A former London police officer, who was jailed for life in 2021 for raping and murdering Sarah Everard, has been sentenced to 19 months in prison.
He was sentenced for exposing himself to incidents that took place before that attack.
The case shocked Britain.
Wayne Couzens, 50, pleaded guilty last month to three charges of exposing himself, two of which happened less than a month before he attacked Everard.
His whole life sentence for her murder already meant he had no chance of parole.
“Couzens repeatedly targeted women to expose himself to on multiple occasions.
“These offences were abhorrent and caused great distress and discomfort for the victims,” Rosemary Ainslie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division, said in a statement.
“It is right that he has been prosecuted for these offences, and that he will continue to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
The first offence involved Couzens exposing himself to a cyclist in an isolated country lane in November 2020.
He then exposed himself to workers at a McDonald’s drive-through restaurant on two occasions in February 2021.
Couzens, whose job was to guard diplomatic premises, abducted 33-year-old marketing executive Everard on a London street as she walked home from visiting a friend in March 2021, using his police credentials to force her into his car.
Her body was later found in woodland about 50 miles (80 km) away in southeast England.
London’s Metropolitan Police has been plunged into crisis after a series of scandals in recent years including the conviction of David Carrick, 48, who admitted to carrying out 24 counts of rape over almost two decades while serving as a police officer.
In January, London Commissioner Mark Rowley said hundreds of officers were likely to be sacked or sexual and domestic abuse offences as the capital’s police force seeks to regain public trust.
Following Monday’s sentencing, the Independent Office for Police Conduct published its investigation into racist, sexist, and homophobic messages exchanged by police officers on a Whatsapp group in 2019 that Couzens was part of.
It said two former Met officers had been convicted of offences in relation to the messages and received prison sentences, and four other serving or former officers had been dismissed and barred from policing.
– polls invoke horrors of Nigeria’s top human rights crisis, warns rights expert
You’ve probably received an email from a Prince in Nigeria trying to get lots of money out and needing just a bit of yours first. What you probably don’t know is the deadly side of a laughable e-mail.
International human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe with head of US Observer delegation, Her Excellency Joyce Band former President of Malawi.
For years, Nigeria’s police ostensibly trying to stop advance fee fraud (also known as 419) have profiled innocent young Nigerians for kidnap, torture, extortion and murder simply for owning an iPhone or laptop.
In October 2020, after one too many police brutality deaths, Nigeria’s youth again peacefully protested.
At first the Nigerian government headed by a ruthless deposed ex-military dictator Gen Buhari, arranged Muslim militias to violently attack the protesters claiming they were troublesome infidels.
Yet the protesters were Muslim, Christian and others who took turns watching each other’s backs when they prayed at Lekki tollgate turned #EndSARs’ shrine in Lagos state.
Finally on October 20, 2020, after shutting their internet and bank accounts didn’t cripple the protests, the army cut out the lights and massacred scores of dancing protesters in cold blood at Lekki.
On February 25, 2023, Nigeria’s youth turned up to vote out the regime who squelched their #EndSARs protest against brutality with more brutality.
However scores of young poll workers were assaulted, kidnapped and intimidated for refusing to rig in favor of certain politicians.
Again the IT portal for election result upload was mysteriously shut down for only presidential results – not other parliamentary races.
Over 96 hours later, a president-elect was announced – Bola Tinubu a former Governor of Lagos state who made himself tax-collection consultant for the state and operated the very Lekki Tollgate where the 102020 massacre occurred!
It’s almost inconceivable that there could be any worse outcome but there is.
Before the #EndSARs global campaign, Nigerian youths had also gained attention in another global campaign #Bringbackourgirls.
In April 2014, Nigeria’s federal education ministry asked the governor of terror-ridden Borno state not to allow students stay in remote areas for security reasons. The governor refused to heed the advise and almost 300 Schoolgirls were abducted by jihadi terror group Boko Haram leading in part to the defeat of the President then the next year. Nine years later, 96 of those Chibok schoolgirls remain missing in the world’s longest-running mass abduction. And the Gov who’s arrogance and recklessness caused this? Gov Shettima is now VP-elect!
