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  • Air Force bombs bandits

    Eight fighter jets have been deployed in Zamfara State to chase out bandits who have seized the state by the throat, The Nation learnt on Wednesday.

    In fact, a primary school that served as a base for the bandits has been “shelled” by the Air Force, according to a source who pleaded not to be named because of the “security implication” of being identified.

    The news came as senators took turns to lament the security situation, with some calling for state police to stem the tide of violence.

    The source also hinted of the measures taken to restore peace in Zamfara and Kaduna states.

    The source said: “The roads linking Katsina to Zamfara State (Kauran Namoda-Zurmi-Jibiya road) has been retaken by troops and motorists have been plying the route again. The military and the police are after the bandits who have been fleeing into the bush.

    “A landing platform has been created in Birni-Gwari where military jets can land, refuel and takeoff. So, they don’t have to go to Abuja and Kaduna to refuel for operations. Eight fighter jets have also been deployed in Zamfara State.”

    President Muhammadu Buhari will today chair an “extra-ordinary” security meeting at the State House, Abuja, where he will be briefed by Service chiefs on the worrisome security situation in the land.

    Expected at the meeting are Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar; Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Rear Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas and Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu.

    Also billed to attent the meeting are Defence Minister Brig.-Gen Mansur Dan-Ali; National Security Adviser (NSA) Maj.-Gen. Babagana Mongunu and Department of State Services (DSS) Director-General Yusuf Bichi.

    A Presidency source, who confirmed the meeting, said the security Chiefs will take turns to brief the President who just returned from a trip from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    Read Also: Air Force kills Boko Haram leaders, others

    Comments on insecurity dominated proceedings, with senators taking turns to paint harrowing pictures of near breakdown of law and order in their constituencies.

    No senator wanted to be left out of the debate of what they described as the general insecurity in the country.

    They suggested “immediate and uncommon” measures to prevent the country from slipping into a failed state.

    The outpouring of indignation followed a motion by Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa on the need to create an intervention fund in the 2019 appropriation to cater for the deteriorating humanitarian crisis resulting from the activities of armed bandits in Zamfara State.

    Marafa, in his lead debate, said he was aware of the recent protest staged in Abuja, other states and indeed by Nigerians in the Diaspora as a reaction to the deteriorating state of insecurity in Zamfara State.

    The Zamfara Central senator praised the protesters for their support and stressed “the need to sustain such sense of solidarity, as it has the potential of compelling those in authority to do the needful”.

    He lamented that the activities of armed bandits, cattle rustlers and kidnappers remained unabated.

    The senator noted that many people had died since 2011, besides the humanitarian crises which include but not limited to growing number of widows, rape victims and orphans.”

    According to him, “a conservative estimate of 11,000 male adult have been killed by bandits, leaving behind an average of 22,000 widows (at two wives/person) and an estimated 44,000 orphans (at an average of four children/deceased)”.

    Marafa said that in terms of casualty ratio and displacements, Zamfara State has more security issues than many states in the Northeast and Northcentral that were being given prominence by the mainstream media and the Federal Government in terms of recognition and assistance.

    Marafa added that owing to cultural and religious consideration, the burden of the widows, orphans, rape victims and displaced persons was being borne largely by close relatives, extended families and sometimes immediate neighbors who can no longer cope.

    The killings, he said, have brought untold hardship to several other families who have to accommodate displaced persons and families, overstretching accommodation, food, clothing and other sundry.

    He urged the National Assembly to provide for N10 billion in the 2019 Appropriation as Intervention Funds to cater for displaced persons and others affected by the activities of armed bandits in the Northwest state.

    Marafa prayed the Senate to urge the Federal Government to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to be known as Presidential Initiatives on Zamfara State (PIZAMS), with a 10-year lifespan to manage the said funds and subsequent allocation/donations.

    He noted that over 70 per cent of the people were no longer sleeping in their homes for fear of being kidnapped.

    The senator relived how his sister was murdered by bandits in her matrimonial home.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said the Senate should join Nigerians and the media to show concern about Zamfara State.

