Crime Facts

Group: Opposition looking for dirt on Shettima because he has unsettled them

  A group known as the Protectors of Shettima Legacy says opposition political parties are looking for dirt on Kashim Shettima, vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), because he has unsettled them. In a statement on Monday, Joseph Chibok, chairman of the group, said though Shettima has explained why he dressed the way he did at the recent conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the opposition does not care and fixated on slander. Shettima’s suit and sneakers attire caused a stir on social media. The vice-presidential candidate said he chose the fit to snub the hostile crowd at the conference. Chibok said Shettima is a worthy running mate to Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the APC. “His emergence as the APC Vice-Presidential Candidate has indeed unsettled the political opposition, who have gone into an overdrive in order to dig up dirt against him. Of course they could not find any because finding dirt on Shettima is like looking for a needle in a haystack – he’s clean as a whistle,” he said. “An opportunity presented itself during the just-concluded NBA conference where some twisted and warped minds took to the Social Media to attack Shettima because of his choice of appearance on the occasion. “Even though he took time to explain why he appeared the way he did, the opposition would not let go as they deployed all manner of tactics by regurgitating fake news to cast aspersions on Senator Shettima. “His eloquent and excellent presentation at the NBA conference did not matter to them because the opposition had conceived the idea to slander him for political reasons. “The opposition has gone a notch higher to extrapolate his earlier stance on restructuring. They also dug out a fake telephone conversation supposedly between him and Senator Amosun. “They even brought up the Chibok girls saga, all with the singular purpose of dinting his image.” The chairman said the opposition parties are jittery about the “overwhelming popularity of the Tinubu-Shettima ticket”.

Buhari Assents Civil Aviation, Advertising Council, 6 Other Bills

  President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to 8 Bills recently passed by the National Assembly. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Nasir Baballe Ila, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday. The Bills assented to by the president include Civil Aviation Act, 2022; Nigeria Meteorological Agency (Establishment) Act, 2022; Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2022; Nigerian Council for Management Development Act 2022; National Institute of Credit Administration (Establishment) Act, 2022; Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners (Establishment) Act, 2022; Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act, 2022 and Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria Act, 2022. The Civil Aviation Act 2022 repeals the Civil Aviation Act, No. 6, 2006 and enacts the Civil Aviation Act, 2022 to provide for an effective legal and institutional framework for the regulation of civil aviation in Nigeria in order to promote aviation safety and security; ensure that Nigeria’s obligations under international aviation agreements are implemented, and consolidate the law relating to civil aviation regulation in Nigeria, among others. The Meteorological Agency Act 2022 repealed the Nigerian Metrological Agency (Establishment, etc.) Act, No. 9 of 2003 and enacts the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (Establishment) Act, to provide for comprehensive legal and institutional framework for the regulation of meteorology in Nigeria. The Agency under the Act is empowered as the sole authority to approve, licence, certify and regulate the establishment of meteorological stations for meteorological observations, the operators and operating personnel at a fee to be prescribed by the Agency and where necessary, make regulation in this regard and save for aeronautical meteorological services. The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria Act 2022 repeals the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria Act Cap. P17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and enacts the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2022 charged with the responsibility, amongst others, of regulating and controlling the education, training and practice of pharmacy and related matters in Nigeria. The Nigerian Council for Management Development Act 2022 repeals the Nigerian Council for Management Development Act, Cap. N99, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and the National Centre for Economic Management and Administration Act, Cap. N14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and enacts the Nigerian Council for Management Development Act, 2022. The National Institute of Credit Administration Act 2022 establishes the National Institute of Credit Administration to regulate the credit management practice and set standards and skills to be attained by persons seeking to become professional credit managers in Nigeria by providing range of services and programmes aimed at keeping Nigerian credit managers and their executives up-to-date by developing their professional skills, elevating their status and inculcating ethics in their service of managing credit for their employers, among others. In the same vein, the Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners Act 2022 establishes the Institute of Social Work Practitioners charged with the responsibility for training and registration of persons aspiring to become Social Work Practitioners in Nigeria and determine the standards of knowledge and skill to be attained by persons seeking to become registered as chartered social work practitioners, and raise the standards as circumstances may permit, among others. The Advertising Regulatory Council Act 2022 repeals the Advertising Practitioners (Registration, etc.) Act, Cap. A7, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and enacts the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act, 2022 to establish a Council for advertising, advertisements and marketing communications as the apex regulatory authority for the Nigerian advertising industry; make provision for the regulation and control of advertising; ensure the protection of the general public and consumers; promote local content and entrench the best international practices. The Counseling Practitioners Council Act 2022 establishes the Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria charged with the responsibility of advancing the study, training and practice of counselling profession. It also determines the standard of knowledge and skill, to be attained by persons seeking to become registered members of the Counselling Profession and review the standard as circumstances may require, among others.

