The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Death of 50 in Benue’s fire avoidable, says Senate

    The Senate said on Thursday that the death of over 50 people in petrol tanker explosion in Gwer East Local Government Area was avoidable, if only the right thing was done.

    The position of the upper chamber followed the adoption of a motion on “Benue tanker explosion: Urgent need to curb incessant explosions of petroleum tankers in Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Oker-Jev.

    The Senate blamed the deadly incident on a failed portion of a federal road in the area.

    Oker-Jev, in his lead debate, noted that over 100 people, who sustained different degrees of injuries, were battling for survival in various hospitals across the state.

    The Benue North West senator expressed worry that the death toll could rise as many of the injured were in a critical state at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital.

    He said most victims were severely burnt and the least of them had 75 percent lower degree burns.

    The Senate resolved to urge the Federal Government to urgently release funds for the dualisation of the Keffi-Lafia-Makurdi-Enugu road, where the incident happened.

    Read Also: Benue deputy governor visits tanker fire victims in hospitals

    It also asked the management of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to quickly assist the affected families.

    It called on the Federal Ministry of Health to intervene and assist the victims undergoing medical attention in different hospitals in the state.

    The lawmakers resolved to constitute an ad-hoc committee to liaise with relevant agencies, organisations, and stakeholders to identify the remote and immediate cause of incessant petroleum tanker explosions in the country.

    The committee when constituted, the Senate said, should come up with sustainable solutions to petroleum tanker explosions.

    A step to curtail incessant tanker explosions, which the lawmakers highlighted, was the immediate ban of underage truck drivers across major highways in the country.

    It was also their view that proper inspection of articulated vehicles should be the top priority of relevant agencies.

  • Shi’ites protest at National Assembly for El Zakzaky’s release

    Members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) popularly called Shi’ites, on Thursday besieged the National Assembly during a protest for the release of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El Zakzaky.

    The Shi’ites members carried various banners and posters with the pictures of El Zakzaky.

    Their presence led to the closure of the main gate to the National Assembly with a detachment of policemen surrounding the area to prevent the protesters from entering the complex.

    The sect’s spokesman Ibrahim Musa said there was a clear and present danger as the health of El Zakzaky had worsened.

    He said the group was demanding the immediate release of their leader from detention as he had allegedly been poisoned with lead.

    According to him, even if El Zakyzaky was released immediately, there would be need for him to have quick medical intervention to save his life.

    Musa said investigations by experts had revealed that the level of lead in the Muslim scholar’s blood was at a dangerous level.

    Read Also: Police, Shi’ites clash at National Assembly 

    But House Leader Alhassan Ado Doguwa, who met the protesters at the gate, assured them that their message would be relayed to appropriate quarters.

    Doguwa said: “This place, called the National Assembly, provides a window where you come and ventilate your concern and anger. But I assure you, I give you my commitment and the commitment of this institution, that we will address this issue that you raised.

    “And in promising you, I will collect the contacts of your leaders. And by the time I am able to convince my colleagues and superiors, we will get back to you and discuss further. This we will do with immediate alacrity.”

    Doguwa hailed members of the group for the peaceful manner they conducted themselves.

    Recall that El-Zakzaky, has been in detention since December 2015 and has remained in detention since sequel to a clampdown on his members by soldiers.

    He had been charged for alleged conspiracy, abating culpable homicide, among other offences. In spite of a December 2016 order for his release by the court, the government has failed to release him, prompting incessant protests by his members.

  • Lobbying for relocation risky, NYSC warns corps members

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has warned corps members against lobbying to be relocated out of the states they are deployed for their one-year national service.

    The Director of Corps Mobilization at the NYSC Directorate Headquarters in Abuja, Mrs Nnenna Ukonu, gave the advice on Thursday while addressing corps members undergoing their three-week orientation course in Umunya Camp in Anambra State.

    The director described lobbying for relocation as a risky venture which many later regretted.

    “Avoid lobbying to be relocated out of the state. It may end up in someone lobbying out his or luck or destiny,” she said.

    Read Also: NYSC DG to corps members: be patriotic

    Mrs Ukonu urged the NYSC members to settle down and imbibe the entrepreneurial spirit of their host communities.

    “I challenge you to seize the opportunity being offered by the NYSC skills acquisition to upgrade yourself towards self-reliance at the end of your service year,” she added.

    Cautioning against incessant and unauthorized journeys, the director urged the corps members to use the various information technology platforms to regularly communicate with their parents and loved ones.

