The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice

  • Call Fulani herdsmen to order, says commissioner 

    Rivers State Commissioner for Special Duties Emeka Onowu has advised the Federal Government to call herdsmen to order before they overrun the country.

    Onowu, who is the leader of non-indigenes, spoke at the weekend with The Nation in Port Harcourt.

    He said President Muhammadu Buhari should protect Nigerians and foreigners by stopping herdsmen from being violent.

    The commissioner said the President’s was to protect life and property.

    He said the government would ensure safety of residents.

    “The Governor Nyesom Wike administration is ensuring that the state is peaceful and safe. We are not against people coming to the state to do business, we are not against Fulani herdsmen bringing in their cattle, but it should be done within the ambit of the law.

    “People should not take the law into their hands.”

    Onowu urged the President to intervene and stop the killing from spreading.

    He challenged security operatives to be vigilant and investigate suspicious movement.

    “The police and military should be vigilant, fish out sponsors of these herdsmen and bring them to book before they overrun communities.

    “We are not against herdsmen bringing their cows here for sale, but we do not support the idea of their leading the animals into people’s farms to destroy crops. Sometimes they defile defenceless women on farms at gunpoint or even kill them,” Onowu said.

    A renowned security expert in Niger Delta, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, has urged state governments to be alive to their responsibilities and work with security agencies to prevent a repeat of what happened in Benue State.

    He said: “Governments should use security votes to equip security agencies, such as the Police, DSS, Army,  Civil Defence, among others, to enable them carry out their functions.

    “Attorney-generals should liaise with the police to identify entry points of herdsmen and search them, to ensure they are not armed.”

  • Gov. Umahi suspends attorney-general, solicitor-general

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has ordered the immediate suspension of the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Augustine Nwankwagu, for non-commitment to duty.

    The governor also indefinitely suspended the state Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the ministry of Justice, Mr Jonathan Okoronkwo for the same reason.

    The governor announced the suspensions in Abakaliki  in Abakiliki after the duo failed to turn-up for the swearing-in of the new auditor-general of the state and members of the state judicial service commission.

    The officers also failed to witness the swearing-in ceremony of newly-appointed caretaker chairmen of some local government areas and development centre coordinators in the state.

    According to the governor, the officers have been absent on such occasions thrice in the past as it caused serious embarrassment to the state government.

    “This suspension will end the ceaseless embarrassment brought to the state by such absenteeism as the executive council members should convey the message to them, he said.

    He subsequently appointed his Senior Special Assistant on Legal Matters, Mr Uwabunkonye Anwusi to act as the attorney general and supervise the affairs of the ministry.

    The News Agency of Nieria (NAN) reports that Nwankwagu was the Speaker of the state House of Assembly from 2007 to 2011.

     

  • Lagos sets up task force to curb land grabbers

    Lagos sets up task force to curb land grabbers

    Lagos state government Monday inaugurated a five-man Special Task Force to curb the criminal activities of land grabbers, also known as omo-onile, in the state.

    Inaugurating the special task force at the Alausa Secretariat, the state‎ Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem warned that henceforth, will bring the full wrath of the law on anybody caught for forcibly taking another person’s land.

    The terms of reference of the committee, he said  include: “to reduce to a barest minimum the activities of persons or corporate entities who use force and intimidation to dispossess or prevent any person or entity from acquiring legitimate interest and possession of property acquired state government or private transactions; to coordinate the efforts of the various agencies of government charged with enforcing the state government rights over land in Lagos and to work with all security agencies to ensure enforcement of state government and private property rights in Lagos State”.

    Kazeem explained that the state government decided to set up the task force in realisation that in recent years, the land grabbers’ ‎have caused havoc and unrest in different parts of the state by dispossessing legitimate land owners of their properties and thereby stifling commercial activities in the state.

    “It is therefore important that the state government not only identifies the effects of the problems being perpetrated by these unscrupulous elements on commercial activities and peace of the citizenry but also find lasting solutions to the menace”, he said.

