Periscope International

Category: Health/Gender

  • Police arrest man for allegedly raping 2-year-old step-daughter

    Police arrest man for allegedly raping 2-year-old step-daughter

    File photo of police arrest

    By Peter Uwumarogie

    The Police Command in Gombe State, says it has arrested a 47-year-old father for allegedly raping his two- year-old step-daughter.

    DSP Buhari Abdullahi, the Command’s spokesperson disclosed this in a press statement issued to journalists in Gombe.

    Abdullahi said that the offence which happened on May 5, was perpetrated by one Mohammed Magaji of Tudun Wada, Shamaki Quarters, Gombe.

    He said that the arrest was made following information received from Magaji’s wife.

    “On May 5, about 09:32am, a formal complaint was received from one Hauwau Usman of Tudun Wada, Shamaki quarters.

    “Usman reported that on May 5, about 09:00am, her husband took his two-year-old step daughter to his room and had unlawful carnal knowledge of her.”

    Abdullahi said upon receipt of the complaint, a team of policemen drafted to the scene and arrested the above named suspect.

    He said that both the victim and the suspect were rushed to the Specialist Hospital for medical attention.

    The police spokesman said that the suspect would soon be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.

    In a similar development, the Command also arrested Isah Adamu, 35, of Golkos Quarters, Billiri LGA, Gombe State for allegedly defiling a six-year-old girl.

    Abdullahi said that on May 5, the suspect was reported to have lured the minor into a residence located at Awai Quarters by the suspect where he allegedly forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.

    He stated that the victim’s mother reported to the police and the force promptly visited the scene and arrested the suspect.

    He said that both the suspect and victim were conveyed to the General Hospital, Kaltungo, for medical examination.

    The police spokesperson stated that investigation was still in progress.

    Abdullahi said the Command successfully apprehended a total of 18 additional suspects in connection with series of criminal activities recorded across the state in the past weeks. (NAN)

  • Russia responsible for 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines flight —UN agency

    Russia responsible for 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines flight —UN agency

    The charred remains of the victims and the downed aircraft

    By Tiamiyu Arobani

    The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has found that Russia was responsible for the July 17, 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine that killed all 298 people on board.

    The council of ICAO voted that Russia failed to uphold its obligations under international air law which requires that States “refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight.”

    The case was brought by the Netherlands and Australia.

    “This represents the first time in ICAO’s history that its Council has made a determination on the merits of a dispute between Member States under the Organization’s dispute settlement mechanism,” the UN agency said.

    Flight MH17 was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine amid the armed conflict between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian military forces.

    All 283 passengers and 15 crew members were killed. They represented some 17 nationalities and included 196 Dutch citizens, 43 Malaysians and 38 Australian citizens or residents.

    ICAO is the global aviation body that develops and implements global aviation strategies and technical standards and the council is its governing body.

    The UN aviation agency created a special task force on risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones in the weeks following the crash.

    The Netherlands established a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in August 2014 together with Australia, Malaysia and Belgium, as well as Ukraine.

    The JIT determined that flight MH17 was shot down by a missile launched from a Buk TELAR installation that was transported from Russia to a farm field in eastern Ukraine in an area controlled by separatists.

    In November 2022, a Dutch court convicted three men – two Russians and a Ukrainian – for murder.  They were tried in absentia and sentenced to life in prison. Another Russian man was acquitted.

    That same year, the Netherlands and Australia launched the case with ICAO.

    The case centered on allegations that Russia’s conduct in the downing of the aircraft by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine constituted a breach of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

    War in Ukraine had escalated since the crash following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

    More than 13,000 civilians have been killed to date and no fewer than 31,000 injured, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR. (NAN)

  • ECOWAS Court dismisses Ivorian woman’s suit challenging her colleague’s appointment

    ECOWAS Court dismisses Ivorian woman’s suit challenging her colleague’s appointment

    By Mark Longyen

    The ECOWAS Court has dismissed a suit filed by its Ivorian employee, Ms. Mariame Kone-Toure, seeking to terminate the appointment of her Gambian colleague, Ama Savage.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kone-Toure had served in an acting capacity from Feb. 2023, as of Head of Administration and Human Resources Division, ECOWAS Court of Justice.

