Egypt's ousted President Morsi jailed for 20 years

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Media caption As Sally Nabil reports, Mohammed Morsi's lawyers have said they will appeal

An Egyptian court has sentenced former President Mohammed Morsi to 20 years in jail for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters during his rule.

It is the first verdict he has received since his ousting and is one of several trials he faces.
Morsi was deposed by the army in July 2013 following mass street protests against his rule.
Since then, the authorities have banned his Muslim Brotherhood movement and arrested thousands of his supporters.
Morsi and 14 other Brotherhood figures escaped a more serious charge of inciting the killing of protesters, which could have carried the death sentence.
Most of the other defendants were also given 20-year prison sentences. Morsi's legal team have said they will appeal.

Morsi's co-defendants gave a defiant four-fingered salute during the hearing

Morsi's trials

This verdict is just one of several Mr Morsi faces. They include:

• Colluding with foreign militants in a plot to free Islamists in mass prison breaks during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak
• Espionage and conspiring to commit terrorist acts in Egypt with the Palestinian movement Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards
• Endangering national security by leaking state secrets and sensitive documents to Qatar via the Doha-based Al Jazeera network

What's become of Egypt's Morsi?

Morsi stood accused of inciting supporters to kill a journalist and opposition protesters in clashes outside the presidential palace in late 2012.
As crowds grew outside the palace, Morsi ordered the police to disperse them.
They refused, so the Muslim Brotherhood brought in their own supporters. Eleven people died in the ensuing clashes, mostly from the Brotherhood.

The defendants were confined to a cage during the verdict

Security was tightened outside court for the hearing

Hearing the verdict, Morsi and the other defendants gave a four-fingered salute, a symbol of the deadly clearance of Brotherhood supporters at the Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque in 2013.
A senior Brotherhood figure, Amr Darrag, called the ruling a "travesty of justice".
"They want to pass a life sentence for democracy in Egypt," he said.
Ramy Ghanem, a lawyer for one of those injured in the clashes, expressed surprise that Morsi escaped the more serious charge, but told the AFP news agency the sentences are "not bad".

There were deadly clashes between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood in late 2012

Morsi was toppled by the army in 2013 after mass street protests against his rule

However the brother of one of the victims said he wanted to "enter the cage and pull out his [Morsi's] intestines", according to Reuters.
Morsi has rejected the authority of the courts, shouting during his first trial that he was the victim of a military coup.
On Monday, a court sentenced 22 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death for an attack on a police station in Cairo, part of an ongoing crackdown against the Islamist movement.
Morsi was Egypt's first freely-elected president, but protests began building less than a year into his rule when he issued a decree granting himself far-reaching powers.
A court dropped charges of conspiracy to kill protesters against Morsi's predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, last yea

Man Fulfills His promise To Walk
From Lagos To Abuja If Buhari Wins,
Presently In Niger [See Photo]
.
NOTE: This article is posted as written
by the source , read full story below:
Suleiman Hashimu or ‘The traveller’
as I prefer to call him is an indigene
of Katsina state, Funtua to be precise.
He was born in Osun state but lives in
Ibadan.
The traveler promised two years ago
to walk from where ever he is to the
capital of Nigeria, Abuja if General
Muhammadu Buhari wins the
election in 2015.
BBC Hausa , Voice of America and
Aminiya (a Hausa mgazine)
interviewed him.
He was in Lagos when Buhari was
declared the President-elect of
Nigeria. He left Lagos at about 5am
the next day and arrived Ibadan
around 6pm.
He went to get a police report to
allow for the smoothness of his
journey but couldn’t wait and so, the
D.P.O. gave him his phone number.
Despite several discouragement from
friends and at the same time,
inspiration from friends and loved
ones; he continued from Ibadan to
Oyo. Then from Oyo to Ogbomoso.;
And from Ogbomoso to Ilorin with
much hospitality at every stop.
At Ilorin, some people escorted him
for some miles and he stopped at
Oloru. Oloru, to border’n Sa’ada and
then to Jebba. He received so much
hospitality from Jebba and unlike
other villages he met a lot of people
who had heard of the traveller. About
20 people set off with him from Jebba
and after some miles, about 18 went
back but the remaining two where
determined. They met with armed
robbers close to Makwa and luckily,
he already met one of them in Jebba
and he even gave him 200 Naira for
pure water. The robber told his
colleagues that he was going to see
Buhari and he gave him 2000 Naira
and then slapped the two men with
him.
He continued his journey from Mkwa
to Kudu and then to Kutigi. He is
currently in Kutigi and will continue
his journey to Bida tomorrow by the
grace of God.
I asked him about his encounter with
the different people and he said it was
remarkable. Actually he gets more
determined to move on from the
people. He was even treated like a
King in a village in Niger.
They sang tribal songs he didn’t
understand and travellers stop to
provide him with food and company
along the way. Most of them are
familiar with him because they travel
the same route daily. Sometimes up to
10 cars would stop to converse with
him. News travelled with the public
transports to different places on his
route and people from several cities,
towns and villages on his route would
call to check up on him and inquire
about his journey.
He doesn’t know for sure if Buhari
knows of him but several of his
support organizations do. He intends
to reach Abuja by 27th of May and
celebrate with the new president at
his inauguration ceremony.

