News

Attempt to Destroy New Religious Movement in South Korea Raises Concern

Published

4 years ago

August 7, 2020

Eric

A webinar on a new religious movement in South Korea and its political, religious, and social dimensions with the recent COVID-19 crisis, was held on July 20, and had international scholars and experts in the field of religion, international law, and human rights as participants.

Titled “COVID-19 and Religious Freedom: Scapegoating Shincheonji in South Korea”, the webinar addressed the recent issues of aggressive attack from politically powerful conservative and fundamentalist Protestant churches in the country on a newly-established, fast-growing Christian denomination named ‘Shincheonji (New Heaven and New Earth) Church of Jesus’ founded in 1984.

The new Christian movement by Shincheonji has become a target of “persecution from fundamentalist protestants” because of its successful religious expansion “from the conservative and fundamentalist protestants who see Shincheonji as competitors and want to destroy it,” said Massimo Introvigne as an Italian sociologist of religion who studied Shincheonji before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and published the first account of the religious group in English.

Alessandro Amicarelli, Chairman European Federation for Freedom of Belief, pointed out that the South Korean authorities problematized Shincheonji as a cause of the COVID-19 crisis to shut down the church. “Already 30 other people were tested positive before the patient 31 (a member of Shincheonji criticized for the widespread of the virus). Many Chinese including ones from Wuhan had visited Daegu (of South Korea) and infection spread,” he said.

Willy Fautre, Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), said that the recent attack on Shincheonji can be viewed as an attempt by the fundamentalist Protestant groups in South Korea to weaken and destroy the competitor in the religious market. He added, “Human rights violations against Shincheonji members through coercive conversion program (also known as ‘deprogramming’) with kidnapping and confinement for the last decade have been made as a result of the failure of competition from the Protestant churches in the country.”

Ciaran Burke, Associate Professor in University of Derby, said that the South Korean health authorities explicitly link Shinchoenji and outbreak of the COVID-19 until now even though a greater link between the virus and confirmation cases has been found in other churches. He also expressed concerns over “collecting personal information of 300,000 domestic and international Shincheonji members by the government which is a possible violation of international agreement, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) South Korea ratified in 1990.”

The prosecution initiated investigation of Shincheonji leaders including founder Man Hee Lee for his alleged role in the widespread of the COVID-19. Three Shincheonji officials were arrested on July 8 on a charge of playing a role in major outbreak at its early stage by “(submitting) inaccurate list of members.”

“The authorities ignored requests to change the word ‘sect’ in their official reports when referring to Shincheonji church. Local governments encouraged the residents to report Shincheonji congregation and facilities to the authorities, creating stigma that the members were to be treated as criminals,” said a Shincheonji official in the webinar.

A recent statement issued by “families of the deceased and victims of COVID-19” wrote that “the thousands of the damage and deaths of Koreans reflect the failure of initial response to contain the virus by the government.” It added that the Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae “allowed COVID-19 patients from China to enter Korea, leading to a widespread outbreak of the virus across the country, which resulted in the deaths of the Korean people.” It also stated that she is trying to avoid her responsibility for the damage by “giving direct orders to prosecutors for a raid and arrests against Shincheonji Church”.

A leading South Korean TV network, MBC reported that a recently conducted screening at Daegu, epicenter of COVID-19 major outbreak within South Korea added the weight to the failure of initial response to contain the virus by the government. The report, citing analysis from a local university hospital, inferred that at least 180,000 of the total population of 2.4 million people in the city of Daegu were infected with the COVID-19, 27 times to the official 6,800 confirmed cases. Most of the confirmation cases, over 5,000, are members of Shincheonji Church as their personal information was collected by the government, while the remaining 180,000 potential infections have not been investigated.

News

N80.2b Fraud: EFCC Declares Ex- Gov Bello Wanted

Published

16 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, wanted. Yahaya Bello was declared wanted for offences bordering on economic and financial crimes, with special emphasis to an alleged N82.2 billion fraud.

This was contained in a press statement made available to news men on Thursday.

The statement signed by Commission’s management reads as follows:

“Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is wanted by the EFCCfor offences relating to economic and financial crimes to the tune of N80.2 bn.

“Anybody with information as to his whereabouts should report immediately to the commission or the nearest police station.”

News

EFCC Seeks Military’s Help to Arrest Fleeing Ex-Gov Bello

Published

17 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned to April 23, the suit instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello.

