The Nation Newspaper

Tag: disrupt

  • Aspirants disrupt APC primary

    Aspirants disrupt APC primary

    The Chairman of the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly Primary Election, Mary Ekpere, has said the attempt by supporters of two senatorial aspirants to disrupt the party exercise was an act of sabotage.

    She said the conduct of the two aspirants, who could not control their supporters was condemnable, stressing that it was aimed at undermining the success of the party in the next year’s election.

    She said: “The action of Tony Adeniyi and Remi Olorunleke were condemnable. The entreaties not to frustrate the process fell on deaf ears. They were adamant to frustrate the party’s chances.”

    She added that the aspirants sought for the abortion of the electoral process, noting that 47 wards had already cast their votes when they demanded that votes should be burnt.

    According to her, it was only  Ayoleke Adu, one of the aspirants, that wanted the process to be concluded, stressing that the aspirant prevented the ballot papers from being destroyed.

    She added that the APC was a law-abiding party, noting that the electoral committee would give a detailed report to the party’s National Working Committee on the development.

  • Plot to disrupt Ekiti Assembly uncovered

    Plot to disrupt Ekiti Assembly uncovered

    All Progressives Congress (APC) members in the Ekiti State House of Assembly have uncovered a plot by seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members to storm the Assembly and install a new speaker.

    They said this is to create a crisis in the House and give Governor Ayodele Fayose control of the House.

    The Speaker, Dr Adewale Omirin, said this was a betrayal of Ekiti people by those who should champion the cause of stability and peace to grow the economy.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, Omirin said the plot was hatched at Spotless Hotel, owned by Fayose last Thursday.

    “At the hotel, a grand plan was hatched to forcibly take over the House leadership and install the governor’s crony as speaker.

    “Present at the meeting were the APC members who defected to PDP two weeks ago.

    “This followed a similar plot to storm the House a few weeks ago before the plan leaked.

    “One of the defected lawmakers reportedly insisted at the meeting that he had the capacity to carry out the plot provided that funds are made available to mobilise for the execution of the plot.

    “We call the attention of security agents to this diabolical and distabilising act to set the state on fire. Our state witnessed four years of interrupted peace and progress under former Governor Kayode Fayemi.

    “Just two weeks into the new administration, the state is in the news again for bad reasons as was the case between 2003 and 2006 when Fayose was governor.”

    Omirin said APC lawmakers would remain focused in their legislative duties to deliver good governance to Ekiti people and advised the PDP-led government to concentrate on good governance instead of causing chaos in the state.

  • Police disrupt protest by polytechnic, college students

    A peaceful protest by students of polytechnics, colleges of education and some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) was disrupted yesterday by the police.

    The protest was to urge the Federal Government to resolve its dispute with the striking Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).

    ASUP went on strike last September and COEASU, last December.

    Policemen fired tear gas and shot into the air to disperse the students.

    Police spokesperson Ngozi Braide said tear gas was used to disperse the students because they were becoming violent.

    Braide said: “The students hijacked BRT buses and forced their drivers to take them towards the Third Mainland Bridge through Murtala Muhammed Way in an attempt to block the bridge. When all entreaties made to the students by the police to change their mind failed, tear gas smoke was used to disperse them as they were becoming violent”.

    The protest was organised by the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Education Rights Campaign and Concerned Students Against Education Commercialisation (COSATEC).

    The protest took off from the Yaba College of Technology and was disrupted at Evans Square in Ebute Meta.

    Armed policemen allegedly stormed Evans Square in Hilux vans and fired tear gas and gun shots into the air.

    At the sound of gunshots, the protesters, passers-by and residents of Adekunle, Carter and Simpson streets took to their heels.

    A protester said a stray bullet hit an unidentified male student in the hand.

    Some students were arrested.

    The protest caused traffic gridlock at Ojuelegba, Ikorodu Road, Herbert Macaulay Way, Jibowu, Mushin, Yaba and Sabo.

    National Coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign Hassan Soweto said: “We are here to demand that the government does the needful. It seems to be neglecting us. Every Nigerian child has the right to qualitative education, but we are being robbed of our rights. We need to defend the rights of the Nigerian child to go to school. This strike will ruin the careers of these students and increase crime. We humbly appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to meet demands for the transformation of the polytechnic system.”

    NAPS Senate President Salaudeen Lukman said the protest would be replicated in other parts of the country, regretting that polytechnics had suffered too many strikes.

    He said: “While we commend the move by the government to end the dichotomy between HND and B.Sc graduates, we urge it to meet all the demands of the unions so that we can go back to the classrooms. This protest is not just by polytechnic students, but also by students of colleges of education and technical colleges.”

  • Drama as Imo AG, predecessor disrupt court proceeding

    Imo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Soronadi Njoku and his predecessor, Ken Njemanze, yesterday disrupted court proceedings in the case of former Deputy Governor Jude Agbaso and the House of Assembly, the Speaker, Clerk and the Chief Judge, when the duo engaged in am open confrontation.

    It, however, took the intervention of other lawyers and law enforcement agents to restore normalcy to the court.

    The Nation gathered that Njemanze was in court for a private business.

    Counsel to the applicant Patrick Ikwueto (SAN) asked the court through Alex Williams to grant leave for the withdrawal of his notice of continuance filed on April 8.

    He asked to file in its place a motion on notice for the leave of the court to discontinue the suit.

    Alex Williams said because the motion was not contentious he would like to proceed with it.

    Lead counsel to the first, second and third respondents Akintola Williams (SAN) acknowledged receipt of the notice before the court’s sitting.

    He held that the matter had been argued, stressing that Order 3 Rule 2 does not apply in the matter.

    Williams asked the court to dismiss the matter.

    In his submission, Njoku also admitted being served the motion on notice.

