Straight from the Headlines! What Everyone was Talking About This Week

The face-off between Nigeria and South Africa seems to have come to a reasonable end following the apology of the South African government to Nigeria for their actions. This came after the South African government sent a letter of apology to Olugbenga Ashiru, the Foreign Affairs Minister for deporting 125 Nigerians over the alleged possession of fake yellow fever vaccine cards.

At a news conference in Pretoria on Thursday, March 8th, 2012, South Africa’s deputy foreign minister, Ebrahim Ebrahim and officials from Nigeria’s embassy in South Africa pledged to re-establish a bilateral diplomatic commission and to exchange information on vaccinations more freely.

The action by the South African government spurred retaliatory actions by the Nigerian government, leading to the deportation of 131 South Africans from Nigeria. There were also threats to end bilateral trade relations between the two countries following the rift.

However, it came as a relief to both parties when Mr Ashiru said that Nigeria had accepted the apology, adding that a South African envoy was expected soon to formally apologize for the row.

With peace restored on that front, it is hoped that there would be more of such positive developments in other sectors of the country as we pray for peace and restoration.

Here is a recap of some of the stories that made headlines in Nigeria this week:

A 26 year-old Nigerian, Ishola Adeyomi Adeoye, has been convicted for raping a 14 year-old girl in October 2010. Ishola, from Bermondsey met the 14 year-old girl in Plumstead in October 2010 and took her back to his home in Woolwich. Fully aware of her age, he gave her alcohol, waited until she passed out and then raped her. The victim awoke in the morning and was not aware of what she had been subjected to. Later that same day, having returned home, she began to feel pain and realized that something may have happened. After making a report to the police, a DNA test proved she had been raped. He was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail following a week-long trial at the Old Bailey.

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Three Boko Haram members lost their lives last weekend when a bomb exploded at a compound suspected to be used as a bomb-making factory in Kaleri Ward, London Chiki Area of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council of Borno State. Residents of the area, which is adjacent to the University of Maiduguri, were thrown into confusion when the bomb went off and killed the sect members. It also forced most of the fear-stricken residents to flee the area, which was immediately taken over by security men. Relics of the sect’s men and their family members were however strewn about, as the remaining members fled the area for fear of being apprehended.

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A man believed to be mentally unstable beat all security points and gained access to the restricted area of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Monday, March 5th, 2012. He broke the glass at the boarding gate after beating all security checks, according to sources at the nation’s flagship airport. After getting to the airport tarmac, the mad man was said to have started shouting “I want to go abroad; I want to go to Europe. Please give way for me to go.” The General Manager, Public Affairs, FAAN, Akin Olukunle, confirmed the incident stating that the man had been arrested and if it was established that he was mentally challenged, the police would take him to the rehabilitation centre for treatment.

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Army troops in city of Maiduguri on Monday, March 5th, 2012, shot dead three suspected members of the Islamist Boko Haram sect as they allegedly tried to burn down a school.  Three of the suspects were shot dead while two others were shot and injured. Men of the Joint Task Force interrupted five suspected members of Boko Haram trying to burn down a school in the heart of Maiduguri metropolis. A number of homemade explosives which they allegedly intended to use in burning the primary school in the Lamisula district of the city were also recovered. In less than two weeks, at least a dozen public and private schools in restive Maiduguri city, hotbed of Boko Haram, have been burnt by members of the sect.

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Hundreds of people were rendered homeless on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 when the FCT Development Control Department demolished what it described as “illegal structures” in Galadimawa off Airport Road, Abuja. The affected residents scrambled to pack their belongings from their buildings while others watched in amazement as their homes were pulled down. Galadimawa village is home to many civil servants, police officers, artisans and jobless individuals who cannot afford the exorbitant rents charged by landlords in other parts of Abuja.

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A police officer serving in Rivers State police command on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 committed suicide in Port Harcourt. Mr. Ben Ugwuegbulam, the command’s spokesman, confirmed this development, saying that the said officer shot himself on the chest, after he had shot and wounded an Inspector. He said the late corporal and the inspector he shot were both on the same beat at the Platgeria Company on Plot 278, Trans Amadi area of the Port Harcourt metropolis. He further stated that the spokesman said the Inspector was responding to treatment, while the AK-47 rifle used by the Corporal has been recovered.

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Unidentified gunmen, suspected to be adherents of Boko Haram Islamic sect on Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 night, attacked yet another police station located in Gombe State, killing four officers including the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of the station, Superintendent Abubarkar Sadiq. The attack occurred at the popular Ashaka Cement Factory in Bajoga town, Funakaye Local Government of the state. The Gombe Divisional Police Station in the state capital was attacked penultimate Friday resulting in the killing of some officers and a few civilians in the process.

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