Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Tuesday 9th June 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 09/06/20
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Court Orders Interim Forfeiture Of N827m Belonging To NDDC Contractor
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture of N827m recovered from a businessman, Matthew Edevbie, to the Nigerian Government.
Edevbie, Chief Executive Officer, Flank Power Resources Limited, is a contractor with the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Justice Chukwujeku Aneke made the order on Monday following a motion ex-parte filed by the EFCC.
The EFCC through its counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, had told the judge that Edevbie owned a firm, Flank Power Ltd.
“The sum is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud related offences Act, 2006 and Section 44(2)b of the 1999 constitution,” Oyedepo said.
He said the forfeited sum, comprising N616,679,098.32 and N211,000,000.00 was deposited in Flank Power Ltd’s bank account between February 11 and 19.
Justice Aneke granted all the reliefs sought by the EFCC and ordered the forfeiture of the money to government.
He directed the EFCC to advertise the order in any national daily for any interested party to appear before the court within 14 days and show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the government.
The judge adjourned the proceedings till June 29.
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Former US Police Officer Accused Of Murdering George Floyd Granted $1.25m Bail At First Court Appearance
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Derek Chauvin, a former United States police officer accused of murdering an unarmed black man, George Floyd, has been granted bail in the sum of $1.25m.Chauvin appeared in a disturbing video with his knee to Floyd’s neck for eight minutes 46 seconds leading to his death.At his first virtual court appearance, prosecutors cited the “severity of the charges” and public outrage as the reason for upping his bail from $1m, the BBC reports.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Hennepin County Jail
Chauvin faces charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Three other officers were charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Chauvin did not enter a plea as he appeared via teleconference on Monday.He did not speak during the 15-minute hearing and was handcuffed and wearing an orange jumpsuit as he sat on a small table.His lawyer did not object to the bail price.He is currently being held at the Minnesota State Prison in Oak Park Heights after being transferred several times.His next court appearance is set for June 29.
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JAMB Issues Directives To Nigerian Students On How To Access Results
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has said students, who sat for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, can now print their result notification slips.JAMB also announced that tertiary institutions in the country will meet on June 16 to determine cut-off marks for 2020 admissions.Fabian Benjamin, Head of Media and Information for the examination body, said results can be printed free from the board’s website: www.jamb.gov.ng.
He said, “All a candidate needs to do after visiting the site is to click on QUICK LINKS, then on “E-Facility” where the candidate would be required to provide his/her registration details and the result notification slip would be displayed for printing.“The printing of the result notification slip is free as it is different from the original result slip that comes with the candidate’s picture.“Candidates can print their result notification slip anywhere in the country even from the comfort of their homes once there is internet access.“The board has, until now, restricted the printing of result notification slips and had made it available to candidates only through SMS to avoid anxiety on the part candidates as well as prevent clustering at cybercafes with the attendant risk of COVID-19 contagion all in a bid to print result notifications.“This new development, however, is predicated on the gradual easing of the lockdown and resumption of economic activities in most parts of the country.“The board wishes to advise candidates to be wary of fraudulent elements masquerading as JAMB agents stating that it has not mandated any person or group to do the printing on behalf of the Board.“Candidates are to note also that delegating this responsibility to third parties could result in wilful manipulation of their results.“Recall that last year some candidates who abused this privilege by attempting to manipulate their scores were caught and are currently saving various jail terms. Candidates are advised to note that any attempt to forge the slip would attract stiff sanctions.“The decentralisation of printing of result notification slips was done mainly to comply with the directives of the NCDC and other relevant agencies on social distancing. It is against this background that the Board is urging candidates to note that it is incumbent on them to adhere to other precautionary health measures such as wearing of face masks, washing of hands, among others, in order to mitigate the spread of the virus.”
