A Show of Shame

Muslims, protesting an offensive ThisDay article on the Miss World Pageant kill, maim and destroy properties, forcing the sudden change of venue for the contest

By Maureen Chigbo

Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State and indigenes of the state had good reasons to make lavish preparations for the Miss World Beauty Pageant fashion show billed to take place at the newly renovated Alfred Diette Spiff Sports Complex in Port Harcourt , November 23. Agbani Darego, current Miss World, hails from the state. Darego along with 98 beauty pageants were billed to attend the fashion show as part of the activities for the pageant.

Officials of the state government, early in the morning had rolled out the red carpet starting from the gate of the sports complex on Moscow Road , Port Harcourt to the main bowl of the stadium to receive the pageants. Youths belonging to the Odili Vanguard, cultural troupes, and the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, and girls from secondary schools, all trouped to the sports complex, waiting and hoping to catch a glimpse of the “beauty queens” amidst tight security at the venue and around the town to avert any possible breakdown of law and order. The “beauty queens” were to be received on arrival from Abuja for the ceremony by Odili at 3.00p.m. But as the clock ticked away, there was no sign of their coming to the state. Those who went to the airport to receive them were greeted with the news that the organisers have shifted venue of the event to London .

The state government through its security network got wind of the cancellation late Friday night but did not communicate it immediately to the organisers at the sports complex. News of the cancellation filtered into the venue as rumours. But the truth dawned on the crowd of spectators when they saw the organisers, who were gaily dressed for the events, rolling up the red carpet at about 3.00p.m. Shock took over the great expectation of the audience as they shuffled away from the venue of the fashion show that never was.

At the weekend, the Rivers State Government apologised to the people in the state over the inconveniences caused by the cancellation. Odili said the cancellation of Miss World beauty pageant in Nigeria did not, in any way, reduce the status of Rivers State . Emmanuel Deeyaah, commissioner for culture and tourism who signed a statement on behalf of the state government also advised all those who purchased tickets to go to the banks where they bought the tickets for refund of their money.

The state government, co-host of the pageant lost about N500 million spent on logistics alone. About N10 billion is estimated as the overall loss to the organisers of the Miss World. All the contractors who were supplying various items are now in dilemma especially those who had supplied before the cancellation. Cross River State Government which was also a co-host incurred some loss too as it spent so much money renovating the Obudu Cattle Ranch which was the venue of some of the activities for the Miss World contest.

But the cancellation did not stop Darego, accompanied by three friends of hers from visiting her father later that day from Abuja . Darego visited Port Harcourt because her father, Asenite Jack Darego, had already made preparations along with members of his community to host her and her friends after the fashion show at his No 4, Omoku Street , D-line, Port Harcourt . She went to Port Harcourt to inform her father of the cancellation. 

Jack Darego, who was shocked by the turn of events, told Newswatch, November 25, that what led to the shift of the venue put his family in a terrible situation. “I was completely dismayed. I wonder why it happened in that way. But we have taken things as we see it, God knows best.”

Many Nigerians shared Darego’s dismay. Indeed, it was a bleak Saturday for many fans eagerly dreaming of watching the Miss World pageant live in their homes via the tube. Nigeria ’s dream of making history of hosting the pageant for the first time was shattered when Julia Morley, president of Miss World, announced the shifting of the event to London after violent protests in Kaduna and Abuja , which left more than 250 people dead, 3,500 wounded, according to Red Cross officials. But the Nigerian Police said the dead were fewer than 250.

Morley had defied international opinion to give the hosting right to Nigeria . Ever since a sharia court passed death sentence on Amina Lawal, for committing adultery, international pressure heightened against granting Nigeria the hosting rights because of its perceived poor human rights record and the general state of insecurity in the country.

But the Federal Government moved to douse such fears. Dubem Onyia, minister of state, ministry of foreign affairs, on September 13, reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government in protecting the rights and security of its citizens and foreigners, who visit or reside in Nigeria . He also assured the organisers of the pageant, participants and visitors that the ruling would in no way affect the contest. His statement allayed the fears of the organisers of the pageant, who were already considering withdrawing the hosting right from Nigeria if the sentence on Amina was not reversed.

