Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yaradua is dead

It's no longer news that Nigerian president, Umaru Musa Yaradua is dead, The shocking news came to Nigerians in the early morning of today Thursday May 6 2010. Nigerians observed a public holiday to mourn the passing president

Meanwhile, Reports from Vanguard News online;

President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that Late President Umaru Muasa Yar’Adua has left a vacuum with his integrity, commitment to due process and the rule of law and his deep sense of patriotism to the nation, saying he will miss him the most.

The President made this during his sworn in ceremony as the substantive president of the country following Wednesday’s death of ailing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

In a speech after his swearing in, President Jonathan said, he was shocked by the news of the death of his boss and friend, with whom they were elected in 2007 to govern the country.

‘My dear brothers and sisters, it is with deep sense of loss and profound sorrow that I received the news of the passing on of His Excellency, President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our President passed away peacefully in the Presidential villa in Abuja yesterday evening, the 5th day of May 2010. While we submit to the will of God as a people of faith, this sad event has placed our nation in deep mourning’.

The president condole with the former first lady, Hajiya Turai and the entire Yar’Adua family, saying, “On behalf of the good people of our great Country Nigeria, I stand by our First Lady, Her Excellency Hajia Turai Yar’ Adua, the Children, our Mother, Hajia Habiba Musa Yar Adua, and the entire Yar’ Adua family and offer our heartfelt condolences on the demise of our amiable leader.

INEC Chairman Prof. Maurice Iwu Sacked

ACTING President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, yesterday, ordered the immediate sack of the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Maurice Iwu. We are waiting to see the who replaces him

Jimoh Ibrahim stakes $250m - Acquires Virgin Nigeria

News reaching us from Guardian Nigeria by Wole Sadare on the Acquisition of Virgin Nigeria.

THE recently announced acquisition of Nigeria Eagle Airline (formerly Virgin Nigeria Airline), may have cost NICON Group of Companies $250 million (N37 billion), under a debt buy-over deal sealed with United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA).

The amount represents Virgin Group's indebtedness to the bank, which liability has now been taken over by Jimoh Ibrahim-led organisation.

There were however, indications in the aviation industry yesterday that Captain Dapo Olumide, who was introduced by Ibrahim as being retained as Chief Executive Officer of the acquired airline, may quit the position this week.

Ibrahim had announced the retention of Olumide as the helmsman of the airline at the weekend, citing the confidence reposed in him by the board of directors for the decision.

Already, industry operators had expressed mixed reactions over the airline's acquisition, given the antecedent of Ibrahim. He acquired EAS Airlines but shortly, on his own, wound up its operations.

Ibrahim is expected to assure workers of his plans to consolidate on the success of the airline as driven by the Olumide-led management, at a briefing slated for today.

A very reliable source told The Guardian that Olumide was already planning his exit from the airline, stressing that the decision was personal to him.

Efforts to reach him yesterday proved abortive as his mobile phones were switched off.

It would be recalled that the airline was indebted to UBA to the tune of $250 million, a debt reportedly incurred by the Virgin Group.

A source in UBA told The Guardian that to them, it was an economic decision they took by transferring the risk to the new owner.

"We are disturbed that there were claims in the media that Jimoh Ibrahim paid $100 million to acquire the airline", said the UBA source.

Olumide is an aviation professional and a trained pilot with over 28 years experience, having started his career after he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, USA in 1980.

He joined Aero Contractors in 1982 and following many successful years, he was appointed the Deputy Managing Director in 2002 and transformed the original company vision from an exclusively B2B model to the more demanding and more modern B2C approach.

He joined Virgin Nigeria in November 2008 as the Chief Commercial Officer, after a brief stint as a banker with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), specifically in the area of transport infrastructure project development.

Before his current appointment as the chief executive officer, he was the Company's Deputy Managing Director with oversight responsibilities for Commercial Planning, Sales and Marketing, Cargo and Corporate Aviation.

Captain Olumide is a change manager and within a short time in the helms of affairs of the airline, brought his expertise to bear by turning the fortunes of the airline around especially by initiating and implementing policies that have brought the airline from the doldrums especially during the turbulent economic recession that adversely affected global aviation business.

Also, he led the management team that created an indigenous and unique brand for the airline, which has made the airline to remain a force in the domestic and regional markets.

