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Nine Prison Officers Implicated In The Alleged $1m Fraud Placed On Suspension

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Nine Prison Officers Implicated In The Alleged $1m Fraud Placed On Suspension

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has approved the suspension of 3 officers and 6 other ranks of the Nigerian Correctional Service implicated in the alleged internet fraud by an inmate.

Mr. Francis Enobore, the Public Relation Officer of NCoS disclosed this in a statement to NAN on Wednesday in Abuja.

Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, had arrested Emmanuel Oluwaniyi, a Deputy Controller, DC, Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS, and Hemeson Edson Edwin, also a DC, for allegedly giving exaggerated medical reports.

DAILY POST learnt that the said medical reports warranted a convicted internet fraudster, Hope Olusegun Aroke, who is serving a 24-year jail term, being given a referral to be treated outside the facility.

The fraud suspected to have been perpetrated by Hope Aroke, an inmate serving a term of imprisonment in Kirikiri Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Lagos.

“This is based on the preliminary report of the investigation panel earlier constituted by the CG which indicted the officers of complexity in the scandal.

Enobore said the CG who handed down the suspension order, noted that the task of correcting maladjusted persons in the society requires a measure of moral rectitude to make positive impact on offenders in custody.

He, therefore, restated the irreversible commitment of the authority to ensure that those without adequate strength of character and integrity are not allowed to taint the sanctity of the NCoS.

Customs: Hope Brightens For reopening Of Closed Borders By Joint Border Patrol Team Established By Nigeria, Benin And Niger

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Customs: Hope Brightens For reopening Of Closed Borders By Joint Border Patrol Team Established By Nigeria, Benin And Niger

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]opes of President Muhammadu Buhari giving the nod to Babagana Mungono, a retired Major General and National Security Adviser, NSA , Hameed Ali, Comptroller General, Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, and  Muhammadu Babadende, Comptroller General, Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, overseeing the Border Dills, to mobilise their men to  return to their Barracks to facilitate the reopening of the closed borders  across the country  brightens.

This is because  Presidents Patrice Talon and  Muhammad Issofou of Republic of Benin and Niger respectively, who were initially   hesitant   to support  Nigeria  in the anti-smuggling war have finally agreed do so.

The duo may have agreed to do so  owing to  the pain being  inflicted on their people because  of the border closure over the last two months. More worrisome was the rising inflation and near collapse of their economies.

The biting economic  situation, according to sources,  may have become  so bad in Benin, particular, that Talon, the Beninese, President,  has suddenly become the champion of the anti-smuggling by  urging Issoufou,  his Nigerien  counterpart to join Nigeria   to curb the menace  of the  cross-border  smugglers, who are making nonsense of the country’s fiscal policies on the smuggling of foreign par boiled riced rice   and other profited items including petroleum products .

The duo may have listened to the cry of their people  to plead with  Buhari , their Nigerian counterpart to reopen the Borders.  They were said to have  agree to support the Nigerian government  in the anti-smuggling war.  Many believe that  Benin, particular, may not  have been  interested in joining  Nigeria in the anti- smuggling war  because of the revenue the country is getting from foreign rice imports  through the country’s seaports which are re-exported to the land locked countries of Niger and Tchad but which found their way into the Nigerian market through unapproved routes.

Ali, the Nigerian Customs Comptroller General may not have been interested  on the revenue  country is making from such imports but would want the country to hand  over the Consignment to Nigeria for necessary action . It was a difficult order for Talon to comply with. Aware that Nigeria government  was not ready to  bend in its decision  to close the borders with the neighbouring  countries which is hitting hard on the people he has no option but to bow to pressure from both official and unofficial quarters to support Nigeria anti-smuggling war.

Many believe that if Talon had taken this decision long ago  when  the Katsina state born  Nigerian President had  reached out to  him and his Nigerien  counterpart  urging them  to block their  own side of the borders so that  the cross- border smugglers  would  not be able to carry out  their nefarious activities again, it may not have gotten to the point of Nigeria taking a unilateral decision to close the borders  with the neighbouring  countries of Benin, Niger and Tchad andwhich include  the Central African country of Cameroon.

