₦airaland Forum

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Pastor Ebebe Ukpong has refuted the claim by Justice Inyang Okoro that he (Ukpong) led the former Akwa Ibom’s Secretary to the State Government and 2015 governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, Umana Okon Umana, to his (Okoro) house to discuss issue of manipulating court judgments in favour of Umana.

Recall that Justice Okoro of the Supreme Court in a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmud Mohammed, had alleged that Pastor Ukpong led Umana to his house.

“Umana also made the same request of assistance to win his appeal at the Supreme Court. Umana talked about ‘seeing’ the justices who would hear the appeal. Pastor (Dr.) Ebebe Ukpong, who led Mr. Umana Umana to my house, intercepted and said that the issue of ‘seeing’ the justices was not part of their visit and that, as a pastor, he would not be part of such a discussion. Mr. Umana apologised. I advised them to go and pray about the matter and get a good lawyer. That was how they left my house,” he said in the letter.

However, Pastor Ukpong, who claimed he had known Justice Okoro for more than three decades, denied leading Umana to his house to discuss such issue.

“I have read in the social media and several newspapers since the night of Tuesday, October 18, 2016, a letter purportedly written by Honourable Justice John I Okoro, JSC, and addressed to the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, National Judicial Council.

“In the said letter, Justice Okoro alleged that I led Mr. Umana Umana to visit with him in his residence without giving any details of such visit. Many reactions have followed. I’m constrained to make this statement for record purpose: I have known, in adult context, Hon. Justice Okoro for more than three decades now. He is my brother”.

“I have never led anyone to Justice Okoro nor attended any meeting in his house where the issue of bribery, corruption of any kind or perversion of justice was discussed. Of course, I could never have and will never contemplate such as it is against my personal principles informed by my relationship with the Almighty God. I stand always for the truth, integrity and fairness,” he said in the statement.

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/i-did-not-lead-umana-to-justice-okoro-s-house-pastor-ukpong/167950.html

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The Nigerian Bar Association has recommended that those senior judges under criminal investigation should withdraw from further judicial functions or in the alternative be sent on compulsory leave.
It said they should remain off duty until their innocence is established or until the conclusion of all judicial or disciplinary proceedings.
NBA President, NBA Abubakar Mahmoud, stated this yesterday during the valedictory court session in honour of retiring Justice Sotonye Denton West of the Court of Appeal.
This is coming at a time when the Federal Government has given the go-ahead for the prosecution of the judges who have been under investigation.
It was gathered that the Attorney General of the Federation had approved the immediate prosecution of the suspects so as not to give the erroneous impression that the government was promoting corruption.
The affected Judges are Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Okoro of the Supreme Court, the suspended Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, Justice Mohammed Tsamiya; Justice Kabiru Auta of the Kano State High Court and Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Others arrested were a former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice I. A. Umezulike, and Muazu Pindiga of the Federal High Court, Gombe Division.
The rest are Justices Bashir Sukola and Ladan Manir of the Kaduna State High Court.
The NBA President had said recently that the arrests and detention of two Supreme Court justices and five other justices of the federal high court by the Department of State Security Service (DSS) was unlawful and unconstitutional.
The National Judicial Council NJC also said the action was a clear attempt by the DSS to humiliate, intimidate, denigrate and cow the Judiciary.
But yesterday Mr. Mahmoud said: “In the course of the last several days, the NBA has continued to hold high level consultations with all segments of the bar and other stakeholders and indeed the administration on how to address what has obviously become a major concern to all Nigerians within and outside the country. That is corruption in the judiciary.
“On Thursday 13th of October at the meeting of bar leaders comprising past NBA Presidents, Past General Secretaries and past Attorneys —General of the Federation, we reviewed very carefully the developments after listening to detailed briefings from both the Attorney General and Minister of Justice as well the Secretary of the National Judicial Council.
“One of the resolutions we took was to set up a Task Force to urgently review the current developments and come up with clear specific recommendations on how best to clean up the nation’s judiciary and rebuild confidence of Nigerians in our law courts. I am expecting the report of that task force in two weeks.
“In the meantime we have continued with our consultations and engagements. We will be coming up with bold and clear recommendations which we will pass to the National Judicial Council and the Government.
“In the interim however, particularly having regards to what appears to be an ongoing accusation and counter accusation between some of the Judges and other personalities or agencies, it appears to the NBA that it is extremely important that the NJC takes very urgent steps to safeguard the public image and sanctity of the courts.
“We therefore strongly recommend that, without prejudice to the innocence or otherwise of the Judges involved in the ongoing investigations, they should be required to excuse themselves from further judicial functions or required to proceed on compulsory leave until their innocence is fully and completely established or until the conclusion of all judicial or disciplinary proceedings.
“We believe this will be necessary in order to protect the sanctity and integrity of judicial processes that may involve the judges concerned and safeguard the public image of the institution.