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George Floyd: Police In Ghana Arrest Black Lives Matter Protest Leader For Allegedly Violating COVID-19 Lockdown Rule
More than 60 people gathered for the vigil in Ghana’s capital, Accra
Ernesto Yeboah, organiser of the Black Lives Matter protest in Ghana, has been arrested for allegedly failing to obtain a protest permit and breaking COVID-19 lockdown rules.Police in Ghana fired warning shots to break up a rally against police brutality after arresting the organiser, BBC reports.More than 60 people attended the vigil in Accra, one of a wave of Black Lives Matter rallies across the world.
More than 60 people gathered for the vigil in Ghana’s capital, Accra
AFP
His lawyer Francis, Xavier Sosu, said the charges are “baseless”, adding that the protest leader did not break the law because police were notified in advance.At Saturday’s rally in Ghana’s capital, Accra, the protesters were also highlighting police brutality in the West African country.They chanted: “We are not free until we are all free.”A joint police and military team forcibly dispersed the crowd on Saturday before arresting Yeboah.When his fellow protesters demanded his release, police fired warning shots.
Ghana
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Schools May Reopen In Nigeria When Interstate Travel Ban Is Lifted, Minister Says
Emeka Nwajiuba
Emeka Nwajiuba, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Education, has said schools in the country may reopen after the ban on interstate travels had been lifted.The Nigerian Government in March closed all schools indefinitely as part of measures to curb the spread of Coronavirus.Nwajiuba said this while speaking during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja daily briefing on Monday.
Emeka Nwajiuba
ChannelsTV
He maintained that a date for reopening had not been decided upon during considerations on students safety.He said, “We want to open when it is safe to do so. We have heard about neighbouring countries that opened and shut. We have heard about cases spiking with children getting into school. Of all the things I will like to do, I will not like to experiment with your children.“We want a situation where once we are sure it is safe, we can then take them into school.“I had a meeting with the representatives of WAEC and NABTEB and I understand how that worries our parents at the moment and how anxious our children are to know what next.“As soon as those in charge of the blockade lift it because there is no way we can open our schools if teachers can’t come. So, we are looking at somewhere after the interstate lockdown is lifted. Because we will need that kind of openness for the children to move.”
Education
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Allow People Decide If They Want To Remain In Nigeria Or Not, Nnamdi Kanu Tells President Buhari’s Government
IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has asked the Nigerian Government to allow people self-determine if they wish to remain a part of the country or not.Kanu, who is calling for Eastern Nigeria to secede and become the Republic of Biafra, said it was unfair to merge people together against their wish.In a broadcast on Monday, the IPOB leader also said that Nigerians must condemn the attacks on Christians in Southern Kaduna.
IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu
He said, “I am against the slaughtering of Christians from Southern Zaria. I am against the persecution and killing of people from any ethnic group in Nigeria. That is what we are against.“We must stand-up to condemn evil and speak at all times truth. That is why I revered the legendary musician Fela Kuti because he spoke the truth.“Allow the people to decide where they want to belong. After all Alaska is nearer Canada but they decided to be in the United States.”
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Be Prepared For Your Independence Happening Soon, Nnamdi Kanu Tells Biafrans
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University Of Alberta Staff Demand Justice For George Floyd
Concerned faculty and staff of University of Alberta, Canada, have demanded racial equality and justice for George Floyd.
Floyd, a black American man, died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck during his arrest.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with second degree murder, while three other officers present have been taken into custody.
In a statement on Monday, the academic community noted that Floyd’s death was one of the “transgenerational violence historically condoned by institutional structures in American society, known for its systemic racism, and aided and abetted by the silence of the majority of its members”.
It alleged that the knee from the primary assassin symbolically represented a venomous system engaged in the degradation of black lives.
The statement reads, “The assassination of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, by four uniformed Minneapolis police officers offends our collective sensibilities as human beings, scholars, members of the University of Alberta academic community and individuals with variegated identities and roles in families drawn from around the world.
“The fact that the four individuals responsible for this homicide were actually paid police officers who had sworn an oath to protect and serve members of the community simply magnifies our sense of revulsion, horror and dismay over this incident.
