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Man charged with using machete to threaten chief, family

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Man charged with using machete to threaten chief, family

Sikiru Tijani, a male, was charged on Tuesday by Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun of the Yaba Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State with allegedly attacking individuals and forcibly seizing property belonging to the Thomas Olufuwa family in the state’s Idiapaye region.

Five counts of assault, forcible entry, and malicious property damage were filed against the 59-year-old.

The crimes committed violate Section 170(1)(b) and are punishable under Sections 412, 53, 52, 172, 3, and 50 of the Lagos State Criminal Law of 2015, according to police prosecutor Rita Momoh.

In part, the charge read, “That you, Sikiru Tijani, and others now at large, sometime in 2018, at Idiapaye, Lagos State, within the magisterial district of this court, did assault Baale Thomas and his family members by threatening to inflict machete cuts on them and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 170(1)(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 and punishable under Section 172 of the same Law.

“That you, Sikiru Tijani, and others now at large did willfully and unlawfully damage economic trees belonging to the Olufuwa Royal Family sometime in 2018 at Idiapaye, Lagos State, within the magisterial district of this court, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 52 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015,” the complaint reads.

But the accused entered a not guilty plea.

The magistrate granted him bail for N1 million with three similar-sized sureties.

Bayelsa establishes team to look into Opu-Nembe killings

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Bayelsa establishes team to look into Opu-Nembe killings

The Nembe-Bassambiri hamlet was the scene of violence on February 15 that claimed the lives of three local residents. On Tuesday, the Bayelsa State government established a six-member Judicial Panel of Enquiry to investigate the incident.

About six months have passed since the incident before the investigation.

Justice Margaret Akpomiemie, a former chief judge of the state, will serve as the panel’s chairwoman, and Mr. Diepreye Omubo, a representative of the state ministry of justice, will act as secretary. Love Amaseimogha, Mrs. Josephine Igodo, Chief Fedude Zimughan, and Vining Goselle, a representative of the National Human Rights Commission’s Bayelsa office, are the other members.

The group has three weeks to do its task, which includes submitting a report of its conclusions to the government for the right course of action.

At the judicial panel’s inauguration at the Government House in Yenagoa, Governor Douye Diri stated that their mandate was to carefully investigate the underlying causes of the unrest in Nembe-Basambiri that resulted in the fatalities on February 15.

Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Diri’s deputy, who attended the ceremony in his place, said the panel’s chairman and members were carefully chosen for their qualifications and depth of expertise to complete the important task.

In a statement, Mr Doubara Atasi, the deputy governor’s press secretary, stated, “We are going to find out what caused the death and who killed them. Every life matters, so this is crucial.

Bloated federal cabinet is insensitive

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Bloated federal cabinet is insensitive

The President Bola Tinubu’s selection of 48 ministers and 20 special advisers is pricey and callous in the midst of economic turmoil and widespread poverty. While the public is expected to put up with record inflation and general suffering, it is unfortunate that the President has not been able to control the cost of top-down government spending.

A bloated cabinet is unusual for an administration dealing with mounting public debt estimated by the Debt Management Office to be 37% of GDP, rising headline inflation estimated by the Debt Management Office to 24.08% in July, and naira devaluation.

Tinubu’s cabinet outnumbers each of his four predecessors from the Fourth Republic, even though the constitution restricts the president to a minimum of 36 by requiring that each state of the federation have at least one minister.

He promised to choose a cabinet with a majority of technocrats, but political considerations clearly prevailed. Instead, the upcoming Federal Executive Council is heavily populated by politicians, with no fewer than nine former state governors and other recycled politicians, many of whom have questionable administrative value and a history of subpar performance in public office.

What’s more upsetting is that three of the ex-governors are the subject of criminal investigations for allegedly embezzling state public cash. One of them worked as a bagman for the late Sani Abacha, a terrible military leader whose stolen billions Nigeria is now recovering piecemeal. All of this dims hopes for cost-cutting, efficient, responsive government, or a resurgence of the anti-corruption campaign.

In addition to his bluster, Tinubu has not yet shown a significant desire to start drastic cost-cutting initiatives, and he is on course to have the biggest federal cabinet in Nigerian history. It is not suitable at this moment to appoint acolytes and political allies.

