June 2022 – Page 28 – Crime Facts

Post Date : June 20, 2022

2023: Fresh crisis hits APGA as two Presidential candidates emerge

The All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA may have itself to blame for its political fortunes in the 2023 general election if it fails to resolve the internal crisis now threatening its cohesion ahead of the polls. At issue is the leadership tussle between Victor Oye and Edozie Njoku, both laying claim to the national chairmanship of the party. While the former sees Njoku as an interloper and non- member of the party; Njoku maintains that the Supreme Court last month affirmed him as the authentic national chairman of the party. As a result, both men are running the affairs of the party from different secretariats, complete with two national working committees. Only recently, party chieftains including the recently decamped former Senate Minority leader, Enyinayya Abaribe, ex-Information Minister, Frank Nweke Jr among others stormed the APGA national secretariat to witness the party’s Special Presidential convention which produced a former Anambra state Chief Judge, Prof. Peter Umeadi as the flag bearer. Two days after, Njoku-led NWC elected APGA’s founding national chairman, Chekwas Okorie as its flag bearer; a development likely to throw up litigations before and after the elections unless the party finds a way to resolve the issue. Speaking shortly after the emergence of Umeadi, Oye took Njoku to the cleaners accusing him of plotting to distract his leadership of the party. According to him, “APGA is the real party; our last convention was held on 31st May, 2019. Since 2019, we have not had factions in APGA. All the people parading themselves as leaders of APGA are meddlesome interlopers, they are fraudsters. After our 2019 convention, Edozien Njoku went to Owerri to elect himself chairman. This country must be a country of law and order. “There is only one leadership in APGA. I want the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to be fair in their judgement. Why should a political nonentity be parading himself as a national chairman of APGA? We must deal with the people causing trouble in this country. The man called Edozie Njoku does not exist.” However, Njoku did not take the salvo from Oye lightly as he clarified his position on the matter this way: “As a political party, we have noticed series of attempts to confuse the salient issues relating to the recent Supreme Court judgment by some individuals in a bid to create confusion where none exist. “Recall that ever since the nation’s apex court declared that the removal of Chief Edozie Njoku, as the national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, was illegal and non-justiciable; some misguided individuals whose stock in trade is to benefit from crisis, went to town with the narrative that the pronouncement of the Supreme Court was forged. “We wish to state that one Jude Okeke claimed that he assumed the position of the acting chairman of the party after Chief Edozie Njoku, who emerged from the National Convention of APGA, which held in Owerri, Imo State capital on May 31, 2019, was suspended. “On the basis of that false claim, the Jigawa State High Court sitting at Birin Kudu ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should deal with the said Jude Okeke and uploaded the name of the Governorship candidate submitted by him for the November 6, 2021, Anambra State Governorship Election. “Dissatisfied by that Jigawa State High Court ruling, Ozonkpu Victor Oye, who had been in court with Chief Edozie Njoku approached the Court of Appeal, Kano Division, praying that the Judgment of Jigawa State High Court be set aside. “After listening to the arguments of the counsel to the parties in the suit, the Court of Appeal set aside the ruling of the Jigawa State High Court on the basis that the court lacked territorial jurisdiction to entertain the matter, which amounted to forum shopping. “Stunned by the Appeal Court Kano’s reversal of the Jigawa State High Court ruling that empowered him to submit name of governorship candidate to INEC, Jude Okeke went to the Supreme Court on Appeal. “At the Supreme Court, Jude Okeke’s appeal was dismissed on the grounds that the purported removal of Victor Oye was not in order and that his decision to go to far away Jigawa state for an exercise that happened in Southeast amounts to Forum Shopping and abuse of the court process. “On the clerical error purporting that it was Victor Oye that was suspended, Chief Edozie Njoku applied to the Supreme Court for a review to correct the erroneous impression that it was Oye that was suspended,” adding that on May 9 this year, the apex court affirmed the Owerri national convention, thus putting an end to the lingering leadership crisis,” he said. Njoku has since written to INEC national chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu seeking recognition as the national chairman of APGA. Speaking exclusively to Vanguard on the issue, Njoku insists that the party is one and united under his leadership, saying, “APGA does not have two Presidential candidates to my knowledge. As per the Federal High Court ruling, the executive that emerged from the convention in Owerri is the executive of APGA by law. No other executive can conduct primaries in APGA. The icing on the cake is the latest Supreme Court judgement which pronounced Chief Edozie Njoku as national chairman saying his removal is not justifiable.” Oye on his part, told this medium that no faction exists in APGA and that Umeadi remains the party’s Presidential candidate. It is left to be seen who INEC would accord official recognition among the two men in the months ahead.

