The Nation Newspaper

Tag: seeks probe

  • PDP seeks probe

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPCO) has called for an investigation into the alleged diversion of military funds by members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s family.

    According to the PDP, the funds were allegedly used to acquire shares in 9 Mobile Nigeria and Keystone Bank Plc.

    The main opposition party linked cronies and family members of the President to the alleged diversion of the funds, estimated to be N1.032 trillion.

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja yesterday, the PDP campaign spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, called for an independent system-wide investigation involving the INTERPOL, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Ologbondiyan said there was urgent need for concerted investigation by such agencies, following President Buhari’s failure to directly speak out on the allegations.

    He urged the security agencies to grill the unnamed cronies to explain how they came about the funds they used in the acquisition of shares.

    Ologbondiyan said: “We make this demand in view of public insinuations that the money may have been sourced from funds meant for the purchase of weapons for our soldiers.

    “More so, the Buhari Presidency has blatantly refused to respond to allegations that military fund is being used to finance President Buhari’s re-election campaign, which even manifested in the use of military resources to produce APC’s campaign materials, including an electronic momento book by the Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali.

    “The PDPCO is deeply worried by the disturbing videos of our gallant soldiers languishing and being killed by insurgents due to neglect and failure of the Buhari administration to adequately equip them in the fronts.

    “The PDPCO is also unhappy by similar videos, showing our soldiers protesting and threatening to retreat from the fronts…

    “This should not be the way to go for our nation. Our soldiers are brave and have continued to show the highest form of professionalism and unmatched patriotism in risking and laying down their lives in defence of fatherland.”

    The PDP also said it had uncovered fresh plots by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to compromise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the 2019 general elections.

    It cautioned the chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to immediately disentangle himself and the Commission from the alleged plot to compromise the electoral guideline and pave the way for the alteration of results of the 2019 general elections in favour of the ruling party.

    He said:  “The PDP also demands that INEC allows both local and international observers to its situation room to ensure that the final figures are not tampered with.”

  • Family seeks probe of ex-Shell engineer’s death

    The family of the late Timothy Kalio, 58, who died some days ago, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and Rivers State government to investigate the mystery surrounding his death.

    Kalio was said to have died recently in an undisclosed hospital in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, where he was taken to for an undisclosed illness.

    Kalio family said after his demise, his corpse was deposited in a morgue without the knowledge of any of his children.

    Speaking on the development, one of the children of the deceased, Dr (Mrs.) Belema Uduje said all efforts to communicate with her late father on the phone and Facebook prior to his death proved abortive, as his phone was switched off, while his Facebook account had been deleted.

    According to Dr. Uduje, who is the first child and daughter of the late Kalio, “we suspect a foul play. This was a man full of life without any complaint. And a week before we were told of his death, all efforts to reach him on the phone and Facebook were futile, as his phone was switched off and his Facebook account deleted.

    “But a few days after his death, his phone was on. This was extremely puzzling. Why would someone deliberately switch off his phone and deleted himself from social media? Belema  asked.

    “We were told that he complained of a headache and was rushed to a hospital where a CT scan was done, and the scan result showed bleeding from both sides of the brain which was caused by trauma.

    “We were also told that a neurosurgeon requested that a surgery be done to drain the blood. We were told that our father consented to it, and he died after the surgery was done.

    “Even after he died, his body was taken to the mortuary. All these happened without us being informed. He had no life threatening medical condition. He was a healthy fun-loving man.

    “Circumstances surrounding his death are suspicious. It is very impossible for a healthy individual to bleed in the brain. The deceased just retired from Shell Petroleum Development Company less than a year, and he was paid gratuities and benefits in full. I am asking the appropriate authorities to seek justice for my father.

    “It is on this premise that we are appealing to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of our father and ensure that all those involved in his death be brought to book.

    Dr. Uduje particularly appealed to the IGP to order the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) to carry out a full-scale investigation on the mysterious death of her father.

    She also called on her professional association, the Nigerian Medical Association, Port-Harcourt branch, to assist her and family members in investigating the cause of her late father’s death.

