Latest news with #Anambra
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
Wetin we know about di attack for Oko Community of Anambra State wey claim lives
Authorities for Anambra, southeast Nigeria, don confam say unidentified gunmen do shooting wey kill pipo and injure some for Oko Community for di state on Thursday night. Police tok-tok pesin for di state Tochukwu Ikenga for statement say di incident na cult clash and add say na two pipo die from di incident. However, local reports say at least five pipo don die while some dey for hospital dey collect treatment. Videos wey BBC News Pidgin sight show at least seven pipo on di ground wit wetin resemble gun shot injuries. Di incident cause major kasala all over di community as plenti pipo scamper to safety. One lecturer for di school wey speak to our reporter in confidence say di attackers kidnap two lecturers of Federal Polytechnic Oko, wey dey within di community. E also confirm say one staff of di polytechnic dey for hospital dey recuperate from gunshot injury. Ibe Nzimako wey be di tok tok pesin of Federal Polytechnic Oko tell BBC Pidgin say di incidents happen inside di school, say na within di host community e happen. "We don confirm say di pipo dem kidnap na lecturers, we dey sure of one. Di victims of di shootings no be students" na so e tok. E say kidnapping issue na something wey don dey ravage evriwia across di kontri. Similar cult related incident happun for October 2024 for Nibo community wia over ten pipo die from gunshot wounds. Dis latest incident dey happen few months away from di state govnorship election wey go happun soon. Oko community dey few kilometers away from di hometown of di sitting govnor Charles Soludo wey from Isuofia community.
Reuters
17 hours ago
- Health
- Reuters
Insight: Trump aid cuts deal a blow to HIV prevention in Africa
June 20 (Reuters) - Emmanuel Cherem, a 25-year-old gay man in Nigeria, tested positive for HIV two months after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration cut access for at-risk groups like gay men and injecting drug users to medication that prevents infection. Cherem admits he should have been more careful about practicing safe sex but had become accustomed to using the U.S.-supplied pharmaceutical. The drug - known as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP - is typically taken daily as a tablet and can reduce the risk of contracting HIV through sex by 99%. "I blame myself... Taking care of myself is my first duty as a person," Cherem said at his gym in Awka, the capital of Nigeria's southeastern state of Anambra. "I equally blame the Trump administration because, you know, these things were available, and then, without prior notice, these things were cut off." Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid after taking office in January and halted grants by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The agency was responsible for implementing the bulk of the assistance under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the world's leading HIV/AIDS initiative. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic. Trump's cuts have restricted the availability of drugs that millions of Africans have taken to prevent infection - particularly vulnerable communities such as gay men and sex workers - as aid groups and public health systems in Africa strove to roll back the disease. The number of initiations, or people who have taken at least one dose of the drug, rose in Africa from fewer than 700 in 2016 to more than 6 million by late 2024, according to PrEPWatch, opens new tab, a global tracker. More than 90% of new initiations last year were financed by PEPFAR, using cheap generic versions of the drug. Sub-Saharan Africa had 390,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2023, or 62% of the global total, according to UNAIDS, the United Nations AIDS agency. However, progress has been made: that death toll was down by 56% from 2010, according to the World Health Organization. Now, some of those who've lost access to the preventative medication because of U.S. cutbacks are already testing positive, according to 10 patients, health officials and activists. Restrictions on PrEP have coincided with dwindling supplies of more widely used HIV prevention tools like condoms and lubricants "because of the US funding cuts", according to a UNAIDS fact sheet, opens new tab from May. The combination is creating what nine activists and three medical experts described as a major threat to prevention across the continent. "I just see this as incredibly short-sighted because we were on a winning path," said Linda-Gail Bekker, an HIV expert at the University of Cape Town. She said that many African governments did not have the resources to spend on PrEP drugs on top of treatment for HIV infections, risking a worsening of the pandemic. "It's as predictable as if you take your eye off a smouldering bushfire and the wind is blowing: a bushfire will come back." Trump has said that the United States pays disproportionately for foreign aid and he wants other countries to shoulder more of the burden, as he seeks to reduce U.S. government spending across the board. The U.S. disbursed $65 billion in foreign assistance last year, nearly half of it via USAID, according to government data, opens new tab. "It's a question of who has primary responsibility for the health needs of citizens of other countries, and it's their own governments," said Max Primorac, a former senior USAID official who is now senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom. "We all know, and this is a bipartisan issue, that aid dependency doesn't help these people - that the best solution is for these countries to be able to take over the responsibility of these programs." UNAIDS says the permanent