No fewer than 22 suspected miscreants were arrested in Minna on Thursday, by the operatives of the Niger State Police Command.

 

It was learnt that the suspects were arrested during a raid on their hideout.

Confirming the development was the spokesperson of the command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun in a statement on Friday.

According to Abiodun, the police will continue to raid criminal hideouts within the metropolis in a bid to curtail acts of thuggery, youth restiveness and other crimes and criminalities in Minna.

 

"Consequently, on 21/06/2022, a combined team of Police operatives mobilised from Department of Operations, Bosso and Minna Area Commands arrested twenty-two (22) suspected miscreants (thugs) at different locations such as Angwan-Daji, Angwan-Kanawa, Limawa, Maitumbi, Barkin-Sale and Makera area of Bosso and Chanchaga LGAs of the State," the statement read.

 

The suspects arrested were identified as including Umaru Ibrahim,20, Abba Adamu, 29, Nuhu Alhassan, 20, Abubakar Ahmed, 21, Abubakar Mohammed,16, Lukman Isah, 21, Danjuma Musa, 36, Philimon Ishaku, 17, Aminu Hassan, 20, ThankGod Sunday, 19, Ayuba Timothy,18, Danjuma Musa Haruna, 18, Abdulkarim Mohammed, 17, and Kabiru Usman, 23.

 

Others are Usman Isah,19, Musa Yusuf, 21, Kabiru Yahaya, 18, Masa'udu Yunusa, 16, Inyas Musa, 21, Nasiru Abdullahi, 21, Musa Suleiman, 21, and Jabir Suleiman, 18.

 

Exhibits recovered from the suspects include seven cutlasses, eight wraps of suspected cannabis, one pair of scissors, two knives, sticks, and a bottle containing illicit substances.

 

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The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has expressed support for the former Deputy President of Senate, Ike Ekweremadu over allegations of child trafficking and an attempt to harvest the kidney of a minor.

The former Anambra governor took to his Twitter handle @PeterObi to share his support for the family and pray for the healing of their daughter.

SaharaReporters had reported on Thursday, that Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice were arrested at Heathrow airport, London and arraigned in court for allegedly plotting to harvest the kidney of a Nigerian minor.

 

The duo who were reported to be attempting to harvest the organ of a Nigerian minor to save the life of their daughter, Sonia, pleaded not guilty to the charges at the Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court.

 

Magistrate Lois Sheard, despite their plea for bail since their passports were with the police, remanded both defendants in custody ahead of their hearing on July 7th.

My family and I are with the Ekweremadu’s over their travail. We join all men of goodwill in praying for the healing of their daughter and commit them into God’s hand for justice to be done. -PO

— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) June 24, 2022

However, the Nigerian lawmaker denied the allegations of organ harvesting, while sharing a letter to the UK High Commission in Nigeria, requesting a visa for the alleged minor.

 

Obi's tweet read: “My family and I are with the Ekweremadus over their travail.

 

“We join all men of goodwill in praying for the healing of their daughter and commit them into God’s hand for justice to be done.”

 

 

 

 

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The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Rivers State, Mr. Tonte Ibraye, has announced Nollywood controversial actress, Tonto Dikeh as his running mate for the 2023 governorship election in Rivers State.

 

This was contained in a statement posted by Tonte Ibraye on Friday morning, on his verified Facebook page.

The statement reads: “After series of consultations with leaders of our party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State and the national level, I’m glad to announce Ambassador Tonto Dikeh as my running mate for the 2023 gubernatorial election in Rivers State.

 

“We are pleased to welcome her to the #RiversRescueMission2023 as we strive to improve the standard of living for everyone in our dear Rivers State.”

 

The actress also took to her official Instagram page on Friday to announce the news and thank the candidate for choosing her.

 

She wrote, “I thank Mr. Tonte Ibraye(@tonteibraye), the Governorship Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Rivers State for nominating me as his running mate.

 

“We are looking forward to investing massively in social protection, creating a social value system for young people, increasing women’s inclusion in our governance system, supporting small businesses and strengthening our traditional institutions to be active players in the drive to bring sustainable development to the good people of Rivers State.

 

“I am glad to be a proud member of the #RiversRescueMission2023. Please get your PVC and join the movement.

“You are the Future and The future is now!TonteTonto2023.”

 

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The Supreme Court, on Friday, dismissed a suit filed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to void the provisions of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

 

In its ruling on Friday, the Apex Court held that Buhari, having assented to the Electoral Bill on February 25, 2022, has no power to challenge the legality of the Electoral Act.

Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim held that the action of Buhari in instituting the case was declared as a gross abuse of court.

 

The Court upheld Kayode Ajulo's preliminary objection that the President cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time and that Buhari had no power under any law to dictate to the National Assembly on law-making.

 

The unanimous verdict held that Buhari having participated in the making of the Electoral Act by his assent, lacked Constitutional Powers to come up to challenge the same.

 

Buhari and Malami had in the suit marked SC/CV/504/2022 and filed by Lateef Fagbemo on April 29, 2022, asked the court to remove the clause in the electoral act.