He initiated code share with Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Air and signing technical service with Ethiopia, the first in West Africa with another African profitable airline.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, former spokesman of Nigeria Airways, Chris Azu Aligbe said he found it "difficult to begin to say what will be the consequence of the airline's acquisition, because you don't know who is coming, but all I need to say is that Olumide and his team, they have done wonderfully well. They met a very bad situation and they have battled all their lives to salvage that situation.

"If it were not for the albatross of the debts accumulated by Virgin Group, the Nigerian Eagle would have stood out clearly, showing that people who know what they are doing are in place; they have a good roadmap and they were battling to stay on that road map.

"That roadmap comes along the line of national aspiration to have a world standard airline that can compete and gradually moving up from domestic and regional dominance to the point where it should be. It's quite sad that this has happened".

On Ibrahim's antecedents regarding the way he allowed EAS to die shortly after acquisition, Aligbe said people are apprehensive because of that, noting that everybody was shocked when it was bought, adding that people believed it was going to be revived, "but it just died that way and not even a word was said about it".

He however, stated that people had every reason to be apprehensive but quickly noted that Ibrahim would not invest that amount of money in such a place and allow it to go down the drains.

His words: "He is a businessman, even if the money fell from the skies to him as manna from heaven, I am sure that he does not intend to throw it away; that is my own submission, I may be wrong. I will be shocked if I find that I am wrong. I think that having invested, his sole business is to have an airline functioning and coming back after the EAS debacle, coming back to buy over another airline, airline that is major; I think it shows that he has an intention to own an airline that will work, but what people are afraid of is that he does not stand on the wrong footing"

Another aviation expert, Captain Dele Ore, said: "Whatever you are telling me is all speculative and what I am reading in the newspaper is worrisome. But I want to know how much money that has been injected into the place and by whom.

"The track record that is on ground should make us very, very worrisome. Why is EAS (NICON Airlines) no more flying? If it is an on-going business and it is flying, it can merge with a new one. Then you are thinking of a merger and we can understand that. As it is now, another dead company is in the offing".

He disclosed that Nigeria Eagle is the best run airline in Nigeria, which has met IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) requirements. It is the only company in the industry that has met IOSA.

"To me, that is an airline that is qualified to be an airline in Nigeria. So if Olumide was able to sustain and maintain it, we should say that we commend his effort. If he leaves, nobody is indispensable, but it will be a very sad story and we will be going in circles and that airline will be worse off for it".

Desperate Nigerian Travels to US in the Tyre Class

It was gathered that a young Nigerian, Mr. Emeka Okechukwu Okeke, recently wanted to do the impossible by smuggling
himself into the United States, but ended up arriving not only in body bag but also as mangled body.

Impeccable sources at the Murtala Muhammed International, Lagos, revealed that Okeke had beaten all security at the
airport, traced his way to the tarmac and sneaked into the tyre compartment of a Delta Airline’s plane scheduled to depart for Atlanta, United States.

It was gathered that the plane had departed Lagos, without Okeke being detected, and safely arrived Atlanta. Ground staff
of the airline, in the United States, were said to have discovered pieces of flesh and blood smear on one of the tyres of the plane
and raised an alarm.
A check on the plane revealed the mangled body of Okeke in one of the tyre compartments of the aircraft. The check also
revealed a bag and a mobile phone on what remained of the body of the young man.

Shocked officials of Delta Airlines, in the US, had put on the mobile phone and scrolled through the numbers. To find out the identity of the man, they were said to have called the last number dialed and made inquiries. The
man, who received the call, was said to have revealed that the owner of the phone had travelled to the United States.

Delta Airlines officials in the United States had transferred the case to Nigeria, where it was discovered that Okeke, who
is married, had confided in some of his friends and relatives that he was traveling to the United States on the night he sneaked into the tyre compartment of the aircraft. His family has been contacted and its members have identified the corpse of Okeke.

According to some source, Okeke is from Anambra, Nigeria and had tried unsuccessfully for years to get a visa to America. Owing to desperation, he decided to embark on the risky venture, which eventually claimed his life.

Although, he told his family that he was travelling to US, he never revealed that he was going to sneak into the tyre
compartment of the aircraft.

