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  • Tribunal: INEC allay fears of petitioners

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has allayed the fears of petitioners in the just concluded 2019 general elections concerning the private solicitors the commission has engaged to defend it at the election Tribunal.

    The commission noted that  External Solicitors engaged by the Commission for the prosecution of pre- and post-election matters are guided by the Commissions Code of Conduct for External Solicitors.

    INEC who was reacting to a statement credited Senator Shehu Sani that the commission hired private solicitors tondefend its cases urged all persons and individuals to have faith in the Commission and accord the Commission the necessary cooperation to deliver on its mandate.

    According to Mr. Festus Okoye, National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education the commission is a law-abiding institution.

    “The Independent National Electoral Commission has a list of External Solicitors that it engages for the prosecution of pre and post-election matters. These solicitors are based in different parts of the country and must have represented a variety of clients and interests in the past.

    Read also: PDP protests INEC’s refusal to release electoral materials

    “However, the External Solicitors engaged by the Commission for the prosecution of pre- and post-election matters are guided by the Commissions Code of Conduct for External Solicitors. In selecting External Solicitors, the Commission is guided by the highest standard of ethics in recommending solicitors to represent it.

    “The Petition in this matter was filed by Distinguished Senator Shehu Sani against the election of Uba Sani. The Governor of Kaduna State did not contest the senatorial election in Kaduna State and could not have been the major consideration and issue in the assignment of cases to external solicitors. The Governor of Kaduna State is not a respondent or party in the Petition and the Commission has no reason to believe that the solicitor appointed by the Commission will subvert the cause of justice.

    “The External Solicitor appointed by the Commission is obligated to defend the election conducted by the Commission and the Declaration and Return made thereafter. The Commission will put forward the facts at its disposal and allow the Tribunal to adjudicate on the issues. The present Commission has been upfront in the provision of documents to all the political parties engaged in election petitions and will continue to do so.

    “The Commission is a responsible institution and a public trust and is not and will not be in any illicit liaison with any individual or group to subvert the cause of justice.

    “We urge all persons and individuals to have faith in the Commission and accord the Commission the necessary cooperation to deliver on its mandate. ”

    Besides, Okoye also noted that as a law-abiding institution, it will not be arguing in the media on petitions that are already before the Tribunal l.

    Festus who was speaking on petition pertaining to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stated, “The Commission is a law-abiding institution and will not argue or canvass in the media, petitions that are sub-judice and where the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal is firmly seized of the issues.”

    He stressed that “the Lawyers representing the Petitioners are seized of the state of the law and the course to take if they truly believe that the Commission is in disobedience of the orders of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

     

  • Herdsmen attacks: ‘I lost a pregnant daughter, three others’

    A resident of Numan-Chuko in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Maiwuya Bahago, on Monday narrated how she lost a pregnant daughter and three other children to alleged herdsmen attack.

    Bahago said the unfortunate incident occurred on Sunday, when her children were attending a naming ceremony in the neighbourhood.

    According to her, at about 9 p.m., some persons suspected to be herdsmen invaded the vicinity, shooting sporadically.

    She said, “four of my children were killed by herdsmen yesterday. One was pregnant, another one was a mother of three and two others were unmarried.

    “They came for the naming ceremony and that was how they met their demise”.

    Bahago called for assistance from the government and well-meaning Nigerians to cater for the children left behind by the deceased.

    “How do I take care of these children they left behind. I do not have anyone to help me bring them.

    “I need prayers and help from well-meaning Nigerians,” she said.

    REad also: Herdsmen kill two, injure three in Ekiti

    In the same vein, some survivors who were receiving treatment at the Akwanga  General Hospital, narrated their ordeal.

    One Maikasuwa Ngila, a young man, who sustained injuries on the leg, said he was shot at while trying to escape from the scene.

    “I attended the naming ceremony in the town yesterday evening and the next thing we saw was an attack on us.

    “We ran looking for a safe place to hide but before I knew what was happening, I was shot in the leg.

    “I saw the attackers. They were herdsmen,” he said

    Another survivor, an elderly man, who sustained bullet wounds in the face, Ayuba Maikano, said it was an unfortunate incident.

    He said he was hit when he stood up to leave the venue of the naming ceremony.