This apparently made Morley resolve to make a statement as part of the main Miss World broadcast condemning such inhuman actions and demanding equal justice for men and women. The organisers requested that all contestants bring petitions and representation from their countries, which they will present to the Nigerian government. “Standing on stage together at the finale of Miss World 2002, we will make a powerful statement, one which we believe will best serve Amina’s cause rather than withdrawing from Nigeria,” she said. But that statement was not to be made at all as the contestants made their last minute shopping at the NICON Hilton Hotel in Abuja before hurriedly leaving for London on Saturday aboard a British Airways flight.

Morley was not the only one canvassing that the pageant should go on in Nigeria. An organisation called Hands-off  Cain does not believe in boycott as a means of supporting the development of human rights. It also reasoned that boycotting Nigeria was unjust and counter-productive. A boycott of Nigeria at this crucial moment may well be the death-knell of a fledging democracy, it argued, adding: “We should support the democratic process in Nigeria rather than isolate it and its president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who has solemnly and publicly declared that Amina Lawal will not be stoned to death, but will have justice as Safiya Hussaini did. …For this reason, we are asking all the Miss World candidates to participate in the contest in Abuja.

Renzo Embeni, vice-president of the European Parliament also encouraged participation of all the Miss World contestants.

The move by Hands-off Cain and other organisations yielded fruits as all the countries that initially threatened to pull out later confirmed their interest to participate in the event at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, instead of the National Stadium where it was initially scheduled to hold.

The contestants arrived Nigeria November 11, and were warmly received by Federal Government officials followed by preliminary activities before the final contest. There was no sign of anything going wrong until the out-break of violence in Kaduna , Bauchi and Abuja , the Federal Capital Territory over a publication by the ThisDay newspaper which Muslims considered offensive.

Morley regretted shifting the venue of the event, saying the cancellation was in the interest of the country and the pageant. The organisers were said to have been put under pressure to change venue from ambassadors of participating countries in Nigeria and the parents of the contestants who wanted their children out of Nigeria.

The “beauty queens” had a N2 billion insurance cover and were ill at ease in the final moments in Nigeria before their departure despite the presence of heavily armed security operatives around them. The girls, who used to wear smiles and acknowledge greetings from people, looked moody and scared. Before their departure, they were treated to dinner at the NICON HILTON Hotel, Abuja. Security at the hotel was tight. Journalists were not allowed in.

Morley addressed a press conference at Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, and described the exit of the “queens” from Nigeria as a tragedy. She said the media campaign against the pageant was an evil one, adding that the event would have offered Nigeria an opportunity to showcase its potentials to the world. “It is an evil campaign against Nigeria and I hope the architects would have the courage to apologise,” she said. Morley said the 53-year-old pageant had been turned into a political football and that they were leaving for London to complete the programme. She said the contestants from Canada and South Korea left earlier, saying that it was painful and tragic that the show ended the way it did in Nigeria. Ben Murray-Bruce, director-general of NTA, said it was depressing and unfortunate that Nigeria lost the hosting rights of the show. Jerry Gana, information minister was at the hotel to bid the contestants goodbye.

Even in London, controversy was still trailing the contest as the organisers were said to be having problem getting a venue for the grand finale amidst strident calls from public-spirited individuals to cancel the event completely in sympathy with the people who lost their lives in the riots in Nigeria.

The cancellation of the contest in Nigeria tallies with the demand of the Kaduna State chapter of the Council of Ulamas, asking the Federal Government of Nigeria to call off the pageant in the interest of peace. The council had argued that the pageant offends Muslims’ sensibilities. The Ulamas’ demand became strident following the riots, during which properties worth millions of naira were burnt, including offices of ThisDay newspaper because of the offensive article, which the Muslims said ridiculed Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam.

ThisDay reacted swiftly publishing an apology, which it has continued to carry on its front page, but the rioters had a field day burning, looting and destroying churches. Christians also retaliated and torched some mosques.

One of the victims of the riots is James Iyeri, a 70-year-old  Catholic priest, who is now lying critically ill in hospital following the injuries he sustained when protesters attacked the church. The Holy Cross Catholic Church in Kaduna , where Iyeri is parish priest was torched and his house looted by protesters. Iyeri, a retired army colonel and 45 years old in priesthood is currently receiving treatment at the emergency ward of the 44^th Armed Forces Reference Hospital, Kaduna . Two Catholic nuns are among those who were feared dead in Kaduna with the death toll put at 250.