    To Ekweremadu, the time has come for a state of emergency in the state, not to remove the  governor but to initiate extreme measures to stabilize the state.

    The Enugu West senator also said that the country should no longer shy away from introducing state police.

    According to him, state police will go a long way to nip in the bud most of the security challenges in states.

    Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan, who also supported the motion, insisted that the Senate should be practical in its approach to security issues because Nigerians were losing their lives.

    He recalled that the Federal Government recently banned mining in Zamfara State to prevent criminals from using mining to perpetrate crime.

    Lawan, who said that no amount is too much to save the lives of Nigerians, noted: “This is one motion that we can spend weeks to consider because it deals with why government exists.

    He suggested that relevant committees should engage security agencies to put the Senate in better position to appreciate what is going on.

    Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South), who had earlier raised the issue of insecurity in his constituency, cautioned against living a pretentious life.

    He lamented that “never in the history of this country have we faced this level of insecurity”.

    Bwacha insisted that something uncommon must be done to save the situation.

    He said: “Before the elections, some people were grandstanding. Now that the elections are over, can we now do the right thing? There is no doubt, everything seems not to be working; we must do something urgently.”

    Senator Emmanuel Paulker said that the number of people killed in Zamfara State was more than the number of people killed by Boko Haram in Borno State.

    Senator Shehu Sani said that the killings in Zamfara State had gone beyond the state to other neighbouring states.

    Insisting that the Senate must agree that the country is at war, the Kaduna Central senator said that the reports from Zamfara were worse than the reports from Somalia and Afghanistan.

    Sani recalled how he escaped being kidnapped on his way to Kaduna State, warning that what is going on in the country are symptoms of a failed state.

    Senate Chief Whip Olusola Adeyeye identified the 1999 Constitution as the country’s problems.

    The 1999 Constitution, he said, cannot give the country peace, progress and unity.

    All the prayers in the motion were unanimously adopted.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki said: “From the contributions we have had, I think it is key that we begin to look at the problem and look for long-term solutions. I think that what we did yesterday (Tuesday) in trying to strengthen the funding of the police and what we have before us, the Police Reform Bill, which would be laid today. The sooner that we can pass that will also help us in addressing the insecurity challenges.

    “But more importantly is that we must go back to what a lot of us had been advocating here, that there is need for us to have state or community police. It is the way forward. Otherwise, we will continue to run into these problems. In the area of oversight, there is a lot also that we need to do to ensure that we hold the security agencies accountable. And we need to move very fast in this area.”

  • I was blindfolded, says freed Fire Service chief

    Freed Acting Director of Lagos State Fire Service Rasaki Musibau said he could not recognise the two suspects arrested by the police because he was blindfolded by his abductors.

    Musibau addressed a jubilant crowd on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Fire Service at Alausa, Ikeja.

    The Lagos State Police Command had earlier said it had arrested two suspects in connection with the abduction.

    Police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), released the picture of the suspects.

    When asked if he could recognize the suspects, the Fire Service chief said he could not.

    “I was blindfolded by my abductors. There is no way I can recognize them,” he said.

    Musibau said the kidnappers whisked him away around 6pm, as against 8pm reported by the media, while going to Epe.

    “I ran into them (the kidnappers). They were operating freely on that road (Epe-Itoikin). Some people were lucky not to have been abducted. They just robbed them and allowed them to go. In fact, some vehicles before me were robbed at gunpoint. When I ran into them, they smashed the windscreen of my vehicle. At that point I was kidnapped; I met two other persons that have been abducted. Not quite long, they whisked us away,” he said.

    Musibau, who arrived office around 8:30am, was welcome by jubilant workers.

    They offered prayers to God for returning him alive. Praise songs and dances followed.

    He thanked them for standing by him and his family during the turbulent period.

    According to him, the abductors dropped him somewhere in Ikorodu before he called workers at the Ikorodu Fire Service Station.

    Read Also: Police arrest suspected kidnappers of Lagos fire service boss

    The Nation learnt that it was at that station he was taken home.