The governors of the states and the National Assembly are worse. The Senate is spending N40 billion on themselves to get SUVs that can withstand bullets. Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, purportedly wants to spend N9.5 billion to “renovate” certain buildings in Kaduna State, while Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, allegedly ordered four high-end models. Without taking into account their declining earnings or mounting debt, governors are amassing armies of staff members.

At a time when common Nigerians are making sacrifices, it is wrong to spend limited resources on luxury and a big government. It keeps inefficiency and corruption alive. Large cabinets are expensive and wasteful in the way they coordinate and make decisions. Additional salaries, offices, personnel, and resources are also involved. However, fewer members with the requisite knowledge and dedication, as well as a president with a clear goal, will make all the difference in establishing effective governance.

Governments all across the world are embracing lean bureaucracy to implement programmes with the least amount of expense and most impact. In order to lower operating expenses, India used e-governance. This increased feedback from the public, decreased waste and corruption, and improved citizen participation.

The Lord Chancellor is paid separately, bringing the total number of paid cabinet members in the United Kingdom to 21, plus. Due to reforms implemented in 2010, the government’s civil service was smaller and less expensive, which led to significant cost savings and increased productivity. To decrease overlap and redundancy in its federal programmes and services, Canada has adopted a “whole-of-government” strategy.

The President should balance having a functional cabinet that represents a variety of interests with a size that reduces expenses and enables effective decision-making and policy implementation. He needs to be understanding of the people’s suffering and the country’s tight budget.

South African mother convicted of killing three daughters in New Zealand

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South African mother convicted of killing three daughters in New Zealand

On Wednesday, a jury in New Zealand found a South African lady guilty of killing her three young daughters and said she would receive a life sentence for each of the murders.

About a month after the family had immigrated from South Africa, in September 2021, Lauren Anne Dickason killed her two-year-old twins and their six-year-old sister at their house in Timaru, a city on the South Island.

Following a month-long high court trial in the city of Christchurch, local media reported that a jury of eight women and four men found Dickason guilty of murder and found him not crazy at the time of the crimes.

The report stated that when her husband Graham returned home from a dinner with coworkers, he discovered his wife in a critical condition and the three children dead.

The prosecution added that Dickason understood killing her girls constituted murder and that what she was doing was morally wrong.
As they left the courthouse, the jury was reportedly overheard crying in some cases, according to media reports.

Prior to being sentenced, Dickason was remanded to jail in a hospital’s psychiatric ward by Judge Cameron Mander.

Since the murders, she has been in the hospital.

NDLEA arrests 343 people, seizes N56.9m worth of illegal substances in FCT

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NDLEA arrests 343 people, seizes N56.9m worth of illegal substances in FCT

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, FCT Command, reported that between January until this point, it had seized roughly 3,091.032 kilogrammes of suspected illicit substances, valued at over N56.9 million.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja, Mr. Kabir Tsakuwa, the agency’s FCT Commandant, revealed this.

According to Tsakuwa, the illegal substances found included cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, suspected cannabis sativa, Tramadol, Rohypnol, Diazepam, Ecstasy, and Megadon.

He added that there were 328 men and 15 women among the 343 drug suspects who were detained during the evaluation period.

Tsakuwa added that 188 drug offenders had been charged during the time period under consideration, and 126 had been found guilty and given a range of jail sentences.

He claimed that cannabis sativa accounted for the majority of the 3,091.032kgs of illegal substances collected between January and the present.

Cannabis sativa 3,022.529 kilogrammes, cocaine 0.114 kilogrammes, methamphetamine 1.25 kilogrammes, and heroin 0.0021 kilogrammes were among the drugs collected, according to Tsakuwa.

We also found suspected amounts of Tramadol (18.578 kg), Rohypnol (1.195 kg), Diazepam (4.471 kg), Ecstasy (0.113 kg), and Megadon (0.263 kg).

The cost of these medications is roughly N56, 903, 600.

The head of NDLEA reported that 102 drug users had been counselled and released over the time period, while 33 people with drug use disorders had been rehabilitated.

Tsakuwa stated that the agency, along with other security agencies, would take part in a coordinated operation inside the FCT to clear up shanties and trouble places.

He claimed that these were places where drug addiction and criminal activity were allegedly rife.

Enugu: In LP’s Petitions Against Gov. Mbah, Others, Tribunal Reserves Judgement

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Enugu: In LP’s Petitions Against Gov. Mbah, Others, Tribunal Reserves Judgement

Following the adoption of written addresses by the parties involved in the case on Wednesday, the Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal reserved judgement on the petitions contesting the election of Governor Peter Mbah.

