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African leaders gather for AU summit focused on security 

 

Summit

Addis Ababa, Feb. 9, 2020 (dpa/NAN) African leaders are gathering in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Sunday for the 33rd African Union (AU) summit focusing on security which is expected to discuss the Libyan crisis.

The summit will see South Africa taking over the group’s presidency from Egypt.

The two-day meeting is held under the theme “Silencing the Guns,” reflecting goals of the AU’s Agenda 2063.

The plan, which kicked off in 2013, is aimed at transforming African states  and establishing security and peace across the continent.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to attend the summit, which is expected to discuss the Libyan crisis.

The UN has been trying to turn a fragile ceasefire between the warring Libyan parties into a lasting truce.

On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and stressed the importance of African states’ involvement in shaping a solution for the conflict in Libya.

Egypt supports military strongman General Khalifa Haftar, while the UN backs the Tripoli-based government of Fayez Serraj.

The summit also comes amid a dispute between Egypt and Sudan on the one side and Ethiopia on the other over a dam built by the latter on the Blue Nile, which Cairo fears will reduce its supply of water.

After several meetings hosted by Washington, the three states said a final agreement would be signed in late February. (dpa/NAN)

YEE

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Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

Sport

2019 AFCON Qualifiers: South Africa qualify after beating hosts Libya 2-1

Qualification
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, March 25, 2019 (NAN) South Africa joined Group E leaders Nigeria to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of the Nations (AFCON) finals after defeating Libya 2-1 in their final qualification match on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the match played at the Stade Taieb Mhiri in Sfax, Tunisia saw the hosts dominate the opening stages.

They kept Darren Keet busy in the South Africa goal.

The Bidvest Wits goalkeeper was called into action in the seventh minute and he denied Libyan attacker Ismael Tajouri-Shradi.

The Mediterranean Knights continued to press and they had another chance to break the deadlock with the half hour mark approaching.

Ali Elmusrati’s goal-bound effort was brilliantly saved by Keet as he continued to keep Libya at bay.

South Africa came close to scoring when Themba Zwane’s low shot was deflected wide by the Libya defence in the 39th minute.

The score was 0-0 at the interval, thanks to some good goalkeeping by Keet who denied Ahmad Benali on the stroke of half time.

South Africa broke the deadlock just five minutes after the restart through star forward Percy Tau.

The Belgium-based attacker scored with a thunderous left-footed shot which beat Muhammad Nashnoush to make it 1-0 to South Africa.

The hosts then piled pressure on the Bafana Bafana defence and the Mediterranean Knights were awarded a penalty kick after Anis Saltou was fouled by Keet.

Former Manchester City midfielder Benali beat Keet from the penalty kick spot to make it 1-1 in the 65th minute, much to the delight of the home crowd.

However, parity was only restored for three minutes as Tau scored a second for the South Africans with a curling effort from inside the box, with Kamohelo Mokotjo grabbing an assist.

South Africa’s head coach Stuart Baxter pulled out attacker Zwane and the British tactician introduced defensive midfielder Hlompho Kekana.

The visitors managed to contain Libya in the closing stages of the match as South Africa ran out 2-1 winners on the night as the Mediterranean Knights failed to qualify.

Group E Final Table
Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Nigeria 6 4 1 1 14 6 +8 13
South Africa 6 3 3 0 11 2 +9 12
Libya 6 2 1 3 16 11 +5 7
Seychelles 6 – 1 5 3 25 -22 1
(NAN)
VO/OLAL
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Ex-Eagle tasks team on tactical discipline ahead of Libya clash

Super Eagles

Abuja, Oct. 12, 2018 (NAN) Waidi Akanni, a former Super Eagles defender, has advised that tactical disciple and adherence to coaches’ instructions are key to Super Eagles’ triumph against Libya in Uyo on Saturday.

Akanni spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, ahead of the crunch African Cup of Nations (AFCON) double-header qualifiers between the Super Eagles and Libya.

Libya stand on top of Group E after two rounds of matches with four points, while the Super Eagles are third with three points.

South Africa are second on goal difference, having amassed same number of points as Libya, while Seychelles are bottom of the group without a win.

However, the Super Eagles could soar to the top of the group if they take maximum points against their North African opponents.

Akanni, a former head of the Lagos State Football Association, says the task is possible to accomplish, if the players play to instruction.

“The Super Eagles should approach the games with seriousness.

“The players must be ready and willing to play to instruction and they must be tactical.

“I am sure the coaches have their game plan and template for winning the matches because taking the six points at stake is crucial to Nigeria’s qualification,” Akanni said.

Nigeria will first face Libya at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom on Oct. 13 before filing out against the same foes three days later in Tunisia.

Akanni, however, warned that it would be disastrous to judge the Libyan side by the political instability their country is currently facing.

“Don’t let anybody deceive you, both legs won’t be easy.