But it only gets worse.
On May 28, 1969, Bruce Mayrock, an American 20 year old Columbia University student, set himself ablaze in front of the UN to draw attention to the Biafran genocide in southeast Nigeria.
More than half a century after Mayrock’s death and that of over one million Igbo people, Nigeria’s southeast is still politically marginalized leading to a resurgence of separatist demands.
A widely popular secessionist leader Nnamdi Kanu was illegally abducted abroad and detained by the Nigerian government for years now.
A former governor, Peter Obi, from southeast who was a surprising third-party favorite to win the presidential election given his erudition, record and integrity, had his votes massively stolen and his Labor Party supporters beaten, wounded and even killed.
In Lagos state, Tinubu’s mafiosi were recorded on video destroying ballots and injuring innocent Obi voters in front of security officers. This played out in multiple states including Shettima’s Borno state where Christians were brazenly disallowed to vote (Tinubu and Shettima are both Muslims in defiance of the country’s historical efforts at balancing.)
Biafra was the earliest and biggest global human rights campaign from Nigeria with Brock’s self-immolation as a human hashtag but even now the Igbo people are still suppressed in Nigeria. The Igbos are not allowed to LEAVE Nigeria and they are not allowed to LEAD Nigeria.
In one election and in one day, Nigeria was able to revive the horrors of its three most globally visible human rights concerns of over half a century.
This election outcome could not be any worse for the unity, history and future of the country and it’s the government’s fault.
Nigeria’s governments have tended to be the country’s chiefest organized crime syndicate.
A Nigerian socialite known as “Hush puppi” was convicted by the US for laundering money for North Korean internet scammers. USA requested extradition of Nigeria’s super cop after discovering that he was paid to punish a whistleblower. Nigeria refused.
It gets worse. While under investigation, super cop Abba Kyari was caught in a drug smuggling sting operation. For years, he himself had been part of police brutality atrocities against innocent Nigerians while allegedly involved with the real scammers!
Many years ago, a US anti-scam group called the Nigerian government the biggest scammer and its citizens the biggest victims. It appears that nothing has changed since and Nigeria’s youth remain hopelessly entrapped in a crime colony unable to break their shackles through free and fair elections.
In Lagos state, about 235 petitions were filed before a special #EndSARs Tribunal concerning 74 people murdered by police, 44 tortured and others jailed, extorted, shot and missing in captivity. 42 of these had obtained court judgments against Nigeria’s government but not a single one had been paid compensation! Yet USA continues to repatriate hundreds of millions of dollars stolen by an ex-military dictator to the Nigerian regime that doesn’t obey court orders to compensate citizens it brutalized. I have recommended to a US court and government that some of the Abacha loot being forfeited by the Department of Justice be used to compensate victims across the country. This is more urgent now after the travesty of an “election.”
In the meantime, thousands of Nigerians have been fleeing Nigeria for years by sea, land and air – many perishing in the Sahara desert or drowning in the Atlantic en route Europe.
The 2023 presidential elections were a breath of hope that the nation could be salvaged and misgovernance turned around thus halting mass exodus and even inspiring returns. But then hope was killed and the world will continue to feel the destabilizing impact of mass displacement of millions of Nigeria’s 200 million people just like it did during the Biafra civil war of 1967-1970 and Gen. Buhari’s ruinous tenure.
Next weekend, Nigeria’s citizens are faced with the prospect of another traumatic electoral heist to decide who their new looters and abusers will be in gubernatorial elections. It’s anyone’s guess if they’ll show up or just flee the nightmare of a heartbreak country.
–
Emmanuel Ogebe Esq is a Washington-based International human rights lawyer and reports for Diaspora Election Monitoring Observatory (DEMO) and Peace Polls 2015 Project
The battle between the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA and the Labour Party LP over who wins the 30 seats at the Anambra state House of Assembly got messier following plots by an alleged opposition group to set up Gov Charles Soludo with allegations of eliminating the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
To this end the the general public have been urged to discountenance any allegation, stories and accusations as it has shown desperation on the part of the enemies of APGA .
