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Falana, Ozekhome, Senior Advocates Of Nigeria Fault Buhari’s Warning Against Court Summons

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Some Nigerian Senior Advocates say President Muhammadu Buhari should be ready to answer for his actions next year.

Their comments came after the President said on Channels Television on Wednesday that anyone who asked him to testify in any court after he leaves office would be in trouble because he had already recorded all important issues.

“It’s not my problem,” he said when asked about the 2023 elections.

When asked if he didn’t care who succeeded him, he replied, “No, let him come.” I made sure everything was recorded.

“Nobody should ask me to testify in any court, because everything is on record. I ensured it. We have all the facts on file.”

A group of Nigerian Senior Advocates, led by Femi Falana, argued that the constitution does not grant immunity to former presidents, and that Buhari should be prepared to be questioned when he leaves office.

Falana said Buhari was misquoted in that part of the interview and that orders against him that could not be enforced due to his immunity would be enforced when he leaves office.

He said the President would be held accountable locally and globally.

As reported recently by The Guardian, the lawyer said Buhari was already being investigated by a Nigerian government agency while still enjoying immunity from prosecution.

Falana also mentioned the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project’s court victories against the Buhari regime.

“He (Buhari) is already being called to account not to mention after he leaves office,” he said. These orders will be followed.

Read also: 3 APC Members Arrested for Diverting Gov. Abiodun’s Christmas Rice

“More accountability cases will be filed between now and 2023. In light of the avalanche of petitions alleging extrajudicial killings by security forces, the International Criminal Court’s Special Prosecutor is likely to open investigations involving top Federal officials.

“Even while in power, the BPP indicts him. ‘You and (Rotimi) Amaechi can’t award this contract,’ they said in court. He has immunity now, but not when he leaves office. So he should expect to be held accountable. And if the records exist, he must present them. Those records aren’t public.

“They don’t always respond to Freedom of Information Act requests. Where are the records, he says?

“Even though he (Buhari) is in office enjoying immunity and has all the forces, instruments of oppression and intimidation… and people are suing him, demanding accountability,” Falana said.

His comment displeased Adegboruwa, who called it an attempt to keep his successor in office despite the fact that his immunity under Section 308 of the constitution ends when his term ends.

According to him, the President has used style to threaten his successor, which is unusual for a President who claims to be fighting corruption. The person fighting corruption cannot avoid investigation or probe, as this would contradict the President’s open declaration of victory in the anti-corruption war.

“His immunity is limited while in office, and he can be arrested like any other citizen after that. No law protects an ex-public officer from being called before a court to testify or account for their tenure. The President should expect to be summoned frequently to account for his tenure; the railway project, Chinese loans, huge amount spent on electricity and we are only getting darkness; the President has a lot to account for, so he should be ready. He should be ready.”

Adegboruwa noted that in countries where Nigeria’s democracy was copied, some presidents had to waive their immunity.

“I believe if the President has nothing to hide, he should be the first to appear in court if his tenure in office is being questioned.

If he doesn’t want to be held accountable, he can be forced to appear in court after his tenure ends. This is allowed by the law of evidence, and the constitution does not extend immunity beyond office,” he added.

Ozekhome went on to describe the President’s statement as a show of impunity and disregard for the law.

On May 29, 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari loses his immunity under section 308 of the 1999 constitution. He is now a regular citizen, liable to be subpoenaed to ‘answer any questions’. He can’t escape it.

“He said everything is recorded. That’s fine. But if more information or proof is needed, he can be summoned just like any other citizen.

Because he is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, he is more obligated than other citizens. This attitude shows contempt for the rule of law and due process. I find it intolerable. I humbly denounce it.

Read also: Katsina man removes roof of his house to pay his son’s ransom

A former Nigerian President had never been questioned after leaving office, according to 83-year-old Senior Advocate Robert Clarke.

“It is a difficult situation. Because it hasn’t happened yet, maybe the President is feeling that way because he can’t account for his actions while in office.

3 APC Members Arrested for Diverting Gov. Abiodun’s Christmas Rice

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coic
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Christmas Rice Diversion by Gov. Abiodun: Three APC Members Arrested
The police have arrested three members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State’s Ijebu North Local Government Area over Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Christmas rice.

