The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Benin Republic

  • Girl Child Trafficking: Another sign of crime to be feminine in this world

    Trafficking of girl-child is the illegal coercion, transport and sales of girls for the purpose of all kind of exploitation and to make money. The average girl child is most vulnerable to high rate of sexual violence, physical violence which includes homicide, torture, psychological anguish, horrifying work, poor living conditions and extreme deprivation of all right and privileges.

    What have we done to resist all these harassment? The only thing we have done is to fold our arms and watch the girl child suffer from physical and mental torture. Between March, 1999 and April, 2000, 1,126 Nigerian victims of female trafficking were deported to Nigeria.  A lot are still stranded in another man’s land begging to survive. Efosah, a 17year old girl who lived with her mother in Lagos was invited to Italy by a neighbour for a holiday. When she got to Italy, she was told she owed N700, 000 to the unmentioned person that covered her travel expenses. She was forced into prostitution and was severely beaten when she attempted to escape. She eventually became very sick and could not make much money for the traffickers. She was dropped at the roadside and was caught in a police sweep operation. In the sweep, 88 other girls were deported along with her, and she arrived home battered and humiliated. What a painful abject neglect our girls are facing? You all made it a crime to come to this world with the feminine gender.

    In 2003, the Punch reported the discovery of 7 slaves colonies in Ogun, Oyo and Osun States of Nigeria, where 400 children between the ages of 4 and 13 were trafficked, 13 of them died within 3 months of being trafficked to Nigeria from Benin Republic. Yet, there are no vivid step taken to curtail this mess the girl child is forced into.

    The major cause of girl trafficking is the problem we have been battling with and that is female gender discrimination. Other causes are lack of education, divorced parent not caring for their children, ignorance of one’s legal right, poverty, inordinate desire for wealth etc. Nigerians have to rise and save these girls from physical and mental extinction.

    Orientating girl child who are susceptible to vices on how it can be prevented and formal education of girl-child can be a magnificent bearing to reduce or eradicate this menace. Government can also make and implement strict policies against girl trafficking, they can also partner with NGOs in fighting this menace. Awareness against the menace needs to be put in place, else we will have to tell stories to our future generations of a time when females were once mentally and socially stable, and I can bet you, those you tell the stories to will ask, when it was happening, what action did you take however small?

    Animasaun Oluwatoyin Rebecca

    Girl child Right Activist

    oluwatoyinanimasaun@gmail.com

    Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo

     

  • ‘Nigeria overtakes Egypt as largest rice producer in Africa’

    Nigeria has overtaken Egypt as the largest rice producer in Africa, Director-General,Africa Rice Center, Benin Republic, Dr Harold Roy-Macauley has said .

    Roy-Macauley, told The Nation that Nigeria is now the largest rice producer at 4 million tonnes a year.

    Egypt was producing 4.3 tonnes annually but production has reduction by almost 40 percent this year, attributed to the Egyptian government decision to limit cultivated to preserve water resources.

    Egypt rice cultivation requires about 1.8 billion metres of water in evaporation, transpiration and irrigation each year.

    Africa produces an average of 14.6 million tonnes of rough rice annually.

    He said there were efforts to increase overall rice production in Africa but expressed doubts that it will curb rice importation as population has increased across the continent.

    He said consumers are looking for rice that safe and certified.

    Read Also: Three face N20m rice fraud charge

    To meet expectations, he said his centre is ready to partner with Nigeria and other governments in Africa to train farmers, extension officers and exporters on best practice’s in cultivation and post- harvest care and to understand market requirements.

    Roy- Macauley stressed the African rice value chain needs to be better integrated and be capable of competing with imported rice in terms of quality.

    He added that the goal to achieving rice self- sufficiency is not just about on farm assistance but also involves introducing rice varieties that fit the diverse African agro-ecologies, improve irrigation facilities and disseminate rice growing techniques to farmers.

     

  • Kano poll: Why Ganduje will win

    In this piece, Kande Ibrahim highlights the factors that will make Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje win a second term on March 2.

    If you have been anywhere near Kano state in recent weeks, you would have noticed that the commonest refrain in the streets of Kano resonates with the name- Ganduje. All that is required is for an excited indigene to shout Kanooo. And the thunderous refrain will be- Ganduje. Why has Ganduje become such a cult hero in Kano state? The answer to this question lies in the manner of man that Ganduje is and the transformative governance that he has brought to bear in the state.

