Rev Sister murdered after catching prie Owerri
Rev Sister murdered after catching priest and nun in sex act finally gets justice
The dead nun's slippers were scattered on the convent kitchen floor -- one near the entrance, the other by the fridge.
Her white veil was found snagged on the door. An open bottle of water was leaking onto the tiles.
In the corner of the room was an ax.
Officers discovered the crime scene, described in court documents seen by CNN, at St. Pius X Convent Hostel in southern India on March 27, 1992.
Later that day, they found Sister Abhaya's body in a nearby well at the Indian convent, in the city of Kottayam, Kerala.
A post-mortem examination revealed she had nail marks on both sides of her neck and two lacerated wounds on her head. Her body had multiple abrasions and she had sustained a fracture to her skull.
Despite her wounds and the kitchen crime scene, no one was brought to court over Sister Abhaya's murder for 27 years. Instead, what followed was years of dead-end investigations, plagued with allegations of corruption.
Finally, last December, guilty verdicts were handed down to a priest and nun who had gone to extraordinary lengths to protect their illicit relationship. The court found Sister Abhaya had walked in on them while they were engaging a sex act in the kitchen, and killed her to conceal their sins. They were sentenced to life in prison.
After nearly three decades of fighting for justice, her family have one overriding question.
"Why did it take so long?" asks Sister Abhaya's brother, Biju Thomas.
When she died, Sister Abhaya was a student at a local college run by the Knanaya Catholic Church in Kottayam, then home to about 1.8 million people.
Among India's Hindu-majority population, 2.3% follow Christianity -- a figure that hasn't changed in more than two decades. But Kerala has a sizable Christian community, around 18% of its people.
According to India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which prosecuted the case, Sister Abhaya woke up at about 4:15am on the day of her murder to study for an exam.
She went to the ground floor kitchen to fetch some water and it was there prosecutors said she found Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy performing a sex act. Father Kottoor taught psychology at the school and Sister Sephy was in charge of the convent hostel where the act took place.
Prosecutors said the pair "maintained an illicit relationship".
The night before the murder, prosecutors said the priest snuck onto the convent grounds and stayed in Sister Sephy's room, which was on the ground floor of the hostel, near the kitchen.
When they realized the young nun had seen them in a compromising position, the pair hit her on the back of the head with a small ax kept in the kitchen, then threw her body into a well on the hostel grounds.
The details of what happened that night didn't come to light until years later, after immense pressure from activists and the young nun's family. Her father, in particular, refused to give up.
The first investigation into Sister Abhaya's death was opened by the Kottayam West Police Crime Branch on the day her body was found. A year later, it concluded the cause of her death was suicide.
But Sister Abhaya's father, Matthew Thomas, refused to accept their version of events and urged the CBI, the nation's premier investigation agency, to take over the case.
They picked it up in 1993, but for 12 years did not charge anyone for her death. Instead, between 1993 and 2005, the CBI filed four reports, including three closure petitions, urging the Chief Judicial Magistrate to drop the case.
In their first report, they agreed with Kottayam police that the cause of death was "suicide by drowning." However, it was not accepted by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, and the case was reopened.
Their second report, published in 1996, was inconclusive -- they could not determine if it was suicide or homicide. Investigators once again urged the case to be closed. This was once again rejected.
Their third report, published in 1999, stated it was a homicide but didn't nominate any suspects. This was rejected as "unsatisfactory" by the Chief Judicial Magistrate.
Yet another report was filed in 2005, reiterating the case was "untraced," as they could not identify any suspects. And once again, it was rejected by the Chief Judicial Magistrate.
After this, the investigation was transferred from the CBI New Delhi branch to the CBI in the southern city of Cochin in Kerala.
Finally, in 2009, the CBI formally charged Father Kottoor and Sister Sephy with murder, as well as another priest, Father Jose Poothrikkayil, who police said was involved in the killing.
All three denied the charge, as well as allegations of conducting an improper relationship.
They filed a dismissal request to get the case dropped, and it took another nine years before a judge ordered Father Kottoor and Sister Sephy to face trial. Charges against Father Poothrikkayil were dropped due to lack of evidence.