    Maikano said, “I was at the naming ceremony. I stood up to leave because it was getting late and the next thing, I heard were sporadic gun shots.

    “I was hit by a bullet in the face. I did not see the faces of the persons that carried out the attack but bullets were flying everywhere. It happened between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sunday night.”

    The Medical Director of Akwanga General Hospital, Dr Gonji Thomas, told newsmen that 15 persons were brought to the hospital dead while some persons sustained different degrees of injury.

    He said:”15 corpses were brought in here while four persons were brought in with bullet injuries and were placed on admission.

    “The family of one of the victims took his corpse for burial. So we have 14 left corpses in the mortuary.

    “Some of the victims came as outpatients. So in all we have treated eight injured persons.”

    Reacting to the incident, the Paramount Ruler, Chum-Mada Akwanga, HRH Samson  Yare, urged the Federal Government to equip the security agents with proper information gadgets for proper surveillance.

    He said, ” these attackers do not live in the moon. If we can spend resources to trace solid minerals under the ground, it should not be a difficult thing to trace where they live.

    “I plead for urgent measures to be taken to forestall a repeat of this  incident.

    “It is quite unfortunate and strange because we have never had any form of clash in this community.

    “We have been living harmoniously for a long time,” he noted.

    The paramount ruler urged the people to remain calm, saying security operatives had commenced investigation into the matter.

    He pointed out that “from on the spot assessment I carried out when the incident happened, they said their attackers interacted with them before they suddenly resulted to sporadic shooting.

    “There are witnesses who can identify some of the attackers.

    “This thing happened in the night and the terrain was not so accessible and before we could inform the Police, the damage had been done.”

    Commiserating with victims, Sen. Philip Gyunka(PDP-Nasarawa) urged the people to remain calm while investigation was being carried out by relevant authorities.

    He called for relief materials for victims, to cushion the effect of the attacks.

    Confirming the incident, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State Police Command, Inusa Mohammed said, “It is quite unfortunate what happened.

    “However, trying to shift the blame on the security agency is another unfortunate one.

    “Actually, Police needs information to work. If information is not passed to the Police, there is no how we will know.

    “For instance, the wee hour it happened and the location it happened is far from the Police.

    “So, we only got to know when it had happened.”

    He assured residence that investigation had commenced into the matter.(NAN)

  • No plans to increase fuel price, says FG

    The Federal Government has no plans to increase the pump price of petrol, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has said, adding that the queues at filling stations was not as a result of shortage in supply of fuel but as a result of logistics issues.

    Kachikwu in an interaction with reporters on Monday in Lagos at the ongoing two-day and second edition of the Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), urged the public to ignore rumours of planned upward review of pump price of petrol.

    ”As far as I’m concerned, there is no discussion within government circle about petrol price review and wondered how the rumour began and impatient motorists didn’t interrogate the speculation and gossip,” he began.

    “I took time to go round some stations in Lagos and I discovered that the queues which resurfaced has disappeared and let me tell you the issue of petrol pricing is a sensitive thing, you can see how the oil unions quickly reacted to the rumour and again the government is sensitive and engages stakeholders in every decision or policy it makes. Therefore, this spontaneous reaction and resurfacing of queues despite assurances by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is worrisome,” Kachikwu said.

    He said he has confidence in the management of the NNPC and its capabilities to maintain and meet the supply needs of the country and the logistics gap which prompted the unnecessary panic has been resolved.

    But again no system is perfect, sometimes you have some of these things happen but as a responsive and responsible government, alternative arrangements are always in place such that any gap is taken care of not to allow the situation to escalate, he added.

    The Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), and arm of NNPC, Mr. Roland Ewubare, who represented the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, at the event, noted that about 15 ships with fuel arrived at the ports but had discharge challenges especially at Warri port, but the situation has been resolved.

    Ewubare confirmed that even with the challenges, the NNPC has about one billion litres of petrol which is about e 28 days stock, assuring that the nation will not experience scarcity of any sort again.

    In his goodwill message, Kachikwu challenged industry operators and stakeholders to take the issue of human capital development very seriously as Nigeria currently lags behind in developing local capacity in the oil and gas industry.

    He expressed worries that the country has spent so much time dealing with issues around the sector but without tangible success stories to tell.

