Author: The Nation

Bayelsa State especially Yenagoa, the capital city, is on lock down following the ongoing primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the November 16 governorship election.

Strategic areas and high traffic points at the capital city had been cordoned off by armed and stern-looking security operatives.

Security operatives blocked access to three public facilities, the Ijaw House along Sani Abacha expressway, the Cultural Centre and the Sports Complex, one of which was said to be the likely venue of the primaries.

Roads leading to the Government House in Onopa and the secretariat were also blocked with police patrol vans as fear of security breaches and violence  heightened in the state.

There was heavy reinforcement of security as lorry loads of mobile policemen were brought into the state from other divisions.

A pensive Commissioner of Police, Uche Anozia, was seen conducting the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 5, Paul Yakadi, round the city centre.

Read Also: Bayelsa PDP primaries: Uncertainty over Dickson’s anointed aspirants

Anozia walked out some journalists, who went to a restaurant at the police officers mess to eat, saying the AIG was in the area to have his meal.

“I know you are journalists but you should leave this place because the AIG is here to eat or go very far way from here,” Anozia said

At the time of filling the report, the primaries had not started following a delayed pronouncement of the court on the eligibility of the newly-elected local government officials to participate in the internal poll.

The Justice Umukoro of the Sagabama High Court sitting in Yenagoa was supposed to rule on the matter at 9am but shifted it to 1pm.

The judge was also supposed to rule on the mode of primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and determine an application to vacate its order stopping the party’s primaries.

Eight children have been killed in an attack outside a primary school in China, on the first day back at school after the summer holidays.

Police said they arrested a 40-year-old man at the scene of the attack in Hubei province in central China.

Officials did not say how the students were killed and the attacker’s motive was not immediately clear.

The victims’ ages were not released, but children at the school range between six and 13 years old.

There have been several high profile attacks on school children in China in recent years.

In April last year, nine students were stabbed to death as they were walking home from a secondary school in Shaanxi province in north-west China. A former pupil, 28-year-old Zhao Zewei, was executed for the crime.

And in January, another man, Qin Pengan, was executed after seriously injuring four children with a kitchen knife in an attack at a nursery in the southern province of Guangxi.

Guards with batons, shields and helmets are now a common sight at the start and end of the day at some school gates. Chinese authorities have blamed attacks on what they describe as rising social tensions in the country. ​

(www.newsnow.co.uk)

The Secretary to the Imo State Government, Uche Onyeaguocha, has come under severe criticisms over his recent directive that the immediate past governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha should be arrested by the citizens of the state.

Onyeaguocha had declared Okorocha wanted and mobilized hundreds of youths to ambush him at the Sam Mbakwe, with a directive to manhandle him for misappropriating funds meant for the development of the state.

But a cross section of Imo indigenes, have condemned the SSG’s outburst, describing it as pedestrian and unpopular.

The Main Imo Movement (MIM), urged the governor, Emeka Ihedioha, to immediately relieve Onyeaguocha of his position before he sets the state ablaze.

Read Also: Ohanaeze youths warn Ihedioha over ‘arrest Okorocha order’

The Coordinator of the group, Nze Simeon Okokwe, insisted that Onyeaguocha, is not acting in the best interest of the present administration and Imo people, but hiding under the cloak of government to settle personal scores with his perceived political enemies, especially the former governor.

According to him, Onyeaguocha has done more harm than good to the nascent administration, adding that he has almost totally usurped the powers of the governor and seen not to be taking directives from any one.

He described him as a power drunk politician and a chauvinist who is “blinded by inordinate ambition”.

A statement issued by the group read, “the governor need to rise up to the occasion and take charge of governing the state, he was the one entrusted with the mandate and not Onyeaguocha. His attitude and utterances have utterly embarrassed the Ihedioha’s administration and the entire Imo people.

“Onyeaguocha has completely abandoned his responsibility of coordinating the activities and policies of the government and has been all over the place creating chaos and carrying on as if he is the governor of the state. His appointment in the first place was a political miscalculation by the governor, as Onyeaguocha has not buried his age long governorship ambition and will take all available opportunity to advance it.

“We are calling on the governor to quickly sack him to save his administration and avert the looming bloodshed in our state, which Onyeaguocha’s continued stay in office portends”.

Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State is expected to kick start the proposed state dialogue on Wednesday, with identified Bandits ,Cattle Rustlers and other criminal elements in the 8 frontline Local Government Areas of the State bordering Zamfara, that are prominently gripped by insecurity and several forms of criminality

A release exclusively obtained by The Nation from the office of the Secretary to the State Government ,Mustapha Mohammed Inuwa, disclosed that already security and other logistics arrangement have been put in place for the exercise which will last till early next week

Details of the Governor’s it nary showed that he is expected to visit 2 local Government per day starting from Sabwa, Dandume on Wednesday, Faskari and Kankara on Thursday, Dan Musa and Safana on Friday and to continue on Monday with the coverage of Batsari and Jibia

Read Also: Masari to bandits in Katsina: enough is enough

During the dialogue the Governor is expected to urge them to renounce violence, embrace peace and the amnesty program of government, adapt to new culture of living and in return, the state is expected to enroll them into education and skill acquisition programs, empower them and alleviate their social living standards

The Nation recalled that Masari had at an enlarged stakeholders meeting held at the State Secretariat last Thursday directed the SGS to arrange for him and security chiefs to meet suspected bandits at their hideouts to dialogue with them for peace, even as he swore to ruthlessly deal with them, their accomplices and informants to forcefully end the spate of murderous banditry in some parts of the state, the suspects are allegedly responsible for.