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/judges-under-probe-should-step-aside-nba/167916.html

KADUNA – The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, banned in Kaduna State three weeks ago by Governor Nasir el-Rufai, has accused the governor of being the jury and at the same the prosecutor in their case. The IMN in a press statement yesterday in Kaduna, signed by its wanted spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, also said the banning of the group amounted to a crackdown on religious minority, insisting the governor had no power to ban a faith. The statement read: “ Kaduna State government, on Wednesday, officially released a Gazette No.21 of October 7,2016, that has declared the IMN an unlawful society. At the same time, Governor El-rufai said his government ‘did not and cannot ban any religion.’ “This two-faced comment of the government of Kaduna State is not only ambiguous but also, indeed, incongruent with reason, logic, law and sanity. “The Islamic Movement is not a society or association or organization. It is a global concept. Its members are conscious and practicing Muslims who practice Islam the way it ought to. “Banning the IMN is akin to banning our faith or stopping us from practicing Islamic religion the way we understand it, which KDSG itself admittedly affirmed it has no right to do. To claim otherwise is incongruous.” “Governor Elrufai went to the extreme in his quest to justify this ambivalent position on the so-called ban. One moment he plays the jury and the next he acts the prosecutor at the same time. “His comment that ‘It solemnly declared unlawful a specific group that continues to threaten public order in the state’ is bereft of reasons. So is his assertion that ‘the IMN was never a registered organization and it refused to conduct itself with full adherence to the laws of this state.’ It would be pertinent for KDSG to answer this poser: When was the IMN ever taken to a court of law and convicted of being a threat to public order? “Elrufai’s twisted imagination seeks to mischievously label IMN as violent. This is contrary to evidence anywhere anytime. Only recently, a report by a crisis monitoring group, listed 18 new armed groups that sprang up in Nigeria in the last 17 months, with many of them involved in the killings and kidnap in Kaduna. Not only was IMN not listed, but Governor Elrufai has not turned his attention to those by banning them. “This ban order is nothing but the portrayal of Kaduna state government as intolerant of religious minorities, and if allowed to stand unchallenged by the good people of Kaduna state, it will lead to a ban on other religious minorities, especially Christians and the Muslims following the Sufi order. “Governor Elrufai cunningly hides behind the discredited findings and recommendations of Justice Muhammad Garba Judicial Commission of Inquiry to the Zaria massacre, without issuing a white paper on it, which he promised after receiving the report. If the Governor is sincere enough in the peaceful coexistence of Kaduna state, why won’t he as well prosecute the Army officers indicted by the Commission for the mass murder of at least 347 people and dumping them in mass grave secretly in the middle of the night? “IMN rightly believes, Governor Elrufai wants to cover up his complicity in the murder of over a thousand innocent souls in Zaria,”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/shiite-ban-el-rufai-playing-jury-prosecutor-imn/

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A yet unknown number of Nigerian soldiers drowned in the Yobe River in North-East Nigeria as they tried to escape intense fire from Boko Haram fighters on Monday, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report.

Also, no fewer than 22 soldiers are currently recuperating in a hospital in neighbouring Niger Republic following the attack.

The troops were manning an outpost in Gashigar, Borno State, near the border with Niger, when hundreds of terrorists advanced rapidly towards them, forcing the troops to abandon their position with some diving into the nearby river, top military sources familiar with the development told PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday.

The Nigerian Army had on Tuesday distributed a statement announcing the assault on Nigerian troops, but blamed it on “escaping Boko Haram remnants.”

But a day after the statement, which was signed by Sani Usman, a colonel, details of what actually transpired on the battlefield that day and the reaction of commanders on the ground have been exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

According to the security sources, the soldiers, attached to 145 Task Force Battalion, came under attack around 5:00 p.m. on Monday, but rescue operation did not yield result until the next day.