discontinuation of PEPFAR-supported prevention and treatment programs could lead to an additional 2,300 new HIV cases globally per day. There were 3,500 new cases per day in 2023. Reuters spoke to 23 health workers, PrEP users and activists, nearly all of whom said that the increase in HIV infections since the funding cuts was impossible to quantify because many organisations working with vulnerable populations have been defunded. A State Department waiver issued on February 1 allowed some PEPFAR activities to restart, but only covered HIV prevention for mother-to-child transmission. That means PEPFAR-financed PrEP is no longer available for gay and bisexual men, sex workers and injecting drug users who are especially exposed to the virus. Many African governments had specifically targeted these groups in their PrEP programs. A spokesperson for the State Department, which oversees USAID and the PEPFAR program, told Reuters it "continues to support lifesaving HIV testing, care and treatment, and prevention of mother to child transmission services approved by the Secretary of State." "All other PEPFAR-funded services are being reviewed for assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not directly respond to a question about why the waiver had excluded vulnerable groups from PrEP distribution. In East and Southern Africa, the sub-region that accounts for more than half of all people living with HIV, the U.S. had been funding nearly 45% of HIV prevention programming, UNAIDS said in March, opens new tab. Some countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique were almost entirely dependent on PEPFAR for their HIV prevention programs, the agency said. In some wealthier nations, like South Africa and Kenya, PEPFAR represented less than 25% of spending on HIV prevention. Russell Vought, the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, told a Congressional committee on June 4 that, due to high U.S. debt levels, Africa needed to shoulder more of the burden in fighting AIDS. Asked specifically about restrictions on HIV prevention programs, Vought said: "We believe that many of these nonprofits are not geared toward the viewpoints of the administration." His office did not respond to a request for further details. Reuters spoke to four PrEP users in Nigeria, all gay or bisexual men, who have tested positive for HIV since January when they stopped being able to obtain more pills, after practicing unsafe sex. Hearty Empowerment and Rights (HER) Initiative, a community-based organisation in southeastern Nigeria, worked with other groups that provide HIV/AIDS services to confirm the men's diagnosis and help secure treatment for them, said executive director Festus Alex Chinaza. In Asaba, the capital of Nigeria's Delta state, Echezona, a 30-year-old gay man who took PrEP pills daily for more than three years, is struggling to come to terms with his HIV-positive test result, which he received in early May. He regrets that he had unprotected sex. "I just pray and wish that Trump actually changes his policy and everything comes back to normal so that the spread and transmission of the virus would be reduced," said Echezona, who asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of stigma. Like the other three men, he described being told by staff at community-based clinics that PrEP was only available to pregnant and lactating women, in line with the Trump administration guidelines. Nigeria has an adult HIV prevalence rate of 1.3% and an estimated 2 million people living with HIV, the fourth-highest total globally, according to UNAIDS. But for so-called key populations, the rates are much higher: 25% for men who have sex with men, according to a survey completed in 2021. The Nigerian health ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the effects of the Trump administration's cuts to HIV prevention services. South Africa – which has an estimated 7.7 million people living with HIV, according to UNAIDS, the highest number in the world - pays for its own PrEP pills. But some clinics where so-called key populations obtained them relied on PEPFAR grants and have been forced to close in recent months. PrEP is also available for free at public health centers, but gay men and sex workers often avoid such facilities, fearing discrimination and harassment, nine activists said. Francois Venter, executive director of the Ezintsha medical research center at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said PrEP distribution from public sector clinics in the city had shown almost no increase since the Trump cuts. Foster Mohale, spokesperson for South Africa's health ministry, said the ministry was "not aware" of reports that key populations were avoiding health facilities due to stigma. "We have sensitized health officials across the country to create (a) conducive environment for all healthcare seekers/clients to access the service without feeling judged or discriminated against," he said.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Nnamdi Kanu order im fighters to bury Ipob commander wit 2000 human heads - Witness tok for court
