TODAY IN HISTORY: 17 AUGUST, 2015, Asari Dokubo, Fasehun, Adams threaten legal action against NNPC over outstanding pipeline surveillance fees

Dokubo, Adams and Fasehun

On 17 August, 2015, a former Niger Delta militant leader, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, factional leaders of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun and Otunba Gani Adams, as well as other beneficiaries of the controversial Pipeline Security and Surveillance contracts, called on Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to pay  their outstanding fees by the end of the month, or face legal action.

In an open letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, they claimed that they had a three-month contract with the NNPC, from March 15 to  June 15, which they delivered on but are yet to be paid.

NNPC on June 15, terminated the contract awarded under President Goodluck Jonathan to various private security firms to safeguard pipelines against vandals.

The companies are New Age Nigeria Limited (Fasehun); Donyx Global Concept (Adams); ATEF Nigeria Limited (Asari Dokubo); Galery Security Services Limited (Bibo Ajube); Bajeros Nigeria Limited (Joshua Machiever); Close Body Protection Limited (High Chief Omo) and Izon Ibe Security Limited.

They alleged that the NNPC has refused to pay its indebtedness to them, insisting that they are demanding their entitlement and not a handout or favour.

They debunked claims that President Jonathan was the one who gave them the contract in order to secure his re-election, adding that due process was followed between them and the Management of the NNPC, before the contract was awarded.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 16 AUGUST, 1812, U.S. General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit to the British

General William Hull

On 16 August, during the 1812 War between America and Britain, American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit and his army to the British without a fight. Hull, a 59-year-old veteran of the American Revolution, had lost hope of defending the settlement after seeing the large English and Indian force gathering outside Detroit’s walls. The general was also preoccupied with the presence of his daughter and grandchildren inside the fort.

Of Hull’s 2,000-man army, most were militiamen and British General Isaac Brock allowed them to return to their homes on the frontier. The regular U.S. Army troops were taken as prisoners to Canada. With the capture of Fort Detroit, Michigan Territory was declared a part of Great Britain and Shawnee chief Tecumseh was able to increase his raids against American positions in the frontier area. Hull’s surrender was a severe blow to American morale. In September 1813, U.S. General William Henry Harrison, the future president, recaptured Detroit.

In 1814, William Hull was court-martialed for cowardice and neglect of duty in surrendering the fort, and sentenced to die. Because of his service in the revolution, however, President James Madison remitted the sentence.

Author:

History.com Editors

TODAY IN HISTORY: 16 AUGUST, 2003, Ugandan military dictator, Idi Amin dies in Saudi Arabia hospital at 79

Idi Amin

The Ugandan unquestionably evil and perversely military dictator, who presided Idi Amin over an eight-year reign of terror, died of multiple organ failure on this day in 2003 at a hospital in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia at 79 years. During his unfortunate reigns in Uganda, an estimated 300,000 people were killed and tortured to death.

Mr. Amin, whose official self-given title was “His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE, Lord of All the Beasts, overthrew the government of President Milton Obote in 1971. Upon seizing power from president Obote, Mr. Amin, a gregarious and popular Army chief and onetime heavyweight boxing champion of Uganda, promised to abolish Obote's secret police, institute economic reforms and quickly return the nation to civilian rule.

Rather, he destroyed the Ugandan economy by expelling the country's ethnic Asians, slashed domestic spending to fund the armed forces and his own police and security details, made enemies of most of his neighbors and instituted a reign of terror on the citizens of the East Africa country.

During his rule, his atrocities horrified the world, but some found his buffoonish antics and pronouncements fascinating. In this country, he became probably sub-Saharan Africa's best-known ruler. He was a staple of late-night television talk show monologues. Punch, Britain's legendary humor magazine, ran a mock weekly column as if written by Mr. Amin. The columns were compiled in a best-selling book.

In his early days in power, Mr. Amin could seem a charismatic man of the people. Something of a national celebrity since his reign as the country's heavyweight champion from 1951 to 1960, the athletic 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound ruler would dance in the streets in public festivals and was known to dive into pools while wearing his bemedaled uniform. In those days, he could play the clown and gregariously entertain westerners.

He once had Kenyan students in Uganda executed to show his displeasure with actions taken by the Kenyan government. He expelled Indians and others of Asian descent (and executed those who did not leave quickly enough) after he supposedly received a message from God in a dream.

