Sahara Reporters Latest News Saturday 17th August 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Saturday 17th August 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 17/08/19

E2%80%99tigress-meet-mali-final target=_blank>AfroBasket: D’Tigress To Meet Mali In Final

Nigeria’s senior national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have qualified for the final of the ongoing 2019 AfroBasket Women’s championship in Dakar, Senegal.
D’Tigress, defending champions of the competition, defeated their Malian counterpart 79-58 on Friday to advance to the final as they strive to retain the trophy they won in 2017.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the team won the semis against Mali.
Nigeria’s Ezinne Kalu was the star player with 19 points, while Mali’s Meiya Riders had 14 points.
D’Tigress had earlier thrashed DR Congo 79-46 in the quarter-finals, demolished Cameroon 106-39 and crushed Tunisia 75-26 in the group stage.
The championship, which began on August 10 will end on Sunday.
Nigeria will now face winner of the Senegal versus Mozambique match in the final on Sunday.

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target=_blank>Fraud: CSO Gives Oyo-Ita 72 Hours To Resign Or Face Protest

A Civil Society Organisation, Independent Public Service Watch, has called for the resignation of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, following allegation of N3bn fraud against her.
The CSO in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by its Executive Secretary, Mr Okpanachi Jacob, vowed to commence nationwide protest against her if she fails to resign within 72 hours.
It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is investigating Oyo-Ita over the alleged N3bn contract scam, abuse of duty tour allowance, money laundering, among others.
The group said it would henceforth take legal action against the likes of Oyo-Ita to ensure that public servants facing corruption trial vacate their seats pending the outcome of their investigation.
The statement said, “As stakeholders in the Nigeria project, we shall henceforth go all out including seeking legal means to ensure that public servants facing corruption trial vacate their seats pending the outcome.
“We hereby issue a 72-hour ultimatum to Mrs Oyo-Ita to resign from office barring which we shall massively mobilise our civil society partners to picket wherever Oyo-Ita is.
“It is worrisome and unacceptable that the Head of Civil Service of the Federation that is central to the fight against corruption is involved in corrupt practices.
“There is no way the service can be reformed when its head is enmeshed with series of allegations of corruption.”

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E2%80%93government target=_blank>Real Reason We Returned El-Zakzaky to Nigeria –Government

The Government of Nigeria on Friday gave reasons why it brought back leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenat, to the country.
In a statement by the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Grace Isu Gekpe, in Abuja on Friday, the government said that the religious leader planned to seek asylum in India rather than undergo medical treatment and return back to Nigeria to face his ongoing trial.
The statement reads: “The Federal Government wishes to inform the public about the latest development in the Ibraheem El-Zakzaky medical trip controversy to India.
“The government notes with dismay the acts of misconduct exhibited by El-Zakzaky that necessitated his repatriation.
“The earlier statement of August 14, 2019, by the government addressed the issues that would have raised some questions with the latest occurrences and particularly the uncelebrated return of El-Zakzaky from India.
“The public may note that El-Zakzaky’s actions in India demonstrated malicious intents that were capable of embarrassing the governments of Nigeria and India.
“With total disrespect and complete loss of decorum for international procedures while in India, he initiated contacts with a team of lawyers led by Ali Zia Kabir Chaudary and Gunjan Singh in that country.
“He also contacted some non-governmental organisations such as the Islamic Human Rights Commission and other Shiite groups.
“His aim was to seek asylum and eventually relocate to another country. It is important to note that if an Indian court had granted El-Zakzaky asylum or leave to travel to another country, it would have violated the Nigerian court order that granted him permission to travel for medical treatment.
“However, he used the opportunity of being in India to attempt to internationalise his cause by mobilising the rights groups.
“Even most unfortunate and rather embarrassing as earlier stated, was his quest to be relocated to a five-star hotel to receive visitors instead of being admitted in the hospital as a sick person he claimed to be.
“In spite of his misconduct, El-Zakzaky’s spouse went further to antagonise the Indian and Nigerian security agents and accused the latter of killing her children.
“These acts were aimed at winning international sympathy as well as disparaging the Nigerian government.
“Having subordinated the quest for medical treatment to other ulterior motives, it became obvious that El-Zakzaky was focused on realising some sinister motives, thus the decision to return him to Nigeria.”