    Ordinarily, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the governor of Kano state, is supposed to be fighting the political battle of his life. Having run a good race in his first tenure, Ganduje is bidding for a second term in office. Well-meaning people of the state and beyond believe that he deserves to serve again considering his stellar performance in his first tenure. But some political opponents of his in the state have stacked up some obstacles for him. Prominent among them is the former governor of the state, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. The former governor, for some reason, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the hope that the political structure in the state will collapse under him. But Ganduje, who served as deputy governor under Kwankwaso held back. He did not jump unto Kwankwaso’s defection bandwagon. Instead, he held his own and has been putting everything in place to ensure that he becomes the man to watch in Kano.

    So far, the odds have worked in favour of Ganduje. Kwankwaso, the man who is supposed to give him troubled sleep, has been floundering. In deciding who will fly the flag of the PDP in the state, Kwankwaso made a tactical mistake when he anointed his in-law for the top job. Fortunately, the misstep by Kwankwaso is turning out to be an advantage for Ganduje. The Ganduje political machine has effectively sunk that of his opponents considering the speed and ravages with which it is cruising around the state. In trying to have a strong foothold on the state, Ganduje is winning virtually everybody that matters in the state to his side. Two out of the three senators in the state, with the exception of Kwankwaso are with him. And it is expected that Ganduje’s loyalists will take over the three senatorial seats by the time the February 16 elections hold. In fact, one of the biggest catches that Ganduje made is in the person of Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, the former governor of the state. Shekarau, an avowed political foe of Kwankwaso, has joined forces with Ganduje to effectively neutralise Kwankwaso in the state. Even some top politicians who made the mistake of moving with Kwankwaso have started returning to Ganduje. Prominent among them is Ganduje’s former deputy who left his master in the hope that Kwankwaso was going to offer him the governorship ticket. Now, the chips are down and the good people of Kano are making their choice. Ganduje, from all indications, stands tall among the motley crowd of candidates jostling for the governorship slot.

    You will  truly appreciate the governor’s level of acceptability by the people of Kano state if you operate within and around Kano state. The governor has become a huge phenomenon. His popularity is soaring by the day because the people have a lot to be happy about when they reflect on the government of the day led by Ganduje.

    The man is humane, humble and unassuming. There are no airs around him. That is why Government House Kano can best be described as the people’s house. Under the present dispensation, there is no artificial brick wall that separates the leadership from the followers. All mix freely in the same environment. And this has brought everybody home. No one feels any sense of alienation.

    Human relations apart, Ganduje is the Mr. Projects of our time. His pursuit of landmark projects has changed the face of Kano. He is reputed to be the first governor to construct the longest flyover stretching about two kilometres along Murtala Muhammed Way, Sabon Gari. The flyover is considered to be a major solution to the traffic congestion in Sabon Gari which is the commercial hub of the state. It will also facilitate the movement of people and goods in and out of the state. With increased commercial activities which the flyover has brought about, the living conditions of the ordinary man in Kano is likely to improve.

    There is also the three newly completed underpasses along Katsina Road. Katsina road in Kano is a very busy road through which people, goods and services from neighbouring countires like Niger Republic, Benin Republic and even Libya pass through. The influx of people on this major artery has been a major source of discomfort to road users and businesses in Kano. But the three underpasses have provided the much-needed relief. Vehicular and human traffic, noise pollution and other irritations are gone for good. This, as should be expected, will impact positively on the growth of businesses in the state.

    There is also the ongoing construction of Underpass and flyover at Dangi Roundabout, along Zaria road, Kano.  Under Ganduje as well, a massive project called Kano Economic City located in Dangworo area of Kano is being embarked upon. The project promises to be the largest economic hub in northern Nigeria. It is also going to be an Export Processing Zone. All of this put together make Kano a sprawling megacity. Significantly, the Ganduje flyovers and underpasses are not commonplace. They are modeled after what obtains in Dubai and some other advanced cities in the western world.

