Army Speaks On Recruiting Repented Boko Haram Members

The Nigerian Army has refuted a viral report that it recruited repented Boko Haram members. The Army made this known in a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Onyema Nwachuckwu. On Thursday, one Hauwakulu Tabra was reported to have been killed by Adamu Muhammad, a soldier she was in a relationship with, at the army barracks in Enugu. A report on Saturday said two senior military officers alleged that the soldier was a repented Boko Haram member who joined the Civilian Joint Task Force and was later enlisted into the Nigerian Army in 2021. But according to the statement, the Army said while it is highly regrettable that the lady was killed, the incident should not be used to propagate the claim that the act was committed by a repentant Boko Haram member recruited into the Nigerian Army. It also condoled with the family of the deceased and reiterated that at no time did it enlist repentant Boko Haram members into its fold “as mischievously insinuated”. However, the Army stated that at no point in time, either in the past or present enlisted repentant Boko Haram members to its strength. The statement read: “The NA has at no point in time, either in the past or present enlisted repentant Boko Haram members to its strength. However, considerations were given to Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) who in the fight against terrorism and insurgency in the North East distinguished themselves morally and patriotically. “Such members of the CJTF must have also shown commitment, dedication and loyalty to the service and the nation. “The sad incident of the gruesome murder of Miss Hauwakulu Tabra by Private Adamu Muhammad occurred on the night of Thursday 11 April 2024 and her corpse was discovered within the barracks on Friday 12 April 2024. “Preliminary investigations revealed that the late Hauwakulu Tabra was actually murdered by the said soldier, who is presently in detention for further investigation to unravel the motive behind his actions. “The general public should be rest assured that justice will be served, as the NA will not condone any unprofessional conduct or indiscipline within its ranks.”

National Grid Collapses

Nigeria’s electricity grid has collapsed again. The grid collapsed around 2:42 am on Monday, with generation dropping to 64.70megawatt. Only one generation company, Ibom Power, was active according to data from the Independent System Operator (ISO), a branch of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, has shown. This is the sixth collapse in 2024. As of 8am on Monday, the latest data from the ISO showed that the grid is currently generating 266.50mw of electricity from Okpai, Geregu and Ibom power. Confirming the collapse in a statement, Jos DisCo said: “The current outage being experienced within our franchise States is a result of loss of power supply from the national grid. The loss of power supply from the national grid occurred in the early hours at about 0242Hours of today, Monday, 15th April 2024, hence the loss of power supply on all our feeders.” The company’s head of Corporate Affairs, Dr Friday Adakole Elijah, expressed hope that the grid is restored for normal power supply to its esteemed customers.

Senate and House of Representatives Gear Up for Return to Main Chambers

With the conclusion of the ongoing renovation in both chambers of the National Assembly, as promised last month by Visible Construction Company Nigeria Limited, handling the renovation work of both chambers of the National Assembly, plenaries will commence in the main chambers from April 23rd, 2024. Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr, Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, announced the planned movement to the main chamber in a written statement to 359 other members of the House of Representatives last week. The rescheduling of the resumption date, originally set for April 16th, to April 23rd, was necessitated by the need to resume plenary in the renovated and reconfigured main chamber, according to the House spokesman’s announcement dated April 4th. Similarly, the Clerk to the Senate, Barrister Chinedu Akabueze, postponed the resumption of Plenary from April 16th to April 23rd, citing the same reason. Tajudeen Olanipekun, the site engineer of Visible Construction, assured journalists covering the Senate last month that the main chambers would be ready for use by both the Senate and the House of Representatives in April. The completion of the renovation project, awarded at N30 billion by the Federal Capital Development Authority to Visible Construction Limited in March 2021, includes the rehabilitation of critical segments such as office buildings, the roof, cooling systems, and lifts in the complex. With the finishing touches and installation of state-of-the-art equipment and furniture, the Hallowed Chambers have undergone a significant transformation, signaling the imminent return of legislative activities to the main chambers after nearly two years of using temporary ones.