    The NYSC State Coordinator Kehinde Aremu thanked the director for the visit.

    He informed her that 2,220 corps members, comprising 1,080 men and 1,140 women were on camp.

    The state coordinator described their conduct as satisfactory.

  • El-Rufai was properly nominated – court

    A .federal High Court sitting in Kaduna on Thursday, upheld the nomination of Malam Nasiru El-Rufai as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for Kaduna State.

    The court said El-Rufai was properly nominated as the APC governorship candidate for the polls.

    A former member of the APC, Yahaya Shinko, had filed a suit at the court challenging El-Rufai’s nomination, asking the court to set aside his nomination.

    Read Also:  El-Rufai names 11 commissioner-nominees

    Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Zainab Abubakar ruled that Yahaya Shinko’s case lacked merit and affirmed the validity of the APC primaries.

    Justice Zainab noted that the suit was filed beyond the 14 days given to institute an action challenging the outcome of the said election.

    She, however, struck out the matter for lack of competence and merit.

  • SAN: Abbo should be punished for assault, despite apology

    Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Jibrin Okutepa, has called for the prosecution of Senator Elisha Ishaku Abbo for criminal misconduct, despite his apology.

    The eminent lawyer said the wrong signal would be sent that Abbo is above the law, if he is not punished for assaulting a woman.

    He said: “As a lawyer trained to defend and prosecute offenders, the apologies of this senator constitute an admission of criminal act, and he should be charged and duly tried. Our criminal law has been violated.

    “The defendant has confessed. He must be punished for that criminal misconduct for it to serve as deterrent to others.

    “While it is within the province of ecclesiastical doctrine to forgive sinners, we must avoid allowing those who transgressed our criminal laws to escape punishment they richly deserve on mere apologies.”

    Okutepa wondered whether the apologies would remedy the slaps received by the hapless woman.

    “Our humanity has been degraded. Will the apologies atone for the criminal conduct of battery and assault he repeatedly meted out to the woman?

    “I think this senator is playing on the emotional intelligence of Nigerians. Nigerians, being who we are, easily forgive and forget wrongs done to us. That is why our society remains backward. The absence of sanctions is what makes this great country live in poverty in the mist of abundant resources.

    “How can a man in his right senses slap a woman and hope to get away with it because he thinks Nigerians are quick to forgive?

    “The criminal justice system will be suffering injustice and ridicule, if this man is not prosecuted. The senator must also pay compensation to the lady he assaulted.

    “Apologies, though accepted, are not enough to atone for the show of shame and criminality displayed in the video,” the SAN said.

    Okutepa praised Premium Times for breaking the story.

    Read Also: Five things you may not know about Senator Elisha Abbo

    “The press must be at the forefront of holding our public officers accountable. Enough of journalistic docility or partisanship! The duty of the fourth estate of the realm is to inform, educate and entertain. We must encourage the press to do so,” Okutepa added.

    Also, activist lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday called for the arrest and prosecution of Senator Abbo.

    In a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the eminent lawyer recalled the content of the video clip that implicated Abbo and the senator’s public apology to the assaulted woman.

    He decried the senator’s action in the presence of an armed policeman, who he said arrested the woman “after the assault and torture”.

    Falana added: “Quite embarrassingly, the distinguished senator had admitted that he assaulted the lady because she was supporting the shop owner who had called him a drunk.

    “Pursuant to the clear provisions of Section 2 of the Anti-Torture Act, 2015, and Section 265 of the Penal Code, we demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of Senator Abbo for assault occasioning harm and torture.

    “We also request that the police officer, who arrested the nursing mother, should be sanctioned for naked abuse of power.”

    Activists, under the aegis of African Women on Board (AWB), a non-profit dedicated to reshaping the future for African women and girls, yesterday condemned Abbo for slapping a woman several times.

    A statement by AWB’s founder and chairperson, Dr. Nkiru Balonwu, queried the rationale behind the senator’s behaviour.

    “Given the appalling behaviour displayed  Video footage, is an apology enough? Shouldn’t we demand more from our elected officials to send a clear message that abuse of any form is unacceptable, no matter who carries it out?” she said.

    Balonwu said AWB identified the behaviour as utterly disgraceful.

    “However, the overarching culture, which allows violence against women to thrive, is even more deplorable.

    “The continent …can only move forward, if we take time to reflect on how we are holding women back and physically keeping them in harm’s way,” she said.

    Seeking justice for Abbo’s victims, Balonwu noted that though the Senate had ordered a two-week probe into the incident, “if the situation were reversed, would the Senate hesitate to call for the woman’s arrest?”