On August 5, 2019, the trial finally began.
Prosecutors argued that Father Kottoor and Sister Sephy went to remarkable lengths to cover up their relationship and crime.
According to the CBI, Sister Sephy underwent hymenoplasty, a cosmetic fix to restore or reconstruct her hymen, the day before her arrest in 2008, to make it appear that she was still a virgin.
In court, prosecutors accused police officers from the Kottayam West Crime Branch of tampering with evidence and destroying documents crucial to the investigation.
"It is reasonable to suppose that Father Kottoor had at his control the immense resources of the diocese in terms of money and material, and could command the obedience of priests, nuns, and laymen," the prosecution said.
Prosecutors alleged lead investigators, including the Superintendent and the Deputy Superintendent of the police, were instrumental in the cover up.
The judge agreed with the prosecution's assertions that early police investigators fabricated and destroyed evidence, including the plastic bottle, Sister Abhaya's slippers, and her white veil.
He ordered the state's police head to ensure that "such misdeeds on the part of the police" do not occur in future.
Only one charge was made against an investigating officer, but that was dropped in 2008 after he died.
At least one other lead investigator from the Kottayam West Police Crime Branch, who was accused of fabricating and destroying evidence, also died before the case concluded.
Father Kottoor maintains his innocence.
"I have done no wrong. God is with me," he told local reporters as he arrived in court on December 23 for the sentencing hearing.
His lawyer said the case relied entirely on circumstantial evidence. "There is no conclusive evidence," said Father Kottoor's lawyer, B. Sivdas. "And there was a delay in the investigation, a delay in finding the accused, there were so many loopholes. The court convicted them because the case became a sensation."
Sister Abhaya -- born Beena Thomas -- was a "polite and quiet child," according to her brother, Biju Thomas. They grew up in Kottayam, and were "devout Catholics and followers of Jesus Christ."
"I remember when she was about five or six, she began taking a huge interest in God and the Bible," said Thomas, now 51 and living in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. "She would read the Bible religiously, and take comfort in its teachings. Everyone loved her. She was always laughing."
Sister Abhaya was 19 when she was "called to a religious life," according to Thomas. The family had relatives in Germany and Italy who were also nuns. Thomas said that his sister admired the respect they received, and the work that they did.
"She wanted to be respected also, and devote her life to Jesus," he said.
Thomas was 24 when he was told that his sister had died by suicide. "I was so confused because she was happy, and she was following her dream. Why would she have killed herself?" he said.
Thomas traveled back to Kottayam town, from the state of Gujarat where he was studying, to be with his family and take care of his sister's funeral arrangements. Several days later, he visited her body in the morgue and read the postmortem report that revealed his sister had head injuries and nail marks to her neck.
"These to me showed that something had happened to her before she was thrown in the well," he said.
Sister Sephy filed an eight-page written statement stating that Sister Abhaya suffered from "psychological depression." She claimed that Sister Abhaya came from an "economically weak family and was not good enough in her studies."
Some other nuns were "staunch upholders" of the suicide theory, according to the final judgment. They "endeavored to give all support to the accused," the judgment said.
"It was very hurtful to hear those things said about my sister," said Thomas. "She didn't kill herself. She was silenced."
Sister Abhaya's father -- a low-wage farmer -- fought tooth and nail for his daughter, Thomas said.
"We were poor people, we didn't have much money," said Thomas. "But my father would travel for hours a day by bus to probe the police to reopen the case and give us the truth."
"He suffered a lot," said Thomas. "He always said 'someone killed my Beena. I am sure of it'."
Activist pushed for answers
Days after news broke of Sister Abhaya's death, the suspicious nature of the case piqued the interest of a young activist, Jomon Puthenpurackal.
"When I heard details about (Sister Abhaya's) case -- the overturned fruit basket, the ax in the kitchen, her slippers in different positions -- I knew immediately that something bad had happened to her," said Puthenpurackal, who said he was inspired by Kottayam-based freedom fighter, K E Mammen, to "do good in the world."
"I knew she hadn't committed suicide, like the police and the Church said," he said.
