Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja on Monday declined an application by the embattled suspended former Commander of Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Force Intelligence Bureau, Nigerian Police Force, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, seeking his release from detention.
Kyari, through his lawyer, Cynthia Ikenna had moved an exparte motion praying the court for an order releasing the applicant from detention based on health grounds.
However, Justice Ekwo refused making an order for the release of Kyari, and instead directed the applicant to put respondents in the matter on notice.
Meanwhile, the court has adjouned to February 24, for hearing of the motion on notice seeking the release of Kyari from detention.
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday dismissed a suit challenging Nigerian citizenship of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
He is made the order in his judgment in a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa querying the Nigerian citizenship of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The court cautioned some so called NGO’s to refrain from filing frivolous applications targeted at harrassing politically exposed Nigerians.
In addition, Justice Ekwo held that the plaintiff lacks the locus standi to institute the legal action, describing them as “busy body and middlesome interlopers.
In the suit, the group had asked the court to disqualify Atiku as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and to restrain him from contesting the February 16, 2019 presidential election over alleged circumstances surrounding his citizenship.
The suit which was filed on 11th February, 2019, has Atiku, PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as well as the Attorney General of Adamawa state as defendants Specifically, the plaintiff had approached the court for an interpretation of Sections 25(1) & (2) and 131(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
By the suit, the plaintiff prayed for “A declaration that by the combined interpretation of Sections 25(l) & (2) and 131(a) of the Constitution and given the circumstances surrounding Atiku’s birth, he cannot be cleared by PDP and INEC to contest for post of president.”
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has intercepted large quantities of dangerous animal hides and skins popularly known as Ponmo with seven merchants of the deadly product in the Agency’s net.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye however warned the general public, particularly consumers of Ponmo against the activities of some unscrupulous businessmen and traders who are selling industrial animal hides as food articles.
Prof Adeyeye, in a statement by the Resident Media Consultant to NAFDAC, Sayo Akintola, in Lagos on Sunday, disclosed that the NAFDAC Investigation and Enforcement officials swiftly carried out intelligence gathering around certain locations where the alleged products were being warehoused and sold.
This was in response to several complaints received from the public, pertaining to alleged sale and distribution of imported hides and skins meant for use in leather industries and which had already been processed with industrial chemicals. These hides and skins are then sold to unsuspecting public as consumable animal skin products, otherwise called Ponmo.
‘’Monitoring was also extended to some buyers who patronize the sellers and custodians of the warehouse’’, she said, adding that preliminary investigation revealed that some of the hides and skins were imported illegally and sometimes diverted to some merchants of death who re-process the hides and skins and further sell them as consumable Ponmo to the public.
In the light of these discoveries, she said that the Agency recently conducted investigative raids upon some identified locations in Lagos State where market women and men were found clustered for purchase of leftovers from the warehouses.
She disclosed that large quantities (120 tons) of the products were intercepted at six different locations, stressing that seven suspects who were alleged to be involved in the acts are currently under investigation.
The NAFDAC boss further explained that samples of the products have been sent to the laboratory for testing so as to ascertain the products quality and unwholesomeness.
According to her, “The intervention would help the Agency deal with the interaction and the dangers associated with the consumption of these products.
‘’The street value of the product currently intercepted is estimated to be around N25.330m only’’, she said.
Adeyeye however, alerted the general public on the existence of these merchants of death and their nefarious activities as she warned Nigerians to exercise caution when buying animal hides, popularly known as Ponmo ‘’NAFDAC wishes to advise consumers and retailers of Ponmo not to patronize importers of hides and skins for consumable animal skins’’, she said.
She further warned that the hides, are pre-treated with industrial chemicals which are not of food grade and will be toxic and injurious to human health, stressing that health hazards inherent in the consumption of such animal hides include risk of Liver, Kidney and Heart damage, increased risk of Aplastic anemia, Central nervous system toxicity, Cancer, amongst several others.
