₦airaland Forum

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday described the killing of eight people in a village in Zamfara State as barbaric and unacceptable.

The incident occurred on Monday after a student of the Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, Talata-Mafara made a blasphemous statement against Islam and Prophet Muhammad. He was consequently attacked by a mob and beaten to a pulp.

A man took pity on him and rushed him to a hospital in his car. The man’s act infuriated the mob; they attacked his house, set it ablaze and killed eight persons.

Reacting to the news on his Twitter handle, @MBuhari, the president vowed that the perpetrators of the act would be brought to book.

He said, “I received news of the mob killings in Zamfara with great dismay. It is barbaric and unacceptable. I assure that the law will take its course.

“My prayers are with the families of the victims.

“Under my watch we will work to ensure that there is no place for violence in the name of religion, ethnicity, or in any guise whatsoever.”

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

kokoA:
This is injustice! Did she bang herself? Why is she the one getting all the good stuffs? What of the guy?! That's how a woman wee give birth and everybody wee be congratulating her forgetting the prick that did the job

lexyclasy:
I don't even know the name to call my DOG now.....because i was taught that a "noun" is a name of a person, animal, place or a thing, but this government has change a "noun" to an "Adjectival Clause" that no one should go near. Oh Lord come down and Manifest Your Power in this country.....Amen.

proeast:
A deadly pattern has been established under buhari, religious and ethnic intolerance by the hausa/fulani muslims is now becoming the norm but we in the SE/SS are observing with keen interest!

greatgod2012:
Seems so!!!

Waiting for what the presidency will say about it.

spass101:
Haba am tired of this blame game. Com'on bend down and do the job u were voted for

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cannot be an alternative, and therefore called on the opposition party to tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians for their 16 years of disastrous rule.
National chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who stated this through his media aide, Segun Dipe, said due to PDP’s perfidy, Nigeria’s resources were stolen and opportunities frittered away.

“But instead of being contrite, the PDP is arrogantly putting itself up as the alternative to a government that is barely one year in office and has inherited a totally ruined economy. This is brazenly irresponsible, ‘’ the statement said.
The APC said it was just as well that the PDP has not even been able to reposition itself to provide robust opposition to the APC-led federal government, adding that PDP’s lack of patriotism, recklessness and outright wickedness towards the ordinary Nigerians have finally caught up ‎with the former ruling party.
“What the nation can now testify to, is that, the only thing that united the PDP was their singular commitment to milking the resources of this nation dry, as evident in all the corruption cases that have now been exposed.
“The PDP cannot therefore expect to move on, without first taking responsibility for their shameful conduct and ignominous behaviour. The starting point in their long journey to rehabilitation is to apologise to Nigerians,” the statement said.

The Presidency has denied media reports that President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking emergency powers to tackle the nation’s economic challenges.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said in a statement to our correspondent late last night that the economic management team was considering several measures to urgently reform the economy but they had not yet been communicated to the president.

The vice president’s spokesman stated that those measures had also not been passed to the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.
He said: “The economic management team has indeed been considering several policy options and measures to urgently reform and revitalise the economy. Some of these measures may well require legislative amendments and presidential orders that will enable the executive arm of government move quickly in implementing the economic reform plans.

“As far as I know, this has not been passed on to the president, the Federal Executive Council or the legislative arm of government. So, at this point, there are no further details to share.”

A newspaper report yesterday said Buhari would be seeking emergency powers from the National Assembly to get the economy out of recession, shore up the value of the naira, create more jobs, boost foreign reserves, improve power and revive the manufacturing sector.
The report said the decision was based on a proposal from the economic team headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo

In the bill, the executive will be asking for the President to be given sweeping powers to, among other things, set aside some extant laws and use executive orders to roll out an economic recovery package within the next one year.

Mixed reactions

However, before the denial by the vice president’s office, the proposal had already found acceptance among industrialists and experts as well as some legislators who spoke to Daily Trust.
Many industrialists and experts said such proposal was long overdue and should be granted by the National Assembly.
Some senators and representatives interviewed said the request should be specific to avoid “issuing a blank cheque to the President”.