He said ’’”People need to realize that once there is wanton bloodshed, there won’t be peace in the society”.

“This state of affairs is ENOUGH, a way must be found to end it for good. It’s the duty of all of us to contribute to bring an end to this state of insecurity’’.

“Make no mistake about it, anybody who has a hand in the bloodbath must account for it sooner or later’’,

“Those who have information, but decide to keep quiet are themselves guilty of the same crime’’

Meanwhile, the Minister for Internal Affairs, Rauf Aregbesola, arrived the state yesterday morning to confer with the Governor on the growing security challenges in the state, as well as his expected meeting with the repentant bandits starting from Wednesday

A British court judgment granted to Process and Industrial Development Ltd (P&ID) to take over $9.6bn worth of Nigeria’s asset abroad is capable of ruining the country’s economy if it is enforced, a coalition of civil society groups, has said.

The CSOs which described the judgement as fraudulent, a travesty to justice and disrespect for the sovereignty of Nigerian government, demanded that the judgement be set aside because it was ill motivated and undermined the sovereignty of Nigeria.

It urged the Federal Government and P&ID to go back to the 2015 judgement of the Arbitration Tribunal which awarded $850 million to the Irish firm.

The CSOs made these demands when they protested at the United Kingdom High Commission and Embassy of Ireland in Abuja on Monday.

A copy of the protest letter submitted to the two embassies was obtained by one of our reporters.

Read Also: $9.6bn UK judgement: I didn’t see contract papers, says Ex-AGF Aondoaka

The coalition, in a joint statement signed by its President, Etuk Bassey and Secretary General, Mallam Abubakar and read to reporters, vowed to continue their action for the next one week until the judgement is reversed.

It urged President Muhammadu Buhari to unmask those behind the “fraudulent contract” and ensure that those behind the contract, including their collaborators both international and local are brought to book.

The protesters carried various placards with inscription such as: “$9.6bn judgement is a fraud,” “No to illegal take-over of our national assets and “Nigerians reject fraudulent judgment from British judge.”

Others are: “We stand with President Muhammadu Buhari anti-corruption crusade,” Boris Johnson help President Muhammadu Buhari fight corruption,” “British court ruling will ruin our economy and say no to second slavery.”

The coalition described the $9.6 billion judgement in favour of P&ID as a deliberate attempt to scuttle the effort of the federal government towards the fight against corruption.

“We are strongly opposed to this judgement. We have come here to register our protest that, we won’t submit to second slavery, we will not allow some persons to take wealth belonging to 200 million Nigerians,” the coalition said in the letter.

It added: “As a civil society organisation, coalition of civil society groups, the umbrella body of over 5000 civil society organisations in Nigeria, established to promote accountability and good governance and to ensure we have a responsive government where rights and privileges of the citizens are adequately respected.

“The 16th of August, 2019 judgement delivered in a case instituted by P&ID against the government of Nigeria on the gas supply processing agreement with NNPC, is in bad light and is capable of destroying a wholehearted relationship built over years between Nigeria government and the British government. More so that a tribunal in London in July 2015, have earlier ruled that Nigeria should pay the sum of $ 850 million nothwstanding an out – of – arbitration agreement.

“While we appreciate and respect the responsibility and duty of courts, we frown at the steps taken by P&ID and the tribunal in UK towards the dispute involving Nigeria government and P&ID.

“We use this medium to express our dissatisfaction to this illegal process and lack of due recognition of our sovereignty as a nation and the interest of the Nigeria people.”

The two embassies were fortified and protected by detachment of policemen. The protests at the two embassies were orderly and peaceful.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed an application before a Federal High Court in Abuja for the interim forfeiture of N840million in a retired female judge’s account.

The judge under probe is a retired President of the Benue State Customary Court of Appeal, Mrs. Margaret Igbeta.

She has been accused of opening an account in the name of her housemaid, Theodora Atsu on  the 5th of March, 2008 with an initial deposit of N8 million.

The account had  accumulated N870, 321, 492.15 between 2008 and 2019.

But by the time ICPC investigators stepped in, about N840million was left in the account.

A statement by the Spokesperson for the anti-graft commission,  Mrs. Rasheedat A. Okoduwa, (mni) said:  “The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has requested a Federal High Court, Abuja, to order the interim forfeiture of N840 million traced to a retired President of the Benue State Customary Court of Appeal, Mrs. Margaret Igbeta.

Read Also: Court restrains AGF, ICPC from seizing ex-Zamfara governor Yari’s assets

“The Commission, in an ex-parte motion filed at the court, said that the order would stop Mrs. Igbeta from accessing the money alleged to have been obtained through fraudulent activities in the course of her official duties.

“ICPC noted that the request for the interim forfeiture is pursuant to Section 48 (1), (2) and (3) (a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and Section 6 (6)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

“The retired President of the Customary Court of Appeal was accused of operating a proxy fixed deposit account in the name of her maid, one Theodora Atsu, with Ecobank Plc, where she accumulated N870, 321, 492.15 between 2008 and 2019.

“She was said to have opened the account with her passport and the name of Atsu on the 5th of March, 2008, with an initial deposit of N8 million.

“She subsequently made several other huge deposits including N123, 745, 925.57 and N5 million, in the months of March and May, 2008.

“It was also noted by the Commission that the money was far above her legitimate earnings both as a judge and President of the Customary Court of Appeal within the period that the account was operated and would have used to meet the infrastructural needs of the citizens and development of the nation.

“ICPC therefore prayed the court to grant the order in the interest of the nation.”