The change of mind by Talon, the Beneinese  President  and the cry of the people of these neighbouring countries and the  other countries in the West and Central African sub-region may have forced  Buhari to soft-pedal  in order to hold talks with the Benin and Niger government  to resolve the crisis.

The fallout was the agreement  to establish a Joint Border Patrol Team comprising of three security agencies: Police , Customs  and Immigration   from the  three countries.  The Team is expected  to hold its  first inaugural meeting  in Abuja, Nigeria, between November 25, 2019 and November 27, 2019.

Mohammad Issoufou: President Of Niger

The Committee may have given the Team  the  free hand  to agree on the ‘’modality  to be used to carry out its operation and recommend a date  for the reopening  of the closed borders by the Nigerian government’’. This is an indication that it is no longer going to be the sole responsibility of Nigeria to decide  on when to  reopen the closed borders. Recall, that that the Katsina state born Nigerian President had set January 31, 2020,for reopening the closed borders.

Geofrey Onyeama, minister of Foreign Affairs, who was at the  tripartite anti-smuggling meeting  comprising of other  top government  officials  from   Nigeria, Benin and Niger at Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Thursday, November 14, 2019, disclosed that they reached the agreement  to set up  a Monitoring and Evaluating Committee of the three countries  after reviewing  all the concerns raised  by each of them. The Committee , according to Onyeama,  has been mandated to come out with actions  that would  facilitate  and enhance the suppressing  of smuggled goods and other related matters  across the borders.

The Value News learnt  that the Committee also have the powers  to ensure the implementation  of the adopted  mandate  of the Joint  Ant-smuggling  and Human Trafficking Committee. Another  Committee  that was said to have been set up  at the Abuja tripartite meeting  was that of Trade Regulation, which would comprise  of the ministers of Finance and Trade from the three West African countries.

Giving an insider information,   the minister disclosed that  one of the duties of  the Committee is to promote  intra-regional trade  among the three countries as well as  put in place sanctions against smuggling of goods across the border.   It was not surprising why the tripartite meeting  dwelt  extensively on  the area  of smuggling  of goods and services  not approved  under the Economic Community  of West Africa  States Trade Liberalisation Scheme, ECOWAS ETLS.

The good news was that the three countries had acknowledged  that  smuggling of goods across the border and Human trafficking  was a Collective violation  of ECOWAS Protocol on ETLS and free movement of goods and services . The ministers at the tripartite meeting had noted that  cross-border  smuggling and Human trafficking   had  posed ‘’severe economic  and security  threats  to intra-regional trade and free movement of persons’’. Over the years, the Nigerian government  repeatedly  had complained about the abuse of the ECOWAS  Trade Protocol by Republic of Benin but the country was not ready to change as it opened its ports for all sorts of foreign cargoes imports including foreign par boiled rice from the Asian country of Thailand .

Perhaps, to ensure  all the decisions taken at the tripartite meeting  as regards  to the implementation of the ECOWAS   Trade Protocols,  the  participants  at the meeting were said to have addressed the issues  as regards  to the’’ free movement  of persons  without valid ECOWAS travel documents as well as the plethora of illegal warehouses  along the border corridors’’. They were said  to have  agreed  to ensure  that’’ citizens  of the three neighbouring  countries enter and exit  each other’s country  with valid ECOWAS  Travellers Documents through recognized and controlled routes’’.

Nigeria Representatives at the Abuja tripartite meeting were said to have been  emphatic  on the  use of the valid ECOWAS  traveller’s Document  to enter and exit the country  to avoid abuse of the African  Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, Agreement, which had had already been signed  between Nigeria and Benin in Niamey , Niger, on July 7, 2019 at the 12th extraordinary Summit  of the African Union, AU, Heads of State and Government. The African trade accord was said to have launched  on March 21, last year at Kigali, Rwanda.