BREAKING! Tension As Masked Men Storm Oyo Government Secretariat

Several individuals wearing masks reportedly forced their way into the Oyo State Government Secretariat on Saturday (today). Reports said the armed individuals believed to be Yoruba Nation Agitators were strategically positioned at various locations within the Secretariat premises. Some were reportedly stationed at the Governor’s office gate, while others were observed at the House of Assembly Gate and the main entrance. The presence of these masked men caused fear and anxiety in the area, with security personnel attempting to address the situation without success. The true identities of these masked individuals remain unknown at this time. However, law enforcement officers, including the Police Command and other anti-crime agencies, swiftly responded by deploying multiple patrol vehicles to the Secretariat entrance. Additionally, members of the Oyo security network known as Amotekun were also reported to have arrived at the scene. The situation, as reported, nearly descended into chaos as security personnel engaged in a gunfight with the protesters. Reports also mentioned the use of tear gas, causing panic among residents in the vicinity. Motorists travelling along the route have been forced to take alternative paths while other road users hurried to find safety. Road users heading towards the Secretariat were redirected through Customs Junction, as the Secretariat-Queen Elizabeth Road was blocked off. Despite the efforts of the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security, CP Sunday Odukoya (retired), to calm the situation, the masked gunmen persisted in their attempt to raise their flag at the Secretariat. However, the arrival of military officers from the 2nd Division of the Army approximately an hour later reportedly changed the course of events, causing some of the protesters at the entrance gate to flee. The stern-looking officers were said to have pursued the masked agitators. Shop owners, businesses, and residents in Bodija, Ikolaba, and along the Awolowo route quickly secured their shops and doors. As of this report, it remains unconfirmed whether any arrests have been made, as security personnel work to restore normalcy.

Aiyedatiwa Will Be Disqualified From Ondo Governorship Race – Jimoh Ibrahim 

Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and an aspirant in the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo has said that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa would be disqualified from the race. Describing Aiyedatiwa as a joker, Ibrahim said the incumbent governor was never the choice of Ondo people. Taunting the governor, Ibrahim displayed his entire academic and award certificates to journalists at the screening at the APC secretariat in Abuja. Ibrahim said Aiyedatiwa was only trying to ride his way into the Government House again on the back of the ticket of late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and a few endorsements he got from the State House of Assembly. He said: “As you can see, all my credentials and certificates are complete. What has Aiyedatiwa achieved? He was just a pair to Aketi. We didn’t vote for him. It was Aketi we voted for. “But I can assure you, the governor is a huge joker. He can’t continue in government with his P8 and P7 (alleged grades). The governor will be out of that place by the time we finish the APC primary next week. He is gone and there is nothing he can do about it. “I don’t normally go against people. Left alone to me, clear everybody and let them go for primary. Let the electorate decide. I have won the election as senator. I won in six of the six local governments, 65 of the 66 wards, and bagged 111,677 votes as against Agboola Ajayi’s 60,000 votes.” However, Aiyedatiwa told the APC screening committee for the upcoming governorship election in the state that his credentials are genuine.

Gunmen attack Ortom’s ex-aide, abduct wife, housemaid

Gunmen have abducted the wife, Mrs Abigail Orbunde and housemaid, Patience Ogute, of Terwase Orbunde, a former Chief of Staff to the immediate past governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom. Orbunde, alongside his wife and the housemaid, was said to have gone to inspect his farm located close to the Genocide Cemetery along Mobile Barracks-Welfare Quarters Road in Makurdi, the state capital on Friday, when they were attacked. The incident, according to a source who witnessed the attack, happened at about 6 pm on Friday. The eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised by the family to speak on the issue, said, “After the inspection of the work, five gunmen suddenly attacked the former Chief of Staff to the immediate past governor, his wife and housemaid who were on the farm along Mobile Barracks/Welfare Quarters in Makurdi. “This happened around 6 pm on Friday and the gunmen opened fire and the bullet hit Orbunde, while they ordered him and the women to follow them to an unknown destination.” The shooting was said to have caused villagers and passersby to scamper for safety in different directions. Another eyewitness who watched from a far distance said the gunmen marched the victims on a footpath but later abandoned Orbunde who was said to be bleeding profusely and unable to walk fast. “As they abandoned the man, the gunmen then whisked the women to an unknown destination while good Samaritans conveyed Orbunde to hospital,” the eyewitness said. Orbunde’s close ally and media consultant, Tahav Argezua, confirmed the attack on his Facebook page. The Benue State Police Command, Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident.

Nigeria Becomes first country to unveil new meningitis vaccine

World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Nigeria is the first country in the world to roll out a new meningitis vaccine (called Men5CV). The new vaccine, uses the same technology as the meningitis A conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVac®), which wiped out meningococcal A epidemics in Nigeria. The vaccine and emergency vaccination activities are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global meningitis vaccine stockpile and supports lower-income countries with routine vaccination against meningitis. WHO stated that the revolutionary new vaccine offers a powerful shield against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria (A, C, W, Y, and X) in a single shot. All five strains cause meningitis and blood poisoning. This, it noted, provides broader protection than the current vaccine used in much of Africa, which is only effective against the A strain. The new vaccine is said to have the potential to significantly reduce meningitis cases and advance progress in defeating meningitis. “Meningitis is an old and deadly foe, but this new vaccine holds the potential to change the trajectory of the disease, preventing future outbreaks and saving many lives,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Nigeria’s rollout brings us one step closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030.” “Northern Nigeria, particularly the states of Jigawa, Bauchi, and Yobe were badly hit by the deadly outbreak of meningitis, and this vaccine provides health workers with a new tool to both stop this outbreak but also put the country on a path to elimination,” Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate of the Nigerian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was quoted as saying by Channels Tv.

