A Federal High Court in Sokoto has told members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria ( IMN ) otherwise called Shi’ites to comply with all existing laws while performing their religious activities in Sokoto state.
The presiding Judge, Justice Saleh Idrissa issued the order in his judgment Wednesday on the enforcement of fundamental human rights suit filed before the court by Prof. Shehu Maigandi, Kasimu Muhammad and Sidi Umar on behalf of IMN members.
President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the home-based Super Eagles of Nigeria on their victory over Sudan in the semi-final of the 2018 Championship of African Nations ( CHAN ) in Marrakesh, Morocco.
President Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, joined millions of football loving Nigerians in celebrating the spectacular performance of the team which qualified them for the final on Sunday with Morocco.
Having keenly followed the team’s progress throughout the tournament with delight, the President commended their hardwork, dedication, discipline and indomitable spirit, which are truly worthy of emulation.
President Buhari urged the players and the coaching crew to remain focused and determined as they go for Gold in the final match on Sunday.
Hr assured them of the unflinching support, goodwill and prayers of the Federal Government and all Nigerians as they soar to victory.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday tackled the Senate over the accusation of the upper chamber that Presidency has not done much to deal with issues arising from the January 1st killings in Benue State.
President Buhari in letter to the Senate said that it was incorrect for the Senate to infer that nothing has been done especially when the police are strenuously working to apprehend the perpetrators of heartless killings.
President Buhari’s letter was in response to Senate’s letter to him where the chamber detailed its resolutions on the killings and the way out of the recurring development.
The Presidential letter dated 25 January, 2018 and addressed to the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki is entitled “Re: Report on the review of security infrastructure of Nigeria on the emergency visit to Benue State.”
The letter was read to Senators by Saraki in plenary yesterday.
Herdsmen suspected to be Fulani had, on January 1st, 2018, swooped on two communities in Benue State, Guma and Logo and massacred over 73 people.
Many others suffered varied degrees of wounds while some were still missing.
The President said in the strongly worded letter that on Tuesday, 9th of January, at a session with Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, the governor was duly informed of police arrest of some suspects involved in the killings.
He noted in addition, that the governor was also informed that the police have been instructed to speed up trial of the suspects as well as to give wide publicity of the police efforts.
“To infer therefore that nothing has been done, is incorrect. The police are strenuously working to apprehend the rest of the culprits of these heartless killings,” Buhari said.
President Buhari informed the Senate that the federal government is initiating measures to address the Benue killings and other security challenges to alleviate the consequence of the attacks and forestall reoccurrence.
He said that the Senate resolution itemised in the letter to him, would be taken into consideration and “I’m instructing all relevant Ministries Departments Agencies (MDAs) to factor them in their work.”
As part of measures to address the worsening President Buhari said that on December 19, 2017, while receiving the report of the committee that was set up to review the technical and administrative structure of the Nigeria Intelligent Agency ( NIA ), he underscored the need to review the entire national security architecture.
The President said that the measure was in line with his promised in his inaugural address on the 29th May 2015.
He said that action was being initiated to receive maximum cooperation from the Senate in line with paragraph three of the Senate resolutions which sought collaboration in addressing security challenges.
The letter read in part: “I thank you for your letter referenced NASS/8S/R/01/33 dated 18th January 2018 and carefully studied the resolutions and comments there in.
“As I briefed you and the RT. Hon. Speaker when we met, several courses of action have been taken prior to the senate resolution.
“You may recall that I told you of the following steps taken as soon as the information came in to me about the Benue killings.
“One, on Thursday 4th January, I sent the minister of interior and the deputy inspector-general of police in charge of operations for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
“Two, on Friday 5th January, the inspector-general of police briefed me verbally on the latest situation, calm had then been restored.
“Three, on Monday 8th, the minister of Interior met with the following, governors of Adamawa, Kaduna, Niger, Benue Taraba and Nasarawa together with the DG of the State Security Services, Inspector-General of police, CG Civil Defence, minister of agriculture and rural development and police commissioner of the six aforementioned states.
“After the meeting I instructed the Minister of Interior to brief you on the information gathered so far and steps taken.
“On Tuesday, 9th of January, I had a long session with Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State during which I informed him of police arrest of some suspects with Kalashnikovs. In addition, I told him that I have instructed IGP to speed up trial and prosecution of the suspects and give wide publicity of the police efforts.
“At the request of the Governor, a meeting was held in the Presidential Villa on 15th January with a wide cross-section of Benue personages where frank and open discussions were held and everybody in the meeting appreciated the complexity and difficulties of this farmers-herders strife. I assured all and sundry of my commitment to ensure that justice is expeditiously done.