    Musibau said four persons were freed by the abductors, remaining three in their captivity.

    It was learnt that the families of those still in captivity are yet to pay their ransom.

    Musibau toured all the offices to greet people and express gratitude.

    Afterwards, he went to his office before leaving for the secretariat in Alausa.

    Police spokesman said Musibau and others kidnapped were freed around 11:45pm inside the forest where the kidnappers kept them, by a joint security force.

    Elkana said they were released unhurt and have been reunited with their families.

    He said: “The victims have since reunited with their families. The command’s tactical teams are still in the creeks and forests combating the places to arrest the hoodlums.

    “Water-tight security measures have been put in place across the state to forestall future occurrence. The command deeply appreciates the support of the Lagos State Government and the good people of Lagos, who stood by us and also provided useful information that facilitated the rescue of the victims. Together we will continue to make Lagos State one of the safest states in Nigeria.”

    Later in the day, the command’s image maker said two suspects had been arrested in connection with the abduction of the Fire Service director and six others.

    Elkana said: “Following a sustained and well-coordinated operations by the Command’s Tactical teams led by the Officer in Charge of Anti Kidnapping Unit, Bulus Musa, a superintendent (SP), two members of the kidnapping gang that abducted the Director of Lagos State Fire Service, Rasaki Musibau and six others on Saturday at about 8.pm have been arrested.

    “The suspects – Blessing Bayo, 29 and Smart Alfred, 32 – all of Arogbo, Ondo State were arrested on Wednesday at about 05:30am at Ibefun along Ikorodu-Ijebu-Ode Expressway, a boundary community with Ogun State and they all confessed to the commission of the crime.

    “Two single barrel guns were recovered from them.  Investigation is ongoing; efforts are on to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.”

  • Is state police not the answer?

    The moment of truth has come. The reality has dawned on the privileged class that the danger is real. As targets of kidnapping, armed robbery and terrorism, the rich are crying.

    Senators are waking up from their deep slumber. Their constituencies are not insulated from crime that has the tendency of threatening their lives and those of their immediate families. Security is at its low ebb. In their view, state police is the answer.

    The agitation is just beginning to catch up with the proposals enjoined by pro-National Conference organisations, including Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle Belt Forum and other ethnic nationalities which have clamoured for true federalism, but without success.

    Many reasons have been adduced as justification for state, and even community policing. Intelligence gathering is central to general policing and security. But, how, for instance, can a policeman, a native of Kano, police successfully in Lagos State or Rumuokoro in Rivers State? He lacks the understanding of the geography, sociology, language, history and culture of his environment of operation. He may be a patriot, but, he is not emotionally attached to the ‘foreign’ environment.

    Read Also: State police: Learning from history

    Is it not better for a Kanuri to police Boko Haram-ravaged Borno communities, which he is familiar? Why are the local vigilance groups effective and successful in their localities? What is the strength of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), in the absence of the knowledge of the environment?

    Why is the Federal Government shying away from the possible? Have state governments not invested more in the state police commands than the Federal Government? Apart from the payment of salaries of policemen, states have been supplying vehicles and other tools.

    Nigeria has adopted a semblance of federal principle, but without implementing its full elements. Yet, its peculiarity as a nation-state of diverse national communities makes it compelling. Why should governors, who are Chief Security Officers in their respective states, depend on the distant power-loaded Federal Government and Inspector-General of Police for security of their domains? Why can’t state police commissioners take lawful orders from governors without clearance from Abuja? Why a unitary police formation in a federal country?

    The ghost of the past may still be hunting the country. Before and after independence, there was state or regional police. Its goal, like the Army’s, was regime protection. Then, policemen were tools in the hands of ruling parties and governments to oppress, intimidate and cow the opposition to submission.

