Morenikeji Lasisi, the longest serving palace aide of the late Alaafin of Oyo, popularly called “Baba Keji” on Monday said he would miss the merriment and enjoyments he had with the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.

Lasisi in a different video which went viral on social media was said to be over 100 years old but investigation by SaharaReporters indicates that he was still in his 90s.

The old man who had served in the palace for 77 years said Alaafin Adeyemi brought unprecedented development to the palace beyond his expectations.

SaharaReporters reports that the Alaafin died on Friday, April 22, 2022 after a brief illness at the age of 83.

Speaking further, Lasisi said he was very close to the Alaafin despite the fact that he was a servant to him in the palace.

He said; “I cut grass in the palace. The late king usually sent me on errand. Every day, I usually went to abattoir to get meat for my late boss in the morning. I have served three kings now. I got to the palace during the time of Oba Adeyemi Adeniran, the father of the late Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi.

“I also served Bello Gbadegesin Oladigbolu and Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi who died on Friday. I am always happy whenever I am with the Alaafin. He was always having money and resources to cater to the people. There was always enjoyment in the palace during his reign.

"We were always enjoying ourselves. I will miss all the merriment. As I am here now, if anyone tries to take me abroad, after telling my people, I will go. But I will surely return to my base here in Oyo."

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The Minister of Transportation and former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, says he has the experience and energy to preside over Nigeria.

He spoke on Monday night in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during a meeting with Governor Dapo Abiodun and the All Progressives Congress (APC) delegates in the state.

Amaechi said he knew the state already had one of their sons, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, contesting for presidency, but insisted that his experience was what the country needed at the moment. 

He said he would rule the country with his wealth of experience when elected as president.

“Let us even assume that I’m the worst aspirant, for the sake of friendship, I’m entitled to your votes, you will go there and say for the sake of this our friendship, if he is going to fail, let’s fail with him,” he said.

Amaechi said to the delegates, “I’m very experienced, I’m not a Yoruba candidate and I will never be a Yoruba candidate. I’m not a Hausa/Fulani candidate and I will never be a Hausa/Fulani candidate. I’m not an Igbo candidate and I will never be one. I’m a Nigerian candidate.

“I challenge all others who are competing with me to show me the basis that they can claim to be a Nigerian candidate. I’m a different Nigerian and I’m one of the true Nigerians and I think all of you seated here are true Nigerians. The problem of Nigeria is not you, it is the elites.

“I’m prepared for debate, I’m prepared to provide solutions.

“No person among all those competing has governed a state where there was insecurity, but I have. By the time I took over the governor of Rivers State, they were kidnapping two-month-old children.

“What did I do first, I didn’t pay a ransom. I made a law that if you pay the ransom you go for six months imprisonment because where there is no demand, there will be no supply.

“My administration will give equal opportunities to the men, so that they will compete equally, they will be appointed on merits and they will be given that chance to be part of the government.

“I know that there is a candidate from this state, our Vice President, a man of honour, he is a good candidate, but I think that if you look well, my experience matters.

“I come with experience, I’m 56 years old, I will be 57 in May; so I’m the bridge between the young and the old. I have energy and people have said, no, being energetic is not enough to preside over a state, but you can’t preside over a state in the hospital.

“He, the Vice President, had said that I’m a forthright man and if you approach me, you will know that I’m forthright.”

Amaechi’s team later met with the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, at his palace in Abeokuta, where he sought the monarch’s support on his presidential ambition.

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Mukaila Fadeyi, the coroner presiding over the inquest of Jumoke Oyeleke, has paid a visit to the scene where the young lady was shot dead by the police.

Fadeyi, according to a report by Premium Times, visited the area at Ojota, Lagos State, on Monday.

Oyeleke was shot after police fired shots to disperse the protesters during a Yoruba Nation rally on July 3, 2021.

But the police denied responsibility for her death, saying its officers never fired a “single live bullet.”

The then Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, had said Jumoke was abandoned after she was stabbed.