    Apart from the massive road construction efforts, the  Ganduje administration has major landmark projects in the area of youth empowerment. One is the Reformatory centre in Kiru local government area of the state. The other is the Skills Acquisition centre in Kano city. The reformatory project is the first of its kind in the country. Here, drug addicts are resettled and rehabilitated. It is a programme which discourages the youth from doing drugs. At the centre, government has provided facilities for de-intoxicating the addicts, both men and women, and expose them to various trades such as carpentry and joinery, auto mechanics, Technical Drawing, automotive engineering, plumbing, welding, electrical and electronics, etc.

    The ultra-modern Integrated Vocational Skills Acquisition centre is for graduates of secondary and tertiary institutions who lack the requisite skills to be gainfully employed. The centre is therefore like a finishing school of sorts. It parades about 20 trades such as computer engineering,  plumbing and pipe works, electrical installation, metal machine works, renewable energy, welding and fabrication, catering and Hospitality, among others.

    These are signature projects which mark the Ganduje administration out.  No doubt, the people feel good about the man who has given them so much. They yearn for him. This makes Ganduje the candidate to beat in the March 2, governorship election in the state.

    • Ibrahim writes from Abuja.

     

  • Pirates abduct six Russian sailors off Benin Republic, Embassy says

    Six Russian sailors have been abducted by pirates off the coast of Benin, the Russian Embassy in Cotonou said yesterday.

    Among those taken hostage was the captain of the vessel, the embassy said, adding that all of the sailors have “vanished.”

    The abductees are Russian nationals.

    There were 24 people on board the ship when the attack took place on Wednesday in the Gulf of Guinea, the embassy said.

    In 2018, an oil tanker with a crew of 22 Indian nationals was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.

    The crew members were released after five days as hostages, following a reported ransom payment.

     

  • Abducted siblings found in Benin Republic

    The two siblings, Nadia Mutana, six, and her brother, Khalifa, three, allegedly kidnapped by their housemaid on November 26, have been found, The Nation learnt yesterday.

    They were allegedly kidnapped by the housemaid when she went to pick them from school.

    It was gathered that the maid, simply identified as Busayo, fled with the children barely eight days after she was employed.

    The victims’ father, Aneru Mutana, said they were found in the wee hours of yesterday in Benin Republic, close to Seme border.

    He declined to state if any ransom was paid.

    Lagos Police Command spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent (CSP), said Busayo is a member of a kidnap syndicate.

    He said: “On November 26, Busayo was instructed by Mrs. Mutana to pick her children from school and take them home, as she (Mrs. Mutana) wasn’t able to do so due to the nature of her job.

    “Unfortunately, the housemaid had planned how to kidnap the children and executed her wicked plan effortlessly because she is known to the school authorities and familiar with the children.

    “Investigation showed that Busayo is a member of a kidnap syndicate, who gives her out as a maid to unsuspecting parents.

    “When she finally lands the job, she worms her way into the children’s heart and wins the trust of her employers. Once she gets to this stage, she bares her fangs.

    “Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal warns households interested in engaging domestic servants to beware of who they are dealing with.

    “He reiterates his earlier warning that employers ought to carry out a background check of persons they are bringing to their homes and profile them in order to make investigation easy for the police, should the need arise.

    “The command believes that Busayo may not be her real name. However, it wishes that Nigerians should take cognisance of her face and alert the nearest police formation of her location and if possible, apprehend and hand her over to the police.”

  • Garba assures of Golden Eaglets’ victory over Cote d’ Voire

    Manu Garba, coach of the Golden Eaglets on Tuesday assured that his team would beat Cote d’ Voire in the WAFU Zone B qualifiers on Thursday, Sept 6.
    Garba told the News men in a telephone interview that the victory in the second group match was important to keep the hope of qualifying for the U-17 AFCON in Tanzania alive.
    “God’s willing, we shall beat Cote d’ Voire to keep hope alive,” Garba said.
    He said that the team must win the remaining two games having lost the first match to Burkina Faso.
    The Golden Eaglets made an unimpressive start losing 3-2 to Burkina Faso at the Stade Municipal in Niger on Monday.

