May 13, 2021

Sierra Leone’s government is making frantic efforts to abolish the death penalty in the West African state, deputy justice minister Umaru Napoleon Koroma revealed yesterday.

No execution has taken place in the country since 1998, and death penalties are often commuted.

Sierra Leone, which is still recovering after decades of civil war, has frequently come under fire from rights groups for keeping capital punishment on the books.

‘Once the legislation goes to parliament and gets approved, that ends the story of the death penalty,’ Koroma told reporters.

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The Arewa Consultative Forum has reacted to the resolutions reached by Southern governors’ at their meeting held on Tuesday saying that restructuring Nigeria would divide the country.

The northern sociopolitical group newsmen that some of those advocating restructuring were bent on the disintegration of the country and that should not be allowed to happen.

The group, however, supported the decision of the governors to ban open grazing of cattle.

‘Our position on this is informed by the fact that some of the advocates of restructuring are at the same time advocating the dissolution of Nigeria. Are they believers in Nigeria …

The Chairman of the Southern Governor’s Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, yesterday, explained why the Southern Governors Forum placed a ban on open grazing of cows in states across the region.

The governors had earlier in a communique jointly signed by all called for national dialogue while announcing the ban on open grazing.

The communique was signed at the end of their meeting in Asaba, the Delta State Capital, on Tuesday.

Akeredolu who presided over the Asaba meeting during an interview on national television said the decision is not new.

‘It is not an entirely new issue; most of the governors …

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has alleged that bandits were behind the security breach at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

PDP added that the alleged security breach was an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari lacked the capacity to secure Nigeria.

The President’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, had confirmed via his Twitter handle that some unknown gunmen attempted to break into the office of Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari.

Shehu in his tweet said the alleged attack was unsuccessful.

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Reacting to the development in a series of tweets, PDP marveled at …