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Laurent Gbagbo, ex-Ivoirian leader convicted of fund misappropriation, gets presidential pardon

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Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Cote d’Ivoire who was sentenced to prison for misappropriating public funds, has been granted presidential pardon.

Alassane Ouattara, president of Cote d’Ivoire, announced the development on Saturday in his address ahead of the country’s 62nd independence anniversary.

Cote d’Ivoire got its independence on August 7, 1960.

According to Ouattara, the decision on the presidential pardon was taken in the interest of fostering “social cohesion”.

Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Cote d’Ivoire who was sentenced to prison for misappropriating public funds, has been granted presidential pardon.

Alassane Ouattara, president of Cote d’Ivoire, announced the development on Saturday in his address ahead of the country’s 62nd independence anniversary.

Cote d’Ivoire got its independence on August 7, 1960.

According to Ouattara, the decision on the presidential pardon was taken in the interest of fostering “social cohesion”

The crisis following Gbagbo’s refusal to accept the outcome of the 2010 election — which was conducted five years after his first term ended — left thousands of people dead.

He was charged before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, alongside his ally, Charles Blé Goudé, but they were both acquitted of the charges in January 2019.

A statement by the ICC at the time held that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the former president.

“In particular, having thoroughly analysed the evidence, the Chamber concluded by majority that the Prosecutor has failed to demonstrate several core constitutive elements of the crimes as charged, including the existence of a “common plan” to keep Mr Gbagbo in power, which included the commission of crimes against civilians “pursuant to or in furtherance of a State or organisational policy”; and the existence of patterns of violence from which it could be inferred that there was a “policy to attack a civilian population”,” the ICC had said.

“Furthermore, the Chamber concluded, by majority, that the Prosecutor failed to demonstrate that public speeches by Mr Gbagbo or Mr Blé Goudé constituted ordering, soliciting or inducing the alleged crimes.

“The Chamber decided that, accordingly, there is no need for the defence to submit further evidence.”

However, aside from the charges filed before the ICC, Gbagbo also faced a trial — although in absentia — in his home country on allegations of misappropriating public funds through the Central Bank of West African States in 2011, during the crisis following the election.

He was sentenced alongside three of his ministers to 20 years imprisonment in January 2018.

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Man dies while watching football in Lagos bar

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A yet-to-be-identified middle-aged man has died while watching football at a local bar along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

It was gathered that the incident happened on Thursday, May 16.

The deceased, who was a regular customer in the open bar, was said to have walked in, sat down, and started to watch a football match until he fell asleep.

Efforts to wake him when the match ended, however, proved abortive as he was found motionless.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident, said it was reported at the Elere Police Division.

He said, “The owner of a bar located along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway reported at Elere Division that at about 6:15 pm on Thursday, one of his male customers in his 50s, whose name and address are yet unknown, came into the open bar to sit and watch television.

“He was later observed to be sleeping on the chair and in an attempt to wake him up, it was discovered that he was lifeless. The scene was visited by detectives of the division, and the deceased was seen lifeless on the chair without any mark of violence.

“The body has been removed to the Mainland General Hospital mortuary, Yaba, Lagos State for autopsy. Efforts to trace his family are in progress.”

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LASEMA rescues young man who mistakenly fell into Lagos lagoon

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The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) says it has rescued a man who “mistakenly fell” into the lagoon.

Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, LASEMA permanent secretary, told NAN that the agency received a distress call around 7am on Friday.

Oke-Osanyintolu said the man reportedly fell into the lagoon at Falomo bridge.

“Following the distress call, LASEMA activated the state’s emergency response plans with the swift arrival of LASEMA response team from Lekki zone at the incident scene at 8:02am,” NAN quoted him as saying.

“On arrival of the team at the incident scene, investigations revealed that the man had been resuscitated, and had identified himself as Segun Amoo.

“He narrated how he mistakenly fell into the Lagos lagoon at the aforementioned location.”

Oke-Osanyintolu said information obtained from Lagos State Water Authority (LASWA) revealed that Amoo was seen struggling for survival inside the lagoon.

The LASEMA permanent secretary quoted LASWA officials as saying: “Our staff had, around 11.00 p.m. yesterday night, observed Amoo struggling for survival in the lagoon waters after he fell off the bridge, thereby leading to the LASWA rescue team’s response.

“Amoo was rescued by the LASWA officials and subsequently stabilised by the agency’s pre-hospital care paramedics.

“He provided vital information about himself after resuscitation, stating that his home address is at Ilaje-Bariga, Lagos.

“He also clarified that he was not suicidal while narrating how the incident of his fall off the bridge occurred.”

Oke-Osanyintolu said the LASEMA response team proceeded to the victim’s home address for further investigations, where the rescue team handed over the victim to his relatives.

He said the victim’s brother claimed that the family had been searching for him for some time.

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Truck rams into BRT on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

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A truck has rammed into a Lagos State BRT bus at Ibafo bus-stop along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

Our correspondent who went to the scene gathered that the accident occurred around some minutes to 6am on Saturday.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and Police on response call at the accident scene insisted that only their Public Relations Officers were authorised to speak.

However, unconfirmed reports from onlookers noted that several people on the BRT bus were injured.

Onlookers accounts noted that the BRT was parked loading its passengers at the bus stop before the truck loaded with cows heading to Lagos rammed into it, taking it off the road to destroy shops and kiosks by the roadside.

The cow truck had been towed a little away from the scene so as not to hinder traffic.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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