Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Thursday 13th August 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 13/08/20
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DSS Releases Former CBN Deputy Governor, Mailafia, After Six Hours Of Interrogation
A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Obadiah Mailafia, who was invited by the Department of State Services for questioning over some allegations he made on the security situation in the country, has been released after six hours of grilling.
Malaifiya, who reported to the Jos office of the DSS at about 12:48pm, was accompanied by his lawyers, Pius Akubo (SAN) and Yakubu Bawa.
Hundreds of his supporters also stormed the Kuba Road office of the DSS, carrying playcards and waited till his release at about 6:30pm.
Mailafia had during a radio programme on Monday said that repentant Boko Haram members had revealed to him that a serving Northern governor was a commander of the terrorist group.
VIDEO: Repentant Bandits Named One Northern Governor As Boko Haram Commander In Nigeria —Former CBN Deputy Governor, Mailafia #BokoHaram WATCH FULL VIDEO: pic.twitter.com/MQK19jnG3u— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) August 11, 2020
FLASH: DSS Invites Former CBN Chief, Obadiah Mailafia, Over Interview Where He Revealed A Northern Governor Leads Boko Haram In Nigeria And Plans To Ignite Civil War— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) August 11, 2020
Following his release from custody, the former CBN Deputy Governor thanked his family members, the media for their support, adding that he didn’t regret the comments he made.
Addressing his supporters, he said he was treated professionally by the DSS.
He said a section of the 55 minutes interview was lifted, leaving the context in which he made the statement.
He stated, “We had a lively and intense interview over a radio interview I granted. That interview which was meant for an FM radio station, some just picked the clip, a small section of the 55 minutes broadcast and put it on social media and it went very very far all over the country, raising a lot of concerns.
“What I want to say is that, yes, all of those words were made by me, you know if the whole of the 55 minutes was played out, the context of what I said of what I said in a small clip that went viral would have become clearer.
“This is is not the time to disown what I said. Yes, I was privy to some very sensitive information which all statesmen are entitled to have by virtue of our public roles. I know that I should have taken more care to corroborate some of the information I received, but perhaps some of it was uncorroborated. I was in no position to follow them to the camp to corroborate what was going on.
“But I am not a sensationalist, I am an economist and a central banker, by nature we are not given to sensation.”
Speaking further, he said “Let me make it clear, I am a humanist, I am a man of peace. Even my name Mailafiya means a man if peace. From the bottom of my heart, I love our country daily and I abhor all the killings and violence which the innocent people of this country have been subjected to.
“I pray that Nigeria will never experience another civil war. I also pray that the killings will stop in Zamfara, Daura, in Katsina, in Birnin Gwari, in my beloved Southern Kaduna, in the whole of the middle belt, in Borno, Adamawa and other places.
“The most elementary duty of government is to protect its citizens. When a government fails to protect its citizens, to protect little children that is a serious matter. Let also said that any innocent boy or girl that is killed is my own child.
“I love Nigeria. Like Mandela, let me say if need be, I am prepared to give my life for Nigeria. Let us join hand together to build a new country, let us work together to safe our country and I pray that all of us will do our part to maintain the peace and make sure that our country make progress.
“I want to thank the officials of the State Department, they have done a tremendous job, they treated me professionally, I have not been rough-handled and they have been very very fair and gracious to me.”
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ISWAP Is Already In Nigeria, Says Akeredolu
Ondo Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, Inaugurates Operation Amotekun In State
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has said that the Islamic State’s West Africa Province was already in Nigeria.
Akeredolu made the statement during an interview on Channels Television, which was monitored by our correspondent.
The governor said Amotekun will help fight ISWAP and others terrorists in the region.
Ondo Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, Inaugurates Operation Amotekun In State ( 11 Aug, 2020)
He said, “What we know is that insurgency is already here, ISWAP is already in Nigeria. All of us know and these people have tendencies of issue of territory.
They want to have hold of a particular territory until they are strong. That will be their launching pad.
“Some of us believe that those who involve in kidnapping are not necessarily herders, those who are Fulani herdsmen.
“A number of people we have found in recent time don’t even speak any Nigeria languages so we have fear that they are gradually migrating down.
“What we know is that we are determined to protect our territory that is why we have come up with Amotekun.
“Amotekun will be right inside the forest so nobody will have opportunity of moving.”
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Ondo Governor, Akeredolu, Inaugurates Operation Amotekun In State
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Former United States Ambassador To Nigeria, Walter Carrington, Is Dead
A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, is dead.
This was confirmed in a statement signed by his wife, Arese Carrington, on Wednesday.