According to some Intel, Okeke colluded with airport officials to gain access to the tarmac, before finding his way to the
plane in the dark. He was said to have wrapped himself in a blanket, not knowing that the aircraft tyres would get to where he was and kill him.

Meanwhile, Delta Airline staffers, who guarded the plane at the airport on the day the incident happened, have been
arrested by the police, to explain how Okeke sneaked into the tyre compartment of the plane.

Delta Airline has a security policy, whereby its plane at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, is guarded from the time it arrives Nigeria, in the afternoon, till when it departs with passengers in the night.

With such security arrangement, the airline is, therefore, shocked that somebody could have access to the plane undetected
and embarked on a suicide mission, which has caused the airline a scandal.
The police at the airport command are currently battling to find out how security was breached at the airport that day.

An airport official, who pleaded for anonymity, said that many people had been smuggled out of the country by sneaking into aircraft.

The source said: “That route is for people who have guts and all efforts to leave Nigeria have failed. The man has bad luck;
it is not his destiny to leave Nigeria. Maybe he did not follow the instructions given to him on how to survive under there. This
is not the first time people are sneaking out of Nigeria through that means. Sometime last year a woman travelled through that means and arrived safely. “If this man arrived safely, we would not be talking about this. He was careless with his life. Now innocent staff of the airline are going to suffer for his mistake. Those who guarded the plane that night were arrested.”

The question being asked by people is, how possible is it that somebody would gain access to the tarmac undetected, considering the tight security in the airport? Our source explained that such illegal movement is being coordinated by a syndicate at the airport, which also works with airlines’ workers.
It was gathered that people who need such services pay as much as N800,000 which i think is ridiculous. They are tutored on how to survive in the aircraft compartment. For one, it was learnt that they are given blankets and winter clothes with which they would keep warn while the plane is in flight across the Atlantic.
In the country of destination, the illegal immigrants are received by agents in the syndicate, who smuggle them into the country.

I wonder how he planned to make it anyway? 

Younger Generations Cannot Rule Nigeria - General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida

Former military president and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, said in an interview that he was planning a come-back to office because of the non-availability of capable younger people who can steer the ship of state.

Speaking to the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) monitored in Kaduna, Babangida said: “Because we have seen signs that they are not capable of leading this country and so we feel we should help them. May be they are not given the proper education that is why. I have spent 17 years since I left office.
“But a country like Nigeria cannot be ruled by people without experience. People like the (President Barack) Obama that you are speaking about have the experience. He started from the state House of Assembly to the House of Represen-tatives and to the Senate. If our youths are like this, we will say they have the requisite experience. But we have not reached that level. Honestly, it is our wish that God will bring the younger people that will take over from us if they are available.”

Babangida, who answered questions from the BBC on almost every aspect of his administration during his eight years in office, said he was seeking a return to the Presidency, if elected next year, to contribute his quota in taking the country to the next level.
The former military President in the 15 minutes interview also absolved his eight year tenure of promoting corruption. He said the level of corruption in the country today is a far cry from what was witnessed during his time.

Asked what was attracting him to run for the office of president this time around when he declined to run in 2007, Babangida said, “I gave my reasons for not contesting in 2007 and it was published in many newspapers in the country. Therefore, Nigerians know my reasons for not contesting at that time. But now, Alhamdudillahi, things have changed.

“My position as a Nigerian. Anything that God wants me to do to help this country, I will do it. If I am given the chance, I will know what to do and by the grace of God, I will do it. Nigeria is a country of 150 million people and any of this 150 million people can be president.
Babangida told the BBC that his godfather in Nigeria was the masses when he was reminded by the BBC that the June 12, 1993 election was made possible by the masses but he still went ahead to annul it.

He then said: “But what you should take into consideration is that there has never been an election like that before. That election convinced not only Nigerians, but even the international community that it is possible to conduct free and fair elections in Nigeria,” he said adding that as head of the government at that time he takes responsibility for annulling the election.

The following is the full text of the interview:

You wanted to contest for the Presidency in 2007, but at the end of the day you didn’t submit your papers, how can you assure Nigerians that this time around, you will contest?

