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South west Governors to sign Amotekun bill on Friday

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South west Governors to sign Amotekun bill on Friday

By Bukola Olasanmi

All is set for the commencement of Operation Amotekun, the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN).

The legal hurdle which is delaying its take-off will be cleared this week.

Houses of Assembly in the six states – Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti – are expected to pass the regional security outfit’s operational bill for the governors to give assent on Friday.

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi on Monday announced the decision of the governors to make the outfit operational, when he received the bill’s draft from Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Olawale Fapounda (SAN).

Operation Amotekun was launched by the governors on January 9 in Ibadan but Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice Abubakar Malami, declared the outfit illegal.

He said the Constitution has no room for a regional security outfit. He also said security is on the Exclusive list.

But the governors insisted that it was the only way for them to protect their people from kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes.

Following Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s intervention on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, it was agreed that each of the states should legalise the security outfit.

Consequently, attorneys-general in the six states met to draft a bill while the speakers of Houses of Assembly agreed to give the bill accelerated passage.

Fayemi said yesterday: “My colleagues and I were still in discussion about this yesterday (on Sunday) and we have promised ourselves that this will be given accelerated discussion in our various state executive councils this week and we also send it expeditiously to our various houses of assembly this week. Our discussions with our speakers who had been really waiting for this, some of them had been recalling other honourable members from recess in order to give this an accelerated passage in their various legislature, so that by Friday the 14th of February, the bill that hopefully would have been passed would be assented to simultaneously in the six states of the Southwest.”

The bill will be considered on the floor of the Oyo State House of Assembly today, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Kazeem Olayanju.

He said: “The House will sit tomorrow (today). We are not on recess. I can confirm to you that the bill on Amotekun will be received tomorrow. It could be considered for first reading by Thursday.”

The Lagos State House of Assembly said it is awaiting the Bill from the Attorney-General’s office. A principal officer gave the assurance that it will be given expeditions consideration.

Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola said on Monday that the bill will go to the House of Assembly this week.”

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, he added: “I want to make it abundantly clear that Amotekun has nothing to do with religion. It has no religious colouration. Those who are insinuating that it is aimed at elevating one religion over the other are probably being misinformed about the origin of Amotekun. Crime, rape, banditry have no religion and tribe.”

He said the recruitment for the outfit in the state will be done at the local government level.

“The local governments in the state will be responsible for the recruitment of the personnel that will form the bulk of the security outfit.

“The chairman and the traditional rulers know the people in their domain to be recruited into the outfit and I believe that none of them will deliberately compromise the security of their people.”

He implored citizens to be assured that his government is for everybody and will not do anything to undermine the peaceful coexistence in the state.

Omipidan spoke on a Rave Fm Osogbo radio programme.

Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Gbolahan Adeniran said the Bill is expected to be presented at the Executive Council meeting today for approval and transmission to the House of Assembly.

Fapounda said the content of the bill would be put on Ekiti State House of Assembly Ministry of Justice website for those who have observations to make their views known.

According to him, the Amotekun bill has 38 provisions “painstakingly prepared”, with specifications for each of the states which outline the operational guidelines.

The key provisions in the bill include its functions and objectives, the creation and the composition of the governing board for the agency, establishment of Amotekun corps including its powers, criteria for enlistment into the corps, and several other needs.

There is also provision for independent Amotekun corps complaints board. The purpose of the board is to provide an opportunity for our people to report instances or possible cases of abuse of power including violation of rights and corruption. There is also provisions on the funding of the corps to ensure sustainability.

Fayemi debunked insinuations that Amotekun is targeting a particular ethnic group.

“A lot of people have misconstrued the essence of the Amotekun security network. It is not about an exclusive protection of indigene of the Southwest. It is about safety and security of every person resident in the six states of the Southwest, regardless of where they might have come from. As long as there are legitimately and legally resident in every part of the states, we consider it our duty, we consider it our responsibility to protect them.

The bill is going to talk on ensuring our highways are free from banditry, armed robberies, kidnappers and all forms of brigandage.

“To that extent, it is a logical extension of the community policing initiative that President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to, that the Inspector General of Police has already communicated to various police formations across the country.”

South west Governors to sign Amotekun bill on Friday

Boko Haram: We have intensified efforts to get Shekau – Army

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Boko Haram: We have intensified efforts to get Shekau – Army

The General Officer Commanding  Division, Maiduguri, Brigadier General Abdul Kalifa Ibrahim, has assured that the military has intensified effort to apprehend the dreaded Boko Haram leader, Shekau. “By the grace of Allah, we will be victorious,” he said.