    She later applied for the substantive position when it was advertised in May 2023. However, following the recruitment interview conducted in Jan. 2024, Savage was appointed in Oct. 2024 instead.

    In her submission before the Community Court, Kone-Toure had claimed that the selection process violated the principles of fairness and non-discrimination as enshrined in the ECOWAS Staff Regulations.

    The applicant had argued that, although she was one of the top candidates, the Management Succession Committee only recommended Ms. Savage as the sole candidate for the substantive position.

    According to her claims in the suit marked: No. ECW/CCJ/APP/32/24, the process is in contrast to similar recruitments in other ECOWAS institutions, where multiple top candidates are usually recommended.

    However, ECOWAS had in its submission before the court through its counsel, argued that Ms. Savage was the most qualified candidate for the position.

    Delivering judgment, Justice Dupe Atoki, on behalf of a three-member panel of the court presided over by Justice Sengu Koroma, the Vice President of the Court, dismissed all the Ivorian’s claims.

    The panel, which also had Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara as a member, upheld ECOWAS’ submission that Ms. Savage was the most qualified candidate for the position.

    It declared that Kone-Toure’s claims were unsubstantiated, adding that her non-selection was not in any way a violation of her rights.

    The court further held that Ms. Savage’s appointment complied with ECOWAS Staff Regulations, and the applicant did not provide evidence of discrimination or procedural irregularity against her colleague’s appointment.

    “On the merits, the Court examined allegations of discrimination under Article 4(1) and the principle of equitable geographical distribution under Article 9(2)(f) of the ECOWAS Staff Regulations.

    “It found that the Applicant failed to provide sufficient, verifiable evidence of differential treatment in similar circumstances.

    “The Court notes that, while she referenced practices in other institutions, she did not present the names or scores of the candidates allegedly favoured, preventing a meaningful comparative analysis.

    “On the claim regarding geographical distribution, the Court rules that the principle applies only among equally qualified candidates and does not override the requirement of merit-based selection,” the judgment reads in part.

    Earlier, the Community Court ruled on jurisdiction, by affirming its competence to hear the matter under Article 9(1)(f) of the 2005 Amended Protocol.

    It also held that the suit was admissible as the Applicant had exhausted all available internal remedies by initially appealing in futility to the President of the ECOWAS Commission before approaching the court.(NAN)

     

  • Italian PM advocates end to foreign powers’ exploitation of Africa

    Italian PM advocates end to foreign powers’ exploitation of Africa

    Georgia Meloni, Italian Prime Minister 

    By Jeff Harris

    Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called for an end to Africa’s exploitation by foreign powers.

    Meloni emphasized that Africans did not need to migrate to Europe or the U.S. to succeed if their continent was free from external control.

    She has been particularly critical of the CFA franc, a currency used by several West and Central African countries and managed by France.

    The Prime Minister called it a form of colonial dominance that hampers true economic independence.

    In Jan. 2024, Meloni launched the “Mattei Plan,” a 5.5 billion Euro initiative aimed at promoting energy, education, healthcare, and infrastructure development in Africa.

    She argued that fostering growth at home would reduce irregular migration.

    She insisted that Africa was not poor but rather rich in resources and potential, needing partnership not charity from Europe.

    While some African leaders welcomed the plan, they also urged for genuine, respectful cooperation.

    Critics, however, questioned whether the initiative primarily serves Italy’s strategic interests, particularly in energy and migration control.

    They expressed concern over continued ties with authoritarian regimes, warning against new forms of neocolonialism under the guise of development.

  • Breaking: Ex-Plateau Deputy Governor Tyoden is dead

    Breaking: Ex-Plateau Deputy Governor Tyoden is dead

    The late Prof. Sonnie Tyoden

    By Pamson Musa

    Prof. Sonnie Tyoden, the immediate past Deputy Governor of Plateau is dead.

    He was aged 74, barely four months to his 75th birthday.