    She added: “Aren’t the woman’s account and the video sufficient evidence of what transpired? We cannot wait for two weeks! The evidence is clear and the next steps are unquestionable. Senator Abbo must resign…”

  • Adamawa PDP, others condemn Senator Abbo’s conduct

    The Adamawa State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the people of the constituency of Senator Elisha Ishaku Abbo (PDP Adamawa North) have condemned his act at the Abuja shop.

    They, however, pleaded that he be forgiven and the apology he tendered be accepted.

    The senator, who has been in the news for slapping a woman at an Abuja toy shop, was apologetic on Wednesday in Abuja, where he addressed a news conference on the matter.

    The PDP, in his home state, which similarly called a news briefing in Yola yesterday and some of his constituents, who spoke to The Nation, said the senator stepped out of decorum.

    Read Also: Adamawa APC: we haven’t withdrawn petition against PDP

    being has the propensity to err. It is upon this premise that we call on the lady, who was assaulted and her immediate family to forgive the excesses of Senator Abbo. We equally plead with the generality of Nigerians and particularly, the female folk, to find a place in their hearts to forgive the senator.”

    The PDP state chairman said the party was confident that the senator would not allow a repeat of what happened, and urged the Senate, which has undertaken to investigate the matter, to tender justice with mercy.

    Also speaking on the matter, one of the constituents of the senator, Tafisu Adamu, called for dispassionate views.

    Another of the respondents, Vilian Murray, said the senator should have known better than allowing his temper to get out of hand.

  • Troops neutralise 30 bandits in Zamfara communities

    Troops of “Operation Hadari Daji” have neutralised 30 armed bandits in Zamfara State.

    Acting Force Information Officer Lieutenant Abayomi Oni-Orisan gave the figure while explaining the activities of the troops in getting rid of armed banditry.

    Lt. Oni-Orisan explained that the troops on June 29, while acting on intelligence report, rescued a civilian from armed bandits at Zurmi-Gurbin Baure road.

    He added that the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji on June 30 also conducted intensive bomb runs at several identified bandits’ camps in Dumburum forest.

    According to the Acting Force Information Officer, the air operation was conducted sequel to exhaustive Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations by the Air Component of OPHD in the area, including credible human intelligence gathered from locals.

    Scores of bandits, he said, were effectively neutralised in the operation while others fled the area.

    Lt. Oni-Orisan said more bandits were also neutralised when the fleeing bandits encountered ground troops deployed in blocking positions around the general area, where four of the bandits were equally captured by the troops.

    Two motorcycles and 43 livestock earlier rustled from locals were recovered.

    Similarly, on June 30, the troops apprehended a notorious bandit “Haruna Sani” and two other bandits at Wonaka-Mada road in Tsafe Local Government Area.

    Read Also: Air Force neutralises 20 bandits in Zamfara

    The Acting Force Information Officer said: “The criminals disguised themselves as innocent passersby and attempted to sneak into Gusau for medical treatment of injuries suffered during the ongoing military operations.”

    The troops on  July 1, in response to distress calls, deployed speedily to Bayan Dutse axis in Mada community of Gusau Local Government Area, where armed bandits were rustling herds of cattle and engaged the bandits successfully.

    One bandit was captured and 84 livestock, comprising 73 cows and 10 rams, were recovered.

    On July 2, he said the air component of the operation effectively neutralised 20 armed bandits at a location close to Munhaye town about 15 kilometres from Katsina State sequel to “credible human intelligence that bandits” had gathered for a meeting at a rendezvous close to Munhaye, possibly to attack locals in the vicinity.

    The air component, Lt. Oni-Orisan said, scrambled an Alpha Jet to the area.

    The bandits, numbering over 30 on seeing the jet, attempted to flee the area but the Alpha Jet engaged them with effective fire and neutralising 20 of them.

    Lt. Orisan said the troops of OPHD remain highly motivated, determined and disciplined in professionally executing their mission in line with extant Rules of Engagement (ROE) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) accordingly.

    The Force Commander (FC) Major-General Jide Ogunlade reassured inhabitants of Zamfara State of their safety.

    He also encouraged them to support the ongoing campaign against armed banditry and other criminalities by continuing to provide timely and credible information to the troops to ensure prompt and efficient action.

  • Magu to youths: shun evil acts, bad company

    The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has advised Nigerian youths to avoid harbouring evil thoughts.