On Saturday night, the neighbourhood of Murmin, Gwari, Nasarawa, Trikaniya, Gori, Gora, Sabon Tasha all in southern Kaduna mainly dominated by Christians moved in reprisal attacks. Soldiers were deployed in time to quell escalation of attacks.    

Many Muslims are upset that the pageant coincided with the holy month of Ramadan. “We regretted the nature of the article coming during Ramadan, but we accept the apology of the publishers, said Ahmed Makarfi, governor of Kaduna State, where the worst riot took place. Newswatch learnt that Makarfi would have been able to avert the crisis, if not for his political opponents who cashed in on the newspaper publication to foment trouble.

A day before the riots, some students of Kaduna Polytechnic, in Tundun- Wada area were seen discussing the issue and showing their disgust about it. It was believed that at that point, some of them who had connection with some politicians called their mentors to ask what they (the students) could do to stop future occurrence. Some of the politicians allegedly hijacked what would have been a peaceful demonstration and sent out their thugs to turn the situation upside down. The governor declared a 24-hour curfew. As at late last week, the curfew time was from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Makarfi appears to be the main target in the crisis. Some of the posters on display in Hausa said: Ba muzo Makarfi, meaning “We don’t want Makarfi,” and another said: “We don’t want continuity,” among others. The state governor would now be counting his losses, which include the torching of his shopping mall and at least two of his campaign offices.

The Kaduna office of ThisDay was burnt down during the riot and so were the houses of Stanley Yakubu and Tajudeen Ajibade, The Punch correspondent and former reporter of New Nigerian newspapers, respectively. Unspecified number of churches were also torched during the crisis.

Gradually, life is moving back to normal in Kaduna, after the religious riots. For most of the week, the presence of a combined team of armed policemen and soldiers parading the streets kept troublemakers at bay.  People adhered strictly to the dusk-to-dawn curfew as the state government continually issued statements appealing to people living in the state to be of good behaviour. The appeals and the presence of armed security men seemed to have reduced the crisis to a manageable level.

The Kaduna riots, which affected many Christian traders, elicited reprisal attack in Aba, Owerri and Okigwe in Abia and Imo states. In Aba, Newswatch learnt that there were massive protests by youths who stormed the central mosque at the weekend. However, no life was lost as a result of prompt police intervention. Peace had returned to Aba by November 26. 

Anambra and Enugu state governments issued statements, warning unscrupulous people not to embark on any reprisal attacks against Muslim communities in the states. Ody Chukwube, the chief press secretary to Anambra State governor, in a press statement, called on the people to resist the temptation of such attacks and toe the line of peace and reconciliation. The Muslim Community was asked not to harbour any apprehension of attacks as Anambra people were law-abiding and peaceful. He said that the governor had opened discussion with his Kaduna State counterpart to get full details of victims and to find out whether any Anambra indigenes were affected. On his part, Governor Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State called for dialogue as a means of settling dispute instead of resorting to violence.

Tafa Balogun, inspector-general of police warned protesters of the dire consequences of taking the laws into their hands. He beefed up security at ThisDay premises around the country to stop further damage to the company’s property. Simon Kolawole, editor of the Saturday newspaper, was arrested Friday by men of the State Security Service (SSS) in Abuja and taken to an unknown destination. Isioma Daniel, author of the offending article, was asked to report to SSS office in Abuja. She escaped to the United States of America. Muslim protesters also passed Fatwa (death sentence) on Nduka Obaigbena, the publisher of ThisDay and Eniola Bello, the editor of the daily.

The Federal Government is also probing the letter of protest that Ustaz Mohammed, chief imam of Abuja, delivered to Abba Gana, FCT minister some hours before the Friday service where the protest was said to have begun. The chief imam was said to have acted on behalf of the Islamic Council in Nigeria. The FCT minister was said not to be able to respond to the weighty letter in his capacity as FCT minister. He assured the imam that the letter would be delivered to the president who was then on official visit to Lagos. But a few hours after the chief imam returned to his domain, violent protests erupted in parts of Abuja immediately after the Jumat service.