Puthenpurackal soon formed an Action Council to get justice for the murdered nun. He took a signed petition, along with Sister Abhaya's father, to the CBI, detailing all the allegations of corruption and listing key witnesses.
Every time the CBI filed a petition to close the case, Puthenpurackal kept the pressure on, using the Indian media to keep the case in the public eye, and urging investigators to dig deeper.
There was one witness, in particular, who had testimony Puthenpurackal felt was key to convicting the case. Adacka Raju was a "thief by profession," according to court documents. He had trespassed onto the hostel campus on the night of the murder to steal copper plates from the terrace, which he planned to sell, according to court documents.
Raju had stolen copper plates from the hostel twice before. But on his third attempt -- the night of the murder -- he told the court that he saw two men approaching the staircase. He identified one of them as Father Kottoor.
During the trial, defense lawyers vehemently argued against Raju's version of events and sought to discredit him, by branding him untrustworthy and a "man of no integrity." They also alleged that he was a witness planted by the prosecution.
The prosecution, however, said Raju was taken into custody by the Crime Branch and kept in the station for 58 days. He was subjected to "inhumane torture" by officers there, who tried to extract a confession to pin the murder on him.
"He stood his ground and did not budge even an inch," according to the prosecution. "He was offered a substantial monetary reward and a job for his wife and the meeting of the educational expenses of his children and a house to live in, but he did not succumb to these blandishments."
The police even arrested an acquaintance of Raju's, and tortured him for two days, according to court documents seen by CNN. The judge stated that the acquaintance's brother was also arrested and tortured for six days. He was repeatedly told to testify that Raju had committed Sister Abhaya's murder.
"Raju faced many difficulties in coming forward," said Puthenpurackal. "(The defense) completely dehumanized him. But he was one of the only witnesses who stood his ground, despite the mounting pressure."
"I dedicated my life to this case and I wanted to see it through the end," said Puthenpurackal, who continued to pursue the case even when it endangered his safety.
Father Kottoor threatened Puthenpurackal at a protest for Sister Abhaya. According to court documents, Father Kottoor warned Puthenpurackal that he would be "handled in the proper manner," also pointing out that "no one working against the church had ever been spared."
Because religious authorities in India are held in such high regard, victims often find it difficult to come forward if their perpetrators are involved with the church, according to the former president of the All India Catholic Union, John Dayal.
However, in recent years a number of victims in Kerala have come forward to seek justice.
In April 2019, Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal was charged with raping a nun multiple times between 2014 and 2016. A group of nuns who spoke against his alleged abuse claimed the church attempted to transfer them to other parts of the country, in a bid to silence them. Mulakkal, who is now based in the northern state of Punjab, has denied all allegations.
Former Catholic priest, Robin Vadakkumchery was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2019 for raping a 16-year-old girl in Kerala. The incident came to light only after the victim gave birth in February 2017.
The victim and her parents attempted to redirect focus away from the priest. Her father went as far as telling the court that he was the one who raped his daughter.
Sister Abhaya's parents died in 2015, before their daughters' attackers were brought to justice.
"I just wish my parents could have been here to see it happen," said Thomas, Sister Abhaya's brother. "That's all they ever wanted."
Thomas said he "can rest in peace" and move on with his life, now that the case is finally over.
However, he said he still struggles to reconcile his sister's love for the church with the horror of what happened that night -- and the fact that those who purported to share her faith were the ones who "took her away."
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COURT OF APPEAL UPHOLDS HON JOHN IWUALA AS IMO APGA CHAIRMAN
The Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, Presided over by Justice Lukolu Sodibe, today 20th day of January, 2021, struck out the interlocutory appeal filed by some APGA members, trying to dismiss the order given earlier by Justice Ngozi Ukoha of the High Court of Owerri.
You will recall that in her ruling, Justice Ukoha ordered the Party to revert to *Status Quo Ante bellum* and restrained the products of the purported Wards, LGAs and State Congresses of APGA in 2019 from presenting, parading or holding themselves out as executives of the party until the substantive suit is heard and determined. *Status Quo Ante bellum* in this sense means that the Caretaker Committee set by the NWC of APGA prior to the Congresses must be in place and oversee the running of the party in the state pending the final determination of the substantive suit before the court.