    He contended that “the parties have exchanged all their processes, especially their affidavit.

    “The effect in law is that evidence has been made. What we have come to do today is to adopt our submission based on evidence laid before the court.”

    He said the “proper order the court ought to make is an order of dismissal.”

    At this point, Justice Florence Duruohaigwe asked the applicant whether he had made application or moved the motion for withdrawal of the initial process filed on April 8 because, according to her, she did not record him as having formally moved the motion for the withdrawal of the matter.

    Alex Williams said he accepted the record of the court on the matter, arguing that he wanted a date to enable the lead counsel to be present.

    He said Ikwueto could not come to the court because he was indisposed.

    At this response, the Attorney-General flared up, describing the action as irresponsible.

    He said the counsel had earlier stated that he was instructed by the lead counsel to withdraw the matter only to deny again.

    Njoku alleged that the former Attorney-General whispered to him not to accept withdrawal.

    This led to an outburst between the commissioner and his predecessor.

    Emotions became high that the judge left the court for about 15 minutes to allow the situation to normalise.

    At the resumed sitting, she said she left the court because of the altercation.

    Williams apologised for the behaviour of his colleagues. Each of them also apologised for the “embarrassing conduct.”

    Justice Duruohaigwe adjourned the matter till June 4.

  • Protesters disrupt boundary demarcation in Bakassi

    Protesters yesterday disrupted the demarcation of the maritime boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon.

    The exercise was to be carried out by members of the Joint Technical team, comprising the United Nations and officials of the two countries at Ikang, Cross River State, where the new Bakassi is located.

    The team visited the Chairman of Bakassi Local Government, Ekpo Bassey, to intimate him of their mission but the protesters ,who carried placards with inscriptions such as “United Nations leave Bakassi”, “Bakassians are Nigerians and not Cameroonians”, “Bakassi has the inalienable right to self-determination,” prevented the team from moving to the ceded Peninsula.

    Bakassi can be accessed from Ikang by the sea.

    Augustine Omini Iwara, who led the protesters, condemned the UN and the Federal Government for, according to him, treating the people of Bakassi with contempt.

    He said the demarcation was being carried out, despite the case filed by the people asserting their right to self determination.

    Iwara urged the UN to conduct a referendum to enable the people decide where they want to belong.

    “No Jupiter can force us to leave our territory to become Cameroonians,” he insisted.

    Bassey advised the protesters not to be violent..

    He said though they have the right to agitate, he called on them not to do anything that could lead to a break down of order.

    The Director, International Boundary Commission, who led the Nigerian delegation, Sani Mohammed Isamni, called off the demarcation.

    He said the six-man team would communicate to the council after discussion with the Federal government.

  • Thugs beat up Sharks GM, disrupt training

    Thugs beat up Sharks GM, disrupt training

    Angry thugs Wednesday beat up the General Manager of Sharks FC Okey Kpaluku during their morning training session. The training was abruptly disrupted as a result of the occurrence.

    Futaa.com learnt from a reliable source in Port Harcourt that a player who is an orphan was dropped by Kpaluku recently, and threatened to attack the Sharks boss.

    “The GM (Okey Kpaluku) was beaten black and blue just as training was about to end on Wednesday morning,” the source told futaa.com.

    “A player, who is an orphan was dropped at the end of the concluded season, and the only means of survival for the player is the football he is playing. So he felt he has no means of livelihood anymore, and he threatened to get back to Kpaluku,” the source said.

    The development may lead to an indefinite suspension of training ahead of the next season.

  • Resource staff disrupt Enterprise Bank’s operations

    Resource staff disrupt Enterprise Bank’s operations

    Staff of First Spring Franchise Services (FSFS), a human resource service provider of Enterprise Bank Limited have failed to honour agreement between the lender and their organisation. This affected banking operations at the bank’s Head Office last Friday.

    According to a statement from the bank, representatives of national officers of Nigeria Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the bank and the FSFS had reached agreement on how to resolve the matter, but the workers were alleged to have failed to keep their own side of the agreement. .

    The Management of Enterprise Bank said it was surprised that the FSFS staff will recant and resort to picketing the financial institution, disallowing staff and customers’ access to the offices and banking halls respectively, while carrying placards with denigrating remarks.

    “ Appeals to the picketing staff by the management of the bank for more time to look at the issues have fallen on deaf ears as they have continued with the illegality which began without due notice of the required minimum of seven days,” it said.

    Following the intervention of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) in the now defunct Spring Bank in August last year, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) took over the bank and recapitalised it to start a new bank.

    Enterprise Bank Limited, which has stabilised its operations over the period, and has shown positive indices in all areas of operation.

  • ACN uncovers plot to disrupt rally

    ACN uncovers plot to disrupt rally

    Ondo State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday alleged plot by the ruling Labour Party (LP) to disrupt the party’s mega rally slated for Ikare -Akoko today.

    The Akeredolu Campaign Organisation (ACO) alleged that Governor Olusegun Mimiko has made ACN uniform for suspected LP thugs, who would cause trouble at the rally to embarrass the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and other leaders.

    ACO’s Director of Publicity and Strategy, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, said in a statement that the party leaders have alerted the police to the plot to disrupt the rally.

    He said: “ACN has just uncovered a plot by Governor Mimiko to use suspected thugs to disrupt the rally taking place in Ikare-Akoko. We heard about a plan to give some boys ACN uniform to storm Ikare to disrupt the mega rally and embarrass our candidates and leaders.

    “We appeal to the Commissioner of Police to make security arrangements to prevent the invasion by thugs. Governor Mimiko has been holding rallies and nobody has disturbed him. He should not cause more troubles in the state. We need tolerance, peace and tranquility during the election. We urge the police to act fast in the interest of peace. Violence is an ill wind that blows nobody any good.”