The traducers alleged that a huge sum of money was paid to Soludo by the President elect Bola Tinubu through the governor of Imo state Sen Hope Uzodimma to eliminate Obi.
According to the Chief Press Secretary to Soludo Mr Christian Aburime those plots would come to nothing because it shows the desperation of a people that are afraid of losing election.
“The allegations are false and very nauseating”
“That certain people could sit somewhere and cook up a story of this nature is highly reprehensible. None of the allegations is true.”
“The Governor has been in Anambra State engaging stakeholders for the Saturday election. The general public are advised to disregard the allegations as falsehoods. Ndi Anambra should also disregard all the insinuations in the write up as mere falsehoods.”
“They should come out massively and vote APGA this Saturday for the State House of Assembly election in order to sustain the developmental strides of Gov. Soludo”
Similarly member of the legal team of the IPOB based in the United Kingdom Mr Clem’s Nwafor dismissed the involvement of the body in the fathom plot to attack Obi contending that the body never at any time or fora had any meeting in Owerri with Soludo and Uzodimma.
“People should leave IPOB alone because we have no business with politics and let it be made clear that there was no such meeting or discussion ”
“We believe that this is coming from some faceless elements who are riding on the crest of one of the political parties to maline the image and reputation of Gov Charles Soludo who has been on the vanguard for the release of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and we take exception to such rumors because we have a way of getting at the peddlers of falsehood ” he said.
Pres Secretary to Uzodimma Mr Nwachukwu Oguwike told this reporter that “we didn’t react to nonsense ” an indication that the Imo state governor has no hand in the fathom plot.
The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Cross River has thrown its weight behind the candidacy of Mr Brian Odey of the Labour Party for the Yala 1 State Assembly polls.
Mr Alphonsus Eba, the Party Chairman disclosed the party’s decision on Monday, in Calabar during an interactive session with newsmen.
Eba explained that the endorsement/adoption of the LP candidate followed the Supreme Court judgment nullifying the candidacy of Mrs Regina Anyogo, who was hitherto the candidate of the APC.
He said that endorsing/adopting the LP candidate was in line with the political calculation and sportsmanship to support the LP in the state.
He further explained that the alliance was to ensure that supporters of the LP would reciprocate the gesture and vote for Sen. Bassey Otu, the governorship candidate of the APC in the state on March 11.
“As a party, we are adopting the candidate of the Labour Party, Brian Odey in the Yala 1 State Constituency election.
“We are in this alliance because we want supporters of the Labour Party to also support the candidate of the APC in the governorship election,” he said.
The APC chairman also called on the police to prosecute the more than 16 suspects arrested for allegedly causing violence during the Presidential/National Assembly election in Cross River North.
He urged the police to go further by arresting their sponsors and prosecuting them accordingly.
Eba however alleged that the Presidential/National Assembly election held in the state was militarised, especially in Cross River North.
He, therefore, called on the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya to ensure that soldiers from 82 Division, Enugu, were not deployed to militarise election in the state again.
Responding, Odey thanked the APC leadership in the state for endorsing him ahead of the polls.
He assured that he would lead his supporters to vote for the governorship candidate of the APC this Saturday.
Information reaching 247ureports.com from sources in Abakpa Nike community in Enugu State indicate that a group of unknown gunmen have begun destruction and burning of properties in Enugu State.
At the Abakpa Nike area of Enugu State, a group of unknown gunmen torched vehicles and were shooting automatic riffles up in the air indiscriminately. Three sedan vehicles were burnt along on the streets in Abakpa Nike area. Other vehicles were reported torched inside the communities near Abakpa Nike.
Today, Monday March 6, 2023 is supposed to be a “sit-at-home” day as imposed by the Biafra agitation group, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra [IPOB] in protest against the continued incarceration of the leader of the IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
It is uncertain the motivation behind the latest violence.
