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A media watchdog says Nigeria's military must stop threatening a journalist because he refuses to turn informer. A civil society worker linked to the reporter tells of a brush with the military at a local barracks.

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says the Nigerian military has told freelance journalist Ahmad Salkida he could face terrorism charges for refusing to provide information about the militant group Boko Haram.

The CPJ has called on the Nigerian military to "cease threatening" Saldkida.

The Nigerian army announced last Monday that it wanted to question three suspects, including a journalist, for allegedly concealing information about the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls.

The announcement came shortly after the release of a new video purportedly showing some of the more than 200 girls who were seized by Boko Haram in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria, in April 2014.

Army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said Salkida had been in contact with Boko Haram, as had civil society activists Ahmed Bolari and Aisha Wakil, AFP news agency reported.

The three "have links with Boko Haram terrorists" and "must therefore come forward and tell us where the group is keeping the Chibok girls," Usman said.

Usman invoked the 2011 Terrorism Prevention Act under which "Nigerians could be punished for failure to disclose information about terrorists or terrorists' activities."

CPJ West Africa Representative Peter Nkanga said journalists must sometimes rely on the trust of dangerous people. "Coercing them to become informers risks putting all journalists under suspicion and in danger," he said.

'They took my phone'

Bolari told DW he had been to his local barracks where he had met some senior military officers who were known to him personally. After asking them why he was on the wanted list, the officers told him it was a mistake and he should report back to them the next day, Bolari said.

Bolari said he went back the next day, publishing everything that was happening to him via social media. "They took my phone and told me if I am holding the phone, it will continue to increase tension." Bolari said the officers then explained that they had invited him so he could be "part of solving the problem", telling him that they did not suspect him of anything.

Bolari said he was released on the condition that he would make himself available to them whenever they were looking for him. The military believed that he was an ambassador in solving the Boko Haram issue, he told DW.

Aisha Wakil, whom Nigeria's Premium Times described on its website as "a lawyer and negotiator for the Boko Haram sect" was allowed to go home on Wednesday without charges after questioning.

Salkida wrote on his personal blog on August 15 that he would accept the military's invitation [for questioning]. He told CPJ he believed the military were trying to punish him for his persistent reporting on Boko Haram since 2006. He has lived in the United Arab Emirates since 2013.

Salkida also said he feared for life and that anonymous callers had threatened him about his articles and posts to social media websites and his contacts with Boko Haram.

Salkida posted Boko Haram's latest video on Sunday (14.08,2016), AP reported. His response the following day to being declared a wanted man was "my status as a Nigerian journalist who has reported extensively, painstakingly and consistently on the Boko Haram menace is an open book."

Boko Haram, which seeks to impose strict Islamic law in northern Nigeria, has been blamed for some 20,000 deaths and displacing more than 2.6 million people since 2009.

Details: Rita Akana; 22.Aug.2016; Hits: 3108

The city maintains its position at the lowest rungs of the Global Liveability index.

Several other global reports had also said that Lagos, with a population of over 22 million, would in the next few years become the 4th mega city in the world, with a population of over 30 million.

The city is placed 138th out of the 140 cities ranked in the latest liveability survey, just above war-ravaged Tripoli and Damascus.

Lagos scored highest in culture and environment, followed by infrastructure. It scored lowest in stability.

The top five best countries to live in, remain unchanged from last year and they include Melbourne in Australia; Vienna in Austria; and Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary all in Canada.

CCTV

Details: Rita Akana; 20.Aug.2016; Hits: 3721

One person was shot dead in Mali's capital on Wednesday and others were wounded as police opened fire to disperse a protest over the arrest of a talk show host who is a critic of the government, three Malian rights groups said in a statement.

Police also fired tear gas to disperse the fans of Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, who was arrested Monday and is due to be brought before a tribunal charged with an outrage against public decency, witnesses said.

Bathily, who is known as Ras Bath, presents a show called Cards on the Table on Maliba FM radio, in which he often attacks policies of the government of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.

Fresh protests are expected Thursday, witnesses said.

"Our organizations condemn the excessive use of lethal arms to maintain order and call on the authorities to identify and punish those responsible," said a statement from three rights groups, including the Malian Association of Human Rights.

The protest also reflected public discontent in Mali over corruption, unemployment, the cost of living and insecurity linked to separatist violence in the north of the country and attacks by Islamist militants.

VOA

Details: Rita Akana; 18.Aug.2016; Hits: 2899

The International Leadership Conference organized by the Universal Peace Federation was in reaction to the present-day challenges facing the world. Hon. Awudu Mbaya Cyprian who led Cameroon delegation to Ouagadougou upon returning back to Cameroon has declared that there is a pressing need to empower leaders of the world to meet the growing challenges such as peace, security, . Hon. Awudu Mbaya who doubles as Questor at the National Assembly cum President of Pan African Parliamentarians Network on Climate Change said during the conference of August 8-10, 2016 brought together leaders from 28 African countries to reflect on the theme: Addressing the Critical Challenges of our Time: The Role of Governments, Civil Society and Faith-Based. Participants included current parliamentarians, along with religious leaders, women leaders, civil society leaders and media.