“To infer therefore that nothing has been done, is incorrect. The police are strenuously working to apprehend the rest of the culprits of these heartless killings.
“Furthermore, I have instructed the IGP to relocate to Benue State and redeploy forces to the most sensitive towns.
“The Federal Government is initiating measures to address these and other security challenges, alleviate the consequence of these attacks and forestall reoccurrence. The Senate resolution itemised in your letter would be taken into consideration and I am instructing all relevant MDAs to factor them in their work.
“On December 19 to be precise, while receiving the report of the committee that was set up to review the technical and administrative structure of the Nigeria Intelligent Agency (NIA), I underscored the need to review the entire national security architecture as I promised in my inaugural address on the 29th May 2015,
“Action is being initiated to receive maximum cooperation from the senate in line with paragraph three of the senate resolutions.”
The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday heard that former former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has a heart-related ailment.
His lawyer Mr Norrison Quakers (SAN) told Justice Rilwan Aikawa that the former minister complained about “heart-related pain” and could not make it to court for his trial.
His absence stalled his trial for alleged money laundering.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) re-arraigned Fani-Kayode and former finance minister (state) Senator Nenadi Usman for alleged N4.6billion laundering and fraud.
They were arraigned along with a former National Chairman of the Association of Local Governments in Nigeria ( ALGON ) Yusuf Danjuma, and a company, Jointrust Dimensions Ltd.
When the case was called, only Usman and Danjuma stepped into the dock.
Before lawyers announced their appearances, Justice Rilwan asked why Fani-Kayode was not present.
Quakers spoke up, saying: “I was going to inform My Lord that the second defendant is indisposed. I got a call from his wife who said he was complaining of heart-related pain.”
Quakers said he expected to get a medical report on his client’s health condition before the close of work.
According to him, the issue of health could not be taken lightly considering several cases of sudden deaths, including that of a lawyer who collapsed and died in a courtroom while addressing a judge.
After formerly appearance, Quakers asked that the dates reserved for trial (yesterday and today) be vacated.
He said: “The second defendant is unavoidably absent as a result of health challenge, which information was related to me by the wife. I’ve requested for a medical report.
“If I get the report, I’ll furnish the court with it. I apply that tomorrow’s (today’s) date be vacated so that we can have another date for continuation of trial.”
EFCC’s lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo did not oppose the application.
The defendants were accused of indirectly retaining N1.billion, N300million, N400million and N800million, all proceeds of corruption, according to EFCC.
The prosecution said they allegedly committed the offence between January 8 and March 25, 2015 ahead of the general election.
Fani-Kayode was also accused of doing cash transaction of N24million with Olubode Oke without going through a financial institution.
The offence, EFCC said, violates sections 1(a) and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b).
The defendants pleaded not guilty.
Justice Aikawa adjourned till February 28, March 1 and 2 for continuation of trial.
A former Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association ( NMA ) in Edo State, Dr. Emmanuel Ighodaro and four other medical doctors were on Wednesday arraigned before an Edo State High Court for allegedly stealing N13.6m.
Other accused persons who were former executives of Edo NMA are Dr. Anthony Owolabi, Dr. Quincy Atoghengbe, Dr. Raymond Ogieva and Dr. Oseremen Gabriel Ogbebor.
They were arraigned before Justice Efe Igbonmwonba for offenses bothering on stealing and conspiracy to commit fraudulent false accounting.
A 21-count charge were preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ).
Prosecuting counsel, Dr. Ben Ubi, said the accused persons committed the offence while acting in their capacities as officers of Edo NMA between 2013 and 2014.
The charges read in parts, “The defendants, knowingly and privies to omitting the UBA Account No. 1010717142, a material particular in an account maintained and operated by the NMA in its audit report for the accounting year 1st August, 2013- 31st July, 2014”.
“They also conspired among themselves to make a false entry in the audit report of the accounting year, 1st August, 2013- 31st July 2014 of the association to wit, inserting anticipatory income in the report to cover a loan of six million naira yet to be received and thereby committed an offence.”
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges after which their Counsel, Bello Imadegbelo (SAN) applied for their bail.
Justice Igbonmwonba admitted the defendants on bail on N1m each and a surety who must be gainfully employed.
Igbonmwonba said the sureties must present evidence of tax payments.
At least 759 bags of rice smuggled into the country from Cameroon have been seized by tbe Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The illegally imported bags of rice including the suspects, Yahaya Balaribe, 32, from Borno State; Godwin Owoyemi, 23 and Michael Aderemi, both from Igbokoda area of Ondo State have also been handed over to the Nigerian Customs Service.
