Dismissing the action as atrocious, primitive and a total breach of the fundamental human rights of a Nigerian Child, a Democracy inclined Non-Governmental Organization-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA [HURIWA] has strongly condemned the recent action of the Ogun state Police command of parading a two-months old baby, the mother and a teenager for alleged robbery committed by the father of the toddler just as the Rights body wants the Federal Government to fish out the Police officers responsible for this dastardly act that is totally unconstitutional, illegal and criminal and punish them adnistratively to serve as deterrent for future breach of the rights of the Nigerian Children.

The media recently reported that the police in the Ogun state capital had paraded the two months old baby-master Oyinkansola Adeosun, the baby’s mother Mrs. Fausat and a fifteen year old teenager Master Tobi Adeosun over an alleged robbery committed by the baby’s father-Ismail Adeosun who fled before the police arrived the house.

The Ogun state Police Commissioner Mr. Ikemefuna Aduba reportedly told the media that the mother of the baby and the teenager were arrested for allegedly keeping gun for her husband but the woman claimed that she was no longer married to the fleeing robbery suspect and that she consistently asked the man to take away the gun which one of the arrested brothers was in the process of removing before all of them were apprehended by the police operatives.

But HURIWA in a statement to the media signed jointly by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, faulted the primitive and unconstitutional practice of parading crime suspects before they are properly charged to the competent courts of law even when section 36[5] provides that crime suspects remain innocent in the eye of the law until proven guilty by the court of competent jurisdiction just as chapter four of the constitution containing the fundamental rights of every Nigerian citizen provided for fair hearing to be given to any crime suspect arrested for any kind of offence.

HURIWA said under no circumstances are the law enforcement officers allowed to parade a completely innocent two months old toddler whose only misfortune is that the child is a product of a very deprived and poor background. The group said what the police has succeeded in doing is to destroy the dignity of this innocent child which runs contrary to all known civilize policing standards and practices even as the group demanded sanction for this outrageous breach.

The Rights group then tasked the Inspector General of police Mr. Abubakar Dikko Muhammed and the Police Service Commission to ensure that police operatives comply with extant human rights standards and practices in their work of law enforcement in order not to make Nigeria a laughing stock before the international civilized human community who expect Nigeria as a signatory to several international humanitarian laws and human rights treaties, conventions to keep to their international and municipal obligations of promoting and protecting the fundamental human rights of all citizens including toddlers and teenagers.

HURIWA stated thus; “We totally condemn this evil practice of continuous public parade of crime suspects even before they are properly charged to competent courts of law. The operatives of the Nigeria Police must be made to comply to international human rights standards and practice by ensuring that the right crime suspects are arrested, scientific and forensic evidence generated by the police in an atmosphere of professional competence devoid of the usual obtaining of confessional statements by duress”.

The Rights group submitted further thus; “The concern of the police should not be to engage in media celebration of their so-called gallantry but must focus on effective and efficient law enforcement mechanism which will culminate in the successful trials and conviction of all crime suspects because what we currently see is that police rushes to the press to parade the crime suspects and neglect to gather good enough evidence and the courts end up setting these suspects free even after their public image is damaged by the police. Nigeria must become a civilized democracy and stop all traces of impunity and executive recklessness by the police operatives”.

Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has urged Nigerians not to despair in the face of the challenges confronting the country as Christians mark the Easter festivals

Besides, in a goodwill message to mark this year’s Easter celebrations, the Governor urged Christians to reflect on the import of Easter celebrations in their dealings, not only with other Christians, but with people of other religions.

He said Nigerians must eschew bitterness and all forms of violence, stressing that the progress, peace and security of the nation is anchored in good neighborliness and peaceful co-existence

“I urge you all to let the significance of the celebration reflect in our relationship with one another both Christians and the people of other religions. There is no doubt that these are tough times in our country”, he stated.