Alleged $4.5bn, N2.8bn fraud: Court grants Emefiele N50m bail

An Ikeja high court in Lagos State has granted bail to the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele, in the sum of N50 million. Ruling on the bail application on Friday, the presiding judge, Rahmon Oshodi, admitted Emefiele on bail with two sureties in like sum. The former CBN governor is facing a trial in Lagos on a 26-count charge bordering on abuse of office. Recall that Justice Oshodi had ordered the remand of the former Central Bank Bank (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The judge gave the remand order over alleged abuse of office and $5.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud. The judge ordered that Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Isioma-Omoile, should be detained at Ikoyi Custodial Centre. The defendants counsel, Mr A. Labi-Lawal, had in his two bail applications, urged the court to grant the defendants bail on self recognition and on liberal terms pending the determination on the case. Labi-Lawal, in his 31 affidavits, said the first defendant (Emefiele) had complied with the bail application, which was given to him by Justice Muazu in his alleged fraud trial case going on in Abuja. He said the charges were bailable offences and not a capital offence. “Though the first defendant was granted administrative bail by the prosecuting authority. He is seeking bail based on self recognition and he is ready to attend the court. “The court should also take into consideration the status of the first defendant as he was the former CBN governor of the country,” he said. The defence counsel said his client had religiously presented himself before Justice Muazu in Abuja to answer the allegations before him. According to him, the first defendant was not at flight risk, as he was the first person to arrive in court. He also prayed the court to release Emefiele to lawyer, pending the determination of the bail. Emefiele and his co-defendant pleaded not guilty to the 26-count charge bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipt. The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty, following their arraignment. The EFCC counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), did not oppose the bail application moved by the defence counsel. Oyedepo, however, urged the court to exercise its discretion judiciously in granting bail to the defendants.

Naira Abuse: Court jail Bobrisky six months with no fine option … “I am a man,” he admitted

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, A.K.A Bobrisky, to six months in jail with no option of fine. Bobrisky, on arraignment, pleaded guilty to the charge of naira abuse. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, April 4, docked the controversial cross-dresser on a six-count of money laundering and abuse of naira. However, the court dismissed the money laundering charges but convicted him for Naira Abuse after he confessed to the crime. At the last sitting, the prosecution counsel, S.I. Sulaiman urged the court to allow the investigating officer, ASE I Bolaji Temitope Aje, to give a brief review of the facts against him. Aje narrated to the court that the EFCC received intelligence on some individuals, who are in the habit of mutilating and spraying the Naira notes at social parties and event centres in Lagos. According to him, “Based on intelligence, the EFCC set up the Special Operations Team to observe and monitor activities of individuals, who are involved in the habit of mutilating the Naira. “The team visited many event centres and monitored social media pages, where the Naira was being abused. During the course of the monitoring, the team came across videos on social media, where the defendant was seen abusing the Naira. The team then proceeded to download these videos via our office laptop computers and also went further to copy these videos on compact disc. “In the light of the foregoing, a letter of invitation was written and forwarded to the defendant. “The defendant honoured the invitation. When he got to our office, he was voluntarily cautioned. Thereafter, he volunteered to write his statement. “The defendant was shown a video, where he was spraying money on an artiste called Segun Johnson. The defendant confessed that he was the one in the video. He was also shown a video at IMAX Circle Mall, where he sprayed a total sum of N400,000 at a movie premiere. The defendant also admitted that he was the one in the video and that he carried out the abuse. “The defendant was also shown two other videos of him spraying the Naira at Aja junction, Ikorodu, and White Stone Event Centre, Ikeja, Lagos. “The defendant admitted to spraying money in these videos. He was, therefore, served with a bail condition.” Consequently, Sulaiman then prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly. Justice Awogboro had, thereafter, ruled that “upon the admission of guilt by the defendant, testimony of PW1 and following the evidence tendered, the defendant is declared guilty as charged.” In his plea for mercy, Bobrisky said: “I am a social media influencer, with five million followers; and in all honesty, I was not aware of the law. I wish I could be given a second chance to use my platform to educate my followers against the abuse of the Naira.” Also, his lawyer had said: “He will lead the crusade against the abuse of Naira. He is also an employer of people ; and if he goes to jail, the people he employs will suffer. He has cooperated with the EFCC and has not wasted the time of the court. We urge the court to caution the defendant and allow him to go. He has given evidence that he will be useful to the country. We urge you to grant a non-custodial sentencing option of fine.” After listening to both parties, the judge deferred judgment in the matter to Tuesday, April 9, 2024, and also ordered that he be remanded in the EFCC custody. Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Awogboro held that “The act of mutilating the Naira notes has become a menace, which has continued to damage the image of the country. “Enough of people mutilating and tampering with our currencies. It has to stop. His will serve as a deterrent to others.” The Judge, therefore, sentenced him to six months imprisonment, without an option of fine, from the date of his remand