During the Tribunal’s resumed proceedings, Justice Akano, who presided over the panel, reserved judgement over a date that he claimed will be properly shared with the parties.

Chijioke Edeoga, a candidate for the Labour Party, is contesting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s determination that Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party was duly elected governor of the State on March 18.

On Wednesday, Peter Mbah, the second respondent, was represented in court by his solicitors while the petitioners (Edeoga and the Labour Party) were present.

Dr. Mbah and PDP are the second and third respondents, respectively, to the petition, with INEC designated as the first respondent.

Peter Mbah’s attorney, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, adopted his remarks and asked the court to dismiss the Labour Party petitions as being unjustified and only an academic exercise.

The petitioners’ case, according to Anthony Ani, SAN, the Peoples Democratic Party’s legal representative, is nebulous and devoid of supporting data.

Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, lead counsel for the Labour Party and its governorship candidate, adopted his final address and pleaded with the tribunal to uphold his clients’ positions and provide the reliefs requested by his client.

He made this statement because Mr. Peter Mbah’s ineligibility to run for office at the time of the election as a result of his submission to INEC of a fake certificate of national service has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Among other grounds raised by the petitioner, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo cited the over-voting, non-use of BVAS, and suspected forging of the NYSC certificate as reasons why the case should be determined in favour of his client (Edeoga).

NSCDC promises to put an end to criminal activity in Niger State

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NSCDC promises to put an end to criminal activity in Niger State

Ahmed Audi, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, has vowed to purge Niger State of the criminal elements that have recently terrorised the state.

During his working visit to Governor Umar Bago of Niger State, Audi made this commitment.

The Corps will improve its working synergy with sister agencies in the state to handle the security concerns, the CG said in a statement on Wednesday that was signed by the Corps Spokesperson, Babawale Afolabi.

“We came here to see for ourselves—a type of on-the-spot assessment—the security situation in Niger State and to get to know you, said Audi.

We want to improve the security environment for the residents of Niger State by collaborating more effectively with other state security agencies.

Related News Bandits kill teachers at a school in Plateau and hurt others.
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He pleaded with the governor to build more NSCDC offices in all 26 of the local governments in the State.

In his speech, Governor Bago expressed his gratitude for the NSCDC Boss’s prompt visit.

However, he bemoaned the state’s criminal activity, which included banditry, cattle rustling, and illegal mining. He added that farmers were the hardest affected because many of them abandoned their farmlands out of dread of assault.

Bago stated, “Our largest land mass in the nation, which is also excellent for agriculture, is one of the reasons why Niger State is often referred to as the food basket of the nation.

Our people, however, are continuously at the mercy of bandits and other criminal groups due to the growing security worry.

Anambra govt closes orphanage over claims of child trafficking

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Anambra govt closes orphanage over claims of child trafficking

Due to claims of unlawful adoption and child sale, Ify Obinabo, the Anambra State Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, has closed down the Arrow of God Community Children’s Home in Onitsha.

After a report and documentary by Fisayo Soyombo circulated on social media and local television stations, alleging that the state Ministry of Women and Social Welfare was involved in an illegal adoption of a baby girl alongside one of her registered homes in the state, Obinabo led security personnel to seal off the structure on Wednesday.

While the founder and the staff had fled and are presently at large, the orphanage operator rescued about 20 children, including a newborn.

Ten boys, nine girls, and a newborn baby, all between the ages of one and seventeen, were among the children found.

Obinabo said that the founder of the orphanage home, Rev. D.C. Ogo, was invited to her office in Awka for an explanation but that she did not accept the invitation. She also denied that she or the ministry were involved in the unlawful child adoption drama.

The ministry is not aware of any adoptions with the Arrow of God Orphanage Home even, and the ministry was never involved in the adoption process, the woman claimed.

The absence of three signatories—the Commissioner, the Head of Children, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry—is one of the inconsistencies in the aforementioned adoption.

As opposed to the Nnewi court order depicted in the documentary, since I took office, all requests for court orders pertaining to adoption or foster care are routed through the designated Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Magistrate court in Awka. This is because the main objective is to uphold the best interests of the child.

She issued a warning to other children’s home operators engaged in unlawful adoption, noting that the state government is taking all necessary steps to crack down on operators who don’t adhere to the state’s prescribed standardised operational practises and procedures.