He fought coup attempts, both real and imagined, with mass executions of groups and people he came to mistrust. Among those who died were an Anglican archbishop and nearly the entire pre-coup officer corps. Most of their bodies were fed to Nile reptiles.

In 1978, Mr. Amin sought to take attention from an attempted coup by invading Tanzania's western province of Kagera. Three thousand Ugandan infantry and the Ugandan air force devastated the region, executing civilians and destroying all property and animals.

The Tanzanian army, along with Ugandan exiles, launched a counterattack that brought an end to his regime the next year. Mr. Amin, with his four wives, several of his 30 mistresses and about 20 of his children, fled to Libya, where Mr. Amin, who was said to be a Muslim convert, was offered sanctuary.

In the name of Islamic charity, Amin was given asylum in Saudi Arabia after he was asked to leave Libya following a violent dispute between his bodyguards and Libyan authorities.

Idi Amin Dada was born in Uganda's west Nile province of Koboko. His father, a Muslim, was a member of the Kakwa tribe. His mother was a member of the Lugbara tribe. Mr. Amin spoke Kiswahili, gained a fourth-grade education and became an accomplished swimmer, boxer and rugby player.

In 1946, with Uganda a British protectorate, he joined the King's African Rifles as a cook. He won rapid promotion in the regiment, whose officers were British. Promoted to corporal in 1948, he was a sergeant-major and platoon commander by 1958. The following year, he was made a warrant officer with the rank of effendi, the highest rank held by Africans.

In 1961, with Ugandan independence two years away, he was one of the first two Ugandans to become commissioned officers. With independence, he made a rapid rise to major general and then was chief of the general staff before leading the 1971 coup.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 16 AUGUST, 2018, NYSC releases names of nine drowned corps members

National Youth Service Corps members

On this day four years ago, the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, released the names of the nine corps members that drowned at River Mayo-Selbe in Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State.

The tragedy struck on Saturday, 4 August, 2018, barely a day after Maj. Gen. Zachare Kazaure, the then Director General of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, addressed the 2018 batch B corps members at the orientation camp in the state

The corps members who were reportedly part of a 22-man group that embarked on a picnic were said to have been swept away after the river suddenly overflowed due to a heavy rainfall in nearby communities.

The names of the drowned corps members included Ucheonye Nkadi, Delta; Ijeh Chile, Delta; Irorobulor Blessing, Delta; Solomon Miracle, Edo, and Adams Zipporah, Kaduna.

Others are Ojimba Matilda, Imo; Maduike Thelma, Imo; Onoduagu Arinze, Enugu, and Ezeamama Ifeanyi, Anambra.

Following the sad incident, the then Director-General of the scheme, Brigadier-General Zachare Kazaure, banned all forms of social outings by corps members without permission by either the Local Government Inspector or State Coordinator.

The State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Florence Yaakugh, while confirming the tragic incident to newsmen, described it as most unfortunate.

Sylva didn't win any suit against Pointblank News – Jackson Ude

Timipre Sylva and Jackson Ude

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of an online newspaper, Pointblanknews.com, Mr. Jackson Ude has disregarded the claim that  Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylvia, won a suit against Pointblank News in the United State District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Ude said Sylva who instituted defamatory suit against him, turned back and approached him with some Nigerian leaders to accept out-of-court settlement, adding that the minister’s victorious claim was false, criminal, malicious and ridiculous.

Preceding the publisher’s claim, an electronic copy of a settlement agreement entered by Sylva and himself for out of court settlement in the case filed in the U.S Court and presides over by Joseph F. Leeson Jr. claimed that Ude agreed to take down, delete and destroy all articles and publications alleging any criminal or other misconduct by Sylva displaying on Pointblank News website and its social media pages.

In a statement on Monday via electronic mail, Ude described the claims of victory by Sylva as spurious, criminal, malicious, defamatory and disparaging,

The statement reads "My attention has been drawn to spurious, criminal, malicious, defamatory and disparaging news report being sponsored by the Minister of State, Petroleum, Timipre Marlin Sylvia, in which he claimed victory in a United States Eastern District Court, Pennsylvania.

"Nothing can be more ridiculous than such a claim when indeed the Minister was the one who instituted a defamatory case against me, turned around to twice request for an out-of-court settlement through his attorney, used leaders in Nigeria to reach out to me to accept an out of court settlement.

"In 2021, Sylva came to the U.S court and filed a lawsuit against me for defamation. The case started in February 2022. After discoveries were conducted by attorneys for both Sylva and me. Sylva appeared for deposition via zoom and was interrogated for closed to five hours in May. I was also deposed for about three hours. After the deposition, Sylva through his lawyers approached my lawyers for an out-of-court settlement".