Mohammed said the cancellation of the contest would not in any way tarnish the country’s image, nor would it discourage potential investors from the country. “What has an immoral act got to do with investment or the country’s image? We wrote to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and copied the Senate president and speaker of the House of Representatives among others to stop the hosting of the pageant. Our concern is that the pageant should not be hosted in Abuja and we are pleased that it has been cancelled,” Mohammed said

Zamfara State Government on Monday, November 25, passed a fatwah (death verdict) on the author of the newspaper article found blasphemous by Muslims. Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi, the acting governor, declared at a rally in Gusau that the lady should be beheaded as a matter of religious duty. He said that the government declared Monday a public holiday to demonstrate the state’s concern over the blasphemous publication. Mamuda stated that he was in touch with the state governor, Ahmed Sani, who is performing the lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia, and said the governor directed that spilling the blood of Isioma Daniel had been declared lawful.

The Zamfara State Government, the first to adopt the sharia as state law in 2000, explained that the fatwa was right as it was made in response to the wishes of the people. “It’s fatwa. It’s based on the request of the people,” Umar Dangaladima Magaji, spokesman of the state government said, adding that this did not contradict the authority of Islamic clerics, who have the power to issue death sentences. “Being a leader, you can pass a fatwa,” he said. He said that a number of Islamic groups in the state had urged the state government  to take action. The government had decided fatwa was appropriate and could defuse anger that might otherwise lead to further bloodshed.

Sani’s inflammatory speech is coming on the heels of efforts by others to douse tension with the acceptance of the apology by ThisDay management by the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs.

Ufot Ekaette, secretary to the Federal Government issued a statement, Thursday, November 21, in Abuja, assuring that necessary steps would be taken to bring to book through due process those associated with ThisDay’s offensive publication, which without doubt, exceeded the bounds of responsible journalism by making provocative publication on the holy prophet. “Government,” he said, “will not condone such deliberate provocation and offending of the sensibilities of any faith.”

Obasanjo, last Friday sued for peace, describing the report as irresponsible journalism. He said he had consulted with Mohammed Maccido, Sultan of Sokoto; Markafi and other religious and opinion leaders on the need to persuade protesting youths to refrain from taking law into their hands. The Sultan also called for peace.

Obasanjo, in a CNN interview said he had no regrets over the decision of his administration to host the Miss World beauty pageant but that he felt dissatisfied that the grand finale of the competition had to be moved to London in a reaction to the spate of violent protests against the competition. “I wasn’t sorry that they came to Nigeria. I was sorry that they have to leave Nigeria… and we did everything that was possible to show that we are good hosts and hostesses in Nigeria.

“From their testimony, you could see that they had nothing but praises for the way they were received, for the way they were conducted round Nigeria, for what they have seen of Nigeria. Even the organisers said before they came to Nigeria that they were under tremendous pressure not to come to Nigeria. They felt that there was almost an international press conspiracy against Nigeria. Then why should I be sorry if that is the situation? I am only sorry that we have done our best and circumstances beyond our control made them to leave. We regret that they had to leave but we are happy that we have done our best.”

“The president spoke glowingly of the country’s preparation for the pageant, and re-echoed the view of Jerry Gana, minister of information, saying the relocation of the competition to London was as a result of conspiracy by the international press.

The Federal Government, Islamic community and the world have reacted, condemning the Zamfara State Government for its death sentence on Daniel. Gana made the Federal Government’s position known in an interview with the Agence France Presse, AFP, saying that the Zamfara State Government’s directive was “null and void.” Gana said the Federal Government under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria would not allow such an order in any part of the country because the Federal Republic is governed by the rule of law. Said he: “The constitution of the Federal Republic is supreme law of the land and the laws do not provide for anyone who has done something like ThisDay has done to be killed. That directive of the Zamfara State Government is null and void.”

An official of the ministry of Islamic affairs in Saudi Arabia, which is the headquarters of Islam in the world, said the fatwa by Zamfara State government should not have been passed if the author had apologised. Sheikh Saadal-Saleh, who spoke to AFP on behalf of the Saudi Arabia Kingdom, said “they have no right to kill if the person expresses regret and apologises as it is considered repentance. But if the person stands by his statements then the matter should be referred to a sharia court to decide on a punishment, including death.”

The Saudi position, therefore, portrays the Zamfara declaration as both a subversion of the judicial process and a disregard for the position of the Islamic law.

Lateef Adegbite, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, told AFP that he disagreed with the decree because the journalist is not a Muslim and the newspaper had retracted the article and published apologies.