She cautioned parents planning to adopt a child in the state to exercise greater caution because naive people are now disguising themselves as ministry experts who aid in adoption.

The state Ministry of Women and Social Welfare should make clear to the public that it did not hire a consultant.

“We urge everyone to report to the ministry any suspicious activity discovered in any orphanage facilities, and we guarantee that the operator of the said orphanage home will be brought to justice as soon as possible.

“The children retrieved are currently in the care of the state government while required steps are undertaken to trace and reunite them with their various families,” she continued.

Attack near Mali claims lives of 17 Niger soldiers — Ministry

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Attack near Mali claims lives of 17 Niger soldiers — Ministry

Tuesday’s suspected jihadist strike along the nation’s western border with Mali claimed the lives of seventeen Niger soldiers, according to the military ministry.

According to a ministry announcement posted online late Tuesday, an army detachment was “the victim of a terrorist ambush in the town of Koutougou.”

Additional 20 troops had been hurt, six of them critically, and all of the casualties had been sent to Niamey, the country’s capital.

The army claimed that more than 100 attackers were “neutralised” during their retreat.

The Sahel region of Africa has seen a jihadist insurgency for more than ten years. It began in northern Mali in 2012 and moved to nearby Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
Attacks by insurgents linked to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda frequently take place in the region known as the “three borders” between the three nations.

Numerous soldiers, police officials, and civilians have lost their lives in the region’s upheaval, which has also compelled millions of people to leave their homes.

Since 2020, all three of these nations have seen military coups, with Niger seeing the most recent one on July 26 with the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum. The anger at the slaughter has been the driving force behind these coups.

In addition, terrorists from northeastern Nigeria, the origin of the Boko Haram campaign that began in 2010, are invading Niger’s southeast and waging a jihadist insurgency.

Cross River Community Tasks Police Over Arbitrary Arrest, Detention Of 25 Youths

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Cross River Community Tasks Police Over Arbitrary Arrest, Detention Of 25 Youths

The 25 community youths who have been detained for more than a month have been ordered released by the Traditional Rulers Council of Old Netim Community in Akamkpa LGA.

Following the recent arson of Late Martina Okey Itagbor by some local kids, the community has been in the news.

Young people in Old Netim burned to death Martina Okey Itagbor, a mother of four, after accusing her of witchcraft.

The anonymous attackers, who documented their act in a widely shared video, charged the woman with employing witchcraft to start a car accident that killed two young people.

Prior to her murder, some individuals in the neighbourhood had suspected Late Martina Itagbor of inflicting disease on a certain young person.

Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, the state’s governor, denounced the death of Martina Okey in the wake of the arson and directed the state’s police to pursue the offenders.

The community’s traditional rulers, however, have not been pleased with the police authorities’ actions.

The village’s traditional leaders charged that the police were turning it into a ghost town and targeting adolescents arbitrarily.

They claimed that the Police had engaged in “indiscriminate arrest of youths in the community” in a statement issued by the Traditional Council of the Old-Netim Community, which was jointly signed by the Council Chairman and Clan Head, H.R.H. Ntufam Augustin Nyong Orok, and the Secretary, Ntufam Linus Pius Mbey.

The community’s kids as a whole did not commit the murder, the elders asserted.

They utterly denounced the murderous crime, stating that “the segment of teenagers who were opposed to the development of the community did the act so as to give the community a terrible image.

The elders declared, “We used this medium to appeal to the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 6 Calabar and the State Commissioner of Police in Cross River command to release the youths in their custody and go after the genuine perpetrators of the incident who are currently at large.”

The community will continue to work with the Cross River State government to uphold peace, which is the cornerstone of development, the royal fathers said, claiming that innocent families are suffering as a result of the tragedy and the circumstances.

They pointed out that the Old Netim village, which serves as the commercial centre of Akamkpa LGA, Cross River state, was formerly regarded as a tranquil area suitable for economic growth, but has now been reduced to a ghost of its former self.

Additionally, they vowed their unwavering allegiance and support for the state government, led by Governor Bassey Otu.

As at the time of publication, the state’s police authorities had not responded to queries.

The State Police Commissioner, however, “would be visiting Akamkpa Area Command Headquarters, Old Netim today (Wednesday, August 16, 2023) on a familiarisation trip, the problem will undoubtedly be highlighted,” a force officer claimed.

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