AGF, NBA, NJC set to tackle factors hindering the effectiveness of laws

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi has said that a new move to make Nigerians access justice and fair play unhindered is underway for the citizenry. To make the new measure achievable, most of the laws, including electoral laws, are to be updated under a new justice sector reform. At a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the AGF revealed that the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) are putting together a National Summit on Justice sector where all factors hindering the effectiveness of Nigerian laws would be tackled. The President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, according to the AGF, would, on April 24, 2024, declare the Summit open to address critical challenges in the nation’s justice sector in Abuja. According to Fagbemi, the anticipated National Summit on Justice holding from April 24 to 25, 2024 will be hosted by the Federal Ministry of Justice, alongside the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the National Judicial Council (NJC). The National Summit, with the theme, “Repositioning the Justice System: Constitutional, Statutory, and Operational Reforms for Access and Efficiency”, the Minister said, will hold at the Auditorium of National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Abuja. The event, Fagbemi said, will address the significant challenges plaguing Nigeria’s justice sector and pave the way for much-needed reforms that will make justice more accessible to all Nigerians. He said the Summit will bring together experts, legal professionals, and key stakeholders from across the country to engage in constructive discussions and develop practical solutions that prioritize the justice needs of the average Nigerian. In his words, “The National Summit on Justice presents a unique opportunity to collectively tackle the pressing issues hindering the efficient, fair, and people-centered delivery of justice in our nation. “The Joint Planning Committee established by the Federal Ministry of Justice and the NBA, headed by the Chairman of the NBA Judiciary Committee, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN has assembled a remarkable group of speakers and panelists to share their invaluable knowledge and expertise and proffer constructive solutions for making the justice system more efficient and accessible to all Nigerians”, the AGF and Minister of Justice stated. He added that the summit will feature a keynote address by Dr. Willy Mutunga, EGH, a renowned legal scholar, jurist and former Chief Justice of Kenya, celebrated for his commitment to democratic principles and human rights, and for the transformative judicial reform that took place in Kenya under his watch. One of the Summit’s goals, the Minister said, is to review, validate, and adopt the revised National Policy on Justice 2024 – 2028 to drive prison reforms, access to justice for the average Nigerian, as well as the review of electoral laws and procedures in handling election related cases, among several other reforms. He said, “This comprehensive policy document outlines a broad framework and initiatives in 17 thematic areas aimed at reforming the justice sector to enhance its effectiveness and accessibility to all Nigerians, ensuring that justice is not just a privilege for the few, but a right for all. “The policy aims to address various challenges within the legal framework, seeking to promote social cohesion, bolster economic development, and foster good governance.” He added further that, the Summit will deliberate on draft legislations proposed to address specific identified challenges within the justice sector, relating to the judicial appointments process, administration, funding and budgeting for the judiciary, the elimination of delays and inefficiencies in justice delivery and to evolve ways to reduce the amount of time for adjudication of cases, eliminate some of the associated technicalities, and reduce the number of cases getting to the Supreme Court. “In this regard, we intend to look at a situation where many cases will terminate at the court of appeal to reduce the burden on our noble justices of the Supreme Court. “These proposed laws are expected to serve as a catalyst for collective action and provide a guiding framework for relevant governmental institutions at both the national and sub national levels to establish an effective, efficient, and people-centered justice system”. The country , he said, cannot afford to remain complacent in the face of the obstacles impeding the efficient delivery of justice for all Nigerians, adding that, “the Summit will present an opportunity for us to unite our efforts, leverage our collective expertise, and chart a course toward a more just and equitable society”. Fagbemi expressed the hope that , the National Summit on Justice will usher in a new era of positive change and progress in the country’s justice sector, ensure a fair, accessible, and efficient legal system that upholds the rule of law while safeguarding fundamental human rights.