Police Confirm Murder Of FUT Minna Lecturer

The Police command in Niger State has confirmed the killing of Dr Funmilola Adefolalu, a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna by suspected assailant. This is contained in a statement by the command`s spokesman, DSP Wasiu Abiodun on Monday in Minna. Abiodun said the victim was killed in her residence at Gbaiko area of Minna on Sunday. “On October 29, at about 1000hrs, some friends of Dr Funmilola Adefolalu, a lecturer at “FUT Minna visited her residence in Gbaiko Area of Minna due to their inability to get her on phone. “Unfortunately, on getting to the house, the visitors met her lying in a pool of her own blood with marks of injuries on her body,” he said. He said that two knives with blood stains suspected to have been used to stab her by unknown persons were recovered from the scene. The spokesman said that the body was taken to the Ibrahim Babangida Specialist Hospital, Minna where she was confirmed dead. He said that the police have commenced investigation into the incident. 

Premiere Academy: Court affirms FCCCPC’s powers to investigate Keren’s death

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed the suit by Premiere Academy challenging the powers of the Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Commission to investigate the incident that led to the death of one of its students, Keren-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher. FCCPC stated that on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, the Federal High Court; CORAM: Justice N. E. Maha in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/26/2022 – Premiere Academy Limited (Premiere) v Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (Commission) and 2 Ors dismissed a claim by Premiere and upheld the inherent powers, jurisdiction and mandate of the Commission under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018 (FCCPA)  to investigate the broadest range of consumer protection issues irrespective of whether other components (such as criminal) of the legal process is implicated by the conduct that is subject of consumer dissatisfaction. According to a statement by Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of FCPPC, Babatunde Irukera, at the weekend in Abuja, the court specifically dismissed Premiere Academy’s argument that the police investigation of conduct necessarily preempts a regulatory investigation of the same conduct from the standpoint of consumer rights. The Court rejected the school’s argument that a criminal investigation into an allegation of rape or molestation of a student while under the care of Premiere constitutes a bar and prevents the Commission from investigating any failure(s) in the duty of care owed to a student as a consumer of services provided by the school. On June 22, 2021, Keren-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher (Keren) a student of Premiere died after having taken ill in the boarding facilities of the school. The circumstances leading to her death have become disputed including allegations of lack of sufficient care by Premiere in managing and escalating her medical condition and clinical status, as well as an allegation that Keren may have been subjected to sexual molestation which conduct or aftermath may have contributed to her medical/clinical condition and eventual death. “The Commission commenced an investigation by issuing a Notice of Commencement of Investigation pursuant to Sections 17, 18, 32, 33, 113, 157 and 159 of the FCCPA, in order to determine any infringements of the FCCPA that might have occurred with respect to the duty of care owed to Keren and her family, and for the purpose of ensuring Premiere as an institution and facility are sufficiently equipped, safe and secure to continue to render boarding or other custodial services to existing and prospective students. Premiere in response and continuation of a resistance to fully comply with the Commission’s request for evidence filed this action at the Federal High Court, seeking to restrain the Commission from discharging a vital statutory responsibility to consumers. “The clear unequivocal decision of the Court in characterizing the suit by Premiere as “frivolous and lacking in merit”; as well as judicially affirming the responsibility and powers of the Commission to investigate occurrences in the circumstances as not inconsistent with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)  and the Nigeria Police Act, 2020 is a further demonstration, strengthening and institutionalization of an important national priority and constitutional imperative which is consumer protection and holding service providers accountable to their customers or persons/entitieswho act on their behalf. “The Court’s further declaration that courts lack powers to stop a statutory body from carrying out its duties as doing that will negate the doctrine of separation of powers is though a repeated judicial declaration but, a timely emphasis that is crucial for an accountability framework that promotes and ensures the appropriate duty and standard of care that businesses and service providers must embrace in delivering what they sell or provide to consumers and  their interactions with Regulators. “The Commission welcomes this well-thought-out decision and commends the Premiere, other institutions and undertakings that provide goods or services to consumers. In the absence of any legitimate or legal restraint in the circumstances, the Commission will accordingly and assiduously progress this long pending and outstanding investigation; and invites Premiere to recognize and comply with its obligations under the law,” Irukera said.

Condemning the extrajudicial killing of Kabir Okwo Bala and Atima Abdullahi

The Murtala Yakubu Ajaka Gubernatorial Campaign Organization is alarmed by the official confirmation of the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Akeem Yusuf that the extra-judicial execution of an All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain, Mallam Kabir Okwo Bala, and a housewife, Mrs. Atima Abdullahi by gunmen unleashed on the Ejule Community of Ofu Local Government Area in the early hours of Friday morning was masterminded by the State Government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello. We are indeed shocked that a Governor and the Chief Security officer of a state could plot the cold-blooded murder of citizens he had sworn to protect and defend on the altar of desperate politics. We are aware that the late Okwo was accused of several felonies by the state commissioner of police after his execution but we totally reject the use of these allegations rightly or wrongly as an excuse to kill a citizen who could easily have been arrested and prosecuted over the years if indeed the state government ever considered him a criminal. But it is worth pointing out that as admitted by Police Commissioner, Okwo was freed from prison in 2018 by Governor Yahaya Bello on the grounds that he was not a criminal but a political prisoner jailed by the PDP. It is therefore curious that after the invasion of Ejule last night during which his family house and several other properties were burnt down by state agents, Okwo was suddenly declared a criminal. But the dead man now declared a criminal was a regular guest at Bello’s Lokoja Government House where he was known to have been treated as royalty. Perhaps the Kogi State Government will be gracious enough to account to the people and the world how a man previously declared innocent and granted state pardon by the same Governor Bello degenerated into such heinous crimes to the point of engaging in gun battles with the Nigerian Navy more than one year ago, yet there was never any attempt to arrest and prosecute him. Rather according to the commissioner he had to be appealed to and pampered to release AK47 rifles he allegedly seized from the Navy in a firefight. The truth is that the plot for this extra-judicial Killing was hatched after the late Okwo openly renounced his support for Mr. Yahaya Bello in a now-viral video and declared he will not be supporting his candidacy in the impending November  11th Governorship Elections. It was only after this declaration by the late Okwo that thugs believed to be acting at the pleasure of the Governor invaded Ejule about two weeks ago and burnt down his hotel and valuable properties. We are also aware that the relationship between the Governor and Okwo first broke down during the Presidential Elections when he was led by Ajaka to support the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against the interest of Yahaya Bello who was reluctant as evidenced by the massive votes recorded in the Kogi East Senatorial District in Contrast to the Governor’s Central Senatorial District where the APC lost four of the five Local Governments. A few months ago, another friend of the government Shafiu who renounced support for Mr. Bello and declared allegiance to the PDP Senatorial Candidate in the last election Mrs Natasha Uduaghan was declared a terrorist and equally hunted down in Treadmore Housing Estate Lugbe Abuja and only escaped death because the PDP cried out. In late March supporters of Alhaji Ajaka including a retired Army Colonel and a lawyer were abducted by thugs of Bello enjoying the cover of compromised security personnel while traveling to Abuja and declared kidnappers and armed robbers. Bello’s track record for framing persons who are either opposed to or renounced his politics of violence is indeed legendary. The list is inexhaustible. We totally condemned this desperation and bloodletting which has become the hallmark of Mr. Bello’s politics in Kogi State and we appeal to the Federal Government to rein in this person to save the lives of citizens whose only crime is that they dare to exercise their democratic rights to reject him. *By Faruk Adejoh-Audu; Director, Communications, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka Gubernatorial Campaign Organization