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South African Paralympic champion, Oscar Pistorius was refused parole on Friday after seeking early release from prison, a decade after he shot and killed his girlfriend, lawyers, and authorities said.

The Department of Correctional Services said a parole board found Pistorius had not completed the minimum detention period required to be let out.

“We were… advised at this point in time that it has been denied” and it will be considered again in one year’s time, Tania Koen, a lawyer for the victim’s family, told AFP.

The motivation came as a surprise as the correctional services had previously said Pistorius was eligible for early release having served more than half his sentence.

Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp, a model, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, firing four times through the bathroom door of his ultra-secure Pretoria house, in a killing that shocked the world.

A parole hearing opened Friday morning at the jail on the outskirts of the capital where the 36-year-old is detained.

Steenkamp’s parents, who opposed an early release, saying they do not believe the ex-athlete told the truth about what happened and has not shown remorse, welcomed the decision.

“While we welcome today’s decision, today is not a cause for celebration. We miss Reeva terribly and will do so for the rest of our lives. We believe in justice and hope that it continues to prevail,” they said in a statement via their lawyer.

Earlier, Steenkamp’s mother, June, had made the couple’s position known to the board addressing the hearing in person.

“I don’t believe his story,” she told journalists from the back of a car as she arrived at the correctional facility.

She did not meet face to face with her daughter’s killer on Friday, as the parole board decided to hear the two separately, Koen later told reporters outside the prison.

“It was very unpleasant for her… but she knew that she had to do it for Reeva,” Koen said.
Steenkamp’s father Barry was unable to travel because of ill health but submitted a statement, she added.

“Before he dies he has one wish and that’s Oscar would just tell us exactly what happened that night,” Carmen Dodd, who read the statement to the board, told journalists.

‘Minimum detention period’ Comprising at least three people, including prison services and community members, the board was to determine whether the purpose of imprisonment had been served, according to the Department of Correctional Services.

“The (board) granted inmate Pistorius a further profile for August 2024,” correctional services spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo said in a statement.

“The reason provided is that the inmate did not complete the minimum Detention Period as ruled by the Supreme Court of Appeal.”

In a short memo dated Tuesday and seen by AFP on Friday, the court explained that the prison term it imposed started on the day of the last judgement in 2017 and not when Pistorius was first sentenced in 2014.

Prisoners in South Africa are automatically eligible for parole consideration after serving half of their sentence.

Known worldwide as the “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, Pistorius was found guilty of murder and given a 13-year jail sentence in 2017 after a lengthy trial and several appeals.

He had pleaded not guilty and denied killing Steenkamp in a rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar.

Pistorius met with Steenkamp’s parents last year, part of a process that authorities say aims to ensure inmates “acknowledge the harm they have caused to their victims and the society at large.”
Koen described the meeting as “very emotional” and “traumatic”.

A year before killing Steenkamp, Pistorius became the first double-amputee to race in the Olympics, competing at the 2012 London Games.

He became a household name worldwide and courted by sponsors, but it all came crashing down after the killing.

Inmates have the right to approach the courts for review when parole is denied.

Following his historic indictment on criminal charges, Donald Trump was preparing Friday to go where no former US president has gone before – a prosecutor’s office to be booked, fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken.

Trump’s pending arrest, expected on Tuesday, throws a political grenade into the 2024 presidential race, in which the 76-year-old real estate tycoon is hoping to return to the White House.

Pressed by reporters on Friday, President Joe Biden repeatedly declined to address the fate of the Republican candidate he defeated in the 2020 election and could potentially face again in November of next year.

“I have no comment on Trump,” Biden said.

In predicting his indictment, Trump called for protests and warned that it could lead to “potential death and destruction” for the country.

– ‘Disgraceful’ –

“They only brought this Fake, Corrupt, and Disgraceful Charge against me because I stand with the American People, and they know that I cannot get a fair trial in New York!” he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump survived two impeachments while in the White House and kept prosecutors at bay over everything from the US Capitol riot to missing classified files — only to land in court over a sex scandal involving Stormy Daniels, a 44-year-old adult movie actress.

Top Republicans have rallied around the former president who remains the favourite to win the party’s 2024 presidential nomination despite potential legal troubles that extend beyond the New York indictment.

Trump faces felony investigations in Georgia relating to the 2020 election and in Washington over both the classified files and the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.

Kevin McCarthy, the top House Republican, said the indictment had “irreparably damaged” the country.