“Those three words: ‘I can’t breathe’ expressed the collective asphyxiation that has constricted the hopes, dreams and progress of people of colour since the days of slavery.
“While four police officers are now charged with the horrific death of Floyd, we must acknowledge that they were not the engineers of the system that made such a despicable act possible. They were merely on a short shift as ‘technicians’; an extreme example of a much deeper, complex, heinous and structural problem.
“We know this because Floyd’s death is only the latest in a constellation of brutal and barbaric acts of police violence perpetrated on minorities, particularly black people, in the United States.
“We hope that this moment calls attention to the need for a fairer and more equitable world. Words are no longer enough. Arrest is not conviction. Justice must be served. Those in authority need to act now.
“We urge those in positions of leadership and law enforcement to commit to removing their knees from the necks of the socially marginalized, and allow them to breathe.
“That knee from the primary assassin symbolically represented a venomous system engaged in the degradation of black lives. It essentially represented a knee on the necks of people of colour; something that is reflected in life expectancy differential, unemployment rate, incarceration rate, education gap, wealth gap, health inequity, and more recently, casualty figures from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Daily micro and macro aggressions, routine denial of opportunity and racialized violence impact the lives of indigenous peoples in this country.”
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Good Tiding Of Hope From Governor Uzodinma By Peter Claver Oparah
Peter Claver Oparah
Recently, Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, signed into law a bill seeking to abrogate the huge pensions paid to former governors and their deputies, former Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the Imo State House of Assembly. By that well-lauded and well-received move, the governor who is a potential beneficiary of that life-long largesse, capped a notorious well head through which scarce resources that should attend to growing needs of the citizenry, are deployed to perpetually service the interests of former political appointees, most of whom excelled in pauperizing their respective states in the name of governance.
The action of the governor was one of the practical ways of plugging the rat holes through which public funds are diverted to attend to the interests of a privileged few while the general interests continue to suffer. It was a deft effort to save state resources from being salted as the interests of the masses plunge. It is laudable. It is recommendable. It is lofty. It is noble and speaks volumes of the rising profile of the governor as one who is ruled by a higher passion to serve the people and not worsen their afflictions.
Governor Uzodinma was not under any compulsion to abrogate this notorious practice. He was under no pressure to do away with this self-serving flipside to governance in Nigeria. He owes nobody any explanation if he had decided to continue the process. In fact, he stands to benefit from it if he didn’t repeal it. But that he waded through what should be his lucrative self-interest to stop this haemorrhage on the public treasury marks him out as a well-meaning patriot with an intention to make a difference in the content and substance of governance.
Peter Claver Oparah
The decision to do away with this deliberate gash and abuse of the public treasury-for that is what paying humongous pension to erstwhile political office holders is-has drawn widespread public acclaim for Uzodinma and had scaled up his profile amongst a wide spectrum of the Nigerian populace. It has notched up the public perception of the governor and has retched up for him an impressive persona in the Nigerian political space.
For a long time, Nigerians have bemoaned the hefty amount of money deployed as pensions and gratuities to former political office holders. What is annoying about this is that sometimes these so-called pensions are more than their pay cheque while in office. Again, most of these former governors and speakers and their deputies vandalized their state treasury while in power. Continuing to pamper them with little resources that should be deployed to ameliorate the damages they left remains an imponderable liability to their states. Even some of these governors waltzed their ways to power through illegal means and were removed a few months after they got to power yet they are beneficiaries of this illicit largesse.
In stopping this huge drain on the lean resources of Imo State, Governor Uzodinma has etched an indelible imprimatur on the minds of average Imolites that he indeed came to serve and attend to the interests of the masses. He has shown the light and every other state and of course the Federal Government should follow suit and stop this reckless liberty with the scarce resources meant to serve the people. The citizens of every state and indeed Nigeria, should step up advocacy for the abrogation of these illicit perks just as Imo has done. Political office shouldn’t be a pensionable office so all Nigerians must align with Governor Uzodinma and stop this corrupt debauchery. Investing this humongous burden on states that are already suffocating in the grips of scarce resources to deal with increasing needs is wicked. Everything must be done to free struggling states from this unwieldy burden.
