HAJJ STAMPEDE KILLS OVER 300 MUSLIMS

Muslim pilgrims who have gone for this year's hajj were met with their dead a Mina near MECCA as they went to "stone the devil" in Kaaba. The act of "Stoning the devil" is an annual Muslim ritual during the Hajj pilgrimage.

 

The stampede, according to early report, has led the death of over 300 people and over 450 injured.
This is the second tragedy on this year's greater hajji in which multitude died. We recall the first being the collapse of construction crane which fell on the pilgrims and about 107 died including 6 Nigerians, and over 200 injured.

More casualties are been recorded as at press time. May their souls rest in peace.

RELEASE MY HUSBAND NOW - CKN'S Wife cries out.

The Chief editor and publisher of CKN News, Mr. Chris Kehinde Nwandu, was last week denied bail by a Lagos High Court in the defamation case against him by the MD of Fidelity Bank Plc.  

It was expected that the judge would grant him bail since the case is a "bailable offence". But the judge adjoined the bail hearing till next week again making his family, his wife especially to now cry out to the judge and Nigerians generally to be fair to her husband, who for the past 5 years of running the online news magazine. 

Here is her letter to this effect. Please, read and share as a solidarity to the journalist who many has seen to be credible, his mistake not withstanding. 

“My husband’s right to bail and due process of the law is being abused by the Police at FSU. He has a right to face his accusers in the court and defend himself from the allegations. He appeared three times before the honorable Judge Muhammad Yunusa; each time he was denied bail without reasons. He is being charged with “accomplice to defamation” because he reposted a story of alleged affairs and infidelity involving the MD of Fidelity Bank of Nigeria. Yesterday was the third time my husband’s bail application was postponed. My husband is now very sick at the Ikoyi prison due to the unhealthy and inhuman condition of the prison. His life is continuously under threat and harassment in prison. I am pleading to Nigeria’s Human Rights organizations, The Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Union of Journalists, The National Human Rights Commission and Nigerians and world leaders and media organizations to help me seek bail for my husband. If he has been charged with any crime, he should not be in Jail, he should be given his due process and let justice prevail. Please Justice Muhammad Yunusa, let my husband be bailed out so that he would face the charges in court of law, not in Prison. He is innocent until proven guilty. PLEASE SET MY HUSBAND FREE. ALLOW DUE PROCESS OF THE LAW. GRANT MY HUSBAND BAIL NOW”

PS: Mr. Nwandu within the past five years, published over 20,000 stories: none has been libelous. He has also won over 10 local and international awards for outstanding performance in online journalism.