However, a witness statement obtained by SaharaReporters as of September 20, 2021, confirmed that Oyeleke was killed by a stray bullet.

Meanwhile, during the coroner's visit to the scene on Monday, a witness who had earlier testified, Banjoko Philips, explained how he and a trader carried Oyeleke’s remains from his compound outside to limit the number of people on the premises.

According to him, the deceased, who was at the time a salesgirl, was arranging her wares when the police chased some people inside his compound.

He added that the deceased also ran when she saw the police chasing people into the compound but fell after she was hit by the bullet.

“She was lying chest down. The point of entry (bullet) was under the left arm,” Philips said, describing the posture the deceased was in at the time of her death.

He said he had observed the incident from his apartment’s window.

Phillips informed the coroner that the shooting started immediately after the (former) Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, left the scene.

He also claimed that some of the residents saw some police officers searching the corpse.

“In my opinion, it was the policemen that shot her. It was a stray bullet,” he said.

Another witness, Okebe David, a snacks trader in the area, told the coroner that he and Philips carried the corpse outside the compound because of the crowd.

The 29-year-old said when the shooting started, he and some men jumped the fence into the compound where the deceased was shot.

Earlier at the proceedings in Ogba, a state lawyer, Oluwaseun Akinde, told the corner that the pathologist, Sunday Soyemi, from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) earlier scheduled for cross-examination was absent.

“He (pathologist) received the information late. He has a defence in LASUTH for his programme,” the lawyer said.

He also told the coroner that the investigating police officer and his lawyer were also absent.

“And today is the day we have all agreed to visit the locus where the deceased died,” Mr Akinde told the coroner. We have informed all the parties meant to be at the locus.We got a call from Barrister Adebesin, (police lawyer), he said he will join us at the locus.”

In his response, the coroner said that “I’m not going to force anybody. At the end of the matter, the court knows what to do.”

Fadeyi fixed May 16, for further hearing of the matter.

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The case of the late gospel singer of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Osinachi Nwachukwu has been transferred to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

Osinachi had died on April 8 of domestic violence. While her husband, Peter, was arrested after the younger brother of the late singer reported the matter to the police.

The case was transferred from the Lugbe Police Division to the State Criminal Investigation Department the following day.

However, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, on Monday said that the autopsy report had been released.

He asserted that the police would seek legal advice on the matter the case was no longer with the police.

“The case is no longer with us. It is now with the DPP in the office of the Attorney General.”

SaharaReporters had on April 15 reported that the National Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, said the report of the autopsy conducted on late gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, was going only to the police who requested for it.

The hospital had said the autopsy would not be disclosed to the public.

The postmortem examination was to discover what killed the Ekwueme crooner.

However, Momoh said the hospital would not disclose the report to the public.

Osinachi’s death has been widely linked to brutalisation by her husband, Peter Nwachukwu.

Following her death, Osinachi’s family was said to have demanded that an autopsy be carried out to ascertain the cause of death.

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Danladi Umar

A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit by the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Yakubu Umar, seeking to stop the Senate from probing him on alleged misconduct.

Umar had on March 29, 2021 publicly assaulted one Clement Sargwak, a security guard at Banex Plaza in Wuse 2, Abuja.

Danladi Umar

In a five-minute viral video clip, he was seen slapping and kicking the security guard after an altercation ensued between them over a parking space on the premises of the plaza.

The victim, bruised on the lip he was attacked by Umar after he approached him for parking wrongly. See Also CRIME Despite Video Evidence, Code Of Conduct Tribunal Chairman, Umar Denies Assaulting Security Guard, Blames 'Biafran Miscreants' 0 Comments 1 Year Ago

He subsequently went to court to challenge the powers of the Senate to investigate him in an alleged assault against the security guard.

Delivering judgement on Tuesday, Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo, ordered the CCT boss to go and appear before the upper chamber and answer questions on a public petition brought against him by an aggrieved citizen.

The court held that as a public officer administering law, he is answerable to the senate on moral standards.