    State police may underscore autonomy for states in matters of security. It may encourage contiguous states in a region to collaborate on fighting criminal activities.  But, how mature is the polity? What is the level of political culture that will accommodate innovation and ensure its workability? How mature are the governors who may misinterpret state police as additional powers of coercion meant to solidify their positions and cage their perceived foes? Governors control the state electoral bodies. The results of council polls are predictable. The opposition is always a loser. Grassroots democracy is violated because the hands of many governors are heavy on the state electoral agencies.

    But, does the advantage of state police not outweigh its disadvantage? Indisputably, the federal police have failed to halt the insecurity nationwide. Armed robbery, kidnapping and terrorism have continued unabated. Therefore, is the option not worth testing?

  • Polls: INEC chair, IGP, others blame politicians for violence, malpractices

    Politicians and their agents should carry the can for the malpractices and violence that characterised the 2019 general elections.

    This was the submission of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Mahmood Yakubu; Acting Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba as well as other stakeholders.

    They spoke on Wednessay in Abuja at the Forum of Anti-corruption Situation Room organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA).

    In a keynote address, Prof Yakubu said vote buying and selling have become a source of great worry to the Commission, the people and the international community.

    The INEC chair, who was represented by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, narrated how politicians and their agents devised various methods to compromise the electoral process.

    According to him, one of the methods employed by the politicians and their agents was to buy up Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from voters in the political “safe haven” of their opponents ahead of an election.

    He also accused them of compromising security agents and some ad hoc staff of INEC who looked the other way while votes were being bought and sold.

    Yakubu said that some money bags bought over agents of other political parties who betrayed their own political parties for money.

    The INEC chair cited also situations where voters were made to surrender their PVCs to middlemen as a precondition for assessing government amenities and facilities.

    Read Also: INEC releases timetable for Bayelsa, Kogi gov polls this week

    He said: “Politicians compromised traditional and religious leaders and community leaders by persuading them to persuade voters in their domain to vote in a particular way.

    “In some instances, they persuaded willing ad hoc staff to abandon the use of Smart Card Readers and provision of social amenities close to Election Day”.

    The INEC chief charged the various Election Petitions Tribunals to prosecute proven cases of electoral offences pending the establishment of a designated body for that purpose.

    Also speaking at the event, Acting IG Adamu said police personnel on election duty were constrained by the law which prevented them from bearing firearms around voting areas.

    The IG, who was represented by Assistant Inspector-General Peter Ogunyanwo, said the constraint made it impossible for officers on election duties to confront armed political thugs who attacked voters and disrupted voting.

    The IG observed that politicians lacked patriotism, nationalism and the fear of God in their conduct during elections.

    He lamented that politicians, who he described as beneficiaries of electoral malpractices, lacked the required will and patriotism to put in place the needed electoral reforms.

    According to him, measures prescribed by law to punish electoral offenders were not punitive enough to deter electoral offenders.

    He cited the provision of Section 308 of the Constitution, which confers immunity from prosecution on sitting governors and their deputies when they commit offences.

    The AIG made allusions to the Rivers and Kano states, where the sitting governor and deputy governor allegedly committed electoral infractions during the March 9 governorship election but who could not be prosecuted as a result of their constitutional immunity.

    “In some cases, the law prescribes a fine of N40 as punishment for people caught with unlawful possession of firearms and other dangerous weapons. So where do we go from here”, the IG said.

    The police chief also blamed greed and stupidity on the part of voters who sell their votes to desperate politicians, saying they end up going back to their squalid conditions afterwards.

    He called on civil society groups and human rights organisations to mobilise for other segments of the public to mount pressure on the National Assembly to ensure birth of electoral reforms that will prescribe stiffer penalties for electoral offenders.

    On his part, the Labour leader blamed vote buying and selling on pervasive poverty and in the land. According to him, most of the voters could not resist monetary offers for their votes by desperate politicians.

    He bemoaned a situation where some state governments pay civil servants, particularly teachers as little as N7000 monthly salary.

    Describing the electoral process in the country as work in progress, Wabba noted, having realised that votes now count, politicians have resorted to vote buying from impoverished electorate.

    The NLC noted that there is no way a compromised electoral process can produce transparent and competent leaders or good governance.

