The man whose death sparked US unrest

A memorial service will be held at 1300 local time in Minneapolis today for the man whose death has set off more than a week of unrest in the US.

But who was the man?

Before the image of George Floyd lying under the knee of a policeman set off shock, anger and protests across the US, the arch of his life crossed crests and troughs.

There were highs, as when he, as a teenager in Houston, played American football for the 1992 Texas state champion runners-up Yates High School Lions.

There were lows, as when he was arrested for robbery in 2007 and served five years in prison.

But mostly, it would seem that Floyd, who was 46 when he died in Minneapolis on 25 May, 2020, was simply trying to live life as any other American, in search of betterment in the face of both personal and societal challenges.

BBC

Duchess of Sussex: 'George Floyd's life mattered'

The Duchess of Sussex has issued a personal message about the impact of George Floyd's death in the United States, saying his life "mattered".

Addressing students graduating from her former school in Los Angeles, California, Meghan called on young people and students at the school to come together to rebuild society.

Taraba youths stop soldier from committing suicide

For over an hour, residents of Jalingo, Taraba State, have been struggling to save a military man from committing suicide.

The soldier, whose name is given as Ali, has climbed the Welcome to Taraba Roadblock Tower -over 24fts high, and is threatening to jump down.

He is speaking in Hausa and pidgin, saying: “I want to die. Allow me to jump down and die.” But the youth who have gathered there are begging him: “Please do not jump. We don’t want you to die.”Ali is seen on the high altitude Tower, attempting severally to jump down, but the people are trying to make sure they save him if he jumps. But they say they prefer he changes his mind and does not jump.

Witnesses said the soldier’s behaviour attracted their attention when they spotted him on top of the tower pulling and throwing down the items of clothing on him.

“We noticed someone climbing the place and pulling off his clothes. We got there to discover he is someone we know. He was left with under pant and an inner vest and poised to jump. We went close and began to beg him,” an eyewitness said.

A close look reveals he has an injury on his left kneecap, which he bandaged.

The Nation

Former Commanders Fault Trump's Use of Troops Against Protesters

Retired senior military leaders condemned their successors in the Trump administration for ordering military units Monday to rout those peacefully protesting police violence near the White House.

As military helicopters flew low over the nation’s capital and National Guard units moved into many cities, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, publicly aligned themselves behind a president who chose chemical spray and rubber bullets to clear peaceful protesters from a park so that he could stage a photo op at a nearby church.

In so doing, Esper, who described the country as a “battlespace” to be cleared, and Milley, who wore combat fatigues on the streets of the capital, thrust the 2 million active-duty and reserve service members into the middle of a confrontation in which the “enemy” was not foreign, but domestic.

The reaction has been swift and furious.

Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote on Twitter that “America is not a battleground. Our fellow citizens are not the enemy.”

Gen. Tony Thomas, the former head of the Special Operations Command, tweeted: “The ‘battle space’ of America??? Not what America needs to hear … ever, unless we are invaded by an adversary or experience a constitutional failure … ie a Civil War.”

Adm. Mike Mullen, another former chairman, wrote in the Atlantic: “Whatever Trump’s goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country, gave succor to the leaders of other countries who take comfort in our domestic strife, and risked further politicizing the men and women of our armed forces.”

The New York Times

Govt: if you’re 55 and above, avoid mosques, churches

The Federal Government on Tuesday gave an advice to Nigerians: If you are 55 years old and above, avoid churches and mosques.

Those with health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, HIV, among others, are also enjoined to stay at home to worship, the government added.

It noted that the advice was necessary because places of worship have been recognised as a major avenue of potential spread of Coronavirus.

The Nation.

Worship Centres Remain Shut, say Lagos, Oyo, Kwara, Kaduna

Oyo and Kwara states are not about to unlock religious centres in spite of the window for reopening provided by the Federal Government.

Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs Prince Anofiu Elegushi said as a result of disagreement at a meeting of religious leaders with the government, the reopening of religious centres was put in abeyance.He said during the ministerial briefing on the activities of the state government yesterday that: ‘’Even before the pronouncement by the Federal Government, we have been having meeting with the religious leaders, we even had one with the Safety Commission. Looking at the possibility of reopening of religious houses.

‘’We also had one with the leaders of the two faiths and I want to tell you categorically that at that meeting, the possibility of reopening religious houses was ruled out totally.

‘’They claimed that they cannot take such responsibility of ensuring that only 20 or 50 people are praying behind them. Like an Imam said he doesn’t know what is going on behind him whenever he is leading a prayer. He said if more than 20 or 50 people are staying at his back, he is not going to take responsibility for their presence.

‘’So, the meeting, we ruled out in totality the issue of reopening the religious houses until we have a clear coast for us to do so. The Federal Government mentioned it, but it never ruled out the states in achieving that pronouncement, so all states will have to look at the possibility of doing so in their respective states.

‘’We all know Lagos is still having more figures.”

The Nation

Barakat: Raped and Murdered

An 18-year-old Muslim girl, identified as Bello Barakat, was reportedly gang raped and murdered by unknown men in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.

The incident was said to have occurred on Tuesday in Akinyele area of Ibadan, Oyo state.

It was gathered that her dad found her dead body around their home, after her body was examined, they discovered that she was raped, then she got murdered.

The Nation