    A family source who confirmed the death to Periscope International under anonymity said the politician died in Jos in the early hours of Sunday morning.

    He said that the deceased had been battling with blood cancer for which he was flown abroad in 2024 for treatment.

    Tyoden was the state’s Deputy Governor from May 29, 2015 to May 29, 2023.

    He served under the administration of the immediate past Gov Simon Lalong, now Plateau South Senator.

    The duo first won the election in 2015, and got re-elected for a second term in office in 2019, ending the tenure in 2023.

    The Lalong/Tyoden joint ticket was on the platform of the then ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress, APC, before the PDP swept its way back to power in 2023 under incumbent Gov Caleb Mutfwang.

    Tyoden was one of the aggrieved aspirants who contested the controversial APC governorship primary election in the state in 2022, which was allegedly rigged in favor of Lalong’s protégé, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, who went on to lose to PDP’s Mutfwang in the general elections.

    Born on September 22, 1950, the erudite Professor of Political Science, obtained a B.Sc in Political Science from Nigeria’s premier University of Ibadan; M.Sc in International Relations and PhD in Political Economy, both from the University of Lancaster, UK.

    The deceased academic cum politician was also the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos from June 12, 2006 to June 11, 2011.

    The late Prof Tyoden is survived by a wife and four children.

  • Who is Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme who sentenced late Osinachi’s husband to death?

    Who is Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme who sentenced late Osinachi’s husband to death?

    Hon. Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme

    By Ben Obiora

    Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme is the daughter of former Governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili, and Justice Mary Odili, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court.

    She is married to Mr Uzoma Nwosu-Iheme, the son of Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, a Justice of the Court of Appeal.

    She was sworn in as a Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, alongside 20 others on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 by then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad.

    As of April, 2025, Justice Nwosu-Iheme, who was born and raised in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria, where she had her early education, had served almost four years as a High Court judge.

    On April 28, 2025, she sentenced Mr Peter Nwachukwu, husband of the late gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, to death by hanging, having found him guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of his wife on April 8, 2022.

    The late gospel singer Osinachi and her husband.

    Despite her public position, she maintains a very private life, with only limited information available about her personal affairs.

    Details about her educational background are sparse, though it is known that she attended a campus of the Nigerian Law School.

    This is unlike her mother, who is a thriving personality in the media with robust information about her private life and legal odyssey.

    Her rise to prominence came after her appointment as a judge of the FCT High Court. Her appointment and subsequent judicial activities brought her private life under public scrutiny.

    Her appointment as a judge was trailed by controversy, as critics alleged that nepotism influenced her selection, citing her powerful family background and marriage into another judicial family.

    However, the National Judicial Council (NJC) defended the appointments, affirming that all selected candidates, including her, met the necessary qualifications.

    She has apparently stepped into Justice Mary Odili’s shoes in the Nigerian judiciary echelon, following her mother’s retirement in May 2022.

    Her ruling on the death of the late gospel singer is so far the most popular and widely discussed case of her career as a judge.

    She is widely recognized for her strong work ethics and commitment to the legal profession.

  • Breaking: Court sentences late gospel singer Osinachi’s husband to death

    Breaking: Court sentences late gospel singer Osinachi’s husband to death

    (L-R): The late Osinachi and husband

    By Edith Nwapi

    A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday sentenced the husband of late Dunamis Church gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.

    Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the deceased (his wife) on April 8, 2022.

    Delivering judgment, the trial judge, Justice Nwosu-Iheme, held that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently sentenced him accordingly.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nwachukwu was arraigned on a 23-count charge on June 3, 2022 by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government.

    The charges bordered on culpable homicide punishable with death; criminal intimidation; cruelty to children; criminal intimidation of children; spousal battery, among others.

    In the course of the trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi.

    The children testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5, respectively.

    The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.

    The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.

    Shortly before sentencing, the counsel for the defendant, Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment.

    However, the counsel for the prosecution, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.

    Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, and sentenced him to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.

    The court further sentenced the convict to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment on Count 11, fined him for N500,000 and N200,000, respectively, on Counts 6 and 7.