A ranking senator who spoke to on condition of anonymity said that the granting of the sweeping power to the President would negate the principle of separation of powers between the Executive and Legislature.

“What will be the function of the National Assembly if we grant these powers to the President? He has to be specific on what he wants. Approving this will amount to issuing a blank cheque to him. This will not be good as it will bring about dictatorship,” he said.
He said it would be very difficult for the bill to sail through at the National Assembly.

But on his part, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Samuel Anyanwu (PDP, Imo East) said they would support it if it would stimulate the economy of the country.
“Anything that would revamp the economy, reduce unemployment and put food on the tables of Nigerians would be supported as you know hunger is everywhere in the country,” he said.

Anyanwu, however expressed reservations about the request to empower the President to vire projects in the Appropriation Act without recourse to the National Assembly.

When contacted, the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) said, “I haven’t seen the details of the bill, therefore I won’t comment on it.”

Also, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai (APC, Borno Central) said that they would support anything that addressed the challenges facing the country.
When contacted, the spokesman of the House of Representatives, Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa) said the House would wait until such a time the president formally notifies members of his decision.
“For now, it’s in the realm of speculations. As you know, the House is currently on recess, but when we resume and if he eventually forwards the request, we’ll look at it and know what to do. But for now, we can’t say anything concrete,” he said.

However, an APC member in the House told Daily Trust that should the president write the National Assembly for such power, he might face serious challenge as many lawmakers would demand full explanation on what exactly he would want to achieve.
“There will be serious problem from the opposition. Some of us in APC too can be critical. For example, members will say let the president tell them the exact things he’s thinking about doing. What if he retrenches the workforce or reverses the minimum wage? What if it will have adverse effects on tax while industries are down? What if he says taxation should be escalated to 100 percent?
“So, we can’t just give him blanket powers. But if he says something like they’ll ban rice importation, that one is positive; he doesn’t need any powers from the National Assembly for that. Even among APC members, there will be resistance.”

Experts differ

While some industrialists and experts have expressed support others have expressed concern over the request.
The National President of the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Ezekiel Essien, told the Daily Trust that industrialists were behind the President in this latest move, describing it as “long overdue.”
“Most of our contracts go to foreigners. All the monies go offshore. They only take local people here as carpenters and drivers. The money goes out of the country,” he said.
An economist, Gabriel Offiong, who is the Chief Executive Officer of an Abuja-based consultancy firm, Moon Global Ventures, said the President was right in that direction as long as it would help to revamp the flagging economy.

“He needs to intervene otherwise we are in trouble. He needs to overrule the period set in the procurement Act so that capital projects in the budget can be delivered before the end of the year,” he said.
He recommended that the National Assembly should give the president the powers he seeks by approving the emergency bill within one week.

Daniel Ikhouria, a development researcher, said: “This is a serious matter because the president is asking for a double edge sword which is anchored largely on his integrity.

“It will be good for the president to also demonstrate the measures that would be put in place to check abuse because if he is asking for the suspension of the procurement law, can we vouch for his lieutenants not to abuse this by awarding contract to themselves?”
The President of the National Association of Nigerian Traders, (NANTS) Barr. Ken Ukaoha said: “we need to do extra ordinary things if we must pull out this economy from the woods and that includes some of the things the president is seeking the National Assembly approval to do.
“For instance, do we need the amount of aircraft we have on the presidential fleet, off course no. And if we need the president to grant waivers for the procurement of a very essential item that would help in propelling the economy, why not?”

Barr Liborous Oshoma in his submission said: “The problem we currently have is one of trust because at every turn in our National life, the government had come out with proposal like this especially in the disposal of assets as we saw with the Ajaokuta steel, Alaja steel and the power holding companies and the exercise did not achieve its intended aim.

“So you would excuse the fears been expressed by some people, therefore what the government now needs to do is to continue to give the assurance that the implementation would be adequately monitored”

In the bill, the president is seeking powers to give contractors 50 per cent mobilization fees unlike 15 per cent obtainable today. “The 15 per cent is grossly inadequate according to the source.
This is why most projects are abandoned because the 15 per cent the contractors get is not enough to substantially execute projects,” an aide of the president said.

The Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos State, has arrested a 45-year-old pastor, Joseph Olude, and his church member, Rasak Raheem, for allegedly robbing in the Idiroko-Oke Odan area, a border community between Ogun State, Nigeria, and the Benin Republic.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Olude and Raheem were arrested by the operatives of the Zonal Intervention Squad, after a tip-off.

It was learnt that while the police arrested the two suspects, other members of the gang fled.

Our correspondent gathered that on Thursday, August 11, the police received information that a robbery gang was operating in the Idiroko-Oke Odan area, and dispossessing motorists of their valuables.

A businessman, who was moving money from Nigeria to the Benin Republic, was said to have put a distress call across to the police.

The two suspects were thereafter arrested.

Speaking with PUNCH Metro, Olude, a father of five children, said he owned a church, Elohim Cherubim and Seraphim Church, in the Hunbe, Ajegunle area of Ogun State.

The pastor, who added that Raheem came to his church for a special prayer, explained that he did not know that Raheem and his friend, one Bidemi, were armed robbers and kept guns on the church premises.

He said, “I have five children. I was arrested when the police found five guns on my premises. It was my church member, Bidemi, who invited Raheem.

“Raheem was brought into my church in February 2016, after he was infected with a Sexually Transmitted Disease. He also owed a house rent. So, he came to live in the church. I did not suspect that he was bringing in stolen goods into the church’s premises.

“I knew the time when someone came to collect a gun from him. Bidemi usually dressed like a policeman. I did not know that he was a robber. Now, Bidemi has fled.”

Raheem, who hails from Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the pastor was aware that some robbers brought guns to keep with him in the church.

He added that the gang gave him (Raheem) N20,000.

He said, “The pastor and I are friends. I went to his church and a man called Bode from Cotonou brought the guns. I told the pastor that the guns were for safekeeping in the church and he said there was no problem.

“About two weeks ago, Bidemi called me that he wanted to use the guns around the border area. I said he should bring N10,000 when coming and he agreed.

“The robbers collected the guns and when they were done with the use, they paid another N10,000. I knew they used the guns to rob. It was a five-man gang.”

The Zone 2 police spokesperson, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, said the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, had ordered a thorough investigation into the case.

He said, “The suspects operated along border areas of Ogun State, Benin Republic and even Togo. The ZIS operatives were detailed to the scene and they arrested the two suspects along Madoga Road between Nigeria and the Benin Republic.

“The police recovered one AK-47 rifle fully loaded with 30 rounds of live ammunition, and 15 extra AK-47 ammunition. Effort is on to arrest the fleeing members of the gang.”

Since President Muhammadu Buhari took over power in 2015, Nigeria has seen a resurgence of Niger Delta militancy and this has led series of bombings of oil and gas pipelines in the region. Nigeria had assumed that with the granting of amnesty to the Movement fir the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, militancy had been grounded but Buhari’s emergence as president has seen a deadlier resurgence.

Without mincing words, it is fair to conclude that the renewed agitation and vandalism is targeted at President Buhari’s administration. The most notorious, Niger Delta Avengers has carried out systematic destruction of pipelines that indicates a well-coordinated, heavily-equipped and hugely financed group. Following the trail of the Avengers are other mushroom groups that have also issued threats and claimed responsibility for pipeline bombings too. Some of them include: Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, Adaka Boro Avengers, Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, Red Egbesu Water Lions, Niger Delta Vigilante and Oyobio-Oyobio.

It is significant to know that their demands to President Buhari are different although a call for the development of the Niger Delta region seems to be a collective demand of the groups. With each militant group having its own self-styled General issuing threats and trying to outdo the other in demand and vandalism, President Buhari has a lot of requests to attend to. However, some of the demands from the militants my not be provided by the president.