Post Date : June 20, 2022

One year after arrest, lawyer seeks Nnamdi Kanu’s release

June 19, 2021 marked the beginning of the incarceration of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, by the Federal Government. Kanu was in Kenya when he was arrested and returned to Nigeria to resume his trial. Special counsel to Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, in a tweet on Sunday, called for the release of the detained IPOB leader. He tweeted, “It came to pass that one year ago, (June 19,2021) an extraordinary rendition was committed. It was a day that will live in infamy because it was an extraordinary abomination. “It was a legal wrong. It was a political wrong. And it must be undone. Stop the persecution and free Nnamdi Kanu”. However, his family has expressed sadness that the IPOB leader is spending 2022 Father’s Day in the DSS cell in Abuja. His junior brother, Emma Kanu, said, “I am feeling sad today. This is a year today since he was kidnapped and brought back to Nigeria. “The question is, ‘Has anything changed?’ The answer is, ‘No’. This is because the impression before now is that Nnamdi Kanu is part of the problem in Nigeria, whereas he is part of the solution and not part of the problem. “It is better that the Federal Government understands that Nnamdi Kanu is a force to work with and not a force to jettison. The earlier they understand this, the better for you and I”. He wished his brother, Nnamdi Kanu a Happy Fathers’ Day “there in DSS detention”, adding, “but then, the federal government should have a reasonable thought to free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. This is because the man has done nothing wrong before God and mankind. “What Nnamdi Kanu stands for is about transparency, equity, and wellbeing of everybody. He is not against anybody in Nigeria, be you Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, wherever you come from, North or south. “He is focused on the condition and constitution of this country that is affecting you and me and until we see change, I assure you, nobody is going to back off from this particular job.”

Post Date : June 20, 2022

2023: Tinubu Kicks As Atiku Mocks Him Over ‘Dummy’ Running Mate

Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has mocked his opponents over their delay to produce their “permanent” running mates within the time-frame stipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In a statement, Atiku said the office of the presidency does not need someone who hesitate to make decision in picking his running mate. However, other candidates vying for the office of the Presidency in the 2023 elections include, a Former Lagos Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the APC platform; A former Kano state Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso under the NNPP; former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi of the LP, amongst others. In a statement, Atiku chide his opposition candidates especially from the APC, NNPP, and the LP over what he described as lack of clarity and inability to make decisions at a critical time to pick their permanent running mates. He said picking running mates by candidates vying for any big office like the presidency is very important in a democracy. “The office of the presidency needs someone who has the clarity to make decisions without hesitation.” “In developed democratic countries, the process and picking of a running mate by a presidential candidate is a step to understanding the capacity of a candidate and his capability to do the job” Reacting through his spokesman, Tunde Rahman, the APC Presidential candidate said it is pathetic for the PDP to utter such. Rahman told BBC that the PDP ought to focus more on resolving its internal crisis. “The PDP should pay attention to resolving their internal crisis, they failed to fulfill all their internal promises.” “They should stop the propaganda campaign on Muslim-Muslim ticket, amongst others,” Tinubu’s spokesman said.

Post Date : June 20, 2022

17,647 Drug Offenders, 10 Barons Arrested In 17 Months – Marwa

A total of 17, 647 drug offenders and 10 barons have been arrested in the past 17 months, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said on Monday. NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) stated this during a press conference in Abuja, saying that over 2,369 convicts were jailed with more than 11,000 drug users counselled and treated within the same period. His remark is to kick start activities to mark this year’s UN day against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking under the theme: “Addressing Drug Challenges in Health and Humanitarian Crises”. “For us at the Agency, we are abreast of time and trends as shown by the priority accorded treatment and care,” Marwa said in a statement by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi. “In 2021, about 8,000 drug users were counselled and rehabilitated, in most cases through brief interventions. We continued the effort in the first five months of 2022, whereby an additional 3,523 were also counselled and treated in NDLEA facilities. “Simultaneously, we have continued to shut the tap of illicit flow of drugs with the arrest of over 17,647 offenders including 10 drug barons between January 2021 and May 2022; more than 2,369 convicted and jailed within the same period while 154,667.339kg drugs have been seized in the first five months of this year alone.” According to the NDLEA boss, changing dynamics have forced a paradigm shift that encompasses a balanced approach to tackling the drug problem in the country. While stating that the agency’s Drug Demand Reduction Department has been galvanised and working non-stop to ensure that the health aspect of the drug abuse calculus is getting adequate attention, Marwa said other measures are being taken to strengthen the process. He added, “The Agency’s policy of Drug Integrity Test is predicated on getting help to drug users suffering in silence because they cannot seek the needed health treatment due to social stigma and discrimination. “This is why in a short while from now, we’ll be unveiling the NDLEA Call Centre that will be manned by professionals and experts in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology, psychiatry, and more to offer help to drug users who will make use of our toll-free lines to seek counselling 24/7. This will also enable those afraid of stigmatisation to be able to seek help without necessarily being seen or identified by anyone. “Even as we rev up our drug supply reduction offensive, it is certain that we are not relenting on getting help to those suffering from drug use disorder. The forthcoming sensitization training on Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Care (DPTC) for Governors’ Wives will bolster the effort to ensure that the consequences of drug abuse are nipped in the bud and prevented from snowballing into a public health problem that would overwhelm our society in the long run. “This year’s theme will go a long way in directing our attention to an area that requires collective effort to stave off future catastrophes.”