The judge held that his case seeking to stop the probe by the senate lacked merit and was dismissed.

 

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President Muhammadu Buhari’s acclaimed praise singer, Dauda Kahutu, popularly known as Rarara, has spoken against what he perceived as the shortcoming of the current administration in a new song.

In the song, he led a group of other prominent Hausa singers under the 13-13 Kannywood.

The news of the new song went viral when his spokesperson, Rabi’u Garba Gaya, posted it on his Facebook page.

The singer, who was in 2019 appointed as National Director of Music for the Buhari 2019 Presidential Support Committee, criticised the President for “failing” in his promise to protect lives and property.

Some of those featured in the song include; Aminu Ladan Ala, Nura M Inuwa and Ali Isa Jita.

A stanza in the songs goes like this, “Only few people now reason with you, insecurity has been on the increase both in cities and villages. What started as a hear-say has become reality. Our wish is to see that we have put things back on track.”

Rarara had released songs for some governors in the All Progressives Congress including Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa State, and Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State.

Recall that angry youth in Katsina State attacked the musician while he was shooting a video for the president.

According to Katsina Post, the youth attacked the musician at the Central Market in Katsina, the state capital, as he was shooting a video of his latest song “Jahata Ce”.

The aggrieved youths, upon seeing the singer, started shouting and condemning him in Hausa language.

In 2020, Rarara began a movement asking Nigerians to sponsor his next album (harp-song) with a token of N1000 each.

The singer said he wanted the public to sponsor a song that will highlight the achievement of the Buhari-led administration.

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PANDEF

Yoruba socio cultural group, Afenifere, the Middle Belt forum, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and other leaders in the Southern region have pledged their support for an Igbo president ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The groups stressed that an Igbo President is the only key that will drive peace, unity and inclusion as well as national development; adding that 2023 presidency rightfully belongs to the South-East region.

PANDEF

Edwin Clarke, Elder statesman and leader, PANDEF decried the attitude of regions who see themselves as "winners" taking it all, feeling that they own the country, and are born to rule; and that, except they rule, the country will burn.

This, according to him, was unjust and unacceptable.

While stressing that an Igbo president would guarantee the peace and progress of Nigeria, the elder statesman pointed out that the South-East, like any other region, had the men and women, who are competent whom Nigerians would be proud of, to occupy the position.

Clarke said, “The Motto of Nigeria is "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress". Where is the Unity I ask, where is the faith in our beloved country; where is the peace; and are we really progressing? Let us not deceive ourselves. I am a strong advocate and believer in the Motor of our dear Country, and that is why my doors are open to all. But are we really working towards the attainment of this Motto? You cannot marginalize and oppress a people, and expect them not to speak out," he said. 

Chief Ayo Adebanjo, leader, Afenifere disclosed that the reason why the South-East region had not ruled was because the Northern people did not want to give up power and had further devised a means to ensure that the Southern region remained divided.

"I asked Tinubu; do you believe they will make you president? They have asked Osinbajo to contest, they wanted to divide the West first, then they went to the south. I am appealing to South-South candidates; Wike and others, they are not helping the issue, they are helping the North; it is a game to divide us, even in the South-East. The North doesn't want to yield power and they know the way to do it is to divide the country. The problem is ourselves; let us unite" he said.

Dr. Pogu Bitrus, Chairman, Middle belt Forum who delivered the keynote speech, described as illegal the ambition of the South-West to seek the presidency, after Obasanjo ruled as president for eight years and Osinbajo ruled for eight years as vice president.

He stated that by design, the zoning and rotation policy is supposed to make it possible for each of Nigeria's six geopolitical zone to occupy the seat of president for eight years over a 48-year period.

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Simon Ekpa

Sit-at-home in the South-East states in honour of Nnamdi Kanu has been declared by the self-acclaimed disciple of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Simon Ekpa.

Ekpa affirmed that the sit at home would be on May 16, 17 and 18, 2022.