Five media-related non-governmental organisation, NGOs comprising Media Rights Agenda, Centre for Free Speech, Independent Journalism Centre, Journalists for Democratic Rights and International Press Centre raised alarm over the death sentence allegedly passed by the Zamfara State Government on Daniel. In a letter signed by the NGOs and addressed to Obasanjo, they said that they conceded that the offensive publication raised necessary questions about the social responsibility of the media and the need for journalists to exercise caution while writing on sensitive issues as well as the need to respect the sensibilities of others. But the group said ThisDay has had to go through a lot of ordeal in the last one week over the said article, adding that what could be deduced from the reactions was beyond response to a report considered offensive but an attack on freedom of expression.

“They constitute an attack on freedom of expression, freedom of opinion and freedom of the press. The fatwa placed on Isioma Daniel, especially constitutes an attack on and violation of the right to life, freedom and liberty of a Nigerian citizen as duly enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the media group said.

It said that since the Zamfara State Government has not refuted the story published in Tribune, then it stands that the president be called upon for the safety of Daniel and other journalists in the employment of ThisDay.

Nigerians from all walks of life including politicians, Muslims, Christians and business leaders, students, artisans, lecturers and traders have reacted in various ways to the cancellation of the grand finale of the pageant in Nigeria. Some feel humiliated and embarrassed by the cancellation of the pageant, which came as a shock. On the other hand, some of them, particularly, Muslims say Nigeria has no business hosting the contest, especially during the Ramadan. While others who are business-minded calculate the loss to the economy, insisting that the ugly affair had further dented the image of Nigeria, which is already battered by corruption. They also dismissed the idea that the crisis was politically-motivated.

Bola Akimbobola, political science lecturer, University of Lagos, said Nigeria was the loser. “It is hard to say there is a political undertone in what happened. A successful hosting would have been a public relations gain for the country. Circumstances have made that impossible. It is a terrible indictment on the profile of Nigeria. The Federal Government has some fence-mending work to do .”

Akimbobola suggests that government should assume responsibility to enlighten the public, to ensure a peaceful co-habitation of all citizens in the country. Government, he said, should do a lot of civic education to create political awareness that would check violence in the society. According to him, the cancellation is very negative. “The young ladies, who were here to participate, would have been our ambassadors. It has created wrong impression that we are not worthy. It is very bad. It is terrible,” he said.

Akimbobola argues that Nigeria did not do its homework well. “It did not do enough to have home followership. Of the 98 contestants, only nine are from African nations. Every time Nigeria took a step forward it takes two steps backwards. And for our “beauty queen” (Darego) you can’t begin to imagine how she feels.” 

General Muhammadu Buhari, former head of state, said that while people had a right to be annoyed, nothing justified the killings and destruction and urged that those responsible be made to face the full wrath of the law. He said the organisers did not show enough sensitivity to the feelings of Muslims by hosting the event during Ramadan. “We do not object to the beauty pageant, but people should learn to respect others’ beliefs and religion,” he said.

The beauty pageant itself was not a problem to Muslim faithful as such events are being held annually at the national level in the country without any protest, stressing that whoever does not like the idea of beauty pageant does not have to watch the event on television or read about it in the newspapers.

He cited the annual Miss Nigeria beauty contest as good example of a beauty pageant that has been held in the country for many years without any protest. Buhari also said that the riots were not politically-motivated

Bola Tinubu, Lagos State governor condemned in strong terms the violent protest. He described as unfortunate the initial right given to the country to host the Miss World contest, considering the fact that Nigeria was never able to manage a big event of such magnitude. “Because we won Miss World doesn’t mean we can host it,” said the governor.

He said the shift of venue from Nigeria to London would do a lot of damage to Nigeria’s image. Tinubu, who is now performing lesser hajj urged Muslims, particularly those of northern extraction to embrace ThisDay again because the offensive article was an accidental professional error.

Datti Ahmed, spokesman for the Supreme Council of Sharia, said the protest of the Miss World contest was based on moral and religious grounds. The Muslim community protested when the announcement was made that “young women parading themselves half naked” would be coming. The Muslim community, he said, would have been happy if the “beauty queens” had not come to Nigeria

Lateef Adegbite, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, dismissed the idea that the cancellation has negative economic implications for the country. “Islam is a very serious religion. Our religion is stronger and more important than economy. I mean Allah provides everything. What do we gain inside, I’m happy, prosperous and I lose my soul and paradise. Those things are more important to us than even becoming richer than America. So I don’t think investment and economic issue should come into this,” Adegbite said. He said the people had not come to give Nigeria a present. They came to do business. “I think people should understand this. They are not coming to give us present. It’s not a Father Christmas situation. They are coming to trade. They are coming to do business. Then I’m sure many of them would go to a place where there is decency, where there is stability,” he said, adding that America has great investment in Saudi Arabia, which is very Islamic.

