By AFP 09 October 2023 | 8:05 am Ecuador on Sunday extended by a month a state of emergency in place since the August assassination of presidential candidate and anti-graft crusader Fernando Villavicencio, the presidency announced. View of a man welding atop a roof inside the Guayas 1 prison, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on October 7, 2023. – A seventh Colombian suspected in the August assassination of Ecuador presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio has died in Quito’s El Inca prison, officials said Saturday –like the six who died Friday in a prison in the port city Guayaquil. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) Ecuador on Sunday extended by a month a state of emergency in place since the August assassination of presidential candidate and anti-graft crusader Fernando Villavicencio, the presidency announced. The extension comes shortly after seven Colombians arrested over Villavicencio’s killing were found dead in prison. Six of the suspects were killed Friday in the Guayas 1 prison in the port city of Guayaquil, while a seventh was found dead Saturday in a prison in the capital Quito. With the extension of the state of emergency, the government “guarantees the participation of the Armed Forces and the Police in the fight against organized and common crime,” President Guillermo Lasso’s communications office said on X, formerly Twitter. Lasso on Saturday announced a “reorganization” of the country’s police leadership, with the force’s general commander, investigations chief and prisons director removed from their posts. His office also said it would file a criminal complaint against the director of the Guayaquil prison where the prisoners were said to have died amid “disturbances.” The assassination of Villavicencio, a centrist who had been polling in second place, rocked Ecuador days ahead of the August 20 national elections in which corruption and the country’s declining security situation were major themes. Six Colombians with long criminal records were arrested shortly after, while one was killed at the scene of the crime. Authorities arrested seven others days later. The suspects’ deaths occurred just over a week before the October 15 runoff election between leftist frontrunner Luisa Gonzalez and challenger Daniel Noboa. NOW Ecuador on Sunday extended by a month a state of emergency in place since the August assassination of presidential candidate and anti-graft crusader Fernando Villavicencio, the presidency announced. 9 mins ago President Joe Biden ordered US ships and warplanes to move closer to Israel in a show of support on Sunday, while sending fresh military aid after attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 22 mins ago Employees at US industrial automaker Mack Trucks voted down a labor agreement on Sunday and will join some 25,000 other United Auto Workers (UAW) members on strike, the union announced. 27 mins ago Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has announced the reopening of Ladipo, Oyingbo, Alamutu Ologede and Ile-Epo markets, recently sealed for filth and gross environmental abuse. 33 mins ago The crisis rocking the Bayelsa State chapter of the the All Progressives Congress (APC) has deepened ahead of the November 11 governorship election in the state. No fewer than 10 political parties are fielding candidates for the poll, but the battle is majorly between Governor Douye Diri, who is seeking re-election on the platform of… 33 mins ago The IMF and World Bank gather in Morocco Monday for their first annual meetings on African soil in 50 years, under pressure to reform to better aid poor nations blighted by debt and climate change. 1 hour ago National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, (NCFRMI), has launched a rehabilitation and resettlement city for Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs), and the vulnerable. 1 hour ago The Arewa Youths Alliance for Progress and Development (AYAPD) has expressed concerns over the rising political tension in some states, including Kano and Delta state. The group in a press conference held on Sunday in Abuja, further called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to address this issue by relocating all election appeal hearings and… 1 hour ago As the world marks World Mental Health Day, a mental health expert and the founder of the Mental Health Ditty Foundation, Dr. Adedotun Esan, has appealed to the Federal government to decriminalize suicide and attempted suicide in Nigeria. 1 hour ago In its bid to expand the nation’s business frontiers and create more wealth for Nigerians, the Federal Government has approved the elevation of the annual gaming conference of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) to international standards.
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