Trump’s former vice president and possible 2024 challenger Mike Pence called it an “outrage” that would only “further serve to divide” the United States.

The Manhattan charges will also likely juice turnout among Trump’s loyal base, boosting his chances in the party primary.

A total of 460 convicts who escaped from the medium detention facility in Kuje, Federal Capital Territory, have not yet been apprehended.

On the website of the Nigerian Correctional Service found the names, pictures, and prison identity numbers of the fugitive detainees who were listed as wanted.

On the same website, it is noted that 26 escapees had thus far been apprehended.

It will be recalled that on July 5, 2022, a jailbreak resulted in the escape of nearly 900 prisoners, including 64 prominent Boko Haram militants.

Some hours after the incident, the Islamic State in West Africa Province claimed responsibility and released a video to support its claim.

Later, 421 of the escapees were arrested after a manhunt for them was initiated by security personnel.

The Federal Government posted their information to the database of the International Criminal Police Organization in order to find the others again.

Also, the various security services received information on the prisoners’ identities, photos, and other details.

Among of the 26 prisoners who were recaptured, 10 had ties to terrorism, 10 were classified as others, two were allegedly sexual offenders, two were imprisoned for theft, and two were imprisoned for robbery and drug-related crimes.

Yahuza Isah and Auwalu Mohammed were sentenced death by hanging by a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Kubwa for the murder of a tricycle rider.

Asmau Akanbi-Yusuf, the judge who rendered the decision in the case, stated that the defendants had a common intention when they planned to murder and rob Mohammed Shaibu on January 7, 2020, according to the evidence presented to the court.

Isah and Auwalu were found to have presented no evidence to dispute their arrests, according to Akanbi-Yusuf’s ruling.

“The prosecution counsel, Mayowa Adefioye, has proved beyond reasonable doubt the offence of conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide, punishable with death under Section 1(2)(a)(b) of the Robbery and Firearms Special Provisions Act.

“Therefore, the defendants have been found guilty and shall be hanged on the neck until they are dead. May the good Lord have mercy on their souls,” she ruled.

According to a previous report by the News Agency of Nigeria, the prosecution attorney claimed that on January 7, 2020, the prisoners robbed the dead and stole his tricycle while brandishing firearms.

Shaibu was killed, according to Adefioye, when the inmates struck him in the head with a spanner in Moore District, Abuja.

A lecturer from the Tai Solarin University of Education has been arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission for allegedly soliciting sex and money from a female student at the college.

Dr. Balogun Olaniran, the defendant, was produced on one count on Monday, March 27, before Judge Osinuga of the Ijebu-Ode High Court, located in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

According to a statement released on Friday by the anti-graft agency’s spokesman, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, the accusation allegedly violates Section 8 (1) (a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act, 2000.

Ogugua mentioned that the ICPC attorney described to the court how Olaniran, while holding the position of Head of the Department of Religious Studies at TASUED between October and November 2021, demanded sexual favors or N100,000 from a female student in exchange for a promise to change her academic standing in exchange for payment.

The charge partly read, “Within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, corruptly demanded sexual benefit or payment of the sum of N100,000 for himself from a female student (name withheld), on account of a favour to be afterwards shown her in the discharge of his official duties as a lecturer and Head of Department of Religious Studies at the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ijebu Ode, to wit, offering to alter her academic grades from fail to pass in courses with codes EDU 311 and EDU 312”.

The defendant entered a not guilty plea after hearing the charges against him, and the case was continued until May 11, 2023, when the trial was scheduled to begin.

The defendant was granted bail in the amount of N500,000 with an equal-sized surety.

Unidentified passenger was kicked off a flight for insisting that Bola Ahmed Tinubu not be inaugurated in as president on May 29.

Notwithstanding his resistance, the lone protester was removed from the Friday trip to Abuja.

The 6 p.m. flight was still at a standstill as of 7 p.m. in the video our journalist was able to obtain, and it took no fewer than six airport security agents’ efforts to extricate him.

When he was being carried off the hall and captured on camera, the man could be heard saying, “Obidients you’re here. They are torturing me like this. I’m naked, Obidients, and you’re here. Obidients, I’m about to strip off my clothes.

But nobody dared approach since he was surrounded by representatives of Ibom Air and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

His actions caused the 6 PM flight to be delayed by an additional hour, and it took more than five airport security personnel to remove him.

