Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 6th April 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 06/04/22
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Nigerian Soldiers, Amotekun Operatives Clash Over Seized Cows Violating Ondo Anti-grazing Law
Operatives of the Ondo State security outfit, codenamed Amotekun and soldiers on Monday clashed over the arrest of over 100 cows that violated the state’s anti-grazing law.SaharaReporters gathered that the Amotekun operatives had seized the cows after acting on distress calls from farmers in the Oke Aro area of Akure, the state capital, that their crops had been destroyed.The cows were alleged to have destroyed farmland and other valuables in the area.
However, the Amotekun operatives were resisted from taking the cows away by some soldiers attached to the 32 Artillery Brigade, (Owena Cantonment), Akure, who claimed that the cows belong to some senior officers in the barracks.“While the Amotekun personnel were matching the seized cows to their office at Alagbaka area of the state, soldiers numbering about ten stormed the area with Hilux vehicle and prevented the arrest of the cows,” an eyewitness told journalists in Akure.“The soldiers insisted that the Amotekun men would not go away with the cows because they belonged to their officers from the military barrack. But the Amotekun officers insisted that the cows have violated the anti-grazing law and must be taken to the office for the owners to bail them out or pay for the damaged crops.“Crisis started with an exchange of hot words and it later snowballed into an exchange of blows between the two security outfits on the street. Before we knew what was happening, they started shooting sporadically into the air.”Immediately they started shooting, the residents scampered for safety in order not to be caught in the shooting by the two security outfits.“The soldiers eventually overpowered the Amotekun personnel and arrested two of them.”Ondo State commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye confirmed the incident.He however described it as ”a minor disagreement between the officers of the two security outfits.”“It has been resolved amicably. It was the arrested herders that hid under the soldiers to cause misunderstanding between the security outfits.”
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E2%80%99s-opposition-party-pdp-abandons-zoning-throws-presidential-ticket-open BREAKING: Nigeria’s Opposition Party, PDP Abandons Zoning, Throws Presidential Ticket Open
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown its presidential ticket open for the 2023 election open.This means the party has abandoned zoning, an issue that had been a major topic of discourse in recent times, with many southerners opining that the Presidency should be zoned to the South in 2023.
The decision, SaharaReporters reliably gathered, was reached during a meeting on Tuesday of the 37-man committee set up by the party to decide the zone to get its presidential ticket for next year’s election. The committee headed by the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, was set up on March 17 to find an amicable solution to the issue of zoning. The party had been divided between leaving its presidential ticket for aspirants from all regions of the country to contest or ceding it to the South as a mark of fairness considering that President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, who is a Northerner, would have completed two terms of four years each by May 2023.The situation was further aggravated by the announcement made by the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, on February 22, 2022, that it had ceded its presidential ticket to the South. This caused further divisions among PDP stakeholders, some of who believed that anything short of zoning the ticket to the South would be an injustice. But in what appears like a confirmation that the PDP may have finally bowed to pressure and zoned the ticket to the South, a former Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, on Tuesday in a Facebook post thanked the party leadership for electing reasoning over sentiment by taking the decision.However, a source told SaharaReporters that the “party has thrown the ticket open”.The source added that the zoning committee considered that a decision had to be reached urgently “for the sake of presidential aspirants too”.When contacted by SaharaReporters over the issue, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, disclosed that it was quite premature to know the decision of the committee as he was not a member.He went on to say that the decision of the committee will first be ratified by the party’s National Working Committee before a National Executive Committee will sanction it. According to him, it was after all those processes had been fulfilled that the party would make a formal announcement of its decision as regards zoning of its presidential ticket. “There is a lot of process that must be fulfilled before any decision can be made public,” he said. There are currently 13 candidates in the race for the party’s presidential ticket.
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E2%80%99s-minister-lai-mohammed-begs-aggrieved-apc-members-not-dump-party Buhari’s Minister, Lai Mohammed Begs Aggrieved APC Members Not To Dump Party
Nigeria’s Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Tuesday has appealed to aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to leave the party.
The minister, in a statement on Tuesday, appealed to aggrieved members of the party to reconsider their decision to dump the party in Kwara, his home state, where the party has been facing many crises.