    Read Also: Manu Garba tips Eaglets for glory

    Within a space of six minutes after kickoff, Abdoul Komi and Jean Fiacre Kouame handed Burkina Faso a two-goal lead as Manu Garba’s boys were made to pay for their poor defending.
    But the Eaglets equalised before half-time break, thanks to Olakunle Olusegun’s brace. Mubarak Compaore scored the winning goal four minutes from full time.
    Nigeria must win their last two games against Cote d’Ivoire and Benin Republic to stand a chance of qualifying for the semi-final.

  • Oyo, Benin Republic partner on trade

    The Oyo State Government and the Republic of Benin have announced their readiness to partner towards strengthening bilateral trade, agriculture and forestalling trans-border crime.

    Chief of Staff, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Republic of Benin, William Comlan, broke the news during a courtesy visit to Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi in his office in Ibadan.

    Comlan highlighted the importance of fostering mutual understanding with the Oyo State Government to boost trade and commerce as well as finding lasting solution to other border related challenges.

    “Our visit is to learn some new strategies from Nigeria, particularly Oyo State. We believe such cooperation could further strengthen the relationship that exists between the state and our country,” he said.

    Comlan stated that the choice of the state was as a result of strategic boundaries that linked Nigeria with the Republic of Benin through Oyo State.

    Ajimobi, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Olalekan Alli, said the government remained committed to giving assistance towards facilitating peace and development across the West African region.

  • Nigeria, Republic of Benin partner on air accident investigation

    The Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Bureau Enquêtes-Accidents of Benin Republic have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on accident investigation.

    The MoU was signed on the sideline of the ongoing workshop on accident investigation for African countries organised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), on Wednesday in Abuja.

    While signing the MoU, Mr Akin Olateru, AIB Commissioner, said the two countries would partner in the area of accident investigation, capacity building and information sharing, to enhance standards.

    Olateru said the partnership would help the nations’ accident authorities fulfill their international obligations in accident investigation.

    According to him, the agreement in the MoU is in four parts — cooperation, capacity and human development, exchange of information and assistance.

    He said the two countries would assist each other in the event of an accident in any of the countries by combining their resources and expertise to conduct the investigation.

    According to him, AIB will be signing another MoU with Sao Tome, Niger Republic and other countries within the next few months.

    “All these today between Republic of Benin and Nigeria is to help us both to fulfill our obligations with regards to ICAO convention on accident investigation.

    “The synergy will go a long way to enhance capacity of our investigators because they will be working with each other to investigate accidents in any of the countries.

    “It is about capacity building at the end of the day;if you look at it because the more you practice the more you learn in accident investigation practices because there are no two same accidents and it takes years to fully train an accident investigator.

    “This for us, is to enhance our capability and boost our expertise in terms of accident investigation and as at today, Nigeria is the leader in terms of accident investigation in Africa” he said.

    Bongo Paul, Head of Bureau Enquêtes-Accidents, Benin Republic, said he was glad to have signed the MoU with Nigeria, adding that the negotiation for the partnership had been on for six months.

    Paul said it was significant to have entered into the partnership with a next door neighbouring country in addition to the ones with European countries.

    He said the idea was to enable Benin to fulfill its obligations in the area of accident investigation through capacity building.

  • Police rescue boy from traffickers’ torture

    The Police in Lagos have rescued an 11-year-old boy trafficked to the state for slavery.

    The victim identified simply as Tunde was said to have been subjected to series of physical abuses, by the person  who brought him from Cotonu in Benin Republic to Ikotun.

    It was gathered that about 15 policemen from Ikotun and Igando Divisions on Friday stormed the house the victim was being held after a report from the Child Protection Network (CPN).

    A woman whose identity was yet to be ascertained, was said to have resisted the policemen and CPN volunteers from entering her home until one of her children climbed upstairs and opened the door.

    According to the Coordinator of CPN, Ebenezer Omejalile, it took the team over four hours before the woman’s door was eventually opened by her son.

    He said: “Upon receiving this report, we went to Ikotun Police Station and two officers went with us to the woman’s address.

    “When we got there, we introduced ourselves to the woman and her son, stating our mission. The woman started shouting that we cannot come into her house for any reason until we tell her who reported her.

    “For the next four hours, we were still there. She locked her door. Igando poloce station was invited for reinforcement. About 15 policemen on uniform came to the place and she refused to open the door still.

    “The Police Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO) was informed and he tried to cajole the woman but she was still rude and refused to open the door.

