Former President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana has died of COVID-19 related complications at the age of 73, according to multiple reports from Ghanaian media.
The development comes less than a month after he buried his mother.
Rawlings, who is one of the most respected African leaders, was a military leader in Ghana and later became a politician who ruled the country from 1981 to 2001.
The former President initially came to power in Ghana as a flight lieutenant of the Ghana Air Force following a coup d’état in 1979.
Prior to that, He led an unsuccessful coup attempt against the ruling military government on 15 May 1979, just five weeks before scheduled democratic elections were due to take place.
He was until his death, the African Union envoy to Somalia.
Rawlings as leader of Ghana launched a massive anti-corruption campaign that purged the nation of corrupt political elements.
A former Nigerian Presidential candidate and media mogul, Dele Momodu, who has close links to the Ghanaian Presidency, confirmed the development on Twitter.
Claim: An online news medium “ecocitynews” on August 2, 2020 published a story wherein a Boko Haram insurgent, Abdulwahab Usman, was reported to have confessed to killing many Christians.
Verification: The headline of the story alluding that Usman, an ex-Boko Haram member killed many Christians is misleading.
An online news medium Ecocity News on August 2, 2020 published a story wherein a Boko Haram member, Abdulwahab Usman, was reported to have confessed to killing many Christians while another platform also published the story with the same headline.
A screenshot of “Ecocity News” web page showing the headline
In July, about 602 repentant Boko Haram members graduated from the Federal Government’s de-radicalization program otherwise dubbed “Operation Safe Corridor”.
The Punch newspaper wrote a feature on one of the rehabilitated Boko Haram members, Abdulwahab Usman, who admitted that he had killed many people.
He however did not specify the victims’ ethnicity or religion.
Reproducing the news, an online medium “ecocitynews” on August, 2, published a version of the story with the headline “I have killed many Christians to the extent, I can’t remember the lives I have wasted – Freed Boko Haram member said.”
The ecocitynews attributed the source of the story to Punch newspaper.
Being a religiously diverse country, unguided utterances and misinformation such as this has in the past resulted in religious violence and claimed lives, hence the need for a verification.
Verification
Going through the report from Punch, it was noted that Usman indeed submitted that he had killed many people, however, he did not specify the religion of his victims.
“I was forced into the group for about five years. I can’t remember the number of people I killed as a Boko Haram member because they are many,” Usman was quoted as saying by Punch.
A closer look at the Ecocity News’ version shows that the headline of the story, which claimed that Usman had killed many Christians, did not align logically with the body of the story.
So while the headline suggests killing of Christians, Usman, never mentioned any of his victim’s religion all through the story.
From all indications, Ecocity News culled the story from Punch, gave it its own, but misleading, headline.
Conclusion
While Abdulwahab Usman, a deradicalised Boko Haram insurgent, admitted to killing many people, did not say he killed Christians. The headline of the story by Ecocity News is misleading.
Late Dr. Lekan Are has been described as a rare gem and a
wonderful person.
The prominent businessman died at the University College Hospital,
UCH, Ibadan on the 18th of this month.
Speaking with Radio Nigeria, the Otun Olubadan, Senator
Lekan Balogun described Dr. Are as an industrious man, who contributed
immensely to the growth of Ibadanland and nation at large.
In his reaction, an alumnus of the deceased’s Alma-Mata, Government College Ibadan, Oloye Lekan Alabi said though the news was saddening, but death is inevitable for every man, praying that God would cause his soul to rest in peace.
Dr. Lekan Are who was an agronomist and a director with Punch
Newspaper, Kakanfo Inn and University Press PLC died at the age of 86 years.
