Nigeria's former president Muhammadu Buhari dies in London aged 82
He led Africa's most populous nation twice: first as a military head of state from 1983 to 1985, then as a democratically elected president from 2015-2023.
Buhari had been receiving medical treatment in London in recent weeks, and had often travelled to London in the past for medical attention.
He was the first president to defeat a sitting president when he was elected in 2015, overseeing the country's worst economic period and fight against insurgency.
Married twice, Buhari had ten children.
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The Guardian
39 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Legacy Act halted investigations into 202 Troubles-related killings of British soldiers
Investigations into the deaths of more than 200 British soldiers were halted by the Conservatives' Northern Ireland Legacy Act, Labour will announce, as a justification for its intention to repeal the legislation. Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary, is expected to tell MPs on Monday afternoon that 202 live inquiries into the Troubles-related killings of members of the armed forces were brought to a stop in May 2024 and a further 23 involving veterans. They include the case of Pte Tony Harrison, a paratrooper from London who was shot five times in the back and killed by the IRA in 1991 while watching television with his girlfriend. His murder has never been solved. Andy Seaman, his brother, said he wanted to see Labour spell out how cases such as that of Harrison would be investigated once the Legacy Act was repealed – and hit out at the Conservatives for halting the murder inquiry in the first place. 'My brother's case was shut down when the Legacy Act passed. The opposition cannot pretend to care about the plight of victims' families – including military victims – when their actions demonstrate the precise opposite,' he said. At the same time, another group of military veterans, in association with the Conservatives, are expected to stage a protest in Whitehall – fearing Labour's plans will reopen the possibility of more prosecutions against army veterans. Conservatives sources said they believe the issue is a concern for 'red wall' voters in traditionally Labour-supporting working-class areas in Great Britain. Last week, Mark Francois, a shadow junior defence minister, accused Labour of 'selling veterans down the river' with its plans. More than 170,000 people signed a petition backed by Francois, demanding Labour not make any changes to the law that would allow Northern Ireland veterans to be prosecuted – a level which means the subject has to be debated by MPs. The debate is due to happen at Westminster Hall at 4.30pm with Benn responding for the government, demonstrating the significance of the issue. Normally, only junior ministers reply to debates in the lesser chamber. The previous government's aim was to end what it said were vexatious prosecutions against British army veterans. To do so, it passed the Legacy Act halting all but the most serious allegations involving Troubles-related cases, including killings by paramilitaries, from being investigated any further. Backlogs dating back decades mean there was never a police or coroner's investigation into a wide range of deaths during the Troubles – but the plan to halt almost all inquiries was met with opposition from both nationalist and unionist parties in Northern Ireland and the families of those affected. Emma Norton, the director of the Centre for Military Justice, who represents Pte Harrison's family, said concerns about veterans being prosecuted were exaggerated, and there had only been 'a single conviction of a veteran since the Good Friday agreement' in 1998. In September, the trial is due to begin of Soldier F, a former paratrooper, accused of two murders and five attempted murders on Bloody Sunday in 1972. Soldiers from the regiment fired on a peaceful civil rights demonstration in Derry, killing 13. A government source said the Legacy Act passed by the Conservatives 'made false and undeliverable promises to our veterans about immunity' and blocked investigations into the unsolved killings of British troops in Northern Ireland. 'That is why the Legacy Act was opposed by many, including armed forces families who lost relatives serving in Northern Ireland. Any incoming government would have had to fix it,' they added.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
UK may need new scheme to detect people obsessed with violence, report to say
A new scheme to detect people who are obsessed with violence before they kill, such as the Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana, should be considered by the government, an official report will say. The report into Prevent, the controversial programme intended to stop people from becoming terrorists, will also find repeated 'failings' in the case of the man who went on to assassinate the MP Sir David Amess, the Guardian understands. It has been compiled by David Anderson KC, the interim reviewer of Prevent. Anderson's report was first ordered by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, in January after revelations in the Guardian that the Southport attacker had been referred three times to Prevent and rejected each time because officials believed he was not motivated by any clear terrorist ideology. Anderson was later asked to examine blunders in how the scheme handled the case of Ali Harbi Ali in the years before he stabbed Amess to death as the MP held a constituency surgery in 2021, in what has been classed as a terrorist attack. The findings are likely to intensify the campaign by the family of the murdered veteran Tory MP that there should be a public inquiry into what the authorities knew about the dangers posed by Amess's killer, and whether he could have been stopped. The government has so far resisted that call. The Amess family want an inquiry similar to that into the Southport atrocity, which started hearings this week. Rudakubana, then 17, stabbed three young girls to death at a summer holiday dance class in July 2024 in Southport, and attempted to murder eight other children and two adults who tried to protect them. Rudakubana's case was rejected three times by Prevent because, while there was concern about his interest in violence, there was no sign it was driven by a terrorist ideology. As well as those driven to violence by such an ideology, police and the government are concerned about young men consuming a 'pick and mix' of horror online and showing levels of interest in violence considered to be worrying. Anderson's report, expected to be published imminently, is the first official report after the Southport case to say a new anti-violence scheme needs to be considered for those thought to pose a threat, but where no terrorist ideology is detected. Any new anti-violence scheme would be in addition to Prevent and possibly even include it as a specific element to deal with those where ideology, such as Islamist or far right, is present. Multiple sources told the Guardian that while a new anti-violence scheme may be needed, a lack of money may thwart its setting-up. The number of people potentially needing to be covered by it could dwarf the average of 6,000-7,000 referred to Prevent annually. Anderson suggests a review should take place into whether the new anti-violence scheme should be set up. Rudakubana's conviction last year led to a usually secret internal review by Prevent into his case to be published, followed by one into the Amess case. Anderson finds Prevent has made improvements after those reviews and revelations about failings. But issues remain, including about how the state deals with those fixated with violence, who are mainly young men, and assessing who will go on to attack. