Category: Featured

By Abel Leonard Nzwanke/lafia

The absence of a witness has stalled the hearing on the killing of 84 security personnel who were allegedly murdered by the outlawed Ombatse cult group in Alakyo Village of Nasarawa State.

Daybreak news reports that 74 operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and 10 personnel of Department of State Security Service were allegedly murdered by the Ombatse militia in Alakyo village on May 7, 2013.

Our correspondent also recalled that one Enugu Baba, a police corporal and three others are also accused of having a connection to the killings of the security personnel.

Addressing the High Court 1 on Wednesday in Lafia, Williams Akika, the prosecuting counsel said that the third witness was out of the country.

The prosecuting counsel, however, requested for an adjournment to enable them to present the witness as soon as he returns.

On his part, Emmanuel Kuza, defence counsel expressed frustration over what he described, as “undue delay” by the prosecuting counsel.

He added that the case had suffered unnecessary delay at the instance of the prosecuting counsel.

He said that the defendants had been in detention since 2013 without much progress being made on the case.

According to him, the persecuting counsel had only called two witnesses since 2013.

He added that the court had opposed the bail application of the defendants despite their ill health.

He said that the court should reconsider their bail application to enable the defendants who are critically ill seek medical care.

After listening to their arguments, Justice Suleiman Dikko, Chief Judge of the state who is the presiding judge, adjourned the matter to November 4 for the continuation of hearing.

The CJ also admonished the prosecuting counsel to ensure that he presents the witness on the adjourned date.

…Set up 7 man committee to investigate former Lagos chairman

By Mike Oboh

The National Executive Council of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria ( RTEAN) on Thursday passed a vote of confidence on the Executive National President, Comrade Eriyo Osakpamwan.

The motion which was unanimously moved by the state chairmen, said the Association is bigger than individual in respective of who you may be.

NEC were disappointed in events trending in the last few days, were the former Lagos state chairman, Alhaji Musa Mohammed was at the centre of the whole story.

The association said it has confidence in the ability, wisdom, and experience of Comrade Eriyo Osakpamwan to pilot the affairs of the Union and set up a 7 man committee to investigate the anti- Union activities of Alhaji Musa Mohammed, and others.

The committee is headed by the Ekiti State chairman, Chief Joseph Rotimi with Comrade Edi Nwebeze to serve as Secretary.

Other members are chairmen of Niger, Kano, Kaduna, Delta , Cross Rivers. They are to submit their report in three weeks’ time.

Over 27 state chairmen, secretaries, treasurers and well over three hundred members attended the NEC meeting at the Union Headquarters in Abuja.

It can be recalled that the National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja last week restrained Alhaji Musa Mohammed and six others from parading themselves as RTEAN executives, intimidation, harassment and having anything to do with the association pending the determination of the substantive suit before it.

By Mike Oboh

The Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has recovered 3 Ambulances and a 500KVA Transformer which are Constituency Project items, from Senator Buruji Kashamu.

The items were part of 2016 Constituency Projects meant to be distributed to Ogun East Senatorial District. They were discovered at his Constituency Project Office in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

According to a statement by the spokesperson of the Commission, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, the three ambulances which were procured at the cost of N6m each, were meant to be supplied to Obada Healthcare Centre, Oke Sopin in Ijebu North Local Government Area; Community Health Centre, Itele in Ijebu East Local Government Area; and Community Health Centre, Ogijo in Sagamu Local Government Area respectively.

The transformer is the last of an initial eleven meant for distribution to various communities of Ogun East Senatorial District which were procured at the cost of N3.6m each, bringing the total for the entire eleven transformers to N39.5m.

The Commission received intelligence about the items from a concerned citizen who became aware of the Commission’s Constituency Project Tracking Group initiative which exercise has so far covered 12 states of the federation.

The recovered items were seized and the vehicles were moved to a Police Station while the 500KVA Transformer was marked with the Commission’s seizure seal and in the interim, kept in the custody of the Manager of the Senator’s office.

By Mike Oboh

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned the corruption case brought against the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation by the scrapped Special Presidential Investigative Panel (SPIP) to November 5 to give her verdict on the case.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu had on Thursday declared that the case was political and she was not interested in politics and adjourned the case to November 5, 2019, to give the court’s position on the matter.

Although Justice Ojukwu was not happy with the absence of the five NFF executives in court, after being briefed by counsel to the NFF, Barrister Sani Katu, she declared that she saw nothing in the case and that the defendants should have shown up in court.

Barrister Katu informed her Lordship that the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria has terminated and dissolved the SPIP that brought the case before the court and in the absence of the prosecutor, the case file is now with the Attorney-General of the Federation and other files are also in transition.

Following Katu’s statement, Justice Ojukwu stated that if the defendants had appeared in court, and in the absence of the scrapped SPIP, she would have released the defendants. She then adjourned the case to November 5.

Speaking after the adjournment, Barrister Abubakar Musa, Senior State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice said that with the pronouncement that SPIP is no longer functional and disbanded by the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, every case brought by the SPIP is now under the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

“According to the instructions of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, the AGF is taking over the matter and all the files are supposed to be in transition,” Barrister Musa said.