Morufu Idowu, Adebayo Rabiu, and Wasiu Raji, according to sources, have been arrested. They were apprehended between Sunday and Monday on suspicion of diverting rice bags intended for distribution.

Meanwhile, A.D. Sosanwo, a lawyer, has sued the Nigeria Police Force’s Ijebu-Ode Area Command for N10 million in damages for “unlawfully detaining” the trio, whom he described as his clients.
Sosanwo explained in a petition to the Ijebu Ode Area Command, which was copied to the Inspector-General of Police and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, that his clients had been arrested and detained for longer than the constitutional period.

The three APC members were “arrested on the order of the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tokunbo Talabi,” according to him.

Read also: Group withdraws threats of protest against Gov Buni-led APC committee

Sosanwo claimed in the petition that they were apprehended by police officers in Ago-Iwoye and taken to the Ijebu-Ode Area Command.

The Area Commander had demanded that the bags of rice be returned in order for the matter to be resolved amicably between the complainant and the arrested persons, according to the lawyer.

Group withdraws threats of protest against Gov Buni-led APC committee

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coic
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Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have called off their initial plan to protest against the party’s caretaker/extra-ordinary ordinary national convention planning committee.

The group, under the auspices of the APC Core Supporters Network, had last week issued a threat to shut down the national secretariat of the party over its interim leadership.

But in a statement signed by its national president, Maxwell Gowon, the group said its members were misled, misinformed, and misguided by some disgruntled elements.

Comrade Gowon said they know better now and have already apologised to Governor Mai Mala Buni-led committee for almost being used by enemies of the APC to truncate the progress recorded.

Speaking after its consultative meeting held in Abuja today on the state of the party, the group alleged that they were initially carried away by some elders whom they thought meant well for the APC.

He said they, however, made a U-turn after discovering that these so-called leaders were attempting to brainwash them into turning against progressives.

The group, therefore, said it cannot allow itself to be used against the Committee that has done so well to rescue the party from where these very so-called elders had taken the party.

It added that it’s now convinced that holding the party’s congress anytime in February without resolving the issue which the committee was first appointed to resolve will be playing into the hands of the opposition that has planted moles to destroy the party.

While urging the Governor Buni-led committee to sustain its transformation, the group unequivocally called on all APC support groups, supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari and all progressives in the country to hereby know that the earlier threats of protest against the Committee is hereby withdrawn and suspended indefinitely.

Read also: Katsina man removes roof of his house to pay his son’s ransom

Katsina man removes roof of his house to pay his son’s ransom

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coic
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Mr Bawa, a Faskari resident, told PREMIUM TIMES that the elderly man was unable to collect the ransom money.

Mr Faskari was kidnapped in December and held captive for 13 days by the bandits. The bandits released the old man and apprehended his son when he went to pay the N50,000 ransom.

They are now demanding a ransom of N100,000 from the elderly man.

Mr Faskari was heard saying in the video that he was doing it for his son.

“They (bandits) kidnapped my son the day before yesterday,” says the father (Thursday). He was on his way to pay the ransom for my release. I stayed in their den for 13 days. One of my sons was asked to take the ransom when my children gathered the N50,000, but the bandits released me and apprehended him. I don’t have anything to eat, let alone the funds to pay the ransom.”

Gambo Isa, the state’s police spokesperson, could not be reached for comment by phone.

Read also: Nigerian troops kill three terrorists and destroy a Boko Haram market.

Nigerian troops kill three terrorists and destroy a Boko Haram market.

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coic
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In an encounter at Damask in Borno, troops from the Joint Task Force, North-East Operation Hadin Kai, OPHK, destroyed an illegal market run by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and killed three terrorists.

Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, made the statement on Saturday in Abuja.

Mr Nwachukwu, a brigadier-general, said the troops of 5 Brigade, Sector 3 had a decisive victory over the terrorists on Friday while consolidating their dogged push.

He claimed that while conducting clearance operations code-named “Operation Dominance I,” the brave troops came into contact with the insurgents at a terrorist-run illegal market in Gallo Malawari Village.