The action of Uzodinma is a message of hope that should seep through for the good of all. It indeed complements a salutary performance trajectory that has been coming from Imo State since Governor Uzodinma began his rule and points to a future that every Imolite can confidently be proud of, if he continues the way he has been going.
Ikeja, Lagos.E-mail: peterclaver2000@yahoo.com
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Rape Is Not A Family Affair But A Criminal Offence By Evans Ufeli Esq
Sexual assault and rape are two very common offences that have become a recurring decimal in recent times in Nigeria. We are daily inundated with rape and sexual violence cases and the murder of its victims every day.
Most offenders do not know the legal implication of the above-mentioned offences until they are charged to court.
The offence of rape is founded when a man have canal knowledge with a woman without her consent or with her consent but when such consent was obtained by duress, fraud, intimidation and/or impersonation of a spouse.
The offence is completed upon penetration, no matter how slightly the penis or any other object is used in the vagina, the offence is complete. Once the res is in the res and the libia minora is penetrated by the penis or any other object, the offence is committed.
The penalty for the offence of rape under the criminal code is life imprisonment while an attempted rape attracts 14 years imprisonment. This must be emphasized so that everyone will be aware of the consequences of such action.
Sexual assault is founded where you touch a woman inappropriately or indecently or where you use improper language to express or share your desire or cravings to engage her in sexual intercourse with her without her consent. This is one offense that people often overlook because people hardly press charges in this regard. But it must be said that times have changed and it’s no longer business as usual.
At workplaces, higher institutions, neighbourhoods and on the streets; the demand for illicit s** is huge. More dangerously is the fierce demand sometimes to have it at all cost. This obsession leads to sexual offences and most times, sexual violence.
Women are speaking up now more than ever before and even if they don’t, the Internet will amplify your devious craft.
Someone is watching.
You must remember the aforesaid are criminal offences and not family affairs. Rape is not a family affairs but a criminal offense. Children are defiled on daily bases under their guidance and sometimes by their parents or relatives and house helps as their tender vaginas are ruptured by heartless men or women while they’re left in utter distress.
It is believed that the high use of sexual enhancement drugs which powers the manhood and intensify sexual urges and performance contributes immensely to the case at hand. Whilst you are at liberty to live your life as it pleases you remember your health is a fundamental component of your life and you must not lose it on account of sexual offence and/or death instigated by drugs.
If you commit any sexual offence you will be caught. You will face humiliation and be sentenced accordingly. The judiciary has zero tolerance for sexual offenders. You can get as high as 21 years imprisonment to life sentence, depending on the criminal laws of the state wherein the offence was committed.
In some states like Lagos, if you aid anyone or facilitate the commission of the offence, by observing the actual commission, without reporting to the appropriate authorities or by providing an apartment for the purposes of the commission of the offence or by indulging in any act connected thereto, you are an enabler and if found guilty on these grounds, you may be sentenced for as long as three years imprisonment as an accessory after the fact (a person who knowingly aids someone who has committed an arrestable offence.)
The sensational and temporary pleasure you crave for to assuage your lust, by perpetrating sexual offences will most certainly be counter-productive and this may extinguish your dreams and land you in our rundown correctional facilities where you will obtain all manner of diseases occasioned by poor hygiene, bad food and zero medical care.
You don’t want to go to the Nigerian prison. Do you? Don’t ruin your life.
I have heard you say the corroboration required by at least a witness in a case of defilement or rape is unreasonable.
I agree.
There is more to the discourse that you need to know. The Supreme Court has ruled that such a witness can be dispensed with if the court has a reason to believe the victim without any such corroborative evidence. And sometimes, the evidence required under the law need not be a witness.