Independence

The Adaka Boro Avengers had earlier threatened that it would officially declare a Niger Delta Republic on August 1 but a day before it; the group cancelled its planned declaration and in its statement credited former president, Goodluck Jonathan for appealing to them not to go ahead with the secession. While this may be true to some extent, the move by the Nigerian military may be another factor. This is because heavy military presence was deployed to Bayelsa with the intention to repel any move that might be considered treasonable. While it may easy to blow up a pipeline in the dead of the night considering that most of these region had long networks of pipelines, it will be difficult to declare an independent republic as this will require physical presence and a need to carry-out administrative duties.

President Buhari might be struggling to deal with vandalism of oil and gas pipelines but a declaration of an independent state would pit the secessionists against the army and the president would not hesitate to exercise the superior weaponry in quelling what may be considered an insult. As he has reiterated, the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable .

Financial amnesty

Granting MEND amnesty during the administration of the late president, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and facilitated by then vice president, Jonathan has been a solution that can best be described as a future disaster. In retrospect, Nigeria must regret signing off millions of naira to able-bodied but jobless youths who have been exposed to free lavish lifestyles without doing an honest day’s work.

After militants laid down their arms during Yar’Adua’s administration, they did so because the government promised to pump their bank account with funds without contributing anything in return. While this was a way to stop the incessant attack on oil workers and bombing of pipelines, it created a bigger financial problem that President Buhari is likely not to repeat.

The president has insisted that he is ready to explore various ways of ending the problem in the Niger Delta but the militants waiting for financial amnesty should think twice as Buhari may not thread this path of wasting fund on jobless youths as this continues to put the country at their mercy.

Resource control

Niger Delta militants have called for a restructuring of the control of oil as the current 13 per cent the region was receiving from the federal government was not acceptable. Some militant groups have demanded that that since oil is generated from the region, it should also control it the same way other regions control their agriculture and other resources.

While this is an issue that calls for debate, it is clear that it will take a long time before this will even be considered by President Muhammadu Buhari. First, oil being the main source of Nigeria’s export cannot be quickly and easily relinquished to the region as this will create a vacuum in Nigeria’s financial terrain.

Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the vice president has reiterated that if corruption remains in Nigeria’s system, the same problems will still persists even if each region controls it natural resource. Perhaps if oil is discovered in the north, each region will be allowed to control it. Until then, militants should not expect Buhari to relinquish federal government’s control of oil to the Niger Delta.

Headquarters of oil companies

Oyobio-Oyobio, a militants group recently gave a seven-day ultimatum to oil companies to move their headquaters to the Niger Delta region. They made this demand because they felt the people from the region have a lot to benefit if executive workers of oil companies operate from the Niger Delta.

First, the decision to set-up or operate a company from a particular operation is not within President Buhari’s terrain. Secondly, if he wants these companies to move from Lagos and Abuja to the Niger Delta region, there must security guarantee but unfortunately, the region has had a history of kidnapping for ransom. While the establishment of companies would greatly help to develop the Niger Delta region, the demand is not one Buhari is likely to fulfil soon.

Resignation

President Buhari has been blamed for what many considered his lopsided appointment of key persons in his cabinet and some militants have called for his resignation. This is probably the last thing Buhari will do as one would wonder if someone who contested for presidency four times will resign in his first term in office. To Buhari, the idea of resignation as a way of conceding to the demand of some militants is laughable and almost impossible.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

Boko Haram fighters riding on bicycles sacked Shawa village in Askira/Uba LGA of Borno state in the early hours of Sunday.

A member of the vigilante group, Civilian JTF, Istifanus Apagu, said the militants believed to have a camp in Kalkasa village in Damboa LGA burnt down all the houses in the village whose inhabitants had just returned recently.

Though no dead body has been found, the vigilante member said several villagers were missing.

He called for establishment of a military base in the area so that returnees can feel secured in their homes.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

In another development, President Buhari, while receiving Ambassador Oubi Bachir of Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, reiterated Nigeria’s support for the Saharawi people’s self-determination and independence.

recievesense:
The corruption in this country is enough to make the devil resign his position and go on sabbatical leave.

Choi

National and Assembly and corruption are like.....

Abeg who get that picture?