    According to the judge, all the sentences are to run concurrently.(NAN)

  • Police arrest woman for allegedly poisoning partner to death in Lagos

    Police arrest woman for allegedly poisoning partner to death in Lagos

    By Deborah Akpede

    The Police Command in Lagos State has detained a woman for allegedly killing a 65-year-old man in the Oko-Oba, Abule-Egba area of the state.

    The command’s spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos.

    Hundeyin said the command had recorded a significant breakthrough in investigating a recent homicide case reported at the Oko-Oba Division.

    “On March 29, the command received a report of the murder of an unidentified man at a service apartment in the Abule-Egba area,” he said.

    Preliminary investigations revealed that on March 27, at about 5:20 p.m., an unidentified woman, accompanied by the deceased, rented a service apartment.

    A few hours later, the woman left the premises with the deceased’s car and valuables, telling the housekeeper she would return shortly.

    Hundeyin said that during a routine check on March 28, the lifeless body of the male victim was discovered inside the apartment.

    “At the scene, investigators recovered an empty syringe, two empty cans of malt drink, and two bottles of water,” he added.

    The body was evacuated and deposited at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) mortuary for autopsy, while efforts began to trace the suspect.

    Hundeyin said operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) apprehended the suspect at about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday in Oko-Oba, Lagos.

    “The suspect confessed to giving the deceased a malt drink laced with a poisonous substance, which led to his death,” he said.

    Further discreet investigation helped police establish the identity of the deceased, Hundeyin confirmed.

    According to him, the suspect remains in custody while investigations continue to uncover further details surrounding the incident.

    “Updates on the case will be provided in due course,” Hundeyin assured.

    He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, reiterated the command’s commitment to the safety and security of all Lagos State residents.

    Hundeyin warned that individuals engaging in criminal activities would be identified, arrested, and brought to justice. (NAN)

  • Troops arrest human parts trafficker in Ogun

    Troops arrest human parts trafficker in Ogun

    By Oladapo Udom

    Troops of the 81 Division, Nigerian Army (NA) operating under the 35 Artillery Brigade have apprehended a man for allegedly trafficking human parts at Kulanla Odomoola in Ogun State.

    This is contained in statement issued on Sunday by the Division’s spokesman, Lt.-Col. Olabisi Ayeni.

    Ayeni said that the troops rescued the suspect from an angry mob who attempted to lynch him.

    “The suspect, alongside the exhibits, has been handed over to the Nigeria Police at Noforija for further investigation and possible prosecution,” he said.

    The spokesman said the troops also arrested three suspected drug peddlers at Ado-Odo, Ota Local Government Area of the state, while on patrol.

    He said that the suspects were found with two packs of substances suspected to be Indian hemp, concealed under 60kg of cargo in a white J5 vehicle.

    “The suspects and exhibits have been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Ilaro Area Command, for further investigation and possible prosecution.

    “The Division will continue to deploy every legitimate means to protect law-abiding citizens from criminal elements within its Area of Operation,” Ayeni said. (NAN)

  • Police evacuate corpses of man, son allegedly poisoned in Ebonyi

    Police evacuate corpses of man, son allegedly poisoned in Ebonyi

    By Christian Ogbonna

    The Police in Ebonyi have evacuated the corpses of a man and his son at Ebebe Junction area of Abakaliki metropolis.

    SP Joshua Ukandu, the spokesman of the police command in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the evacuation was carried out on Friday.

    Ukandu, however, said that the command was yet to get the full details of what led to the deaths of Mr Light Nwodor, and his son, Miracle.

    “When I was called by an individual about the incident, I quickly called the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area.

    ”They swung into action and the dead bodies have been evacuated.

    “The police have launched investigation into the matter.

    ”The command will definitely inform the general public on completion of investigation.

    “Right now, nobody knows what caused their deaths, ” he said.

    Ukandu also said he had not been briefed by the DPO on any arrest made.

    Earlier reports had claimed that the victims died following consumption of food prepared by an unknown female said to be on the run.(NAN)