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Group Seeks Order Of Mandamus against FG to ban Amnesty International
Following recent reports by Amnesty International, AI alleging among other things military violation of human rights, a human rights advocacy group, Save Nigeria Movement has dragged the Federal Government of Nigeria to court seeking an order of mandamus to compel her to investigate, and ban the AI from operating in the country.
In the originating exparte motion filed at the Federal High Court Makurdi, the plaintiff joined the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Security, the National Security Adviser Adviser, as well as the Inspector General of Police as respondents.
In the supporting affidavit accompanying the motion, the convener of Save Nigeria Movement, Solomon Semaka deposed that his organisation believes that AI reports against the military authorities are prejudiced, biased and targeted at inciting civilians against the government authorities with a view to breaching national security.
Counsel for the plaintiff, Rose Ogwuche esq while taking questions from journalists posited that her client is convinced that the Court has inherent jurisdiction to compel the respondents to act so as to forestall security breaches which AI reports are capable of generating.
Reliefs sought by the plaintiff include, “an order of mandamus,” to compel the respondents to investigate and ban AI from operations in the country as failure to do so would continue to undermine national security and rights of citizens.
The plaintiff urged the court to grant such further orders that would ensure justice in the courts discretion.
A date is yet to be fixed for hearing of the motion exparte.
December 15, 2020
BREAKING: Reps halt take off of 774,000 Jobs Scheme
The House of Representatives on Tuesday asked the Federal government to halt the take-off of the 774,000 special works programme now scheduled to commence in January 2021.
The House also asked the Ministry of Finance not to release the funds meant for the programme until some issues that affects the integrity of the programme are sorted out.
Adopting a motion of urgent Public importance sponsored by Hon. Olajide Olatubonsun, the House also condemned the sack of the Director General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mohammed Ladan Argungu and advised that he be reinstated immediately.

He said there was the need to suspend the programme because there are silent issues which bother on the integrity of the legislature and the need to build institutions.
According to him, the DG stood for what is right and the decision to sack him was ill-advised, adding that since the programme was initially supposed to take place in 2020, the money meant for it was provided for in the 2020 budget, adding that since it has been shifted to 2021, there was the need to suspend its implementation until there is provision made for it in the 2021 budget.
December 15, 2020
BREAKING: CJN Tanko Muhammad, tests positive for COVID-19
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad has tested positive for COVID-19.
The CJN is presently in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, receiving treatment.
A member of the Supreme Court, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa disclosed this at the unveiling of the national headquarters of the Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
Justice Muhammad was absent at the swearing – in of 72 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria on Monday.
His duty was performed by the next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour who administered oaths to the new SANs.
Details shortly…..
December 15, 2020
Nigeria should accept vaccines from China if it meets criteria – – NMA
Decries disregard for Covid-19 protocols
By Joyce Babayeju
The President of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Prof Innocent Ujah has said that Nigeria will accept vacinne from China and any other country as far as the vaccine meets the criteria of efficacy and safety
The NMA president spoke against the background of the recent spike in Covid 19 cases in the country.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Monday night over the quest for a Covid-19 vacinne for Nigerian against the background that most Western nations are buying up and stock piling available vaccine, the NMA said it has no problem with a Chinese vaccine as long as the vaccine is efficacious and safe.
“What we are looking at is the vaccine not the country of origin and it is important we dont go into the politics of importations, what we do is ask questions if the vaccine is efficacious, that means does it has efficacy physique then is it safe. We are not interested in where the vaccine came from and therefore anywhere the vaccine is coming from what we check is efficacy and safety whether from China or anywhere in the world” He said.
Reacting to the NMA position in the past when it rejected help from a Chinese medical team, the NMA president said the Association never kicked against the visit of the Chinese medical team but only said Nigeria as at then had the capacity to deal with the pandemic outbreak. “NMA did not kick against it, NMA said the capacity we have in Nigeria is enough” .
He noted that the Nigerian government cannot descriminate no matter where a vaccine is coming from since the Nigerian government is not producing any vaccine. “You know the Nigeria government has not produce any vaccine so we cannot say that we will not take it, we are not discriminating, and you know China is more prepared than us and we should learn from their example”
Prof. Ujah also acknowledged the support of China to Nigeria since the outbreak of COVID-19 noting that it is part of the diplomatic relations between Nigeria and China.
“China has been assisting Nigeria in all sector as part of its diplomatic relationship with Nigeria and assisting Nigeria during Covid should not be seen as unusual. China supports Nigeria and Nigeria support China too, there is nothing new or special about that”
Earlier during a press briefing the NMA expressed worries over the rising cases of Covid-19 in the country calling on the FG and Nigeria’s to take apprioprote measures to curtail the spread the disease.
He also warned of a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country as Nigerians show flagrant disregard for Federal Government’s prevention protocols.