The statement reads, “It is with a heavy and broken heart but with gratitude to God for his life of selfless humanity that I announce the passing of my beloved husband Walter Carrington, former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and Senegal.
“He passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones at the age of 90 years old on Tuesday, August 11, 2020.
“Further announcements will be made shortly.“Walter was a loving husband, father, grandfather, cousin, uncle, friend and in-law.
“Ralph Waldo Emerson said. It is not the length of life but the depth of life. Walter was fortunate, his life had both length and depth.”
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94 Stranded Nigerian Ladies Arrive From Lebanon
At least 94 out of 150 stranded Nigerian ladies in Lebanon on Wednesday evening arrived back into the country.
The evacuation from Lebanon was an intervention by the Nigerian Government following a cry for help by the ladies in a video.
The ladies, in a video obtained by SaharaReporters, had expressed regrets over travelling to Lebanon.
Announcing the arrival of the ladies on Twitter, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission said they would embark on self-isolation as madanted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
They have all proceeded on a 14 day SELF ISOLATION as madanted by @NCDCgov and PTF on #Covid_19.@NigeriaGov pic.twitter.com/zhyGg98EJQ— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) August 12, 2020
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E2%80%99-court-kano-sentences-another-man-death-stoning Shari’a Court In Kano Sentences Another Man To Death By Stoning
A Kano Shari’a Court has sentenced a 60-year-old man, Mati Abdu, to death by stoning.
This comes barely three days after the court sentenced a 22-year-old musician, Yahaya Sharif, to death by hanging for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.
SaharaReporters gathered Abdul was arrested by the police in 2019 after he allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl at Farsa Village in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of the state.
The judge, Ibrahim Yola, gave the verdict on Wednesday after finding Abdul guilty as charged.
Baba Jibo, Public Relations Officer of the Shari’a Court, said the prosecuting counsel tendered all evidence before the court and the convict confessed to committing the crime.
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Kano Sharia Court Sentences Musician To Death Over Song Allegedly Against Prophet Muhammad
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Ayo Salami-led Panel More Judicial Than Investigative, Says Magu
Ibrahim Magu
Suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has faulted the activities of the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel set up to investigate him.
Recall that Magu was removed as EFCC boss after the panel ordered his arrest in Abuja and has continued to face numerous corruption allegations.
Magu in a letter to the Chairman of the panel by his lawyer, Wahab Shittu, expressed shock that the panel had suddenly metamorphosed into a judicial commission of inquiry despite being established under the Tribunal Of Inquiry Act 2004.
He stated that the panel had derailed from the act and stressed that the panel should be bound by the stipulation of the Tribunal Of Inquiry Act 2004.
Ibrahim Magu
He also said that the tribunal had sat and conducted proceedings in the absence of Magu, which is in violation of the applicable law and rules of fairhearing.
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Magu’s Lawyer Writes Presidential Panel, Demands To See Petitions To Prepare Defence
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He said, “By virtue of the referred instrument served on our client and signed by the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, this assembly is constituted pursuant to the TRIBUNAL OF INQUIRY ACT 2004. It is curious and worrisome that an administrative panel of inquiry headed by your Lordship having sat and taken evidence (both oral and documentary) in the past one month has suddenly metamorphosed into a judicial commission of inquiry. How this comes within contemplation of a Commission of the Tribunal of Inquiry Act 2004 is very questionable.
“This implies that this assembly is neither a panel or an investigation committee but a Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up pursuant to the TRIBUNAL OF INQUIRY ACT 2004 and therefore bound to be guided by the provisions of the said ACT and the express letters of the instrument of appointment especially in the context of our constitutional democracy guided by the rule of law
“We observe that by the instrument establishing the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, manner of proceedings whether public or private is to be specified by the instrument of appointment. This is expressly prescribed by SECTION 2(D) of the TRIBUNAL OF INQUIRY ACT which provides thus
“The instrument shall direct whether or not the inquiry is to be held in public.”
He stated that contrary to the act, the proceedings of this Judicial Commission of Inquiry constituted since 3rd July, 2020 by virtue of the instrument of appointment has consistently been conducted in private and most of the witnesses examined without the presence of our client who is the subject matter of inquiry until recently when our client was allowed limited access to the proceedings with his counsel who was not allowed to cross-examine the witnesses called to testify against our client.
“Specifically our client and his counsel were excluded from the proceedings of 11th, 12th, 13th of July 2020 amongst others in spite of presence at the venue of the sittings. In all the days of exclusion from the proceedings of the judicial commission of inquiry, witnesses were called, testified, interrogated and documents tendered and admitted in the proceedings in the absence of our client and his counsel. It should be emphasized that the nature of allegations against our client is that is criminal.