    The situation, he said, has made it impossible for the people to hold their leaders accountable and called for drastic electoral reforms to sanitise the process.

    Activist lawyer, Mr Femi Falana who chaired the event, canvased electronic voting as solution to electoral malpractice, saying the country was ripe enough for it.

    According to him, vote buying and ballot manipulation started in 2003 with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and that the situation has continued to escalate with every election circle.

    He blamed the Election Petitions Tribunals and the courts for condoning electoral practices where billions of naira were raised for the election of individuals against the provisions of the Electoral Act.

    “This is how our courts endorse electoral manipulation and criminality”. He called on the INEC and the civil society organisations to assist the police in ensuring the prosecution of electoral offenders.

    Falana said the current practice where cases of electoral offenders are left to state prosecutors to handle is subject to abuse by Attorneys General who withdraw such cases at will.

  • IMF cautions Nigeria against borrowing from China

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Nigeria and other emerging market countries taking loans from China to consider the terms of such facilities, especially their compliance with the Paris Club arrangements.

    Speaking yesterday at the ongoing IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in the United States, Director, IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department, Tobias Andrian, said there was nothing bad in borrowing from China, except that the terms of such loans are always questionable.

    He said: “Loans from China are good, but the countries should consider the terms of the loans. And we urge countries that when they borrow from abroad, that the terms are favourable for the borrower, and should be conforming to the Paris Club arrangements.”

    Andrian, who spoke on the Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR), said: “Let me reiterate that in many frontier markets, we see that the share of debt that is not conforming to the Paris Club standards is on the rise. And that means that if there is any debt restructuring down the road one day, that can be very unfavourable to those countries. So, the borrowing terms, the covenants, are extremely important. And we do see a deterioration in that aspect.”

    Data from the Debt Management Office (DMO) showed that Nigeria’s total public debt rose to N24.39 trillion or $79.44 billion as at December 31, 2018 representing a year-on-year growth of 12.25 per cent. The 2018 debt stock is higher than that of 2017 by N2.662 billion.

    DMO said that as at June 2018, loans obtained by the Federal Government from China represented about 8.5 per cent of Nigeria’s external debt and that they were taken under concessionary terms. But Nigeria was last year seeking  $6 billion from China to fund the construction of the  Ibadan-Kano rail line project.

    Andrian said Nigeria had been borrowing from international markets, which gives the IMF some worries. He, however, noted that such loans are good as they allow the country to invest more, but expressed concerns over rollover or repayment risks.

    “At the moment, funding conditions in economies such as Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries, are very favourable but that might change at some point. And there is risk of rollovers and whether the need for refinancing can be met in the future,” the IMF director said,  advising that Nigeria should seek higher capital for its banks through recapitalisation and also tackle rising non-performing loans in the sector.

    Adrian said that where there are financial stability concerns, authorities are expected to use prudential tools, such as higher capital in the banking system and more conservative underwriting standards to reduce financial stability risks.

    He said: “We advise countries that where those downside risks are increasing, to take more steps to ensure that vulnerabilities are not rising too much. Addressing non-performing loans is a first order importance for financial stability. Many countries have tackled that by developing secondary market for non-performing loans. And by being aggressive in writing off non-performing loans and through provisioning and use of improved accounting standards through International Financial Reporting Standards 9 (IFRS 9)”.

    According to Adrian, many countries do not have all the tools that are necessary to ensure that the system is financially stable, hence the financial stability concerns can feed into monetary policy decisions. He, therefore, urged monetary policy makers to also look at risks to financial stability both in the short term and in the medium term.

    As a way out of the crisis, the IMF director  advised policymakers to develop and deploy macro-prudential tools which can mitigate vulnerabilities and make the financial system more resilient.

    “Emerging markets facing volatile capital flows should limit their reliance on short-term overseas debt and ensure they have adequate foreign currency reserves and bank buffers. Besides,  monetary policy should be data dependent and well communicated,” he said.