On that Tuesday, three rescue operations were carried out by soldiers from the neighbouring Republic of Niger operating in Ngarwa.

Around 7:00 a.m., they rescued the first set of nine Nigerian soldiers. At about 2:00 p.m., seven more were rescued. The last set of six troops was rescued around 5:30 p.m. in the River Komadougou Yobe, which empties into Lake Chad through Niger.

The troops, numbering 22, were dispatched to Diffa General Hospital in Niger. Two of them sustained gunshot wounds while the rest were said to have been rescued unscathed.

The casualty figure, including those who drowned, was yet to be determined as at the time of filing this report.

The sources said the troops have started recounting the incident to their superiors.

The soldiers said they were manning their post in Gashigar when they learnt that suspected terrorists, dressed in black and multi-coloured camouflage, were approaching in several utility trucks while chanting ‘Allah Akbar!’ (Allah is great).

“Troops then had to flee from their position because of their their inability to take on the terrorists in such a large number and firepower,” one of our sources said.

“The terrorists then began chasing them, and we learnt that many jumped into the Yobe River where some of them drown or get fatally shot by the attackers.”

The soldiers also said Boko Haram seized their armoured vehicle and set it alight.

But the sources said the military leadership might open an investigation into the attacks to establish the claims of the soldiers.


One source said some of the claims made by the troops were doubtful.

For instance, the commanders said it is difficult to explain how utility trucks were used to dispossess soldiers of their armoured vehicles especially when the soldiers said they were standing alert in their position.

The leadership also found it curious that the soldiers were rescued with their bullets still largely unspent.

“If they actually came under attack while they were fully at alert, then they should have exhausted their ammunition before taking to their heels,” the source said. “At least that much should be clear.”

Mr. Usman did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ requests for comments.

Nigerian troops are fighting alongside their counterparts from Cameroon and the Republic of Niger.

Monday’s development marked the first time in more than two years that Nigerian troops would come under superior firepower that required foreign military personnel to come to counter.

A similar incident last occurred in August 2014 when about 480 troops crossed the border into Cameroon while fleeing Boko Haram.

It also underscored the renewed vigour of the sect to launch major attacks on not just civilians but uniformed men after losing the huge swathes of land it once controlled.

Besides losing territory, the insurgents had also been largely decimated by the troops which experts said is responsible for their activities being whittled down across their stronghold in the northeast.

The insurgency, which began in 2009, has left approximately 20,000 people dead and displacement of millions.

Boko Haram leaders recently engaged in negotiation with the Nigerian government which led to last week’s release of 21 of the over 200 girls kidnapped from Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014.


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/213167-exclusive-how-several-nigerian-soldiers-drowned-in-river-yobe-after-boko-haram-attack.html

