News
Reps panel writes Canada, seeks prosecution of woman threatening to kill Nigerians
The house of representatives committee on diaspora matters has asked the Canadian government to prosecute one Amaka Patience Sunnberger for “hate speech”.
The request is contained in a letter jointly signed by Tochukwu Okere, chairman of the committee; and Biodun Omoleye, chairman of Nigeria-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group.
In a viral TikTok clip, Sunnberger, a Canada-based woman, allegedly threatened to kill fellow Nigerians living in the North American country.
“Record me, it’s time to start poisoning the meals of the Yorubas and Benin people, poison their food and drinks at work so they can begin to die one by one,” she said.
In the letter dated August 28, 2024 and addressed to James Christoff, Canada’s high commissioner to Nigeria, the lawmakers said Sunnberger’s comments “are a direct threat to the lives and safety of millions of Nigerians”.
“On behalf of the Nigeria-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group, we are writing to express our deep concern regarding the actions of Ms. Amaka Patience Sunberger, a Nigerian citizen residing in Canada,” the letter reads.
“Ms. Sunberger has recently been recorded making inflammatory statements that incite violence against the Yoruba and Edo ethnic groups in Nigeria, including advocating for the poisoning of food and water supplies to achieve their mass genocide.”
According to the lawmakers, the “incitement to violence and call for genocide through poisoning” are “deeply troubling and are a clear violation of international and Canadian laws such as national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence”.
“Such rhetoric is dangerous and has the potential to incite real-world violence, both in Nigeria and within the Nigerian diaspora,” the legislators said.
THE REQUEST
The lawmakers demanded that an “immediate and thorough investigation” be conducted into Sunberger’s actions by Canadian law enforcement and appropriate authorities.
“We urge that Ms. Sunnberger be prosecuted under the relevant sections of the Criminal Code of Canada to hold her accountable for her incitement to genocide and hate speech,” the lawmakers said.
“We request that the Canadian government issue a public condemnation of Ms. Sunnberger’s actions to reaffirm Canada’s commitment to combatting hate speech, violence, and genocide.
“We also request that Canadian authorities collaborate with Nigerian authorities to prevent any potential escalation of violence because of Ms. Sunnberger’s incitement, and to ensure that justice is served.
“Canada and Nigeria share a strong bilateral relationship founded on mutual respect for human rights and the rule of law.
“The actions of Ms. Sunnberger threaten to undermine these values. We trust that you will take all necessary steps to address this issue in accordance with Canadian and international law.”
News
NAFDAC shuts Maiduguri market for selling drugs damaged by flood
Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has directed the closure of the Gomboru drug market in Maiduguri, Borno state.
In a social media post on Thursday, NAFDAC said it was discovered that drugs affected by the flood were being washed and sun-dried for sale at the market.
“After the recent flooding in Maiduguri that submerged the Gomboru drug market where contaminated drugs were washed and sun-dried for resale, the NAFDAC DG ordered the immediate closure of the market to conduct a thorough shop-to-shop removal of these compromised drugs,” the post reads.
On September 10, many residents fled their homes following a flood incident which affected parts of Fori, Galtimari, Gwange, and Bulabulin in Maiduguri.
The flood occurred due to the collapse of the Alau Dam which has been at full capacity for weeks.
In a separate post, NAFDAC said it had shut down an illegal factory producing counterfeit cosmetic products at Benue Plaza, Trade Fair Complex in Lagos state.
“NAFDAC officers raided the location discovering various unregistered chemicals and packaging materials, along with expired products that were being revalidated for sale,” the post reads.
The operation also led to the seizure of over 1,200 cartons of fake cosmetic products.
Items including mini-mixing containers, unlabelled chemicals, batch coding materials, and thinners, were confiscated and take to the NAFDAC office for further investigation.
The agency estimated the street value of the confiscated items to about ₦50 million.
It urged the public to be cautious when purchasing cosmetic products and report any suspicious activities to the nearest NAFDAC office.
News
Rwanda begins mpox vaccination — first in Africa
Rwanda has commenced the first African administration of the mpox vaccine, with several hundred high-risk individuals vaccinated.
Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC), told journalists on Thursday that the first 300 doses were administered on Tuesday.
He added that the exercise was carried out near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the “high-risk populations” are.
“This outbreak must be stopped very quickly,” Kaseya said.
“We also need this vaccine to start to be manufactured in Africa, and we are working strongly and closely with our manufacturers and also our partners to have these vaccines manufactured from one of the African countries.”
The Rwandan ministry of health also announced the vaccination campaign, saying it is targeted at “health workers, cross-border business operators, hospitality workers, and other high-risk groups”.
The DR Congo has been the epicenter of the outbreak in Africa, with 2,912 new mpox cases and 14 deaths recorded in the last one week.
This has taken the tally of cases to 6,105 and 738 deaths since the beginning of the year.
Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), on Thursday, urged more countries to contribute to the response.
“International collaboration and support are needed to stop the spread of the virus,” he wrote on X.
The DR Congo is expected to start its vaccination campaign in the first week of October.
News
Edo State government declares today work-free day for guber poll
The Edo government has declared September 20 as a work-free day to enable workers and residents to travel to their voting areas ahead of the state’s governorship election.
The election is scheduled for September 21 across 18 LGAs in the state.
In a statement on Thursday, Joseph Eboigbe, secretary to the state government (SSG), assured that adequate security arrangements are in place for the conduct of the election.
“This is to enable workers and other electorates to travel to their voting areas ahead of the September 21 governorship election in the state,” the statement reads.
“The government wishes everyone journey mercies and reassures that security measures have been provided to ensure a free, fair, and credible election.”
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