"The first request was denied. He came back again on July 22, 2022 and made another request. This time, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, whom I have tremendous respect for, has been reaching out to me on behalf of Sylva, requesting I accept to settle the matter out of court"

"After going through Sylva’s requests and adjustments made by my lawyers, I accepted the request in good faith and directed my attorneys to proceed with it. Judge Hon. Joseph Leeson Jnr of the Eastern District court, thereafter, set up settlement conference hearing for August 11, 2022. And also set September 14 as the Jury trial date if we did not reach an agreement to settle. I attended the hearing as ordered by the Judge while Sylva pleaded with the Judge to allow him to appear via zoom".

"At the Settlement hearing, we both went through the agreements. The Magistrate Judge, Hon. Pamela Carlos, supervised the process and both parties agreed and signed off the settlement agreement. No judgment was pronounced. Sylva was not pronounced winner as no trial in the case ever happened"

"In plain language, the suit did not proceed to trial or judgement stage. It was simply a settlement out of court which Sylva, not me, sought".

 "It is, therefore, a violation of the Judge’s order for Sylva to sponsor defamatory, malicious and disparaging publications against my person and that of Pointblanknews.com in other to whitewash himself. In due course, he would return to the U.S court to explain his actions".

"The amateur attempt to hoodwink the public and spread lies are some of the instrument politicians have employed to deceive Nigerians. Again, Timipre Sylva never won any defamatory case. How can you be a winner in a case that never went to trial? Otherwise, Sylva should show to the public a judgement he obtained from the U.S Court declaring him winner. It is pure lies from the pit of hell,” Ude submitted.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 13 AUGUST, 2015, Remains of Oba Okunade Sijuwade buried in Ife

Late Oba Okunade Sijuwade

On this day in 2015, the remains of revered monarch, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Olubuse II, Ooni of Ife, south-west Nigeria, was buried after thousands of people thronged the funeral of the first class sovereign.

The traditional rites to honour late Oba Sijuwade - a king of the Yoruba, Nigeria's second biggest ethnic group were being held in the city of Ife.

Dignitaries, including Nigeria's Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, paid their last respects before the private burial of the late king who was believed to have been the 50th Ooni of Ife.

The 85-year-old sovereign who was crowned in 1980 and was widely respected, died in London in July, 2015 but his death was only officially announced on Wednesday 12 August, 2015 by the Ife Traditional Council led by Obalufe, Oba Solomon Omisakin at the Government House, Osogbo, capital of Osun state, Nigeria.

The delay in the announcement of the Paramount ruler's death was due to strict adherence to Yoruba tradition of announcing the demise of a monarch. In Yorubaland, which refers to south-west Nigeria, Togo and Benin, a traditional ruler does not die: He only goes on a journey to join his ancestors.

Nigeria's many monarchs vary in hierarchy and importance and some like the Ooni of Ife and the northern emirs rule over large areas, while others are traditional rulers of a village or town.

Customs were fully adhered to at the funeral for the Ooni of Ife, who, according to Yoruba’s belief, is a direct descendant of Oduduwa who is a Yoruba god. The body was not displayed neither was any mention made of his burial.

An inter-denominational Christian religious service was organised by the royal family on the palace premises. Dignitaries, priests and a choir were there, but there was no casket.

The moment he dies his immediate family are required to hand over his body to a traditional "cult" - a religious secret society – which will immediately begin the necessary rites. Details of the burial will remain secret.

The powerful "oro cult" declared night curfew on Ife, which lasted seven days.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 12 AUGUST, 1973, American golfer, Jack Nicklaus wins third PGA national champion in Ohio

Jack Nicklaus

On 12 August, 1973, American golfer Jack Nicklaus won the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) championship for his 14th major title, surpassing Bobby Jones’ record of 13 major championships. Nicklaus shot a seven-under-par 277 at Canterbury Golf Club in Beachwood, Ohio, to win $45,000 and his third PGA National championship. The “Golden Bear” went on to win 18 major tournaments, a record that still stands today. (Although it aptly describes his golden-colored hair and large build, Nicklaus’ famous moniker is actually derived from his high school alma mater, the Upper Arlington Golden Bears.)

Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1940, Nicklaus was regarded as the greatest golfer of the 20th century. He began playing golf at the age of 10 and at the age of 16, he won his first significant tournament, the Ohio Open. In 1959, he won the U.S. Amateur championship, which at the time was still considered one of golf’s major tournaments. Jack Nicklaus repeated the great feat two years later and announced he was turning professional. His first major professional title was the 1962 U.S. Open at the Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was derided by spectators for beating fan-favorite Arnold Palmer, and a rivalry was born between the two American golfers that lasted through the 1960s.

Nicklaus became a major force in professional golf in 1962 when he was 22 years old. He won six Masters tournaments, five PGA championships, four U.S. Open titles, and three British Open titles. He was a member of the winning U.S. World Cup team six times and was a record three-time individual World Cup winner. Nicklaus demonstrated remarkable composure under competitive pressure. On August 12, 1973, he surpassed the record of most major championships set by American golfer Bobby Jones in 1930. Nicklaus’ last major title was in 1986 when, at age 46, he became the oldest Masters winner in history. By that time, he had played in 100 major championships, finishing in the top three nearly 50 times.

A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame since 1974, the PGA named him Golfer of the Century in 1988. He joined the Senior tour in 1990, winning the U.S. Senior Open in 1991 and 1993. Throughout his career, Nicklaus also designed many noted golf courses, including Muirfield Village Golf Course in Ohio, site of the Nicklaus-sponsored Memorial Tournament. 

Nicklaus announced his retirement in 2005, from professional tournament play after that year’s British Open.

TODAY IN HISTORY, 12 AUGUST, 2014 American films actress, Lauren Bacall dies at 89

Lauren Bacall

Hollywood actress, Lauren Bacall, who rose to stardom in her debut film, 1944’s “To Have and Have Not,” in which she appeared opposite Humphrey Bogart, with whom she would have a legendary romance, died on this day in 2004, at her New York City home at age 89. Bacall whose acting career spanned nearly 70 years, produced more than two scores movies, including “The Big Sleep,” (1946) “How to Marry a Millionaire” (1953) and “The Mirror Has Two Faces” (1996).

Born with name Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, in the Bronx, New York, she began using the last name Bacal, part of her mother’s maiden name, after her parents divorced when she was young. (While breaking into acting, she added a second “l” to her last name, and Howard Hawks, who directed Bacall’s big-screen debut, dubbed her Lauren).

After graduating from American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan in 1940, she went on to work as an usher in Broadway theaters and also started modeling. Her cover photo for Harper’s Bazaar magazine eventually came to the attention of Hawks, who cast her in his wartime drama “To Have and Have Not.” During the making of the film—in which Bacall famously utters the line: “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow”—she and the then-married Bogart, who was more than twice her age and already the star of such films as “The Maltese Falcon” and “Casablanca,” began an affair.

Lauren Bacall, a Hollywood actress, was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2009.

Married in 1945, Bogart and Bacall became one of Hollywood’s iconic couples and made three more films together, “The Big Sleep,” “Dark Passage” (1947) and “Key Largo” (1948). Bacall also appeared in such movies as “Young Man with a Horn” (1950) with Kirk Douglas, “How to Marry a Millionaire” with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable and “Designing Woman” (1957) with Gregory Peck. Her marriage to Bogart, which produced two children, ended when the actor died of cancer in 1957 at age 57. After a brief romance with Frank Sinatra, Bacall wed actor Jason Robards in 1961. The pair, who had a son together, divorced in 1969.

Among Bacall’s other screen credits are “Harper” (1966) with Paul Newman, “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974), “Misery” (1990) and “The Mirror Has Two Faces” with Barbra Streisand. For her role in the latter film, Bacall earned her lone Academy Award nomination, in the best supporting actress category. (In 2009, she received an honorary Oscar.) Bacall also appeared in a number of theatrical productions and won best actress Tony awards for 1970’s “Applause” and 1981’s “Woman of the Year.”

According to History.com Editors, despite her achievements, Bacall realized the public likely would always associate her with Bogart. As she said in a 1999 Newsday interview: “I’ll never get away from him. I accept that. He was the emotional love of my life, but I think I’ve accomplished quite a bit on my own.”

TODAY IN HISTORY: 12 AUGUST, 2013, Nigeria becomes first African country to sign Arms Trade Treaty

Dr. Olugbenga Ashiru (second left) at the signing ceremony in New York on 12 August, 2013.

