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Sri Lanka Bans Face Coverings After Easter Sunday Attacks

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By Sasha Ingber

Sri Lanka has banned its citizens from wearing face coverings under an emergency law, after terrorist attacks at prominent churches and upscale hotels left hundreds dead in the small island nation.

President Maithripala Sirisena said the ban was meant to ensure national security, helping authorities to identify people. He did not specifically mention the niqab and burka, types of facial coverings worn by Muslim women across the world, but critics say the new measure violates their rights.

Amid heightened safety concerns, a body of Islamic scholars in Sri Lanka advised last week that Muslim women “should not hinder the security forces in their efforts to maintain national security by wearing the face cover (Niqab).”

The government’s face-covering ban took effectMonday, days after a violent raid that was linked to the investigation of the Easter Sunday bombings.

In the April 21 attack, a string of explosions occurred at three luxury hotels frequented by foreigners and three churches holding Easter services in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, as well as Negombo, to the north, and Batticaloa, to the east. At least 253 people were killed in the coordinated attacks. Another 15 people, including six children, died Friday in the country’s Eastern province after soldiers raided a house in search of suspects, a military spokesman said.

Authorities blamed the bombings on National Thowfeek Jamaath, a Muslim militant group that previously vandalized Buddhist statues in the majority Buddhist country. Sri Lanka was not seen as a hotbed for radical Islamist activity before the Easter attacks.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombings last week, triggering fears of further violence the terrorist group might inspire. Sri Lankan authorities have arrested dozens of suspects and are searching for more militants with suspected links to ISIS.

The terrorist attacks have exacerbated a rivalry between Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister, who belong to different political parties. In 2018, the president ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe because of an alleged assassination attempt before later reappointing him.

But on Sunday, the two leaders attended a mass together in a rare display of unity, while Catholic churches were closed for safety.

Both men denied receiving intelligence warnings in the days before the coordinated bombings, yet both have been blamed for the attacks.

“At one level, if we are to be charitable it was a degree of incompetence and complacency,” Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Center for Policy Alternatives in Colombo, tells NPR’s Michael Sullivan of the government’s response to the warnings.

“At another level, which is more insidious, is a notion that, you know, perhaps there were people who did not want anyone to act upon it and wanted the catastrophe to take place,” Saravanamuttu says, “because they have political or other benefits to be derived from it actually happening.”

Sri Lanka is set to hold presidential elections late this year. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former defense minister and the brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has emerged as a vocal candidate. He pledged to bring peace and “dismantle the networks” of radical Muslim militants in the country.

Wickremesinghe, the prime minister, has promised to enact new legislation to combat terrorism, saying, “Sri Lanka does not have any laws to arrest individuals who join foreign terrorist organizations,” according to the country’s state news agency.

Meanwhile, some top officials have been replaced since the bombings. Former Army Commander General S. H. Shantha Kottegoda was appointed as the new secretary to the Ministry of Defense on Monday, after the president requested former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando resign.

Some Sri Lankans say they’re distrustful of their leaders’ motivations. John Ison Fernando, an events planner who is a member of St. Anthony’s Shrine, one of the bombed churches, tells NPR, “The prime minister wants to be the president in the next election. The current president wants to hold his position till next election.”

He added, “In this panicked situation, still they are callous.”

Courtesy NPR.org

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Court Summons Tinubu, Ibas over Rivers Emergency Rule

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A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has summoned President Bola Tinubu and Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, over the emergency rule declaration in the oil-rich State.

The summons follows a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Peoples Life Improvement Foundation, alongside individuals Precious Elekima and Inanna Wright Harry, challenging the legality of the emergency rule imposed on the state.

Also listed as defendants in the suit are Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, the National Assembly, Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

President Tinubu, on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers, suspending both the executive and legislative arms of government and appointing retired naval officer Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as administrator.

In suit number FHC/PH/CS/45/2025, the plaintiffs are seeking judicial interpretation on whether the emergency declaration aligns with constitutional provisions, arguing that it is unconstitutional, null, and void.

They contend that it violates Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement Act) and Section 305(3)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution, which outlines the conditions under which a state of emergency can be declared.

The plaintiffs have urged the court to restrain the Rivers State Administrator from appointing caretaker committees for the 23 local government councils, forming a state executive council, or making financial transactions from the state treasury.

