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Central African Republic: Tens of thousands afraid to leave the bush
GENEVA – In the Central African Republic, tens of thousands of people who dare not leave the bush because of the lack of security are vulnerable to malaria and diseases caused by consuming unsafe water.
“Even though the authorities of the Central African Republic and the international community are working to boost the presence of security forces in the provinces, tens of thousands of people have been forced by the lack of security to take refuge in the bush, where their living and hygiene conditions are appalling,” said Georgios Georgantas, who heads the ICRC’s delegation in the country. “The authorities have a responsibility to re-establish public order. When law and order is restored, health care and other public services should resume, and living conditions should improve.”
“The current situation is extremely worrying. People who have taken refuge in the bush often have to drink poor-quality or contaminated water,” said Mr Georgantas. “Finding something to eat is also a problem for many. These living conditions make the displaced people, especially young children and pregnant women, extremely vulnerable to disease. In much of the country, however, health care is unavailable.”
To help people finding themselves in this situation in the Kaga Bandoro area, in the central part of the country, the ICRC has opened two mobile clinics. More than 5,000 people, including 390 expectant mothers and almost 1,000 children under five years of age stricken with malaria, have been examined in the past month. “Most of the people who come in for treatment are suffering mainly from malaria, respiratory infections due to cold nights, or diarrhoea caused by drinking unsafe water,” said Dr Bonaventure Bazirutwabo, who is in charge of the ICRC’s health programmes in the country.
The ICRC also has a community-based malaria programme under way that is of assistance to 500 people every week. Malaria is the leading cause of death in the Central African Republic. “In addition to providing people with direct support, in partnership with the Central African Red Cross Society we raise awareness among all armed men of the fact that they must not target medical personnel or facilities,” said Dr Bazirutwabo.
The production of corn, millet, sorghum and cowpeas has been adequate this year. “We remain concerned by the lack of security, which prevents small traders from selling food products, the price of which is plummeting, and to obtain in exchange basic necessities such as sugar, salt and soap, the price of which is soaring,” said Mr Georgantas.
The ICRC has distributed one-month rations of corn, beans, cooking oil and salt to host families in Yaloké and to families dispersed by violence, particularly in the Gaga area some 200 kilometres north-west of Bangui. Around 12,000 people received the food aid in Bossambele, Yaloké, Zawa and Békadili.
Over the past month, together with the Central African Red Cross Society, the ICRC has:
• organized the transfer of 12 war-wounded patients to the community hospital of Bangui and 14 other patients to the hospital in Kaga Bandoro;
• reunited 14 children with their families;
• visited more than 100 people held at the Ngaragba detention centre in Bangui;
• given more than 55,000 kilos of chemicals to the national water board for treating the water used by 400,000 people living in and around Bangui;
• built 64 emergency latrines in Bossangoa, and organized hygiene information sessions attended by more than 37,000 people;
• provided 250,000 litres of water every day in Ndélé for more than 10,000 people through the water board;
• built seven latrines and upgraded six borehole pumps in Bouca;
• attended to the needs of nearly 2,000 people in Obo and Birao, in the east of the country.
Embattled Nigerian pastor and founder of SPAC Nation, Tobi Adegboyega, has defended his opulent lifestyle, claiming it serves to inspire young people rather than flaunt wealth.
This statement comes amid a UK Immigration Upper Tribunal ruling ordering his deportation over visa violations.
Adegboyega, 44, faced accusations of overstaying his visitor visa, which expired after he arrived in the UK in 2005.
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He had applied to remain in the country on human rights grounds. The tribunal, however, ruled against him, citing his failure to regularize his status.
The pastor’s luxurious lifestyle, including designer clothing and expensive cars, was a focal point of the case.
Addressing the tribunal, Adegboyega stated that his lifestyle is fully funded by his wife, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 annually at AON.
He said, “I live with my partner, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 per year working for AON. I spend my time working for the church, for which I am unpaid. I am entirely supported by Mary. I have a first-class law degree from Nigeria, but I have ‘sacrificed’ my legal career to help those who cannot help themselves.”