In the case of LUCKY v. THE STATE (2016) LPELR-40541 (SC), the Supreme Court held thus, “In cases of an under-aged prosecutrix (victim), eg, a charge under section 218 of the Criminal Code Act (defilement of girls under thirteen years;).”
A prosecution for either of the offences defined in this section shall be begun within two months after the offence is committed.
A person cannot be convicted of either of the offences defined in this section ( i.e rape and defilement) upon the uncorroborated testimony of one witness.), corroboration is required.
“Whether any particular evidence can be corroboration is for the judge to decide and decide the weight to be attached to it.
“In this regard, the distressed condition of the prosecutrix (victim) soon after the unlawful sexual intercourse may amount to corroboration. See R v. Redpath (1962) 46 Arp R p. 319.
“Corroboration, in this case, means evidence that supports the evidence of the prosecutrix (victim).
“Corroboration is not restricted only to evidence of a witness pointing to the appellant as the person who committed the offence. This is not the position of the law.
“S** is usually not performed in the presence of a third party. In most cases, it is a hidden act performed behind closed doors, away from prying eyes. It is rare to get a witness to give evidence on oath that he saw the appellant have s** with the prosecutrix (victim)” Per Rhodes-Vivour, J. S. C. (Pp. 47-48, Paras. C-A).
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Shocks, And More Domestic Shocks From COVID-19 FBNQuest By Gregory Kronsten
We are indebted to the National Bureau of Statistics for its recent poll to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the population. The bureau’s telephone coverage of the same 1,950 households it contacted in 2018/19 within its general household survey does not make pleasant reading. It held between 20 April and 11 May, and therefore covers the period of the FGN lockdown. A follow-up after another three months may give an idea of the extent to which the damage has been made good. The World Bank gave its support on the technical side and will, we hope, back a repeat survey.
On employment, the survey found that 42 per cent of respondents had been working before the outbreak but had since lost their jobs. Interestingly, there were not huge differences per income group, with the ratio 45 per cent for the poorest quartile and 39 per cent for the richest quartile.
In terms of sectors, the hit was greatest in commerce, services and agriculture. Services and retail are particularly vulnerable to a lockdown: we need look no further than the impact on restaurants, bars, family celebrations, cultural events and shopping. When we read across to FBNQuest’s manufacturing PMI for May, we find that the reading for the workforce was below neutral in common with all sub-indices – but did not crash.
The hit from COVID-19, not forgetting the related collapse of the crude oil price at the time, has highlighted the fragility of household finances and the very modest safety net for the population. The most interesting chart in the bureau’s note in our view, covers coping mechanisms for shocks. It shows that 51 per cent of respondents reduced their consumption of food and 29 per cent drew on savings. The next three mechanisms were cuts in non-food consumption, support from friends and family, and additional income-generating activities (We would have expected households to cut non-food before food consumption).
In advanced economies, the mechanisms would include one-off support from the state such as a furlough scheme and regular government benefits to cover unemployment and housing. Common to developing and advanced economies are food banks or their equivalent.
An extended lockdown is an indulgence that only advanced economies can afford because they can shield the majority with fiscal resources. The Japanese package of measures to date has been estimated at close to 20 per cent of GDP. Germany has now shown the way forward with a second set of policies to stimulate the domestic economy post-COVID. Most advanced economies will be unable to match the combination of tax cuts and spending increases, estimated at 4 per cent of GDP. At this point, analysts can create sub-categories of healthy and stretched public finances in advanced economies.
On education, the bureau finds that 81 per cent of households had no contact with their children’s teachers during lockdown. The ratio is worst for the poorest quartile, and so tallies with evidence from advanced economies that children in poor families are the losers from lockdown because for whatever reason they benefit the least from e-teaching.
Finally, in terms of the shocks themselves, we learn that the No 1 was increases in the price of major food items. This was reported by 85 per cent of respondents. The inflation data show food m/m price increases in March and April that were steady but far from spectacular. Possibly the May report from the NBS will give a different story.
Gregory Kronsten is the Head, Macroeconomics and Fixed Income Research, FBNQuest
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