On this day in August, 2013, Nigeria becomes the 82nd UN Member State to sign the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), and the 3rd to ratify the landmark agreement. The then Foreign Minister Dr. Olugbenga Ashiru signed and deposited Nigeria’s instrument of ratification at the UN in New York. The minister, Dr. Ashiru made Nigeria’s commitment to the values of the Arms Trade Treaty clear in a statement after the signature and ratification.

The minister emphasized that Nigeria remain resolute and unyielding in her efforts to uphold the principle of ATT and, in particular, to ensure that small arms and light weapons is appropriately transferred and access denied to terrorist groups, pirates, bandits and the like.

Oxfam’s Head of Arms Control and Control Arms coalition Co-Chair, Anna Macdonald disclosed that after depositing the instrument of ratification, Dr. Ashiru immediately met with Control Arms members, to further strengthen relationship between Nigeria and civil society on arms control issues. 

She said with over 80 countries’ signatures and several ratifications since the treaty opened for signature on 3 June, 2013, there is momentum to urgently ensure the ATT becomes international law and starts saving lives. Fifty ratifications are needed for the treaty to enter into force, and we call on all states to get to work on their national legislation as soon as possible.

Secretary General of IPPNW in Nigeria, Dr. Omolade remarked that Control Arms member, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) signaled that this was a proud day.

“By signing and ratifying the ATT, Nigeria has solidified her role as a continental peace keeper, intent on addressing the problem of arms from its root. Dr Olugbenga Ashiru’s camaraderie towards the NGO community is commendable, and exemplifies the kind of partnership that must be forged to conquer arms. We the members of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War in Nigeria have pitched into efforts towards an ATT in coalition with Control Arms; and congratulate all other NGOs that have worked tirelessly to give the ATT the visibility it deserves.”

TODAY IN HISTORY 11 AUGUST, 1952, Hussein succeeds his father, King Talal to Jordanian throne

On 11 August, 1952, Prince Hussein was proclaimed the king of Jordan after his father, King Talal, was declared unfit to rule by the Jordanian Parliament on grounds of mental illness. Hussein was formally crowned 14 November, 1953, on his 18th birthday. Hussein was the third constitutional king of Jordan and a member of the Hashemite dynasty, said to be in direct line of descent from the Prophet Muhammad.

During his nearly five decades of rule, he maintained good relations with the West and steadily developed Jordan’s economy. He fought against Israel in 1967’s Six-Day War and later against Palestinian guerrillas who tried to seize control of the Jordanian state. He opposed the Persian Gulf War of 1991 but supported the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He died in 1999 at age of 64 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Prince Abdallah. He was the 20th century’s longest-serving executive head of state.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 11 AUGUST, 2014, Military wives and children protest in Maiduguri over Boko Haram deployment

Military wives and children in the restive Nigerian city of Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, on Monday 11 August, 2014 took to the streets burning tyres to prevent their husbands’ deployment to fight Boko Haram.

About 300 women and 500 children for two days gathered at the gates of a military base in Borno state capital, claiming that their spouses were ill-equipped to take on the armed group.

One of the protesters, Thabita John said, “no weapons for husbands, no trip to Gwoza or any volatile place. We are tired of burying our loved ones,” 

She added that the soldiers were “ill-equipped to fight the dreaded Boko Haram”.

Another soldier’s wife, Rahina Ali, added: “Our husbands are always given inferior weapons while the Boko Haram have superior weapons.”

The military wives had staged a similar protest on Saturday, 9 August, 2014 to press home their demand for sophisticated weapons to their husbands before sending them to face dreaded Boko Haram sect.

Boko Haram has been waging a brutal insurgency since 2009 which has left thousands of people dead, despite a state of emergency imposed in three northeast states in May 2013 by Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Although a military offensive few weeks before 2015 presidential election regained lost ground from the Islamic sect, but Jonathan’s failure to get to grips with the scourge was seen as critical in his defeat, 

Speaking in Abuja a day after his victory over the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, in a largely peaceful election that was applauded by Barack Obama, David Cameron, Ban Ki-moon and other world leaders, the former military dictator, Muhammadu Buhari promised to crush Boko Haram sect.

But years later, the activities of Boko Haram and other terrorists groups had been escalated. For the first time in 2020, residents of Maiduguri publicly directed their anger at President Buhari, when he was booed over rising insecurity and killings by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno state.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 19 AUGUST, 2003, U.K. temperatures hit 100 F for first time during European heat wave

For the first time in history, the United Kingdom on August 10, 2003, recorded temperature of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Throughout the month, an intense heat wave scorched the European continent, claiming more than 35,000 lives.