Nigeria’s Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.
Mohammed, the information minister in the Muhammadu Buhari government, urged the defectors to return to their ‘natural habitat’ for their grievances to be addressed ahead of the 2023 elections.
He said, “My attention has been drawn to media reports on the alleged defection of some of my supporters in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
“I wish to state categorically that despite the fact that the supporters are genuinely aggrieved at the way and manner they have been treated by the Kwara State Governor and his supporters, against the backdrop of their immeasurable contributions to the massive victory of our party in the state in 2019, leaving the party is not the solution.
“We have taken the grievances of our supporters to the highest level of our party, and we have cause to believe that everything will be done to address the grievances and unite the party ahead of the 2023 elections.
“I am therefore appealing to those who may have left to reconsider their stand and return to their natural habitat.
“On my part, as a founding member of the APC, as someone who has toiled endlessly to build the party and as one who has worked with stakeholders to deliver Kwara State to the APC, leaving the party is not an option. I am a bonafide member of the APC and I have no intention of leaving the party.
“All through my political career, I have always remained loyal to any party in which I have found myself. That is not about to change now.
“I want to use this opportunity to once again call on the leadership of our party to urgently and decisively address the issues that have forced some members of our party in Kwara to contemplate leaving the party.”
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Nigerian Tweeps Bully Beninese Singer, Angelique Kidjo Over Grammy Win Against Wizkid
Some Nigerian tweeps have taken to the page of Beninese singer and songwriter, Angelique Kidjo, bullying and insulting her over her 2022 Grammy Award.
Nigerian singer, Wizkid’s Made in Lagos, which was nominated for Best Global Music Album, lost to Angelique Kidjo’s Mother Nature.
Given Wizkid’s performance in 2021, topping the charts with his hit ‘Essence’ and his critically acclaimed ‘MIL’ album, fans of the Afropop superstar had expected at least one of the Grammy statuettes to have his name engraved on it.
Wizkid’s loss stirred a wave of mixed reactions on social media as well as misconceptions about the Grammy’s voting process.
His loss also generated a war between rival fans of the singer and Nigerian rival, David Adeleke, better known as Davido, on Twitter and some other social media platforms, with the latter’s fans expressing satisfaction that Wizkid did not win.
Some Nigerians on Tuesday took over a post made by Kidjo, telling her she doesn’t deserve the award.
Many also sarcastically mocked her winning album, coming up with different fabricated stories of its saved their dying loved ones.
Below are some posts made by Nigerians bashing the Beninese singer:
A boy was on the highway driving and a truck almost crushed him, he immediately played “Mother Nature” album and he was saved. Thank You Queen Mother. Congratulations on your win and Good Luck on your tour pic.twitter.com/gqWkHGIISu— Swift xð?« (@thezardx) April 5, 2022
Angelique Kidjo ur album meriting the Grammy award for Best Global Music Album is questionab!e, but congrats nonetheless; It’s a win for Africans. It’s unfortunate that some Nigerians went ballistic cos u won. Keep the positive energy going & best wishes in ur future endeavours.— Daniel Regha (@DanielRegha) April 5, 2022
I was attacked by two armed men last week, immediately i played her music they put down their weapons and started twerking for me. That is a day i will never forget. Her Music is really a weapon. Thank You mama Africa â¤ï¸— wande ð?§¸ (@blaccmajek) April 5, 2022
just setting up my twttr— Biz Stone (@biz) March 21, 2006
My wife gave birth last night as I played mother nature d doctor asked us to go without collecting a dime from me. Mama thank u for ur wonderful album.. it’s truly well deserved..— Blaze (@Joe_Blaze05) April 5, 2022
just setting up my twttr— Biz Stone (@biz) March 21, 2006
just setting up my twttr— Biz Stone (@biz) March 21, 2006
just setting up my twttr— Biz Stone (@biz) March 21, 2006
just setting up my twttr— Biz Stone (@biz) March 21, 2006
just setting up my twttr— Biz Stone (@biz) March 21, 2006
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67-Year-Old Nigerian Man Attempts Suicide At Lagos Lagoon On His Birthday
A 67-year-old man, Oluwatoye Bamgboye, was stopped from committing suicide on his birthday after he was stopped from jumping into a lagoon in Lagos.Bamgboye, who had reportedly sold his belongings and was abandoned by his wife, was rescued by the police on Tuesday.