The products of the purported Congresses appealed the ruling of the lower court seeking the vacation of High Court order of which today, the Court of Appeal dismissed the interlocutory appeal filed by the counsel to the appellants, Chief Emeka Nwagwu, SAN.
In his argument, Chuef Emeka Nwagwu, SAN said that the lower court has no jurisdiction to take the decision it took and therefore the order should be vacated.
Reacting to what Chief Emeka Nwagu, SAN said before the appeal court, Fintan Illika Esq. argued that the court has jurisdiction to make the order it made, citing section 87, sub-section 9 of the Electoral Act which allows the court to question if the procedures of any Political party congress was or was not followed or if it is against the party electoral guidelines and constitution. Fintan Illika Esq further argued that it is premature in this case for the appeal court to intervene in the matter as it has not been fully heard and determined at the lower court.
In their ruling today, the Justices at the appeal court presiding over the matter unanimously agreed and struck out the appeal filed by Emeka Nwagwu, SAN and ordered that the matter should be returned to the High Court for the substantive issues to be heard and determined.
By virtue of today's Court of Appeal ruling, Hon John Iwuala remains the state Chairman of APGA in Imo state while parties await the reassignment of the matter from Court of Appeal to High Court, Owerri.
Mbah Adrian Uche
Reporting live from Court of Appeal, Owerri Division
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PRESIDENCY CAUTIONS MUSLIM GROUPS AGAINST THREATENING KUKAH
• _SOKAPU youths vow to retaliate attack on cleric_
The Presidency has condemned Sokoto-based Muslim Solidarity Forum (MSF) for calling on the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Dr. Matthew Kukah, to tender unreserved apology to the Muslims, or quietly and quickly leave the state, over his controversial Christmas essay.
Professor Isa Maishanu of MSF had described the essay as “malicious comment” against Islam.
In a statement yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu, the Presidency said MSF’s comment “is wrong because it is not in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
According to Shehu, under Nigeria’s constitution, every citizen has the right to, among others, freedom of speech and expression, the right to own property and reside in any part of the country, and the right to move freely without any inhibition.
“The Sultanate has historically had good relations with followers of all faiths. That is why Fr. Kukah was received on his arrival in Sokoto with friendship and tolerance.
“Under our laws, groups or factions must not give quit notices, neither should they unilaterally sanction any perceived breaches. Where they occur, it is the courts of law that should adjudicate,” he added, urging groups like MSF to share and uphold the country’s multi-religious principles.
BUT the Youth Wing of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has vowed to retaliate any form of attack on Kukah, over his recent message on Nigeria’s woes.
It was reacting to Maishanu’s statement, asking Kukah to vacate the Seat of the Caliphate.
National leader of the SOKAPU youth wing, John Isaac, pointed out that MSF was trying to incite the peace-loving people of Sokoto and some Northerners against the cleric over his Christmas essay, in which, “out of patriotism, he voiced out the obvious truth.’
The SOKAPU statement entitled ‘Enough of the Bigotry and Senseless Attacks on Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, lamented: “Prof. Maishanu could descend so low, throwing caution to the wind and toeing the path of religious rascality and bigotry by deliberately attempting to paint the bishop’s message in religious colour and further inciting the general Muslim Ummah against the bishop.
Kukah had written in his Christmas essay: “Every honest Nigerian knows that there is no way any non-Northern Muslim President could have done a fraction of what President Muhammadu Buhari has done with his nepotism and got away with it.”
Isaac said the demeaning call by “the so-called professor” for Kukah to apologise to the Muslim Ummah or quietly leave Sokoto was not just ridiculous and unacceptable, but an affront to the rights of all Nigerians to live freely in any part of the country.
His words: “We believe that the reckless statement credited to the professor does not, in anyway, reflect the position of a responsible group such as MSF.
“While we call on the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest Maishanu to serve as deterrent to those already misled by his unguarded statements and prevent a religious war.”
The youths and people of Southern Kaduna will not accept further attacks on the person and character of Bishop Kukah under any pretence, as neither Maishanu nor any person or group can mourn more than the bereaved, he added.
