Unongu Shares Mind

Liberia on Thursday, January 25, imposed a one-year ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a highly contentious issue in the West African country, but campaigners said it may not be enforceable. The ban came into force after former leader Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf signed an executive order before stepping down. The move received little publicity, overshadowed by Monday’s inauguration of Johnson-Sirleaf’s successor, former soccer star George Weah. The ban makes it an offence to perform FGM on anyone under 18 but it can still be carried out on adults with their consent. Campaigners said FGM should be banned outright as even women who gave consent often did so under pressure. “It is too early to celebrate as there is still a long way to go before there is zero tolerance to FGM in Liberia,” said Grace Uwizeye, a consultant with international rights group Equality Now. Activists have long campaigned for FGM to be outlawed in Liberia, a country of about 4.6 million peopl...

Independent operators rather than criminal kingpins control routes that bring migrants into Europe from Africa, researchers said on Monday. No fewer than 600,000 migrants have reached Italy, mostly from Libya, since 2014. Also, no fewer than 20,000 are estimated to have died attempting the crossing in the past four years, making it the deadliest border for migrants in the world. “This is a far cry from how Mafia-like organisations operate, and a major departure from media reports claiming that shadowy kingpins monopolise certain routes.” Many entrusted their lives to smugglers who charge exorbitant prices to help them reach Europe. The study examined the findings of an 18-month investigation by Italian prosecutors into the 2013 migrant shipwreck off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, in which more than 360 migrants died, most of them from Eritrea and Somalia. While conducting his research, Campana also analysed wiretapped telephone conversations, testimonies, in...

A bill which seeks to provide for the registration and monitoring of convicts of sexual offences against children has passed second reading in the House of Representatives. Sponsored by the lawmaker representing Bekwarra/Obudu/Obanliku Cross Rivers, Ochiglegor Idagbo, the bill proposes the establishment of a monitoring unit under the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and keep records of those convicted for the rape of minors. The bill, which enjoyed the support of most members will also ensure that a website is created to make it easy for members of the public to check the identity of those that seek to work with them before employing them. “History has taught us that people that commit sexual offences against minors have the tendencies to commit this sexual offence again and again. “So, this bill seeks to establish a monitoring unit under NAPTIP that will register and monitor these sexual offenders. Whenever these sexual offenders seek employ...

A Calabar Division of the Federal High Court has sentenced one Ifeanyi Okorogu, an indigene of Imo State, to two years imprisonment for human trafficking and attempting to sell a child. Mr. Okorogu was arraigned by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on a two count charge under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015. The convict and his accomplice were arrested on December 1, 2017, at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, by officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service and transferred to the Uyo Zonal Command of NAPTIP for further investigations and prosecution. He was charged under Sections 13 and 29 of the Trafficking Prohibition Act. The prosecution said Mr. Okorogu harboured a 16 year old girl and “exploited her using her position of vulnerability.” He further attempted to sell the her baby for N150,000 before he was arrested at the airport. Delivering judgement on the case ...

No fewer than six children between the ages of three and 10 have been rescued from a suspected human trafficking transit camp in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State. The owner of the camp, 25-year-old Comfort Anwana, was arrested on Tuesday during a raid carried out by operatives of the state police command and the Ministry of Youths and Social Services. Her siblings, Gift, 28; and 23-year-old Blessing, who stayed with her, were also apprehended. They all hail from the Oron Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. PUNCH Metro  learnt that the team stormed the one-room apartment camp following a report from some residents of the area that Anwana illegally took custody of the children. The state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, who led the operation, noted that the camp was not an orphanage. He said how Anwana came about the children was shrouded in mystery, adding that the command would carry out an investigation to unravel the actual activities of the centre. Imohimi said, ...

Libya’s navy says it has rescued 272 migrants whose vessels were stranded in the Mediterranean Sea as they tried to reach southern Europe. A navy statement late on Sunday said the migrants were on two vessels. The engine of one vessel sank into the sea while the engine of the other broke down. It says the migrants included 53 women and 57 children. The bodies of two female migrants were found on one of the vessels. It added that the survivors were taken to a port in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. Libya has been plagued by lawlessness and militia rule since a 2011 uprising toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The chaos has allowed the North African nation to become a major transit point for migrants seeking to reach Europe. SOURCE:  https://www.today.ng/news/africa/55493/libyan-navy-rescues-272-migrants-stranded-boats/amp?__twitter_impression=true

Emmanuel Eboue not dead, Leofirms Sport can confirm. The former Arsenal star is currently in Ivory Cost. This is coming after reports circulated online yesterday that Eboue committed suicide in London. The report claimed the defender was found dead in his sister’s North London home after suffering long-term depression. He was spotted yesterday in Ivory Coast at a football tournament organised by Ben Adama, as he continues his vacation in his home country. SOURCE: http://leofirms.com/update-emmanuel-eboue-not-dead-currently-ivory-cost/

"Dozens of domestic workers end up committing suicide or crimes in absence of adequate support system." AMMAN — “I just wanted to end my life because my life is not good; I have tried my best to serve them… I respected them… Why they are like this with me?,”  Sima recalled of what was going in her head before she jumped from the third floor’s balcony after stabbing her employer earlier in December in Amman’s Deir Ghbar area. The 33-year-old domestic helper says she had suffered stress, insomnia and fear due to continuous threats of suffering and punishment and forced work to pay back the recruitment fees.  She is currently lying in hospital and waiting for the legal case to be settled. Sima, not her real name, survived the suicide attempt, ending up with spinal cord and brain injuries and she underwent a seven-hour surgery, according to her surgeon who requested anonymity.  She came to Jordan to make money that would...