Post Date : June 20, 2022

Sokoto girl leads with highest score as FG releases results of Common Entrance Exam

THE federal government, Monday, released the results of the 2022 National Common Entrance Examination for admission into unity colleges across the country. Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, released the result after formally receiving it from NECO Registrar of National Examinations Council, NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi in his office, in Abuja. With the release, he said the government would do everything to ensure that all admission processes are completed before July 1, 2022 Adamu, while presenting highlights of the result, announced a candidate, Miss Ajidagba Mariam Akanke, an indigene of Sokoto state as scoring the highest with 201. Her centre is Oshodi Junior Secondary School, Tolu Complex, Apapa, Lagos State. The National Common Entrance Examination,NCEE, is for admission into the first year of Junior Secondary School,JSS 1,of federal unity colleges, administered to final year pupils of primary schools. The examination was written on Saturday 7th May, 2022 in Nigeria, as well as Benin Republic and Togo. A total number of seventy-one thousand, seven hundred and thirty-eight (71,738) pupils registered, with 34.030 being males and 37,708 being females. The Minister of Education said the state that registered the highest number of candidates is Lagos State with 19,518, out of which 18,787 sat and 731 were absent while FCT was second with 8,623 candidates that registered, out of which 8,317 sat while 306 were absent. Anambra State came third with 5,335 candidates that registered, out of which 5,070 sat and 265 were absent. Zamfara State was fourth with 4,500 candidates registered, out of which 3,745 sat and 755 were absent. While the state that registered the least number of candidates is kebbi with 74 candidates. The minister represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mr. David Adejo said the lowest score was 1 mark and it was scored by 15 candidates from various states. According to the minister, the criteria for selection of qualified candidates into Federal Unity Colleges are 60% merit, 30% equality of state and 10% exigency. The Registrar National Examination Council NECO Professor Ibrahim Wushishi said overall performance this year was higher than that of last year.

Post Date : June 20, 2022

INEC: No presidential candidate indicated placeholder when submitting nomination forms

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the concept of “placeholder” for vice-presidential candidates “has no place in our constitutional and legal framework”. Following the completion of presidential primaries of political parties, INEC set June 17 as the deadline for the nomination of vice-presidential candidates. In order to beat the deadline, some parties submitted names of vice-presidential candidates who they described as placeholders. TheCable had reported that Kabiru Masari was named as the running mate to Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but some political analysts had said the APC welfare secretary is a “placeholder” before a final candidate is named. Similarly, Doyin Okupe had announced that he would be “standing in as the vice-presidential candidate” for Peter Obi, the Labour party candidate, pending a final replacement. Reacting to the trend in a chat with Arise TV on Monday, Festus Okoye, the commissioner for information and voter education of INEC, said the “placeholder is a unique Nigerian invention” for which the commission’s law has no provision. He added that the commission can only replace a candidate if the person writes a “sworn affidavit stating that he is withdrawing from the race within the time frame provided by the law”. “The constitution makes it very clear that you cannot run alone as a presidential candidate and must nominate an associate to run with you for that position, and as far as INEC is concerned, the presidential candidates have submitted their associates to run with them in the presidential election,” Okoye said. “As far as we are concerned, there’s no form submitted by the presidential candidate where they said ‘we’re submitting this person’s name as a place or space holder’. “The issue of space or place holder is a unique Nigerian invention that has no place in our constitutional and legal framework. “Political parties’ candidates have submitted names of associates to run with them, and that is the position of the law as at today and nothing has changed. “For there to be a substitution of a candidate, the vice-presidential candidate must write to INEC, with a sworn affidavit stating that he is withdrawing from the race within the time frame provided by the law. That’s the only way there can be a substitution of candidates.”