Simon Ekpa

IPOB had openly declared that no more “sit-at-home” exercises in the region should be obeyed.

The sit-at-home exercises have led to the deaths of several people who reportedly defied it.

However, in a Tweet on Tuesday, Ekpa said it would go down in the history of Biafra liberation that there was lockdown for 3days demanding the release of MNK.

“Get ready for a historic lockdown of Biafraland in the month of May.”

“It will go down in the history of Biafra liberation that we lockdown our territory for 3days demanding the release of MNK. Save the following dates: 16th, 17th & 18th of May 2022 will be sit-at-home for MNK.”

 

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Chris, the abducted son of the Deputy Senate President's senior legislative aide, John Oghojafor, has been released.

Chris, a final-year student of the Delta State University, Abraka, was abducted by gunmen on Friday in Abraka, Ethiope-East Local Government Area of the state. He regained his freedom around 10:00 pm on Monday, SaharaReporters reliably gathered.

Chris' abductors had demanded a ransom of N50 million but it was later negotiated to N3 million.

 

Confirming the release of his son, John Oghojafor, a veteran journalist and legal practitioner, said, "My son, Chris Oghojafor, who was kidnapped in Abraka by Fulani herdsmen, since Friday evening, has just been released now. Glory be to God."

However, it was not clear if the N3 million ransom demanded by the abductors was paid, but SaharaReporters reliably gathered that the immediate past governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan and a former commissioner for economic planning, Bernard Okumagba played vital roles that led to the release of the abducted student of the state university.

A journalist and legal practitioner, Akpokona Omafuaire and colleague of the victim's father, told our correspondent the roles played by the immediate past governor and the former commissioner.

"A special thank you to His Excellency Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan and Chief Bernard Okumagba, two men with beautiful hearts for coming to the aid of my senior learned friend, John Oghojafor, whose son was kidnapped on Friday evening by Fulani herdsmen at Abraka who has just been released. Thank you my Oga, Asamaigor, God bless you and your family, Sir, words are not enough to appreciate you, migwo, migwo, migwo sir," Omafuaire said.

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Terrorists who attacked an Abuja-Kaduna train about a month ago have released another picture showing some of their victims.

The gunmen had on March 28 ambushed the train heading for Kaduna from the nation’s capital city after bombing its rail track.

At least eight passengers were killed in the incident, while 168 others were kidnapped or declared missing.

Few days after the incident, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Bank of Agriculture, Alwan Hassan, was released alongside others.

Hassan, who was seen in a video released by the bandits, said he was freed on compassionate grounds.

However, sources told SaharaReporters that a ransom of N100million was paid before he was released.

Meanwhile, the families of 22 of the passengers have declared them missing.

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The Abuja judicial panel established to probe brutality and human rights abuses linked to the disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS) and other units of the police force has issued arrest warrants against two police officers who have several times shunned its summons and orders.

One of those summoned police officers is the Commissioner of Police in charge of legal services at the Force Headquarters, Ogbeh Ochogwu. 

The other is an inspector, Shunku Terhermber, attached to the Bwari Police Division in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The panel, chaired by Suleiman Galadima, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, ordered the arrest of the two police officers who are wanted in respect of different cases.

Terhermber, attached to the Bwari Police Division, in Abuja, had been earlier summoned through the head of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Makinde Ola.

He is named as a respondent in a case of unlawful arrest, detention and seizure of properties of Michael Uzoagba.

Uzoagba, the complainant, claimed that Terhember, along with other officers, invaded his shop sometime in 2020. He said the invading police officers questioned him about his son’s whereabouts.

He said after he informed them he did not know where his son was, they took various electrical appliances from his shop, loaded them into a waiting police van, and drove away.

At Monday’s hearing, Police lawyer, Fidelis Ogwobe, told the panel that he visited Bwari Area Council, to inform Terhermber of the panel’s summons against him, but failed to show up.

He, however, said on the case, the panel may decide to proceed in the absence of Terhermber in accordance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), considering the fact that the officer had been given the opportunity to defend himself and had failed to do so.