He said the second wave of the pandemic is coming as a result of disregard for non pharmaceutical prevention protocols warning efforts of containment of the scourge. The association therefore appealed to Nigerians to take the COVID-19 prevention advisories very seriously in order to interrupt the transmission and reduce ill health and deaths from the dreaded disease.
“The strict adherence to the NCDC Protocol of use of face mask , regular hand washing and use of sanitizers and social as well as physical distancing is very strongly advocated. Non essential travels should not be embarked upon especially during this Yuletide season and beyond.” He said.
The NMA president said his Association is also worried over the brain drain by frontline health workers at this critical time. “The association bemoaned the incessant spate of emigration of highly trained Nigerian doctors and other health care professionals to greener pastures at a time when their services are critically needed in Nigeria, observing further that efforts at engaging these Nationals have not yielded results.”

The NMA further lamented the continual practice of medical tourism by privileged Nigerians and urged the Federal Government to establish the National Health Bank to help fast – track the infrastructure, procurement of the state of the equipment that will provide world class health care for Nigerians and reverse medical tourism.
December 15, 2020
Lawan Swears In Four New Senators To Replace Vacant Seats
The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan has sworn in four Senators elect to replace vacant seats following the death of three lawmakers and the emergence of Bayelsa Governor and his Deputy.
The new Senators are Seriake Dickson representing Bayelsa West, Cleopas Moses representing Bayelsa Central, Prof. Nora Dadu’ut representing Plateau South; and Tokunbo Abiru representing Lagos East, but the fifth Senator-elect Dr. Stephen Odey was not sworn in.
This is because of a court injunction restraining the Senate President from swearing him in as his election is being disputed.
The Senate also during plenary on Tuesday debated the abduction of students of the government science school Kankara, Katsina state.
The debate comes after gunmen on Friday attacked Government Science Secondary School in the Kankara council area of the north-west state, kidnapping scores of students.
The motion is raised by Senator Bello Mandiya from Katsina state.
In his contribution. Senator Sani Musa from Niger said there is a need for the Senate to take drastic actions and emphasize to President Buhari that the Service Chiefs must go.
Senator Suswam in a passionate debate criticized the service chiefs and says lawmakers will support the Senate President in whatever resolution decided to address kidnappings and insecurity in the country.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele lamented that the Senate has done its best but the executive is not listening and they are becoming helpless.
He questioned why President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to remove the service chiefs.
The Senate had on December 1, 2020, recommended that President Muhammadu Buhari remove the Service Chiefs and replace them with people with fresh ideas and solutions.
The lawmakers are also asking President Buhari to restructure and remodel the entire security architecture and investigate allegations of widespread corruption and leakages within the security architecture.
The lawmakers made this recommendation at a debate on security in the nation after an attack on rice farmers in Borno State which left at least 40 dead.
December 15, 2020
Nigeria’s inflation hits 14.89%, driven by soaring food prices
Nigeria’s inflation rose for the 15th month in a row in November, touching a more than two-year high amid spiraling food prices fueled by land border closure and fall in the exchange rate of the naira, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Tuesday.
A separate index, measuring food inflation, rose sharply by 18.30% relative to 17.38 per cent the month before.
Inflation, which measures the cost of living, climbed to 14.89 per cent, compared with the 14.21% reported for Octobe
December 15, 2020
FG grants Yola Disco N5b loan for mass metering
The federal government has granted the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), a N5 billion loan for sourcing of 85,375 meters for its customers.
In December last year, the government said it was taking over the Disco and said it was ready to refined the sum of N26.9 billion for the acquisition of the company by private investors.
Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, who made the announcement in Yola, Adamawa State, during the launch of the mass metering programme for the YEDC, said the implementation of the programme was paying off as one of the most ambitious packages in the history of the sector in Nigeria.
“I am especially happy to inform you that the Federal Government of Nigeria has granted Yola Distribution Company a soft loan of N5,061,147,103.00 for sourcing of 85,376 meters.
“This comprises 62,324 single-phase and 23,052 three-phase meters under phase zero (0) of the National Mass Metering Programme. I, thus, call on the management of YEDC to make good use of this facility to significantly reduce the Aggregate Technical Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses.
“The ATC&C negatively affects the revenue stream of the company, as well as improve electricity supply to your esteemed and valuable customers,” he said.
Mamman expressed joy that Nigeria has finally got a solution for the long existing challenges of metering power consumption in the country.
“It is with great pleasure that I stand before you at this landmark event to flag-off the intervention policy of the federal government towards closing the metering gap in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
“This occasion is a clear testimony of Yola Electricity Distribution Company’s commitment to providing its customers enhanced service delivery.” He stressed.
The Nigerian electricity market, he said, has for many years struggled with inadequate revenue, thus creating significant liquidity challenge for all market participants in the value chain.