A political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, on Monday, called on the the international community to review and reverse all the current visa status of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for conducting the worst election in Nigeria.
He also told him to, as a matter of urgency, resign of his appointment or alternatively, President Muhammadu Buhari should “do the needful by relieving him of his position for conducting the worst ever rigged election in the history of Nigeria.”
Frank, the Ambassador of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) for East Africa and Middle East, in a statement in Abuja, also called on President Buhari to be courageous enough to sack Professor Yakubu “for bringing shame and opprobrium to the country by declaring highly compromised and heavily doctored results as an outcome for the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections.”
He said it was high time the INEC boss resigned because Nigerians have lost total confidence in him.
Frank called on the academia to strip Prof. Yakubu of his professorship rank because he has brought shame to that highly revered and top echelon of the academic community and scholars.
“Yakubu has failed to project the academia in good light through personal probity, integrity and fidelity to his promises and sacred trust of the people”, he suggested.
Frank enjoined the global community to do the needful by canceling all visas presently in his possession “and never give him opportunity to visit any of the developed countries like United States, United Kingdom or any member countries of the European Union (EU).”
He said that the election conducted by Yakubu has failed to meet international threshold of transparency and credibility and all friends of Nigeria must of necessity denounce it.
The activist quoted the statement by the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard in a statement on Sunday that the electoral process as a whole on February 25 failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations.
She had added that while “many citizens are angry and frustrated with the results, some others are celebrating victories, they believe were hard-fought and well-earned.”
Frank said, “We also use this opportunity to call on the international community especially the US, UK, EU and other international institutions not to recognize the outcome of the rigged and fraudulent elections conducted on February 25, 2023.
“This is the time Nigerians expect the international community to prioritize the interest of Nigeria first before their own interest in order to save our democracy.
“In this wise, they must not recognize the APC’s purported President-elect until the final outcome of the cases in court.
We still use this opportunity to call on the judiciary to remove Nigeria from this shame through truthful, fact-based and unbiased judgement on the post election cases soon to be instituted before the Election Petition Tribunals and the appellate courts.
“We are supposed to be the light and example in Africa but with the dismal conduct of INEC and its officials during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections, other countries in the continent absolutely have nothing to learn from us because of what Yakubu and INEC have done.”
He insisted that despite the avalanche of facts of rigging and manipulation that characterized the Presidential and National Assembly elections available in huge volume of videos, audios and documentary evidences, yet Yakubu went ahead to declare the APC’s Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as winner.
He said, “Nigerians have lost confidence in Yakubu. His words and his promises mean nothing. He has started again by promising free and fair governorship and State Assembly elections but Nigerians are no fools because they know he will do exact the opposite.
“Prof. Yakubu has shown himself to be a practical disgrace to Nigeria and has brought shame, disgrace and embarrassment to Nigerians in the global community. Today, Nigeria is now a laughing stock among members of the international community.
“Even in 1993 without the use of technology, Nigeria conducted an election adjudged as the freest and fairest ever. But in an age of advanced technology like internet and BVAS in 2023, Yakubu chosed to compromise the oath of his office and obviated every truth and betrayed the confidence reposed in him by Nigerian taxpayers.
“Even at that time, the then Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, was asked to stop announcing results by then Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, but he continued because he stood on the platform of truth and living conscience.
“This is why he needs to urgently resign or President Buhari should show capacity to throw him out.”
A Senior officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC have confirmed that the ruling APC Gubernatorial candidate of Taraba state, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha is yet to be listed on its portal as the APC Governorship Candidate for Taraba State.
The officials said INEC had written to the Supreme Court to clarify its judgment if it had ordered a fresh primary election for Taraba State APC before listing Bwacha as a candidate for the governorship elections.
One of the officials also confirmed that some INEC staff in Taraba State were queried for participating in the fresh APC governorship primary election held on 11th February 2023 without clearance from the Headquarters in Abuja.