Read also: In Nasarawa, a man was arrested after his wife was beaten to death

“Three BH/ISWAP terrorists were neutralised in the fierce battle, while others retreated in disarray as a result of superior firepower.”

“Among other things, troops recovered one AK 47 rifle, a truck, two motorcycles, four empty magazines, and 7.62mm ammunition rounds,” he said.

In Nasarawa, a man was arrested after his wife was beaten to death

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coic
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The Nasarawa State Police Command arrested Ovye Yakubu on Friday for allegedly beating his wife Esther Aya to death in their home in the Sabonpegi-Shabu community of Lafia over a quarrel.

Ramhan Nansel, the state’s police spokesperson, said the suspect was apprehended after police received a report of an incident that occurred on the same day.

Mr Nansel said the investigation into the incident was still ongoing at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia, and that the woman’s body had been deposited at the morgue for post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, a family member of the deceased who requested anonymity claimed that the couple got into a heated argument after the suspect tried to stop a carpenter hired by the wife from installing a net in their window.

He claimed that the suspect assaulted the wife after she refused to let the carpenter finish the job.

“The deceased hired a carpenter to install a mosquito net in their windows, but the husband stopped the carpenter, which the wife resisted, and the husband eventually began beating her in the process,” he claimed.

Read also: Makinde is fostering a business-friendly environment for the hospitality sector: Ige

The carpenter, who also requested anonymity, claimed that when he was hired by the deceased to fix the net, the suspect chased him away.

Makinde is fostering a business-friendly environment for the hospitality sector: Ige

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coic
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The government of Oyo State has reassured business moguls, investors, and entrepreneurs from across the country and the world that they should come and invest in the state because it is working hard to make business more profitable for them.

Governor Seyi Makinde, speaking at the official commissioning of SUBKEM Leading Hotel and Suites in Ibadan, the state capital, on Friday, emphasized the importance of investors coming to Oyo State and noted that his administration has put in place all measures to make a business profitable for any interested investors.

Makinde, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Tourism, Hon. Akeem Ademola Ige, insisted that the state is doing everything possible to create a business-friendly environment.
“We have witnessed a lot of developments in the last few months of Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, and this has no doubt been attracting both local and foreign investors into the state, just like this one, and I am sure more are still coming,” Hon. Akeem said.

“The hospitality sector is under tourism, which means it falls under my portfolio as a Special Adviser to Governor Makinde on Tourism, and the government of the day, under the able leadership of Governor Makinde, ensures that we embark on laudable projects that will attract investors to the state, and this is what is happening here today, Engr. Subomi and his wife Oluwakemi have shown that the state is conducive enough for businesses to thrive by erecting a good

Read also: Breaking: Popular Yobe market is on fire right now

“Mr Subomi has contributed to the economic growth and development of our dear state through this laudable project because he will employ more people to work with him here; he and his wife cannot run this place alone; he will undoubtedly need more hands to help in maintaining it; and some people will come here from other states to lodge here because of the hotel’s location, and those people will contribute to the economic growth and development of our dear state through their stay here.”

Hon. Ademola Ige, on the other hand, praised the hotel’s owners, Engineer Subomi and Mrs Adebola Faley Oluwakemi, for their genuine interest in the state’s socio-economic development, emphasizing that the hotel is a testament to Governor Makinde’s commitment to the state’s development.

In her speech, Mrs Oluwakemi stated that the project is part of her husband Engr. Subomi’s and her desire to expand their business. “We venture into the hospitality business out of interest and to contribute to the state’s socio-economic development,” she said.
“We already have SUBKEM Leading Enterprises, and as an addition, we diversified into the hospitality sector, and we are hopeful that this will give birth to something else that will benefit society as a whole,” she added.

The hotel’s General Manager, Mr Ologun Ibrahim, briefed journalists on the hotel’s features and services, saying that the luxurious edifice is ready to set a new standard in the hospitality industry.

“SUBKEM is a one-of-a-kind hotel and suite. We intend to provide an unforgettable experience for our guests, matched by our extremely high standards and fully equipped facilities that will even challenge those around us. l heritage that we proudly display on our walls.”