I gave my reasons for not contesting in 2007 and it was published in many newspapers in the country. Therefore, Nigerians know my reasons for not contesting at that time. But now, Alhamdudillahi, things have changed.
Don’t forget we are talking of helping the country. What we are talking about, is something that happened some 16 years ago. We should be thinking of what we can do to make progress.
Nigeria is facing a lot of problems, if by the grace of God; you become the president again, what are these new things you never did in the past that you will want to employ in tackling these problems.
God in His infinite mercy gave me the leadership of this country for 8 years…. Remember the Nigerian people have not changed, and since they have not changed, we are in a position to tell them that we can do it again.

There are speculations that the United States of America (USA) wants you to contest for the presidency. What do you have to say about this?

How can that be possible since it is not Americans that will vote? It is Nigerians that will vote.
But America is an influential country in the world and it has its interests in Nigeria.
Nigeria is an influential country too. If somebody wants something in Africa and he hears the voice of Nigeria, it is like he has heard the voice of Africa.
But they said the American Assistant Secretary of State paid you a visit.
Yes, he came to greet me. He is somebody I have known. He came to condole with me over the death of my wife. When we were in the hospital in America, he was coming to greet us…

The issue of the dwindling Nigerian economy is blamed on your administration. You invited former World Bank Economist in charge of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), Prof. Joseph Tigris, who you used to ruin the nation’s economy. Why did you do that?

…Today, we are talking of exactly 24 years, but SAP has not changed, they keep on modifying it. If the economy was ruined, by now, we would have been history. The Nigerian economy was not ruined.
But they say Nigerians are going through serious hardship as a result of your economic policies.
I want you to know that if you read all the books on the economy of Nigeria, you will find out that from 1960 to 1995, Nigeria made far-reaching progress. I left office in 1993. You should be asking what have those who came after us done.

Your administration was accused of massive corruption. If you become the president again, how would you address the problem of endemic corruption in Nigeria?

If you compare what is happening now with what happened during my administration, you will commend me. I sacked a governor for embezzling N300, 000 during my regime, but now, what do you see? During our time we were not enmeshed in this kind of things we see today.
During your time, there was this $12 billion made from the sales of oil. What happened to the money?
The $12 billion was the money realised from the sale of oil for 8 years. Let me repeat, it was money made from the sales of oil in 8 years. It was money that we saved in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) within those 8 years. There was an additional $1.2 billion… So all they are saying about this money are lies. If you read the Okigbo report, you will see that the money was made in 8 years.
But the Financial Times reporter who published the story was sent out of Nigeria because of the report. If it was not true, why was he sent away? 

Frankly speaking, I can send the Okigbo report to you to read. I have been explaining this over and over. What I realised from oil in eight years is what somebody makes in one year.
You have been a major player in the leadership of this country for a longtime.

Don’t you think it is time to allow the younger generations take over from you the older ones as it happened in America and other parts of the world?
Honestly, it is our wish that God will bring the younger people that will take over from us if they are available. I was the one who introduced the politics of new breed in this country.

Why didn’t you step aside and give the younger generation a chance to lead since they are fresh and strong.
Because we have seen signs that they are not capable of leading this country and so we feel we should help them. May be they are not given the proper education that is why. I have spent 17 years since I left office.
Haba! The younger generation is supposed to be in charge by now.
But a country like Nigeria cannot be ruled by people without experience. People like the Obama that you are speaking about have the experience. He started from the state House of Assembly to the House of Representatives and to the Senate. If our youths are like this, we will say they have the requisite experience. But we have not reached that level.

If by the grace of God, you become the president what new thing will you do which you did not do during your eight years in power.Which are the mistakes you would want to correct?
 
The politicians are asking me what I forgot in the Presidential Villa that I want to go and pick. When I left power, the naira was N22 to the dollar. Petrol was selling at 70 kobo per litre. So there are things that I did that will make me come back.
These things were not like that when you came to power. You were the one that devalued the naira.
How? During my time, the naira did not exceed N22 to the dollar. Now it is N150 per dollar.
But how much was it before you came to power?
It was N4.5 to the dollar.
So you devalued the naira.
Some people destroyed the value of the naira…

Nigeria Films and the Image of Nigeria

For many years, the image of Nigeria has been a soiled one. The people are misunderstood, and the image stands firm. The image has been built throughout the years, and culture and history has combined as powerful forces to form the image of Nigeria. The rest of the world thinks of this country as poor, illiterate, and slow in advancement. 