Defending his appearance, Adegboyega emphasized the importance of projecting success to his young congregation.
The court noted, “For instance, people have pointed to the fact that he wears designer clothing and drives expensive cars. He was adamant that all of his personal possessions had been paid for by Mary.
“He believes it is important for him to dress the way that he does because he needs to inspire these young people – they need to understand that there are legitimate ways of making money, for instance through entrepreneurship.”
Despite the ruling, Adegboyega dismissed the deportation concerns as insignificant.
“I’m right here at home, no cause for alarm. Naturally, I will dismiss things that have to do with retrogression; every Nigerian should be proud of me. Living in the UK, a city that is well known for pulling people down, I have survived all sorts, so the matter that they are propagating is the smallest matter,” he said.
He further expressed confidence in his resilience. “No panic, I love London city, it is my city, and nobody can do anything. Of all the people of colour you know here – pastors and leaders – I have survived everything. I’m here, I am at home, nobody should panic for me.
“I succeeded well in this country despite all challenges, and I’m in the league of people you look up to. I have survived that well; nothing has changed, nothing will change,” he added.
Amid the growing controversy surrounding the detention of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi, renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Aare Afe Babalola has publicly addressed the defamation allegations leveled against Farotimi.
The legal action stems from claims made in Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, which Babalola asserts contains false and defamatory statements about him and his law firm, Afe Babalola & Co.
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In a petition dated November 19 and submitted to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, Babalola accused Farotimi of making “criminally defamatory” statements about him, his law firm, and two senior lawyers at his firm, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro.
The defamatory remarks are tied to the Supreme Court case Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
Babalola revealed that the allegations came to light when one of his lawyers purchased Farotimi’s book while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport.
After reading the book, the lawyer immediately brought its contents to Babalola’s attention.
Other members of his firm reportedly did the same, prompting the senior lawyer to take legal action.
In his petition, Babalola pointed to specific passages in Farotimi’s book that accused him of corruption and unethical conduct. The petition reads:
“I write to report the criminal defamation of myself, my law firm Afe Babalola & Co., and my lawyers, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro, by one Dele Farotimi in his book titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, published by Dele Farotimi Publishers, in respect of Suit No. SC/146/2005: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
“Sometime on 2/11/2024, one of our lawyers, while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport, bought a book by Dele Farotimi titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’. He read the book and immediately brought it to my attention. Many of my lawyers also bought the book and read it.”
“The defamatory statements are as follows:
- That Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the Supreme Court to procure a fraudulent judgment in the service of his client.
- That Aare Afe Babalola, Olu Daramola, Olu Faro, and the law offices of Afe Babalola & Co. (Emmanuel Chambers) compromised the Supreme Court and the remaining semblance of integrity it might have had, when they went back to the Supreme Court and got the Court to swim in the sewer of corruption and shameful self-abnegation.”
Babalola strongly denies the allegations, claiming that they are false and damaging to both his personal reputation and the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary.
Nigerian author and activist Dele Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, has surged to bestseller status on Amazon amid a legal battle with prominent lawyer and businessman, Afe Babalola.
The controversy surrounding the book has captivated public attention, driving both online and offline demand.
The book, which critiques systemic corruption in Nigeria’s judiciary and highlights alleged misconduct by key legal figures, saw modest sales following its release in July 2024.
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However, Farotimi’s arrest on Tuesday, following a petition filed by the 93-year-old Babalola, triggered a wave of public curiosity.
By Thursday evening, it had climbed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller rankings, according to checks by Vanguard. Bookstores across Nigeria also reported a significant uptick in demand.
Biztellers reports that Farotimi was detained in Lagos by armed police officers and transported to Ado Ekiti, about 300 kilometers northeast of the city, where Babalola is based.
The senior lawyer alleged that the book accused him of compromising Nigeria’s judiciary—a claim that has sparked heated debates about freedom of speech and accountability in the legal profession.
On Wednesday, Farotimi was arraigned in an Ekiti court, where the judge ordered his remand pending a bail hearing scheduled for December 10.
Farotimi’s legal team has vowed to contest the charges, framing the case as an attack on intellectual freedom.
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