President Muhammadu Buhari says the Federal Government will restore the confidence of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by fast-tracking their voluntary return, rehabilitation and reintegration into the society.
Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, quoted Buhari as saying this at the State House in Abuja while receiving the outgoing Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Asharaf Abdelkader Salama.


The president commended Egypt for identifying with the challenges confronting Nigeria, especially the plight of IDPs which had remained a topmost priority of the government.

“The displaced persons want to go back to their homes. They want to resume their normal lives. They want to go back to the land, which they have not cultivated for over three years now. We will work to restore their confidence and work on infrastructure so that they can quickly resettle,” he said.

Buhari said the bond of friendship between Nigeria and Egypt was very strong as demonstrated in their growing cooperation on regional and international issues.
Salama, who spent four years in Nigeria, and travelled from Maiduguri to Yobe state last month, said he was the first foreign diplomat to have done so. He said he was proud to have made the journey through an area once considered a stronghold of Boko Haram terrorists following the successes recorded by the Nigerian military against insurgents in the region.

He described Nigerians as “friendly and generous,” and expressed the hope to return.

President Buhari also received the outgoing Ambassadors of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Tanzania.

In another development, President Buhari, while receiving Ambassador Oubi Bachir of Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, reiterated Nigeria’s support for the Saharawi people’s self-determination and independence.
Ambassador Bachir’s duty tour to Nigeria spanned eight years during which he served as the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.

Buhari was also quoted as telling the Tanzanian High Commissioner, Daniel Ole Njoolay, that the East African country was fortunate to have a leader who cared so much for the less privileged in the society.
He said Tanzania was blessed with good land and gas which could be used for the people of the country.

The National Assembly is facing serious financial crunch as a result of huge debt running into billions of naira, Daily Trust has reliably gathered.
The debts were owed contractors for the supply of office facilities, lawmakers’ vehicles, and maintenance costs among others.

Contractors and suppliers are grumbling over the inability of the National Assembly management to liquidate the accumulated debts.
It was gathered that the situation has forced the management of the National Assembly to take cost cutting measures including the slashing down of salaries of legislative aides by about 70 percent.
A source familiar with the workings of the National Assembly told Daily Trust that the management is now taking inventory of the debt stock.
The source said some of the debts were incurred through contracts that might not have been executed. “It is a yearly occurrence,” the source added.

“There are huge debts, no doubt. They’re still in the process of compiling,” said the source.
One legislative aid said, “The situation is so worrisome that the new Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Omolori has demanded for the comprehensive details of the debts profile.”

Asked about the major contracts being awarded by the National Assembly, the source said they included office facilities, vehicles, and maintenance.
“You’ll be shocked if you know the monumental corruption taking place in the management of the National Assembly. They change office equipment every year on paper, but you don’t get to see anything.
“You can imagine even the maintenance being carried out by Julius Berger at the time was done on credit. It was because of the way they were going about the whole thing that Berger backed out from the contract of maintaining the NASS complex.
“There are a lot of things my brother. Some of them would raise fake vouchers just to divert the money. Somebody would say he has travelled to somewhere, whereas he was in his house.

“They also have ghost workers among the NASS staff, but because nobody probes them, people don’t get to know. With this kind of things, how do you expect the country to change?” said the source, who did not want to be named.
A management staff of the National Assembly told one of our correspondents that the situation was compounded by what he called, “irregular release of funds by the executive arm of government.”

The source who spoke on condition of anonymity said unlike before when their funds were released quarterly, the National Assembly funds were being released by the executive arm monthly.
“Until this administration, the National Assembly funds were released quarterly but now the present administration has adopted a new style. We are now getting our money monthly.

“This is negatively affecting us because after paying salaries of lawmakers, their aides and National Assembly staff, the remaining money is hardly enough for the day-to-day running of our operations,” he said.
Confirming the situation, a top management staff said they had stopped awarding major contracts.
He said the debt was affecting the lawmakers whom he added were not getting what they used to get before.
He however, said, “We are not the only ones owing, the executive and Judiciary owe too. Ours was worsened by the slashing down of our budget from N150billion to N115 billion.”