The police in a statement said Bamgboye is from Oju-Ore, Ogun State, and that he was “attempting to jump into the Lagos Lagoon inward Lagos Island when the officers stopped him”.
A police unit, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command, announced this on its Facebook page on TuesdayIt said, “Men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command have rescued a 67-year-old man who attempted to commit suicide on his birthday.“The elderly man was stopped from leaping into the lagoon by the officers on patrol of 3rd Mainland Bridge on Tuesday, April 5.”According to the police, Bamgboye disclosed that a personal challenge made him sell his house, land and car.“With that, he still couldn’t solve the problem. He got a loan and the problem still persisted.“He explained further that he secured a job and on the resumption date, he was informed that the job had been given to someone else,” the statement said.”Today being my birthday, I have decided to end it all. The burden and the frustration are too much for me to bear. My wife has abandoned me in the process,” Bamgboye was quoted as saying.He has been taken to Adekunle Police Station, where efforts are in progress to contact his family members.
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Nigerian Senate Approves Special Fund To Tackle Sexual, Gender-based Violence, Others
Nigerian Senate
The Senate, on Tuesday, passed a bill to reposition the National Human Rights Commission by establishing the National Human Rights Fund in Nigeria’s annual budget.
The Fund when established, would be used particularly for interventions on sexual and gender-based violence and other unforeseen human rights violations in the country.
Nigerian Senate
The Bill tagged: “The National Human Rights Commission Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2021 (SB.587)”, was read for the first time on December 2, 2020.
It seeks to repeal and enact the National Human Rights Commission Act 2010 (as amended), a statement by Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, Special Assistant (Press) to the Senate President, said on Tuesday.
The passage of the bill was sequel to the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), said the bill seeks to “reposition and streamline the institutional framework of the Commission by strengthening its capacity to conduct investigations on human rights issues, as well as expand on the scope of the Commission’s operation, generally”.
“The bill also makes specific provisions to provide for the National Human Rights Fund in the National Budget as well as provide effective means of sustaining contribution to the Fund, whereby non-governmental organisations and multi-national corporations will make remittances to the account, accordingly,” Bamidele said.
He explained that the establishment of the human rights fund is in line with international practices, as it relates to human rights institutions globally.
He stated that the Fund would facilitate the seamless discharge of the statutory functions of the Commission in line with the Paris Principles.
“This is important in view of the rising spate of insecurity, sexual and gender-based violence and other unforeseen human rights violations in the country, which cannot be contemplated and adequately budgeted for, during consideration of annual budgets,” he added.
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E2%80%94 Sylvester Oromoni: Why I Didn’t Test Blackish Substance Found In Intestine Of Deceased Pupil— Toxicologist
Benedict Agbo, a forensic toxicologist with the Police Force Criminal Investigation Department has said he didn’t test the “blackish substance” found in the intestine of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr. Agbo who was testifying at the coroner’s inquest into the death of the deceased explained that he didn’t carry out the test because there was no request for it.
