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Tight security for Nnamdi Kanu’s trial stalls Fubara loyalists’ hearing in court
20 mars, par Fashola MC POSCABAThe trial of five loyalists of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on terrorism charges in Abuja was on Tuesday scuttled by the heavy security that trailed the movement of the Biafra nation agitator, Nnamdi Kanu to the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The trial was stalled due to the inability of their lawyers to access the Court following the check points mounted by operatives of the Department of the State Service, DSS, during Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, leader Kanu’s trial on similar offences.
The five men charged with terrorism offences by the Inspector General of Police, IGP, are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod.
They had sought to challenge the competence of the terrorism charges against them and the territorial jurisdiction of the court to entertain the charge.
Although the prison officials succeeded in moving them into the courtroom, their respective lawyers were not able to make it into the court.
Fully-armed and stern-looking DSS operatives had on Tuesday morning taken over all the roads leading to the court with heavy security to ward off possible security breaches during the appearance of the Biafra Nation agitator in the court areas.
As a result, several cases were abruptly adjourned in other courts as litigants and some legal practitioners were turned back by the security operatives.
Although the trial of the defendants was initially slated for 12 noon, it was shifted till 2 pm by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon to enable the counsel access the court.
However by 2pm when the trial of Kanu before another Judge, Justice Binta Nyako, was still holding and security not relaxed, Justice Olajuwon ordered that the trial be put off at the instance of few lawyers who were able to make it to the courtroom.
With agreement of the few lawyers in the courtroom, the trial was shifted to April 16, a day to the resumption of trial of Nnamdi Kanu on similar terrorism charges.
Justice Olajuwon thereafter ordered that the five defendants be returned to Kuje prison in Abuja to continue their remand.
Among those who made it to the courtroom was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Simon Lough who represented the IGP.
The IGP had on January 25 slammed the terrorism charges on them for allegedly invading, vandalizing and burning down Rivers State House of Assembly last year.
They were accused of committing the alleged terrorism offences during the wake of political upheaval that rocked Port Harcourt in October last year.
In the charges against them marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, police alleged that apart from burning down the State House of Assembly, some of them were said to have killed a Superintendent of Police, SP, Bako Agbashim, and five police informants at Ahoada community of the state.
The police informants said to have been killed by the defendants are Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu and Saturday Edi.
They are also accused of using various cult groups, Supreme Viking Confraternity, Degbam, Iceland and Greenland to unleash mayhem on the people of the state and their commercial activities.
Specifically, they are alleged to have on October 29, 2023 at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt conspired to commit acts of terrorism by wilful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly, an offence punishable under section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
The defendants have however denied the charges but ordered to be remanded in Kuje Prison in Abuja due to their inability to persuade the court for bail and the gravity of charges against them.
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Produce killers of military men – Accord charges Okuama community leaders
20 mars, par Fashola MC POSCABAThe Accord party has vehemently condemned the gruesome killing of 16 soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Okuama community, Delta State.
The gruesome murder of the soldiers in Okuama community last Thursday by armed gangs during a rescue mission in a clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities in the state.
Accord described the incident as an atrocious act that challenges Nigeria’s shared humanity, especially as these brave soldiers were striving to avert conflict.
In a statement signed by Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem, its National Chairman, Accord called on the authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice, urging community leaders to aid their apprehension.
The party noted that the state of the nation is worrisome and calls for patriotism to redirect the ship of the country for total overhaul of the security architecture.
“The tasks of rebuilding the nation is the responsibility of the populace irrespective of political affiliations. We should reaffirm our faith in the fatherland and rededicate ourselves to the service of the nation,” the statement added.
It further demanded better security measures and support for the armed forces, saying “Let this tragedy be a rallying cry for all citizens to prioritize safety and root out threats to our nation.
“Our hearts ache for the families, the Nigerian Army, and comrades of the fallen soldiers. Our thoughts are with the families of the fallen heroes. May their brave souls find eternal peace.”
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Military invaded Bayelsa community, killed 40 people – IYC alleges
20 mars, par Fashola MC POSCABAAs a fallout of recent killing of military personnel in Okuama Community, Delta State, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has accused the military of invading Igbomotoru 2 in Bomo-Ibe Clan of Bayelsa State in the early hours of Sunday 17th March, 2024, killing 40 people.
While condemning the recent killing of military personnel, the council maintained that Okuama is not also a community in Bayelsa State.
The President of IYC, Dr. Alaye Theophilus, in a statement issued Wednesday, emphasised that the killing of the military personnel did not happen in an Ijaw land and has nothing to do with the Ijaw nation.
It added that the council has also set up an investigation and fact-finding team which is open to supporting the military and other security agencies to get to the root cause of the matter, and possibly bring the killers to face the law.
The council pleaded that while fishing out the killers, that the whole community should not be destroyed because of the action of a few individuals.
It said: “We as a council condemn in its totality the killing of military personnel on official peacekeeping assignment at Okuama Community in Delta State.