Culled from The Value news

PRES. BUHARI RECEIVES BAYELSA GOVERNOR-ELECT, DAVID LYON IN STATE HOUSE

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PRES. BUHARI RECEIVES BAYELSA GOVERNOR-ELECT, DAVID LYON IN STATE HOUSE

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]resident Muhammadu has officially received Governor-Elect of Bayelsa State Chief David Lyon in State House, Aso Rock, Abuja, on 18th Nov 2019.

On the entourage of the Bayelsa Governor-elect to the presidency were,; Minister of State Petroleum Timpre Sylva, Governor of Kebbi State and Chairman, Progressives Governors Forum, Atiku Bagudu, Governor of Jigawa State and Chairman, APC National Campaign Council, Abubakar Badaru, APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomole and Chairman Governors Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state.

Recall that President Buhari had already congratulated Chief David Lyon on his declaration as Bayelsa state governor-elect, after INEC had confirmed him as winner of the November 16 governorship election in the state.

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A statement on Sunday night by his media aide, Mr Femi Adesina, which described David Lyon’s victory in the polls as impressive, being the first of such a victory since the party was formed, disclosed that President Buhari also commended APC supporters in particular and Nigerians in general in the State who exercised their civic rights in a peaceful manner, notwithstanding the pockets of unrest recorded in some locations, even as he sympathised with families who lost loved ones during the poll.

The statement reads in part: “Violence during elections vitiates our commitment to demonstrate to the world and upcoming generation that we are a people capable of electing leaders in a peaceful and orderly manner

“He notes that while officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies did their best within the ambit of the law to ensure free, fair and credible elections, it is unfortunate that pockets of unrest, mostly sponsored by desperate politicians, were recorded during the poll.

“The President looks forward to working with the incoming government to improve the lives of the people in Bayelsa State, while ensuring the security of lives and property of all citizens.

“President Buhari urges Governor-elect Lyon to carry other divergent interests along in the next phase of governance, imploring those not satisfied with the outcome of the poll to seek redress through the constitutionally established channels.”

Photos: Emeji K. Noble

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India Man In Trouble For Using Lion As ‘Maiguard’ In Lagos

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India Man In Trouble For Using Lion As ‘Maiguard’ In Lagos

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]peratives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit have surrounded a house being guarded by a lion on Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the officials had been deployed in the house since Friday after residents petitioned the state government on the presence of the wild animal in the house.

The animal reportedly belongs to an Indian, who rented an apartment in the house.

The Head of the task force team, Mr Yinka Egbeyemi, told PUNCH Metro that he had the instruction of the Commissioner for the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture to tranquilise the animal today (Monday).

He said the lion would be subsequently transferred to a zoo.

Egbeyemi noted that the Indian might also be prosecuted as he would have to explain how he brought the carnivore into the state.

He said, “The lion was found on No. 229 Muri Okunola Street. Our Black Maria and men have been there since Friday. They will remove the animal on Monday.

“The Indian man rented the apartment and lied to the owner of the house that he wanted to be staying there. He claimed that the house was under renovation and brought the animal there. The neighbours saw the thing and that was how we got a petition from them.

“We have sent him a letter that he should come and talk to us. So, by tomorrow (Monday), we will like to know how he got the animal. He will have to tell us why he is rearing a lion in a city; that is a wild animal and anything can happen. So, he may be prosecuted.”

Yahaya Bello Wins Kogi Gov. Election

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Yahaya Bello Wins Kogi Gov. Election

By: Emeji K. Noble

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has been re-elected as the governor of the state.

Governor Bello was returned elected on Monday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), having scored the highest number of votes in the keenly contested poll.

The Returning Officer for the election and Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Professor Ibrahim Umar, made the declaration at the INEC office in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

The APC candidate polled a total of 406,222 votes to beat his closest rival, Mr Musa Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 189,704 votes.