After deliberations, an arrest warrant was issued against the officer.

On his part, the commissioner of police in charge of legal affairs at Force Headquarters, Ochogwu, is wanted by the panel in respect of a case of alleged unlawful arrest, detention and enforced disappearance of John Emeka Alozie.

Alozie is said to have been missing from police custody since June 25, 2017.

The police officer had failed to honour several orders of the panel directing him to appear with the case file of the victim.

The panel had adjourned its sitting at the instance of Ochogwu five times.

Ordering the police officer’s arrest on Monday, the panel chairman, Galadima, said his attitude was unbecoming of a lawyer and officer of the police force.

In addition to ordering the police officer’s arrest, the panel chairman also ordered that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) report his conduct to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), the body statutorily saddled with the responsibility of disciplining lawyers found wanting in ethical and professional codes.

Galadima noted that Ochogwu “flagrantly and repeatedly disobeyed the order of the panel” having refused to turn in the said case file to enable the panel to unravel the truth about the whereabouts of Alozie.

 

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Ayo Adebanjo, Afenifere leader, says he warned the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, not to put his trust in President Buhari as the latter would never support his 2023 presidency ambition.

Adebanjo said this on Monday in his remarks at the “Greater Nigeria Conference” organised by the Nzuko Nmunna, an Igbo think-tank.

The focus of discussions at the conference was on the need to support a candidate from the South East in the 2023 general elections.

According to Adebanjo, it is the turn of the South-East to produce the next president in the interest of fairness and equity.

He said, “We all know the truth. They don’t want the South-East. It is not because they don’t know what is right. I only like to point to the fact that they are just deceiving you. All you are hearing, that they (the North) are supporting the South-West is an element of deceit to deprive you, to be able to rule you. They don’t like anybody.

“I told Tinubu himself, not in the papers, face-to-face. ‘You believe this man (Buhari) will make you President?’ He said ‘yes’. I said ‘he wants to make you President and yet he asked (Yemi) Osinbajo to contest? He asked (Kayode) Fayemi to contest, he asked Amosun (Ibikunle) to contest?’ All in the West, why? He wants to divide the West first.

“The unfortunate thing is that President Goodluck Jonathan allowed himself to be disgraced by mentioning the fact that ‘I am considering whether to be president or not. For what?

“Now that it is the turn of the South-East, they are propounding a new theory, it must be based on merit and all that. If it is the question of merit, who in the North qualifies to lead Nigeria? If it has been based on merit, the East alone would produce the President.

“I am saying all these because of the talks about ‘go and sell yourself, go and campaign, go and lobby’, it is all rigmarole. They know the truth.

“Although I don’t like all the people that came out from the East, for the fact that they are saying you have no people, I am happy you have demonstrated that you have people. But go and unite. A house divided against itself will not stand. The North doesn’t want to leave power. While the South is slugging it out, they put their candidate up.”

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Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Russian President, Vladimir Putin, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has said.

According to CNN, Blinken told reporters after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in Kyiv, that Putin was “failing in Ukraine” and that “Ukraine is succeeding in the ongoing war. Russia has sought as its aim to take away (Ukraine’s) sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.”

He affirmed that Russia sought to assert its military and economic powers, adding, “we of course are seeing just the opposite.”

“We don’t know how the rest of this war will unfold, but we do know that a sovereign independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene.”

Blinken and Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin, were in Kyiv where they met with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials.

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Indications emerged yesterday that the Federal Government may have implemented the “no work, no pay” policy for the striking university-based unions.

This is even as the unions lamented that despite all the notices and letters sent to the federal government over the ongoing strike in the public universities, the government has not deemed it fit to either acknowledge the letters or call them to round table discussions, Vanguard reports.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, had embarked on a four week warning strike on February 14 which was extended at its expiration, following the alleged failure of government to address the contentious issues that led to the strike.