66 violent incidents recorded
nationwide in Saturday polls –
INEC
2015-04-13 10:46
Abuja - Sixty-six reports of violent
incidents targeted at polling units,
election officials, materials and voters
were recorded nationwide in the state
governorship and legislative elections on
Saturday, INEC said in a statement.
The statement was issued by Kayode
Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to the
Chairman of Independent National
Election Commission (INEC), in Abuja on
Sunday.
It said a general assessment of the
elections showed that the exercise went
well across the country.
It stated that a preliminary reports on the
polls showed that 88.9 per cent of polling
units opened for accreditation between 8
a.m. and 10 a.m. across the country.
"Only 5.2 per cent were yet to open as of
1p.m. Also, 73 per cent of the polling
units had commenced voting by 2.30
p.m.
"The process of accreditation with Smart
Card Readers was also successful in a
majority of the polling units," it stated.
It, however, said that initial challenges
were recorded in Edo and Abia states but
the technical teams deployed to support
the states were able to resolve the issues
in a timely manner.
"Overall, many parts of the country
remained relatively peaceful during the
elections.
"Some states, however, recorded a
significant number of violent incidents,
the most affected being Rivers, Akwa
Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi and Ondo
states.
"INEC’s records show that there were 66
reports of violent incidents targeted at
polling units, the commission’s officials,
voters and election materials," it said.
A breakdown of the incidents showed that
16 incidents were recorded in Rivers, eight
in Ondo, six each from Cross River and
Ebonyi as well as one each in Katsina,
Plateau, Kogi, Abia, Imo, Kano and Ogun.
Also read: Rivers police suspected of
electoral foul play
It also stated that five violent incidents
were recorded in Akwa Ibom, four in
Bayelsa, three each in Lagos and Kaduna,
as well as two each in Jigawa, Enugu,
Ekiti and Osun states.
"The commission is investigating these
incidents and will do everything within its
powers to bring culprits to justice."
INEC, however, commended Nigerians for
demonstrating their resolve and
commitment to participate in the electoral
process and by doing so, contributing to
deepening democracy of Nigeria.
The commission urged Nigerians to
maintain the peace as the results of the
Governorship and State Assembly
elections were being processed, and to
accept the official outcomes.
It emphasised that winners could only
emerge after collation of the official
results and on the basis of the
requirements prescribed by the law.
"Any aggrieved persons or groups are
encouraged to seek redress at the
tribunals.
"INEC would also like to remind all
stakeholders that the process is not yet
completed and urges restraint in their
comments as we strive to bring this
process to an orderly, peaceful and
credible conclusion."

INEC to fix new date for
inconclusive election in Gombe
State
14 minutes ago
Gombe - The Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will
fix a new date to conclude the Gombe
State House of Assembly election in some
polling units in Kwami West.
Alhaji Kasim Gaidam, the state Resident
Electoral Commissioner, stated this in
Gombe on Sunday.
He said that the number of votes affected
were higher than the difference between
the two leading candidates.
“A new date to hold elections in the
conduct of these elections in the
cancelled polling units will be given by
the commission shortly,” he said.
Gaidam also commended the Chairman of
the commission, Professor Attahiru Jega,
stakeholders and partner agencies for
their support toward the success of the
polls in the state.
Also read: Emir's palace burnt down by
mob in Gombe
“We can safely generalise that the
election have been peaceful and orderly;
the few exceptions of minor incidents
were handled by the security agents with
the cooperation of stakeholders,” he said.
He commended the efforts of political
parties, royal fathers and the religious
leaders for their contribution and
compliance with the rules of the exercise.
Gaidam further called on the elected
officials to justify the confidence
responsed in them by the electorate.
“They should, therefore, pursue policies
as well as embank on the programmes
and projects that will deliver dividends of
democracy to the people.”

