Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Friday 14th February 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 14/02/20
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#OkadaBan: Group To Take Protest To Venue Of Lagos City Marathon
Lagos residents under the auspices of #OccupyLagos group is set to storm venue of the 2020 Lagos City Marathon in protest against the ban on motorcycle and tricycle in the state.
The group, not satisfied with the ban of two of the most effective transport systems in the state, has resolved to embark on a peaceful protest.
The protesters hope to pass on their demands through the annual marathon race organised by the state.
“We chose that venue as that’s the major event taking place in Lagos on Saturday as well as the large media outlets covering the marathon, the government officials and other citizens of Nigeria,” said one of the organisers of the protest in a chat with our correspondent.
Reeling out the modalities of the protest, the organisers, stated that the protest would not disrupt the planned marathon, adding that they would converge close to the finish line of the race.
The group urged members and Lagos residents willing to join the protest to remain civil and eschew acts that could lead to violence.
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Ihedioha Seeks Review Of Supreme Court Judgment, Says Uzodinma Fraudulently Misled Judges
Emeka Ihedioha, ousted governor of Imo State, has filed for review of the judgment of the Supreme Court that kicked him out of office.
Ihedioha posited that Hope Uzodinma, incumbent governor of Imo, fraudulently misled the court to pronounce him as winner of the election, adding that the judgment should be nullified.
Ihedioha, who is seeking “an order setting aside as a nullity the judgment delivered by the court”, founded his application on the ground that the Court of Appeal had earlier dismissed the petition of Uzodinma as incompetent and struck it out.
He added that while the Supreme Court did not consider the appeal of Uzodinma on this point, the judgment of the Court of Appeal dismissing the petition still stands, adding that there was no basis for the apex court to pronounce the appeal and declare Uzodinma as the winner.
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BREAKING: Supreme Court Sacks Ihedioha As Imo Governor, Declares Hope Uzodinma Winner
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In his application, Ihedioha also noted that, “The judgment was delivered without jurisdiction in that by virtue of S.140(2) of the Electoral Act, once the court says that the election was invalid, the only possible judgment the court is allowed to give is a nullification of the election, and not to declare Hope Uzodinma winner.
“That there was no proof before the court nor did the Supreme Court state how it arrived at the declaration that Hope Uzodinma met the constitutionally required geographical spread. “To meet this requirement, the Supreme Court ought to state the scores and percentages of all the 70 candidates that contested the election, local government by local government.
“This was not done by the Supreme Court and therefore had no basis and jurisdiction to declare Hope Uzodinma winner of the election.
“That the judgment was a nullity having been obtained by fraud or deceit in that Hope Uzodinma fraudulently misled the Supreme Court into holding that a total of 213,495 were unlawfully excluded from his votes.
“The fraud was further orchestrated by the fact that the total votes cast was more than the number of voters accredited to vote. The fraud was further demonstrated by the document tendered by INEC (FORM EC40G) which clearly showed that there were no valid elections in the disputed 388 polling units.
“That the judgment was a nullity because it was given per incuriam, which means that the Supreme Court did not take its attention to some existing laws and facts even on the face of the proceedings.”
Ihedioha also posited that with the declaration of the court, the number of votes have exceeded the number of accredited voters.
He noted that the present application was not subject to the 60 days limitation period in section 285(7) of the constitution “because an application to set aside a null judgment or order is not circumscribed by statutes of limitation, and section 285 (7) of the constitution is, to all intents and purposes, a statute of limitation.”
He urged the apex court to nullify its previous judgment and clean itself of corruption by acting in line with the law by pronouncing him winner of the election.
Ihedioha said, “Justices of this court are human beings capable of erring.
“This court has the power to overrule itself (and has done so in the past) for it gladly accepts that it is far better to admit an error than to preserve an error.
“At this, of all times, our Supreme Court has been afforded this unique opportunity of allaying the fears of those who cast aspersions on the credibility of our courts.
“Your verdict on this matter should match the solemn oath you have taken. Remember that every decision of the Supreme Court involves the good name of the judiciary.
“Prove to the world that the Supreme Court is sacred. Let your verdict help to retain the good graces of our people.”
Uzodinma, who was declared governor of Imo on January 14 by the Supreme Court, said that he would no longer condone protests calling his emergence.
He said, “My government will do all within the ambits of the law to maintain peace and order; those who are engaging in these incessant protests must stop forthwith.
“I took an oath to maintain peace and protect the lives and property of the citizens, I will not fail to deal with any group causing a breach of the peace in the state.”
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E2%80%99s-management-end-academic-crisis Ekiti University Students Urge Institution’s Management To End Academic Crisis
Ekiti State University students have called on the school’s management to make more efforts in ending a crisis with lecturers.
According to the undergraduates, the disengagement of most lecturers of the institution has affected their studies and even delayed the posting of many of them for the National Youth Service Corps.