In March, the Joint Action Committee, JAC, comprising the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institution, NASU, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU declared a two week warning strike, within the same month and it was also extended, while the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, declared its own two weeks warning strike the same month.

It was gathered that the federal government has invoked the ‘no work, no pay’ policy against the striking unions.

Confirming this, the President of NAAT, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, said members of his union were not paid full salaries in March.

He also said the government has ignored all the notices for the ongoing strike and had refused to acknowledge all the letters sent in that regard.

The NAAT President also told Vanguard that instead of inviting the striking university workers for a dialogue over the contentious issues, the government had gone ahead to implement the ‘no work, no salary ‘ policy.

He, however, said that seizing the salary of the union members would not make them call off the strike as the action was in the interest of the system.

Asked to give the update on the union’s strike, Comrade Nwokoma said: “As of today, we have entered the fifth week of our warning strike, the first two weeks and then we rolled over for four weeks. Unfortunately, as we are talking, government has not acknowledged all the notices of strike, all the letters we wrote to them as at today.

“Government has not also invited us or found it necessary to invite us to a round table discussion, so as to find a way forward. And unfortunately too, the government has decided to stop our salaries, using the no work, no pay principle.”

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The unwarranted or excessive and often illegal use of force against civilians by Nigerian police officers and all forms of police brutality have ranged from assault and battery (e.g., beatings) to mayhem, torture, and murder. This also encompass harassment (including false arrest), intimidation, and verbal abuse, among other forms of mistreatment.

 

People are dying at the hands of police officers. Torture routinely now takes the place of proper investigation. Police in many cases lack the training and resources to do their job properly. There is no forensic capacity, not even one lab in Nigeria has working equipment to analyze fingerprints, so it is very difficult to do a proper investigation. This is not an excuse for torture, there is no excuse for that but some of the police do seem to feel the pressure and will torture to extract a confession so that they can close a case. Sometimes, a person will go to the station to report a crime, and instead the police will suddenly turn them into a suspect.

 

General Muhammadu Buhari and the rest of the government need to take reform seriously if they are going to improve safety and restore confidence in the police. It is also essential to ensure that the police do not monopolize or interfere with investigations of crime and misconduct by their officers. Currently, many cases of police misconduct are overlooked because of political interference, or the expectation of it. There should be an establishment of a federal prosecutorial unit to take on cases of police corruption and violence. We need to ensure that complaints are followed up and abuse is punished in order to change this culture of impunity.

 

Nigerians are afraid to engage police officers for the fear of being killed extra-judicially. I urge the federal government of Nigeria to find a lasting solution to this criminal act of his officers and I will call for the introduction of body worn camera which should be mandatory for all serving officers. Police body cameras (also called body-worn cameras) are small cameras worn on a law enforcement officer’s chest or head to record interactions between the officer and the public. The cameras have a microphone to capture sound and internal data storage to save video footage for later review.

 

The video and audio recordings from BWCs [body-worn cameras] can be used by law enforcement to demonstrate transparency to their communities; to document statements, observations, behaviors, and other evidence; and to deter unprofessional, illegal, and inappropriate behaviors by both law enforcement and the public. Police body cameras are in use around the world from Australia and Uruguay to the United Kingdom and South Africa. Nigeria should follow suit as i believe funding wouldn't be a problem. Our senators and members of the house of representatives salaries for a month not to talk of their allowances should cover the cost of thousands of body worn cameras, but instead we chose to chase shadows. If body worn camera was in existence, there wouldn't be an outrage of the #EndSars movement, all officers would be of good conduct knowing all their conduct is on record. 

 

Lastly, all officers on plain-clothed and those without an official identity card should be sanctioned. I am a victim of circumstance and at the same time, I am speaking on behalf of millions of Nigerians who are also victims of police brutality.

 

Adekunle Adeyemi Taofeek ( Scotty Aluta)

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Lekki-Epe expressway toll gate

The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has shortlisted 18 firms from among 75 bidders seeking to operate and toll 12 economically viable highways on a concession basis.