Di trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of di Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), continue dis Wednesday bifor Justice James Omotosho of di Federal High Court Abuja, wia one prosecution witness tok say di proscribed organisation kill up to 200 security personnel for di southeast region. Dis witness, Mr DDD, na di fourth pesin wey di Nigeria goment dey call since di trial begin, and im na official of di Department of State Services, DSS wey work for Imo State betwnee 2019 and 2022. E also narrate to court how DSS use some ogbonge digital tools to geolocate and recover di radio transmitter wey Kanu bin allegedly import into di kontri. Dem later locate di container for di house of one Benjamin Madubugwu for one community for Ihiala in Anambra State wey im name na Ubuluisiuzor. "Di transmitter dey inside container, but dem use oda household items like mattresses, washing machine and oda tins to cover am," Mr DDD tok. DSS also search di house of Madubugwu and recover two pump action guns for im bedroom, so dem arrest am. According to di DSS witness, Madubugwu tell dem say one man - Igwe Anyiba - bin beg am to keep di container for im house, and e go keep di empty container afta di owner collect wetin dey inside. Mr DDD also say wen dem arrest Nnamdi Kanu, dem bring am face to face to Benjamin Madubugwu, and Kanu admit bifor am say na im get di container and di transmitter. However, during cross examination, Onyechi Ikpeazu who be one of Kanu lawyers tell di court say na one Denca clearing and forwarding agency bin import and clear di container from di port, no be Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu order im fighters to bury dia commander wit 2000 human heads Also during im testimony, Mr DDD tell di court about one Ipob commander - Benjamin Uzoma, a.k.a Onye Army - wey police arrest and e confess to plenty crime wey e bin commit. Adegboyega Awomolo, lawyer of di Federal Goment, present di court one Vanguard Newspaper of July 3, 2021 wey contain di report of di arrest. For inside di newspaper article, di suspect - Onye Army - confess say Nnamdi Kanu order dem to use 2000 human heads to bury one of dia commander Iko Nso, wey police bin kill, and so far, dem bin don kill 30 pipo bifor police arrest am. Also, di publication quote say Onye army also confess say Nnamdi Kanu order dem to kill security officials, members of di Eastern Security Network (ESN) use 10 virgins to do juju to protect diasef, and say ESN and Ipob fighters na di pipo wey attack di Imo State Prison. Mr DDD tok say di DSS bin wan interview di suspect but police tell dem say e don escape from custody and dem neva find am reach now. Di witness also narrate how DSS officials conduct raids for Ipob camps inside Orsu for Imo State and Lilu for Anambra State, wia dem kill some ESN fighters but also find out say di Ipob fighters dey engage in cannibalism to fortify diasef. In total, Mr DDD say di number of security officials wey Ipob/ESN pipo bin kill for di region na between 170 and 200, including Police pipo, Immigration pipo, DSS pipo, Civil Defence pipo and Army pipo. E say for one instance, di group attack one police station for Njaba, kill evribodi dia and start to dey use di station as dia base; e hard bifor security pipo pursue dem from dia. "Dis Ipob pipo dey always move in large numbers, dem dey carry arms, dem go block road and snatch cars from pipo to take go operation, and sometimes, dem dey inform communities say dem go attack," di witness tok. Mr DDD also tell court say na Ipob/ESN fighters kill Ahmed Gulak, a chieftain of di All Progressives Congress (APC) who bin visit Imo State on di invitation of di Govnor, Hope Uzodinma. E say dem kill am on May 30, wey be di day Kanu order sit-at-home. However, during cross-examination, Onyechi Ikpeazu, one of Kanu lawyers point out say Gulak na politician, and na im be di chairman of di primary election wey produce Uzodinma as di APC govnorship candidate for Imo State. Ikpeazu ask di witness why e be say di killers kill only Gulak, but dem no touch di driver of im vehicle and di oda passenger wey dey wit am dat time. E also point out say di govment of Imo State later come out to explain say di killing of Gulak dey politically motivated. Ikpeazu also ask di witness weda e hear di broadcast wia Nnamdi Kanu dey condemn attacks on public facilities like markets, churches, mosques, etc, and DDD say e hear am. Di witness bin don tok earlier say Kanu broadcasts show say e hate anybodi wey no be Igbo, but Ikpeazu ask am weda Ipob attack di Yoruba and Hausa communities for Onitsha in Anambra State, and e say no. Afta di cross-examination, Justice Omotosho adjourn di matter to Thursday, 19 June, 2025 for continuation and for di prosecution to possibly close dia case. Di charges against Nnamdi Kanu Dis na di seven-count charges wey di Nigeria goment bin sama against Nnamdi Kanu:
Zawya
22-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Nigeria: Fidelity Bank, Obi denies meeting Tinubu in Rome over alleged $141mln debt
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has denied reports that he met with President Bola Tinubu in Rome to discuss an alleged ₦225 billion debt linked to Fidelity Bank. In a statement released on Thursday, Obi described the report as part of a blackmail campaign aimed at damaging his reputation. 'I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office, except about 1 minute meeting at the arena of Saint Peter's Basilica Rome during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV, where I was seated behind, and had to respectfully greet him, and other dignitaries present,' Obi said. Obi also clarified his relationship with Fidelity Bank, stating that he does not own the bank. 'Throughout my career, I have served as Chairman/Director of 3 banks/Financial institutions, of which Fidelity is one of them. Fidelity has over 500,000 shareholders, none of whom hold a majority stake.' The former Governor of Anambra State attributed the negative reports to paid blackmailers seeking to harm his reputation and cause distress to Fidelity Bank's hardworking employees and shareholders. 'To those peddling these falsehoods, and engaging in blackmail, I offer a simple prayer: May God grant you the virtues of gratitude and understanding to know that we came here with nothing and will go with nothing, that they cannot profit from their evil ways,' he concluded. Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
