August 5 in Nigerian history: 4 things we remember

The 5th of August has been an eventful day in Nigerian history for many years. 
Today we are doing a roundup of 5 top things that have happened on the 5th of August in Nigerian history.

1.   Gay wedding



On the 5th of August, 2007, 18 men were arrested in a remote area of Bauchi state. They were arrested after they were found with female apparel as they prepared for a gay wedding.  They faced charges of sodomy in a Nigerian Islamic court, the Bauchi Shariah court  They were accused of lesser crimes in court, but angry crowds reacted violently. 

Three weeks later they were rearrested and charged with more severe crimes including indecent acts and faced 10 years in jail if found guilty


2. Vietnam-Nigeria trade agreement




The Vietnam-Nigeria Trade relations were sealed in 2005 In February 2003,

 Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong met with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the then African Union President, in order to discuss measures to boost the bilateral ties. On August 5, 2005, Vietnam’s Ministry of Trade decided to open its Trade Office in Nigeria.

3. FG takes over three banks

The three banks have all been absorbed into other banks now On the 5th of August, 2011,

 the Federal Government of Nigeria made a mark in Nigerian history, when it took over the management of three banks Afribank, Bank PHB and Spring Bank, which had been rescued under a major 2009 bailout amid concerns over their ability to recapitalize by a September 30 deadline. 

The Federal Government through the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) assumed ownership of Afribank, Bank PHB and Spring Bank  via  the “Bridge Bank” mechanism following the revocation of their licenses by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). That meant that the three banks will still be open to customers and continue to operate normally under the control of three bridge banks created by the NDIC to assume their assets. 

4. Okija shrine


Many of the ‘priests’ of the Okija shrine were caught with human parts Okija shrine will always be remembered in Nigerian history. 

On the 5th of August 2004, the Nigerian police arrested some thirty people in Anambra state after fifty corpses and twenty skulls were discovered in raids on the fetish Okija shrine. Shrines in Okija, Anambra State were chambers of horror and torture.

 About 500 victims later told police investigators how they were tortured to confess to crimes they knew nothing about.

 In turn, the police tightened their noose on the detained priests who were charged with crimes against humanity.

 One of the victims told the police in Abuja how the shrine operators extorted more than N3 million from him if he did not want to die.