Television Nigerian

THE PEOPLE’S Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the impeachment of Zamfara Deputy Governor Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, calling it unconstitutional and illegitimate.

Gusau was impeached by the Zamfara State House of Assembly on February 23 after 20 out of 24 members voted in favor of his removal.

Following the impeachment, the report of the judicial panel of investigation established by the state’s Chief Judge, Kulu Aliyu, declared Gusau guilty of the allegations leveled against him.

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However, he has been replaced by Muhammad Nasiha, a serving senator from Zamfara’s Central Senatorial District.

In a statement published by PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba in response to the news, the party termed the impeachment process as one that will be opposed in court.

“It is instructive to state that, pursuant to the order of the Federal High Court in Abuja in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/ 650/2021 and section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Zamfara State House of Assembly as currently constituted has no constitutional standing to undertake any legislative action, let alone claim to have impeached the State’s Deputy Governor on any ground whatsoever.”

“The case’s implication is that, under Section 109(1)(g), members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly lost their seats constitutionally when they foolishly cross-carpeted to the All Progressives Congress (APC) when the PDP was not divided.”

The impeachment, according to Ologunagba, was not only futile but also an affront to the rule of law by the APC and Governor Matawalle.

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“In any event, the PDP and the people of Zamfara State will not stand by while impunity is imposed on the state, and necessary legal action is being taken.”

“The PDP urges His Excellency Mahdi Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, the Deputy Governor, not to be distracted by the illegality, but to remain focused at this vital moment.”

He did, however, urge PDP supporters in the state to be calm.

Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, the wife of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, has petitioned the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to waive COVID-19 testing for Nigerians returning from Ukraine.

She made the call on her verified Facebook Page on Sunday morning.

The First Lady also urged the Federal Government to eliminate comparable payments for other home-bound children and lower the prices for all Nigerians taking the tests.

“I am encouraged to learn of our ambassadors’ efforts to ensure the safe return of our thronging citizens from Ukraine.

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Mrs. Buhari said, “I beg the leadership of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 to waive their Covid test payment in lieu of their arrival, eliminate comparable payments for other home-bound children, and lower the rates charged for the tests to all Nigerians.”

She made the statement in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has drawn worldwide condemnation.

The invasion has traumatized children, other dependents, and thousands of Ukraine inhabitants, resulting in heavy devastation in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and parts of the country’s suburbs. The Ukrainians, on the other hand, are fighting back, destroying numerous Russian tanks and capturing and killing Russian servicemen.

According to reports, around 12,000 Nigerian students and other citizens are stranded in the country.

Passengers traveling to Nigeria from any nation should take a COVID-19 PCR test within 48 hours of departure and test negative, according to the Nigerian PTF.

Such travelers must register and pay for a repeat PCR test after arriving in Nigeria using the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP).

According to the government, travelers pay between N36,000 and N50,000.

On day two after arriving in Nigeria, fully vaccinated travelers should take a COVID-19 PCR test.

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Passengers who do not follow the protocol are penalized by the authorities.

On Thursday, the ICIR reported on how Russia invaded Ukraine in violation of international law.

In a previous report, our publication explained what the world should know about the battle.

The Nigerian embassy in Ukraine warned citizens on Thursday to take responsibility for their own safety.

However, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, published a list of possible pathways to safety for Nigerians in the war-torn country on Saturday.

Meanwhile, African leaders have remained mute, while Western leaders have condemned the assault, including US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Among those who have condemned obstinate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hostility are NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Pope Francis.

The North Atlantic Trade Organization (NATO), which includes the United States, most European Union nations, the United Kingdom, and Canada, has deployed weaponry and troops along Ukraine’s borders to support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s calls for troops and munitions.

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Some countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, New Zealand, and the European Union, have imposed sanctions on Russia as a result of the invasion.

Last week, the Federal High Court in Abuja issued an order against the EFCC for the “maintenance of status quo ante bellum as at 7th February, 2022, in favor of the Applicant” (Prof Joseph Nwabueze Mbadugha, SAN) over matters “which he knows nothing about, or facts to the like effect, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive originating motion.”

Prof Mbadugha, SAN, had petitioned the court, presided over by Hon Justice Inyang Ekwo, through his counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to stop the EFCC from inviting, arresting, detaining, and holding the Applicant in custody over some frivolous allegations made against him in a case he handled and won for his client, Innoson Nigeria Ltd, from the High Court to the Court of Appeal and now the Supreme Court. Some Appellants, including Guaranty Trust Bank PLC (GTB), filed an appeal with the Supreme Court after losing in both lower courts.

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Chief Ozekhome, SAN, argued before Justice Ekwo that the EFCC lacks legal authority to compel Prof Mbadugha to reveal the source of information contained in an affidavit filed during the proceedings in 2011, as this is unconstitutional, illegal, wrongful, overreaching, and could jeopardize the Supreme Court appeal. He also argued that the EFCC was wrong for serially inviting Mbadugha, first on the 1st, then the 7th, and finally on the 21st of February, 2022, on the instigation of Guarantee Trust Bank PLC and others, for the purpose of forcing him to disclose the source of his information in an affidavit filed and argued in court in the course of his strictly professional duties. Ozekhome claimed that his client had been detained between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on February 1, 2022, and told to return on February 7, and subsequently, February 21, 2022.

Ozekhome argued that the actions are in clear violation of Prof Mbadugha’s fundamental human rights enshrined in section 35(1) of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 5 and 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement), as well as attempts at further arrest and detention, including unsolicited calls by the EFCC and its operatives, without any attempt at arraigning the Applicant before a court of law.

As a result, Justice Ekwo issued an order for the status quo ante bellum to be maintained beginning February 7, 2022.