Olatunde John, a student of statistics, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, described the incident as a shame. “Do you know what we have lost, what we would have gained? This country does not belong to Muslims alone. What is happening is that they (Muslims) are infringing on the rights of other Nigerians. The people in power are not capable of putting their home in order. If you don’t stop them now one day they will tell you the clothes you have to wear in public. We have to stop them now. It is bad,” John said.

He said that the constitution of Nigeria was supreme and it guarantees freedom of association, adding that the Federal Government should uphold the tenets of the constitution to check any kind of religious extremism in the country. Olumide Bamiloshin, a student of Yabatech, argued that what has happened had shown that nothing good would come to Nigeria, “a country whose image is already battered by corruption.”

But Babatunde John, a graduate of economics from the University of Lagos believes that the timing of the event was wrong, blaming the organisers for being insensitive to the sensibilities of the Muslims. He said even though the Muslims Ramadan time is not static, organisers should have known that Ramadan starts from November.

Sabastine Hon, chairman of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Middle Belt said the Federal Government should come out clearly and define the status of other Nigerians vis-à-vis, the Islamic north. “This country belongs to all of us and we have equal stake in it,” he said.

The Kano State House of Assembly also passed a resolution banning the circulation of ThisDay newspaper in the state.

The Newspapers Distributors Association of Nigeria, NDAN, appealed to the Muslim community in the country to forgive ThisDay. The pan-Igbo group, the World Igbo Congress, WIC Inc, after an appraisal of the spate of violence that greeted the bid to host the 2002 Miss World beauty contest urged the Federal Government to evolve ways of averting violent crisis. Luke Azubike, secretary-general of WIC said the recent riots had carved a negative image for the country.

Meanwhile, the 1,000 protesters who were arrested in Kaduna have been taken to court. Three hundred and fifty of them were arraigned at the Upper Sharia Court in Kaduna. They were charged with looting, arson and homicide. Another batch consisting 650 people were charged before a magistrate’s court.

In Abuja, the chief magistrate’s court ordered to be remanded in police custody, those arrested in connection with Friday’s riot in the city. The application for bail was stood down till November 28, as the suspects were ordered to be held by the police and to be produced in court for the determination of their bail application. The police prosecutor alleged that the suspects conspired to disrupt public peace at the strategic locations within the FCT on November 22. He alleged that the suspects were apprehended at the central area, Berger Junction and Wuse New Market, within Abuja metropolis, where government and private properties were vandalised and others burnt. Umoru objected to the bail applications, stating that the offences were not ordinarily bailable.

The suspects, who were arraigned on a five-count charge of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, rioting, disturbance of public peace and mischief denied the charges.

Counsel to the fourth accused, Ahmed Aliyu, had made an oral application for the bail for his client, citing section 341 (2) of the criminal procedure, arguing that his client would neither jeopardise police investigation nor jump bail. Aliyu also intimated the court that his client who was a successful tailor in Wuse old market was apprehended while running for his life on the fateful day. Also Emeka Okoye, counsel to the sixth and 12 suspects, and Abdulhamid Mohammed, representing the remaining 24 suspects, adopted the application of the first counsel.  Suleiman Belgore, the presiding judge ordered that the suspects be remanded.

In the 53 years of the pageant, only three winners had come from Africa. In 1954, an Egyptian won the prize for the continent for the first time. Four years later, a South African won and won again in 1974. Agbani’s crown came 27 years later at the pageant in Sun City, South Africa.

Silverbird Production has been representing Nigeria in the past 16 years in the Miss World pageant. Ben Murray Bruce, director-general of NTA and former president of the Silverbird Production, co-organisers of the pageant said he had waited for 19 years to host the pageant. And now the opportunity was lost he felt hurt. Many families, especially those who lost family members in the riots are hurt too.

Reported by Olu Ojewale, Salif Atojoko, Anza Philips, Psaro Yornamue, Geoffrey Ekenna, Phillip Oladunjoye.

Newswatch Volume 36 No 23 December 9, 2002

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