Author: The Nation

Lagos State House of Assembly has condemned the release of 123 indigenes of Jigawa state arrested by Task Force operatives with their motorcycles on entering the state in a suspicious manner.

Majority Leader, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, raised the issue under matter of urgent public importance at plenary on Thursday.

Sanai said nobody knew the intention of those who came in with motorcycles from their town, saying it is a threat to the security of the state.

The lawmakers, who lamented the influx of Hausa boys with motorcycles into the state with cow trucks, called on the Commissioner of Police to ensure adequate security of lives and properties.

The House also called on the National Assembly to review the constitution to accommodate State Police and also reiterated the need for special status for the State.

Hon. Maucaley Mojisola representing Amuwo constituency 1 suggested that Governor Sanwo-Olu should raise the issue among other governors to caution their people on the need to adhere to laws of Lagos State.

Fatai Mojeed representing Ibeju Lekki 1 said there was need to involve Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) to commence the inspection of unregistered motorcycles.

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Hon. Abiodun Tobun argued that the 123 northerners arrested and released should have been sent back with their motorcycles, saying their release was not good enough.

“They are here to constitute nuisance because they have no value to add to the development of the state,” he said.

The Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, who supported his colleagues, added that the budget of the State is no longer enough to cater for the people.

“The law that permits movement of people also gives power to the State to direct its affairs.

“Those who come in must abide with the rules and regulations. The commissioner of police should have handed over the 123 people to immigration for proper identification before their release.

“This is more reason why Lagos needs special status with state police to secure lives of the people,” he said.

The House also urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to empower the neighborhood safety Corps to ensure security in the State.

14 different groups of bandits operating in Faskari and Kankara Local Government Areas of Katsina state have offered to swap all abducted victims in their custody in exchange for their members arrested during attacks in parts of the local government areas

Leader of one of the gangs, Alhaji Mansuni, told Governor Aminu Bello Masari on Thursday that the groups were pleased with the drive for peace.

He said they will reciprocate the gesture by releasing all victims of abduction in their custody in exchange for their members in detention.

Mansuni also said they were pushed to embrace banditry because of the fear of insecurity, deprivations and indiscriminate arrest and killings of herdsmen by security forces.

According to him: ’’We are happy by your coming to visit us right in our hideouts.

‘’We have challenges which government should look into, including construction of roads, education, infrastructure and social living conditions.

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‘’Again indiscriminate arrest by security agencies and extortion by members of SARS as well the attitude of the Hausa in the rural communities who refused to coexist with the Fulani requires we all sit down and iron our differences.’’

The Chief Imam of the Fulani, Alhaji Liman MajunaM assured the Governor that the bandits were willing to surrender and embraced the amnesty of the government

He said: ’’We have forgiven and forgotten what happened five years ago, we will confront whoever that does not want peace.’’

Masari told the bandits that it is better they abandon the bush and killing of their brothers and embrace peace and amnesty

He said: ’’If you gather all the cattle get all the money in this world and shed innocent blood, yet there is no benefit.

‘’You can never defeat government. If you kill 10 soldiers, government will bring 100 more and also bring thousands of guns.

“We will look into your requests, build roads and schools and ensure better quality of lives.’’

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has named three-member Appeal Committees for the recently conducted primaries for the Kogi and Bayelsa Governorship elections.

A statement on Thursday by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed the appeal committee for the Kogi indirect primary consists of Senator Abdulahi Umar Yandoma (Chairman), Hajia Amina Muhammed (Secretary) and Tony McFoy (Member).

For Bayelsa, it said the membership of the committee includes: Barrister Shuaibu Aruwa (Chairman), Edith Newman Amadi (Secretary) and Hon. Abdul Malik El-Yakub (member).

The Bayelsa State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described Diri as the only candidate with the capacity and competence to succeed Governor Seriake Dickson.

The party, while congratulating Diri on his emergence as the PDP candidate, further referred to him as a committed public official with years of exemplary service to the development of Bayelsa, the Ijaw Nation and the country.

The State Secretary of the party, Chief Godspower Keku, said in a statement on the PDP was happy with the emergence of Diri as its flag bearer after the keenly contested transparent and credible party primaries.

The party’s Secretary noted that Bayelsa was in need of a leader with vast experience in public service explaining that Diri had been a Commissioner, a Principal Executive Secretary to the Governor and a member of the Federal House of Representatives and currently a Senator, among others.

The PDP scribe commended the other 20 aspirants of the party who contested the election with Diri for their display of maturity and respect for the overall interest of the party.

Keku called on the aspirants to support the candidate of the party stressing that the primaries could only produce one candidate out of the 21 aspirants, who indicated interest in the governorship of the state.He flayed the APC over the emergence of Chief David Lyon as its candidate describing him as a pipeline security surveillance contractor.

Keku alleged that the leader of the APC in the state and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, schemed out all the qualified contestants from the APC to impose Lyon on them.

He said that Lyon lacked the requisite credentials, experience and pedigree to become Governor of Bayelsa State.

Keku, who described the APC primaries which produced Lyon as a sham, noted that Lyon was Sylva’s personal imposition

He condemned the calculated humiliation of Lokpobiri, who was made prominent by the PDP, and urged those humiliated by Sylva to rethink their political future.

Activist lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has called on the Federal Government to declare how much stolen funds it has recovered since 1999.

He was joined in this call by the first woman SAN, Chief Folake Solanke at the 20th Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture to celebrate the 74th birthday of the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Bishop Mike Okonkwo.