“Consequently, his right under the constitution to fair hearing ought not to have been crassly violated in the circumstances so far demonstrated by the commission.
“This runs contrary to the instrument of appointment stipulating that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry is designated as “INSTRUMENT CONSTITUTING A JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF MR MAGU IBRAHIM, THE AG. CHAIRMAN OF THE EFCC FOR ALLEGED ABUSE OF OFFICE AND MISMANAGEMENT `OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RECOVERED ASSETS AND FINANCES FROM MAY 2015 TO MAY 2020.”
He also expressed worry that oaths were not administered on all witnesses, who gave evidence before the judicial commission of inquiry as he added that Magu has been denied the opportunity of timeously raising objection to and challenging the composition of the commission membership, assuming he would have had any.
“Our client’s constitutional right of being afforded adequate opportunity of preparing for his defence to those allegations has been violated.
“Our client observes that witnesses appearing before the panel interfaced ahead of the proceedings and in many instances, our client is unable to have access to documents forming the basis of witnesses’ testimonies before the panel. In our client’s view the atmosphere around the proceedings is clearly disturbing to our client especially since his counsel is unable to cross-examine the witnesses and some of the witnesses were unable to conclude their testimonies before the panel.”
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Public Service Rules: Copyright Boss Replies Detractors
Director-General of the NCC, John Ohireime Asein.
Director-General of Nigerian Copyright Commission, Mr John Asein, has replied his detractors and accusers, who alleged that he was keeping another employment and drawing salaries from both ends long after his retirement.
The NCC boss was accused of keeping the position of the Executive Director of Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria, a collective management organisation regulated by the commission, a practice, which outrightly violates the public service rules and the code of conduct for public officers.
The economic confidential search further reveals that contrary to the said allegations, Mr Asein had on January 15, 2019 formally resigned from REPRONIG through a letter addressed to Chairman of the Board, Prof Olu Obafemi.
Director-General of the NCC, John Ohireime Asein.
Further investigation reveals that in accepting Asein’s resignation, Obafemi appealed to him to continue rendering a free service of assisting REPRONG in the collection and disbursements of incoming funds as pro-bono project coordinator to receive and distribute project funds to the beneficiary partners.
Meanwhile, in an official memo written to the Board and sighted by Economic Confidential, Mr Asein among other things said the board could not meet because the Chairman of Copyright Commission, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, said he was waiting for a formal report of an investigation by the Federal Ministry of Justice on a petition of conflict of interest against the DG.
The DG NCC’s memo to Jaja further reads, “ With due respect, I wish to note that while the Chairman has repeatedly drawn the attention of the board members to a petition against me, he is not placing the matter before the board to determine the next line of action. Rather, the Chairman has severally by-passed the supervisory Ministry and the Board to initiate his own petitions based on the documents he claimed to have ‘received’”
He also said that he was aware that the Chairman in the month of May 2020 again wrote to the DSS office and he has since lodged a report of the development with the parent ministry of justice.
According to him, he has no doubt that the same letters must have gone to the presidency as well as security and anti-corruption agencies in line with the proclamation of Chief Tony Okoroji at a press conference that he held at COSON House, Ikeja, Lagos on March 10, 2020.
The memo to the Board Chairman further stated that on or about Sunday, February 2nd, 2020, the Chairman of the Board called him to tell him that based on damning petitions from stakeholders, the minister was considering suspending him from office. He said in view of his reputation and goodwill, he should not risk having Chief Okoroji go public and smear his reputation and suggested he should instead consider putting in a letter of resignation to avoid embarrassment that would follow a ministerial action, only to discover later that the minister’s intended actions were not true.
In the said memo, the DG also said the Chairman had reached out to the various in-house unions in the commission with a view to obtaining information from them or instigating them against management all in a bid to have him removed from office as D-G and to reverse the decision to audit the accounts of COSON.
Checks also reveal that the DG of NCC in the memo accused the Chairman of plagiarising his manuscript sent to him in the course of his duties with him. He said In August 2019, the Chairman published a book: Compendium of Nigerian Copyright Law Reports 2019. He noted that two cases out of the 6 cases in that publication were plagiarized from the manuscript he had emailed to him on June 23, 2019. He said rather than own up to the infraction, even though he was willing to overlook it, the Chairman treated him with disdain and brushed the matter aside and later threatening further action against him.
Meanwhile, Asein told the Board members that intelligence report indicate that high-profile pirates have resolved to mobilize all resources available to support the ongoing fight against the commission in the hope that they can work together to remove him from office.