This is unfortunate because this image is mainly formed by stereotypical perceptions of the population in the country. In other words, it’s due to a lack of understanding for the people residing in Nigeria. People outside of this country do not truly understand the culture, and this leads to misconceptions. The people of this country understand that it’s going to take a lot of time and resources to help reshape the image that has taken root throughout the years. For this reason, they turn to popular culture – educating through movies and films.

Films are one of the fastest way to communicate important messages across the globe. Because they are created to entertain, they often attract huge crowds. A well made, award winning film can attract a lot of attention from the media. They are showcased in film festivals, and people from other nations can exchange ideas and appreciate the works of others. Through this manner, perceptions of each and every culture starts to change. From the films, there is an exchange of information – information about one culture with another. 

Such information is conveyed through films in two different manners – the graphic images, and the music. Music, as everyone knows, is universal. By listening to the sounds in the films, the audience gets a good understanding of the feelings of the characters within the film. Thus, in a non-verbal manner, they are able to understand the emotions of the people belonging to a certain culture. 

Graphic images are more straight forward. They convey messages of what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. Nigerian films are starting to portray the lives of the young living in their country. Such films provide insight as to what is happening within the country. The cities are starting to flourish, and many of the young and able are moving into the cities for a higher quality of life. The lives of these young people provide rich content for the films. 

The movies show that Nigeria is no longer a country that is lacking behind, and slow in advancing. Due to the evolution of technology, the young has become more and more tech savvy. Harnessing the power of technology, many has been able to make progress in leaps and bounds with their careers. It is a sure sign that the country is thriving.

The active movie industry is another indication that the country is doing well. More and more talented artists are coming forward to become directors, actors and actresses. Armed with great story lines, they have been known to shoot high quality movies even with a limited budget. It just shows how resourceful and creative the young citizens of Nigeria can be. The future looks brighter than ever. 

Adetola Banbe is the owner of a site that deals in Nigeria Movies and Nigeria Films website.

Gadhafi: Nigeria should split along ethnic lines

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi suggested Monday that Nigeria be split along ethnic lines, like Yugoslavia, into several mini-states as a way of resolving violence in Africa's most populous nation.

Gadhafi drew Nigeria's anger last week by saying the oil-rich nation should be divided into Muslim and Christian nations along the model of the 1947 partitioning of the Indian subcontinent, which led to the independence of India and Pakistan.

In those comments, he told a group of African student leaders in Tripoli that the violence in Nigeria was symptomatic of a "deep-rooted conflict of a religious nature" and required a radical solution.

On Monday, Gadhafi said that wasn't radical enough.

"Actually, the problem of Nigeria won't be solved by dividing it into two Muslim and Christian states. There are other people who, regardless of their religion, also demand independence," Libya's official JANA news agency quoted Gadhafi as saying.

"Therefore, what fits Nigeria in this case is Yugoslavia," he said.

From: AP News

Nigerian Senate vets cabinet nominees

Nigeria's Senate on Monday started screening potential ministers picked by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan who recently sacked an entire cabinet in a move seen to signal his quest for change.

Senate speaker David Mark read out five more names adding to the first list of 33 he submitted by Jonathan last week.

The Senate was planning to comb through a partial list of 14 nominees out of 38 sent in following months of political paralysis in the African oil giant, according to an official Senate agenda.

The exercise is expected to last several days.

I hope they come up with something good for us all...

US Commends President Goodluck Jonathan

*Says he has consolidated grip on power

*Believes Yar’Adua’s men won’t engineer political come back

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan’s consolidation of his grip on power is drawing applause from the United States of America which says his efforts are easing a political crisis that once fanned fears of instability in the country.

Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said Washington was encouraged that Jonathan was moving on electoral reforms, anti-corruption efforts and peace outreach in the restive Niger Delta, the centre of Nigeria’s largest energy industry.

“I think he’s done a very good job of consolidating his authority and reassuring all segments of the community,” Carson, the Obama administration’s top diplomat for Africa, told Reuters in an interview.

Jonathan assumed power in early February to try to end government paralysis in the absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua, who had been in Saudi Arabia receiving treatment for a heart condition for more than two months.