General Ibrahim gave the assurance while speaking in an interview with the Voice of America (VOA), Hausa Service on Tuesday.

Speaking on the latest carnage along the Damaturu- Maiduguri road, the Army Commander said: “the truth is that people had moved freely without any problem but as I have told you, these insurgents engaged in guerilla warfare. But still, there are methods adopted by security agencies on that and by the grace of Allah, we will deal with that problem.”

Exclusive: Gallant troops of the Nigerian Army on a hot chase of Boko Haram elements during clearance operations in the north east theatre of war

Exclusive: Gallant troops of the Nigerian Army on a hot chase of Boko Haram elements during clearance operations in the north east theatre of war

Posted by TeleVision Nigerian on Tuesday, 11 February 2020

He explained that a battalion had been stationed in that contentious axis near Mainok, while a headquarters was at Jakana to enable the military operatives in that location patrol the area and prevent the insurgents from committing their atrocities.

“It’s not that we lack working tools, we have, but we need more,” he said. When asked on the possibility of apprehending Abubakar Shekau, he said: “We are working on that and by the grace of Allah, we will be victorious.”

He debunked the idea that the Nigerian military only engaged in a defensive technique instead of a hot chase on the insurgents, saying “the truth is that we are doing our best. We do chase them, we traverse different camps searching for Boko Haram.”

“Just last week I assigned my soldiers from 21 Brigade to Bama. Although the guerrillas ran away, we found and destroyed their camp. We also rescued women and children from there,” he said.

 

 

 

Senate suspends plenary for late Longjan

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Senate suspends plenary for late Longjan

By Bukola Olasanmi 

The Senate on Tuesday suspended its plenary and all legislative activities in honour of the late Senator Ignatius Longjan.

Longjan, who represented Plateau South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, died at Turkish Hospital, Abuja on Sunday.

The Leader of the Senate, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, shortly after the resumption of the plenary, moved a motion for the suspension of the plenary and the motion was seconded by the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe.

The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who presided over the plenary also announced that the red chamber would dedicate tomorrow’s plenary to the late Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, who died in December last year.

Omo-Agege urged his colleagues to dress either in white or black for the valedictory session in honour of the former representative of the Imo North Senatorial District, which would hold by 10 am.

Details later…

Senate suspends plenary for late Longjan

 

Mali’s president acknowledges contact with armed groups

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Mali’s president acknowledges contact with armed groups

Ibrahim Boubacar Keita says ‘time that certain paths be explored’ as security crisis in the Sahel deteriorates. 

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has for the first time acknowledged contacts with armed groups, an option the government has long rejected.

“The number of deaths in the Sahel is becoming exponential and it’s time that certain paths be explored,” he said in an interview with French media due to be broadcast on Monday.

Mali has struggled to contain an armed group revolt that broke out in the country in 2012, claiming thousands of military and civilian lives since.

But dialogue with leaders of armed fighters has long been considered to be off limits for the government in Bamako.

In the interview, Keita appeared to have changed course on past refusals to engage with these groups.

“We are ready to build bridges for dialogue with everyone … at some point, we have to sit around a table and talk,” he said.

Keita said he had sent former President Dioncounda Traore “on a mission”.

“He is my high representative, so his job is to listen to everybody,” the president said.

Traore was primarily tasked with seeing if there were people who “could be sensitive to a discourse of reason”.

However, Keita also said he was “not naive” about the likelihood of success.

“Those who order others to enter a mosque and blow themselves up in the middle of the faithful don’t have much of my esteem,” he said.

A 2017 national conference gathering Keita’s party and opposition parties urged holding direct talks with armed fighters as a way to solve the crisis in Mali.

The government never followed up the recommendations, however.

6 weird facts about Prophet Odumeje

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6 weird facts about Prophet Odumeje

By Toby Prince

Founder of Holy Ghost Intervention Deliverance Ministry Onitsha, Emeka Odumeje, is rapidly infiltrating the Nigerian social media space with his eccentric style.

Rated the world’s 24th most religious nation and top on the continent, Nigeria flaunts a large pool of preachers and worship centres.

With almost 100 million, the West African country has the sixth-most Christian population behind the United States, Brazil, Russia, Mexico and the Philippines.

It is unrivaled in Africa, with a population that outnumbers Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Liberia combined.

This perhaps explains the alarming surge in persons who claim to be ‘anointed’, planting approximately 200,000 centres.

These days, you can barely thrust a cat without hitting one.

However, nothing close to ‘Odumeje’ has been beheld in time past.

Although with a modest appearance, he is charismatic, controversial and weird.

Here are six things to know about the Anambra-based clergyman.