On her part, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Natasha Akpoti, garnered a total of 9,482 votes.

Professor Umar declared the winner following the collation of results from all 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state, an exercise which lasted more than 24 hours.

After several hours of collating the results from 19 LGAs, Professor Umar had announced on Sunday night that the exercise would continue on Monday morning.

Of the results collated before the exercise was suspended, it was a close battle between Bello who won 10 LGAs and Wada who claimed nine LGAs while Natasha had yet to win any local government.

At the resumption of the exercise, the results of the remaining two local governments – Ibaji and Lokoja – were collated, paving the way for the declaration of the winner of the election.

Announcing the final results of the election, the returning officer noted that a total of 1,646,350 people registered for the election while 636,202 were accredited to vote.

He explained that the margin between the winner of the election and the runner-up was 216,518 votes.

 

Atiku’s Appeal: Supreme Court to give reasons on case quash on Friday

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Atiku’s Appeal: Supreme Court to give reasons on case quash on Friday

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Supreme Court will on Friday give reasons why it held that the appeal by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was without merit. The court had, on October 30 dismissed the appeal by Atiku and his party against the decision of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), which upheld second term election of President Mohammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, who led the panel that heard the appeal had, in the while giving a summary Supreme Court’s judgment on October 30, said the court will provide reasons for its decision on a later date.

The information that the court has scheduled the Friday for it to provide its reasons was contained in the hearing notices sent to parties in the case.

The hearing notice sighted by The Nation late on Wednesday, reads:

“Take notice that the reasons for the judgment delivered on Wednesday the 30th day of October 2019 in the above named appeal (will be listed before the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday the 15th day of November, 2019 at 9.00am.

“And further take notice that in accordance with the Supreme Court Rules, this notice is deemed sufficiently served on you if it is delivered on your telephone.” The appeal referred to in the notice is: “SC 1211/2019: Atiku Abubakar & anor V. INEC & 2 ors.”

Delta order the closure of Asaba-Illah, Abuja Road over Collapsed Culvert

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Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]elta State Government has announced the clo­sure of a section of the Asaba-Illah-Ebu-Uromi-Abuja Federal Road following the sud­den collapse of the Anwai river culvert that leads to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

The Commissioner for Works, Chief James Augoye, who an­nounced the closure on Tuesday in Asaba at a press briefing, said although the state had com­menced palliative measures on its repair, it warned commuters, particularly heavy duty vehicle drivers, to beware of the dangers posed by the collapse.

Aguoye, supported by his Infor­mation counterpart, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, urged motorists to maintain speed limit on the nar­row road, adding “It will be veryhazardous to allow vehicles to continue to ply the section of the road. We have written to the Federal Ministry of Works to alert them of the looming danger on the road. So, we implore Dangote trucks and other heavy duty vehicles to avoid that section of the road for now.”

He debunked the speculation that the Udu Bridge, which was constructed in 1970s, was near collapse but confirmed the collapse of a culvert, and not a bridge, in Ughelli as erroneously reported in the social media.

He explained that engineers from his ministry had car­ried out investigations on the Udu Bridge and discovered that it was not a collapse sign but mere vibration of the hand rails, stressing that measures were being put in place to renovate the rails and replace missing slabs at the bridge.

According to the Works Commissioner, the state govern­ment would continue to accord priority attention to the rehabilitation of both state and federal roads, especially the Benin-Sapele-Warri Expressway, which he noted had continued to fail despite interventions, for the benefit of the people of the state.

AFCON Qualifiers: Super Eagles Thrash Benin 2-1 To Top Group

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AFCON Qualifiers: Super Eagles Thrash Benin 2-1 To Top Group

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]uper Eagles on Wednesday beat the Squirrels of Benin Republic 2-1 in their opening Group L match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.