“The general public is hereby encouraged to be very vigilant and exercise discretion when purchasing animal hides PONMO and indeed other food items. NAFDAC is fully alive to her responsibilities of assuring the safety, wholesomeness, and quality of processed foods offered for sale to the public’’.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has hinted that there is no plan to demolish the official residents of the President of Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives as earlier reported.
The Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Eng. Ahmed Hadi, made this known when he appear before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the real estate sector in the FCT,in Abuja.
He stressed that the official residents of the President of Senate and the Speaker didn’t in anyway contravene Abuja Master plan.
He noted that due diligence had been done in every bit of process for the construction of the structures.
His words, ” We want to use this forum to reach out to the leadership of the National Assembly that there was no any intention to rise the issue or embarrass the offices of the President of Senate nor the Speaker or the Deputy Senate President.”
” The issue is not a conclusive position and we have not reach a climax of forum. We really take exception to that news making round that.
” That is not the position of the FCTA and certainly not the position of this investigative workshop. I’m not mincing word to say that everything that we agree here we will crosscheck with our records have been done”,
Hadi further stated that, the development within the three arms zone was intended to house the legislature, executive and the judiciary.
He hinted that on the side of the executive the Presidential Complex was developed which was supposed to be residential and office complex side by side with the resident of the Vice President which are all master plan provision.
” On the side of the judiciary is the Supreme Court and the official resident of the Chief Justice of the Federation.
” Somewhere along the line the legislative arm which occupy the largest complex has no provision of the residences of the presiding or principal officers.
” And this was what make case between the period 2014 there were armful correspondences between the FCDA and the department of Development Control and after due consultation with the leadership of the national assembly that this was what is needed to have residential provision within the three arms zone so that it will become complimentary’, he further explained.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that the administration is planning to commence massive beautification and tree planting along the Airport road.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Comrade Ikharo Attah gave this hint during an advocacy and sensitization visit to Sauka Community along the Airport road.
Attah hinted that,” The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has remained committed to ensuring sanitation of the nation’s capital and will not compromise on the cleanliness of all the gateways to the city centre.
“Sauka community as one of the strategic settlements along the airport road axis, had some contraventions which need to be quickly corrected.
” The clean up exercise in Sauka community had been delayed because the Minister doesn’t want to inflict hardship on the people without following due process”, he hinted.
He expressed satisfaction that the youths of the community had commenced enforcement and removal of some of the illegal structures, like the roadside market that constitute nuisances along the road corridors.
According to him, ” the Minister wants us commence massive tree planting and land scaping on the strech of airport road. We are also going to embark on refuse evacuation and intra community refuse collection points . We appealing to all residents to key into the clean up programme.
” We have given them ultimatum before but they begged us to give them till today but inline with the spirit , we will communicate to them and give them a short notice”.
More so, one of the youth leaders, Jubrin Kasimu who pleaded for an extention of the deadline given to the community to vacate the roadside market, also assured that the youths will continue to enforce compliance.
Kasimu also pledged to mobilize the youths to stop all contraventions that will attract sanctions to the community
Again, UNICEF has called for an end to the recruitment and use of children by armed groups in Nigeria, and the release of those in the custody of such groups.
While also urging support for former child soldiers in north-east Nigeria.
The UN agency made the call on the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, otherwise known as “Red Hand Day”.
It would be recalled that, for 13 years, armed conflict in north-east Nigeria has claimed thousands of lives and disrupted livelihoods and access to essential services for children and their families. Nearly one million homes and 5,000 classrooms have been razed in the protracted armed conflict. Since 2009, more than 8,000 girls and boys have been recruited and used as child soldiers in different roles by armed groups.
UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Phuong T. Nguyen said , “We call for an immediate end to the recruitment and use of innocent children as soldiers or for any other conflict-related role.’’
“It is unacceptable and unconscionable that girls and boys continue to serve on the frontlines of a conflict they did not start.”
UNICEF also called on the Nigerian authorities to sign the Handover Protocol for children encountered in the course of armed conflict in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin Region, which would end the detention of children formerly associated with armed groups.
The Handover Protocol would ensure children encountered during military and security operations are transferred from military custody to civilian child protection actors to support their reintegration into society through the provision of family tracing and reunification services and medical, educational and psychosocial recovery services. Support would also life skills support, skills training and links to decent work.
