Crime
Former president of Burkina Faso, Compaore gets life imprisonment
Former president of Burkina Faso Compaore gets life imprisonment
A military tribunal on Wednesday ruled that Burkina Faso’s former president Blaise Compaore be sentenced to life imprisonment for complicity in the 1987 murder of his predecessor Thomas Sankara in a coup.
The charismatic Marxist revolutionary Sankara was gunned down in the West African nation’s capital Ouagadougou at the age of 37, four years after he took power in a previous putsch.
Compaore was charged in absentia along with his former Head of Security, Hyacinthe Kafando, who was also sentenced to life imprisonment.
Both have previously denied any involvement in Sankara’s death along with 12 other defendants accused of involvement in the plot, three of whom were declared innocent on Wednesday.
“The court finds Blaise Compaoré and Hyacinthe Kafando guilty of attack on state security, complicity in murder and concealment of a corpse,” the tribunal said in its ruling.
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Compaore went on to rule for 27 years before being ousted in another coup in 2014 and fleeing to Ivory Coast, where he is still believed to live.
Fondly known as Africa’s “Che Guevara”, Sankara took power on a promise to thwart corruption and post-colonial influences, denouncing foreign aid as a control mechanism.
He rolled out mass vaccination against polio, banned female circumcision and polygamy, and was one of the first African leaders to publicly recognise the growing AIDS epidemic as a threat for the continent.
A former fighter pilot, Sankara won public support in the impoverished nation by selling a government fleet of Mercedes, lowering the pay of well-off public servants and forbidding first class state travel.
He cut his own salary, refused to work with air conditioning and jogged through Ouagadougou unaccompanied.
Critics said his reforms curtailed freedoms and did little to enrich ordinary people. But admiration remains.
Over the weekend, students gathered around white flowers marking the spot where Sankara was shot.
(Reuters/NAN)
Another Bandits group release three women in Katsina in peace deal promises
By: Zagazola Makama
Another group of repentant bandits has released three women in Katsina State as part of the ongoing peace process in the state.
The women, whose names were not immediately disclosed, were said to have been held by a notorious bandit leader, Kacalla Zailani, who controls the Maigora axis.
Community sources told Zagazola on Wednesday that Zailani freed the captives voluntarily without collecting ransom.
“He handed over the women to the mediators as a gesture of goodwill to consolidate the peace deal,” one of the sources said.
Another Bandits group release three women in Katsina in peace deal promises
Troops kill three Boko Haram terrorists in Borno Ambush
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the Nigerian Army Joint Task Force Operation HADIN KAI have killed three Boko Haram terrorists during an ambush in Borno State.
Zagazola gathered that the encounter occurred on Monday evening at Umbo Gen area, during Operation Desert Sanity IV.
According to the sources, troops in conjunction with Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and hunters engaged the insurgents with heavy fire, forcing them to flee in disarray.
“Three terrorists were neutralised in the operation. Troops also recovered one AK-47 rifle and an Itel mobile phone,” the source said.
The sources added that no casualty was recorded on the side of the troops, and general security within the area remains calm but unpredictable.
Troops kill three Boko Haram terrorists in Borno Ambush
Troops of operation HADIN KAI foil Boko Haram kidnap attempt in Adamawa
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, in collaboration with Police and local Joint Task Force operatives, have foiled an attempt by suspected Boko Haram terrorists to kidnap villagers in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
Zagazola learnt that the incident occurred at about 12:45 a.m. on Sunday when about 15 terrorists stormed Kombla in Krichinga District of Madagali.
The terrorists were said to have attempted to abduct some villagers, but were swiftly repelled after troops engaged them in a fierce gun duel.
“The swift response of the troops and supporting security elements forced the terrorists to retreat into surrounding bush paths,” the source said.
The sources added that pursuit operations were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing terrorists.
Normalcy has since returned to the area, while security presence has been strengthened to forestall further attacks.
Troops of operation HADIN KAI foil Boko Haram kidnap attempt in Adamawa
Another Bandits group release three women in Katsina in peace deal promises
Zulum Pledges Legal Reform to Deepen Justice System
Bandit Kingpin Releases 28 Captives in Katsina Following Peace Deal
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