Briefing reporters yesterday, the Commanding Officer, FOB, Navy Captain Yusuf Idris said the suspected smugglers were apprehended at high sea on Tuesday around 3am following a tip-off within the nation’s territorial waters.
His words, “On January 30, the men of the Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, acting on a tip-off, intercepted and seized a large wooden boat loaded with 759 bags of rice. We also arrested three suspected smugglers along with the items.
“In line with the harmonised standard operating procedures, the Nigerian Navy, today handover the suspects and the items to NCS for investigation and further necessary actions.
“The Nigerian Navy, FOB, warn the would-be smugglers and other maritime offenders like sea pirates, illegal oil bunkerers and their likes to keep away from Nigeria maritime environment as the current leadership of navy will hunt for them wherever they may be”.
The commanding officer, assured good and legitimate users of the sea of navy protection and assistance to carry out their legitimate businesses with a view to enhancing the economic prosperity of Nigeria
He advised the intended smugglers to stay out of Nigeria maritime environment, noting that the present leadership of the Nigeria Navy will hunt them wherever they may be.
Speaking also, the Comptroller, Eastern Marine Command, Nigeria Customs Service, Port Harcourt, Ajiya Masaya, said the fight against smuggling is a collective responsibility of every Nigerian to protect the country’s industries and also to safeguard the health of Nigerians from consuming toxic foreign goods.
According to him, smuggling is a sabotage to Nigeria’s economy, adding that any nation that allows smuggling cannot grow its economy. He thanked the navy for collaborating with customs to curtail the continued and spread of smuggling within the Nigeria maritime environment.
He said, “Fighting smuggling cannot be left only for Nigeria Customs Service. Everybody has a duty to stop or reduce the menace. Smuggling is a sabotage. It is a fact that any nation that allows smuggling cannot grow.
“As I said, fighting smugglers is not only for customs; everybody has a role to play. Please, as a member of the community, rice is still a contraband item; 2018 fiscal policy that recognises imported rice as a contraband good, is still in force.
“I am seriously giving you a note of warning about maritime business. There are so many ways of doing legitimate maritime business, not smuggling. Don’t say we are handicapped, other security agencies, especially the navy, are with us. Any time we ask them for assistance, they respond immediately. Smuggling is dangerous to a country’s survival and prosperity.”
One of the suspects, Balaribe, said he had been working on the boat since November 2017. He explained that as a worker in the boat, his duty was to upload and deliver the imported goods to their customers wherever they might be.
“I work on the boat. I have been working in the boat since November 2017. The bags of rice are from Cameroon. I don’t know that imported rice from other countries to Nigeria is a contraband item.
“We are never told; our work is to convey the goods to their destinations. Our duty is to bring the rice here, the owner of the consignment, that is one Mr. Ade, is supposed to come here and take his delivery for onward distribution to his customers. We have not heard from him since we arrived here,” he said.
A five-year-old boy yet to be identified and three others have lost their lives while a woman was trapped in an early morning accident when a truck- head plunged into a river in Ogun State on Wednesday.
The accident occurred around 8:50am, as the truck suffered break failure atop the Kara long bridge on Lagos – Expressway, knocked down a commercial motorcycle rider conveying a boy and mother (his passengers) before crashing into the road median.
The impact, it was gathered, forced the head of the truck to come off and plunged into the river beneath the Kara bridge, leaving the three occupants inside truck – head dead.
Also, the little boy died at the scene, but the mother got trapped by the body of the truck while the cyclist survived with injury
The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency ( TRACE ), Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the accident, blamed it on brake failure.
Babatunde said the remains of the dead were deposited at the morgue of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital ( OOUTH ), Sagamu.
“A container laden Mark Truck with registration number NND 133 XA, had a break failure and rammed into a Bajaj Commercial Motorcycle with registration number EKY 221 QA, with the head of d truck plunging into the river, while the container it was carrying fell on a woman and the child she was carrying, who are the two plying passengers the Bajaj Motocyclist was carrying.
“We learnt the Okada rider is in the river with the other occupants of the truck head, the number of which cannot be ascertained now, as local divers have been contacted for rescue operation.
As part of measures towards ensuring that the hope of Nigerians is always kindled, Golden Stardom, recently launched its Hope for Nigeria project with a major focus on our economy.
According to the founder of Golden Stardom, Noble Eze Oluchukwu, as a nation, we must increase our value for life, celebrate creativity not mediocrity, and constantly invest in human capital through golden ideas.
“That was why we came up with the ‘Nigeria’s Golden Orator Project’. The aim is to restore Hope for Nigeria. The impact project had three stages including: ‘Presentation of Hope for Nigeria’, ‘Movement of Hope for Nigeria’ as well as the ‘Awards of Hope for Nigeria’,” he said.
