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The likely cause of mysterious deaths of at least 18 people in a southwestern Nigerian town earlier this week has been pesticide poisoning, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. The “current hypothesis is cause of the event is herbicides…. Tests done so far are negative for viral and bacterial infection,” Gregory Hartl, WHO spokesman, said in a Sunday tweet.

The deaths were first reported earlier this week in Ode-Irele in southwestern Ondo state. A local government spokesman blamed the deaths on a “mysterious disease." The affected people with symptoms such as headache, weight loss, blurred vision and loss of consciousness, perished within a day of falling ill.

On Saturday, government spokesman Kayode Akinmade ruled out Ebola or any other known virus as the cause of deaths, saying, “There is no patient of the disease in any hospital and the disease has not spread beyond the town.”

Apart from government experts and health officials, WHO epidemiologists arrived in the town for further investigation. Urine, blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples had been taken from victims and all samples were sent to Lagos University Teaching Hospital on Saturday morning.

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Ngwa Bertrand

21.Apr.2015

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One of the Nigerian Air Force’s Super Puma helicopters was badly damaged in a crash on Friday and four occupants slightly injured after the aircraft experienced hydraulic failure. An Air Force statement said that, “A Super Puma Helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on training mission in Lagos at about 10:00 a.m. this morning returning to the apron after the completion of the training exercise suffered severe damage due to hydraulic failure while on taxi to the Hanger. There was no casualty recorded. However, the main rotor debris caused damage to some ground equipment. Consequently, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu has ordered immediate investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the accident.”

The incident happened at Lagos-Murtal Mohammed International Airport. This Day reports that the two pilots and two passengers received only minor injuries and that a post-crash fire was quickly extinguished.  The Nigerian Air Force flies around half a dozen Super Pumas. A number were recently upgraded in Romania. Some have been seen flying with new 22-tube rocket pods.

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Ngwa Bertrand

21.Apr.2015

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President Goodluck Jonathan  has fired Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba according to Nigerian News organs.

The sack was announced by the president’s spokesperson, Reuben Abati, in a statement on Tuesday.

No reason was given for the sack.

A Deputy Inspector General of police, Solomon Arase, was appointed to act in his stead.

Mr. Abba’s removal and the assumption of office of his replacement is with immediate effect.

Mr. Abati’s statement read in full, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has relieved the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba of his appointment and duties with immediate effect.

“President Jonathan has also appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase as Acting Inspector-General of Police, also with immediate effect.

“Until his appointment as Mr. Abba’s replacement, Mr. Arase was the Head of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.

“Mr. Arase holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law, as well as  Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Political Science and Strategic Studies.

“He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence College.

Mr. Abba, 56, became acting Inspector General on August 1, 2014 following the retirement of his predecessor, Mohammed Abubakar after 35 years of public service.

He was confirmed substantive IGP on November 4, 2014.

Mr. Abba, was until that appointment an Assistant Inspector General, AIG, in charge of Zone 7 command, a position he occupied since May 25, 2012. He was also a former Aide-De-Camp, ADC, to the wife of a former military Head of State, Maryam Abacha.

With his removal, Mr. Abba will proceed of forced retirement four years before he attains retirement age.

He enlisted in the Nigerian police as cadet inspector on December 31, 1984 and is actually due for retirement on March 22, 2019.

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Ngwa Bertrand

21.Apr.2015

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A court in Egypt has sentenced former President Mohammed Morsi to 20 years in prison over the killing of protesters while he was still in power.

It is the first ruling he has faced since his ousting and is one of several upcoming trials he faces.

Mr Morsi was deposed by the army in July 2013 following mass street protests against his rule.

Since then, the authorities have banned his Muslim Brotherhood party and arrested thousands of his supporters.

Mr Morsi and several other Muslim Brotherhood leaders were accused of inciting supporters to kill a journalist and opposition protesters in clashes outside the presidential palace in late 2012.

Morsi's trials

This court case is one of several upcoming trials Mr Morsi faces. They include:

• Colluding with foreign militants in a plot to free Islamists in mass prison breaks during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak
• Espionage and conspiring to commit terrorist acts in Egypt with the Palestinian movement Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards
• Endangering national security by leaking state secrets and sensitive documents to Qatar via the Doha-based Al Jazeera network

What's become of Egypt's Morsi?

 BBC

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Ngwa Bertrand

21.Apr.2015

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