    Equally, two of the deceased’s daughters, who are lawyers, also appealed to the Port-Harcourt branch of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to join in fishing out the supposed killer of their father.

  • Rights commission seeks probe of 51 strange corpses in Enugu morgue

    The National Human Right Commission (NHRC) has requested the Enugu State government to convene coroner’s inquest into the cause of death of 51 strange corpses it discovered at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), including one allegedly killed by men of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS), Enugu.

    The NHRC made the request after a preliminary investigation of a petition from the Enugu office of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) last year, accusing officials of SARS, Enugu, of engaging in the extra-judicial killing of Chukuma Iheizie, a 30-year-old male allegedly killed by one Bolu of SARS.

    NHRC’s Chief Press Secretary, Fatima Agwai Mohammed, said in a statement yesterday, that, in line with the commission’s Standing Order and Rules of Procedure, NHRC, in the course of preliminary investigation into the complaint by CLO, “discovered additional human remains of about fifty young men (with red marker on them) at the same mortuary where Chukwuma Ihezie’s body was deposited”.

    The commission particularly asked the state’s Chief Judge to ensure the conduct of the coroner’s inquest with a view to unraveling the cause of the death of the 51 corpses.

    “In the exercise of its statutory mandate, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Bem Angwe has requested for the coroner’s inquest into the alleged killings to enable the Commission determine whether or not a systemic case of extra-judicial execution has occurred in the circumstance.

    “Prof Bem Angwe stated that extra-judicial execution is a violation of right to life, contrary to S. 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended); Article 4, of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

    “He further assured members of the public that the Commission will remain focused in its fight against impunity and will ensure that law enforcement agencies adhere to principle of accountability and best practices in the discharge of their duties,” Mrs. Mohammed said.

  • Falana seeks probe of Nasarawa Varsity students’ killing

    Activist lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has urged the Nasarawa State Government to raise a committee to probe the killing of four unarmed undergraduates of the state university during a protest.

    He said those found culpable should be prosecuted.

    In a statement yesterday, the Lagos lawyer slammed the school authorities for allegedly inviting armed soldiers and mobile policemen to disperse the protesters.

    The students on Monday held a peaceful rally in Keffi to protest the reported lack of water on the campus.

    Four of them were allegedly shot dead by security men.

    Falana said the students were exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

    He said: “In its rather belated denial, the army admitted that its armed members collaborated with the Police to restore law and order.

    “While the Nigeria Police Force is yet to comment on its involvement in the brutal killing, the university authorities must accept full responsibility for the wanton killing of the students.

    “In particular, they should explain to Nigerians why they invited armed soldiers to attack unarmed student protesters.

    “In view of the official denial by the Army, the Nasarawa State Government should set up a judicial commission of enquiry to probe the murderous attacks by a combined team of armed soldiers and mobile policemen. Those found culpable should be prosecuted without delay.

    “Under Section 217 of the Constitution, it is only the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces that are empowered to deploy the armed forces in any part of the Federation to help the police restore law and order, if there is insurrection or mutiny.

    “According to the Army spokesman, Brig-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, “the soldiers that intervened in the crisis were patrolling the Keffi-Akwanga Expressway, which is part of the 177 Guards Battalion patrol routes, before the incident broke out and they waded in to restore normalcy.

    “The official statement of the Army Headquarters is a confirmation of the fact that the armed soldiers that attacked the students took the law into their hands by deploying themselves in violation of the constitution.

    “It is a shame that the army has come out openly to justify such brazen impunity by armed troops.

    “All the troops involved in the criminal action should be rounded up and tried in a court martial for conspiracy and murder.

    “The Federal Government should stop the increasing militarisation of the country. Even under the defunct military rule in Nigeria, armed soldiers were never involved in curbing students’ protests.

    “The excessive use of armed soldiers for routine police duties, including the monitoring of elections in a democratic society, is a threat to law and order.

    “The police should be equipped and trained to maintain law and order while the armed forces should be limited to the defence of the country from external aggression and peace keeping operations.

    “They must never again be involved in curbing protests by students and other unarmed Nigerians.”