Appeal Court Restores Oborevwori As Delta PDP Guber Candidate

  The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has restored the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly Oborevwori Sheriff as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the state in the 2023 general elections. The appellate court voided and set aside the judgment of Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court which had on July 7 nullified his nomination on grounds of certificate forgery and perjury.   Justice Peter Ige, who delivered the judgment, held that claims against the Speaker are criminal in nature and must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. He also held that Mister David Edevbie, who instituted the Federal High Court suit, ought to have approached the court through a Writ of Summons to enable the resolution of disputes and not by originating summons where only affidavit evidence is required. The judge further held that issue of certificate forgery and faking of documents allegations against the Speaker are such that required witnesses from those who issued the certificates and the alleged fake documents. Justice Ige, therefore, affirmed the victory of the Speaker in the May 25 primary election where he polled 590 votes to defeat Edevbie who scored only 113 votes to come second. More to follow…

Court dissolves 2-year marriage for lack of love

  A Grade I Area Court in Kubwa, Abuja on Monday dissolved a two-year-old marriage between a civil servant, Aisha Ari and her estranged husband, Ibrahim Hassan, for lack of love. The Judge, Malam Muhammad Adamu, dissolved the marriage according to Islamic Law, following Ari’s prayer to the court for a divorce. Adamu also ordered Ari to observe “Iddah”, which is an observation period of three months after the judgment before contracting another marriage. He added that Ari should collect her divorce certificate at the court’s registry. Ari had told the court that she had not seen Hassan since the last time he appeared in court on Aug.2. She said since Aug. 2, there had not been move to settle the matter out of court. The plaintiff told the court that she had fallen out of love with her husband whom she married according to the Islamic Personal Law. ”I do not feel comfortable around Hassan. I beg the court to dissolve the marriage on grounds of lack of love,” she said. Pleadings by Hassan to the court for two weeks to consult with his parents and in-laws over the issue failed because Ari broke down in tears and told the court that she would not want to see Hassan anymore. ”I do not want to see him again. I do not feel safe and comfortable around him. He has the house keys. He should move his belongings and leave,” she told the court.