August 2003 was the hottest August ever recorded in the northern hemisphere and broke all previous records for heat-related deaths. France was the worst hit, with almost 15,000 victims, followed by Germany, where approximately 7,000 people died. Thousands also died in Spain and Italy. A majority of the victims were elderly, very young, or chronically ill.

When a person experiences extreme heat, their bodies can struggle to cool themselves—which can prove especially dangerous in the very old, very young or already ill. If a person’s internal body temperature reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit, the organs can began to fail and the person can eventually die. The Washington, D.C.-based Earth Policy Institute estimates that more people die every year from heat than floods, tornadoes and hurricanes combined.

In addition to directly causing deaths, the extreme heat also caused massive fires. In Portugal, 10 percent of the country’s forests were destroyed and 18 people were killed in the fires. The heat also caused glacial melt, flash floods and avalanches in Switzerland.

Being a dry month, the month of July 2022, went down in UK climate history as the first time the UK exceeded temperatures of 40°C on 19 July, during an intense heatwave where the UK saw its new record high temperature of 40.3°C at Coningsby, Lincolnshire. This shattered all previously held record in United Kingdom.

Scientists project that, because of global warming, the earth’s average temperature will continue to rise, reaching 42.44 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, a gain of 2.5 degrees. The only way to stop the rise in global temperatures and extreme weather catastrophes is to reduce levels of the carbon-dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.

Adapted from:

History.com Editors

TODAY IN HISTORY: 10 AUGUST, 2007, Gunmen kidnap American manager of Hydrodive oil firm in Port-Harcourt

On Friday 10 August, 2007, gunmen seized an American manager from oil services firm, on his way to work in the oil rich city of Port-Harcourt. The garden city of Port-Harcourt was particularly prone to kidnappings and street gunbattles at the time.

The then Commissioner of police in Rivers state, Felix Ogbaudu confirmed to newsmen that the man was on his way to work when some gunmen in a car overtook his vehicle and blocked it before snatching him.

Abductions for ransom was a trending phenomenon in the oil producing Niger-Delta region. It was recorded that between January and August 2007, no fewer than 100 foreigners have been taken hostage in the oil rich region.

Early 2006, violence escalated in the impoverished region when armed rebels seeking control over oil revenues and an end to neglect by corrupt politicians started blowing up pipelines and oilfields.

Their raids shut down at least a fifth of oil output from Nigeria, an OPEC member and the world’s eighth-biggest exporter of crude. The disruption has contributed to record high oil prices on world markets in 2007.

But the violence in the Niger-Delta degenerated over time into an uncontrollable wave of abductions for ransom, armed robberies, turf wars between gangs and fighting connected to a dangerous trade in stolen crude.

Over 200 foreigners were kidnapped  between 2006 and 2007, most of which were released unharmed in exchange for money, fueling the trend. This resulted in thousands of expatriate workers and their relatives fled the region.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 10 AUGUST, 1776, London discovers American independence plan

On this day in 1776, London got the news that the Americans had drafted the Declaration of Independence. To King George III, the then King of Great Britain, it was a colonial rebellion, and to the Americans in the other hands, it was a struggle for their rights as British citizens.

Until the Declaration of Independence formally transformed the 13 British colonies into states, both Americans and the British saw the conflict centered in Massachusetts as a local uprising within the British empire. However, when Parliament continued to oppose any reform and remained unwilling to negotiate with the American rebels and instead hired Hessians, German mercenaries, to help the British army crush the rebellion, the Continental Congress began to pass measures abolishing British authority in the colonies.

Earlier in January 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, an influential political pamphlet that convincingly argued for American independence from the British monarchy. It sold more than 500,000 copies in just a few months. By the spring of 1776, support for independence had swept through the colonies, the Continental Congress called for states to form their own governments and a five-man committee was assigned to draft a document declaring independence from the British king.

The Declaration of Independence was largely the work of Virginian Thomas Jefferson. In justifying American independence, Jefferson drew generously from the political philosophy of John Locke, an advocate of natural rights, and from the work of other British theorists. The declaration features the immortal lines “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It then goes on to present a long list of grievances that provided the American rationale for rebellion.

