Metro

We did not refuse evacuation, Nigerians in Lebanon debunk govt’s position

Published

2 months ago

October 8, 2024

The Nigerian community in conflict-hit Lebanon have debunked the position of the federal government that many of its citizens refused to be evacuated from the troubled Gulf State.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, had in a statement on Saturday said only about 500 Nigerians had registered with the Nigerian Embassy in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, for evacuation out of the country out of over 2,000, with majority of them refusing to be evacuated even as the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants intensifies.

“Presently, about 500 Nigerians have registered with the mission; however, there are more than 2,000 Nigerian citizens residing in the country,” Abu-Obe had said.

“Even though most of them have not indicated a willingness to return home despite the persuasion by our embassy, we will continue to do everything to ensure the safety of our citizens,” the ministry spokesman added.

However, President of the Nigerian Community in Lebanon, Roland Aigbovbiosa, has described the claim by the government as untrue and incorrect.”

Aigbovbiosa who spoke to Nigerian journalists on Monday, the 500 Nigerians the ministry was referring to were not those who had registered for evacuation, but those who had been officially profiled by the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon for documentation only.

“As the President of the Nigerian community here, I am confirming to you that this is not true. There are no 500 Nigerians registered for evacuation here,,” Aigbovbiosa said.

“I think the misunderstanding came from something we have been doing. Before now, the Nigerian community and the embassy have been trying to register the Nigerians who are in Lebanon to know those who have legal documents among them and those who do not.

“This exercise has been going on for over two years. There are over 2,000 Nigerians here, but out of this, only a little above 500 of them have come out to register with the embassy just for profiling, and they have been doing that before the war and any other crisis. I think people are mistaking this 500 for the number of people who have registered for evacuation. But that is very untrue and incorrect.”

Aigbovbiosa noted that only 30 Nigerians had registered for evacuation as of Monday afternoon, and there were strong indications that the number would increase in the coming days.

“I told you on Saturday that the people who have registered for evacuation out of the 2,000 Nigerians are just a little above 20. But as we speak, the number has increased to 30.

“I know this because I am one of those who is noting down the names of the people who are ready to go back to Nigeria. I spoke to the embassy this morning.

“About four days ago, we documented fewer than 20 cases. However, as the situation worsens with bombings occurring everywhere, many Nigerians are feeling frightened and considering returning home. I believe this accounts for the current numbers. We are still watching and anticipating that more people will come forward to go back to Nigeria,” he added.

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Metro

Zambia: FOX report highlights persistent media harassment, calls for reforms

Published

15 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A new Freedom of Expression (FOX) report by the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, has raised concerns over what it describes as the continued harassment of media professionals in the country despite collective efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.

The FOX Report serves as a call to action for all stakeholders to create a safer and more enabling environment for the media to operate without fear or intimidation.

Chairperson of the MISA-Zambia Board, Lorraine Mwanza, who raised the concerns while launching the report on Tuesday at the Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, highlighted that journalists and media practitioners in the country still faced intimidation, censorship, and violence for fulfilling their role of informing the public.

“The harassment of media professionals is a stark reminder of the threats posed to democratic values and the fundamental rights to seek, receive, and impart information without fear or hindrance,” Mwanza said.

She expressed solidarity with those who are targets of attack, and reaffirmed MISA’s commitment to defending journalists’ rights and protecting the integrity of the profession.

Mwanza further called on the government to address barriers preventing journalists from accessing public officials, emphasizing that public officials were custodians of critical information necessary for informed decision-making.

“When citizens have access to government data, they can better understand policies, monitor public spending, and advocate for change in their communities,” Mwanza noted.

She also appealed for the review and repeal of laws that undermine democracy, stressing the importance of enacting legislation that guarantees media freedom, freedom of expression, and digital rights, and commended the government for responding to calls from civil society organizations to withdraw the controversial Cyber Bills from Parliament.

Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary, Thabo Kawana, in a speech read by Ministry Director Mordern Mayembe, reaffirmed government’s commitment to upholding media freedom and freedom of expression in Zambia.

Metro

Nigeria: 614,937 killed, 2.2m abducted in 1 year— Report

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A new report released on Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that over 614,937 Nigerians were killed and 2,235,954 others kidnapped across the country in one year between May 2023 and April 2024.

The NBS report, titled, “The Crime Experienced and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) 2024”, says based on the surveys conducted between May 2023 and April 2024, the 2.2 million Nigerians who were kidnapped across the country paid a whopping N2.2 trillion as ransom, with an average amount of N2.7 million per incident.

The report also disclosed that murder rate was highest in rural areas with 335,827 incidents and 279,110 in urban areas.

A zone-by-zone analysis of the report showed that the North-West had the highest murder cases of 206,030, followed by the North-East which stood at 188,992, while the least was recorded in the South-West at 15,693.

The report also revealed about seven in 10 households reported murder cases to the police nationwide with 33 per cent of households responding that the killer was an unknown person, and 23.4 per cent confirmed that the murderer was a member of the household; while 1.0 per cent reported that the murderer was either a spouse or a lover.

The report said 1,668,104 persons were kidnapped in rural areas and 567,850 in urban areas with the North-West having the highest cases of kidnapping with 1,420,307 abducted, followed by the North-Central with 317,837 and the South-East at 110,432.

“Of the estimated amount of N2.2 trillion payments to free victims, the North-West reported the highest ransom paid with N1.2 trillion; while the South-East was the least with N85.4 billion.

“Disaggregated by zones, the North-Central reported the highest proportion of payment of ransom at 83.4 per cent, followed by North-East at 78.6 per cent.

“Households in urban areas paid an average of N3.7 million compared to N2.3 million in rural areas,” the report stated.

It added that about 91 per cent of kidnapping incidents were done for ransom in the form of money, goods or other benefits.

“While 2.4 per cent of cases were attributed to political, criminal, or terrorist objectives; 2.1 per cent were linked to personal or family disputes. Custody disputes accounted for 0.5 per cent of cases,” the report said.