    “I want to ask, in human capital development, how can we start building Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels (FPSOs), develop modules to transfer to the sub-region.

    ”When shall we allow market philosophy to drive the market with government providing enabling environment through adequate policies?

    “When shall we begin to install our pipelines, build power plants, build our own refineries using in-country resources and attract private sector funding of projects and save government the scarce resources?” he asked.

  • FG to Court: order arrest of Innoson boss, two staff

    The Federal Government Monday urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to issue a bench warrant for Innoson Nigeria Limited’s chairman Mr. Innocent Chukwuma and two of his employees.

    They were charged in a fraud case before Justice Ayokunle Faji.

    The Police charged them with an alleged N2.4billion shipping fraud, but the Attorney-General of the Federation later took over the case.

    Others named in the charge are Charles Chukwuma, Maximian Chukwura, Mitsui Osk Lines and Anajekwu Sunny.

    The prosecution is praying the court to order the arrest of Innoson Motors Chairman and his staff for failing to turn up to take their plea in the criminal charge.

    Yesterday, Chukwuma and his staff were absent.

    Prosecuting Counsel Mr. Julius Ajakaiye moved an application urging the court to order the absent defendants’ arrest.

    He said the charge was served on them through a court-ordered February 8, 2016 substituted service following the AGF’s take-over of the case.

    Read Also: Court rejects certificate forgery suit against Bindow

    Ajakaiye said since then, the third and fourth defendants had been coming to court, while the first, second and fifth defendants “have refused, failed and neglected to appear in court till date”.

    Consequently, he said the defendants were yet to take their plea and should therefore be compelled to appear.

    He added that an April 12, 2016 amended charge could not be served on the absent defendants.

    Ajakaiye urged the court to grant his application by ordering their arrest.

    But defence counsel Chief George Uwechue (SAN) Prof. C. Mbadugha prayed the court to dismiss the application.

    They argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to issue the warrant against the defendants “because they were not properly before the court”.

    They said the application offends Order 6 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, adding that there was no proper service on their clients.

    The prosecution accused the defendants of conspiring to unlawfully falsify shipping clearance documents.

    They were accused of “uttering” (presenting) the allegedly falsified shipping documents as collateral to Guaranty Trust Bank Plc to allegedly obtain a loan of N2.4billion.

    The Federal Government claimed that the defendants committed the offence at Apapa wharf on October 10, 2013.

    The alleged offence is contrary to sections 1(2) (c) and 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation 2004.

    Justice Faji adjourned until July 3 for ruling.

  • NUC processing applications for 303 new private universities

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) says it is currently processing applications for 303 new private universities to cater for the demand of tertiary education in the country.

    The Executive Secretary of NUC Prof. Abubakar Rasheed made this known at a two-day National Summit on Private Universities on Monday in Abuja.

    The summit had as its theme: “Private University Education Delivery in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities.’’

    Rasheed explained that applications were received from groups of individuals, corporate organisations, foundations and faith-based organisations from all over the country.

    The executive secretary, while delivering a lead paper at the maiden edition of the summit, said the country currently had 170 universities out of which 79 were private with 38, representing 48.11 per cent owned by faith-based organisations.

    He said 41 universities, representing 51.89 per cent were owned by corporate bodies, foundations or individuals.

    He noted that although there were many private universities in the country, most of them were still unable to fulfil their admission quotas as they admitted barely 6 per cent of the total university admissions in the country per session.

    Read also: ASUU laments plights of Nigerian university retirees

    He, therefore, said that this challenge was not enough to stop the issuance of licenses, as Nigeria needed more universities to cope with the high demand for university education.

    He listed some challenges private universities were faced with to include non-availability of quality infrastructure and facilities, merit-based student admission, staffing and sustainable funding, among others.

    Rasheed, however, said the summit was to serve as an avenue for the exchange and promotion of good practices in private university education delivery in Nigeria as well initiating a dialogue on the challenges and opportunities in the subsector.

    “The summit aims at supporting the Nigerian government’s effort at developing academic, institutional and executive capacities within the higher education subsector.

    “It will also enable it compete effectively and be relevant in an increasingly knowledge-driven world economy,” he said.

    Earlier, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said that rather than help to solving the problems bedevilling the university system, private universities had complicated the matter.