In a plea broadcast sent on Friday, the students under the platform of National Association of Science Technology Students, said, “On behalf of all the staff, students of the Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Ekiti State University, we forward this protest broadcast to the school management to help us wade into the present predicament ravaging the department.
“It is no longer news that majority of our lecturers have been disengaged leaving us to our own devices.
“The latest development has sparked rumours about the future of students of the department.
“The 2018/2019 graduands are left with no hope of going for National Youth Service Corps as their final year examination scripts are yet to be marked.
“We beseech the school authority to look into our plight as students and help our parents who have been supportive in all areas of our lives.
“We hereby plead with the school management to reinstate our lecturers and save our future.”
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Taraba: Two Persons Killed In Jukun/Tiv Violence
Two persons have been killed in a clash between Jukun and Tiv tribes in Taraba State.
Spokesperson for the police in the state, David Misal, told SaharaReporters that several houses were also burnt when gunmen suspected to be Jukun militia attacked Ibua Village along Wukari-Ibi Road in Ibi Local Government Area on Thursday night.
He said, “Information available to us indicates that gunmen suspected to be Jukun youths, attacked a Tiv village in Ibi LGA and killed two persons.
“Some thatch houses were also burnt in the attack believed to be the lingering crisis between the Jukun and the Tiv in the area.
“The Divisional Police Officer of Ibi is leading a team of police officers on a manhunt of the attackers.”
A local source, Orhembaga Iaregh, told our correspondent that the attackers invaded the village about 7:00pm and shot sporadically before burning the village.
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14,045 Nigerians Repatriated From Libya Since 2017
The National Emergency Management Agency has said that 14,045 Nigerians have voluntarily been brought back home since a repatriation programme was started by the International Organisation for Migration in 2017.
Acting Coordinator for the Lagos Territorial Office, Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this while receiving a new batch of 161 returnees at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport on Thursday night.
He said, “This batch brought the total number of voluntary returnees from Libya to 14,045, which is made up of 8,200 males and 5,845 females.”
According to him, the breakdown of the returning Nigerians showed that there are 48 female adults, four female children, five female infants as well as 102 adult males, one male child and one infant male in the batch of persons brought back home last night.
One of the returnees, a 19-year old girl from Ondo State, told the News agency of Nigeria that she was forced to make the irregular migration to Europe through Libya, because she was unable to meet up with the responsibilities of caring for a child and a mother with mental health issues.
“I was left with the task of fending for my siblings, mother and my daughter. My mother’s relations and friends abandoned us. I was a tailoring apprentice after my husband left us.
“My mum was thrown out of the house because we could not afford to pay for rent,” she narrated.
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E2%80%93falana Too Premature For INEC To Deregister Parties –Falana
Rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has said that it was premature for the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister political parties in the country.
Falana was reacting to the deregistration of 74 out of the existing 102 political parties by INEC on Thursday.
He said, “In deregistering the 74 political parties, INEC has relied on the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fourth Alteration, No 9) Act, 2017 enacted on May 4, 2017, which amended section 222 of the 1999 constitution. The amendment empowers INEC to de-register political parties that fail to win any seat in local and national elections.
“INEC must go the whole hog by complying with section 222 of the constitution which states that political parties that fail to render accounts of their detailed annual statement and analysis of their sources of funds and other assets with similar statements of expenditure.
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“INEC must apply the law with equal force to the remaining political parties.
“LG elections have not been held in 13 states. Since some of the political parties may still win LG elections the law is not ripe for implementation.
“Section 224 says the programmes and manifestoes of political parties shall conform with the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy. The programmes and manifestoes of APC and PDP are completely at variance with chapter 2 of the constitution. So why have there not been implementation?”
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Soldier Kills Police Officer With Anti-Aircraft Gun In Borno
An army corporal has killed a policeman with an Anti-Aircraft Gun following an argument over a lady at Makara area of Gwoza Local Government in Borno State.
The unnamed army personnel killed Sergeant Rowland Tafida, who was among MOPOL Special Forces Team deployed to Gwoza last August on counter-insurgency operations, PRNigeria reports.
It was also learnt that Tafida, a father of two young girls, had already planned to depart Borno on Saturday before he was murdered by the unidentified soldier.
An eyewitness described the killing as “unfortunate and disheartening”, adding that the drama started with an altercation between the corporal and another police officer over a girlfriend.
“Some people intervened and settled the matter when the aggrieved army corporal asked a driver of an anti-aircraft gun truck belonging to his military base to turn and directly face the Limankara Police Training Camp.
“Immediately after turning the vehicle, they opened fire and shot at the camp. It was at that moment Tafida, the late police sergeant, was killed by a stray bullet despite not being involved in the earlier altercation.
“The blast of the anti-aircraft vehicle totally disfigured his left thigh as he was returning to the camp after he went to charge his phone somewhere. He eventually bled to death,” an eyewitness said.
It was gathered that some police officers in Borno protested the killing of Tafida but were pacified by an army major, who is the most senior officer in the location.
PRNigeria later gathered that both the military and police constituted a joint fact-finding committee to unravel the circumstances that gave rise to the ugly incident.