According to the minister, one of the major contributors to the funding challenge is the low level of metering for end-use consumers.
“This is the principal reason for customer resistance to payment of electricity bills due to the perceived lack of confidence and trust in estimated billing. The often-repeated reason for the low level of metering has been attributed to the inability of Distribution Companies (Discos) to raise financing for the purchase of meters,” he noted.
Mamman praised President Muhammadu Buhari for supporting the Discos with the financing towards the bulk acquisition of meters, describing the intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the provision of long-term low interest funds to the Discos as a boost for the sector.
He called on customers of YEDC to desist from tampering with electricity meters, saying that is not only on account of protecting the revenues of the Discos, but more importantly, for the safety of customers as there have been reports of consumers losing lives in the course of bypassing meters.
He also commended the management of YEDC for launching the novel initiative of the federal government and urged them to manage customer expectations, stressing that it would take some time to install the thousands of meters needed to close the gap.
December 15, 2020
Brave mum stalks her daughter’s killers and hunts all 10 down one by one
A mum on a revenge mission set up fake IDs and used disguises to stalk her daughter’s killers and hunt them down one by one.
In a story reminiscent of the hit Hollywood film Taken, starring Liam Neeson, mum Miriam Rodriguez relentlessly tracked down those responsible for the kidnap and murder of her 20-year-old daughter Karen.
Her daughter’s killers are 10 criminals from the notorious Mexican drugs cartel, Los Zetas, one of the most dangerous in the country. Yet, her brave action was instrumental in taking them all down.
In the three years following Karen’s death, Miriam captured nearly every living member of the crew that had abducted her daughter for ransom in an area where even the official authorities are too scared to bring justice against cartel individuals.
To aid her crusade to bring her daughter’s killers to justice, she cut her hair, dyed it and disguised herself before playing various roles including a health worker and election official to get their names and addresses.
Miriam invented excuses to meet their families to tease details from them and build her investigation.
She captured one of those involved in the crime who was selling flowers on the street.
“The florist” was flogging roses to make ends meet and Miriam managed to track him down. He recognised her and ran but Miriam, 56 at the time, was able to tackle him to the floor and held a gun to his throat, threatening to kill him if he moved.
It eventually cost Miriam her life as she was murdered in San Fernando, Mexico, after gunmen broke into her home, reports NewYorkTimes.
Following her death, Tamaulipas governor, Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca said on Twitter that the state government “will not allow the death of Miriam Rodríguez to be one statistic more”, The Guardian reported.
Miriam has become a hero in her hometown for taking on the cartel and she has a bronze plaque honouring her in the central square.
She had told her other daughter Azalea that she would not rest until she had found the people who had taken Karen.
December 15, 2020
Ede Polytechnic Rector suspended for fixing a king-sized bed in his office
John Adekolawole, the rector of the Federal Polytechnic in Ede, Osun state has been suspended by the institution’s academic board on grounds of “sleeping at work.”
Adekunle Masopa, chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in the institution, said the board based its decision on 21 grounds.
Speaking after an emergency congress of the union, Masopa said a position paper was submitted to the union by the board after its meeting. They accused Adekolawole of desecrating the respected office of the rector with the creation of a bedroom furnished with a king-size bed which has made it possible for him to be ”sleeping at work.”
He said;
“We tried to intervene, but members of the academic board said they had taken a decision and that their decision would stand.
“They, however, said a position paper would be communicated to us. The said position paper has been communicated to us.
“The following are some of the reasons adduced for the action: one, flagrant dereliction of duty by absconding from office for about a month. Two, the desecration of the highly respected office of the rector with the creation of a bedroom furnished with a king-size bed which has made it possible for him to be sleeping at work.
“Improper improvisation of dual award programme of National Diploma plus NCE (Nigeria Certificate in Education) programme in collaboration with a consultant.”
December 15, 2020
Police brutality: NBA to provide free legal services to poor victims
By Isaac Kertyo, Makurdi
The Nigeria Bar Association is to provide free services to the victims of Police brutality, human rights violation and Extra-judicial killings who could not afford services of lawyers to defend them at the panel of Inquiry investigating Police brutality, Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, Makurdi branch, Mr Job Ishember has revealed.
Ishember who disclosed this in an interview in Makurdi maintained that the decision is sequel to the directive by the National President of the association that all the branches should provide free legal services to such victims throughout the nation.
To this end, the Makurdi branch of the association has sent a team of lawyers led by Barr Samuel Akor to defend the aforementioned category of victims of Police brutality.

Meanwhile, the Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the human rights violation and Extra-judicial killings has received 54 petitions from victims of Benue Police Special Anty Robbery Squared brutality.   Secretary of the panel, Mr Edward Yange contended that they would continue to receive petitions from victims throughout the six months’ duration.
He pointed out that the duration may be extended if there are many cases for members to handle.
December 15, 2020