The adjournment is for substituted service and possible arraignment of Bello for alleged N84billion money laundering.

At the sitting, counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Phinro, told the court that Bello was absent from court for his arraignment because he was being protected by someone with immunity.

Phinro complained that the former governor was whisked out of his Abuja residence by the same person with immunity.

Phinro said the anti-graft agency might seek the help of the military to fish him out to come face his arraignment.

Responding to this submission, Yahaya Bello through his counsel, Abdulwahab Muhammad, told the court that there is an order of the court restraining the EFCC from arresting or arraigning him.

Muhammad said a Kogi State High Court had on February 9, 2024 restrained the EFCC from arresting or arraigning the former governor.

He added that the EFCC has appealed the ruling and the Court of Appeal was yet to decide on the matter.

He pointed out that the action of the EFCC was unconstitutional and the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain any charge from the EFCC.

Counsel for the EFCC, however, disagreed with the submission of the counsel to Bello.

The EFCC counsel held that the ruling in the substantive matter on the suit was delivered on March 17, 2024 by the Kogi State High Court.

He cleared the air that the court in its ruling held that for the former governor to be arrested or arraigned, the EFCC must first seek leave from the court to do so.

He said it was in line with that judgment that the EFCC, through an exparte application, filed for the order seeking the arrest of the former governor which was granted by the court.

Counsel for Yahaya Bello, however, insisted before the court that the order for the ex-governor’s arrest was made out of jurisdiction. He said the former governor is not a fugitive, but relying on the order of the Kogi State High Court to take protection.

On Wednesday, EFCC operatives stormed Bello’s residence in the Wuse area of Abuja and spent most part of the day attempting to arrest the former governor whom the Commission later confirmed was whisked away by his successor.

The EFCC subsequently warned members of the public that it is a criminal offence to obstruct officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.

The Commission’s spokesperson said that Section 38(2)(a)(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act makes it an offence to prevent officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.

According to him, culprits risk a jail term of not less than five years.

“On several occasions, operatives of the Commission have had to exercise utmost restraint in the face of such provocation to avoid a breakdown of law and order.

“Regrettably, such disposition is being construed as a sign of weakness.

“The Commission, therefore, warns that it will henceforth not tolerate any attempt by any person or organisation to obstruct its operation as such will be met with appropriate punitive actions,” the statement added.

News

Gunmen Invade Ekiti Secretariat, Days after Oyo Assembly Invasion

Published

3 days ago

April 16, 2024

Eric

Barely three days after armed Yoruba Nation agitators invaded the Oyo State Government Secretariat, gunmen on Tuesday, stormed the Ilejemeje Local Government Area Secretariat in Ẹda-Oniyọ, Ekiti State, causing pandemonium among the workers.

The attackers disrupted normal activities and forced employees to flee the premises for safety.

The hoodlums, who were said to have come from the Obbo-Ayegunle community in the neighbouring Kwara State, violently stormed the secretariat, firing several gunshots, making workers run in different directions for dear lives, and in the ensuing pandemonium, one person was injured.

Reports said the hoodlums vandalized the Secretariat building and other property of the council.

Although the cause of the attack was still sketchy as at the time of filling this report, it was however gathered that the two communities have been embroiled in crisis for some time over land disputes.

During the attack, which lasted for several hours, one person was said to have sustained serious injury and rushed to the State Specialist Hospital in Iye-Ekiti.

The hoodlums reportedly heavily armed with dangerous weapons including gun, charms and cutlasses. They invaded the Secretariat at about 10:am.

Speaking on the attack, the Eleda of Eda Oniyo community, Oba Awodipo Awolola, explained that the hoodlums had in few days attacked some residents of the community, with charm in their farmlands, the development which the monarch said had resulted in panic and tension in the community.

The traditional ruler, who lamented the absence of police post in the area, said there is a need for security outfits to mobilise more officer to the community to prevent further breaking of law and orders.

Similarly, the Chairman of Ilejemaje Local Government, Mr. Alaba Dada, said the suspected hoodlums were from the Obbo-Ayegunle community in Kwara State.

He attributed the attacks to the lingering land disputes between the two communities, he explained that though security agents had been mobilised to the town to prevent repraisal attacks.

He said there is need for the Ekiti and Kwara State governments to meet, and settle the land dispute in the interest of peace and harmonious relationship.