Striker Stéphane Sessègnon opened the scoring after five minutes, before Lille’s Victor Osimhen levelled from the spot on the stroke of half-time. After the break, Bordeaux forward Samuel Kalu put Nigeria ahead on 63 minutes, ultimately sealing all three points in Group L.

The Eagles will continue their 2021 AFCON qualifying campaign on Sunday with an encounter with Lesotho at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru.

Nigeria top the group following a 1-1 draw between Sierra Leone and Lesotho in Freetown.

Iceland-based Kwame Quee scored for Sierra Leone in an empty stadium in the 69th minute to give the hosts the lead.

Then in the 83rd minute Lesotho captain Marepe Basia was dismissed for a second yellow card  and then George Kweku Davies was shown a straight red for his retaliation.

The visitors then grabbed a point in the third minute of injury time through Thabantso Jane.

In other matches, Guinea Bissau rattled Eswatini 3-0 in Group I, Central African Republic thrashed Burundi 2-0 in E, while Malawi ran away with a lone goal victory over South Africa in Group B.

Elsewhere, Cameroon ended their encounter in Group F with Cape Verde 0-0, while Namibia overpowered Chad 2-1 in Group A.

APC National Chairman, Oshiomhole Suspended

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APC National Chairman, Oshiomhole Suspended

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he  Suspension of the National Chairman of the APC , Comrade Adams Oshiomhole by  Edo All Progressives Congress (APC)  over his role in the crisis rocking the state chapter of the party.

The decision followed the vote of no confidence passed on Comrade Oshiomhole by the Chairmen of the APC in the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Edo State.

According to a statement signed by Edo APC Chairman, Anselm Ojezua and Assistant State Secretary, Ikuenobe Anthony, “Consequent on the development, the State Executive Committee has adopted the vote of no confidence passed on him and the subsisting suspension order from the organs of the party in the state.”

They said the decision was necessary to prevent a repeat of what happened in Zamfara State, where the party was unable to field any candidate in elections.

“Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is the one behind the crisis in Edo APC. We have passed a vote of no confidence on him and he stands suspended from the party.

“We don’t want what happened in Zamfara State or other parts of the country to happen in Edo State.”

Meanwhile,Grassroots Publishers online understands that, the Edo State APC chairman, Anselm Ojezua was Tuesday morning impeached by 12 out of the 17 members of the State Working Committee, SWC of the party and replaced with Col. David Imuse, the state vice-chairman, Edo Central who is to act as state chairman pending ratification.

Edo PDP in Deep Crisis over Ize-Iyamu Suspension

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Edo PDP in Deep Crisis over Ize-Iyamu Suspension

By:Emeji K. Noble

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he crisis in the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday deepened as the party announced the suspension of its two-time governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu from the party.

The party, however, said the suspension was temporary.

It was learnt that the development was not unconnected with the rumoured defection of the politician who is being alleged to have concluded plans to dump the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Grassroots Publishers online also further gathered that he has also perfected plans with the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole to clinch the party’s ticket for the next governorship election against the current state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki.

The party in a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Chris Nehikhare, said that the temporary suspension was informed by his unwillingness to confirm or refute his rumoured defection to the ruling APC.

Nehikhare, in the statement posited that, the suspension will persist pending when the Redeemed Christian Church God pastor “acknowledges, accepts and addresses the issue of his decamping to APC.”

The statement added: “In the last few days, the Edo PDP has been inundated with calls and enquiries regarding the stories trending both in print and social media as it concerns one of our leaders, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

“The party leadership has patiently waited to hear or read his reaction to confirm or deny the stories, but to no avail.

“We boast of being a party of men and women of integrity and high moral standing. It is a brand we have earned and wish to maintain.

“As a result of the ‘uneasy quiet’ from our dear Pastor and the impression our silence will send to our teeming supporters and followers, Edo PDP is left with no option but to announce the EXCLUSION of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu from all PDP related activities with immediate effect, until he acknowledges, accepts and addresses the issue of his decamping to APC.

“This decision has been taken without prejudice.”

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