“Libya are a good footballing nation no matter what is happening in their country.

“Playing their home game in Tunisia won’t be an advantage for Nigeria.

“In fact, the entire North Africa will support them.

“They have players playing outside the continent and have shown team spirit.

“They will be a hard nut to crack both in Uyo and Tunisia,” he warned.

Kick-off time for the first of the two-legged clash with Libya is 4.00 p.m. on Saturday. (NAN)

KIA/AIB

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

Sport

FIFA visit: Libya hope to have football ban lifted

Visit

Tripoli, April 5, 2018 (Reuters/NAN)  Libya are hoping a three-day visit by a FIFA delegation will lead to a lifting of the ban on hosting international football matches in the strife-torn country.

The delegation watched a first division match in Tripoli on Wednesday and have toured stadium facilities as Libya hope to persuade world football’s governing body to overturn the five-year ban.

“The delegation will check the security situation in Libya so it can report back positively to FIFA and help lift the stadium ban that has been in place since 2013,” said a statement from the Libya Football Federation.

Libya’s national team and its clubs competing in African club competition have been forced to host their matches in countries like Egypt, Mali and Tunisia since the ban was imposed.

An initial restriction was imposed in 2011 during the civil war that led to the ousting of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. It was lifted briefly in 2013 before being re-imposed.

Since disputed elections in 2014, Libya has been split between competing political and military factions in the west and east of the country.

The Tripoli government is rejected by its eastern-based rivals. Political turmoil and armed conflict have led to economic collapse, allowing migrant smugglers to flourish and giving space to Islamist militants. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/AFA

Edited by Felix Ajide

 

Defence/Security

Yobe Govt reunites 216 deportees from Libya with families

Yobe Govt reunites 216 deportees from Libya with families
NAN-H-36
Deportees
Damaturu, Jan. 20, 2018 (NAN) The Yobe Government on Saturday reunited additional 216 persons deported from Libya with their families in the state.

Alhaji Ahmed Goniri, the state Commissioner for Justice and Chairman of Repatriation Committee, said this while handing over the deportees to their respective local council chairmen in Damaturu.

He said 182 out of the 216 persons were indigenes of the state, while 33 others were from Niger Republic and one from Borno.

“They initially claimed to be from Yobe state but on profiling, we realised that 33 were from border communities in Niger Republic while one was from Borno.

“We have now handed over the Nigeriens to the state Controller of Immigration for onward repatriation to their country,” he said.

The commissioner lauded Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam for his speedy approval to evacuate the returnees.

Alhaji Musa Jidawa, the Permanent Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said the evacuation of the returnees has given the deportees and their families a sense of belonging.

He said the deportees were screened by relevant security agencies, medical personnel and humanitarian organisations.

“We have put a technical mechanism in place to effectively monitor the delivery of the deportees to their communities,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that 29 persons were earlier deported from Libya and repatriated to the state last week.

Malam Abba Modu, one of the deportees, commended the Yobe government for moving them from PortHarcourt to the state.

“Gov. Gaidam acted like a true father to all of us by repatriating us back home,” Modu said. (NAN)
MM/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Libya returnees: NAPTIP renews cooperation with Edo Govt

Libya returnees: NAPTIP renews cooperation with Edo Govt
NAN-HG-9
By Mustapha Sumaila
Abuja, Jan. 17, 2018 (NAN) The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has pledged a more robust cooperation with the Edo Government to ensure the success of the on-going evacuation and reintegration of Libya returnees.
The agency renewed its support in a statement signed by the Head, Press and Public Relations of NAPTIP, Mr Josiah Emerole, on Wednesday in Abuja.
It described allegations that the agency was not cooperating with Edo government as untrue.
“Our attention has been drawn to reports quoting the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, accusing the agency of not cooperating with his government in the fight against human trafficking, especially with the on-going evacuation and reintegration of returnees from Libya.
“The reports also quoted the governor as accusing the agency of not properly guiding the Federal Government on packages for evacuated victims from Libya.
“And alluding to the fact that the batches evacuated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) were given one hundred Euros each.
“It is important to state clearly that the allegations by the Edo State Government are far from the truth,” the statement read in part.
It stated that NAPTIP was an agency established in pursuant to the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act 2003, and it has never in any way shown lack of cooperation to the Government and good people of Edo in the fight against human trafficking.
The agency said it held the state and her people in very high esteem and it was for that reason that the first and the biggest Zonal Command of NAPTIP after the Lagos Command was established in Benin City early in 2004.
According to it, the command which handles only Edo and Delta states remained the busiest and most vibrant command in the country.
The statement noted that the present evacuation of Nigerians from Libya was not NAPTIP’s project but that of the Federal Government as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was the coordinating agency for the exercise and NAPTIP was only a member of the federal government’s mission to Libya.
“And the agency has its personnel who are working with other sister agencies in Port Harcourt to assist the returnees on arrival through profiling and psycho-social assistance especially for victims of human trafficking among them.
“The business of NAPTIP so far has been to identify the victims and suspects of human trafficking and take them to NAPTIPs facilities in Benin, Uyo and Lagos for further assistance.
“The agency does not have access to funds for this project since NEMA is the coordinating agency for the project,’’ it said.
On the package for the returnees, it also explained that the 100 Euros was given directly to the returnees whom the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) brought back from Libya through Lagos.
The agency said that the project was part of their Voluntary Returns programme as promised before the returnees embarked on the journey home, adding that NAPTIP has nothing to do with that package.
It stated that NAPTIP had advised states not to take their citizens away immediately upon arrival from Libya, without adequate psycho-social counselling and care.
The statement added that such victims had gone through immense trauma and needed to be gently reintegrated into the society after proper counselling.
It said that doing otherwise would amount to a disaster waiting to happen, as some had committed some crimes in Libya, some had health challenges that should be checked, while some were very demoralised and in dire need of a morale booster.
NAPTIP said that failure to provide this assistance by the states defeated the essence of the federal government’s timely and capital-intensive intervention.
It therefore urged the Edo government to work harmoniously with the agency, noting that lack of cooperation between the state government and NAPTIP can affect the victims.
The agency is federal government’s focal agency on human trafficking. (NAN)
MS/IFY/MST
Edited by Ify Omowole/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Libya returnees reject Edo Govt N1000 transport fares