The budget of the National Assembly that was N23.347 billion in 2003 went up to as much as N150 billion for four years (2010 to 2013) but was slashed to N120 billion in 2014 and N115 billion in 2015 and 2016.
The National Assembly budget is still shrouded in secrecy despite promise by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki to make the details public.

Contacted, the spokesperson of the Senate, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said he was not aware of the huge debt.
“I don’t know anything about the debt and it’s shouldn’t be an issue. After all, what is the total debt stock of Nigeria? There is no how an institution or country will not owe. The United States is the most heavily indebted nation. You should please concentrate on issues that would contribute in the development of the country.

“Today (yesterday) I read somewhere that the UN is saying that that the 15million unemployed Nigerians is a time bomb. This is the issue that should worry us. I will prefer to channel my energy on issues that would bring about development in this country. We expect the media to key into the development agenda of this government by setting agenda on developmental issues, “he said.

Also, the Director of Information of the National Assembly, Mr Ishaku Dibal, said he was not aware of any debt being owed by the assembly, but that he would find out from his superiors and get back to us. He never did up to the time of filing this report.
Mgt demotes Saraki, Dogara’s aides

Meanwhile, the National Assembly management has demoted more than half of the aides engaged by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and others, Daily Trust has reliably gathered.
It was gathered that the decision to demote the aides was due to over bloated number of aides engaged by Saraki, Dogara, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yussuf Suleimon Lasun.

Daily Trust had exclusively reported in March, this year that the National Assembly bureaucracy requested the presiding officers to reduce the number of their aides by at least 60 percent as part of cost cutting measures.
At that time, the four presiding officers had hired 400 aides with Saraki having 112 aides, Dogara about 170, Deputy Ekweremadu 60 and Lasun 58.

It was gathered that the refusal of the presiding officers to heed to the request forced the management of the National Assembly to demote their aides.
The demotion, our correspondent gathered affected almost all aides of the Federal lawmakers including those who were engaged by Senators and Reps.

The findings of our correspondents showed that monthly, a Special Adviser earns N1,040,000, the Senior Special Assistant, N1million, Senior Legislative Aide, N350,000 and the lowest cadre, legislative aide earn N200,000.

The development has shrunk the finances of the legislative aides as those who were collecting N1,040,000 before now earn N309, 000 monthly.
Speaking to our correspondents, one of the affected aides (name withheld), said his salary had been slashed by 70 percent.
“When we were appointed my salary was over N1million but now I’m earning N300,000. The slash started in April when we were paid our four months outstanding salaries,” he said.

He said there was no communication on the slash, adding that, “we were not told the yardstick used and no memo was given to us in this regard.
“My worry is that despite this problem more aides are being engaged. In fact, from June to date over 20 new aides have been recruited by the presiding officers, “ he said.

Efforts to get the reaction of National Assembly management failed but a source close to it told our correspondents that the refusal of the presiding officers to reduce their aides forced them (National Assembly management) to demote their aides.

“It is not true that their salaries were slashed by 70 percent, but if you say that they were demoted, you are correct. It is just a move to correct errors that have been on over the years. The aides are earning outrageous salaries and this is being corrected now,” he said.
When contacted, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Saraki, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu declined comment.

However, a source close to the Senate President’s office confirmed the development but pointed out that it was done across board.

Slynonny:
APc and lies are like...
Where is that pix sef?

An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has declined an ex parte order sought by the State Government to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from investigating the finances of the state.

The motion was filed by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, to stop the anti-graft agency from investigating the accounts of the state government.

He also sought an order stopping the arrest of the Commissioner for Finance, Accountant General and the managers of the affected banks.

The EFCC had frozen the governor’s accounts with Zenith Bank and some of his associates after allegedly tracing N4.7bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser under Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) to them and those of two sons of a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.

Justice Cornelius Akintayo ordered the applicant to put the defendants in the case on notice to prepare for defence.

He consequently adjourned the suit till August 23 when parties are expected to appear before him to argue the Motion on Notice.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

jlinkd78:
If true then thumbs down to Inec. How can an inconclusive election miraculously become conclusive without fresh votes.