“The bishop’s message was directed at the powers-that-be and cannot in any way be said to have been directed at Muslims and Islam, a religion well-known to profess peace.
“The youths of Southern Kaduna, therefore, vow to retaliate any form of attack directed or aimed at putting the bishop in harm’s way by any group of ethnic loyalists, religious extremists and enthusiasts.”
_Gracemedia_
18+: FED. APPOINTEE IN IMO PCC EXPOSES SELF INTEREST s3x TAPE WITH 2 LADIES [VIDEO]
Willy Amadi, a lawyer and and federal appointee in Imo State Office of the Public Complaint Commission has exposed himself in a leaked video he filmed himself.
In the leaked video that is now circulating on the internet, Amadi is seen in a room with what seem like two ladies making out.
The X-rated video has obviously attracted backlash.
You can watch below ?
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THE RELEASE OF BISHOP MOSES CHIKWE AND MR. NDUBUISI ROBERT
With gratitude to God, I hereby inform all Christ's Faithful and People of Goodwill everywhere that at about 10:00pm on the first day of January 2021, His Lordship, Most Rev. Moses Chikwe and Mr. Ndubuisi Robert, his driver, who were abducted in the evening of Sunday the 27th December, 2020 were finally released.
I personally visited and saw Bishop Chikwe in his residence at about 10:45pm
looking and feeling very weak from the traumatic experience.
Nevertheless, we continue to thank Almighty God for His goodness to us.
At the time of my visit, Mr. Ndubuisi Robert, the driver, was unavailable because he had been speedily taken to the hospital for the treatment of a deep cut he received on his hand from the kidnappers.
I gratefully acknowledge that the Imo State Government through the Directorate of
Security Services and the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Nigeria Police Force and the Anambra State Government through the Chief Security Office of the State, combined their efforts to attain the release of Bishop Chikwe and Mr. Ndubuisi Robert, his driver.
I sincerely thank the Holy Father, Pope Francis for mentioning the captivity of Bishop Moses Chikwe and Mr. Ndubuisi Robert and praying for their release at his New Year Angelus Message at the Vatican just hours before they regained their freedom.
I am very grateful to the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Antonio G. Filipazi, for keeping in touch with me and the Vatican authorities during this painful saga. To all the Cardinals, Catholic Bishops, Priests, Religious and Laity in Nigeria and across the world, I say immense thanks for your fervent prayers and supplication. I equally thank other Christians and People of Goodwill for their spiritual and humane solidarity during this painful period.
God bless you all.
ANTHONY J.v.OBINNA
Archbishop of Owerri
+"wishing you grace and peace.
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"IMO STATE ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN IS THE WORST AMONG ALL I HAVE BEEN TO" - Amb Luke laments
Amb Luke Eberegbulam and family made a Christmas visit to the imo state zoological garden on 26th of December 2020.
While moving round the Imo state zoological garden with family he lamented bitterly "is this an amusement park or zoo, in a well developed zoo you will see different types of Animal, in the case of imo state zoological garden I can pinpoint the animals in it, very few in number. At the entrance you are decisived by the drawings on the wall indicating different types of Animal I call it fake advert if it's fake then in summaryits Scam, all the animals that are drawn on the fence of imo state zoological garden non is in the zoological garden".
Speaking with _Gracemedia_ he said " It is the duty of the state government to see that the zoo is well equipped becauseyear to year what we see in the state zoological garden remains the same, the government should stop demolishing projects done by the formal administration rather the State government should do things that will make imo state the best state in Nigeria, demolishing projects made by the formal administration is a total set back in imo state".
He further gave a massage to the governor of imo state " Imo state is in your care, for the past seven months you have been in office imolites have experienced set back, workers are not paid, you dismissed workers without payment all in the name of COVID-19, pensioners die each day, you pay few and call others ghost pensioners and still telling the to submit their pension documents, the same people you called ghost pensioners some recieved one month pension instead of eight months. Why must you demolish projects if the formal administration, if you really love imolites as you claim what will stop you from using that money you use in demolishing and reconstructing unnecessary things in imo to pay your workers and senior citizens. Why not use it and equip the zoological garden. You really have alot undone in imo state and you are indirectly fight SEN. ROCHAS OKOROCHA. Our pensioners are unhappy, youths dislike your administration, workers hate your administration the little ones (our children) also hates your administration hence you can't equip the imo state zoological garden."
