor of that State.
Governor Akpabio
The Federal Court of Appeal announced today that violations to the Electoral Act during the senatorial election between Mr. Akpabio and the All Progressives Congress candidate Inibehe Okori informed their ruling.
The Court of Appeal ordered a rerun election in Akwa Ibom State in 90 days.
