₦airaland Forum

Ahead of  Friday's sitting, the Independent National Electoral Commission has produced the documents which the presidential election petitions tribunal, in Abuja called for on Wednesday at the instance of the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The documents which were packed in 55 cartons would be the last to be presented to the tribunal as the petitioners are expected to close their case on Friday.

However, only 58 out of its proposed 400 witnesses had been called as of Wednesday which happened to be the ninth of the ten days given to the petitioners by the tribunal to present their case.

The petitioners are, by their petition, challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress at the February 23 poll.

The tribunal of five judges led by Justice Mohammed Garba had on Wednesday ordered INEC to produce the documents by noon on Thursday.

This followed the complaints by the petitioners that the subpoenas issued and served on INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, and the commission’s resident electoral commissioner in Zamfara State to produce the documents had not been complied with.

The tribunal had on Wednesday adjourned the case until Friday, but the counsel to the PDP and Atiku, Chris Uche (SAN), attended the Thursday’s proceedings scheduled for hearing in respect of other petitions filed by the Hope Democratic Party and the Peoples Democratic Movement.

Uche said his presence in court was to ensure INEC’s compliance with the Wednesday’s order of the tribunal.

At about the time the five-man panel was to recede to chambers to write a ruling in respect of PDM’s petition, Uche informed the bench of his intention in court on Thursday.

In reaction, Justice Garba asked for update from INEC’s lawyer, Yunus Usman (SAN).
 
Replying, Usman informed the tribunal that the “documents had been substantially produced.

“It is a very tedious task, but we have to obey the court’s order,” he stated.

Within the period of the one-hour break observed by the members of the tribunal, INEC officials had brought in a total of 55 boxes of documents into the court room.

When the tribunal resumed sitting, INEC’s lawyer informed the panel that the order of the court had been complied with.

Pointing to the cartons of documents lined up in the courtroom, Usman said since the order of court was not for INEC officials on whom the subpoenas were earlier served to testify, the Director of Legal Services, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, was present to represent the commission.

He also said there was a cover letter signed by the secretary to INEC, Mrs. Rose Orianran-Anthony, accompanying the documents.

He noted that the request by the petitioners for result sheets for the national assembly rerun election in Zamfara State were not available as no such election was conducted.


https://www.classyupdate.com/atiku-gets-55-cartons-of-documents-from-inec-as-he-closes-his-case-today/

Contrary to its initial report, the anti-graft agency, EFCC, said the former Chief Accountant of Vanguard Newspaper sentenced to seven years imprisonment last week actually stole N40.66 million from the company.

The correction was seen in court documents sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday.The EFCC had earlier reported on Tuesday that Mr Abiodun was jailed for stealing N3.1 million. He was found guilty of an eight-count charge of conspiracy, and forgery.

Also sentenced by the court was the former circulation representative of the newspaper, Benin Office, Joseph Ezeobi, who got three years imprisonment over his involvement in the forgery.

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, however, sentenced the former Vanguard chief accountant to seven years imprisonment on one count. ”He is sentenced to seven years in prison each for counts two to eight,” the judge said in her judgment.

The accused, who had been on bail since the trial began, will serve their judgements afresh.

According to the document seen by this newspaper, the convict and his accomplice had on various dates illegally converted N4.52 million, N18 million, N18.14 million belonging to Vanguard.

“Abiodun and Ezeobi had on January 7, 2009, in Lagos, with intent to defraud the Complainant (Vanguard Media Limited), fraudulently converted N800,000 property of Vanguard Media Limited.

“Abiodun and Ezeobi had on November 21, 2007, in Lagos, with intent to defraud Vanguard Media Limited, conspired to forge a Wema Bank Plc deposit slip No. 0278679 purporting to be in the value of N740,000.00 dated November 21, 2007.


https://www.classyupdate.com/jailed-ex-vanguard-accountant-stole-n41-million-not-n3-1-million-efcc/

Security Operatives in Akwa Ibom State are on the trail of a gang of gunmen that killed two soldiers and abducted an expatriate in Ukanafun local government area of Akwa Ibom State.

The unidentified gunmen had Wednesday afternoon killed the two soldiers and kidnapped the expatriate engineer whose nationality is yet to be ascertained at a road construction site in Ukanafun council.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, Odiko Macdon, confirmed the incident Thursday saying the Police and other security agencies have swung into action to arrest those involved in the crime.

“We have received information about the unfortunate dastardly incident at the road project in Ikot Ibritam – Inen Ekeffe leading to Ukanafun. We are working with our sister agencies to identity, arrest and prosecute those involved”

THISDAY gathered that the incident happened when the expatriate engineer working with Al madal construction company was inspecting the construction of the Ikot Ibritam, Inen Ekeffe and Odoro Ikot to Ukanafun road construction project awarded by Akwa Ibom state Government.

An eyewitness, Mr. Friday Idiok, said the two soldiers were killed while escorting the expatriate during the routine inspection of the road project along Idim Okpok mini bridge in Inen Ekeffe, the boundary village between OrukAnam and Ukanafun local government area.

Immediately the two soldiers were killed, Idiok said the gunmen whisked the expatriate engineer away to unknown destination while the residents ran away from the environment for fear of arrest by security operatives.

“There were sporadic shootings here and before you know what was happening, two soldiers were dead. The gunmen also escaped with the soldiers’ guns and took the expatriate to their hideout. Everybody here is afraid; we don’t know what the government would do in this matter.” the eyewitness stated.

Commenting on the development in his area, the clan head of Ikot Inen community, His Royal Highness, Obong Johnson Johnny Obosi said the community was on the burial ground of one of their sons late Mr Udoimoh when they heard gunshots and the residents ran away .

“We were at burial of one of our brothers late Mr. Udoimoh when we were about to be entertained, we heard gunshots. The next report was that two soldiers attached to expatriates working on the road construction project that links my community with Ukanafun had been killed and expatriate kidnapped.”

Obong Obosi who could not established the nationality of the kidnapped expatriate said soldiers from Ibagwa barracks arrived in their Ambulance and carried the corpse of the dead soldiers to the mortuary.

Another resident of the area Mr Enobong Etuk said the incident was a fall out of the collapsed of government amnesty granted to militants from Ukanafun as government could not keep their own part of the bargain with the hoodlums.

“We wonder why this incident should happen. The project had continued smoothly in Oruk Anam axis but when it gets to Ukanafun killing and kidnapping set in . Government must look inward to fish out perpetrators of this crime.” he said.

https://www.classyupdate.com/security-operatives-hunt-for-gunmen-who-killed-2-soldiers-kidnapped-expatriate/

The kidnappers who abducted Beauty Ogere, mother of Samson Siasia, a former Coach of the Super Eagles, has called in to demand N70m  as a ransom.

76-year-old Ogere was kidnapped alongside two others at Odoni community, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Monday.

The kidnappers reportedly called Siasia with a foreign number to demand a ransom.


https://www.classyupdate.com/kidnappers-demand-n70m-to-release-siasias-mother/