Amb Luke called on the Government of imo state led by Dist Sen. Hope Uzodinma to clear all their debts by paying the pensioner who are being owed since the court affirmed him as the governor of imo state.
_Gracemedia_
501 FRESH COVID-19 CASES TAKE NIGERIA’s TOTAL TO 78, 434. DEATHS, RECOVERIES UPDATED
Nigeria’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 has increased to 78,434 as the country recoreded 501 fresh infections on Sunday, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Of this total figure, 68,303 patients had been discharged and 1,221 deaths recorded in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Lagos State remained the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria, with the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the country.
Several states governments had alerted people in their various states on the onset of second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
A breakdown of the latest COVID-19 confirmed cases revealed the following: Lagos (218), FCT (112), Kaduna (53), Plateau ( 24), Katsina (21), Kano (16), Yobe (14), Ondo (10), Ogun (9), Edo (7), Bayelsa (5), Rivers (4), Borno (4) Osun (2) and, Ekiti (2).
“Total confirmed COVID-19 cases: 78, 434
Discharged: 68, 303 AND Deaths: 1, 221.”
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Refrain from baseless reporting, Hon. Gumi advises Sahara Reporters
Honourable Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi, member representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives has called on journalists and media managers to stop going to press with unsubstantiated reports.
Gumi believes journalism is a noble profession whose ethics must be respected by all those who practice the profession and or call themselves journalists.
He wondered why Sahara Reporters would head to press without verifying a baseless allegation levelled against the Government of Zamfara State and the person of
Dr. Bello Muhammad Matawalle; insisting that best practice requires journalists and media managers to balance all reports where possible before going to press, regrettably, this very important requirement was violated even when the reporter had every opportunity to verify the allegations.
The lawmaker noted that His Excellency, Governor Matawalle runs an open government in Zamfara. His commitment towards the return of peace to Zamfara is unwavering and has been in the full glare for Nigerians to see.
He said at no point did Governor Matawalle reward repentant bandits with vehicles. He challenged all those with proof of evidence to show that the governor gifted vehicles to bandits to make them public. He said he knows how dear the people of Zamfara are to the heart of Governor Matawalle and how he is willing to get to any length possible within the law to see that they are protected.
Gumi called on the Governor to remain focused and not to be distracted by the schemes of his adversary, adding that the days of politics are over and all and sundry must work in the overall interest of the Zamfara people.
Sam Vincent
Press Secretary to Hon. Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi
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BEFORE YOU THREATEN BISHOP MATTHEW KUKAH
"the Christmas message of bishop Kukah is a compedously articulated voices of all sane Nigerians crying against a government that has butchered governance and desecrate the little achievement of a striving Nation."
Most Northern elites and their tentacles, it seems to me, are addicted to using threats in reacting or responding to opinions on National issues that are contrary to theirs. Perhaps they failed to comprehend the simple truth that: Nigeria, is one nation that belongs to many people of diverse culture, tradition and beliefs, thus besides the variation of human beings, the diversity that characterized our local societies along is capable of planting opinions that'll appear more diverse than the individuality of the citizens and this, no doubt, will reflect in noway other than one person's opinion being different From that of the other.
I earnestly believe that, such difference, no matter the scourge it rage on our emotions, most not only be accepted as being a highly effective catalyst of development, but must be welcomed as a necessary ingredient of both development, growth and peace in any society that truly aspire for betterment.
By acceptance, I do not mean that we must agree with opinions that disagree with ours neither do I suggest that we shouldn't express our disagreement and reservations . Rather I think it is unwise for anyone to react to someone's opinion in a way and manner that threatens the physical dignity and fundamental human Rights of the person. Thus, I'd mean that one should seize such precious opportunity to depose the ignorance that inspired such contrary (perceived wrong) opinion, using argument that stems from superior knowledge, and wisdom.
