19102020 - #EndSARS: Stop Army's planned Op Crocodile Smile

33 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020
IPOB, YOV accuse FG of concluding
plans to deploy military to quell
#ENDSARS protests
By Chimaobi
Nwaiwu, Nnewi
THE INDIGENOUS Peo
ple Of Biafra, IPOB, and
the Yoruba One Voice, YOV,
yesterday, alleged that the Nigerian
Federal Government
has concluded plans to deploy
the armed forces under the
guise of "Operation Crocodile
Smile" with the sole aim to
quell the popular #ENDSARS
protests across the country.
A joint statement by IPOB,
and YOV, titled, #ENDSARS:
Warning on Deployment of
Armed Forces, signed by Ms.
Christy Ekama, Principal Secretary
to the Directorate of
State, IPOB, and Mr Zacheus
Somorin, Director of Communication,
YOV, said the protests
are a clear testament to failure
of leadership.
IPOB and YOV, said they fully
endorsed the #ENDSARS
protest and commended Nigerian
youths for rising to the occasion
to redirect the drifting
ship of Nigeria.
IPOB and YOV, statement
read: "We read with shock and
dismay the plan by the Federal
Government of Nigeria to
deploy the Armed Forces under
the guise of "Operation
Crocodile Smile" with the sole
aim to quell the popular
#ENDSARS protests across the
country.
"The protests are a clear testament
to failure of leadership.
We fully endorse the #END-
SARS protests. We commend
Nigerian youths for again rising
to the occasion to redirect
the drifting ship of state.
"The Federal Government
must immediately rescind its
decision to deploy the Armed
Forces to truncate legitimate
protests by Nigerians. This is
contrary to international law
"We fully endorse the #END-
SARS protest and we commend
Nigerian youths for
again, rising to the occasion to
redirect the drifting ship of
state.
"The Federal Government
must not add to the gruesome
bloodletting by the discredited
SARS operatives through
the ill-advised deployment of
the Armed Forces.
"We will hold the Buhari administration
and its officials responsible
for any killings occasioned
by the deployment of
the Armed Forces to quell legitimate
civil protests.
"We call on the United Nations
and the international
community to take particular
interest in the #END-
SARS protests and the
planned deployment of the
Armed Forces and to hold
Nigerian officials to account
for any infringement on civil
rights.
"The Armed Forces must be
reminded that their loyalty is
to the Nigerian state. The era
of regime protection is gone
forever.
"We commend Nigerian
youths for their courage and
sacrifices in the face of police
brutality, joblessness, insecurity,
extra-judicial killings
and hopelessness. We
stand in solidarity with you
in the struggle for a better future."
Enugu group debunks allegations
of threat to life by Flavour against
govt
By Emma Nnadozie
ENUGU—A non-govern
mental group in Enugu
State, Wawa Awareness, yesterday,
described as 'unwarranted
and mischievous, a'
report credited to famous
musician, Flavour, alleging
threat to his life by Enugu
State government. The group
said it was calculated to paint
the state in bad light.
Leader of the group, Dr.
Ikenna Anyanwu told Vanguard
that there was no element
of truth in the report,
stating that the governor of
the state came out and addressed
the protesting youths
and made promises on how
to ensure that the issues
raised were addressed. ‘‘He
also announced the setting up
of a judicial panel of inquiry
to investigate complaints of
police brutality or related
extra judicial killings, as demanded
by the protesters.
He addressed the protesters
amid cheers and reiterated
his government's position
on the demand made by the
protesting youths, disclosing
that the panel will be chaired
by a High court judge with
two representatives of the
Civil Society Groups and one
retired police officer of high
repute as members. The governor
further applauded the
protesters led by Flavour and
Phyno for the peaceful nature
of the protests and expressed
the solidarity of the government
and people of the state
to their cause.‘‘
Tap into the estimated $20trn global economy
through telecom, expert urges FG
• As STN launches landlines phone
MANAGING DIREC
TOR of Swift Telephone
Network, STN, Mr.
Oluwole Adetuyi has urged
the Federal Government to
tap into estimated $20 Trillion
global economy that is about
to unfold through telecommunications.