    He stated further that the task force was also set up because of the need to protect investors and maintain law and order adding, “This by implication will encourage the verification of legal claims‎ through litigation rather than resorting to violence”.

    ‎The attorney general emphasised that land is a very important asset in the state and security of title is also very important “and therefore, anybody who uses threat of arms or physical threat to dispossess people of their legitimate property will be treated as criminals.

    “This ‎is in accordance with section 52, 53, and 281 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State” he said, adding “it is noteworthy that section 281 of our criminal law includes land as things capable of being stolen. Sections 52 and 53 prescribed jail term of two years for any person who forcibly enters or takes possession of a land in a manner likely to cause breach of peace against a person entitled by law to the possession of the land”.

    He also disclosed that the state assembly is currently in the process of passing a law that exclusively deals with the activities of the land grabbers and prescribe appropriate stiff penalty for offenders.

    The Task Force include‎ a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Akinjide Bakare who will serve as alternate Chairman in the absence of the attorney general; representative of the Commissioner for the environment, Dr. Afolabi Abiodun; representatives of the Lands Bureau Messrs Olayinka Adebayo and Faiq Abou.

    Others are Chief Security Officer to the governor, Mr. Saheed Kassim; Commander Governor’s Monitoring team, Mr. Ganiyu Adebowale; a representative of the Commissioner for Physical Planning while a staff of the ministry, Ms Mosunmola Balogun was appointed secretary.

  • Lagos handles 4,035 rape, child abuse cases in one year

    Lagos handles 4,035 rape, child abuse cases in one year

    The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said in the last one year it handled a total of 4, 035 cases ranging from rape, child abuse, sexual assault, sexual abuse, defilement, divorce, matrimonial issues and child’s custody and maintenance, just as it vowed not to shy away from prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence crime no matter how highly placed in the society.

    The State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, who disclosed this during a press briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa on the activities of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) in the last one year, said government, through the agency, equally handled a total of 192 cases.

    Out of the 192 cases, Kazeem said the government handled 89 domestic violence cases, 62 defilement cases, 18 rape cases, 6 attempted rape, 10 child neglect and 7 child abuse cases, while 92 cases are presently being heard in court.

    Kazeem said that the State Government under the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has a zero tolerance for issues relating to domestic violence and child abuse and would not relent until the scourge is reduced to the barest minimum.

    He said agencies of government, including DSVRT, Office of Public Defender (OPD) and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), among others, have been mandated to ensure that while perpetrators of the act are brought to justice, victims of domestic violence are given succor towards their rehabilitation.

    “As regards provision of shelter for victims, the Ministries of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and Youth and Social Development as well as strategic partners NGOs have played key roles in ensuring that victims were evacuated to a safer environment of shelter homes.

    “All the victims of sexual assault received medical attention from Mirabel Centre and State Hospitals, and so far, 50 of such cases were charged to court,” he said.

    He said the essence of the press briefing today aside giving account of efforts of the State Government in the one year, it was also a means to send a strong message across that the government would not relent until the scourge is completely stamped out.

    “As we all know the issues of gender violence, violence against children and all forms of inhuman treatment against the less privileged has been a very critical issue for Governor Ambode. Right from when he was sworn in, he had said that this issue was going to be something he would pursue with passion and diligence. He has since then given support to the DSVRT, OPD and all other related agencies including the Police Force to fight this scourge in other that it should be eliminated.

    “Let me sound a note of warning here that no matter how highly placed you are in the society, if you commit any domestic violence crime, Lagos State will go after you and prosecute you in court,” the Attorney General said.

    He assured that the State Government would continue to build on its recent efforts and step up its campaign efforts to put the issue of domestic violence on the front burner.

    To this end, he said the DSVRT would on Friday, June 3, hold a free clinic for victims of domestic violence, rape at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Secretariat, while they can seek counselling with trained professionals via their hotline on 08137960048.