According to him, the Police Area Commander in Warri, Delta State contacted him and informed him that an autopsy was going to be done on the deceased. He said he thereafter established contact with the pathologist in the state, Dr Clement Vhriterhire and received some samples for chemical analysis. He identified the samples sent to the toxicologist as being tagged A: (containing cake dark brown labelled heart blood), B: (containing greyish liquid substance labelled stomach content), C: (sample note containing a greyish brown mass of flesh labelled liver), and sample bottle containing light reddish coloured liquid labelled fluid from the eye). He admitted that he did a physical examination of the stomach content (sample B). He said, “At page 5 of the Warri pathology, it is correct it was caked blood he sent to me.” The toxicologist however did not make mention of the “blackish substance” found in the late student. This was queried by the counsel for the Oromoni family, Femi Falana (SAN). At a previous proceeding of the coroner sitting in Ikeja, a Consultant Pathologist with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Dr. Sunday Soyemi had told the inquest that he discovered the “blackish substance in the boy’s intestine during autopsy”. While answering questions under cross-examination from Femi Falana, Dr Soyemi, however, testified that no test was carried out to determine what the blackish substance was as LASUTH had no toxicology laboratory to conduct the test. The Senior Advocate had wondered why the blackish substance was not tested despite the allegations by the deceased’s father that his child was beaten by some senior students and forced to drink a liquid that killed him. A pathologist who examined the student in Warri had also come to the conclusion that the deceased died of acute lung injury arising from chemical intoxication. But his school, Dowen College had denied the claim, alleging instead that the student sustained injuries while playing football with his mates. At the coroner proceedings on Tuesday, Femi Falana returned to the issue of the “blackish substance”. While cross-examining the toxicologist, he asked, “was any blackish substance sent to you for any examination from LASUTH?” “No. I didn’t get any request,” the toxicologist replied. Agbo noted that some police laboratory has equipment for toxicology but they sometimes break down. He added that between November 2021 and now, some of their equipment is faulty. He also said, “for DNA, the gas chromatography was faulty”. When asked if the police laboratory is the only one with the only functional toxicology in Nigeria, Agbo replied that he was not aware. Do you have equipment for testing poisons? The lawyer asked. The witness replied in the affirmative. He, however, said there are about 100 poisons and he cannot test all in their laboratory. Apart from Sample B, he stated he examined physically, he did not state he examined samples A, C, and D physically in his report. He also admitted that he did not state that he sampled A, C and D for laboratory tests in his report. He, however, agreed that if the biochemical assay is not carried out, he cannot say his examination is conclusive. He said in testing the samples, he used solvent and solid extraction procedures. It remains unclear why the “blackish substance” was not sent to the toxicologist for testing but the coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri has given an indication that he will summon some expert witnesses alongside others to help the inquest with unravelling the controversial death of the late Sylvester Oromoni Jnr. Under cross-examination by A.A. George representing the Lagos State, Agbo noted that all drugs are poisonous but it is the concentration that matters. He agreed that he was not given a copy of the interim report of the Warri pathologist before he did his toxicology and even to date, he did not have one. Further proceedings have been fixed for April 11 and 12.
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Nigerian House Of Representatives Considers Bill Seeking To Jail Bobrisky, Denrele, Other Cross-dressers For 6 Months
Crossdressers in Nigeria will risk being jailed for six months if a new bill to prohibit crossdressing is passed.The bill to prohibit cross-dressing in Nigeria was introduced by Umar Muda, a member of the House of Representatives, and it was read on the floor of the House on Tuesday.If passed into law, cross-dressing will become an offence in the country with the exemption of those using it for entertainment.Offenders will be liable to be jailed for six months.“A person engaging in cross-dressing is guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment of 6 months or to a fine of five hundred thousand naira,” the bill says.Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, aka Bobrisky, is an LGBT personality and one of the most popular Nigerian cross-dressers.Others include James Chukwueze Obialor, alias James Brown and Adenrele Oluwafemi Edun, popularly known as Denrele.The bill seeks to amend the same-s** marriage (prohibition) act of 2013 by including cross-dressing as one of the offences under the act. In the Act, same-s** couples and gay persons face 14 years in jail if convicted by a court.