    He said though there were first class private universities performing excellently within their mandates, there were some also that had come to complicate the corruption that was in the system as convocations in some private universities were more like family meetings where only members of the family took charge. (NAN)

  • 12-year-old commits suicide in protest against reprimand

    A 12-year old boy resident in Lokoja, Kogi State, who was simply identified as Bobo, on Sunday reportedly, took his own life in protest against reprimand by an elder sister.

    Residents of Aniebo Quarters in Gadumo area of Lokoja where the family resides were thrown into mourning following the news of the suicide by the 12-year-old.

    The deceased reportedly poisoned himself in their home by taking sniper, an insecticide.

    It was gathered that the elder sister had placed punished him for some misdemeanor shortly after they returned from church, which the deceased bluntly refused to serve.

    Read also: Kidnappers abduct driver, four others in Kogi

    The father was said to have intervened by asking him to do frog jump instead.

    It was gathered that after serving the punishment, the deceased retired into the room and took the poison, unknown to the parents.

    The parents only got to know much later by which time the poison had begun to take effect.

    All efforts to remedy the situation were to no avail.

    Spokesman of the Kogi State Police Command, Williams Aya, said he was yet to get any report of the incident.

  • Senate Presidency: Borno behind Lawan, not Ndume, says Shettima

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima on Monday threw his weight behind the candidature of Senator Ahmed Lawan as the President of the ninth Senate.

    Shettima, who spoke to reporters in Abuja, said his decision to back the candidature of Lawan is line with the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The APC has already endorsed Lawan (Yobe North) as the party’s choice for the Senate President.

    Shettima insisted the decision of the APC about who becomes the President of the ninth Senate must be respected as way to enforce party discipline and cohesion.

    The governors, who said that it was not true that Borno elders were backing Senator Ali Ndume to emerge Senate President, noted that as the first citizen of the state he made wide consultation before his decision to support Lawan.

    He said: “I hail from the same state with the distinguished Senator Ali Ndume. And I appreciate the fact that politics is local. But politics is also national. And I believe the blood that binds us together supersedes whatever we might harbour.

    “But I fully aligned with the aspiration of my party, to the aspiration of President Muhammadu Buhari and by the grace of God we are going to mobilise all our goodwill to see that we are fully on board.

    “We are for Senator Ahmad Lawan, we are for Femi Gbajabiamila and all other senators and other House of Representatives members endorsed by the party.

    “We are for party discipline that allowed everyone to aspire for political offices. We believe that we must respect the party. All of us won under platforms. There is no provision for independent candidate.

    “I don’t know whether anyone has won under an independent platform. Except may be Senator-elect Ifeanyi Ubah who brought in an anonymous party and won.

    “So, I feel honored by the visit but honestly this visit is unwarranted. I am fully onboard. I am for Senator Ahmed Lawan for Senate president.

    “Well, I am the first citizen of the state I have made wide consultations with our leaders from Borno before resolving to back Senator Ahmed Lawan.

    “And most importantly, let’s be brutally honest, Muhammadu Buhari is the single candidate in the country that most of us from the North won election by aligning with Muhammadu Buhari.

    “So, we have no basis to undermine him or to disrespect him. People like Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Sen Ifeanyi Ubah, Sen Francis Alimikhena won in spite of Buhari not because of Buhari.

    Read alsso: 9th Assembly: APC clears Lawan, others to consult PDP colleagues

    “But most of us from the North have no basis not to align ourselves with President Buhari and whoever he enforces.

    “He has endorsed some of the best hands we have in the system and where we hail from, Sen Ahmed Lawan is one of the best hands we have.

    “It is a reality. He has been in the National Assembly since 1999, he has the experience, exposure, pedigree, intellect to redefine the process. He is the best amongst equals.

    “He is level headed, calm, matured and we need such quality of leadership to drive the 9th Senate.

    “We, the people of Borno, the elected representatives of the people of Borno and we are the representatives of the people.

    “We are not at war with Senator Ali Ndume, he is my kinsman but we will continue to prevail on him to align himself with the aspiration of the party. We are not at war. We belong to the same paternity.”

  • Suspected militants kill policeman in Cross River

    An unidentified policeman was killed in Bakassi local government area of Cross River State by suspected militants last Friday.

    Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the incident on Monday, said an investigation has been launched into the matter.

    She said the policeman was at his duty post when suspected militants stormed the place and shot him.

    Read also: Policemen to undergo weapon handling training

    According to eyewitnesses, the policeman bled to death from the bullet wound.

    Bakassi local government area had been under the siege of militants until the Federal Government had to send in soldiers to quell the situation.

    Militant groups operating in the area had also publicly given up arms.

  • Killer cops: IGP to outlaw use of firearms during patrols

    The acting Inspector General of Police (IG) Mohammed Adamu Monday said the police would ban the use of firearms during patrols to stem incessant shootings of Nigerians by operatives.

    Adamu stated this during a visit in Lagos where he also warned that any cop who engages in indiscriminate use of firearms would be dismissed, charged with murder and his supervisor, Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and Area Commander sanctioned for not executing their supervisory roles.

    According to the police chief, the service would introduce the use of technologies and weapon systems such as electro-muscular disruption technology which is commonly known as Taser or Stun Guns for routine patrols.

    He said: “In the long term, rather than the use of firearms, we shall henceforth use technologies and weapon systems such as electro-muscular disruption technology which is commonly known as Taser or Stun Guns for routine patrols as a strategic approach towards reducing incidents of fatalities associated with misapplication of lethal weapons by the police.

    “In perfecting these initiatives, we shall be engaging with human rights bodies, international agencies, development partners and civil society organisations.”

    Read also: Policemen to undergo weapon handling training

    Sounding a note of warning to his officers and men at the Police College in Ikeja, Adamu said he specifically visited to make some clear statements.

    “I am sounding this note of warning, loud and clear that any police personnel that insists on being incorrigible by engaging in abuse of his or her powers or misuse of his weapon with fatal outcomes and in utter disregard to statutory provisions will be arrested, investigated through our internal disciplinary machinery, and if found culpable, shall be dismissed from service.

    “In addition, such personnel will be charged to court for murder or sundry offences depending on his or her level of criminal liability in the instance. Furthermore, the line supervisors of such officer including the Area Commander, Divisional Police Officer or Sectional Head shall be held vicariously liable for lacking supervision and shall be similarly sanctioned,” he said.

    Adamu confirmed an earlier report by The Nation on posting of cops who had spent over four years in Lagos and other commands, stating that the action would give a new orientation to all police personnel as well as rejig the commands.

    “This may involve personnel re-organisation. There will be nationwide tailor-made training and capacity development programmes that are directed at orientating personnel to human rights and professional conduct,” he said.

    Earlier, Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu expressed displeasure at his men’s misconduct which has prompted his boss to visit the state.

    “The Lagos State Police Command would have loved to welcome the IG on a better note than the one that brought him. It is sad and unfortunate that the IG is visiting Lagos due to the continuous misdemeanor of some policemen in Lagos.

    “However, Lagos State Police Command is blessed with hardworking officers, working day in and out to make sure crime is reduced to the barest minimum,” he said.

  • PDP to Buhari: tender your WAEC certificate at tribunal

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to tender his West African Examination Certificate (WAEC) to the presidential election petitions tribunal.

    The PDP said if truly the President had the WAEC as he claimed, he should tender it before the tribunal, instead of allowing his campaign spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, to “insult” the sensibility of Nigerians with lame attempt at diversionary tactics.

    The main opposition party also called on Nigerians to note that by claiming that an aspirant does not need WAEC certificate, but the ability to speak English, to contest for the office of the President, the Buhari Presidency, through Festus Keyamo, has finally admitted that President Buhari does not have a WAEC certificate as he claimed in his INEC documentation.

    In a statement Monday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said it’s completely inexcusable for President Buhari to swear to an affidavit to claim an educational qualification he did not possess.

    “An attempt to deceive the public using a defective reading and skewed interpretation of a section of the constitution cannot exonerate President Buhari.

    “Moreover, Section 295 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is very clear on issues of interpretations and reference to questions of law.

    “The PDP, therefore, maintains that the onus is on President Buhari, as ‘Mr. Integrity’ to tender the certificate he claims to possess before the tribunal instead of this lame diversion from Presidential aides,” the party said.