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Tag: Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central)

  • Omo-Agege accuses Saraki of withholding his entitlements

    …Initiate contempt proceedings against Saraki, Senate

     

    Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central) has accused the Senate President, Bukola Saraki of withholding his entitlements and thereby disobeying the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja, which voided his suspension earlier this year.

    Omo-Agege, in a form 49 (contempt of court charge) he filed before the court, alleged that Saraki had since refused to comply with the judgment that nullified his suspension from the Senate.

    Read Also:Saraki, others, never supported Buhari in Senate, says Omo-Agege

    His lawyer, Alex Iziyon (SAN) told the court that after the court’s May 10 judgment, his client was allowed entry into the Senate chambers, but that Saraki has refused to approve the payment of his entitlements.

    “My client has since resumed, but he has not been paid his entitlements. That is why we want this court to summon the Respondents to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for refusing to comply with judgment of this court”, Iziyon, SAN, submitted.

    He also sought the court’s leave to serve a copy of the contempt charge on both the Senate and Saraki, through substituted means, because it has been very difficult to serve the respondents.

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, who is the court’s a vacation judge, said the court would communicate a hearing date to Omo-Agege.

    The court on May 16 refused a joint application that Senate and Saraki, who were sued as 1st and 2nd Defendants, for a stay of execution of the May 10judgment, with which the court voided Omo-Agege’s suspension from attending plenary for 90 legislative days.

    The Senate and Saraki had, through their lawyer, Mahmud Magaji (SAN), prayed the court to suspend Omo-Agege’s resumption, pending hearing and determination of the appeal against his recall.

    The court had, in the judgment, held that the reason the Senate gave for suspending Omo-Agege from plenary, was unconstitutional.

    It noted that the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the Senate recommended that Omo-Agege should be suspended to punish him for instituting legal action against the legislative house.

    The court further held that while the Senate has the powers to sanction its erring members to protect its integrity, he said no institution or authority has the powers to deny any citizen his right of access to the court.

  • Senate panel, Omo-Agege disagree over appearance at sitting

    Senate panel investigating the invasion and mace snatching at the Senate chamber on April 18 and Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Ovie Omo-Agege on Tuesday exchanged words over his appearance at panel’s sitting.

    Omo-Agege had insisted that because of the action he filed in court on the subject matter of the panel’s sitting he will not comment.

    Read Also: Senate, Saraki fail in bid to stay judgment voiding Omo-Agege’s suspension

    But the Panel maintained no court has the right to stop it from sitting.

    Senator Ali Ndume sought closed session to discuss issues.

     

     

  • Senate Invasion: Court restrains police, SSS from arresting Senator Omo-Agege 

    A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja has ordered the police and the State Security Service (DSS) to desist from arresting Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central) over Wednesday’s disruption of the Senate’s proceedings during which its mace was allegedly stolen.

    Justice Isahq Bello, who is the court’s Chief Judge, gave the order Thursday while ruling on an ex-parte motion by the Senator.

    Justice Bello said the order is to subsist pending the hearing and determination of the Omo Agege’s motion on notice seeking similar prayers as contained in the ex parte motion.

    Justice Bello, in his ruling, retrained the four respondents from arresting Omo-Agege pending the hearing of the senator’s motion on notice.

    The judge granted all the applicant’s prayers, which included:

    *An order of interim injunction restraining the respondents, their agents and/or servants arresting and/or detaining the applicant either in their custody of any other law enforcement agency, or its servants, agents or privies or through any person working in concert with the respondent as its agents, by whatever means or however described pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed in this suit.

    *An order of interim injunction restraining the respondents, their representatives, agents or privies, howsoever described from any attempt or threat to violate the applicant’s fundamental right to personal liberty and right to freedom of movement pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed in this suit.

    *An order of interim injunction restraining the respondents from taking any or further steps detrimental to the applicant’s aforementioned fundamental rights to the applicant’s rights in connection with the facts stated in this matter pending the hearing of the motion on notice filed in this suit.”

    Upon granting the Senator’s prayers, Justice Bello adjourned further proceedings to May 7 for the hearing of the motion on notice.

    The judge equally re-assigned the case to Court 30 which is being presided over by Justice Usman Musale in the Jabi Division of the FCT High Court, where subsequent proceedings would take place

    The main suit is marked: FCT/HC/CV/1522/2018 and the ex parte motion marked: M/5050/18.

    The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN); the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris; the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Sadiq Bello, and the Director-General of SSS, Lawal Daura are listed as respondents.

    Read Also: Senate probes police invasion of National Assembly

  • Sexual harassment: Varsity lecturers risk five year jail term

    Sexual harassment: Varsity lecturers risk five year jail term

    The Senate Thursday passed the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Education Institution Bill.

    The sponsored by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central) prescribed a five-year jail term for lecturers and educators convicted of sexual harassment of their male or female students.

    The bill also proposed a fine of N5 million in the event that the accused person is convicted by a competent court of law in the alternative.

    It made provisions for lecturers and educators who maybe falsely accused by their students.

    According to the Bill, an accused lecturer or educator who is acquitted by a court can turn the heat on the student accuser who shall be expelled or suspended, as the University may deems fit.

    Senator Omo-Agege, who explained the rationale behind the bill, noted that the menace of sexual harassment has been there for a long time and has gone unchecked.

    He said, “Today is a landmark. It is a landmark for our wives, a landmark for our daughters and a landmark for our sons. You recall immediately I got into the Senate, the first and major bill I posted was a bill to prohibit sexual harassment of students in our tertiary institutions. We had a reason for doing that.

    “We did that because we felt that this menace had been there for so long and it had gone unchecked, but we have had our daughters, our sisters, our nieces and wives and students who have been harassed and nothing was done.

    “We had instances where students who ought to have graduated in three to four years, stayed for five to six years to graduate just because they said no to unwanted sexual advances from educators in these institutions.

    “It took a lot of political will to club together the coalition that we brought on board to see to the successful conclusion of this bill. Today, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has made it clear that enough is enough and never again will sexual harassment be the norm or the order of the day in our tertiary institutions.”

    On the five year jail term he said, “As you recall, when we pushed this bill, we actually proposed a punishment of three years and a fine of N1 million, but the Senate in its wisdom felt that even that was not enough and they wanted to send a stronger message and as a result of that they have increased the punishment from three years to five years and the fine from N1 million to N5 million or both.

    “We have now removed the element of consent as a defence. As you know, most of you are familiar with the law. Consent is always a defence to a charge of rape. The way we make it statutory rape whether or not consent is given becomes immaterial and the prosecution will no longer have to prove whether or not the consent of the female was obtained.

    “That is the case with minors and that is what we have achieved today with our female students in higher institutions. Now it is touch and go. You stay away from these girls. You touch them as a lecturer; you know there is a price to pay. Somebody describe as a zip up legislation.”