Month: September 2024

A Ugandan athlete living in Kenya was set ablaze by her boyfriend and is currently receiving treatment for 75% burns, police said.

Rebecca Cheptegei, a distance runner who finished at the 44th position in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was attacked in her house in the western Trans Nzoia County.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday that Cheptegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement Sunday.

Ndiema also sustained burn wounds, and the two are receiving specialized treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city.

Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the county’s many athletic training centers.

A report filed by the local chief states that the couple was heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire started.

In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds. In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead with a postmortem report stating that she was strangled.

Chidimma Adetshina, who was forced to withdraw from the Miss South Africa contest amid nationality controversies, has been crowned Miss Universe Nigeria.

The 23-year-old law student celebrated her victory on Saturday, stating that the title represents a call for unity.

Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian and mother Mozambican, faced scrutiny over her eligibility in the Miss South Africa pageant. Despite being a South African citizen, her mixed heritage led to doubts about her participation.

An investigation by South Africa’s Home Affairs Department suggested potential identity issues involving her mother but cleared Adetshina of any wrongdoing.

After her withdrawal from the Miss South Africa contest for personal safety reasons, Miss Universe Nigeria extended an invitation to her. Adetshina will now represent Nigeria in the Miss Universe competition in November.

Her win has been met with a mix of support and criticism. Supporters on social media praised her as an inspiring figure, while some alleged that the competition was unfairly skewed in her favour.

Miss Universe Nigeria organizers have yet to address these claims. Adetshina’s primary competitor at Miss Universe will be Mia le Roux, this year’s Miss South Africa, who made history as the first deaf winner.

One of Libya’s most wanted human traffickers was killed Sunday in the capital, Tripoli, Libyan officials said, fueling tension in the western part of the North African country.

Abdel-Rahman Milad, who commanded a coast guard unit in the western town of Zawiya and was sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council, was shot dead by unknown assailants, the officials said.

The circumstances of his death were not immediately known, and no group claimed responsibility for his killing.

Libyan media outlets reported that he was shot while he was in his vehicle in the Sayyad area, in the western part of Tripoli. Footage circulated online showed a white Toyota Land Cruiser for Milad with bullet marks on its side.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety. There was no comment from the Tripoli-based government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

Moammar Dhawi, a militia leader in western Libya, mourned Milad’s death. In a statement, posted on Facebook, he called for an investigation to bring the perpetrators to account.

Libya has been plagued by corruption and turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The county has since then split between two administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.

Amid the chaos, the oil-rich country has emerged as a major conduit for people from Africa and the Middle East fleeing wars and poverty and hoping to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

In June 2018, the Security Council imposed sanctions on Milad and five other leaders of criminal networks allegedly engaged in trafficking migrants and others from Libya. At the time, Milad was described as the head of a coast guard unit in Zawiya “that is consistently linked with violence against migrants and other human smugglers” from rival gangs.

U.N. experts monitoring sanctions claimed Milad and other Coast Guard members “are directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats using firearms.”

Milad had denied any links to human smuggling and said traffickers wear uniforms similar to those of his men. He was jailed for about six months between October 2020 and April 2021 on human trafficking and fuel smuggling charges.

A Kenyan man wanted in Massachusetts to face murder charges has been extradited nearly a year after he fled the United States, authorities said Monday.

Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kangethe is wanted for allegedly killing his girlfriend, Margaret Mbitu, whose body was found in a car at Logan International Airport in Boston on Oct. 31.

Kangethe left Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, on Sunday, and he’s set to face murder charges at Suffolk Superior Court in Boston on Tuesday, Kenyan Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga said.

“I wish to reiterate my commitment and support, whenever needed, to the United States of America, and in particular the prosecution team as they proceed with the next phase of the case,” Ingonga said Monday.

The prosecution said that the extradition order has earlier been issued by the court in July.

Kangethe, who has renounced his U.S. citizenship, was involved in a dramatic escape from a police cell after his Kenyan lawyer visited him in January. Disciplinary action was taken against four police officers who were on duty when he escaped. He was rearrested a week later, and his extradition case continued.

Kangethe’s girlfriend Mbitu was a health care aide in Halifax, Massachusetts, and was last seen leaving work on Oct. 30 and reported missing by her family.

The preliminary investigation showed Mbitu had left her workplace and traveled with Kangethe to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he lived, the prosecution in Kenya said during the extradition case hearing.

Kangethe was also found in possession of personal items belonging to the deceased, prosecutors said.

Between 2021 and 2023, 1,425 international students admitted to UK universities were denied entry at the country’s airports.

Among those affected, 161 were Nigerians, who were turned away upon arrival, according to data obtained from the UK Home Office through the Freedom of Information Act.

Indian students were the most affected, making up 45% of the total with 644 removals. Nigerians followed with 11.3%, while students from Ghana and Bangladesh represented 6.46% and 6.32% respectively.

The data, covering October 2021 to October 2023, specifically addresses students refused entry at the border and does not account for those deported for visa violations like exceeding work hours or academic misconduct. The Home Office did not clarify the reasons for these removals.

However, sources suggest students were often removed due to failing to convince Border Force officers during checks, presenting forged documents, or struggling with English.

Immigration lawyer Dele Olawanle criticized this practice, arguing that Border Force officers have taken on roles beyond their remit by questioning students about their academic courses, sometimes leading to visa cancellations.

Data analyst Nelly Okechukwu shared a similar experience, recounting how he was questioned about his university studies by a border officer after a long flight, despite having graduated years earlier.