Author:

History.com Editors

TODAY IN HISTORY: 09 AUGUST, 1974, Gerald Ford becomes 38th president of America

President Gerald Ford

Following the resignation of Richard M. Nixon as the 37th president of United State of America, at noon on this day in 1974, his vice, Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of America. Before departing with his family in a helicopter from the White House lawn, president Nixon smiled farewell and enigmatically raised his arms in a victory or peace salute. The helicopter door was then closed, and the Nixon family began their journey home to San Clemente, California. Richard Nixon was the first U.S. president to resign from office.

Minutes later, Vice President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States in the East Room of the White House. After taking the oath of office, President Ford spoke to the nation in a television address, declaring, “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.”

Ford, the first president who came to the office through appointment rather than election, had replaced Spiro Agnew as vice president only eight months before. In a political scandal independent of the Nixon administration’s wrongdoings in the Watergate affair, Agnew had been forced to resign in disgrace after he was charged with income tax evasion and political corruption. In September 1974, Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal.

TODAY IN HISTORY 09 AUGUST, 2014, A police officer murders Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri

Michael Brown

Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager was shot on this day by a police officer, Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, on 9 August, 2014. Protests and riots ensue in Ferguson and soon spread across the country.

There are different accounts of the incident, including the testimonies of Wilson and of Brown's friend, Dorian Johnson, who was with Brown at the time. Many details differ, but most accounts agree that Wilson saw Brown and Johnson walking in the street, demanded they get on the sidewalk, then stopped his police SUV in front of them in order to confront them. He and Brown had an altercation through the open window of the car, during which Wilson fired twice. Brown and Johnson tried to leave, Wilson exited his car to pursue them, and at some point Brown turned back around to face Wilson, who then fired 12 shots, six of which hit Brown.

Wilson claimed he fired in self-defense as Brown, an 18-year old black man, charged him, which Johnson denied. A witness claimed that Wilson warned Brown he would open fire, and that Brown responded with "Don't shoot!" before he was killed, although that was not corroborated by ballistic and DNA evidence and other witness statements.

The community immediately reacted with rage at the news of Brown's death. The shooting ignited long-simmering tensions between the majority-Black population of Ferguson and the local police, who were mostly white. Though public opinion was sharply divided, the protests and riots and the response by Ferguson's heavily militarized police demonstrated the extent to which the relationship between racial minorities in America and the police had frayed. 

Brown's name, the phrase "Hands up, don't shoot" and the very mention of Ferguson quickly entered the lexicon of the growing Black Lives Matter movement. 

In November 2014, a grand jury declined to indict Officer Wilson, and later, the Justice Department concluded that Wilson acted out of self-defense, and was justified in killing Brown. However, the same Justice Department investigation found that the Ferguson Police Department routinely violated the civil rights of its African American residents.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 09 AUGUST, 1963, Nigeria creates Mid-West Region

On this day in 1963, the then Nigerian government formally announced creation of Mid-West which became the country’s fourth region. The new Mid-West State consists of 2 provinces, Benin and Delta, formerly belonging to the Western Region.

It was began in the early 1940’s when discussion about the creation of states in Nigeria along cultural and linguistic lines championed discussions and the attitude of the British government towards the movement. The minorities commission advised against creation of new states and the British government accepted the advice. There are 2 special sets of factors those internal to the new state and those related to the national political scene. The creation of the Mid-West was as much a product of special political circumstances existing in Lagos and Ibadan as it was of popular sentiment in Benin and Delta Provinces. Its creation was possible by an alliance of East and North, but once created the alliance partners have begun to compete for its allegiance and the elections for the new regions Assembly in February, 1963 stimulated intense activity on the part of all Nigerian major parties.  

TODAY IN HISTORY 06 AUGUST, 1965 U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signs Voting Rights Act

The 36th U.S President, Lyndon Baines Johnson on this day in 1965 signed the Voting Rights Act, guaranteeing African Americans the right to vote. With the bill signed into law, it became illegal to impose restrictions on federal, state and local elections that were designed to deny the vote to Black people.

Johnson often referred to as LBJ, became American President in November 1963 following the gruesome murder of President John F. Kennedy. He was elected in 1964 as a substantive president under Democratic party umbrella in a landslide victory and used this mandate to push for legislation he believed would improve the American way of life, which included stronger voting-rights laws. A recent march in Alabama in support of voting rights, during which Black people were beaten by state troops, shamed Congress and the president into passing the law, meant to enforce the 15th Amendment of the Constitution ratified by Congress in 1870.