He continued that the Conferenceis part of a series of Regional ILCs that are an outgrowth of an ILC that was convened in Korea on February 12-16, 2016, involving more than 800 participants from around the world, and including approximately 150 current parliamentarians from 40 nations.

Besides, participants at the Burkina Faso Conference focused on the search for innovative solutions to some of the critical issues on the local, national, regional and global levels, from climate change to the rise of extremist ideologies, humanitarian disasters, and conflict as well as strategies to strengthen marriages and build strong families for peace and sustainable development.

Hon. Awudu Mbaya said that one of the innovations was the creation of an International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace, which will serve as a platform for parliamentarians to bring their experience and wisdom to bear in the search for solutions to our world’s critical problems. Hon. Awudu Mbaya it should be noted was charged to present the final Declaration of the African Regional Chapter of Parliamentarians for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

Worthy to note that The Universal Peace Federation was founded by Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon with vision rooted in universal spiritual and moral principles that apply to all areas of human endeavor, including the family, society, government, religion, business, academia, media, arts, and sports.

dongamantungeye

Details: Rita Akana; 18.Aug.2016; Hits: 3315

Over the weekend, photos of a Nigerian bride seemingly making a run for her life went viral on social media, leaving a lot of questions unanswered about where she was running to and why.

Lindaikeji.com reports that the bride in Eket, Akwa Ibom state, was actually running away from her wedding because she discovered her husband-to-be had lied to her about who he really was.

According to the report, the bride was made to believe the groom was an employee of Chevron. His Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Badoo accounts said he was a staff of the multinational oil and gas company but the bride later found out that this was false.

She therefore decided to abandon the wedding that morning by making a run for her life.

However, a few people believed to be involved in the marriage caught up to her and tried to convince her to go ahead with the wedding.

Details: Rita Akana; 16.Aug.2016; Hits: 3411

Ndakuna Fanso Amidou is a Master’s student in Green Templeton College and the Oxford Internet Internet Institue is currently studying an MSc in Social Science of the internet and MBA at the University of Oxford. Ndakuna was, on July 14 presented the award by David Lammy MP in the Palace of Westminster.

The Rare Rising Stars celebrates the achievements of black students in the UK. This year’s award ceremony marked the eighth edition of the initiative. The following constituted the panel of judges for the selection of the winner; David Lammy MP, Trevor Phillips OBE, Jean Tomlin OBE, and Google’s Adrian Joseph

Who is the top black student in the UK in 2016?

Very often many people who rise to fame start from humble beginnings. The top black student in the UK 2016 Rare Rising Stars award is no stranger to such origins.

Amidou grew up in a village outside of Bamenda, in the North West region of Cameroon, where he didn’t start formal schooling until age ten. After taking O Levels in his village school and qualifying as a mental health nurse, he eventually joined his brother in London. He worked for the NHS for five years before studying engineering as an undergraduate at Brunel University, working as a nurse throughout his studies.

He worked for the NHS for five years before studying engineering as an undergraduate at Brunel University, working as a nurse throughout his studies.

In 2008, he founded a health care clinic in Cameroon in order to address the lack of access to healthcare in rural areas. Today the clinic employs more than 22 nurses and two visiting doctors and serves around 100 patients per day.

Amidou has worked in the UK for Motorola and Vodafone, and is now studying a 1+1 MSc and MBA programme at Oxford with a Pershing Square Graduate Scholarship.

‘Every year, I am stunned by the quality of the Stars. Every year, I am inspired. Often facing unfavourable circumstances, our Stars have achieved remarkable things, and they deserve to be recognised’ said Raph Mokades, Managing Director of diversity recruitment firm Rare, which runs the awards.

It is known that the Oxford University has enjoyed distinguished positions on the Rare Rising Stars list, with fourteen entries over the last eight years. Oxford students have three times been named the UK’s top black student.

Source: Oxford University

Details: Oxford University; 12.Aug.2016; Hits: 3127

Cameroonian citizens namely, Abdou Nassara, 35, Jean Claude, 40, Gonou Desire, 37, Mimba Serges, 37, Kambiwa Dieu Nedort, 43, Moguem Solo, 42 and Tiadeu Barnard, 34 have been arrested on allegations of faymania alongside other national in Bangladesh.

Two other suspects are from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A Bangladesh security officer said: “They were detained during a drive conducted on Sunday night with large amounts of fake foreign and Bangladeshi currencies.”

The security officer explained that the Cameroonians ran a scam with black US dollars. The color of the fake money is black so that it can go undetected at the airport. The money returns to its original color upon being washed with a chemical mixture.

He said they would give the buyer real dollars at first to build trust and then sell them fake currency once that trust was established.

The black dollars are usually brought into the country through diplomatic luggage, according to how the Bangladeshi authorities understand the game.

Details: Rita Akana; 11.Aug.2016; Hits: 4957

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Regional Updates Article Count: 21

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