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Those with knowledge of the Southport public inquiry expect it to hear allegations of deficiencies in other agencies' handling of Rudakubana during the years leading up to his atrocity. Speaking about the Southport case, Cooper said in January: 'This terrible case comes against a backdrop over a series of years in which growing numbers of teenagers have been referred to Prevent, investigated by counter-terror police, or referred to other agencies amid concerns around serious violence and extremism. We need to face up to why this has been happening and what needs to change.' Later, explaining why the Anderson review was needed, Cooper said: 'His first task will be to conduct a thorough review of the Prevent history in this case to identify what changes are needed to make sure serious cases are not missed, particularly where there is mixed and unclear ideology.' Rudakubana was referred three times to Prevent for an interest in knives and mass atrocities, in December 2019 and twice in 2021. Ali was convicted of Amess's murder in 2022, when he was 26. He had been referred to Prevent in 2014 by his school and his case was adopted amid concerns he could have an interest in violent Islamism. His case was closed in 2016 after he had been referred to the Channel scheme for those deemed most at risk of radicalisation. He tricked the scheme into thinking he was not a terrorist threat, known as 'disguised compliance', but far from being deradicalised, Ali went on to consume Islamic State propaganda. A year after being cleared by Prevent and Channel, he had wanted to travel to join IS in Syria. Having been thwarted in that aim, he started researching and hunting for an MP to murder. In October 2021, Ali attacked Amess, 69, stabbing him with a knife 21 times as he held a Southend West and Leigh constituency surgery in a Leigh-on-Sea church. Ali told an onlooker he was doing it for Syria. Ali is serving a whole-life tariff for murder. Rudakubana is serving a life sentence with a minimum tariff of 52 years. Prevent is the official national programme to identify those feared to be falling for terrorist ideologies and turn them away from carrying out violence. Children and adults referred to the scheme are assessed and, if they are deemed to pose sufficient risk, work is done to reduce that danger.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
UK ministers urged to pass bill protecting DEI whistleblowers
Ministers have been urged to pass legislation that would protect whistleblowers who expose employers who flout forthcoming UK diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) laws. The equality (race and disability) bill, which the equalities minister Seema Malhotra has described as part of the government's 'absolute' commitment to DEI, is expected to be published this year. As law, the bill would compel employers with more than 250 staff to reveal whether white and non-disabled staff are paid more than Black, minority ethnic and disabled employees, in the same way that employers have to report gender pay gaps. It is also expected to establish an equal pay regulatory and enforcement unit to prevent pay discrimination and could compel employers to produce action plans on what they are doing to improve equality. Responses to the consultation, which is being used to shape the bill and closed in June, include proposals that legislation protects whistleblowers who report employers hiding pay gap information. The proposal is in stark contrast to what is unfolding in the US, where under Donald Trump's presidency, officials have urged 'private parties' to help them identify 'illegal' DEI programmes, including financial incentives for those who file whistleblower claims against federal contractors trying to tackle racial inequality. The UK whistleblower proposal has been made by the Black Equity Organisation (BEO) – whose founders in 2021 included the foreign secretary, David Lammy, and the broadcaster and academic David Olusoga. In partnership with Sky, BEO runs F100 Growth Fund, which supports Black entrepreneurs – who in the UK and the US account for less than 1% of venture capital investment – with funding and mentoring, and has been pressing ministers to 'tackle racial inequality at source' through pay gap reporting. In its submission to the government's consultation, the BEO said: 'Any final enforcement regime should include the ability to issue public notices, making public the names of companies who fail to submit their ethnicity pay gap reports. 'Support for whistleblowers is also essential', it added, and there should be 'a confidential channel for employees who report concerns to ensure they are not penalised.' The BEO also urged government to ensure pay gap data is fully disaggregated to reflect 'important differences in experiences and outcomes' between Black and minority ethnic groups, and called for mandatory pay gap reporting to be extended to employers with more than 50 staff, to cover lower-paid workers in smaller companies, which the TUC federation of trade unions has also called for. In its submission to the consultation, the TUC said: 'If the legislation is to be effective … it needs to apply to the majority of workplaces.' The new equality bill comes amid political backlash against fairness measures – represented by Reform UK and the conservative Blue Labour faction of the Labour party – inspired by Trump's attacks on DEI. In the US, measures trying to tackle racial inequality have been labelled 'discriminatory'. In May, a Department of Justice memo said the False Claims Act would be used against federal contractors 'knowingly engaging in racist preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities, including through diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that assign benefits or burdens on race, ethnicity, or national origin,' promising 'sharing in any monetary recovery' to whistleblowers who bring successful anti-DEI lawsuits. A UK government spokesperson said it was 'committed to introducing disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting into legislation in the king's speech. Our consultation on mandatory reporting has now closed and we are reviewing all of the responses'.