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target=_blank>Nigeria To Appeal London Court Ruling On $9bn Assets Seizure

The Government of Nigeria has said that it would appeal Friday’s ruling of a court in London order about $9bn worth of its assets to be given to Process and Industrial Development Limited for breach of contract.
In a statement on Friday evening by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Dayo Apata, the government instructed its lawyers to appeal against the ruling.
Friday’s ruling by the London court was the culmination of a case, which started in 2010 when an agreement to build a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River State, collapsed between Nigeria and the Irish firm after the former failed to live up to its side of the deal, according to a report by cityam.com.

target=_blank>#RevolutionNow: Lawyer Petitions Lagos Police Boss Over Alleged Theft Of Protesters Phones

A lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has petitioned the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, over the theft of his client’s phone during the #RevolutionNowprotests in the state on August 5, 2019.
Effiong, who is representing Elias Ozikpu, a participant in the protest, said police officers detailed to the venue stole his client’s mobile phone (HTC Desire 10 Pro) while arresting him.
Ozikpu through his lawyer is seeking full investigation into the matter and the police officers involved as well as claims by other protesters, who are yet to find their valuables after they were arrested.
The petition reads: “We are legal practitioners representing Comrade Elias Ozikpu on whose instructions and behalf we write this petition, and we shall subsequently refer to him as “our client”.
“Our client while participating in the peaceful protest on the 5th day of August, 2019 at the National Stadium vicinity, Surulere, Lagos, was arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police Force detailed to the venue where the peaceful protest was carried out.
“In the course of effecting the arrest of our client, his mobile phone (HTC Desire 10 Pro) was forcefully taken away by one of the policemen.
“Please find attached to this petition the pictorial evidence of the policemen that carried out the arrest of our client which also shows one of the officers that seized the mobile phone of our client holding it (marked as Appendix “A”).
“Our client in his statement to the police at the State CID, Panti, on the same date he was arrested, stated how one of the policemen forcefully took his mobile phone and despite entreaties that his phone should be returned to him, same has not been done till date.
“Please find attached to this petition a pictorial evidence of our client with his phone during the peaceful protest (marked as Appendix “B”).

“It is apparent that the intention of the policeman that forcefully took our client’s phone is to deprive him permanently of the ownership and use of his phone and thus unscrupulously convert our client’s phone to his own property which in our respectful view amounts to robbery, punishable under Section 295 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
“The act of robbing our client of his property by a law enforcement officer is not only a crime punishable by law but also a grievous misconduct under the Police Regulations and Code of Conduct.
“Such a misdeed which was carried out under the guise of arrest is reprehensible and should not be condoned under any circumstance.
“We humbly ask that a thorough investigation should be carried out with a view to unravelling the identity of the officer who robbed our client.
“It is also our request that our client’s phone should be returned and the indicted officer be disciplined and prosecuted accordingly.”

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E2%80%99s-close-ally target=_blank>ICPC Fires Obono-Obla’s Close Ally

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has fired Celsus Ukpong, right-hand man of Okoi Obono-Obla, suspended Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel, according to a report by TheCable.
Ukpong, who filed a suit against officials of the Nigeria Football Federation over allegations of corruption in May, had his appointment terminated via a letter dated August 9, 2019 following a disciplinary procedure.
He had courted controversy when he described himself as the “chief legal officer” of ICPC in the suit against the NFF, a claim that was denied by the commission.
According to ICPC, Ukpong had been redeployed from the SPIP since December 2018 to the Sokoto office and was therefore no longer officially with the panel, thereby unable to act on behalf of the commission.
In a letter dated February 14, 2019, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, had directed the chairman of SPIP to release Ukpong immediately.
Following his failure to report to the Sokoto office after reportedly collecting relocation allowance, ICPC opened a disciplinary procedure against him.
He was accused of breaching the civil service rules as well as the conditions of service by his failure to proceed on transfer or accept posting and for going away without official leave.
His dismissal is with immediate effect, according to documents seen by TheCable.

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E2%80%99s-ex-officials-over-property-sale target=_blank>Kwara To Probe State’s Ex-officials Over Property Sale

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Friday said that his administration will soon institute legal action against some past public office holders in the state over the unauthorised sale of government property.
He made the disclosure in Ilorin, the capital, while receiving the final report of the committee on the review of sales/disposal of government property.
He said, “We will not discard the report because that would be a waste of time and resources.
“We will definitely look at it. And we will find judicial solutions for the good of the state, in particular and the nation, at large.”
AbdulRazaq added that the committee might be called upon to make clarifications whenever the government feels.