    “So, some officers went to call the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Igando and then, one of her sons, who was downstairs, climbed up and opened the door.”

    Read Also: Man who attacked police officers in Moscow dies

    Omejalile said the DPO interviewed the woman and recorded her statement, adding that she refused to follow the police to the station on grounds that she couldn’t move her legs.

    “Her son followed us. The young boy Tunde has been rescued and placed in public shelter. The police are investigating the case and we hope that the suspect would be charged to court.

    “It is clearly a child trafficking case across the border. The victim was subjected to all kinds of abuse.”

  • I smuggle guns, made charms for gang, says native doctor

    I smuggle guns, made charms for gang, says native doctor

    A Beninnois native doctor, Rasheed Akinola Tuesday admitted to be the armourer to a gang of trans-border armed robbers, who specialised in snatching exotic vehicles in Nigeria and moving them to Cotonou in Benin Republic.

    Akinola was paraded by the Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal alongside three members of the gang- Ajagba Hammed, 30, alias John T, Tobinju Potel, 35, alias Popo and Botan Remmy, 30.

    According to the native doctor, he usually smuggled the gang’s weapons into Nigeria through bush path, adding that they paid him N15, 000 for the job.

    He said he had been responsible for the charms used by the gang over the years, which he claimed ensured they went out and returned successfully.

    Akinola said: “They came to my place in Port-Novo to collect charms to protect them during robbery. I collected CFA 30,000 for the charm. I have also helped them to cross arms through Idiroko for N15, 000 per transaction. I have only done that twice. The charm protects them and opens the way for them. I was arrested at Mile Two.”

    The gang leader, Hammed said he usually got the guns from one Benedict, a car dealer in Cotonou.

    He said that Benedict was his godfather, adding that he just snatched exotic cars, took them to the dealer who gave him any amount he deemed fit.

    Hammed said: “It was polo who called us to come and rob this year. We have robbed twice – two cars. It is a car dealer that collects the vehicle and he gives us anything he feels like. He is the one who gives us the guns. He is my chairman. For that Prado, he gave us CFA300, 000.”

    Potel claimed a Nigerian driver invited him to take part in the robbery, adding that the driver took one of the two vehicles they stole in the country.

    According to Edgal, the suspects met their waterloo on January 20, around 9pm, after they snatched two Prado Sports Utility Vehicle (SUVs) belonging to Olayinka Oyebola and Fidel Onwodi at Victoria Island and Ikoyi respectively.

    The criminals abandoned Oyebola’s vehicle which they snatched first at Babatunde Crescent in Oniru, Victoria Island, because they suspected it had a tracker and then went after Onwodi, who had stopped along Kingsway Road with his wife for beef barbecue.

    According to Edgal, the criminals confined the couple to the back seat but Mrs. Onwodi took advantage of gridlock and jumped off the vehicle before they got to Third Mainland Bridge.

    The police chief said an AK47 marked PE-2473; 43 AK49 live ammunition; a locally made cut to size double barrel gun; six live cartridges, a licence plate number JD697KJA and assorted charms were recovered from them.

    Edgal said: “The criminals stripped their first victim, Oyebola naked, took him to Ajah/Epe road and pushed him off the vehicle. They made way with his smart phone and N45, 000 which he withdrew from the Zenith Bank Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at Ajose Adeogun.

    “The criminals continued their journey until they got to Ikoyi, opposite Southern Sun Hotel, where they sighted another Toyota Prado SUV marked ABC853LK driven by Fidel Onwodi accompanied by his wife.

    “The couple had parked to buy beef barbecue. The robbers parked beside Onwodi’s SUV and ordered the couple to move to the rear of the car.

    “The man’s wife summoned courage and jumped off the moving vehicle. She took advantage of the slow traffic on the road. The criminals continued moving and abandoned her husband on Third Mainland Bridge.

    “They made away with his SUV while that of Oyebola was parked at a location in Babatunde Crescent, Oniru, where undercover operatives of the command recovered it.

    “The suspects confessed to series of robbery operations in which exotic cars were snatched at gunpoint. They also confessed that Onwodi’s car was in Cotonou. Investigation is ongoing. The suspects have owned up to the crime and are assisting the police with information that would help in recovering the Prado SUV presently in Cotonou and arrest of other gang members.”