What is new In the Christmas message of bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, that The Nigerian citizens have not said? There's nothing that the bishop wrote in his message that have not been said by others. And so, the Christmas message of bishop Kukah is a compedously articulated voices of all sane Nigerians crying against a government that has butchered governance and desecrate the little achievement of a striving Nation.
The bishop wrote his Christmas message in an effort to remedy the catastrophically stormy calamity that is thundering the ground- earthquaking the foundations of this our dear nation. If you disagree with him, invest your boiling thoughts in averting the dangers and threats against our freedom, independence, nation and unity that governless government (s) have, over the years, plunge us into. The only question on my mind if I'm avail the opportunity to directly asked those who thought it wise to reproach the esteemed bishop with hard threats is whether such will right the wrongs, light the dark night, and destroy the destruction that is destroying our country today.
Since the day president Muhammadu Buhari came to power, we've been faced with one major challenge that threatens our unity. It is not a new challenge. It always stick it's neck out of thesame circumstances that led to the Nigerian-biafra war. The waves of religious intolerance, and the seeming self coronation of some Northerners as the senior citizens and prefects, with special rights and privileges, elevated and placed above other citizens who merely exist with little or no rights of theirs. This have continue to be the major factor responsible for the expansion of the crack on our fragile unity.
I must warn that no citizen is superior to another. Nigeria is a nation of citizens with equal rights and no one have been conferred with such special authority to deny others citizens the right to live in any part of the nation.
Thus, those who are chanting that Kukah must live sokoto and the ones who threatens his life must be schooled on the consequences of the lyrics of their carelessly composed song. They must be warned that the deployment of such venomous senseless aggression is in itself a call to war and no war have ever served men of sane mind with any good.
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মুজিববর্ষ উপলক্ষে প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনার উপহার : ভিডিও কনফারেন্সের মাধ্যমে যশোরে ২৯০টি ভূমিহীন পরিবারের মাঝে আনুষ্ঠানিক ভাবে জমির দলিলপত্র প্রদান
Rongdhonu News :
মুজিববর্ষ উপলক্ষে প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনা দেশের ৪৯২টি উপজেলার ৬৬ হাজার ১৮৯ ভূমিহীন ও গৃহহীন পরিবারকে জমি ও ঘর উপহার দিলেন। অসহায়-বঞ্চিত মানুষদের থাকার ব্যবস্থা করে দিয়ে তিনি বলেন, ‘এটাই মুজিববর্ষের সব থেকে বড় উৎসব। সবার মানসম্মত জীবন প্রতিষ্ঠার লক্ষ্যেই এ ব্যবস্থা গ্রহণ করা হয়েছে। এতে জাতির পতিা বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিবুর রহমানের আত্মা শান্তি পাবে। শনিবার (২৩ জানুয়ারি) প্রধানমন্ত্রীর ভিডিও কনফারেন্সের মাধ্যমে এসব পরিবারকে ঘর বুঝিয়ে দেন। বঙ্গবন্ধু স্যাটেলাইটের মাধ্যমে আজই প্রথম প্রধানমন্ত্রী ভার্চুয়ালি যুক্ত হন। ৪৯২টি উপজেলা থেকে সংশ্লিষ্ট কর্মকর্তা, উপকার ভোগী এবং জনপ্রতিনিধি ও রাজনীতিবিদরা এতে সংযুক্ত হন। প্রধানমন্ত্রী কর্মসূচির উদ্বোধনের পর নিজ নিজ উপজেলার নির্বাহী কর্মকর্তারা পক্ষে গৃহহীনদের হাতে জমি ও বাড়ির দলিল তুলে দেন। এসময় যশোর সদর উপজেলা পরিষদের সম্মেলন কক্ষে উপস্থিত ছিলেন যশোরের জেলা প্রশাসক মোঃ তমিজুল ইসলাম খান, অতিরিক্ত জেলা প্রশাসক (সার্বিক) রফিকুল ইসলাম, যশোর সদর উপজেলা পরিষদের ইউএনও মোঃ কামরুজ্জামান খান, সিনিয়ার সহ কমিশনার ও নির্বাহী ম্যাজিষ্ট্রেট মঈনুল ইসলাম মঈন এবং যশোর সদর সহকারী কমিশনার (ভূমি) মোঃ জাকির হোসেন, জেলা ভূমি অধিগ্রহন কমকর্তা তানজিলা আক্তার ও যশোর কোতয়ালী থানার ভারপ্রাপ্ত কর্মকর্তা মোঃ মনিরুজ্জামান এবং যশোর সদর থানার ১৩টি ইউনিয়ন ভূমি সহকারী কর্মকর্তা ও কর্মচারী বৃন্দ। এসময় যশোর সদর সহকারী কমিশনার (ভূমি) মোঃ জাকির হোসেন যশোরের ২৯০টি ভূমিহীন পরিবারের জমির দলিল, খতিয়ান, পর্চা ও নামজারি পর্চা সকলের মাঝে বুঝিয়ে দেন। এসময় সরকার প্রধানকে ভূমিহীন পরিবার গুলো পক্ষ থেকে মাননিয় প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনাকে ধন্যবাদ ও কৃতজ্ঞতা জানান। প্রধানমন্ত্রীর কার্যালয়ের সূত্র জানায়, প্রতিটি পরিবারকে দুই শতাংশ জমি এবং দুই কক্ষ বিশিষ্ট ঘর দেওয়া হয়েছে। পর্যায়ক্রমে আরও এক লাখ পরিবারকে ঘর ও জমি দেওয়া হবে।