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target=_blank>Pirates Seize Three Russian Sailors In Cameroon

Three Russian crew members of a cargo ship have been abducted by pirates near the port of Douala in southern Cameroon, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday said.
The cargo ship “Marmalaita” belonging to the Danish company, Ultrabulk, carrying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, was attacked by unknown people on Thursday.
According to the Russian Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroonian authorities and representatives of the ship-owner company are taking steps to clarify the incident, the statement said.
Russian diplomats are actively working with Cameroonian authorities and the ship-owner to facilitate the quick release of the Russian citizens, a report by Xinhua, said.

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E2%80%8B target=_blank>#RevolutionNow: Sowore, Journalists And The Rest Of Us By Ademola Orunbon?

Omoyele Sowore

SaharaReporters Media

When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty… Thomas Jefferson
In political science, a revolution (Latin: revolutio, “a turn around”) is a fundamental power and political organisation which occurs when the population reverts against the government, typically due to perceived oppression (political, social, economic) or political incompetence. In book (V) of the politics, the Ancient Greek Philosopher, Aristotle (384-322BC) described two types of political revolution. (1) Complete change from one constitution to another, and (2), Modification of an existing constitution.
Revelation have occurred through human history and very widely in terms of methods, duration and motivating ideology. Their result include major changes in culture, economic and socio-political institutions, usually in response to perceived overwhelming autocracy or plutocracy. Revolution is not about breaking down of laws and orders but for the creation of reasonable opportunities for growth and development. After 20 years we started on the path of civil rule, we have now arrived at the point where democracy and its much-hyped instruments of “checks and balances”? have been rigged against us.
Scholarly debates about what does and does not constitute a revolution centre on several issues. Early studies of revolutions primarily analysed events in European history from a psychological perspective, but more modern examinations include global events and incorporate perspectives from several social sciences, including sociology and political science. Several generations of Scholarly thought on revolutions have generated many competing theories and contributed much to current understanding of this complex phenomenon.
Now, a government that apportions high grades to itself on its supposed achievements should also retain self-composure when a revolution is mentioned. They should be confident that people are satisfied enough with their lot under their administration and would laugh at the purveyors of revolution. Yet, the government was so jittery it brought out more armed forces to fight protesters than they do with herdsmen. Their panic and desperation to declare “democratic victory” over an unfolding reality is telling. They fear the arousing power of assemblies to destabilise the alternative reality they have made official narratives.
The scuttled and crippled of the #RevolutionNow protests last week by government security agents against the government ineptitude by deploying all the armed forces to the states of the federation was totally undemocratic and uncivilised, it was also a declaration of such repressive behaviour a “democratic victory”. The irony of that assertion hits one hard. No thanks to alternative facts such as this one, Nigeria these days sometimes feel like being fed up and trapped inside an Orwellian reality. Moreover, if the government confidence enough according to reports being fed us on the pages of newspapers, then one should not let them get away with their delusions that Nigerians ignored the protests because they believe in the promise of the present administration.
It is the belief of many that democracy should guarantee people good life. A stable democracy piloted by visionary leaders who possess the intellectual clouts to see issues at their broader and more complex perspectives should ensure a strong, stable, vibrant, virile economy with an enabling peaceful and stable political environment. Under a condition like this, the citizens can benefit maximally and fullest from democracy – good living condition, employment generations, security of lives and property and even equal opportunities for self-actualization.
It must be the quest for a society where every individual can pursue his or her own aspirations using his or her God given potentials to the fullest that made many Nigerians take the battle for democracy with seriousness it deserved. But our democracy had been bastardised through bad leadership and non-challance of our leaders who tend to upturn our constitution for their selfishness and achieve their aims and aspirations. Where is in our constitution that deprive the people of gathering and freedom of speech. Our constitution entrenched people freedom of speech and belonging to any political party of our choice. The our leaders now endorsed a draconian legislature through “hate speech” in order to silent people from expressing their grievances and register their objectives or against their goverment of slavery.