The Borno State Child Protection Act, recently signed into law by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, prohibits and prescribes stiff penalties for the violation of children’s rights.
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict also prohibits the forced recruitment or conscription of children under 18 by government forces, and the participation of children under 18 in active hostilities by any party.
Ratified by the Government of Nigeria in 2012, the Optional Protocol places obligations on non-state armed groups, not to, under any circumstances, recruit or use in hostilities persons under the age of eighteen.
“We must do more to ensure that Nigeria’s children do not suffer the worst impacts of conflict,” said Phuong T. Nguyen.
“We owe girls and boys a chance to leave the horrors of conflict behind. Every day of delay in the custody of armed groups is a tragedy with grave implications for the children, families, and Nigerian society as a whole.”
The Management of Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) has extended the filing of annual returns to March 31, 2022 for organisations or agents.
This is following the hitches experienced by taxpayers in the last few days due to Server failure.
It would be recalled that the deadline for the filing of annual returns for the employers, agents or organisations was due on January 31 but the extension was necessitated because of the technical challenges.
The management, in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by Mustapha Sumaila, Head, Corporate Communications, FCT-IRS, however apologises to its esteemed taxpayers for the difficulty and challenges experienced in the process of payment and other services via the online channels in the past few days due to an unexpected downtime on its server.
The statement reads: “FCT-IRS deeply regrets the inconveniences that might have caused them.
“The Service is committed to them, its valued taxpayers, and will continue to work hard to improve abilities to serve them better.
“The management is pleased to inform the taxpayers that the issue has been resolved and they can now make payment with ease”, the statement further stated.
The Acting Executive Chairman, Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), Mr Haruna Abdullahi has said that funding FCT Budget with 100 per cent from Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) is possible with collaboration and synergy with other revenue generating agencies in the territory.
He gave this hint when he received the delegation from the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) led by its Director, Alhaji Wadata Aliyu Bodinga at the Services headquarters in Abuja.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen by the Head Corporate Communications, FCT-IRS, Mustapha Sumaila explained that the Service has been championing the course of harmonising revenue from all revenue generating agencies in the FCT with a view to block leakages, address multiple taxation and grow the revenue base in the FCT.
The statement reads: “The effort will make the Federal Capital Territory to have capacity to fund its budget solely, through the IGR.
“We hope to see that FCTA will fund its budget 100 per cent from the IGR, so that whatever comes from the Federal Government as allocation, will be a surplus for them.
“From the management to the board and all other stakeholders, this is what we want and will be excited about this development, talking and finding solutions.
“We are passionate about harmonisation, I mean to harmonise the whole collection processes” he explained.
The Acting Executive Chairman reassured the team of the Service’s continued support, stating that FCT-IRS has been working tirelessly to raise and enhance the revenue base in the FCT.
He said in view of this, he would continue to extend hand of friendship across all revenue generating agencies in the territory.
Abdullahi also said that the Service would review the priorities of DRTS in order to identify more areas for sustainable collaboration in order to enhance revenue generation.
In his remarks, the DRTS’ Director, Bodinga said the visit was targeted at three major areas; collaboration, support and training.
He stated that DRTS under his leadership was committed to ensuring safety and orderliness in the FCT as well as to strengthen the existing collaboration between DRTS and FCT-IRS to boost revenue generation.
Highlighting the benefits of the collaboration between DRTS and the Service, the FCT-IRS Director in charge of ICT, Oduba Oduba stated that the collaboration would help in facilitating the exchange of data between revenue generating agencies as well as to improve road infrastructure through the revenue generated.
The Head of Planning, Research and Statistics, DRTS, Mr. Wale Durojaye expressed the readiness of DRTS to provide data, reports and projections needed to facilitate FCT-IRS collection.
Meanwhile, a committee had been constituted to articulate and harmonise areas of possible collaboration between the two organisations with a view to boost revenue collection.
