Television Nigerian

Kano State Government has banned street begging by Almajiri children in a bid to fully consolidate the free and compulsory primary and secondary schools education policy in the state.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje made this known during the launch of Basic Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) and the Distribution of Offer of Appointment to 7,500 volunteer teachers, held at Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata, on Tuesday.

Lamenting on the ugly situation of the social menace, Governor Ganduje stressed that the parents and/or guardians of the children would be taken to court for disrespecting our laws.

“This policy of free and compulsory basic and secondary education goes along with the integration of our Almajiri system into the mainstream policy implementation; which suggests that English and Arithmetic must be included in the Almajiri School’s curriculum.

“While they will continue acquiring their study of the Holy Qur’an, they would at the same time, learn English and Arithmetic, which will give them an opportunity to continue with their studies to secondary schools and beyond.

“It is not only that the beggar is caught, his parents and/or guardians. Such parents or guardians would be taken to court for disrespecting our laws,” he insisted.

A total number of 7,500 newly recruited teaching volunteers under the BESDA program were employed and given letters of appointment.

The governor stated that “they will be posted to Islamiyyah and Almajiri schools so that our Almajiri schools would be fully integrated under our new policy of education.”

Governor Ganduje warned that any Almajiri teacher with pupils under the Almajiri school arrangement must accept the new approach put in place by the state government, adding that, “If you think you cannot accept that, then you leave the state.”

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application for review of the judgment which sacked the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa state, David Lyon and his deputy, Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo.

Mr Lyon was sacked by the apex court on February 13, on grounds that his deputy, submitted forged certificates to INEC.

The court ruled that Mr Degi-Eremienyo’s disqualification had affected the joint ticket with which he and the governorship candidate, Lyon, ran for and won on November 16, 2019.

At the proceeding on Wednesday, Mr Lyon and APC in their applications argued by Afe Babalola and Mr Wole Olanipekun asked the court to review and set aside the judgment which voided their participation in the November 16 governorship election.

Mr Babalola added that the Supreme Court has inherent powers to set aside its own decision because the judgment was a nullity on account of denial of fair hearing of his client.

Meanwhile, Mr Olanipekun, on his part, argued that the apex court erred in law when it invoked section 36 of the Electoral Act to disqualify the APC’s participation in the election when the Federal High Court judgment restored by the Supreme Court did not disqualify the party’s eligibility.

However, counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tayo Oyetibo, informed the apex court that the application by APC and its governorship candidate were a dangerous invitation to the Supreme Court to violate section 285 of the 1999 constitution, for the court to sit on appeal over its own matter.

He further stated that the apex court was right in disqualifying Lyon as the governor-elect because section 187 of the 1999 constitution is clear and unambiguous to the effect that a governorship candidate who has no deputy candidate is not qualified to contest any governorship election in Nigeria.

After taking arguments from parties in the matter, Justice Amina Augie who read the judgment said the application lacked merit and the decisions of the court are final.

She added that the applicants failed to point out errors, stating that the judgment is final for all ages.

The apex court judge said the judgment is final in the ‘real sense’ and no court on earth can review the judgment.

“There must be an end to litigation even if we review this judgment, every disaffected litigant will bring similar applications and the finality of Supreme Court judgments will be lost.”

She added that the applications are frivolous and vexatious, and awarded the cost of N10 million against the applicants to be personally paid by their counsel.

Justice Augie added that the counsels of the APC and Mr Lyon are to each pay Governor Douye Diri, his deputy Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo and the PDP the same N10 million.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday sentenced a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, to seven years imprisonment on corruption charges regarding his activities preceding the 2015 presidential election which his party lost.

Justice Okon Abang delivering judgment at the proceedings which lasted over six hours convicted Metuh on all the seven counts, including the fraudulent receipt of N400m  from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014 and use of the money for political activities of the PDP and for his personal purposes.

The court also convicted Metuh for transacting with a cash sum of $2m without going through a financial institution.

The judge agreed with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission successfully proved that the transaction violated the anti-money laundering law which pegs the maximum cash transaction an individual undertakes outside a financial institution at N5m.

He imposed sentenced Metuh to seven years imprisonment for counts 1, 2, 4 and 7, five years imprisonment in respect of count 3, and three years in respect of counts 5 and 6.

He, however, ruled that the sentences shall run concurrently which implied that he would only spend the highest number of years of jail term, which is seven, in prison.

The judge also directed Metuh to pay a fine of N375m to the Federal Government.

He also ordered Destra Investments to pay N25m to the Federal Government.

He ordered the accounts of  Destra in Diamond Bank and Asset Resource Management to be closed and their proceeds forfeited to the Federal Government.

The judge also ordered the winding up of Destra.

The Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, on Tuesday, announced the disbandment of the Zonal Intervention Squad, Obada-Oko, Ogun State.

The disbandment followed the death of a player of Remo Stars Football Club, Tiyamiyu Kazeem, allegedly caused by operatives of ZIS SARS, Obada-Oko, Abeokuta.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Criminal Investigations Department Force Headquarters, Peter Ogunyonwo, made the announcement on behalf of the IGP when he accompanied the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, on a condolence visit to the parents of the deceased in Sagamu.

Ogunyonwo added that the ZIS office would be handed over to the Ogun State Police Command.

Kazeem was killed by a hit-and-run vehicle after he was allegedly thrown out of a moving operational vehicle of SARS on the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway on Saturday.

Kazeem was until his death, the vice-captain of the Remo Stars Football Club.