The committee had apprehended the culprit and took him to Maimalari Barrack in Maiduguri.
The military has also taken responsibility for the damaged facilities at the police camp.
The victim’s aunt, Mrs. Zwancit Dazang, lamented that nobody from either the police or army authorities have called to inform them of Tafida’s death.
“We only got to know about our son’s tragic death in the social media. He was dressed in combat boot, jeans and a MOPOL T-shirt, with his rifle strapped on his shoulder, when he was shot.
“The anti-aircraft truck, which is a lethal ammunition, has the ability to bring down a plane or helicopter from the sky.
“This is a dangerous firearm or ammunition that can even destroy an armoured tank. That a soldier will use it to eliminate an innocent, but a fellow security officer like him, is unimaginable,” she said.
Attempts by to get reactions from both the spokespersons of the Nigerian Army and the Police, Colonel Sagir Musa and DCP Frank Mba proved abortive as their mobile line could not be reached while text messages sent were not replied.
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E2%80%93anti-graft-commission-icpc Okoi Obono-Obla Still Wanted –Anti-graft Commission, ICPC
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission has said that the former Chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Obono-Obla, is still wanted by the commission.
ICPC spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa, announced this at a media briefing on the activities of the commission in the last one year.
She said, “Yes, we have read in the media about his being available in the country, that he is making statements on social media platforms.
“We have also made statements to the effect that he should come out from hiding and present himself to ICPC. That is the only way he can clear his name, the only way to move forward.
“We have also heard from media sources how he has been calling ICPC names, saying that commission is in rivalry with his office, and a lot more. That is a lot of hogwash. I have had people call me to say: what do you have to respond to Obono-Obla, saying your chairman is a rival to him? It is hogwash.
“The decent thing is for the gentleman to come to ICPC to clear his name. We are giving him an opportunity to clear his name. After all, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
She also said the commission recovered over N77.04bn assets in one year.
She added, “In the last one year, we have recovered over N77.04bn assets, including N1.16bn in Treasury Single Account (TSA); immovable assets worth N32.038bn and about N41.98bn restrained after the review of MDAs Personnel Cost Expenditure.
“Others were recoveries from project tracking (N0.767bn) and N1.097bn, being the value of constituency projects completed after we forced contractors to sites.
“ICPC has also received 1,934 petitions and concluded investigations on 580 cases. All petitions were duly registered and captured. Quite a good number of the petitions were not within ICPC jurisdiction because they bordered on some issues, like pensions, estate, economic and financial crimes.
“Several of those petitions have been forwarded to the relevant agencies. After those concluded investigations, 83 cases were filed in court. We had 25 convictions in 2019 but some of them were carried over cases.
“ICPC is not shy about naming and shaming of those suspected of corrupt practices but we have to work within the ambit of the law.
“We have named certain corrupt persons when we have reasons to go to court. We are not shy of exposing those who engage in corrupt practices; we only follow the law.
“Our ultimate goal in this anti-corruption war is about the betterment of the people. We believe that the anti-corruption campaign should not happen in a vacuum; it should increase development; it should increase growth. It shouldn’t be about how many people you have thrown into prison.
“Since the bottom line is allowing people to derive benefits from anti-corruption measures/ investigations, if we embroil ourselves in cases, it may take years for people to reap from what we may recover from corrupt elements.”
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Six Persons Arrested For Impersonating Custom Officers In Katsina
The police in Katsina State have arrested six persons for duping residents by pretending to be customs officers.
Spokesperson for the police in the state, Gambo Isah, said the Special Anti-Robbery Squad apprehended the syndicate.
According to Isah, luck ran out on the group after a dismissed soldier, Lawal Abubakar, and five of his colleagues, reportedly defrauded one Mark Udoh of Funtua Local Government Area in Katsina.
They presented themselves to him as officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and offered to sell 600 bags of auctioned rice to him for N7.2m.
Udoh was said to have paid N4.5m to the fraudsters.
Isah said, “Suspects confessed to the commission the offence and role played by each member of the syndicate and amount received as loot.”
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Insecurity: Tone Down Your Anger, Governor Tambuwal Tells Religious Leaders
Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, has asked religious leaders in the country to “tone down” their anger over escalating insecurity in the country.
Tambuwal said President Muhammadu Buhari was doing his best to fight insecurity and that the anger targeted at him was misplaced.
The governor made the comments when Coordinator of the North-West border drill Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Mohammed Aliyu, paid him a visit at the Government House.
He said, “I appeal to our leaders especially religious leaders to kindly moderate and tone down their anger. Let us all support, encourage and work with the president to ensure that we secure Nigeria.
“I appeal to Mr President to as a matter of urgency invite some of these religious leaders and other stakeholders to a closed-door meeting, let them have a fair idea of what the Federal Government is doing.
“Mr President should slightly open his door and allow people to engage him, let him hear them out. It is very important and let them listen to Mr President and possibly leaders of our security service.”
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