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...
A detention centre in Saudi Arabia where African migrants, including Nigerians, are allegedly detained in inhumane conditions has been exposed. According to an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph, African migrants are locked in horrendous conditions as part of a drive to stop the spread of Covid-19. The photo images were sent via phone by migrants held inside the detention centres show dozens of starved men crippled by the Arabian heat lying shirtless in tightly arranged rows in small rooms with streaked windows. “Plenty of inmates are suicidal or suffering from mental illnesses as a result of living this for five months. It’s hell in here. We are treated like animals and beaten every day. If I see that there is no escape, I will take my own life. Others have already,” he added via an intermediary who was able to communicate on a smuggled phone. “My only crime is leaving my country in search of a better life. But they beat us with whips and electric cords as if we were murderers.” Reacting to the situation, Adam Coogle, deputy director of Human Rights Watch in the Middle East, after being shown the images, said.“Photos emerging from detention centres in southern Saudi Arabia show that authorities there are subjecting Horn of Africa migrants to squalid, crowded, and dehumanising conditions with no regard for their safety or dignity,”.“The squalid detention centres in southern Saudi Arabia fall well short of international standards. For a wealthy country like Saudi Arabia, there’s no excuse for holding migrants in such deplorable conditions,” Mr Coogle added.