    The Division Chief Monetary and Capital Markets at the IMF, Anna Ilyina, said the institutional mechanisms for resolution and recognition of non-performing loans are, of course, extremely important part of the process of cleaning up the banking system of bad loans and the authorities should continue working along those lines.

    She said: “ Credit quality has declined, underwriting standards weaker and debt levels are much higher. The concern is that there are very few macro-prudential tools for the corporate sector. In some countries, supervisors can limit the deterioration of underwriting standards to the extent that is provided by the banks, but one of the big trends post-crisis is that market-based finance has become more important for the corporates.”

    She advised that in maturing credit cycle, farsighted policy actions to reduce vulnerabilities can help avoid more painful adjustments in the future.

    On capital flow to Nigeria and other emerging markets, the IMF director said that overseas investment run by managers tracking popular indices had increased dramatically over the past decade.

    She said: “Widening the range of investors can be positive factor for emerging markets, yet that trend leaves economies vulnerable to a sudden reversal of capital flows in response to global trends. The vulnerabilities intensifying in a maturing credit cycle, this is the time for decisive policy action. The intensification of trade tensions and the threat of a disorderly practices have dented investor confidence. Policy makers should ensure that post crisis regulatory reform is fully implemented and resist calls for rolling back reforms,” she said.

    She also said that policymakers should act decisively to renew their commitment to open trade, discourage the buildup of debt and communicate clearly any shifts in monetary policy.

    Speaking on tax reforms at the Fiscal Monitor Session of the event, IMF Assistant Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, Cathy Pattillo, described tax reform in Nigeria as a very important issue.

    She said IMF’s main recommendations for Nigeria is the need for a comprehensive tax reform that would sustain the increase in non-oil revenue.

    “And the reason why that is needed is that Nigeria has one of the lowest ratios of non-oil revenue to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at around 3.4 per cent  in the world. And the total tax revenue to GDP at around eight per cent is also very low compared to peers.”

    She said that the interest to tax ratio is low, adding that the funds realised should be spent on important developmental projects, such as infrastructure and human capital.

    She also advised Nigeria to increase excise taxes and begin aggressive streamlining of tax incentives and exemptions

  • 446 Nigerians in UAE prisons, says ambassador

    Mohammed Rimi, Nigerian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, says  446 Nigerians are currently serving different terms in the UAE prisons. Rimi broke the news during President Muhammadu Buhari’s town-hall meeting with Nigerians in the Emirates on Tuesday.

    The ambassador said the 446 Nigerians are serving different jail terms for crimes ranging from possession of hard drugs to engaging in robbery.

    “Although there is no exact record of our citizens in the UAE, owing to the inability to register them on arrival, the number of Nigerians resident in the country is estimated at about 10,000. Out of this number, about 2,017 are students in various universities,” he said.

    Read Also: UAE to boost Osun economy as Oyetola meets envoy

    “It is disheartening to state that 446 Nigerians are currently serving different terms in prisons across UAE on account of committing various crimes including possession and consumption of hard drugs and engagement in armed robbery.”

    Rimi also said in the spirit of forgiveness, tolerance and accommodation, the UAE government granted amnesty to all irregular residents in the country.

    “In 2018,  5,774 standard passport were issued by the embassy, out of which, 3,164 were specifically issued during the amnesty programme. Further 1,346 emergency traveling certificates were issued to Nigerians to facilitate their return home,” he said.

    He added that 5,021 Nigerians were granted amnesty to enable them live and pursue their legitimate businesses in the Emirates.

  • FG opts to continue Onnoghen’s trial as counsel submit final addresses

    There were strong indications on Wednesday that the Federal Government has opted to continue with the trial of the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

    It was confirmed on Wednesday at the CCT that Onnoghen’s lawyers have filed their final address.

    The prosecution team is expected to  submit its final address today.

    Justice Onnoghen is said to have bungled his chances to meet with President Buhari to resolve the impasse amicably  in the interest of the Executive and the Judiciary.

    After Justice Onnoghen’s resignation, it was not immediately clear whether or not President Muhammadu Buhari would direct that his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal be stopped.