Libya returnees reject Edo Govt N1000 transport fares
NAN-HG-4
Returnees
By Igbaugba Ehigimetor
Benin, Jan. 10, 2018 (NAN) Some Libya returnees on Wednesday in Benin rejected the N1,000 transport fares given them by the Edo Government to take them to their hometowns.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the returnees had on Tuesday protested the non-payment of stipend as transport fare to their homes within the state.
The returnees said that they had expected something reasonable without stating the amount.
One of the returnees, Gabriel Edokpaigbe, said it would be a shame for him to go back to his father’s house after he sold all his belongings to travel to Europe.
He said the N1,000 would not take him to his destination.
Christian Otoide, who claimed to be based in Lagos State, said he was still wearing the prison uniforms given to him in Libya because he had no other clothes.
Otoide said that returnees were promised many things in Libya hence he agreed to return home, adding that he is disappointed.
“How will N1,000 take me to Lagos? We were working in Libya but Libya police said our government said our country is now good. That was why I returned,” he said.
The returnees claimed that announcement by the Federal Government that Nigerians should return home made Libya policemen to arrest those living comfortably in the country.
Many said they lost their money to the forceful arrest and deportation.
Efosa Clifford, 43, said he spent over N1.3 million on his failed trip to Europe.
He said: “If there was good liberty in Libya, life is good there, it is just that blacks have no free movement in Libya.”
Meanwhile, relatives of some of the returnees have stormed the premises of the Benin Motel Plaza where the returnees are lodged to find their lost ones.
Those looking for their relatives peeped through the fence to look for their loved ones.
A woman who gave her name as Boss said she was looking for her brother named Aminu, adding that she last heard from him in September 2016.
Another man said he had visited the hotel each time he heard Nigerians had returned from Libya to search for his daughter but to no avail. (NAN)
ESI/JI/MST
Editing by Joseph Idika/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

NAPTIP to prosecute traffickers to Libya

NAPTIP to prosecute traffickers to Libya
NAN-HG-5
Prosecution
By Mustapha Sumaila
Abuja, Jan. 9, 2018 (NAN) The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it will prosecute those involved in the trafficking of Nigerians to Libya to serve as deterrent to others.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Ms Julie Okah-Donli, said this while fielding questions from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Okah-Donli explained that in the process of profiling of the returnees, the information of how they got to Libya and the persons responsible would be taken to identify the traffickers and punish them accordingly.
She said that her officers and men are currently in Libya to get necessary information on those responsible for the trafficking of Nigerians whether they are in this country or abroad, they must be arrested and dealt with according to law.
According to her, if any suspected trafficker in Libya is identified and the person is not willing to come back, such suspect must be repatriated to face the trial in Nigeria.
“Information is critical, we are in a process to get useful information from the returnees that will lead to the arrest of those involved in the trafficking business.
“We are working seriously to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book no matter who is involved,” she said.
Okah-Donli, who is part of the Federal Government delegation to evacuate Nigerians from Libya, disclosed that so far 972 returnees have been brought back to the country.
She explained that 485 returnees were evacuated on Sunday and another 487 were also received in Port Harcourt on Monday.
The director-general said that her agency had begun counselling of the returnees in the camp in Port Harcourt before they are taken to shelters for continuation of the counselling.
She added that victims of human trafficking among the returnees, after going through medical examination and counselling, would be rehabilitated before they are integrated into the society. (NAN)
MS/OIF/MST
Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Muhammad Suleiman Tola