“It has a total of 51 rooms for guests, ranging from Royal Suites, deluxe studios, and executive rooms,” he continued. Other amenities include a well-designed parking lot, 24-hour electricity, and room service, as well as Internet access, a complimentary breakfast open bar and restaurant, conference rooms, and a standard event center.”

Breaking: Popular Yobe market is on fire right now

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coic
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The popular Nguru central market in Yobe State’s Nguru Local Government Area is currently ablaze.

A witness, Abubakar Ibn Usman, said the fire started about three hours ago and is still ravaging the market’s second-hand clothing section.
He claimed that the inferno has already destroyed shops and stalls containing goods worth millions of naira.

Details will be provided later…

Read also: Wike directs military and other security agencies to target illegal bunkering and artisanal refining

Wike directs military and other security agencies to target illegal bunkering and artisanal refining

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coic
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Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State has directed members of the Armed Forces and other security agencies to take action against those involved in illegal bunkering and artisanal refining in order to help the state reduce pollution.

Governor Wike made the call during a special Juma’at prayer at the State Central Mosque in Port Harcourt on Friday in commemoration of the 2022 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration.

The Governor, who was represented by Aribitonye Mohammed Okiri, Special Assistant on Schools Sports, said the Armed Forces must look into the new dynamics of challenges in the areas of environmental degradation in the State and put an end to the challenges of black soot emission.

The Governor stated that black soot now poses a serious threat to the health of Nigerians and foreigners in the state.

Read also: APC demands Senator Rochas Okorocha to resign from the Senate

To that end, he urged the Armed Forces to work with the State government to put an end to the environmental threat posed by illegal bunkering and artisanal refining.

He pledged his administration’s continued support to the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies in the country.

Governor Wike stated that his government has continued to make progress in promoting the welfare of the Legionnaires and security operatives who risk their lives every day to protect the country’s territorial integrity.

Earlier, Iman Malik Yahya Tanko, the Chief Iman of the Rivers State Central Mosque, urged Moslem faithful to live a life of gratitude to Allah.

“We are grateful to Allah for providing us with life. We must be content with our lives and coexist peacefully with our neighbors. Never be overcome by evil; instead, live a life of love, peace, and brotherhood “, he explained.

On Sunday, January 9th, 2021, at 10 a.m., an Inter-Denominational Church Service for Armed Forces Remembrance Day will be held at Our Lady of Holy Rosery (CEWA), Rumuibekwe. On Saturday, January 15th, 2022, there will be a grand-finale celebration at the Isaac Boro Park Cenotaph, complete with parades and wreath-laying activities.

APC demands Senator Rochas Okorocha to resign from the Senate

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coic
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Rochas Okorocha
Rochas Okorocha

Senator Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Imo chapter, has been urged to consider resigning as Senator representing the West Senatorial District of the state.

The party’s demand for Okorocha’s resignation was based on what it called Okorocha’s “poor and dismal performance” in the Senate.

Hon Macdonald Ebere, the APC’s state chairman, stated this in a statement signed by Cajetan Duke, the party’s publicity secretary in the state.

“Imo people have had enough of Okorocha and his family, whom they regard as unfit to hold any public office in Nigeria any longer, given their poor and dismal performance in the State,” the ruling APC said.

“Our party categorically condemns Senator Rochas Okorocha’s futile attempt on Arise Television to vilify Governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma, with wild claims, accusations, and allegations laced with hate and vehemence.

Read also: APC will meet on Sunday to set date for national convention – Lalong

“Instead of presenting himself as good ‘Presidential material,’ Okorocha is busy behaving rashly, jeopardizing his chances by attempting to smear Governor Uzodinma’s image with fabricated lies, unsubstantiated accusations, and fabrications like the alleged Hope Strike Force.”

“We are aware that Okorocha is a master of ostrich politics and grandstanding, which he used to deceive the people of Imo for eight locust-infested years, but he has failed this time.”

“In fact, we believe that if Okorocha has serious or incriminating evidence against Governor Uzodinma, he should report it to the police rather than the media.”

“For the umpteenth time, Gov Hope Uzodinma has stated that he has no personal grudge against Okorocha and is only focused on carrying out the people’s mandate.”

The party also urged Okorocha to put aside his personal interests and allow Governor Uzodinma to focus on providing good governance to the people of Imo.

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