The members are Mr Malik Tukur, FCT-IRS Director Taxes, Oduba Oduba, Director in charge of ICT, FCT-IRS while Head of Planning, Research and Statistics, DRTS, Mr. Wale Durojaye and the DRTS’ head of ICT, Mr Auwal Mohammed are also part of the committee.
Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu. Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory Abuja, Nigeria.
Group under the auspices of Civil Society Network for Development and Good Governance (CSNDG) has called on residents of the nation’s capital to reject any attempts to smear FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu image.
Former NAWOJ President Evelyn Onyilo who is also the Chairperson of the group urged residents to remain steadfast and dedicated to the good works and excellent personality of the minister.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the group.
It would be recalled that , a group, Concerned FCT Indigenous Residents issued a statement which was signed by its Leader, Josephine Itayo cautioning the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu on purported inflammatory statements.
CSNDG in an attempt to debunked the statement said, “is nonetheless careless and frivolous as it clearly connotes a misconstrue and misinterpretation of the minister’s noble intentions.
According to the statement, “The statement isolated an utterance within a missive, making it seemingly quite mischievous.
“It is worthy of note to authoritatively say that the Minister of State FCT, Dr Ramatu Aliyu is a woman of great and irrefutable character and candor which has translated into a wonderful, peaceful and smooth relationship with all residents of FCT across the six area councils irrespective of ethnic, religious, tribal, academic and gender background or beliefs.
“This was more pronounced in her handling of the FCT palliative distributions across all sector in a unique system of “no community or group is left behind” maxim.
“The civil society organization bodies can testify to this with the type of open system she operated with all, which included involving us in the palliative distributions to ensure accountability and due process in conducting the distributions of palliatives to capture the different general population groups.
The statement continues; “In doing this the CSOs were in the fore front as she had earlier pronounced before the public at the old parade ground, the UTC stores and Eagle square that we are the true voice of the voiceless and the eyes of the people and that peaceful conduct of the distributions is paramount to her.
“It is therefore a surprise and arcane decision for anyone to gather and say as concerned women group, our dear amiable and peace-loving Hon Minister of State FCT is making inciting statements that will cause problems for the upcoming FCT area councils’ election, this appears indeed retrogressive, insipid and incongruent.
“It doesn’t just add up that a woman who preaches peace everywhere she goes across the FCT and has developed a trusted working relationship with residents and natives will now be the one stoking the embers of violence in her own domain, just because election is here and some people decides to go low.
“We are however assured that the Hon. Minister will go high as have been her standard. While we urge FCT Natives and residents to maintain firm faith in the Hon. Minister whom they have come to love, we urge anyone who wishes to engage in mischief and political misdemeanors to desist from such as the elections fast approaches.
“Sponsoring anyone to tarnish the well-built image and personality of the Hon. Minister of State FCT, Hajiya Ramatu Aliyu will be very bad politics taken too far and detrimental to the peace and harmony that has been arduously built in the FCT by Hajiya Ramatu Aliyu. Finally, we warn that this should stop henceforth. Our group is ready to engage any group with facts and figures to show the true nature and achievement of the Hon Minister of State FCT, Dr Ramatu Aliyu”, the statement further stated.
The Area Council Elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has been characterised by Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) failure, low voters turnout and late arrival of the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in some areas.
Our correspondent gathered that, election is currently taking place in over 1000 polling units across the six area councils that make up the nation’s capital with 478 candidates vying for Six Chairmanships and 62 Councillorships.
The election is being held in six area councils: Abaji, Kwali, Bwari , Kuje, Gwagwalada and Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), however, 14 political parties are participating in AMAC.
INEC staff were late to voting centers, as observed by our correspondent who visited polling units within AMAC.
While adding that, the ongoing election in the council is also witnessing a low voters turnout.
The story is also the same in Gwagwalada area council, where our correspondent reside and observed before moving to AMAC.
She also reported that the election in the council is also being frustrated by BVAS failure, which is making the accreditation and voting process slow.
Our correspondent gathered that there are incidences of vote buying in AMAC and Abaji.
Party agents were also seen clustering around and subtly wooing voters across other polling units in the council.