    While some government officials wanted the trial concluded, some members of the Bench and the Bar insisted on the decision of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to retire Justice Onnoghen.

    Read Also: The fall of Onnoghen

    Although the President was said to be weighing options on the NJC’s report, which made recommendations on Justice Onnoghen’s future, a government official said his trial will be concluded.

    The source said: “The government will not withdraw the case against Onnoghen in CCT in order not to set a bad precedent.

    “We want the case to run its  lifespan for posterity and to avoid reading of political meanings into it. When this case started, there was much uproar, that it was politically motivated by the presidency. We want the tribunal to decide the case on merit.

    “The NJC’s report also did not say that the trial be halted. It only demanded the retirement of Onnoghen. This is why no directive has been given to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, which is prosecuting the case, to withdraw the charges against the CJN.”

    The source, who stressed that there was no deal with Justice Onnoghen over his trial, claimed that the CJN bungled his chances to decide his fate in the interest of the Judiciary.

    The source added: “There were moves to prevail on the President not to allow the CJN to be on trial in CCT. The first window came from the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) which sent a delegation to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The NBA team wanted soft-landing for Onnoghen. Some terms were agreed upon, including resignation or voluntary retirement by Onnoghen.

    “The NBA team was mandated to prevail on him to quit honourably in view of some overwhelming allegations and  investigative reports on him. The CJN, who was initially amenable to reconciliation, later backed out.

    “The second mediation was about another proposed confidential session between President Buhari and Onnoghen, which was facilitated by some highly-placed Nigerians. They wanted the President to hear from Onnoghen to pave the way for his quiet retirement from office without subjecting him to trial.

    “The CJN consented to the session with the President but he aborted it at the last minute without any justifiable cause.

    “Onnoghen had over-relied on the outcome of NJC’s investigation  – that it would be in his favour. He had no choice than to throw in the towel when the NJC advised Buhari to retire him. It was at this stage he chose to voluntarily leave office.”

    Speaking with our correspondent last night, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Dr. Muhammed Isah, said: “We have not received any directive from the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami(SAN), who is the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,  to discontinue the case.”

  • Oil rises above $71 on tight supply

    Oil prices raced on Wednesday to five-month highs hit the previous day as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production cuts and United States (U.S.) sanctions on Iran and Venezuela continued to tighten supply, though economic worries increased.

    Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were up 77 cents, or 1.1 per cent, at $71.38 per barrel U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures rose 33 cents, or half a per cent, to $64.31 per barrel.

    Oil markets have tightened this year because of U.S. sanctions on oil exporters Iran and Venezuela, as well as supply cuts by OPEC and some non-affiliated producers including Russia, a group known as OPEC.

    Read Also: Senate committed to $13.3b oil project

    Supplies from OPEC dropped by half a million barrels a day in March to a four-year low as Saudi Arabia continued to curb production. The monthly output cut totals about half a per cent of global crude demand.

    Brent and WTI crude oil futures have risen by more than 30 per cent and 40 per cent respectively since the start of the year.

    “The global oil market is clearly moving back towards balance thanks to OPEC+ production cuts,” ING bank said.

    The Dutch bank said the reduction was not only down to voluntary supply cuts, which the group started this year to prop up prices, but also involuntary curbs from Venezuela and Iran – which are exempt from the OPEC cut pact – due to U.S. sanctions.

  • Court gives Evans till May 17 to get lawyer 

    Lagos High Court has given kidnap suspect Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike alias Evans till May 17 to get a lawyer to defend him.

    The order came 12 days after a similar directive by an Ikeja High Court where he is also standing trial.

    Justice Adedayo Akintoye on Wednesday  told Evans, whose case has suffered three adjournments because he has no lawyer, that he now has  only three options :

    * defend himself;

    * get a new counsel;

    *or the court will appoint a Legal Aid counsel for him.

    The judge’s warning followed the third consecutive absence of Evans’ counsel, Chino Obiagwu (SAN).