Three lawyers who allegedly filed petitions for the All Progressives Congress before the electoral petition tribunal in Port Harcourt have been detained by police.

According to reports, the attorneys are drafting lawsuits contesting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s results of the just completed governorship election in Rivers State.

They were allegedly apprehended on Friday night at a Port Harcourt hotel where they were staying. Their arrest’s cause is still a mystery.

On Saturday afternoon, Darlington Nwauju, the State APC Publicity Secretary, verified the incident.

“Yes, it is true. They were arrested last night. We are going to brief the press,” Nwauju stated.

Five members of the Indigenous People of Biafra allegedly died as a result of an attack on their men, according to the Abia State Police Command.

Geoffrey Ogbonna, the PRO for the Command, made the accusation in a statement on behalf of Police Commissioner Mustapha Bala.

The News Agency of Nigeria learned that five members of the group were killed by gunfire on Friday in Osusu Aba when they were participating in a demonstration through Aba.

Several locals claimed the group was calmly protesting without causing any disturbance.

On Friday, according to an eyewitness named Chinomso Aka, the group was protesting the ongoing arrest of the group’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Bala said on the other hand, “On March 31, 2023 around 11:45am, policemen in show of force within Aba metropolis came under attack by proscribed IPOB/ESN members.

“They were armed with petrol bombs, machetes, battle axes and other dangerous weapons.

“The attack was repelled by the police operatives with minimal casualties while majority of the hoodlums scampered for safety.

“However, normalcy has returned in the area.”

The Command advised anyone or any group planning to undermine the relative tranquility being enjoying in the state to reconsider their plans.

Traditional religious believers reportedly attacked worshipers inside a mosque in Ile-Ile, Osun state, injuring four people in the process.

The Muslim worshipers were reportedly inside a mosque on Thursday evening getting ready for the 4pm (Asr) prayer when the traditionalists assaulted the building while performing the Pro ritual.

It was discovered that local traditionalists had warned citizens to avoid certain areas of Ife on Wednesday because the Oro cult will be observed there between 2 and 7 p.m.

According to investigation, traditionalists flocked to the mosque in Idi-Omo, Ilare at around 4 p.m. with the intention of scattering the worshipers who were performing ablution inside the mosque’s perimeter fence.

Abdulazeez Bashir, one of the mosque’s worshippers, said that Oro devotees broke through the gate and began caning people as punishment for remaining in the ablution area.

According to Bashir, “One of them even attacked the Imam, Alhaji Abdullateef Adesiyan while coming into the mosque. He was beaten with a cane and hit him on the face with a rod.

“When I discovered that about five persons have been injured, apart from the Imam of the mosque, I had to call the Ife Chief Imam to intimate him of the happenings.

“The situation could have escalated into a big religion crisis when other Muslims begin to gather around, but the traditionalists eventually ran away. The victims were later taken to hospital for treatment”, he said.

Moses Olafare, a spokesman for Ooni, responded by saying that a peace meeting between the parties involved had brought the situation under control.

“Ife Traditional Council is on top of the matter. The leadership of Muslim community in Ife is also involved in the peace meeting currently ongoing. Muslim, traditionalists and Christians living in the town have been cohabitating in peace for centuries.

“The Ooni, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi is calling on all those involved to allow peace to reign. Security agents, leaders of the traditionalists and the leadership of the Muslim community are meeting to address the issue”, he said.

When contacted, Yemisi Opalola, the spokeswoman for the Osun Police Command, confirmed the event and said an investigation had been opened into the invasion of the mosque.

“We sent our guys to the incident, and the neighborhood is now back to normal as we look into the purported invasion of the mosque.

Ajay Banga, a citizen of the United States, has been named as the lone candidate for the role of the World Bank Group’s next president, according to the board of executive directors of the organization.

This was said in a statement released on Friday in Abuja by the World Bank.

“The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors today confirmed that, as announced on February 22, the period for submitting nominations for the position of the next President of the World Bank Group closed on Wednesday at 6:00 pm ET.

“The board received one nomination and would like to announce that Ajay Banga, a U.S. national, will be considered for the position.

“In accordance with established procedures, the Board of Executive Directors will conduct a formal interview with the candidate in Washington D.C., and expect to conclude the presidential selection in due course,” the board said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in February, US President Joe Biden nominated Banga to lead the World Bank saying that he is “well equipped” to lead the global institution at “this critical moment in history.”