Anambra college lecturers protest six years unpaid allowances

  The lecturers of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze, Anambra State, on Monday, protested over six years of unpaid allowances. They alleged that the Provost and management of the institution were intimidating them not to protest. They, therefore, warned them to stop intimidating their members over the development. The protest was led by the Chairman, FCET, Umunze chapter of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, Dr. Churchill Okonkwo. Okonkwo accused the school management of neglecting the lecturers’ welfare packages and also using the divide and rule antics rather than addressing the fundamental issues. It was gathered that the lecturers had, a week ago, declared a three-week warning strike against the management of the college, where they directed parents to withdraw their children and wards from the college in their own interests. But the management of the college in a swift reaction denied knowledge of the strike, describing it as a fake news. The college’s Provost, Dr Tessy Okoli, was said to have warned the students not to be deceived by the “fake” report of strike, which she said was intended to cause panic and incite students’ unrest. Okoli also advised journalists to always verify their reports to avoid misleading the public, noting that any student that would absent themselves from school during the examination period would have themselves to blame. But, on Monday, the members of COEASU insisted that lecturers of the college were on strike and warned the Provost and management to stop intimidating them and deceiving the public with falsehoods. The COEASU Chairman said, “As a union, we are all aware of the sacrifices we have made as a body to carry on with our tasks in the College despite the neglect of our welfare packages by the management, who is currently so versed in the divide and rule antics instead of addressing the raised issues. “We are also aware that if not for COEASU wielding in to source for N1 million to sponsor some members to Abuja to demand our welfare, the management didn’t care that we are owed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund intervention since 2016 neither were they sympathetic to the fact that Teaching Practice mobilisation hadn’t been paid since 2018 and same nonchalance has also attended our demands for degree honorarium. “It means that our meagre salaries are taxed to pay for our transportation to supervise teaching practice exercise since 2016, whereas the management always collects their Duty Tour Allowance every time they travel or leave the college environment for official duties. “They always think that justice can be pushed aside with injustice and this is quite unfair. At our congress of Tuesday, August 23, 2022, the Provost was given a fair chance to appeal to us and make promises so that we will postpone the strike, but rather than do it, she resorted to threat. “Our College has been made a laughing stock before the other Colleges in terms of our staff welfare, environment and governance. We are the dirtiest and most unkempt College in Nigeria with overgrown grasses everywhere. No clean sanitary facilities resulting in lecturers and students mostly relieving themselves in the highly overgrown grass velts. “Before this new management, lecturers were assigned biros, files and markers but now we will spend our money to buy these. “In the past, the College generators power the entire school and departments but now every school and department must buy their generator and also fuel it to make outputs; before now, accreditation are fully sponsored by the College but last accreditation HODs and Deans were given paltry sums to run around for accreditation and most of them are still being owed what they spent. “This is something that other sister colleges do with ease and we ask; is our College created differently from other Colleges in Nigeria?” The lecturers insisted, “That any staff participating in any examination will be penalised the Union way. “COEASU exco will intensify monitoring exercises to ensure total compliance. That any staff that was harassed or intimidated by any management staff should quickly report to the executives. The lecturers warned the management against keeping the students in the college in the absence of academic activities. They described such as punishment and disservice to the parents, adding, “They cannot continue to keep the students in the College with lies when such students are not kept busy with academic activities. Remember that idle mind is a devil’s workshop.”

Court Affirms Ikenga As PDP Candidate For Ideato North, South Federal Constituency

  The Federal High Court sitting in Owerri has declared Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere as the validly nominated candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Ideato North and South Federal Constituency election in Imo State. This is even as Ikenga described the judgment as victory for democracy and rule of law and an end to impunity and arbitrary use of power. In a Suit challenging his declaration as the winner of the Primary election, his challenger Mr. George Igbo, had approached the Court claiming that the election Ikenga won was held at the Aladimma Mall in Owerri outside the Federal Constituency, while he emerged from another purported primary election held at the Urualla Town Hall in the Federal Constituency. After hearing, Hon. Justice Mabel Segun-Bello held that the election venue having been applied for by the PDP to hold in Owerri due to the known security reasons in Imo State and the venue having been approved by the Electoral Commission, the venue remained valid. READ ALSO Anambra commits N1bn to community projects The Court also found that there could not have been another Primary held in Ideato since video evidence shown in the Court proved that the official, who purportedly conducted the alleged Ideato primary election was at the Owerri venue, adding that the same person could not have been at two different venues at the same time. The Court further found that while Ikenga and PDP brought forward massive affidavit evidence deposed to by the delegates to show that they all participated in the Owerri primaries, Mr. Igbo did not bring any evidence to show the delegates that participated in his own purported election This judicial victory, it was noted has also rendered the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) against Ikenga on the same issue of venue of the primary as a mere academic exercise as Courts of coordinate jurisdiction cannot over rule one another. Meanwhile, Akokwa youths have started plans for a grand reception for Ikenga following his unbroken winning streak since this election stated. READ ALSO Rigging Edo election is ‘coup’ against the people — Tambuwal They said this is the fifth victory he has recorded against his adversaries. The judicial victories include his victory over his purported disqualification, victory over the attempt to tamper with the delegates list, landslide victory at the primary election, victory over the attempt to swap his name with the name of another person after the election and this one over the challenge on the venue of the election. The Akokwa youths wondered why the APC would be interested in nullifying only the election of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere when the entire legislative primary elections of Imo State held at the same venue and at the same time. Speaking with journalists at the end of the landmark judgment, Ikenga said that the judgment is a victory for democracy and rule of law and an end to impunity and arbitrary use of power.