In a speech to Congress on March 15, 1965, Johnson had outlined the devious ways in which election officials denied African-American citizens the vote. Black people attempting to vote were often told by election officials that they gotten the date, time or polling place wrong, that the officials were late or absent, that they possessed insufficient literacy skills or had filled out an application incorrectly. Often African Americans, whose population suffered a high rate of illiteracy due to centuries of oppression and poverty, would be forced to take literacy tests, which they inevitably failed. Johnson also told Congress that voting officials, primarily in southern states, had been known to force black voters to “recite the entire constitution or explain the most complex provisions of state laws”—a task most white voters would have been hard-pressed to accomplish. In some cases, even Black people with college degrees were turned away from the polls.

Although the Voting Rights Act passed, state and local enforcement of the law was weak and it was often outright ignored, mainly in the South and in areas where the proportion of Black people in the population was high and their vote threatened the political status quo. Still, the Voting Rights Act gave African American voters the legal means to challenge voting restrictions and vastly improved voter turnout. The Voting Right Act, encouraged large turnout of voters among Black people in Mississippi from 6 percent in 1964 to 59 percent in 1969. In 1970, President Richard Nixon extended the provisions of the Voting Rights Act and lowered the eligible voting age for all voters to 18.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 05 AUGUST, 2004, Nigerian police arrest 30 suspected ritualists in Anambra after 50 corpses and 20 skulls found in Okija shrine

On 5 August, 2004, Nigerian police arrested no fewer than 30 suspected cult leaders in Anambra state, after 50 decomposing bodies and 20 human skulls were found in raids on the fetish Okija shrine.

The head, genitals and other vital parts had been severed from some of the bodies, found in a teak forest in Okija village, a sign they may have been killed as part of a ritual.

The then Anambra Police Command Spokesman, Kolapo Shofoluwe confirmed to the media that police saw more than 50 bodies in various coffins and there were several skulls, some of which were really fresh.

Shofoluwe said preliminary investigations showed that the victims died after cult leaders engaged them in an animist ritual.

Residents of Ubahu-Ezike, a small town near one of the shrines, said they were afraid to go near the shrine because men faithful to the deities were waiting there to attack outsiders.

They said a small group of "high priests" had exploited the traditional religion and turned it into a big money-spinning operation.

An anonymous teacher in Ubahu-Ezike said those juju priests are very fraudulents. 

“They have been using the shrines to extort money from innocent people. They ride the best cars in the community and build fine, fine houses. Nobody dares challenge them, not even the traditional ruler."

As part of the ritual, police said, the victims pledged their property, including bank accounts, to a deity upon their death.

Their relations were made to believe they would also die if they refused to give up the property.

"We are looking beyond the deity," Mr. Shofoluwe said, adding that at least 20 shrines were raided.

"The priests may have killed the people for ritual, or to obtain their property by false pretence or they may have been running a human-parts market."

Ritual killing has been a recurring problem in some parts of Nigeria, where many people believe they can become wealthy by using human organs to make potent charms.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 05 AUGUST, 1998, A 70-year old Mother arrested for killing her eight children

A 70-year old Marie Noe, was arrested at her Philadelphia home on this day in 1998 and charged with smothering of her eight children who died between 1949 and 1968.

It was gathered that each of the eight infants was ostensibly healthy at birth, but later died when home alone with Noe. At the time, the deaths were attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Noe and her husband Arthur Alien Noe, had two other children who died from natural causes–one was stillborn and the other died at the hospital shortly after birth. Suspicion swirled around Marie Noe as the death toll mounted as none of the children lived beyond 14 months. But police had no enough evidence to charge her with any crime. In the 1990s, a magazine article put the case back in the spotlight. In August 1998, Noe confessed to killing four of her children but claimed she couldn’t remember what happened to the other four. Arthur, Marie husband, was not charged in the murders of his children. In June 1999, Noe was given 20 years probation and ordered to spend five years under house arrest.

In a similar case, Mary Beth Tinning’s nine healthy children died suddenly and mysteriously between 1972 and 1985. None made it to the age of five. The children all died while home alone with Tinning, of Schenectady, New York, who claimed she found them unconscious. In 1987, Tinning was convicted of smothering her 3-month-old infant daughter Tami Lynne to death two years earlier. She was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.

Susan Smith of South Carolina, in her own case in 1994, drove a car with her two young sons into a lake. Smith, who initially blamed the boys’ disappearance on a carjacker, was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison. In another case, Andrea Yates drowned her five young children in a bathtub in June 2001. After being convicted of first-degree murder, Yates’ conviction was overturned and she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to a state mental health facility in Texas.