Post Date : June 20, 2022

Ekiti: Oyebanji, Adamu deny vote-buying allegations

The Ekiti State Governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji, on Monday in Abuja, has denied allegations of vote-buying at the Saturday governorship election. Oyebanji, who garnered 187,057 votes to defeat his two closest challengers, Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party, said this to State House correspondents when he visited the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa on Monday. The former Secretary to the Ekiti State Government said neither he nor his party, the All Progressives Congress, was involved in the vote-buying that allegedly took place during the election. Speaking shortly after being presented to Buhari, Oyebanji said he did not witness any vote-buying in the polling unit where he voted. While explaining that he won the election based on the performance of the Fayemi-led administration, Oyebanji said he canvassed for votes based on the administration’s record. On his part, the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, dismissed the vote-buying allegations, calling it a last-minute instrument by the opposition parties who did not garner enough votes to win the election. Details shortly…

Post Date : June 20, 2022

Court stops INEC from ending voter registration

The Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from ending voter registration on 30 June 2022. Honourable Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon (Court 10) today granted an order of interim injunction following the hearing of an argument on motion exparte by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). SERAP and 185 concerned Nigerians had early this month filed the lawsuit against INEC asking the court to “declare unconstitutional, illegal, and incompatible with international standards the failure of the electoral body to extend the deadline for voter registration to allow eligible Nigerians to exercise their rights.” In the suit, SERAP had asked the court for “an order restraining INEC, its agents, privies, assigns, or any other person(s) claiming through it from discontinuing the continuous voters’ registration exercise from the 30th June 2022 or any other date pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.” The suit is adjourned to 29th June, 2022 for the hearing of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction. The suit followed the decision by INEC to extend the deadline for the conduct of primaries by political parties by six days, from June 3 to June 9. But the commission failed to also extend the online pre-registration which ended May 30 2022 and the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ending 30 June 2022. In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1034/2022 filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, and transferred to Abuja, SERAP is asking the court to determine “whether the failure of INEC to extend the deadline for voter registration is not a violation of Nigerian Constitution, 1999 [as amended], the Electoral Act, and international standards.” SERAP is asking the court for “a declaration that the failure of INEC to extend the deadline for voter registration is a violation of eligible Nigerians’ rights to participate freely in their own government, equality and equal protection.” SERAP is also asking the court for “an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to extend voter registration by a minimum of three months and take effective measures to ensure that eligible Nigerians are able to register to exercise their right to vote in the 2023 general elections.” The suit, read in part: “Enforcing unrealistic voter registration deadline while extending the deadline for party primaries would deny and abridge the constitutional and international human rights of eligible voters.” “INEC mandates ought to be exercised in a fair, just and non-discriminatory manner. The extension of voter registration would ensure that Nigerian voters are treated equally and fairly. The future of Nigeria’s democracy depends on it.” “Voters are also critical stakeholders in the electoral process. Treating all eligible Nigerian voters fairly would advance the people’s right to vote and to participate in their own government.” “INEC must not only be independent and impartial in the exercise of its constitutional and statutory responsibilities, but must also be seen to be independent and impartial.” “Extending the voter registration exercise would also bolster voter confidence in the electoral process.” “One of the people’s most sacred rights is the right to vote. The commission has a constitutional and statutory responsibility to ensure the effective exercise of the right of all eligible voters to participate in their own government.” “Extending the deadline for party primaries without providing adequate time and opportunity for eligible voters to register and participate in the 2023 general elections would amount to an unfair and discriminatory treatment of Nigerian voters, and violate other human rights.” “Extending the voter registration deadline would provide more time for eligible voters, including young people, the elderly, people living with disability, as well as those resident in states facing security challenges and living in IDP camps to participate in the 2023 elections.” “Extending the deadline for voter registration would be entirely consistent with constitutional and international standards, and the Electoral Act. Any such extension would also not impact negatively on INEC’s election calendar and activities.” “The public perception of the independence and impartiality of INEC is essential for building public confidence in the electoral process, and ensuring the credibility and legitimacy of the 2023 elections.” “Where Nigerians have doubts about the independence and impartiality of INEC, they are more likely to have less confidence in the electoral process thereby undermining democracy.” “Extending the deadline for voter registration would also be justified, given reports of challenges in the voter registration exercise, especially for young people, the elderly, persons living with disabilities, and those resident in states facing security challenges and living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.” “The will of the people is expressed through democratic elections. This requires that people should be afforded adequate time and opportunity to register to vote. Extending the voter registration deadline is crucial for promoting the independence and impartiality of INEC and building public confidence in the electoral process.” “The Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) provides in Section 14(1)(c) that, ‘the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.’” “Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that ‘the registration of voters, updating and revision of the Register of Voters under this section shall not stop not later than 90 days before any election covered by this Act.’” “Similarly, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance guarantee the right to political participation.” “These human rights treaties also require states parties including Nigeria to ensure the independence and impartiality of national electoral bodies responsible for the management of elections, as well as to promote the establishment of the necessary conditions to foster citizen participation.” “The right of people to participate in their government is a fundamental feature of any democratic society, and any undue restriction of the right would strike at the heart of representative government.”