According to him, during the ‘Presentation of Hope for Nigeria’, twenty consultants from various sectors were presented as Golden speakers of Hope For Nigeria. They were saddled with the responsibility to Polish, Mentor, Endorse and Power golden ideas of intellectual Nigerians, within the space of one year of their humanitarian service.
The speakers are; Mr Amson Adeleke (Educational Sector), Mr Oladele Agbabiyi (Automobile Sector), Mr Lucky Amiwero (Maritime Sector), Mr Soyinka Sonuga (Manufacturing Sector), Prince Godswill Edwards(Aviation Sector), Amb. Chris Odey (Telecommunications Sector), Mr Wale Samson (Entertainment Sector), Mr Colins Nwosu (Store & Retail Sector), Mr Opeseitan Idowu (Banking & Finance Sector), Ms Victoria Mamza (Mining & Agricultural Sector), Mr Alfred Ogar (Mobile & ICT Sector), Mr Fregene A. Daniel (Oil & Gas Sector), Mr Gbenga Onitilo (Tourism & Hospitality Sector), Dr Ademola Ayodele (Health & Pharmaceutical Sector), Mr Babs Fagade (Media & Advertising Sector), Amb. Jonathan Daniel (Real Estate & Surveyor Sector), Mr Sam Sodje (Sports & Games Sector), Mr Jaiye Owolabi (Fashion & Style Sector), Ms Emmanuel Winifred (Food & Beverages Sector), Ed Ugochukwu Onuoka Esq (Law Enforcement & Defence Sector).
He further stated that the Movement of Hope For Nigeria, Nigeria’s Golden Independence Cup and Exhibition was staged to drive the movement of hope. Eight Multinational brands in Nigeria were nominated as brands of hope, representing various sectors in Nigeria. Among them were Firsrst Bank (Banking Sector), Numatville (Real Estate Sector), Tecno Mobile (Mobile & ICT Sector), Sahara Group (Oil & Gas Sector), Dangote Group and others.
“During this movement, The Nigeria Police and Numatville Played at the football finals, staged at Agege Stadium, Lagos State.
The Awards for Hope als saw The Nigeria Police being awarded as the Brand of Hope For Nigeria 2017 affirming the commission as first amongst equal.
DCP Ayuba Elkanah alongside SP Chike Oti and ASP Folarin Olabode received the award on behalf of the Police Force. The award was presented at the Lagos State Police Command last December, by Noble Eze Oluchukwu.
Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has confirmed that the Executive had a rift with the State House of Assembly which stalled the confirmation of some Commissioner nominees.
He described the rift as a ‘technical fault in the engine of government’.
Speaking during the swearing in of new Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries into his Cabinet in Minna, Bello affirmed that some technical fault occurred between the Executive and Legislators.
“You should have been sworn in but we had some technical fault but I believe the technical fault have been resolved. Sometimes, when you have machines, you can have technical fault with the machines. The engine of government had some technical fault and it have been resolved.”
There have been some animosity between the executive and legislative arm of government in the state but each arm have continuously denied it.
The animosity led to the rejection of the list of Commissioner nominees sent to the Assembly in November before they finally agreed to screen some of the Commissioner nominees in December while some were not screened under the guise that they had pending petitions and one was rejected.
The Governor had to resend the name of the rejected Commissioner nominee who was later screened and approved along with three others.
Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has sworn in four new Commissioners and four Permanent Secretaries into his Cabinet.
He also warned the Commissioners to be wary of the temptation of worldly things explaining that there is no secret in governance.
“Be wary of temptation of worldly things. These worldly things will land you where you do not expect and will not help you. You should be aware that whatever you do, people are watching you. There is nothing secret in government”, he warned.
The Governor explained that the new Permanent Secretaries were being sworn in to fill the gaps of the ministries that were separated and to allow government machineries function properly.
He cautioned the new Commissioners to see their appointment as a call to service to improve the lot of the people positively urging them to abide by administrative protocol and follow due process.
Bello stated that no Commissioner should see himself as a Super Commissioner as they are all equal, “there is no super commissioner. What will distinguish you will depend ln what you make of your office. All Commissioners are equal and the same, no one is better than the other. “
The new Commissioners are Alhaji Kabiru Abbas Musa sent to the Ministry of Budget Planning and Special Duties, Duza Emmanuel Gbako posted to the Ministry of Sports, Alhaji Danjuma Sallau posted to the Ministry of Information and Isah Kanko was posted to the Ministry of Lands and Housing.