Abia Governor’s Wife, Nkechi Ikpeazu Rescues, Woman Accused Of Witchcraft

  Mrs Amarachi Okechi, the woman who was repeatedly flogged, violently abused and held hostage for several days at Umueghu Amaegbuato community in Nkpa, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State has been rescued and taken to an undisclosed public hospital for treatment this afternoon. A virally trending video and online news reports which broke over the weekend had shown youths in the community taking turns to flog Mrs. Okechi who was allegedly accused of “witchcraft” by a relative. The incident has gathered national condemnation. Meanwhile Chief Press Secretary to the Wife of the Governor of Abia State, Mr Chika Ojiegbe who made news of the woman’s release public said “the First lady Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu is particularly thankful to the member representing Bende South, Emmanuel Ndubuisi, the Bende LGA Chairman and his wife Mrs Leticia Onwuchekwa, as well as the traditional ruler of the area, for the role in successfully extricating the woman from the volatile area”. “When the First Lady Nkechi Ikpeazu heard about it last night, she immediately swung into action to rescue the woman. In Abia we have a robust mechanism for responding to cases of gender based violence put in place by the First Lady, no matter how severe a case, it is treated individually according to its circumstances.” “Several stakeholders were involved in securing the woman alive which is the first action that needed to be taken. This has been done. Now the next stage will be to address the issues surrounding the matter. The law enforcement agencies have been duly notified and have commenced appropriate investigations.” “The allegations of witchcraft are strange to laws of the land. What is known to law is that no one can take laws into their hands to execute jungle justice. The law will take its course. The case will be closely monitored. Meanwhile the First Lady is picking up the hospital bills of the woman as treatment has commenced in earnest at the hospital. Our team from the GBV Resource Centre in Umuahia who were part of the rescue are also monitoring her health. I will give you updates as soon as they happen” the statement concluded.

State varsities’ ASUU membership voluntary – Pro-chancellors

  The Committee of Pro-chancellors of state universities on Monday said state universities could not be coerced to implement the agreement reached between the Federal Government and lecturers in Federal Universities under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities. The pro-chancellors also stated that there was a need for the democratisation of memberships of unions in the universities, noting that state varsities’ membership was voluntary. The PUNCH reports that some state universities have come under fire over their failure to pull out of the ongoing strike declared by the national body of ASUU. The spokesperson of the ministry of education, Ben Goong, had told our correspondent that the agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU wouldn’t be binding on state universities. However, the ASUU president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, alongside some state university ASUU chairmen, had kicked against the development claiming that “ASUU is one”. In a communique made available to The PUNCH on Monday, the pro-chancellors said, “ The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-owned Universities read with alarm and disbelieve a statement made by the President of the ASUU Prof. Emmanuel Osodike on a television programme on Arise, where he said that State Universities are “irrelevant and quacks” on 26th August 2022. “Our first reaction was to ignore this tendentious, ill-conceived and flagrant unconscionable statement by the President of ASUU, but on reflection, it was thought necessary to do a rejoinder to this rather unfortunate statement having regard to the position of the President of ASUU in the scheme of things in our University system in Nigeria. “Though COPSUN will not want to go into any diatribe with the President of ASUU, the Committee wishes to state as follows to put records straight: “That the Pro-Chancellors of our State Universities and indeed members of the councils are distinguished and accomplished eminent persons who served and still serve this Nation in many capacities. Amongst the members are retired Ambassadors, retired Generals in the Armed forces, retired Vice-Chancellors, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, renowned politicians and other distinguished professionals. “COPSUN wishes to appeal to the President of ASUU to realise that the membership of ASUU is voluntary. Therefore, it is not his ill-informed approach and denigration of state universities that will lead to fashioning out creative approaches to avoid existential extinction that will solve the myriad of problems confronting the University system in Nigeria. The pro-chancellors added, “The very unfortunate ill-digested view of the President of ASUU had vindicated the position of this Committee on the following issues; “The negative professionalisation of offices of the Unions that operate in our Universities and the unserious belief among many members of the Unions that the Unions are superior to the Councils of the Universities that are their employers. “The need for immediate democratisation of the membership of Unions in the universities to the extent of the freedom of any individual to belong to a Union with options of not belonging. “Devolution of powers on the issues of labour, wages and salaries with freedom of the employers to negotiate with their employees, as practised in other parts of the world, where we borrowed the University system. “State Universities cannot be forced or coerced to implement agreements reached between the Federal Government and her workers in the Universities to which they are not parties. “It is time to respect the Federal nature of our government in all matters and not selectively, especially on the issues of salaries and wages”.