Post Date : June 20, 2022

Alleged Homicide: How Osinachi’s Husband Threatened To Kill Singer – Victim’s Mother

The mother of Osinachi Nwachukwu has narrated before the FCT High Court in Abuja how the late gospel singer’s husband threatened to kill the late victim. Appearing before Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme on Monday, 61-year-old Caroline Madu, said the accused, Peter Nwachukwu, threatened to kill Osinachi if she (the mother) tried visiting her. According to Madu, 42-year-old Osinachi was last seen in December during a church programme before her death on April 8. When the singer was sick, Madu claimed to have told Osinachi that she needed treatment. She, however, said she would have to plead with her husband, adding that if she visited her, her husband would kill her. The singer’s mother, who was in tears, accused Peter of coming to steal her child. Madu said Peter told the family that he was an evangelist. On the contrary, he would beat her child like a carpenter working on a piece of wood. During Osinachi’s pregnancy, the mother said her husband will beat her and when she asked her to come and see him, the singer’s husband refused. She added that Peter bragged that if she did not go alive, she will go in death. Madam Madu stated that the situation forced her to send her senior daughter – Favour Madu – to go bring Osinachi home. The move was successful as Osinachi stayed a year and three months before Peter sent some pastors to plead with her family to take her back. According to her, Osinachi agreed, telling her family, “What God has joined together, no man should put asunder.” The late singer was said to have returned to her husband who then resumed the beatings. When she asked Osinachi for monetary assistance, Madu claimed the late singer could not give her as the money was deposited in Peter’s account. She further told the court that there was a time she was ill, and people had to plead with Peter to allow her to come over to Abuja for treatment. She recalled going to church with them one day and after the service, Peter drove off with the kids leaving Osinachi and her stranded. She added that Osinachi never visited her in Enugu and Peter never allowed her to even pick up her call. On Osinachi’s health status, Madu maintained her daughter only told her that she had an ulcer whereas the husband had claimed she died of lung cancer. Upon hearing about her daughter’s death via radio and television on April 8, the grieving mother said people started coming to her house crying In the evening around 7 pm, she said Peter used Osinachi’s number and called her and she asked him how they were, stating that Osinachi was dead Responding, Madu told the court that she shouted in tears telling him (Peter) that the promise he made that if she didn’t leave alive, she will in death, has finally come to pass. She recalled how she then cut the call and switched off the phone Under cross-examination, she said she never knew if Osinachi suffered from another ailment.

Post Date : June 20, 2022

Eight Nigerians on INTERPOL’s wanted list

Interpol is the world’s largest international police organisation with 190 member- countries cooperating to prevent and solve crimes that cross borders. If a criminal flees to another country to avoid prosecution, Interpol will issue a Red Notice alert to all police worldwide about the criminal who is wanted internationally. The Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies all over the world to find and apprehend the culprit. Here are eight Nigerians wanted by Interpol according to interpol.int; 1. Vitus Akachi Vitus, who was born on June 13, 1984 has been declared wanted in Angola and is accused of illegal possession of firearms, kidnapping and robbery. 2. Salif Bouhari 59-year-old Salif has been declared wanted in China for drug trafficking. 3. Nkem Butchang Timloh Nkem, who was born on November 25, 1988, has been declared wanted in Canada on charges of sexual assault and failure to comply with the condition of his recognisance. 4. Okromi Festus Okromi Festus was born on June 26, 1965 and he is wanted in India on charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy. 5. Costa Da Costa Frankle Austine This 59-year-old is also wanted in India on charges of forgery of valuable security, possession of a forged document knowing it is forged and intending to use it as genuine, and forgery for the purpose of cheating. 6. Uzoma Eneh Jude Uzoma, who was born on August 11, 1973, has been declared wanted in Brazil for drug trafficking. 7. Asuquo Mbuotidem Edem In Ghana, the 33-year-old man from Calabar has been declared wanted for robbery and rape. 8. Obidiozor Malahi Ikechukwu Born on 30th June 1979, Malahi has been declared wanted in Angola for kidnapping, robbery and illegal possession of firearms.