Adetuyi gave the urge while
announcing the launch of STN
launched its landlines telephone
which was popular in
various parts of the country
before the introduction of Global
System for Mobile Communications,
GSM, into Nigeria's
telecommunications
market.
According to Adetuyi, the
01-343....network is a separate
entity and is not in any way
related to the internet service
provider, Swift 4G, been offered
by the communication
company.
"Landlines still exist in developed
nations of the world
and Nigeria should not be an
exception, especially if the nation
is ever going to play in
the estimated $20 Trillion global
economy that is about to
unfold."
He added that internet and
fixed telephony are the building
blocks for machine to machine
and machine to human
seamless communication that
is already building up around
the world.
He assured that the company
was poised to provide telephone
services that transit beyond
the limit of the already
known landlines framework
as it would provide the users
the opportunity to manage
modern telecommunication
features, with an expanding
features of their voice solution.
He exuded confidence that
the newly introduced product
would put broad smile on users'
faces.
While throwing insights to
the features of the products, he
said, the features include;
hosts private Branch Exchange
(PBX) that will give
small businesses dexterity of
big corporate players, while
the big players with existing
PBX do not need to change
things as STN technology is
highly compatible.
He added that SME feature
and the multiple device extension
functionality, make it possible
to initiate and receive
calls anytime, anywhere and
on any device with dedicated
support and easy connection.
Consume 100% fruit juice to
boost immune system against
COVID-19 —CHI MD
By Chioma Obinna
LAGOS—ON this year's
World Juice Day, the Managing
Director of CHI Limited,
Mr. Deepanjan Roy has emphasized
the need for 100 percent
fruit juice consumption as
a smart way of supporting immune
function during the
COVID-19 era and beyond.
Speaking during the 2nd
Annual Chivita World Juice
Day in Lagos, with the theme:
"Fruit Juice: The Smart Secret
of Boosting Immunity", Roy
said while the global pandemic
has challenged systems everywhere,
it has also raised social
consciousness on healthy
diets and lifestyle.
He said the theme for this
year's edition of the event was
informed by the need to highlight
the beneficial properties
of consumption of 100 percent
fruit juice to support the body's
immune system in order to
promote everyday wellness.
Encouraging Nigerians to
defend themselves through the
fruit juice consumption; he said
CHI Limited hopes to empower
consumers to consider daily
consumption of a glass of 100
per cent fruit juice as a smart
choice in their daily health routine.
One of the Guest Speakers
and Principal Dietician with
the National Orthopedic Hospital
Igbobi, Mrs. Adejoke Adeniji,
listed the benefits of consumption
of 100 per cent fruit
juice to include strengthening
of the immune system, aiding
of digestion, weight loss and
prevention of allergies and ailments
from entering the system.
"Consumption of 100 percent
fruit juice is a valuable
source of nutrients that are bioactive
and can support the immune
system by fighting free
radicals and also reducing fatigue.
Twitter raps Trump COVID-19
adviser as U.S. cases rise
TWITTER has yester
day removed a “misleading”
tweet downplaying
the efficacy of masks
posted by a top corona virus
adviser to President
Donald Trump, while U.S.
cases surged before the
November 3 election.
As the Trump administration
fends off accusations
that its mixed messaging
on wearing masks
hampered the fight against
the corona virus, Dr. Scott
Atlas continued to minimize
the importance of
masks with a Twitter post
on Saturday, saying,
“Masks work? NO.”
According to Reuters,
Twitter Inc removed the
tweet on Sunday, saying it
violated its misleading information
policy on COV-
ID-19, which targets statements
that have been confirmed
to be false or misleading
by subject-matter
experts.
The White House had no
immediate comment on the
decision.
Atlas has downplayed
the wearing of masks, a
coronavirus containment
measure that has been
widely endorsed by health
experts but not enthusiastically
promoted by the
president.
Trump, a Republican, is
seeking re-election on
Nov. 3 against Democratic
presidential candidate Joe
Biden in the midst of a pandemic
that has weakened
the economy and killed
more than 217,000 Americans.
For an interactive graphic
here tracking the global
spread of coronavirus,
open (tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7)
in an external browser.
New infections have
been rising fast in the United
States, according to a
Reuters analysis, with
more than 69,400 reported
on Friday, up from 46,000
a month ago. Total U.S.
cases have surpassed 8
million.