“INEC has not listed Senator Emmanuel Bwacha’s name as a candidate of the APC because we are waiting for clarification and interpretation of the Supreme Court Judgment, in the Judgment the Supreme Court did not expressly order a fresh primary election but different lawyers and politicians have come up with their interpretations. INEC will be guided by law.”
The National Secretariat of the APC had on the 14th February 2023 to INEC requesting that Bwacha’s name should be listed on the list of candidates.
” On the 15th February 2023 INEC amended the list of Candidates but refused to include Bwacha in the amendment, also on the 24th February 2023 INEC amended the list and included Senator Joel Ikenya candidate of Labour Party based on an order of a Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo which ordered a fresh primary election for the Labour Party but still refused to include APC candidate in Taraba State.
“Since the judgment of the Supreme Court and APC fresh primary, there have been two amendments on the list of candidates by INEC both of which do not include the name Bwacha as APC candidate. What some people are flying around on social media is the old list of candidates.
Although INEC is permitted to keep amending the list of Candidates as it keeps getting court orders until election day, as at the time of this report on Monday 5th of March 2023, INEC is yet to include Senator Emmanuel Bwacha’s name as APC candidate for Taraba state.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said it has confisicated 778,190 pills of pharmaceutical opioids including tramadol from suspects in Taraba and other neighboring state’s.
Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi, said a drum of 270kg Methylene Chloride was recovered by the operatives from a suspect, Eric Yohanna, 33, in Jalingo, Taraba on Monday Feb. 27 following credible intelligence.
He said that the operatives also seized a Daylong tricycle used in distributing the illicit substances.
Babafemi further said that the house of a wanted notorious drug dealer in Adamawa, Mamudu Njobdi, was searched at Sebore, Gyalla road, Dougada ward, Mubi, during a raid by NDLEA and a shocking seizure was made.
“The raid was carried out in the early hours of Monday Feb. 27 during which he was arrested and drug exhibits recovered.
“The 31-year-old suspect had earlier been arrested on Wednesday Feb. 22 at his drug joint in Kolere water board, but he mobilised thugs to attack NDLEA officers and in the process escaped with the exhibits”, he said.
Babafemi also listed other arrests made to include Geoffrey Okpani, 31, arrested at Bukuru area of Jos, Plateau with 27.45kg of cannabis.
“Ajayi Tope, 30, arrested on Saturday, 4th March at Area 5 Ile-Ife, Ife Southa Local Government Area of Osun with 18kg of same substance.
“In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday, March 3 raided De-Niche Hotel & Suites, Omole Estate, Ojodu- Ikeja, where 24 suspects were arrested and different quantities of illicit drugs recovered from them,” “he said.
The NDLEA spokesman said that agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, (DOGI) operatives attached to courier firms in Lagos equally intercepted some illicit drugs during the period under review.
He said that the hard drugs were nine parcels of methamphetamine concealed in native black soap, Dudu Osun, heading to Europe.
Prof Charles Adias, INEC’s State Collation Officer for Rivers during the recent Feb. 25 presidential and National Assembly elections raised alarm in Yenagoa on Sunday over unending threat to his life.
Prof Adias, Vice-Chancellor at the Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa, suspended results collation during the elections on account of an alleged threats.
He alleged that some supporters of one of the political parties were after his life and those of his family members in spite of having nothing to do with conduct of elections and computation of results.
He said those accusing him of rigging the elections in Rivers were circulating his photograph and personal details on the social media and calling on party members to deal with him.
He stated on that while he was aware of the challenges of being a collation officer, he decided to weather the storm because of his commitment to the growth and development of the political process in Nigeria.
“On my appointment as State Collation Officer for the 2023 Presidential Elections (SCOPE) in Rivers, I had set out, as a call to duty on national assignment to fulfil an essential part of my community service as an academic and vice-chancellor of a federal university.
“I worked within my brief as statutorily demanded and as clearly enunciated in the Electoral Guidelines and other enabling instruments.