The ministry has also concluded the evaluating proposals for phase one of the Value-Added Concession (VAC) under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI), revealed a statement from Hakeem Bello, the spokesman of the minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Monday.

Lekki-Epe expressway toll gate PulseNG

The 12 roads of 1,963 kilometres will be managed by technically and financially capable private sector firms/consortia. They are Benin-Asaba, Abuja-Lokoja, Kano-Katsina, Onitsha-Owerri-Aba, Sagamu-Benin and Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga.

The rest are; Kano-Maiduguri (Kano-Shuarin), Kano-Maiduguri (Potiskum-Damaturu), Lokoja-Benin, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Ilorin-Jebba, Lagos-Otta-Abeokuta and Lagos-Badagry-Seme.

The winning operators are expected to add value to the roads, construct and operate tolling facilities, as well as install and operate weighbridges.

The bid evaluation process was approved on Thursday at the Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting chaired by Fashola, where the head, Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) unit of the ministry, Abimbola Asein, said proposed preferred/reserved didders had been identified.

The process started on March 29, 2021, with the opening of the HDMI portal, and by May, 2021, 75 firms/consortia submitted valid applications.

A team evaluated the bids and prequalified 18 firms who proceeded from October, 2021, to February, 2022, when the Request for Proposals (RFP) were opened.

The due diligence of the 18 firms is ongoing and bidders can be disqualified if they falsify submissions, the ministry said.

The ministry afterwards will negotiate the technical and financial terms and get a nod from the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) and approval of Compliance Certificate by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) before signing the concession agreement to finalise the contract.

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The Ondo State chapter of the African Action Congress (AAC) has welcomed human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, to the state.
In a statement, Alex Adeniyi, the state chairman of the party, hailed the court order which dismissed the restriction of Sowore to the Federal Capital Territory since he was arrested in 2019.

He also hailed the doggedness of the 2023 presidential aspirant, adding that his ability to overcome the odds has shown he is the right man to save Nigeria.
Adeniyi also expressed the excitement of AAC members in Ondo to receive him in the state.
The statement reads: "Just as the popular saying goes: after darkness comes light. In the history of mankind and Nigeria in particular, light has prevailed over darkness. Omoyele Sowore is back! 
"It is public knowledge that on the 3rd of August, 2019, the Buhari-led administration through the Department of State Services abducted the National Chairman of African Action Congress for calling for a nationwide protest codenamed 'RevolutionNow'.
"Omoyele Sowore was subjected to degrading treatment, even with the support of some Nigerian Judges. Until the 13th of April, 2022 Sowore was unjustly confined within the territory of Federal Capital. 
"The African Action Congress, Ondo State chapter is most gracious to God for vindicating our leader and we are glad to welcome him back home. Of course, many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord deliver him from them all.
"Omoyele Sowore, the quintessence of capacity and character, you have displayed valiance in battle. You have demonstrated patriotism to Nigeria and love for Nigerian people. We believe 2023 will be a deserved victory. In a time when the Nigerian ship has finally shipwrecked, it is important that leadership is entrusted into the hand of those who have a genuine love for the masses, not some political businessmen. 
"At this critical time that Nigerians are now clamouring #WeCannotContinueLikeThis, indeed 2023 will be the end of the old era and a new beginning for the Nigeria of our dream."

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A former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha has asked the Nigerian government  to investigate the recent fire incident at an illegal oil refinery in the state.
He said this in a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Chibuike Onyeukwu.

On Friday, an explosion occurred at an illegal oil refining site in Ohaji/Egbema area of Imo state, with at least 110 people reported to have been burnt to death.
The development comes amid concerns by stakeholders on the effects of oil bunkering across the country.
Ihedioha expressed shock and sadness at the development.
He described the incident as “unfortunate and avoidable, while calling for full investigation and prosecution of all those behind the carnage to avert future occurrence.”
The statement read, “This is one loss too many. My heart bleeds for the victims, families and affected communities of this unfortunate and avoidable disaster.
“It is a period of grief and sober reflection for our State, which has been bedeviled by insecurity and other challenges.
“While calling for a deliberate action to nip the increasing activities of illegal refinery and bunkering in the state, His Excellency enjoins citizens to take adequate precautions and avoid activities that will expose them to danger or risk of losing their lives and property.”