1. Prophet Odumeje born Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere hails from Orlu in Imo State but resides in Onitsha, Anambra State.

2. He Started Mountain of Holy Ghost Intervention Deliverance Ministry Onitsha, on 10th September 2010 as deliverance ministry in a public yard at No 14 osumu street Odakpu, Onitsha, from where it was moved to Okija hall and subsequently to Arondizuogu hall, all in Odakpu, Anambra State.

3. He is popular with the nickname “Odumeje the lion himself” and “liquid metal”

4. The church has moved to its permanent site at No. 88 Bida road Fegge, Onitsha, having over 20,000 seating capacity.

5. He is happily married with kids, however, he shields his family from the media.

6. He claimed to have resurrected a dead woman in a video which went viral in 2017.

French court fines Equatorial Guinea vice president 30m euros

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French court fines Equatorial Guinea vice president 30m euros

Teodorin Obiang, son of Equatorial Guinea’s president and the country’s vice president, has been handed a fine of 30 million euros ($32.9m)  by a Paris court for embezzling public funds.

The court also gave Obiang, the 50-year-old son of Africa’s longest-serving president, a suspended jail term and ordered the confiscation of his assets on Monday.

Obiang, who is fond of fast cars and Michael Jackson memorabilia, had been found guilty by a French court in 2017 of having plundered his country’s state coffers to fund his jet-set lifestyle in Europe.

At the time, he was handed a three-year jail term as well as the 30 million-euro fine – both suspended.

Obiang challenged that penalty only to have the Paris appeals court return a heavier sentence on Monday by removing the suspended provision from the fine.

It confirmed his conviction on a range of laundering charges – relating to the embezzlement of public funds, misuse of corporate assets and breach of trust – and upheld the lower court’s order for the confiscation of his ill-gotten assets.

Obiang was not in court for the ruling, just as he had not attended his initial trial. The case had been brought to the French courts by two anti-corruption NGOs.

Prosecutors estimate he laundered 150 million euros ($163.6m) in misappropriate funds in France.

Obiang owns a six-storey, 107 million-euro ($116.7m) mansion in an upscale part of Paris, complete with a hammam, a disco and gold-plated taps.

When investigators first raided the home, they hired trucks to haul away a fleet of Bugattis, Ferraris, a Rolls-Royce Phantom and other cars as evidence.

The fate of his residence, which was also seized by French authorities, remains unclear after Monday’s ruling. Obiang’s lawyers have lodged an appeal with the International Court of Justice claiming that the property should fall under the protections given to diplomatic buildings.

A hearing is scheduled to take place in The Hague next week.

Obiang has said his money came from legitimate sources. His lawyers accused France during his trial of “meddling in the affairs of a sovereign state”. Relations between the two nations have been strained over the case.

“It is another step in a legal marathon,” William Bourdon, a lawyer for Transparency International, one of the NGOs that initiated the case, said of Monday’s ruling.

“It is a strong and powerful signal to those who believe that a culture of impunity is the indispensable means to organise and maintain a system of predation of public resources in Africa or elsewhere.”

Obiang could still lodge a final challenge to the Cour de Cassation, France’s highest appeals court for criminal cases.

He was agriculture and forestry minister before being promoted by his father, who has ruled the oil-rich country for 40 years, to vice president, putting him in pole position to take over the leadership one day.

Africa’s only Spanish-speaking nation, Equatorial Guinea is the continent’s third-biggest oil producer but more than half of its 1.2 million population live below the poverty line.

It is regularly accused by human rights groups of corruption, repressive laws, extrajudicial killings and torture.

Obiang Nguema overthrew his uncle Francisco Macias Nguema in a bloody coup in August 1979 and became president a few months later.

He has since seen off at least half a dozen assassination or coup attempts. The latest of them, in December 2017, reportedly involved a group of men from Chad, Central African Republic and Sudan.

Yahaya Bello suspends KSU VC, Kogi Poly rector

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Yahaya Bello suspends KSU VC, Kogi Poly rector

Toby Prince with Agency reports

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has suspended Mohammed Abdulkadir, the vice-chancellor (VC) of the Kogi State University (KSU), Ayangba, over “insubordination.”

Bello also suspended Muhammed Atureta, the rector of the Kogi State Polytechnic (KSP), an institution also situated in Lokoja, for the same offense.

Kingsley Fanwo, the state’s commissioner for information, confirmed this while speaking to journalists on Monday in Lokoja.

He told NAN that the duo were suspended after failing to comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of the state government.

TSA is a financial guideline that directs all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to pay all revenues into a single account maintained by the central bank.

According to Fanwo, Ahmed Attah, the chief medical director of the State Specialist Hospital, was also suspended on Friday after committing the same infraction.