Delivering the lecture titled: “The Danger of Unequal Criminal Justice System in Nigeria”, Falana, who was the guest lecturer, said the Federal Government, through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had recovered over N1 trillion looted from the treasuries helped by its whistleblower policy since 1999.

However, he said the exact amount had not been declared neither had the government said what the funds were used for – though he also mentioned that N605 billion was recently recovered.

He said the government should use the funds to empower local government areas to provide jobs at the grassroots level to check unemployment and curb crime.

He said: “The Federal Government has recovered huge sums of money from looters. one of the policies of government, the whistle blowing policy, has fetched the country N605 billion as of three months ago.

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“I am therefore suggesting that the billions recovered by the EFCC, let the Federal Government allocate at least N1 billion to every Local Government for job creation for our young men and women. “
Speaking on the justice system, Falana lamented that the despite the constitution providing for equality before the law, it was difficult for the poor to get justice as majority had no access to lawyers.

The rich, he alleged, are able to subvert justice by paying huge sums of money to stretch trials, get police and military connivance, or buy favourable treatment when incarcerated.
He said: “Section 17 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Nigeria talks of equality before the law. But I am sure you will all agree with me that equality before the law is a joke in any capitalist society.

“What we have done is to create agencies like the Legal Aid Council, the National Human Rights Council and individual lawyers to encourage them to ensure that the poor get justice.

“Because if the poor do not get justice, whether the government likes it or not, whether you arrest all the Sowores of this world, there will be a revolution one day. Because when the poor rise it can be dangerous in any society. It can even lead to anarchy as it is the case now.

“Yesterday what happened in Lagos – the attacks if you watched the film on television, you will know that we are in trouble.

“Some of the criminal elements opened carried the loot on their heads and the police had a hard time containing the crisis. That is why we must go out and ensure injustice in the polity is addressed”
Supporting Falana, Mrs. Solanke, who chaired the lecture, said the government owed Nigeria the duty of telling how much has been recovered from its anti-corruption drive.

To help address the problem, Falana called on Okonkwo and members of TREM to help in ensuring the poor get justice.

He suggested that the church could join magistrates to inspect police stations monthly and identify people languishing in illegal detention.
He promised to collaborate with the church to make it possible.

“To stop illegal detention, every police station shall be inspected once in a month. In a place like Lagos, we have got the chief judge to assign magistrates to inspect police stations. We can help connect with the magistrates so that every month when the magistrates are going on inspection

“By next year, this church will be rolling out how many people have been freed form illegal detention for the past one year. I know your church has a number of lawyers and I will be prepared to partner with them to ensure justice is done and served,” he said.

In her speech, while commending the organisers of the Mike Okonwkwo Secondary School Essay Competition for awarding prizes to winners who scored 50 and above, Mrs Solanke called the practice of setting admission cut-off marks at less than 50 per cent scandalous.

She said: “I am relieved that the average percentage of the winner was 68 per cent. One of my current crusades is to protest the damaging policy of educational institutions, schools, colleges, universities, the Law School…who accept less than 50 per cent as pass mark.

“As a former teacher of Latin and Mathematics in England and Nigeria, anything below 50 is a failure. Now institutions accept 40, 45, 48 as pass marks. Scandalous!

“I was appalled to hear that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) approves 120 out of 400 as passmark. Heavens above, 120 out of 400 is 30 per cent.”
Winners of the competition, Esigbone Ferdinard of Roshallom International Secondary School, Egbeda, Lagos; Oluwaseun Aremu of Shepherd International College Ado-Ekiti ; and Adeola Ifeoluwa of Chrisfield College, Itamaga, Ikorodu got N100,000, N75,000 and N50,000 each.

Their schools also got computers. Four other finalists will get a consolation price of N20,000.

Nigerian carrier, Air Peace has warned against scammers who are allegedly collecting money from Nigerians in South Africa for their evacuation back to the country.

The Chairman of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema, told newsmen in Lagos on Thursday that the airline was offering free flights for Nigerians fleeing from xenophobic attacks in South Africa

He said the gesture was part of the airline support to the government.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Air Peace will begin the evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa on Sept. 6.

Onyema said the airline decided to set the record straight following an email from a Nigerian in South Africa that unauthorised persons were illegally collecting $1,000 from each Nigerian that wanted to take advantage of that flight.

He said: “A Nigerian living in South Africa sent an email to the airline requesting to confirm whether the flight is free because some people were already collecting money for the flight.

“Part of the mail sent by a Nigerian resident in South Africa, Fred Okeke reads: “we heard that you are donating the flight for free evacuation from South Africa to Nigeria.

“But, it is very unfortunate to hear that they are asking the affected victims to pay the sum of $1000 as registration to be eligible to benefit from the flight. So I want to bring it to your notice.”

Onyema noted that the development was unfortunate, stressing that the evacuation was free because the airline was concerned about the safety of Nigerians following the attacks.

“We have not designated or recruited any agent in South Africa to collect money on behalf of Air Peace.

“So nobody should pay money to anyone or group of persons posing as Air Peace agent or staff.

“Any Nigerian who has paid money for repatriation to Nigeria with Air Peace should request for a refund and report to appropriate authorities,” he said.

Following the xenophobic attacks, the Federal Government proposed recall of its High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Kabiru Bala and also pulled out of the World Economic Summit holding in Cape Town.

The government had also issued travel advice to Nigerians intending to visit South Africa due to the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals. (NAN)