“This incident is devilish and inhuman and therefore, no sane minded person can support such an act in any guise.”
The council said as the largest ethnic block in the Niger Delta region, it was concerned about the stability and business-friendly environment of the oil rich region, stressing that “whatever that happens in any part of the region is of serious concern to us.”
It said as a people, what they had experienced over time “is that when an individual does something bad to military men operating in the region, reprisal from the military is always against the entire community.”
The council further noted that: “As we speak, the fears of our people have shown up again as the said Okuama Community has been completely burnt down and all the occupants made homeless, and are now refugees in neighbouring communities.
“We will also draw your attention to the onslaught going on in one of our Ijaw communities in Bayelsa State, Igbomotoru 2 in Bomo-Ibe Clan where the Nigeria military evaded the community at early hours of Sunday 17th March, 2024.
“They opened fire on innocent men, women and children. They killed over 40 people and still counting, without any form of provocation.
“As a council, we condemn what the military is doing in Igbomotoru 2 community.
“What is happening in this community is purely a humanitarian crisis. As we speak, they have held every member of the community hostage as there is no entry or exit to the community. People are now starving to death.”
The council called on the President Bola Tinubu and the Chief of Defence Staff to call the military to order.
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Edo Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu loses bid to stop impeachment move against him
20 mars, par UnknownA federal High Court in Abuja has refused to grant an ex-parte motion filed by the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, seeking an interim order to stop the impeachment process by the state’s House of Assembly.
This was contrary to reports by other news outlets that the court had granted the order.
In the motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/321/2024, the Edo State Government, Edo State Governor, Edo State House of Assembly, Edo State House of Assembly Speaker, the Clerk of the Assembly, the Chief Judge of Edo State, Inspector General of Police and Director General of the Department of State Services were listed as the first to eighth defendants.
Shaibu, in the suit, sought an order of the court restricting the third to fifth defendants from commencing any process by issuing a notice of allegation, holding proceedings, or setting up any panel of investigation for his removal pending the hearing of a motion on notice.
He also sought an interim injunction restraining the defendants, whether by themselves or their agents, from interfering with the subject matter of the originating summons filed in the suit either by way of taking any adverse actions in relation to any attempt or process targeted at his removal from office as the deputy governor of Edo State pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
Other reliefs sought are: “An order of interim injunction restraining the 1st to 8th defendants, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, servants, officials, representatives, and or any other person or authority acting through them, from preventing the plaintiff either by threat of removal from office or adverse actions capable of hindering the plaintiff from performing his official duties and discharging his responsibilities as the Deputy Governor of Edo State, including attending State Executive Council meetings, functions and other duties.
“An order of interim injunction directing the defendants herein jointly, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, servants, officials, representatives, or any other person or authority acting through them, to maintain status quo ante bellum prevailing before the issuance of the purported notice or petition to commence removal of the Plaintiff from office pending the hearing and the final determination of the motion on notice. ”
However, in the ruling dated March 13, which was sighted by DAILY POST correspondent on Tuesday, the trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, declined the deputy governor’s prayers.
It reads: “That the motion ex-parte for interim injunction dated and filed 8th day of March 2024 is hereby refused.”
Meanwhile, at the proceedings on Tuesday, the judge fixed Wednesday for hearing in another motion ex-parte brought by the plaintiff seeking substituted service on the defendants due to his inability to serve them.
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Senate discovers 13 infractions in N30trn Ways and Means loan
20 mars, par UnknownThe Senate ad hoc committee probing the disbursement and usage of the N30 trillion Ways and Means loan obtained during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has discovered 13 infractions in the process of obtaining the loan.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Isah Jibrin (APC, Benue East), said former governor of CBN Godwin Emefiele unilaterally signed billions of naira in the approval of different tranches of the loan without following due process.
Senator Jibrin mentioned that Emefiele illegally signed billions of naira in 13 documents.
He disclosed this on Tuesday during an interactive session with the CBN team led by Bala Bello, one of the deputy governors of the apex bank.
The committee chairman said Emefiele ought to have approved the loans in conjunction with the CBN board of directors, but he unilaterally signed the loans, which is contrary to the requirement of the CBN Act.
“The committee of governors ought to be the signatories to the ways and means account but in the document we have here, the governor signed billions of naira in about 13 places.
“We want to know the total figure of the ways and means. We want to know the summation of the figure,” Senator Jibrin said.
“On the Anchor Borrowers Programme, you have done well. You did about 70 per cent, but we must ensure the completion of the remaining 30 per cent.”
Senator Jibrin, however, informed that the committee will summon the CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso, to give a detailed account of what he knows about the ways and means.
“Your governor, who took over from Emefiele, should be able to stand for Emefiele because he took over from him, including his assets.
“Emefiele should provide an explanation to the existing governor. We will invite the governor and in case he does not have a response, he will contact Emefiele,” he stressed.