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Astronaut Tim Peake reveals Queen's Brian May played for International Space Station's crew - Daily Mail
Moments before lift-off, British astronaut Major Tim Peake calmed his nerves with a rendition of Queen's iconic Don't Stop Me Now.
Moments before lift-off, British astronaut Major Tim Peake calmed his nerves with a rendition of Queens iconic Dont Stop Me Now. Then, after burning through the sky to the International Space Station, he was treated to a truly out- of-this-world performance. The 48-year-old today reveals how the bands guitarist Brian May, who is also an astrophysicist, serenaded the crew as they orbited 248 miles above Earth. Moments before lift-off, British astronaut Major Tim Peake calmed his nerves with a rendition of Queens iconic Dont Stop Me Now Major Peake, who blasted off in December 2015, told Desert Island Discs: We are allowed to make a couple of calls from the Space Station to people we really want to speak to. One of those for me was Brian May. So I rang him up from the Space Station, we had a video call, me and my crew mates, and it was wonderful. He had just been playing in concert. We took him on a tour of the Space Station and he played a little music for us live. So it was fantastic. The astronaut chose Dont Stop Me Now as one of his castaway tracks. While he did not quite travel at the speed of light, as the song describes, the astronaut revealed how the crew prepare for the 18,000mph rocket journey to the base. We are allowed to choose three tracks before we launch. They are actually played into the Soyuz capsule when you are sat there in the five minutes before launch. Its designed to take your mind off what is about to happen. I thought what could be better than listening to Dont Stop Me Now just before you launch into space. It still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck every time I hear it. The 48-year-old today reveals how the bands guitarist Brian May, who is also an astrophysicist, serenaded the crew as they orbited 248 miles above Earth Major Peake, who trained as a helicopter pilot with the Army, wondered whether his six-month stint in space meant he was better able to cope with the deprivations of lockdown. He also revealed how, before the trip to space, the crew spent a week living in a cave and 12 days underwater to deal with both confinement and isolation. He said: I have thought about it an awful lot. Everybody has been launched into a year of various lockdowns with no preparation, no training, no guidance or advice as to what you can do to make your life easier. We stick to structure and routine on a space station to help us to make sure everybody knows what to do, when to do it, to manage expectations, to avoid conflict. Major Peake served with the military in Northern Ireland, Kenya and Bosnia, and met his wife Rebecca while stationed in Germany. Recalling a secondment with the US military and how he might have to fly attack missions in Afghanistan, he says: You make that decision very early in your military career really that you are there to defend what you believe are the principles of democracy, to keep people safe, your loved ones safe and also our nation safe. lDesert Island Discs is on BBC Radio 4 today at 11am and is repeated on Friday at 9am.