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Members Of Nigerian Government Agency Union, JORAISU In FIIRO Protest Non-implementation Of 2021 Promotional Exercise
Members of the Joint Research and Allied Institutions Sector Unions (JORAISU) affiliated with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi have kicked against the non-implementation of their 2021 promotional exercise by the institute’s governing board. The aggrieved workers, on Tuesday, organised a protest in front of the Institute clad in their uniforms to demand the immediate implementation of the promotion. According to them, a promotion exercise was conducted in 2020 and it was given approval by all stakeholders from the head of service to university representatives and other sister agencies. However, a new board was constituted which annulled the promotion exercise, the staff members alleged. They further called on the Nigerian government to prevail on the board and allow the implementation of the promotion exercise, particularly for 2021. One of the protesters stated, “Our branch here in FIIRO, we have a peculiar problem, a problem that has affected virtually every staff member: it is the non-implementation of our 2021 promotion. “The promotion was conducted in 2021 and approval was gotten from all the stakeholders. Everybody was there, the head of service’s representative, Character Commission, university representative, etc. and it was approved by the board and letters were issued to all promoted staff members. “Unfortunately, when we expected the implementation financially, we learnt that a newly constituted board had said they should suspend the implementation of the promotion and they even owe us 2019 promotional arrears. “This is antithetical to human dignity and we appeal to the government to prevail on the board to allow the implementation of the 2021 promotion and to start preparing for the 2022 promotion.” They further alleged that the Institute had yet to pay them the arrears from 2019 up to 2021. A staff member added, “Our arrears should be paid: 2019, 2020, 2021 promotion exercise implementation.” Speaking on the prolonged strike, a staff member noted, “Most of our demands have been sent to the government and we have meetings with them but they are not able to meet up.” JORAISU, which is made up of unions including the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU); Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) and the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), had embarked on the strike action in October 2021. Some of their demands include payment of 12-month Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS) arrears of 53.37 per cent increase; withdrawal of circular on non-skipping of salary Grade Level 10 (NICN judgment in favour of trade unions and others); retirement age of 65 years for non-research staff as obtainable in the universities and others.
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Alleged N5.2Billion Fraud: How Former Exam Board, JAMB Registrar, Ojerinde Solely Funded Jointly-owned Radio Station – Ex-Air Force Chief
Prof. Dibu Ojerinde-JAMB Registrar
An ex-Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Najeem Sanusi (retired) has told a Federal High Court how a former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Adedibu Ojerinde funded the establishment of a radio station jointly owned by them. The radio station, incorporated under the name – Ifelodun Communication Nigeria Limited – is one of the companies and property Ojerinde is accused of acquiring with the funds he allegedly diverted while in office.
Prof. Dibu Ojerinde-JAMB Registrar
Ojerinde is being tried on 18 counts marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/97/2021, by the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related offences Commission (ICPC), in which he is accused among others, of diverting public funds estimated at over N5.2 billion, The Nation reports. Testifying as the second prosecution witness, Sanusi said he is from the same Igboho community in Oyo State as Ojerinde and he brought the idea of establishing a radio station to the ex-JAMB boss. Led in evidence by an ICPC lawyer, Mrs. Bunmi Olugasa, Sanusi said Ojerinde agreed to fund the project and introduced one of his subordinates in office and personal assistant, Jimoh Olabisi, who provided funds at the instruction of the ex-JAMB boss. The witness said the radio station was located in Ojerinde’s house in the Owode area of Igboho. Sanusi said: “During our deliberation, the defendant (Ojerinde) said any matter that would be related to financial issues should be directed to Mr. Jimoh Olabisi. “Mr. Jimoh Olabisi said that the defendant introduced to me was the one that provided the funds for the license, the purchase of the land and others. “The procedure was that I will tell the defendant what needed to be done and he will instruct Mr. Jimoh Olabisi to make the funds available.” The witness added that he has records – photocopies of some of the payments that were made by him, adding that the original copies of the documents are with Jimoh Olabisi “because he was the accounting officer, in the course of registering the radio station.” When Mrs. Olugasa attempted to tender some of the documents identified by Sanusi, defence lawyer, Ibrahim Isiyaku (SAN) objected and argued against its admission. Justice Obiora Egwuatu adjourned till 7 and 8 for ruling and continuation of the trial. While being cross-examined on Monday, Ojerinde’s personal lawyer, Peter Oyewole, who claimed to have incorporated companies and bought property for Ojerinde, said he warned his client about the implication of running other businesses as a public officer. “I did advise him that engaging in other businesses was a breach of the code of conduct as a public officer,” Oyewole said. On why he proceeded to incorporate the companies despite the implication, Oyewole added that “none of the companies that I registered on behalf of the defendant (Ojerinde) that the defendant is the sole shareholder and director”. “There were other directors and shareholders. According to the instruction of the defendant, he nominated other directors,” he added. Oyewole said he extracted any authority or consent in writing on the purchase of property and registration of companies from the defendant, adding: “All the instructions given to me by the defendant were verbally communicated to me.”
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