On February 25, 2022, the EFCC was represented by Attah Ochibi, while GTB was represented by Martins Abang. Chief Ozekhome’s brief was held by Maliki Sylvanus and Queen Umana. The Respondents acknowledged that the procedures had been served on them, but they wanted five days to respond.

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While granting the Respondent’s request, Justice Ekwo cautioned that none of the parties in the case, including the Applicant, should take any further action, including inviting or re-arresting him. The court also ordered faster hearings and scheduled the case to March 29, 2022 for a hearing.

The Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) has begun a free mass livestock campaign in Kano for 2022, with a target of 1, 025, 000 cattle and 750, 000 goats and sheep projected to consume N170, 440, 870.
The project was opened on Saturday by Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

According to reports, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) provided funds for the exercise through the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), the Islamic Development Bank Group’s poverty alleviation arm, for the purchase of vaccines, consumables, training, and logistics, among other things.

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The goal is to protect cattle against diseases such as Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), which are severe threats to their production and health. It also aims to improve the entire quality of life of cattle, prevent financial loss, and increase human health.

Nigeria is one of the top five livestock producers in Sub-Saharan Africa, and livestock plays a key part in the country’s economy, accounting for more than 20% of total agricultural GDP (GDP). Kano is home to a large percentage of the country’s estimated 20.7 million cattle, 43.4 million sheep, and 76 million goats, thanks to the states’ relative stability.

The majority of peasants in the state, according to state Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who flagged off the exercise at Kadawa, Garun Mallam Local Government on Saturday, rely on domestic livestock, particularly cattle, sheep, and goats, not only as a source of food but also as a source of income, adding that outbreaks of livestock diseases have the potential to destroy their livelihoods.

“It is heartening to report that, based on the statistics available to us thus far, the CBPP and PPR vaccination exercise undertaken last year was quite effective, with 701, 042 cattle and 663,570 sheep and goats being vaccinated,” he continued. I did not receive information about the CBPP and PPR outbreaks in Kano last year, but we are not giving up,” the governor said.

“I’d like to thank the Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihood Funds for their assistance. This action would not have taken place without their moral and financial support. These companies have made significant investments in the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project, making it simpler for us to achieve our goal of reforming the agricultural sector and improving people’s lives.”

Malam Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, the State Project Coordinator for the KSADP, stated that the exercise would be carried out by 220 KSADP-employed Community Animal Health Workers, 30 International Committee for Red Cross-supported Community Animal Health Workers, and 880 inoculators, all under the supervision of 41 veterinary doctors.

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He went on to say that the vaccination, which would be carried out in collaboration with the State Ministry of Agriculture, would last four weeks and that more workers would be involved this year than last year to increase the exercise’s impact.
Meanwhile, Governor Ganduje used the occasion to formally introduce the KSADP’s 220 Community Animal Health Workers, who were given kits worth N70. 6 million including basic equipment and pharmaceuticals to enable them to provide basic animal health services in their communities. They will demand fees to resupply and make a living in exchange for such services.

Non-state actors killed at least 62 individuals in Nigeria last week (February 20-26).

Nine security personnel were killed: four police officers, four civil defense employees, and one officer from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The other 53 people were civilians.

When compared to the previous week, when 49 individuals were killed, including three police officers, this figure represents an increase.

The deaths took place in eight separate instances across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. In the North-West, the region most affected by banditry and attacks by armed groups other than Boko Haram, there were no reported fatalities by non-state actors.

It was constructed from media accounts from the previous week’s happenings. As a result, unreported cases are excluded.

The following are the incidents that were recorded:

In Ebonyi, there’s one.
Gunmen shot and killed a National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) agent in Ebonyi State, Nigeria’s southeast.

During an attack on an NDLEA squad on duty along the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway on Sunday morning, the operative was slain.

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The incident apparently resulted in significant injuries to another officer of the organization.

Gunmen assassinated Gab Ofoma, the chairman/CEO of Ofoma Associates Limited, on November 21 in Anambra.

Mr Ofoma, a native of Umunnealam, Umudim, Nnewi, was shot and killed on his way back to his headquarters in Port Harcourt after visiting his hometown of Nnewi on Sunday.

The event took place at the Ukpor-Lilu-Orsumoghu-Azia-Mbosi Road, which connects the states of Anambra and Imo.

Suspected cultists also opened fire on mourners in Anambra, causing a funeral service to be disrupted.

The tragedy took place at Ebenebe, Awka North Local Government Area, and left 20 persons dead.

Imo, there are two.
On Monday, gunmen assaulted the Isu divisional police headquarters in Imo State, killing two officers.

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The officials were killed as police officers on duty engaged the hoodlums in a gun battle while the gang launched IEDs inside the station.

Niger has ten people.
At Galadiman Kogo in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, four officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were killed by suspected Boko Haram militants.

During a previous night raid on Sunday, the terrorists killed six people of the town.

Osun has two.
Two people were confirmed dead during the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) ad hoc ward delegate congress conducted in Osun State on Wednesday.

Toib Mutallib, one of the victims, was killed by suspected political thugs who assaulted his ward in Agberire, a hamlet in the state’s Iwo Local Government Area, according to the police.

Gunmen assaulted four banks and a divisional police headquarters in Edo State, Nigeria’s south-central region, on Thursday, killing two police officers and five others.

Gunmen surrounded Uromi town in the state’s Esan Northeast Local Government Area.

In the early hours of Saturday, gunmen in Taraba State assassinated Levi Gbashi, an adviser to Governor Darius Ishaku, in Donga Local Government Area.

The incident occurred at Ityopaa Village as he and others were ready to leave the location of the village’s burial.

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Armed gangs killed at least 18 individuals in separate attacks in Mashegu, Lavun, and Wushishi local government areas of Niger State, including a father and his kid.

Many people were displaced as a result of the attacks that took place on Friday and Saturday.