    Read Also:  Again lawyers stall Evans’ trial

    At the last sitting on March 1, Obiagwu was not in court. But he sent a letter informing Justice Akintoye of his absence.

    Acknowledging the letter, Justice Akintoye adjourned till Wednesday for address by counsel for trial-within-trial.

    On March 29, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Ikeja High Court gave him up till May 10 to get a lawyer or defend himself. Alternatively,  the court said it could appoint a Legal Aid counsel for him.

    Evans, Joseph Ikenna Emeka, 29, Chiemeka Arinze, 39, and Udeme Frank Upong, 43, are standing trial on a seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to kidnap and selling of firearms.

    None of Evans’ lawyers was present yesterday nor did they write the court on their absence.

    Upon enquiry from Justice Adedayo, Evans said: “The last time we spoke, he told me that on the next adjournment he would be in court.”

    Judge: “So, he’s not here today?”

    Evans: “Yes.”

    Prosecuting counsel Yaqub Oshoala prayed the court to invoke Section 233 (3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL), which empowers it to appoint a counsel for the defendant.

    He said: “The provision is that where the defendant fails or is unable to secure a counsel, the court has the discretion to order the Legal Aid Council to provide a representation for the defendant.

    “This is the third time this matter is called and the first defendant (Evans) is not represented”.

    Turning to Evans, Justice Akintoye asked: “What exactly is the position? I understand they don’t want to appear for you. Do you want the court to appoint another lawyer for you?”

    Evans shook his head. “No, my lord,” he said.

    The judge advised him to ensure that he got a lawyer before the next adjourned date.

    Justice Akintoye said: “If your lawyers don’t want to appear, we cannot force them.

    “You have three options, you can get another lawyer to represent you or the court can appoint one for you or you can defend yourself, which is not advisable.

    “Today is the last chance that I have given; otherwise I will do what I have said. After today, there will be no more adjournment.”

  • WAEC, JAMB working on clashing timetables

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has said it will work out the clash between its timetable for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates and that of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which begins tomorrow.

    WAEC Nigeria’s Head of Public Affairs Mr. Demianus G. Ojijeogu told The Nation at its headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, that the council was in touch with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and would work out the clash “internally and administratively.”

    He promised that candidates would not have to sacrifice one examination for the other.

    “I assure you that no candidate would miss their exams.  We are working on it. The JAMB registrar is in touch with the WAEC head of National Office, and we will sort it out internally,” he said.

    JAMB Public Relations Officer, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said the board had received assurance from WAEC that there would be no clash.

    Read Also: WAEC gives 1,050 tools to 21 schools

    “The registrar has reached out to the HNO and he was assured that there would be no clash,” he said.

    According to the WASSCE timetable, WAEC scheduled two subjects, Animal Husbandry (Alternative B) 2 (Essay) and Store Management 2 (Essay), for 9:30 am-11:30 am  – the same time some candidates would sit for  the UTME to hold in Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.

    Animal Husbandry (Alternative B) 1 Objective and Store Management 1 (Objective) was scheduled for 11:30 am-12:10 pm. A parent, Mr. Suleiman Olagunju, from Akure, expressed concern that his daughter was to sit for Animal Husbandry same time as her UTME tomorrow.

    He said: “I called the JAMB office and was told they were aware and would do something about it.  But till now nothing has been done.  It was JAMB that rescheduled its examination because of the elections that caused this clash.  WAEC timetable for the examination is fixed.”

    The UTME is to last for one week.  WAEC has scheduled practical sessions for about 20 subjects between Monday, April 15 and Thursday, April 19, from 9:30 am to 4.45 pm each day.   They include Metalwork, Home Management, Food and Nutrition, Arabic 3 (Oral), French 3 (Oral), Physical Education, Clothing and Textiles, Foods and Nutrition, Home Management, Music, Applied Electricity, Basic Electricity, Health Science, Health Education and Fisheries.

    The 2019 WASSCE for school candidates began on Monday with three subjects, Catering Craft Practice, Marketing and Salesmanship.