“Intolerance and impunity continue to rear their heads through sectarian violence. But, rather than succumb and feel threatened about these uncertain times, we should rise to the fact that these are trials that are supposed to strengthen our resolve to confront our challenges,” Governor Uduaghan added.

He reminded Christians that having gone through forty days of fasting and praying, Easter was a better time for them to purge themselves of those weights that “have impeded our progress as a people over the years by demonstrating love in its fullness not only to one another but also to our society.

“The major lesson of Easter is for us as Christians, to rethink the reality of our faith. As Christians, we should continue to uphold the principles of our faith as it relates to honesty, justice, integrity, accountability, compassion, selflessness and the pursuit of the common good,” he added.

The governor also used the celebration to draw the attention of Christians to the underlining message of the Cross, which he said must not be lost to the accompanying festivities.

“The passion and death of Jesus underscores the love of the Father who gave his only begotten son in love for us and the willingness of the Son to sacrifice himself for others to be liberated from the weight of sin.

“The story of Easter is that of relief that comes after anguish, pains, trauma, deprivations and sacrifices. Indeed before the joy that heralds the glorious morning of resurrection, there was terror and thick darkness that were strong enough to swallow up the eventual joy of Easter. It is therefore necessary to remind us all that there is always a glorious dawn after darkness, and without the difficult challenges, the huge and irrepressible triumph of Easter would have been a fantasy.”

Governor Uduaghan also used the medium to reiterate the commitment of the State government to make life better for all citizens and residents.

He said: “This is our primary concern as reflected in the quantum of projects being executed across the State and the way we are committed to the welfare of our people.”

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State says Nigeria will attain her full potentials when her citizens resolve to live a life of sacrifice and righteousness.

In his Easter message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, Oshiomhole said: “As we commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who gave his life as a sacrifice for mankind, I enjoin the Christian faithful  to toe the footsteps of their progenitor and emulate his spirit of peace, love, sacrifice and righteousness.

The Bible teaches that ‘righteousness exalts a nation’. We must therefore be ready to wear the garment of righteousness in our dealings with one another; we must imbibe the spirit of love for one another and forgiveness to heal the wounds of the nation.

I urge the faithful to forget the past, forge ahead and live in peace, love and harmony with their neighbour in line with Christ’s teaching on the greatest commandment: ‘love thy neighbour as thyself’.

In our dear state, Edo, I enjoin the faithful to continue to maintain the religious peace, harmony and respect for people of other faith, which is needed in our quest to further propel our state to an enviable level in the country.

• Ohanaeze warned Boniface Ibekwe and Chi Nwogu to Stop Parading Themselves as Igbo leaders In Kano

While there has been speculations over the list of those that died in the March 18^th Kano Bomb attack at the Luxury park in Sabon Gari, the Ohanaeze Nidgbo has reacted, in a statement signed by Hon. Tobias Idika President Ohanaeze Kano said; “The attention of the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has been drawn to media reports putting the death toll of the Monday, 18 March 2013 suicide-bomb attack at New Road Luxury Park, Sabon Gari, Kano, which killed scores and wounded many, at 37! And the statement credited to two persons, Mr. Boniface Ibekwe and Mr. Chi Nwogu said they spoke on behalf of Igbo leaders, in Kano.”

According to Ohanaeze in its statement, it said; “First of all, Ohanaeze Ndigbo reinstates its statement disowning one Mr. Boniface Ibekwe and warning him to stop parading himself as Eze Ndigbo in Kano. In the same vein, his cohort, Mr. Chi Nwogu is never the President of Igbo Community Association in Kano. On this note, we urge discernable minds to disregard any comment or statement coming from this group of people because they are not the voice of the Igbos in Kano.”

“Information reaching Ohanaeze leadership is that this group of people, in connivance with some dubious characters at the New Road Luxury Park has been secretly meeting with representatives of Kano state Government, plotting on how to play down the number of those who lost their lives during that grievous attack,” Ohanaeze said.