    Magu spoke on Thursday while delivering a lecture at this year’s Batch “B” orientation course at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp ground in Iseyin, Oyo State.

    The EFCC chairman, who spoke through the Zonal Head of the commission’s Ibadan zonal office, Friday Ebelo, noted that the only way youths could effectively avoid crimes was by ensuring that they do not give space for evil thoughts to germinate in their hearts.

    He said: “It often takes a process to get involved in crime. You must, therefore, be careful about what manner of thought you allow to dominate your mind.

    Read Also: No going back on Oyo EFCC, says Makinde

    “It is equally important that you choose carefully the kind of people you associate with because that also influences what you give priority to in your heart.”

    Relating his message with the commission’s statistics of arrests, arraignment and conviction of youths involved in criminal activities in recent times, Magu stressed that many were persuaded into criminal act due to their choice of providing unbridled access to all shades of evil thoughts.

    He also advised them to choose hard work over laziness in order to make meaningful impact in life.

    Magu said: “There is no shortcut to wealth and fame. Acts of criminality might deliver wealth in the short-run, but ultimately, there will be misery and gnashing of teeth.”

  • Buhari supporters back Bulama for APC National Secretary

    As Nigerians, especially members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) nationwide, await the announcement of a new National Secretary for the party, Preside Muhammadu Buhari’s main support group, the Buhari Support Organisation (BSO), has expressed its support for Waziri Bulam to pick the plum job.

    The position of the party’s National Secretary, which is zoned to the Northeast, has been vacant since the former occupant, Mai Mala Buni, resigned to contest the governorship election in Yobe State.

    Buni won his election.

    With the Senate President coming from the same state, there are arguments that the position of National Secretary be given to any other state in the zone.

    The Northeast comprises Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi and Gombe states.

    BSO, which is the umbrella body of all support organisations that have been working for the President since 2014, endorsed Bulama for the job at the end of its meeting in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    All the state coordinators of the group attended the meeting.

    Read Also: Serve with integrity, APC chieftain advises politicians

    The Nation gathered that apart from the BSO, Bulama, who hails Borno State, has also got the support of party members from all the states under the organisation, even though party chieftains from Yobe and Taraba states have shown interest in the position.

    It was also gathered that Buluma, who was Deputy Director General (Coordination) of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), has received the support of the Borno State Governor Babagana Zulumu and some other chieftains from the Northeast.

    In a statement in Abuja, the Forum of State Coordinators of BSO, which met on Tuesday, said they would continue to support President Buhari and policies that would promote the APC.

    The statement reads: “The meeting deliberated extensively on how to ensure successful future for the organisation with continued and unalloyed support/loyalty for the President and the APC government.

    “One of the fundamental decisions adopted at the meeting was to support wholeheartedly the aspiration of Waziri Bulama as the National Secretary of the APC.”

    The statement said BSO National Chairman Dr. Mahmud Abubakar extolled the sterling qualities of Bulama and all the coordinators adopted him as the sole candidate of the group.

  • Wike: I’m not surprised by Reps’ action

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike on Thursday said he was not surprised at what happened with the minority positions of the House of Representatives.

    The governor regretted the development, saying “trading” had been placed above party loyalty in the House.

    Wike spoke at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital, when he hosted Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Makinde.

    The governor said he remained purely a party loyalist with a strong belief in the ideals of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said: “I am not surprised. When you have traders and merchants, what do you expect?

    “It is unfortunate for those who do not understand what politics is all about. I am a core party man. I believe in the party.”

    Wike noted that peer review is necessary to advance the course of development across the states of the federation.

    “I am happy for this visit. We shall reciprocate the visit at the appropriate time. It is good for us to continue to compare notes to learn best practices from each other,” he said.

    Read Also: Reps to probe Gogo, others for attempted mace-snatching

    The governor expressed confidence in the ability of his visitor to take Oyo State to greater heights.

    Makinde frowned at the happenings at the House of Representatives, saying a situation where the position of the PDP could be subverted in the National Assembly called for concern.

    “We all saw what happened at the National Assembly yesterday (Wednesday). They are things that call for concern. If the party takes a position on certain things, we want to ensure that, that is carried through,” he said.

    The Oyo State governor added that he was in Rivers State to also discuss issues of true federalism and the role of states in the development process.

    Makinde hailed Wike for his developmental strides during his first term.

    The governor said he expected his Rivers State counterpart to deliver more projects for the people.

    “We have seen the giant strides of the Governor during his first term. We are here to learn from him,” he said.