“The governor was irked by their failure to comply with the new financial directive,” the commissioner explained.

Fanwo said Bello had earlier warned, during a meeting with MDA heads, that non-compliance with the directive would not be tolerated.

Dismissing claims that the governor’s action was political rather than administrative, Fanwo said that compliance with the new financial guidelines is in the best interest of the system.

 

Tribunal: Wada wants Yahaya Bello’s reelection nullified, lists 259 witnesses

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Tribunal: Wada wants Yahaya Bello’s reelection nullified, lists 259 witnesses

By Toby Prince

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 16, 2019 governorship election, in Kogi State, Musa Wada, has listed a total of 259 witnesses to give evidence at the tribunal where he is challenging the outcome of the election.

Wada and his political platform, PDP are contesting the outcome of the election that returned Yahaya Bello of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the validly elected governor of the state, before the state governorhship election tribunal in Abuja.

But in the petition filed in December 2019, the petitioners attacked the credibility of the polls alleging that it was riddled with irregularities, fraud and other acts that were not in compliance with the Electoral Act.

The petitioners who joined the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Yahaya Bello and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as relevant parties, further alleged that the outcome of the polls did not reflect the actual votes cast at the election.

It is Wada’s prayer that the three-man panel of the tribunal headed by Justice Kashim G. Kaigama,that declared Governor Bello was not duly elected and/or returned by a majority of lawful votes cast during the election.

Besides, the petitioners are also seeking a declaration that neither the second nor the third respondent scored the majority of lawful votes cast at the election to the office of the state governor.

They are therefore, praying the tribunal to issue an order nullifying the Certificate of Return issued to Bello by INEC and in addition, issue an order nullifying the entire governorship election conducted in the state by reason of substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the constitution and extant Electoral Act 2010 (As amended).

At the pre-hearing sitting which held on January 30, the court, after listening to parties adjourned till yesterday for hearing proper on the pre-hearing applications.

When the court resumed, several applications were moved by parties while some were withdrawn without objection by the opposing party.

However, due to the fact that one of the motions was not ripe for hearing, the tribunal had extended the pre-hearing period till Thursday to conclude all pre-hearing applications.

The 14-day period stipulated by law for pre-hearing motions is expected to lapse on Wednesday, having started last January 30. The court, however, invoked the power vested on it by law to extend the period by one day. It also reserved rulings on the applications moved to a date to be communicated to parties.

 

NTA Vs CNN: ‘Perish thoughts of $500m’, PDP tells Lai Mohammed

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NTA Vs CNN: ‘Perish thoughts of $500m’, PDP tells Lai Mohammed

By Toby Prince

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday, berated the Minister of Information and Culture, over Federal Government’s request for approval for $500 milion loan for the upgrade of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, urged the National Assembly to reject the request from President Muhammadu Buhari for approval for a $29.9 billion loan, in which the said $500 million and “other unexplained subheads are embedded.”

The opposition party charged the parliament not to approve the loan request, which it described as an attempt by a cabal in the Presidency to further worsen the economic situation of the country.

“Under the Buhari Presidency, our foreign debt has accumulated to $83 billion dollars with nothing to show other than excruciating unemployment rate, decayed infrastructure, a worsening governance system, escalated insecurity and unprecedented poverty.

“The PDP alerts that the request for the approval of $500 million is aimed at setting the stage for further fleecing of our nation’s economy as the Federal Government under the Buhari administration has shown no commitment towards nation building, transparency and accountability in governance.

“Moreover, the Federal Government has failed to present details of the requested $29.9 billion dollars loan in which the $500 million being requested by the Minister of Information and Culture is embedded; a development that points to nothing but the corruption in the Buhari administration.”

The PDP admonished the Information Minister “to perish the thoughts of $500 million”, but rather use his appearance at the National Assembly to give account of the funds so far released to his ministry.

 

Terrorism: Protesters storm Lagos over involvement of Iran, Amnesty International in plot to cause unrest in Nigeria

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Terrorism: Protesters storm Lagos over involvement of Iran, Amnesty International in plot to cause unrest in Nigeria

Protesters on Monday, stormed the Freedom Park, Lagos to cry out against the alleged involvement of Iran and the Amnesty International to cause unrest in Nigeria.

The protesters, under the aegis of the Concerned Progressives, claimed the Government of Iran and Amnesty International were sponsoring violent groups and activities aimed at causing political, religious and economic unrest in the country.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mrs Josephine Okpara called on Nigerianz to wake up before it’s too late.

She called on the appropriate agencies of government to deport all Iranians from the country, saying their continued stay in Nigeria is of no benefit to the nation.