The Igbo Apex body also said that it is pertinent at this point to state that Ohanaeze leadership opened a register for relatives of victims of that incident to register their names and some of the people have been cooperating.  Ohanaeze recalls that as at 29 March, the Chairman and Secretary of Association of Luxurious Bus Owners (ALBON), Kano branch demanded for a list from our secretariat in Kano; and 37 names were given to them, with a clear message that the list remained inconclusive; “For now, Ohanaeze Ndigbo secretariat in Kano has recorded about 53 names for the dead victims and over 60 wounded. It is also important to note that a lot of people who were not residing in Kano treated themselves and quietly left. There are also many dead bodies that could not be recorded, owing to the problem of proper identification, while so many people were declared missing by their relatives. Ohanaeze Ndigbo is also aware of many victims who decided to seek treatment at private hospitals.”

According to the statement  by Hon. Chief Tobias Michael Idika, President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Kano State Chapter he said; “if Mr. Boniface Ibekwe and his cohorts deem it fit to make a public statement in their capacity as Igbo sons, nothing would have stopped them from seeking for the information they do not have. If they had consulted Ohanaeze leadership for authentic information, it would be given to them in their capacity as a people who speak the Igbo language and may trace their roots towards the Igbo race. In this regard, Ohanaeze leadership registers its displeasure over the actions of some people who can cheaply offer themselves to be used by agents of the state to down-play such a huge loss of lives and property of our people which has widely received condemnation.”

Concluding the Igbo Apex body said that; “Ohanaeze leadership in Kano state without fear or contradiction states that Kano state government is bent at using a group of people among us to split the figures of the casualty recorded on the regrettable attack of 18 March, 2013; and Ohanaeze Ndigbo cannot fold its arms and watch this happen. And Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s stand on this matter is that we are still counting the dead, the wounded and the properties lost in that attack. Kano state Government should remain patient with us; at the appropriate time, we will release the final list.”

Disgruntled security official claims Obama ‘threw sand in Israel’s eyes’ during visit last week, which seemed to convince Jerusalem to hold back on military action

Iran could have the capability to build a nuclear bomb by July, unnamed security sources said in a report published Friday.

The sources added that Israel’s leadership had been mollified by US President Barack Obama’s visit earlier this month, which saw Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemingly cotton to Washington’s later timeline on when Iran could have a nuclear bomb.

The security sources, said to be close to Netanyahu’s talks with Obama, claimed that after seeing North Korea wield nuclear weapons despite heavy Western opposition, Tehran’s leadership had also decided to break out toward the bomb, which could be ready between July and September.

“The Iranians aren’t messing around after North Korea. What Kim Jong Un has Ahmadinejad has,” a source told the Israeli daily Maariv, referring to North Korea’s and Iran’s respective leaders. “At the end of 2012 the Iranians carried out a simulation of a nuclear explosion and since then have been advancing at a murderous pace every day.”

Last year, Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly that Iran could have the bomb by spring 2013, but Israeli officials have revised the assessment several times to later dates. Obama, who visited Israel last week to discuss cooperation on Iran, among other things, seemed to convince Netanyahu to go along with the US timeline, which holds that Iran is still a year away and has not yet decided to race full-speed to a nuclear weapon.

However, the sources said Obama’s charm offensive had managed to “buy” Netanyahu — and Israel ended up losing out, with Jerusalem’s hands now tied on Iran.

“The president threw sand in our eyes and now we are reaping the storm,” one source said. ”They bought us with flattery and displays of friendship, but managed to evade any responsibility for a strike.”

While Israel has pushed for a military option against Tehran’s nuclear program, the US has maintained that time remains for diplomacy and sanctions to end the standoff. Netanyahu’s statements during Obama’s visit seemed to indicate Israel would not act without US backing, which many analysts say would be necessary for an effective attack.

Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but several rounds of talks over allowing in inspectors or curbing enrichment have yielded few results.