Instead of Nigerians to forget or jettison the hardship being experienced during the military eras, but till date the consequences of our democracy incursion, hunger, diseases and ignorance became the lot of Nigerians. Life became a thing to endure rather than enjoy. Or how else could we called the brutality of journalists at the #RevolutionNow protest, a fourth estate of the realms, now became a punching bag before the police and other security agents. Imagine, Victor Ogungbenro, a SaharaReporters videographer, being teargassed directly in the eyes and assaulted even after hitting the deck. This kind of executive and police rascality has no place in a democracy.
Imagine, dragging of journalists on bare floor by police, is totally uncivilised, undemocratic and against the rule of the laws, Mr. Victor Ogungbenro of Saharareporters, videographer was teargassed directly in the eyes and assaulted even after hitting the deck. All this kind of executive and police rascality has no place in a democracy, journalists need to accorded with respect and enough regards by the security agents, especially as the fourth estate of the realms. A responsible government and police must know how to separate protesters from Journalists, even though protesters do not deserve that kind of treatment from our security agents. It is here in Nigeria that our security will molest, brutalise, maim and kill innocent citizens with any apprehension, in advanced country like U.S, U.K and others, when you were arrested unlawfully or approached unjustly, they will be pleading every now and then. Even, they wanted to arrest you, they will still pacifying you, all because they don’t wanted to violate your right and your fundamental human right. But, here in Nigeria the reverse is the case.
There are some Journalists in the custody of DSS, among them is the Ibrahim Dan-Halilu, a former political Editor of Daily Trust newspaper, he too was picked up and whisked away by DSS around 2am for allegedly supporting the activities of #RevolutionNow in a Facebook post. Dan-Halilu happened to a former staunch supporter and loyalist of President Muhammadu Buhari before the 2015 general elections, there is nothing bad in pulling out of any government seemed to be anti-peoples’ policies and doctrines. But, once you stop being loyal to the present administration, you become a wanted for DSS and police will be hunting for you. What Dan-Halilu posted on his Facebook’s timeline doesn’t warranty of arresting him, how much more of detaining him for just no concrete and cogent reason.
Most of our leaders in this country too called for revolution in 2014, when most of the were not then at corridors of other, now that they have founded themselves in that shoe especially with the government of incessant killings of innocent souls, kidnapping of poor and rich in the society, they now keep mum, enduring as if the heat does not affect them at all. When they came into power in 2015, this government claimed they would solve three major problems of insecurity, economy and corruption. And on the three, this government has awarded itself some inordinately high scores. Even when Nigerians say and feel otherwise, they insist they have done enough to justify the faith reposed in them. After Nigeria was also declared the poverty capital of the world, they came up with a counter-narrative of having lifted five million Nigerians out of extreme poverty. They said they have empowered 12 million rice farmers, revolutionised rice farming to the point that rice factories in Thailand are shutting down because they lost Nigeria’s customers, while many Nigerians as at today wallowing in extreme poverty. Even electricity generation was said to have “notionally” hit 7,000 MW, lies that far from the truth.
It is perturbed to be seeing our government dialogue with killer herdsmen and bandits right inside government house, while a common man that fighting for their rights will be chasing and maiming by our security agents, what a country are we living in. When I see our DSS and other security agents brutalising fellow Nigerians, I usually shed tears, is DSS even meant to be arrested and prosecuted, it is no with capital one. They are meant to gather information, especially ones that deals with security and feed the President in order to take a proactive measures against the breaches of laws and orders in the country. They are now became an agent of political witch-hunting for our politicians. When we were so young, we seldom and hardly see the DSS moving around the street, take less of arresting and harassing people in the country.

Orunbon, a journalist and public affairs analyst, wrote in from Abeokuta, Ogun State.

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Nigerian Army Vows To End Insurgency, Buries Five Soldiers

The Nigerian Army has vowed to end insurgency by Boko Haram and restore peace and stability to the country especially the North-East region.
Incoming Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj-Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, said this in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Friday during the the burial of five soldiers killed in the line of duty.
Adeniyi said that the military would not rest until it had totally defeated Boko Haram terrorists troubling the peace of the country.
He said, “On behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, I wish to commiserate with the families of the fallen heroes.
“What happened is sad, but I want their families to know that they did not die in vain; they died for Nigeria, they died for their fatherland.
“I promised you; we will not sleep, rest or give Boko Haram insurgents any respite, we will return normalcy to the North-East.”

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