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Soldier Jailed 55 Years for Killing WHO Staff In Zamfara
A General Court Martial sitting in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced a soldier to 55 years imprisonment over culpable homicide, burglary and theft, a report by PRNigeria said.
The soldier, Lance Corporal Ibrahim Babangida, was alleged to have killed one Mr Bello Abdullahi Aliyu and also robbed his car at Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State in 2014.
Aliyu was then a staff of the World Health Organisation in the state.
Corporal Babangida was also accused of stealing a mobile phone and N600,000 from various persons on separate occasions.
President of the GMC, Maj. Gen. Priye Fakrogha, while reading the judgment after listening to the prosecuting and defence counsel, said the accused soldier will serve a term of 40 years in jail for homicide.
Fakrogha further said Corporal Babangida will serve a prison term of five years concurrently for pleading guilty to the second, third and fourth charges.
PRNigeria gathered that the GCM’s verdict is subject to the confirmation of the Nigerian Army Council Authority.
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IPAC Interim Management Committee Dissolved, September 4 Fixed For Election
The Inter Party Advisory Council of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja dissolved the Interim Management Committee led by Mr Leonard Ezenwa.
IPAC Chairman, Peter Ameh, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the end of its National Executive Committee meeting.
He said the NEC agreed to set up a five-man electoral committee to conduct the next national election slated for September 4, 2020.
Members of the electoral committee include A.A Salaam (Labour Party), Alhaji Musa Taka (Advanced Congress of Democrats), Dr Emeka Okengwu (Alliance of Social Democrats), Bamigboye Abiodun, (Socialists Party of Nigeria), and Don Hammattan (Peoples Coalition Party).
Ameh said, “A superior court of record, Court of Appeal has set aside the purported deregistration of political parties by INEC and because of that we resumed today at the headquarters of the IPAC.
“We came to the office today and held our NEC meeting and we dissolved the Interim Management Committee. We also set up a five-man electoral committee for the conduct of IPAC national election which will be coming up on 4th of September 2020.
“We cannot arbitrarily use laws to suppress the opinion of Nigerian people. We cannot use law to shut down multiparty participation of political activities. It is key to promote new ideology for the Nigeria people that Nigeria belong to us.”
The IPAC Chairman said the right to protest and participate in a system has been stipulated in section 40 of 1999 constitution as amended.
IPAC Chairman said, “I was elected on the 5th September, 2018 and reelected on 5th September, 2019. My tenure will expire by 5th September 2020.
“We have only one code of conduct in IPAC which is very clear and every party is a signatory to it and it says you can only come to that seat via election.
“There is no alternative road. Has (Leonard Ezenwa) been elected? These facts are sacred, I have my result and certificate of return. So there are processes, you cannot jump the law on its head and sit on it. He is used to circumventing processes. He is known for this manipulative lifestyle.”
Ameh urged those with inordinate ambitions to play the game by the rule, saying that nobody can assume the position of authority and leadership of IPAC without being elected.
He also condemned the derogatory statement made by Ezenwa where he asked political parties to go to hell that their rights does not matter.
Recall that Ezenwa headed the IMC of IPAC shortly after the deregistration of 74 political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission, which affected all the leadership of IPAC.
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National Universities Commission Approves More Programs For Caleb University, Institution States Importance Of E-learning
The National Universities Commission has approved five new programs for Caleb University, Imota, Lagos.
Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Nosa Owens-Ibie, made the announcement during a session with journalists.
He said, “Asides the fact that all of our programs are fully accredited, we now have five new entry and PhD programs.
“One of them is Architecture. In fact, we started our PhD in Architecture in January with two sets and the university is fully committed to the standard it is known for globally on this and other programs.”
Speaking further, Prof Owens-Ibie reiterated the importance of e-learning in institutions of higher learning across the country especially at this time of Coronavirus pandemic where most schools remain closed.
According to him, educational institutions in Nigeria must respond to the occasion by embracing alternative means of learning to help students develop and add to the country’s development.
He added, “Since April, the university resumed online and we are planning to have our graduation online in September. E-learning is here to stay; it will be blended learning, brick and mortar.
“We were supposed to resume in April but when we noticed the extension of the lockdown, we decided to move online and it has been 100 per cent efficient. Since then, we have unveiled different apps in which students and staff can ask questions about health and security.”
Though some schools have embraced e-learning to keep students and teachers busy during the period of the Coronavirus outbreak, the challenges related with Internet connectivity and the cost implication have both combined to ensure that this mode of learning is far from the reach of millions of Nigerians.
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