OHANAEZE GIVES OBA OF LAGOS
48 HOURS TO WITHDRAW
THREAT TO IGBOS
By Rahman Olayinka On 7 April 2015 In News
The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the
youth wing of
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural
organisation of
Ndigbo, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to
the Oba of
Lagos, Alhaji Rilwan Akiolu, to “retract and
unconditionally
apologise to Ndigbo” over his alleged death
threat to
Ndigbo living in Lagos should they fail to
vote for the All
Progressives Congress (APC) governorship
candidate,
Akinwumi Ambode, on April 11.
Apart from positing that democracy confers
on the
electorate, the freedom of choice, OYC said it
considered
the comments credited to Akiolu as “a
despicable insult on
the Igbo nation, home and abroad, least
expected of a royal
father in the rank of Oba of Lagos.”
The group called on security agencies to
invite the Oba for
questioning because of the grave dangers his
current
posture portends while lambasted the
monarch for
employing crude arm-twisting, obtaining by
tricks tactics.
The monarch had reportedly threatened to
make life
unbearable for the Igbos in Lagos if they
sabotage efforts
being made to ensure that Ambode emerges
as the next
governor of the state.
Akiolu was said to have summoned all the
Eze-Ndigbo in
Lagos State to his palace yesterday and told
them: “On
Saturday, if anyone of you goes against
Ambode, who I
picked, that is your end. If it does not happen
within seven
days, just know that I am a bastard and it is
not my father
who gave birth to me.
“By the grace of God, I am the owner of
Lagos for the time
being. On Saturday, if anyone of you, I swear
in the name of
God, goes against my wish that Ambode will
be the next
governor of Lagos State, the person is going
to die inside
this water.
“For the Igbo and others in Lagos, they
should go where the
Oba of Lagos heads to. When they were
coming to the
state, they did not come with all their houses.
But now,
they have properties in the state. So they
must do my
bidding. And that is the bidding of the
ancestors of Lagos
and God.
“I am not ready to beg you. Nobody knew
how I picked
Ambode. Jimi is my blood relation and I told
him that he
could never be governor in Lagos for now. I
am not begging
anybody, but what you people cannot do in
Onitsha, Aba or
anywhere you cannot do it here.”
Reacting to the monarch’s outburst, OYC, in a
statement
issued this afternoon in Umuahia and
endorsed by its
National President, Mazi Okechukwu
Isiguzoro, warned that
“Igbo youths will not take this insult lightly,
and unless he
apologises within 48 hours he should know
he is courting
our wrath.”
OYC further warned that should anything
happen to Ndigbo
or their business interests in Lagos in the
event of APC
losing the Lagos governorship race, the Oba
should be held
responsible.
“Inasmuch as we do not want to get involved
in Lagos
politics, we want to sound a note of warning
that no Igbo
should be vilified or persecuted for his or her
electoral
choice in Lagos or any part of Nigeria,” the
group said.
“Every Nigerian has the constitutional right to
reside in any
part of the country and participate in the
electoral process
based on one’s convictions, and electoral
choice is not a
crime,” it added.
Isiguzoro said “nobody no matter what he
thinks he is, has
the right to command Ndigbo anywhere on
who to vote for
in a democratic setting.”
He said that the unprintable comments
credited to the Oba
had only revealed his innate hatred for
Ndigbo.
The Oba, according to him, “should be
reminded that the
economy of Lagos will collapse should
Ndigbo decide to
pull their investments from the commercial
city.”
He said that “Ndigbo have remained the most
persecuted ,
hated and marginalised tribe in Nigeria , yet
the most
enterprising and highest contributors to the
growth of its
economy, peace and unity.”
OYC asserted that the Igbo race needs
commendation and
not hatred for their ingenuity, versatility and
presence in
every part of the country, adding that God has
destined
Ndigbo to prosper in any part of the world,
even in hostile
environments.
The group, therefore, encouraged Ndigbo in
Lagos and
elsewhere to vote according to their
conscience in the
forthcoming polls without fear of

