The Nation Newspaper

Category: News Update

UN court clears Kosovo’s ex-PM

A United Nations war crimes tribunal has cleared former Kosovan Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj of war crimes dating back to 1998, after a retrial in The Hague.

Mr. Haradinaj and two of his lieutenants from the Kosovo Liberation Army were accused of atrocities against Serb, Albanian and Roma civilians in 1998.

But the UN court ruled that the prosecution had not proved the case.

BBC says he had been cleared of the crimes in 2008, but the verdict was quashed on the grounds of witness intimidation.

Mr. Haradinaj and co-defendants Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj were all cleared of the charges.

The indictment alleged they had been involved in a joint criminal enterprise to establish KLA control in western Kosovo through detention camps.

Ethnic Serbs, and Albanians who were deemed to have collaborated with Serbs, were allegedly tortured and killed, with 39 bodies found.

But judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia found there was no evidence to say the three men participated in such a plan.

Mr. Haradinaj is the most senior ethnic Albanian indicted by the ICT for the former Yugoslavia.

He has many supporters among the Kosovo Albanian community, and they had said the retrial was based on flimsy evidence.

Mr. Haradinaj served as prime minister for 100 days in late 2004 and 2005, before he stepped down to deal with his first trial.

Crowds in the capital Pristina celebrated his acquittal by letting off fireworks and cheering.

But his acquittal is likely to be met with anger in Serbia.

Many Serbs feel there has been little accountability for crimes committed against them during the wars of the 1990s.

November 29, 2012
Plane crash: ‘Suntai has started speaking’

Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai, who was involved in a plane crash and was taken to Germany for treatment is recovering fast.

He has started speaking.

Suntai spoke on Wednesday from the German hospital on telephone with the Senator representing Taraba South, Hon. Emmanuel Bwacha.

Bwacha, who is the governor’s personal friend, had been with the governor at the Medical Diagnostic Section of the Specialist Hospital, Yola, and the National Hospital Abuja, where the governor was rushed to for initial treatment before he was flown abroad.

He has also been with the governor in the German hospital and just returned to Nigeria on Wednesday.

Bwacha, who spoke to journalists shortly after his conversation with Suntai said: “the governor started speaking before I left for Nigeria. But his voice is more audible and clearer on telephone now.

“His wife –the First Lady initial spoke with me, and then she handed over the phone to the governor who spoke with a discernible voice.”

Bwacha allayed the fears that the governor would be incapacitated.

He also disproved the rumours that the governor has spinal cord damage and was bleeding from a fractured head.

According to him, Suntai, at the time of the accident, was injured in the abdomen, had a fracture on the hand and his whole body swollen, which made him unconscious.

He said: “The governor is recovering fast. His state of health was stabilized when I left him in Germany. I am surprise to hear the rumour in Nigeria that he has a problem with his head and spinal cord. It is not true.

“Ideally, a plane crash is not a bicycle accident; he needs time to recover well. In fact, it was by divinity from God that he even survived the air crash. Those with evil wishes would be put to shame and would definitely not go unpunished.”

November 28, 2012
Oyerinde: Suspects to appear in court Thursday

The suspects arrested in connection to the murder of Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, will on Thursday appear in court for commencement of trial.

They were remanded in prison custody after the charges were read to them in September.

The suspects are Garba Usman Maisamari, Muritala Usman, Moses Asamah Okoro, Auta Umaru Ali, Umaru Adamu, Wilfred Iserhienhi, Hassan Aliyu Babete and Idris Abdulhamid.

Oyerinde was murdered at his Benin City residence on May 4.

Chief Magistrate Francis Idiake had said the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter and ordered that the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecution for advice.

Thursday’s trial of the suspects will provide an avenue for the court to respond to the report of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) which exonerated the Executive Director, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Reverend David Ugolor, from Oyerinde’s murder.

November 28, 2012
Senate accuses NDLEA of victimization

The Senate on Wednesday in Abuja accused the authorities of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of victimization of officers who refused to compromise in their duties.

This was in reference to a petition by Mr Adamu Magaji for alleged wrongful termination of appointment and victimization for failure to compromise official responsibility.

Magaji had petitioned the Senate over his alleged unlawful termination and the petition was referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Ayo Akinyelure (LP-Ondo) said Magaji was sacked for refusing to compromise.

“Magaji’s termination was a product of his zeal to serve and not wanting to compromise official responsibility and refusal to release a suspect by name Ihenacho to his superior officer.

Akinyelure said Magaji was a dedicated staff whose appointment was allegedly terminated for fraternizing with a drug baron, Obi Okorie, who he arrested.

He said a committee was instituted to investigate the said fraternization after which a query was issued to Magaji.

He, however, noted that since Magaji had never been queried before, a first instance query was not enough to have led to the termination of his appointment.

The chairman said from the investigation carried out, Magaji’s relationship with Okorie was in the interest of the job and to uphold the integrity of the Agency.

The Senate therefore adopted the recommendations of the committee that Magaji’s termination be nullified and the officer reinstated.

The Senate also asked the NDLEA authorities to pay Magaji all his entitlements to date.

Senate President David Mark said the adoption of the above recommendations was a message to “whistle blowers” that the Senate would protect them.

Mark also said it was a message to senior officers in the agency who punished whistle blowers within the system that the Senate would stand by the whistle blowers.(NAN)

November 28, 2012
INEC prosecutes 200 electoral offenders — Jega

Prof. Attahiru Jega, INEC Chairman, said on Wednesday in Abuja that the commission had successfully prosecuted 200 of the 870,000 electoral offenders.

He said at the INEC/civil society dialogue on plans and progress toward the 2015 elections, that the prosecution was over offences arising from the 2011 voter registration and general elections.