Trump, who was hospitalized
with the disease for
three nights in early October,
has been criss-crossing
the country in a surge of
11th-hour campaigning as
he lags in many public
opinion polls. His rallies
draw thousands of supporters
in close quarters,
with many not wearing
masks despite federal coronavirus
guidelines.
Despite data showing
otherwise, Trump has said
repeatedly in recent weeks
that the country is “rounding
the turn” on coronavirus.
On Sunday, Trump
again attributed the latest
surge in coronavirus cases
to more testing, but health
experts cite increases in
hospitalizations and the
rates at which people are
testing positive for the virus
to show cases are indeed
rising.
AMID BAN: Thousand protesters rally across
Bangkok
TENS of thousands of
Thai pro-democracy
protesters rallied across
Bangkok at the weekend,
defying an emergency decree
banning gatherings
for a third consecutive day
to demand the resignation
of the Prime Minister and
reform of the powerful
monarchy.
Police had used water
cannon against peaceful
demonstrators on Friday
but protestors said they
were not cowed by the escalation
in tactics.
“I’m concerned for my
safety but if I don’t come
out, I have no future,”
said business student Min,
18, equipped with a helmet
and gas mask as she
arrived in Bangkok’s
northern Lat Phrao district
on Saturday, one of several
protest venues across
the city.
Flooding a massive intersection,
protestors raised a
three-finger salute adopted
from the dystopian
“Hunger Games” films as
passing vehicles honked in
support and flashed a
thumbs-up at the mostly
black-clad protesters.
Across the Chao Phraya
river, thousands rallied in
the western Wongwian Yai
district chanting “Long live
the people, down with dictatorship!”,
while in southeastern
Udomsuk protesters
brought busy traffic to
a standstill.
Carrying signs saying
“Stop hurting people,” protesters
in the three locales
numbered in the tens of
thousands at the peak, according
to AFP reporters
on the scene.
But police estimated a far
lower turnout, putting the
total crowd size at demonstrations
across the capital
at 16,000. Demonstrations
also took place in more than
a dozen cities across the
country.
For the mostly-young
protesters, Friday’s
Bangkok crackdown was a
big learning curve, said
Aim, whose friends were
blasted with stinging liquid
when police fired water
cannon.
Spanish republicans take to streets to call
for prosecution of former king
WAVING red, purple
and yellow republican
flags, demonstrators in
24 Spanish cities on Sunday
called for the prosecution
of the former king Juan
Carlos who left Spain embroiled
in controversy.
The 82-year-old former
monarch has been living in
the United Arab Emirates
since leaving Spain in August
to avoid further embarrassing
his son, King Felipe
VI.
“We are here to call for the
corrupt former king to be
prosecuted and to demand
a republic,” said Juan Morillo,
74, a retired teacher,
who joined hundreds of
demonstrators in Seville.
While not formally under
investigation, Juan Carlos
could become a target in
two inquiries in Spain and
Switzerland into alleged
corruption associated with
a 6.7-billion-euro (£6.1 billion),
high-speed Saudi
train contract won by Spanish
firms.
Spain’s Supreme Court
prosecutor is considering
whether to extend a corruption
investigation into
the train contract to formally
involve Juan Carlos.
The former king has not
commented publicly but
his lawyer Javier Sanchez
has said he is at the disposition
of prosecutors if necessary.
A poll published last
Monday for the Platform
for Independent Media, a
group of left-wing newspapers,
found 40.9% of Spaniards
preferred establishing
a republic, while 34.9%
said they supported the
royal family and 24.2%
said they did not know.
France to expel 231 suspected
extremists after attack on teacher
FRANCE is prepar
ing to expel 231 foreigners
on a government
watch list for suspected
extremist religious beliefs,
Europe 1 radio reported
yesterday, two days after
a Russian born Islamist
beheaded a teacher.
France’s Interior ministry,
responsible for expelling
foreigners, was not
available to comment.
President Emmanuel
Macron’s centrist government
has been under
pressure from conservative
and far-right parties
to take a tougher stance
on non-nationals
deemed to pose a security
threat.
Macron was holding a
Defense Council meeting
with senior cabinet
ministers on Sunday.