“By the nature of my assignment, as it is with every other job in this sphere, I knew it was going to be challenging, but I braved it being assured that I would surmount whatever challenge by the grace of God.
“As statutorily designated, I received reports of collated and announced results from local government area council collation officers.
“I collated votes scored by each political party from Forms EC8C into Form EC8D and entered the votes scored in the spaces provided,’’ he stated.
He added that the local governments collated results made up the state’s summary, which he cross-checked with the Collation Support and Result Verification System secretariat for computational accuracy.
“I announced loudly the votes scored by each political party; signed, dated and stamped the Form EC8D and requested the polling agents to countersign.
“Other formalities followed up to the final collation centre in Abuja.
“The procedure was dutifully followed under public viewing and in the presence of regular INEC staff, INEC ad-hoc staff, party agents and security personnel, local and foreign observers, and the press.
“There was no adverse and untoward behaviour noted or recorded, all the way,’’ Adias stated.
He stated also that thereafter, he began to receive several phone calls and text messages threatening, abusing and insulting his person and family on Feb. 26 while on his way to Port Harcourt to report to duty.
He added that he did not know that his photograph and phone numbers were already in circulation on the social media alleging that he influenced votes and scores of candidates by manipulating the BVAS machines.
“On getting to Port Harcourt, I informed the Resident Electoral Commissioner about my experiences which he condemned and promised that my safety was assured.
“He pledged that INEC would do something about it,’’ Adias stated.
Adias stated that after collating results for three local government areas on Feb. 26, he retired to his hotel room to prepare for the following day only for the threat calls and messages to continue.
“I managed to bear it till the following day when I set out to collate results for 18 more local government areas.
“At the end of the hectic process, the results for Obio/Akpor and Degema Local Government Areas were not ready.
“Considering all that had happened, I decided to adjourn the collation of results on Feb. 28 and insisted on a press conference.
“This was to let everyone know about the several threats to my life as they may affect the collation exercise, he concluded.
The electioneering process of the 2023 political season in Anambra State appears to arrive with a new vibe and coloration that threatens the status quo of the political set up in the State Assembly.
This is as information available to 247ureports.com indicates that the wave of influence generated by the Peter Obi’s led Labour Party and the Obidient movement have become a primary concern to the managers of the Soludo administration.
The election for the Anambra State House of Assembly is slated to hold on Saturday March 11, 2023.
Presently, the House of Assembly is controlled by the All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA] with some other members belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], Young Peoples Party [YPP] and All Progressive Congress [APC].
The performance of the Labour party at the recently concluded presidential elections have many experts believes that the success will be repeated at the March 11 elections. The recent incident in Enugu State on March 5, 2023 further reinforced the fears of the leadership of the ruling party in APGA.
The PDP’s gubernatorial candidate, Peter Mba in Enugu State was embarrassingly rejected by his followers publicly at a rally where he was told by the crowd that they no longer had interest in PDP or any other political party excerpt the Peter Obi led Labor Party. The crowd proceeded to destroy the gifts that the PDP candidate distributed to them. [See video below]
Addressing the impending political wave, the Soludo led administration decided to hit the road in campaign mode. The Governor of Anambra State, in the last week, engaged in talking to the people of Anambra State on the need to vote APGA instead of the Peter Obi led Labor. He explains that it would be easier to accomplish his work and plans for the State – if he is given an APGA dominated House of Assembly.
Gov Soludo receiving Atiku
But it is not certain the impact the appeals from the State Governor is having in softening the stance of the people of Anambra State in their determination to vote for the Labor party.
“The fear is real” said one of the government official who spoke with 247ureports.com. He explains that it would not be surprising to see a total sweep of the House of Assembly. The entire thirty [30] members of the house of assembly may not return.
Already, the Peter Obi inspired political wave have engulfed two of the three senate seats during the last election of February 25, 2023. The Senatorial seats of Anambra North and Anambra Central were won by candidates of the Labour party – namely Senator Victor Umeh and Senator Tony Nwoye.