[Must Read] 5 Signs Your Relationship Is In Trouble

By Rahman Olayinka  Lifestyle, Love And Sex

You made it through Valentine’s Day.
Maybe it was a tender, heartfelt celebration of your
union with candy hearts, flowers and singing birds.
Or maybe the über-romantic holiday left you feeling
unsettled, insincere, worried. Now that Cupid’s wings
are out of your eyes, it could be time to reassess your
relationship for any of these five warning signs that
your love may be on the wane.
1. You’re always arguing.
This one seems self-evident, but so often, it’s not. I
have a friend who frequently calls me to vent about her
boyfriend’s latest infraction: He lied, he no-showed a
date, he didn’t come check on her when she was sick.
They fight — loud, screaming things that are alarming
to hear — and then everything is aces. When she and I
talk about their volatile dynamic in the lucid times, my
friend agrees that his behavior makes her angry, that
she doesn’t feel cherished and that she’s exhausted
from fighting. Yet they stay together.
“Why?” I ask.
“I love him.”
The lowest lows often accompany the loftiest highs,
and when things are good it may be hard to let go of
someone with whom you share great passion and, yes,
love. But despite what the Roman poet Virgil and
Hallmark may want you to believe, love does not
conquer all. You can love someone and still be better
off without them — and when your relationship becomes
filled with friction and dissatisfaction and resentment
more often than the course of true love runs smooth,
you’re sacrificing your peace of mind (and heart) to an
unhealthy, destructive dynamic.
2. You never argue.
Conversely, too much accord might be a signal of
trouble — namely that one partner (or both) is
suppressing her real feelings, or subsuming himself in
his partner, or has mentally “checked out” of the
relationship. No two people with unique backgrounds,
mind sets, ideology, etc., can live in perfect accord at
all times — sometimes I can even have lively
arguments with myself.
That doesn’t mean that screaming fights should be part
of your couple repertoire. Everyone argues differently;
the key is to respect your partner’s differing point of
view, as well as their means of expressing it — but also
to take into account how they are most comfortable
handling disagreements. I have an atavistic, knee-jerk
fear of shouting; raised voices utterly unnerve me,
leaving me too freaked out to engage as a rational
adult. My husband knows that about me, and is careful
not to yell, even amid a heated discussion.
In a healthy relationship, two people feel comfortable
expressing their thoughts, concerns and emotions —
even the difficult ones — but can still stay cognizant of
each other’s feelings.
3. You’re always mad.
Remember when you first started dating your boyfriend,
and his habit of taking his pants off as soon as he
walked in his front door and lounging around in his
boxer briefs seemed like a charming quirk? If those
same foibles you once found endearing now make you
want to scoop out his eyeballs with a grapefruit spoon,
you might have one foot out the door.
Sometimes before we’re ready to admit that our
feelings have changed or our relationship is no longer
working, our raw nerves are trying to tell us the truth.
Are you often irritated by your partner? Do you find
you’re quick to take offense to things he says and
does? Does your temper flare up faster and easier than
usual? Pay attention to those signs. It might be your
primal emotions reacting to the truth of your situation
before your mind is ready to accept it.
5. You’re happy. Really. You are.
This is the most insidious and easy-to-miss indication
that your relationship may be on shaky ground. Many
relationships, especially long-term ones, can settle into
a complacent comfort zone as two people grow ever
more familiar.
But familiarity is not intimacy. In fact, sometimes it
engenders the opposite — when we become convinced
we know everything there is to know about our partner,
we can go on autopilot and stop paying attention.
Intimacy is being open — not just willing to show your
own vulnerabilities, but open to the unique, separate,
always changing individual your partner is. Once we
think we know everything there is to know about
someone, we keep them slotted into that safe,
comfortable category — and we stop growing as a
couple.
If things are perfectly fine between you — pleasant,
polite, comfortable — but something is missing, take
stock. This doesn’t have to be a signal that things are
over — sometimes it’s a much-needed wake-up call
for a couple to remember to see the other person as
another person- – not just a familiar appendage taken
for granted.
But whether you decide to work on things or end them,
don’t put it off. There are only 361 days left till next
Valentine’s Day.
huffpost.com