Yar’Adua subsequently returned but remains too sick to govern and is essentially incommunicado – a situation that led U.S. officials to express concern over a potential power struggle among different leadership factions.

Carson said those fears had receded as Jonathan cemented his authority, including taking steps to name a new Cabinet, and that it was unlikely those who back Yar’Adua would try to engineer a political comeback.

“We don’t know whether he will come back. But I think the country is in fact moving on,” Carson said. “We believe those in power in senior positions have clearly opted to support a stable democracy during this period of uncertainty.”

U.S. officials have urged Jonathan to speed preparations for elections due in 2011, saying a repeat of the vote-rigging and intimidation that marred the 2007 vote that brought Yar’Adua to power would be disastrous.

Nigeria’s ruling party has said it wants the next president to be a northerner, in line with a principle that power rotates around the country, effectively ruling Jonathan out of another term.

Carson said the United States supported the rotation principle as a guarantor of stability in Nigeria.
“We hope that the political balance which has given Nigeria its political stability will prevail,” he said
Source: Vanguardngr.com

United States gives Nigeria Conditions for Terror De-Listing

The United States has given Nigeria four conditions it should meet before it is removed from the list of terror watch list.

The minister of foreign affairs, Ojo Maduekwe, disclosed this at a meeting with the House of Representatives committee of foreign affairs in Abuja on Thursday.

The conditions, according to the minister, are public condemnation of any form of terrorism anywhere in the world; improvement of security in the nation’s airports; deployment of air marshalls on board of aircraft, and passing legislative laws on anti-terrorism.

 

The committee chairman, Bature Umar, who briefed journalists after the meeting held behind closed-doors, said it was convened to enable the minister brief the committee members on the alleged aborted plan by a 23 year old Nigerian, Farouk Umaru AbdulMutallab to bomb an American plane last Christmas day.

He also said that the minister was called to give the lawmakers insight into the reasons for the inclusion of Nigeria on the list by the US.

According to Mr. Bature, the minister explained the role Mr. AbdulMutallab’s father played before and after the incident and also briefed the lawmakers on the reports of the US State Department on terrorism.

Judge awards ₦100m damages to Uzoma Okere

Justice Opeyemi Oke of the Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere has awarded ₦100 million in damages to Uzoma Okere who was assaulted by four officers of the Nigerian Navy on November 3, 2008.

Ms. Okere sued Rear-Admiral Harry Arogundade, the four naval ratings in his convoy whom she said beat and stripped her on the stated date, when she refused to leave the road for the convoy.

As part of the judgement, the court also asked the respondents to write a letter of apology to the claimants, which must be published in at least four newspapers within one month of the judgement. I'm getting confident with the Nigerian Judiciary, this shows that you can get Justice in Nigeria.
 

Source: Linda Ikeji's Blog

1, 064 Nigerians Deported From Libya

I read this news on Linda Ileji's blog, it's very pathetic;

No fewer than 1,064 Nigerians have been deported by Libyan authorities in the last one month, Immigration sources are reporting.

The Libyan authorities deported 150 Nigerians on September 27, with an aircraft with registration SUBME. Twenty four hours later, the second batch of Nigerian deportees arrived the shores of the country with another 150. While the deportees were still going through immigration processes, the North African country deported another 150, all males. The same aircraft brought the latest deportees.

The following day, September 29, another 150 were deported from the country and only last Tuesday, 134 Nigerians comprising 88 females and 46 males were deported from the country with the same aircraft.

A deportee, who spoke to Daily Champion under condition of anonymity, said the security officials treated them shabbily. "We were beating like animals; treated like outcasts; and condemned to death even before any proper prosecution process could take place. More than 200 of us were packed inside a room like frozen fish," he said.

The deportees who were described as "illegal immigrants" by the Libyan authorities are mainly from Zamwia-Zamzu prison in Tripoli.*
Source: Daily Champion.

A few months ago, that country tried to execute 220 Nigerians who were on death row, before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, Gambia, ordered the government of Libya to suspend the execution.

The Commission’s order followed a petition filed by the Socio-Economic Rights & Accountability Project (SERAP), through its Solicitor, Mr Femi Falana.*