Additionally, they are seeking an order for the immediate reinstatement of the suspended executive and legislative arms of government in the state.

Meanwhile, the court has given the defendants 30 days to respond to the summons.

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Gaidam Congratulates Tinubu at 73, Says President Committed to Democratic Ideals

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The Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, has celebrated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at he clocks 73 years on Saturday.

In a statement the Minister personally signed, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), he noted that Tinubu has guided the nation with steady hands and showed commitment to Democratic ideals since he was sworn in in May 2023..

The Minister further pledged his commitment to the administration’s renewed hope Security agenda, which has seen the ministry made laudable achievements in a very short time.

The statement reads in full:

Congratulations!

I, Senator (Dr.) Ibrahim Gaidam, Honorable Minister of Police Affairs, extend heartfelt congratulations to His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, on his 73rd Birthday.

Since taking office as Nigeria’s 16th President on May 29, 2023, you have guided our nation with a steady hand and a commitment to democratic ideals, navigating challenges to envision a prosperous and united Nigeria.

We pledge our unwavering support for your leadership and urge all Nigerians to unite in building a brighter future. Under your guidance, the Ministry has achieved significant milestones, including the establishment of the National Criminal Data Fusion Centre, the Digital National Convict Database, and advancements in community policing and technological resources for the Nigeria Police Force.

We are committed to the President’s Renewed Hope Security Agenda, enhancing safety and security for all citizens. Our collaboration with regional security initiatives, like the West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS), has improved law enforcement’s ability to share critical information across West Africa.

We emphasize accountability, efficiency, and professionalism, ensuring swift responses where no one is above the law. Additionally, we are accelerating inter-agency cooperation through innovative technologies to address security challenges effectively.

Once again, congratulations to His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu on this special day.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Senator Ibrahim Gaidam CON,
Minister of Police Affairs

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Glo Foundation Gives Back to More Communities with ‘Food Drive’ Joy

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Glo Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Globacom, on Saturday extended its Food Drive Initiative “Giving Back Together” to more communities as thousands of families in Ikota, Ajah, Lagos, received packages of food and household items from the team.

Two Saturdays ago, the foundation was in Bariga where it shared food and other household items to thousands of other vulnerable members of the community.

In a similar vein, Glo Foundation officials and the project partners, the Lagos Food Bank Initiative, last Saturday presented packages containing Rice, Garri, Spaghetti, noodles, tomato paste, tooth brushes, sardines, salt, vegetable oil, bread and seasoning cubes to thousands of beneficiaries, the majority of whom were women, at a ceremony held within the Ikota neighborhood.

Thousands of beneficiaries had assembled at the New Generation Baptist School in Ikota as early as 7 a.m. to await the start of the distribution.

Before the gifts were distributed, Globacom’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Jumobi Mofe-Damijo, welcomed the recipients and reaffirmed the company’s dedication to aiding the underprivileged in the society. She pointed out that helping the most disadvantaged members of society nationwide was one of the Foundation’s goals.

“Giving brings joy and smiles to the faces of the beneficiaries as we have seen here today. It also makes us happy that we are able to do something to touch the lives of others in a highly interdependent world,” she noted, adding that the Foundation was working on other projects that would impact various segments across the country.

At the occasion, the beneficiaries, who were mostly women, expressed their happiness and gratitude to Globacom by singing and dancing. Some of them who expressed their opinions were happy that they were able to benefit from the gesture and prayed that Globacom would continue to thrive.

The recipients were ecstatic and unable to control their excitement. After getting their food gifts, a few of them spoke up and thanked and prayed for Globacom for showing their community such love and concern.

Christina Itoro, an Akwa Ibom indigene, who operates a POS business within the community, expressed happiness at the content of the package. “When I opened the carton and saw the content, I was so excited. May God bless the company and the staff,” she said.

For Godwin Mary, who sells Kunu drink, Globacom has come to her aid at a time that her business was crumbling. The native of Benue State thanked Globacom for remembering her and other women in the Ikate neighborhood.

On her part, Sarah Oliseh, who is a housewife, said: “I am very happy and so excited getting this from Globacom. It will definitely go a long way to help me and my family”.

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