Jega said the prosecution had been “a big problem’’ because of paucity of fund and manpower.

“In actual fact some of those apprehended have been prosecuted and convicted but the number is just too small compared to those remaining.

“A youth copper was also prosecuted and sentenced in Ondo for electoral manipulation.”

He said the police was in charge of prosecuting offenders until it was handed over to INEC, adding that the task was beyond the capacity of INEC and should not be left with the commission.

He said if INEC was saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting electoral offenders its major mandate would suffer because the quantum of offenders would be too much for the commission.

Jega called on government to work on the “Uwais panel report, on electoral reform, that recommended that a separate body should be set up to handle electoral offences”. (NAN)

November 28, 2012
CJN eulogises late Eso

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Muktar, on Wednesday described the late Justice Kayode Eso as “ a great man’’ who contributed to the reform of the nation’s judicial system.

Muktar, who signed the condolence register at the Agodi GRA residence of the deceased in Ibadan, wrote:

“ To say that we will all miss him is an understatement.’’

The CJN was accompanied by the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Badejoko Adeniji, and senior federal judicial officers.

Muktar, who was received by the eldest son of the deceased,Olumide, held a closed door meeting with family members lasting about two hours.

A family source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on condition of anonymity that the meeting focused on the burial arrangement for the deceased and the role to be played by the judiciary.

NAN reports that no fewer than 120 persons had so far signed the condolence register.

Eso, a renown jurist, died on Nov. 16 in a London hospital at the age of 87. (NAN)

November 28, 2012
Taiwo fears Eagles’ AFCON crash

Super Eagles defender, Taye Taiwo, has warned that the team will fail at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa if the players do not play together.

“If we can’t play as a team, work for each other, we can’t win anything in South Africa.

“We must sacrifice for each other and then we stand a good chance of winning the competition,” MTNFootball.com quoted the former Olympique Marseille defender as saying in an interview on Wednesday.

The Eagles, who had won the AFCON twice, will play in Group C alongside the defending champions Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

Taiwo also said he would be delighted to return to the Super Eagles in time for the AFCON.

The Dynamo Kiev wing back has not been considered by Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi since a shambolic performance against Rwanda in Kigali in February.

However, there are now strong indications Keshi will give him another chance with the Eagles and Taiwo said he would be delighted to take it.

November 28, 2012
N600m loan: Reps intervene in FG, Lagos row

The House of Representatives in Abuja has intervened in the row between the Federal Government and the Lagos State government over the $600 million World Bank loan.

Lagos State government on Tuesday filed a petition against the Federal Government, alleging frustration in accessing the World Bank loan.

The Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management, Adeyinka Ajayi , said the committee had invited the state government to throw more light on the loan.

In a presentation, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), said that the sudden stoppage of the loan had terribly affected the financial plans of the government.

“We have a commitment with the World Bank for a loan of 600 million Dollars offered to Lagos.

“It is supposed to be in three tranches, and the first tranche was paid in 2011.

“We were expecting the payment of the second tranche when we got the shocking information that the loan facility had been stopped.

“As I speak, we have not received any official communication from the Federal Ministry of Finance about it concern,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the governor as saying during the presentation.

Fashola said that the Minister of Finance told him in a telephone conversation that the state could not accommodate the loan in its 2013 borrowing plan.

The governor pleaded that the second tranche of the loan should be included in the 2013 borrowing plan and the third in the 2014 borrowing plan.

He lamented that before the sudden stoppage of the loan, the state 2013 budget had already been planned in line with the requirements of the World Bank.

November 28, 2012
Nigeria, nine others to receive UN treatments on HIV, Tuberculosis

The Executive Director of United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), Mr. Michel Sidibe, said Nigeria and nine other countries will be the focus of a new UN-led preventative treatments of tuberculosis (TB)/HIV infection.

Other beneficiaries are Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The UN Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria reports that the initiative was inaugurated on Tuesday as part of a wider effort to accelerate the global fight against the highly fatal co-infection.

Sidibe urged the scaling up of services in affected countries through concerted and joint efforts.

He noted that the agreement between UNAIDS and the Stop TB Partnership would seek to achieve the 2015 goal of reducing deaths from TB among HIV patients by 50 per cent, or the equivalent of 600,000 lives.

“TB/HIV is a deadly combination; we can stop people from dying of HIV/TB co-infection through integration and simplification of HIV and TB services,’’ Sidibe said.

He said that at the 2011 UN high-level meeting on AIDS, member states agreed on the ambitious objective of reducing by half the TB/HIV deaths by 2015.

“TB is preventable and curable at low cost, yet we still have one in four AIDS-related deaths caused by TB, and this is outrageous,’’ Dr .Lucica Ditiu, the Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership, also said at the inauguration.

Ditiu said that in spite of increased access to antiretroviral therapy for patients and a consequent 13 per cent reduction in the numbers of TB-associated HIV deaths over the past two years, the pulmonary disease remained the leading cause of death among HIV patients.

November 28, 2012
US envoy admits Benghazi error

A United States diplomat hotly tipped to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has admitted releasing incorrect information after September’s attack on the American consulate in Libya.

United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice said there had been no attempt to mislead the public, but Republicans were unconvinced.

After meeting Ms. Rice on Tuesday, senators said they were troubled.

The envoy said her initial line that the Benghazi attack appeared to have sprung from a protest had been wrong.

BBC reports that the September 11 assault on the U.S consulate triggered a major political row over who knew what and when.

Days afterwards, Ms. Rice, 48, said in a series of TV interviews that it seemed to have developed out of protests over an anti-Islamic film.

Later intelligence reports suggested it was possibly tied to al-Qaeda affiliates.

The attack left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

November 28, 2012