Her speech: “Wake Up Lagos, Wake Up Nigeria, Wake Up Before It Is Too Late below,” read below.

We stand on all existing protocol and bring warm greetings from the Concerned Progressives, an organization committed to promoting the ideals of good governance and the unity and progress of Nigeria.

There is indeed fire on the mountain with the recent onslaught on the Nigerian nation by agents of darkness in our midst. These harbingers of death have vowed to see to the disintegration of Nigeria, and this much they have started implementing with the promotion of violent groups and the sponsorship of violence across the country.

As we know, this is not the first time some foreign countries have been conspiring against Nigeria. They have attempted it severally and have failed. But this time around, they have redoubled their efforts to see to the success of this campaign spearheaded wholly by the Government of Iran.

The authorities in Tehran smarting from their failures and revelations of their avid sponsorship of terrorism across the globe are attempting to spread their tentacles to the African continent by all means necessary.

The Iranian Government has vowed to be ruthless with Nigeria and this much their proxy in terrorism, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria has been implementing from time immemorial with their violent protests across the country, the assassination attempt on the Chief of Army Staff, as well as the spread of their extremist ideology in Northern Nigeria.

We wish to inform Nigerians that the Government of Iran has enlisted the support of Amnesty International (AI) the cash and carry human rights organization to lead a deadly propaganda campaign against Nigeria.

We are aware that Amnesty International was paid vast sums of monies for this campaign with the understanding that part of the funds would be channeled to the IMN and other deadly groups they have set up in parts of the country to cause mayhem of unimaginable proportion.

In light of the revealing circumstances, it is evident that Nigeria has to take its destiny into his hands to ensure that all Iranian interests in Nigeria leave the country in the interest of peace and tranquility.

We have tolerated their excesses in times past. However, this time around, we are saying enough is enough for their unwholesome meddling in our affairs as a sovereign nation, and this is the message we are passing in unequivocal terms.

This is indeed a battle for the soul of Nigeria because the drumbeats of war sound from wide and far all at the behest of the Government of Iran and their agents in Nigeria, the IMN, Amnesty International, and other newly established militant groups.

The Government of Iran should know that this time around, Nigerians would not sit and watch. Nigerians would speak out loud in one voice and one accord to see that their evil plots against Nigeria do not succeed.

In the coming days, we shall be raising awareness that would resonate in both national and international communities on how the Iranian Government is plotting for the disintegration of Nigeria by channeling millions of dollars to their proxies in Nigeria.

Our patience has been stretched beyond the limit, and never again shall we allow the proxies of the Government of Iran to destabilize our country. This must indeed stop forthwith as no amount of money in circulation would make their nefarious plot succeed.

We all know that Amnesty International has been acting the script of the Government of Iran through their often false reports on Nigeria. We also know that vast sums of monies indeed exchanged hands. Our consolation is that the Government of Iran would have no option than to demand a refund from Amnesty International because Nigeria would henceforth reject any report from the stable of Amnesty International since it is evident that their continued stay in Nigeria is for the promotion of terrorism and not the protection of Human Rights.

Nigerians would unite against terrorism, and Amnesty International and their paymasters should look elsewhere for the implementation of their ungodly trade because Nigeria is not fit for their purpose.

The IMN leadership should be notified that Nigerians are aware of their establishment of militant groups under different nomenclatures on the instruction of the Government of Iran to wreak havoc on innocent citizens. We are also aware that their ultimate aim is to make these militant groups deadlier than the Boko Haram terrorist group.

Nigerians have indeed woken up from their slumber and is telling the Government of Iran to leave Nigeria in peace, for we are a peaceful and sovereign country dedicated to sustaining the ideals of democracy.

We refuse to be a part of a terrorist country whose only desire is to see people die and perish. That would not be allowed to happen in Nigeria because Nigeria belongs to Nigerian and not Iranians.

We are consequently using this medium to call on all well-meaning Nigerians as well as the international community to prevail on Iran to quietly leave Nigeria with their bags of blood monies to somewhere else. We do not need them and would never need them.

They should take their blood monies to other places to seek war as Nigerians seek peace and tranquility. This is indeed a statement of fact the Government of Iran must respect in their interest.

Our charge to the international community is simple. Iran must leave Nigeria for their continued stay in Nigeria is of no benefit as we know their mission is to spread terrorism and destabilize the country.

Enough is enough, and the time for Iran to leave Nigeria is now. This message should not be ignored because it is indeed the wishes of the over 180 million Nigerians. The international community must be informed that Nigerians have run out of patience, and our demand must be respected.

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