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THESE are not the best of times for Imo people. Apart from the preponderance of dilapidated road networks in the state, the people are equally grappling with a number of other serious issues, including poor sales in the market, non-payment of salaries, pension and gratuities to senior citizens.
South East Voice toured the Amakohia and Akwakuma axis in Owerri North local council area, as well as Mbari Street, Okigwe Road, Orlu Road, MCC/Uratta Road, and Egbu Road in Owerri municipality, where the state government’s “urban renewal” policy adversely affects several people’s businesses. Some of the respondents, who spoke to South East Voice, were of the view that “despite the supposed good intentions of the state government, it failed to take cognizance of the ugly effects of the massive damage on people’s business outfits”. About two petrol stations along Okigwe Road have been shut down and all or some of their staff have been sent packing. The story was the same along Egbu Road. The parking spaces at the transport terminals of some major transport companies have since reduced. The ever bubbling Trance Garden along Egbu Road has also been put out of business. The proprietor of the outfit, Mr. John Onuoha, lamented that “business has flopped completely, as nobody can swim across the huge lake in front of the premises”. Reduced patronage An apparently confused Onuoha said that he was resigned to his current fate, adding that the destruction of his business premises reduced patronage and ultimately the number of staff. Recounting what traders are currently passing through in Owerri markets, a trader, who simply identified himself as Mike, said that they are barely managing to survive the hard times. “Things are really very rough with us. We no longer find it easy to restock. Prices of our wares continue to dance to the tune of the United States Dollar. Honestly, we are barely managing to survive the hard times”, Mike said. A vegetable trader, Mama Eliza, said that sales can only improve if people have expendable income. “If workers and pensioners are not paid, like is the case now, they will not have the capability to make purchases”, Mama Eliza said. Confirming the sorry plight of pensioners in the state, during a press conference in Owerri, the Chairman, Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries of Imo State, Chief Hyacinth Onyekwere, cried out that “hunger and disease is depleting” their number. “Between November 2011 and now, 12 retired permanent secretaries have died as a result of non-payment of their stipends that enable them feed and buy their medications”. He expressed shock at “the way the state government is intentionally dehumanizing retired civil servants, by refusing to pay them their pension and gratuities”. Chief Onyekwere recalled with grief that only a paltry fraction of a month’s pensioners entitlement was recently paid, out of between 16 and 70 months owed different categories of pensioners. In his contribution to the issue, the State Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, Chief Gideon Ezeji, lamented that over 30 percent of pensioners were omitted during the last payment exercise. As at October 2016, the state government is still owing civil service pensioners 20 months worth of pension, retired permanent secretaries 20 months, retired primary school teachers 30 months and retired local government pensioners 21 months. A retired staff of Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC, Mr. Chidi Madu, said that some of his colleagues, who could not contain the stress midwifed by years of unpaid pension and gratuities, have all died in penury. The question on the lips of most Imo people is: “Shall we ever come out of our present predicament?”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/imo-residents-groan-hard-times-hit/

The value of the Nigerian stock market plummeted by 1.1 per cent in the last two trading sessions, leaving the market at the mercy of dwindling investors’ confidence.
The market fall on Monday and Tuesday amounted to N105 billion loss to investors’ capital assets as they commenced the week with N78 billion and extended the loss yesterday with a fresh N27 billion loss.

Consequently, the NSE All-Share Index (ASI) closed lower at 27,555.31 basis points from 27,861.03 points the week opened, while market capitalisation has also stooped lower to N9.465 trillion from N9.570 trillion it commenced the weekly trading.
At the close of yesterday’s session, 27 losing stocks emerged against 13 gaining counterparts and five others that closed with unchanged prices.
Total Plc topded gainers’ chart with N14.47k to close at N303.97k per share. Beta Glas Plc followed with N1 to close at N31 per share and Nigerian Breweries Plc trailed with 95k kobo to close at N145 per share.
Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/business/stock-market-loses-n105bn-in-two-days/167475.html#RKILfZl8PBgV0bR4.99

Abuja – The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Justice Ejembi Eko and Justice Amina Augie as Justices of the Supreme Court.

The confirmation of the Justices followed the consideration of the report of its committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, which urged the Senate to go ahead with the confirmation.

In confirming the appointments, the 8th Senate employed the electronic voting system for the first time since its inauguration in June 2015.

The last time the electronic voting system was employed by the Senate was in 2014 during the 7th Senate under the Presidency of Sen. David Mark

The Senate then used the electronic system to vote during the Constitution review of 2014.

At Tuesday’s plenary, 38 senators supported the appointment of Eko while 39 senators supported Augie’s appointment while one senator did not vote for either of the two.

Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu who presided over plenary commended the two justices and charged them to uphold and defend the tenets of their calling.

Meanwhile, the Senate commenced the screening of six Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) who were directed to appear before its committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The senate while considering executive communications agreed to begin the consideration of the nomination of the six commissioners for appointment.

They are: Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu (Anambra), May Agbamuche-Mbu (Delta), AVM Ahmed Mu’Azu (Gombe), Mohammed Haruna (Niger), Dr Adekunle Ogunmola (Oyo) and Abubakar Nahuche (Zamfara).

The Senate also considered the request by President Muhammadu Buhari for the confirmation of five commissioners for the National Population Commission (NPC).

They also include Engr. Benedict Ukpong (Akwa Ibom), Gloria Izonfuo (Bayelsa), Barr. Kupchi Iyanya, Dr Haliru Bala (Kebbi) and Dr Eyitayo Oyetunji.

The commissioners-designate are to appear before the Senate Committee on National Population.

The committee is to report back to the Senate in two weeks.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/senate-employs-electronic-voting-confirms-appointment-supreme-court-justices/