Bad Leadership Has Seriously Damaged Nigeria, We Must Rescue Our Country – Peter Obi

  Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, is of the opinion that bad leadership has seriously damaged Nigeria. The former Anambra State governor said it is time for Nigerians to rescue the country and put an end to bad governance. Obi made these assertions on Sunday in Toronto, Canada, where he engaged Nigerians resident in Canada in an interactive townhall session regarding the future of Nigeria. Speaking on his political drive for 2023 and what he and his team will do to transform the nation, Mr Obi said the vision and mission is to give full expression to “our democracy by moving our country from consumption to production”. In transforming the economy, the former governor disclosed that his party “intends to make it (the economy) more productive, thus creating employment and prosperity for millions of youths, reducing poverty in the land, and addressing issues of criminality and insecurity. “We will aggressively pursue human capital development in the education and health sectors with available resources, while striving to adopt best global practices. “We will have zero tolerance for corruption and will cut the cost of governance. Total commitment to transparency and accountability in government business is the only credible way to achieve limited to zero corruption. “We will pursue intangible assets of good governance, rule of law, security of lives and properties, through an aggressive increase in personnel and equipment, and inclusive training of operatives in our security agencies. “We will emphasize patriotism, national interest and national morale, quality of governance, political will, and character as complementary to others. We will ensure that we have these assets in place and stress asset optimization,” Obi explained. Adding that his team intends to “lay special emphasis on critical infrastructures, especially Power, to ensure a clear measurable increase of today’s generation, transmission and distribution by 200% within the shortest possible time, through public-private partnership. “We will aggressively pursue increased contribution of ICT to overall economic growth & national development.” Furthermore, Mr Obi said the Nigerian Diaspora represents a broad segment of Nigeria’s human development capital, noting that with that population, the diaspora family has the capacity to catapult any nation to greatness. According to him, the Nigeria Diaspora has the capacity, and therefore must have a commensurate voice. “By the 2027 elections, Nigeria Diaspora must have a voice via absentee ballots,” the LP’s flagbearer declared. He was optimistic that under his leadership, Africa will remain the centrepiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy, stressing that his administration will improve Nigeria’s diplomatic sphere of influence via peacekeeping, trade, and investment initiatives.

Protest Rocks Kuje Prison Over Death Of Inmate

  There was pandemonium at the Kuje Correctional Facility on Monday morning as inmates protested the death of one of their colleagues in the facility. The inmates accused the prison authorities of neglecting the health condition of the deceased inmate. According to reports by SaharaReporters, the inmate identified as Stephen Akpan was a former prison officer who was arrested and charged to court over alleged armed robbery.   Speaking to SaharaReporters, a Senior prison official said, “Akpan was our colleague before he was arrested for armed robbery and charged to court. “I was told he has been sick for weeks now, but the situation deteriorated last night and the warders on duty refused to attend to him until he gave up the ghost this morning. “His cell members, I was reliably informed, begged for him to be moved to the isolation centre but the prison authorities refused because they have turned the isolation section to a VIP cell where they used in getting money”. The official confirmed that Akpan was killed by Tuberculosis and as such, other inmates will have to be tested. “The guy has been sick for weeks now, but the situation deteriorated last night and the wardens refused to attend to him until he gave up the ghost around 6:28 am this morning,” a prison official had told SaharaReporters.