‘Crime against humanity’ — Netherlands apologises to ex-colonies for 250-year slavery – Newstrends
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‘Crime against humanity’ — Netherlands apologises to ex-colonies for 250-year slavery

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The Netherlands has apologised to its former colonies for its historical involvement in slavery and the effects that have persisted into the present.

Between 1596 and 1829, the Dutch transported about half a million Africans across the Atlantic.

The Dutch also shipped about hundreds of thousands of Africans to their settlements in Dutch Guiana, notably Suriname, where they worked primarily on sugar plantations.

The Netherlands banned the slave trade in the 19th century.

In a televised speech on Monday, Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, expressed regret and described the country’s role in slavery as “a crime against humanity”.

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“Today, I apologise. For centuries, the Dutch state and its representatives have enabled and stimulated slavery and have profited from it,” Rutte said.

“It is true that nobody alive today bears any personal guilt for slavery. However, the Dutch state bears responsibility for the immense suffering that has been done to those that were enslaved and their descendants.

“We, living in the here and now, can only recognise and condemn slavery in the clearest terms as a crime against humanity.”

The announcement followed a recommendation from a Dutch advisory panel in 2021, asking the government to acknowledge that the 17th-19th century transatlantic slave trade amounted to crimes against humanity, and to apologise for the Dutch role.

The apology also comes amid a wider reconsideration of the country’s colonial past, including efforts to return looted art, and its current struggles with racism.

However, countries like Suriname, a former colony, have rejected the apology saying it should have come from King Willem-Alexander on July 1, 2023 — the 160th anniversary of Dutch abolition of slavery.

Thecable

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Police arrest 16-year-old boy with gun in Lagos

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April 27, 2025

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Police arrest 16-year-old boy with gun in Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 16-year-old boy, Solomon Ibiwoye, after he was found in possession of a firearm in the Ebute-Ero area of the state.

Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, announced the arrest in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, praising alert residents for their role in the incident.

“Kudos to observant Lagosians who noticed 16-year-old Solomon Ibiwoye with a firearm and discreetly alerted Ebute-Ero Police Division,” Hundeyin wrote.

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According to Hundeyin, a subsequent search of the teenager’s home led to the recovery of a locally made firearm and an unexpended cartridge.

“One more firearm off the streets,” he added, assuring that investigations into the case are ongoing.

Hundeyin further emphasized the importance of community vigilance in helping to curb crime, urging residents, “See something, say something!”

While the police spokesperson did not reveal how the teenager came into possession of the weapon or whether he is connected to any criminal gang, he assured the public that a thorough investigation is underway.

 

Police arrest 16-year-old boy with gun in Lagos

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Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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April 27, 2025

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Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of weaponising the EFCC to silence him, alleging he was treated like a criminal for criticising the government.

Speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday, Yusuf alleged that his recent detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was part of a deliberate attempt to silence him. “This government deliberately denied me bail to shake me up… all to try and silence me. But I am not someone who can be silenced,” he said.

In February, the EFCC arraigned Yusuf before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on a five-count charge of alleged fraud. He pleaded not guilty.

Recounting the events that led to his detention, Yusuf said EFCC operatives stormed his home on 29 January without presenting an arrest warrant. “They walked into the house and said they wanted to see me, claiming I was expecting them. They only later showed their badges,” he said.

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He described how the operatives prevented him from changing clothes and blocked his wife from providing him with alternative clothing. Yusuf also recounted how, during transport, officers treated him “as if they had captured a notorious criminal like Kachalla Bello Turji,” a notorious bandit leader.

Yusuf spent six days in EFCC custody before his arraignment and was subsequently denied bail, a move he said was unconstitutional. “Bail is a constitutionally guaranteed right for any accused person, except in cases of capital offences or terrorism, and my case was neither,” he said.

The denial of bail forced Yusuf to spend an additional 24 days at Kuje Prison. He characterised his imprisonment as a period of “retreat for rest, prayers, and reflection,” insisting it only strengthened his spirit.

“The whole purpose was for the government of President Bola Tinubu to try to silence any form of dissent,” Yusuf said. “This is coming from a president who himself was once a NADECO activist — someone who fought against the military dictatorship.”

He warned that the current administration is attempting to stifle democratic criticism and create a “one-party dictatorial state.”

Yusuf was appointed executive secretary of the NHIS in 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. He was suspended in 2017 and again in 2018 by the health minister and the NHIS board over allegations of corruption, and was eventually removed from office in 2019.

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

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April 27, 2025

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NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have raided an 80-room hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, which was allegedly being used as a front for the distribution of illegal drugs.

After an extensive search, agents reportedly recovered 589 bags of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, totaling 417.3 kilograms. The haul is valued at approximately One Billion Forty-Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (₦1,042,500,000) on the street.

In a statement released on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed the arrests of three individuals during the operation, which took place between Friday, April 25th, and Saturday, April 26th, 2025.

The suspects—Eze Ayitu, Ofuokwu Samuel, and Emmanuel Ameh—were detained in the raid at the five-storey building, located in Victoria Island. Two other individuals, Noble Philip and his accomplice Kenneth, were said to be currently being sought by authorities.

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The NDLEA also disclosed that items believed to be linked to the alleged drug trafficking were seized from the premises of the hotel, known as The Hook Hotel or Caesar Hotel and Caesar Lounge.

According to the statement, among the recovered items were several vehicles, including a Toyota Prado Landcruiser Jeep, a Toyota Sienna Vehicle, a Volkswagen Delivery Van, a Kia Ceranto Car , and a Grand Caravan Dodge. Additionally, 74 new television sets, 10 used televisions, and 13 refrigerators were found.

In a separate operation on Sunday, April 20th, at the Seme border near Badagry, Lagos, NDLEA operatives apprehended three Ghanaian women allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud into Nigeria.

The individuals arrested were Haziza Zubairu, 42; Samirat Mustapha, 43; and Jamila Salifu, 26.

NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

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