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Twitter says it has reached an agreement to sell the company to Elon Musk for around $44billion (£34.6billion).
The deal was announced by the social media platform on Monday after days of negotiations between the world’s richest person and the Twitter board.

Musk had announced an offer to buy the social media platform on 14 April for $54.20 a share, or about $43billion.
The additional $1billion price tag is understood to reflect the purchase of additional shares revealed by Twitter.
The deal means Twitter will now be taken private, ending its run on the stock market which began in 2013.
Musk will pay $54.20 cash per share for the San Francisco-based company, which will now be taken private after days of intense negotiations between the entrepreneur and the platform’s board.
“Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important,” said Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s CEO was quoted to have said.

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The Ebonyi State government and the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki traded words over the arrest and incarceration of a Priest, Reverend Timothy Ngwuta, in Abakaliki.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Ngwuta was illegally detained by security operatives in Ebonyi State since 2021.

This comes amid the lingering communal crisis between Ezza-Effium and Effium people of the Ohuakwu Local Government Area of the state since January 2021, which had resulted in the death of innocent persons and the destruction of property worth millions of naira.
A soldier, who does not want his name in print, had said the Reverend Father who was recently posted to the community, was arrested and framed for being responsible for a crisis that had been ongoing for a while. 
According to him, Ngwuta was arrested while paying a visit to some of his parishioners who had now been displaced from their homes as a result of the crisis.
“It was during one of these visits he was arrested and has since been detained without trial, nothing, an ordained Reverend Father for that matter.”
He had noted that Ngwuta's arrest had a political undertone as he called on the state governor, Dave Umahi to immediately order the release of the Reverend Father.
Also, Parishioners of Saint Bernard’s Catholic Parish, Ugueze Effium, Ohaukwu Local Government Area had called on Ebonyi Governor, Dave Umahi to release their parish Priest, Ngwuta from detention.
On Monday, the Catholic Church, Diocese of Abakaliki in a statement signed by Fr. Matthew Uzoma Opoke, Chancellor, Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki, said all efforts to secure the release Fr. Timothy Ngwuta on bail had been hampered by the Executive Order preventing any court in the state from entertaining matters relating to Effium crisis.
The statement reads in part: “The Church in the name of God appeals to all the people of Effium and Ezza Effium involved in this inter-communal war, to lay down their arms and embrace the path of peace. Nothing justifies the senseless killing and maiming of innocent lives. Peace can never be achieved under the barrel of guns.
“Since the matter is before the courts, we will not be making any more statements on the case. We urge all to withhold judgement and let the case run its course. We implore all people of goodwill to join us in praying God to touch those responsible for the incarceration of Fr. Timothy to listen to the voice of right conscience. We commend the whole process into the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Priests and the Star of Evangelization. Pray for peace in our State and in the Country,” the church stated.
Reacting, the Ebonyi state government through the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Cletus Ofoke, cautioned the Catholic Church to desist from saying that the priest was incarcerated in prison as a result of the executive order.
Ofoke said, “There is nothing like Executive Order on the Effium crisis; there is nothing to that effect. Of course, the government can never issue an order stopping the court from doing its legitimate duty. It is aimed at tarnishing somebody’s image and maligning the government. There is nothing like that.
“Once a matter is in court, nobody talks about it other than for the legal process to take its course. This is what the Ebonyi State government has done and the government has no hand in the Priest case. The case of the Priest is purely a legal issue from police to court.
“So, nothing concerns Ebonyi State government and it is not only the priest that is being incarcerated over the matter there, in Effium. People are aware that so many people have been charged to court; some of them are in prison, and some of them are being tried in court. So, the priest is also a human being.”

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