Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
Nigeria’s international reputation is damaged over Sowore's rearrest – Former US Ambassador, John Campbell
John Campbell, a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria has accused the Buhari-led administration of tainting Nigeria's international reputation with the rearrest of Omoyele Sowore in his statement titled: “Buhari’s Dictatorial Past and the Rule of Law Today in Nigeria”
The diplomat also spoke about the danger ahead of the press following Punch Newspaper’s editorial on prefixing President Buhari’s title with his rank as a military dictator and referring to his administration as a “regime" as a symbolic demonstration of their protest against the President's alleged autocracy and military-style repression, in his statement which was published on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations. The statement released by Campbell who served as U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria from May 12, 2004, to July 19, 2007, reads in part;
The diplomat also spoke about the danger ahead of the press following Punch Newspaper’s editorial on prefixing President Buhari’s title with his rank as a military dictator and referring to his administration as a “regime" as a symbolic demonstration of their protest against the President's alleged autocracy and military-style repression, in his statement which was published on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations. The statement released by Campbell who served as U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria from May 12, 2004, to July 19, 2007, reads in part;
“The state security service assault on a courtroom and the re-arrest of Sowore has already damaged the country’s international reputation.Buhari is not surprising, but it is worth noting that Zakzaky and Dasuki are both northern Muslims. What is different this time is the parallelism between military rule and Buhari’s civilian administration.“Nigeria’s foreign friends will be hoping that the government takes no move to limit Punch’s freedom of expression. The SSS assault on a courtroom and the re-arrest of Sowore has already damaged the country’s international reputation."The Sowore re-arrest is consolidating opposition to the president by civil society, the press, international opinion and now religious leaders. It is to be hoped that the Buhari administration is looking actively for a way to defuse the Sowore issue, perhaps by allowing him to return to the United States.”