“The court cannot be blamed. The Attorney General of the Federation is the chief law officer of the state and he is bound to be sure that the Federal Republic of Nigeria obey the court order, but he is not aware of the order and if he is not aware of it, you cannot say he is bound to bring the defendants.”

By Abel Leonard Nzwanke/,Lafia

Engineer Abdullahi Sule and his immediate predecessor, senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura,have all vowed to promote culture and unity of all tribes for the interest and progress of the state.

This was made known during the maiden edition of cultural festival organised by NIFEST aimed at show casing the diverse socio cultural heritage, and as well integrating and harnessing the rich cultural values of the people of Nasarawa state.

The cultural festival was officially opened on Thursday night at the Ta’al Conference Hotel,along Jo’s road,lafia the state capital,where the doo were represented respectively.

The event which features cultural display by tribes in the state,was also an avenue for fund raising for the sustenance of the event annually.

Governor Sule who was unavoidably absent due to an official assignment oversea was represented by the Senior Special Assistant on Youth and social development,Mr Yakubu Kwanta.

He said the event was apt and timely,giving to government drive for the empowerment of youth and ensure peace and harmony in the state.

Governor Abdullahi Sule applauded the initiative of the organizers of the event urging them not to be discourage as government on her part will support and ensure that the festival gains international recognition through the promotion of the endowments in Nasarawa state.

However, senator Al-Makura,represented by Alhaji Abubakar Sandaji,says “the event gives the people of the state the avenue to relate and respect the cultural differences as well as creating peaceful coexistence amongst them.

Daybreak News report that Al-Makura donated the sum of One Million Naira (#1,000.000.00) to assist the organisers of the the event to plan effectively.

Earlier, Alhaji Abubakar Sandaji who Is the chairman of the event, applauded governor Abdullahi Sule for creating the enabling environment and accepting to honour the invitation considering his tight scheduled as Governor the state.

He said “culture is the biggest inheritance and a platform for promoting it must be created among citizens of Nasarawa state,for active engagement of the youths in order to sustain cultural values’.

By Dauda Pam

Seven passengers, including the Driver names withheld were on Thursday morning killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) suspected to have been planted along Biu- Buratai- Buni Yadi- Damaturu road,YOBE state.

The incident said to have taken place between Kamuya and Buratai village, the home town to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Tukur Buratai,coming barely a week, when suspected insurgents on 19th September 2019, abducted five persons on the same route.

According to reliable sources, the passengers with their driver in a Golf saloon vokswagen vehicle were heading from Biu Local Government Area of Borno to Maiduguri, the state capital, unfortunately, upon reaching closer to the newly tarred road constructed by Yobe State Government stamped on the IED, which exploded and destroyed the vehicle with occupants into pieces.

The incident according to one of the lucky Driver and his passengers who were also heading to Maiduguri, and was trailing the affected Volkswagen Golf with a little distance back, happened at about 10am.

His words, ” We have to give God the Glory for sparing our lives and property today along Biu-Damaturu road. I was at the back of the exploded Golf car, but because of the little distance, the explosion of the IED could not reach us, but we have to immediately make a u-turn without reaching our destination.

“In fact, we thought it was a rainbow show, as the whole area became lightened with heavy sound that shook the area.” The escaped driver said.

Recalled that recently, the Cashier of Hawul Local Government Area of the Borno state was kidnapped along the same route, before he later released after payment of ransom. Also, an ambush by terrorists along the same road last two weeks claimed the life of a military personnel and carting away of foodstuff and millions of naira.

All efforts to get confirmation from the Police authorities proved abortive at press time.

By Dauda R Pam MAIDUGURI

Borno state Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum,on Friday (today)‎joined a panel of discussion on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the midst of conflict, to participate in a high-level side event in the on-going 74th United Nations General Assembly,UNGA,taking place in New York, United States of America.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Public Relations and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau, indicated that Governor Zulum, arrived United States on Thursday, with a call for an action against the impacts of climate change in reference to,how lost of livelihoods, caused by receding of the Lake Chad has significantly contributed to the security challenges in Borno State and parts of the northeast.‎

According to the statement,Governor Zulum,was invited by the Chairman Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF),Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State to be joined by permanent missions of Nigeria and Spain to the United Nations,as co-hosting the high level side event with the theme, “The Role of Subnational Governments in Achieving the SDGs and the Paris Agreement”.

The side event is also supported by the UN Global impact and Local 2030, a multi-stakeholder platform that supports delivery of SDGs to communities of UN member countries.

Also in attendance are two Governors,Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto, the NGF’s vice chairman, Governor of Ebonyi state and Africa’s regional director of the UN Development Programme in the first panel of the side event, the statement said.

‎lsa Gusau, was said to have quoted media reports linked to the NGF,and noted that, Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande,President of the 74th UN General Assembly as well as the UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed,are expected to speak during the side event at the UN headquarters.

Others to speak at the event are,Professor Jeffrey Sachs, an economist from Columbia University, Juan Pablo De LaigLasia, Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Kerry Adler, President and CEO of Skypower Global which is a ground-breaking solar power company that prides itself with building stronger economies and a cleaner environment by adding renewables to the energy mix.

Governor Zulum is expected to explore opportunities of attracting interventions to Borno State in order to maximize the benefits of his participation at the UN General Assembly.