 

The duo told the apex court that the Section 84 (12) of the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2022 is inconsistent with the provisions of sections 42, 65, 66, 106, 107, 131, 137, 147, 151, 177, 182, 192 and 196 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended), as well Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and People and Peoples Rights.

 

They are seeking an order of the court to strike out the section of the Act, which they said was inconsistent with the nation’s constitution.

 

Buhari while signing the amended bill into law on February 25 had urged the parliament to expunge Clause 84(12) of the Act.

 

The clause reads, “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”

 

 

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File Photo

The Okehi Area Command of the Nigeria Police Command has been attacked by suspected terrorists who killed an Inspector on duty.

 

The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), William Ovye Aya, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

File Photo

He added that part of the area command office was razed by the dynamite used by the attackers.

 

According to Aya, a police Inspector died during an exchange of gunfire with the terrorists.

 

The Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād had claimed responsibility for over five attacks in Kogi State in the last two months.

 

On April 23, gunmen attacked a police station in the same Adavi LGA in the state, which resulted in the death of three police officers.

 

Some days later, ISWAP claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

On May 11, there was an explosion at a bar in Lewu Junction area of Kabba town, Kogi.

 

The explosion claimed three lives out of the 16 persons affected.

 

Two weeks later, another explosion occurred at another bar in Kabbah-Bunu LGA.

 

The group claimed responsibility for both explosions

 

Kabba is the headquarters of the Kabba/Bunnu LGA and the people speak a dialect of Yoruba called Owe.

 

The town is less than 10 minutes’ drive to Akunnu-Akoko and Ajowa-Akoko in Ondo State and less than 20 minutes to Omuo in Ekiti State.

 

ISWAP in June also claimed responsibility for the explosion that led to the death of two persons during an annual festival in the Idoji area of Okene, Kogi State.

 

 

 

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A military court in Borno has ordered the imprisonment of 30 soldiers and officers for committing various offences.

 

The judgement is, however, subject to the approval of the army council and Chief of Army Staff.

The Theatre Commander of Operation Hadinkai, Major General Christopher Musa disclosed this during the inauguration of another special court to try 29 soldiers at the headquarters of the theatre in Maimalari Barrack in Maiduguri, Borno State.

 

Musa who gave the breakdown of the cases said a total of 227 soldiers and officers were presented before the military court.

 

“What we have done is that they were recommended and forwarded to Army Headquarters. The confirming authority for the soldiers rests on the Chief of Army Staff and while the Army Council is the body to rectify the officers before the implementation.”

 

“We have 30 imprisonment cases, 4 dismissals from the Armed forces, 25 reductions of rank and loss of seniority, 20 loss of pay, severe reprimand 17, discharge and acquitted 10, case struck off 14, recommended summary trial 107 and a total of 227.”

 

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President Muhammadu Buhari has told the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson that the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu cannot be admitted to bail because he once jumped bail.

 

President Buhari stated this on Thursday during a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Great Britain on the sidelines of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda.

Buhari said there has been apprehension because he jumped bail the previous time he was granted one.

 

On the leader of IPOB, Kanu, not being allowed to see his lawyers privately, the President denied it, saying the detained separatist was being given every opportunity under the law “to justify all the uncomplimentary things he had been saying against Nigeria in Britain.”

Buhari said: “He felt very safe in Britain, and said awful things against Nigeria. We eventually got him when he stepped out of the United Kingdom, and we sent him to court. Let him defend all that he has said there. His lawyers have access to him. Remember he jumped bail before, how are we sure he won’t do it again if he’s admitted to bail?”

 

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Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed that 16-year-old Uzairu Salisu of Kwanan Gulmanmu, Jahun quarters in Bauchi metropolis was attacked and his two eyes were plucked out by his friend.

This was made known in a state from the spokesperson for the state police command, Ahmed Wakili, and obtained by Tribune, stating that at about 6 pm on Thursday, a distress call was received from Mohammed Lawal, Ward Head of Birshi, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis.

According to the statement, Lawal said a boy of about 16 years was found in a pool of blood with his eyes plucked out at Dutsen Jira in Yelwa area of Bauchi.

Ahmed further stated that a team of policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Yelwa went to the scene of the crime and took the victim to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital Bauchi (ATBUTH) for treatment.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim stated that one Ibrahim of Rafin Zurfi whom he had known for some time lured him to the bush for a menial job and then removed his eyes.

The police spokesperson assured that the victim was receiving treatment in the hospital and that the general public would be updated as the investigation unfolded.

The Commissioner of Police, Umar Mamman Sanda vowed to get to the root of the matter and ensure that anyone found responsible would be brought to justice.

According to Sanda, “it is pertinent now more than ever that the whereabouts of wards and the company they keep are constantly kept in check by all those responsible”.

 

 

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Femi Adesina, the spokesperson for President Muhammadu Buhari, says the #EndSARS protest signifies mayhem, mass destruction and even cannibalism.

Adesina disclosed this in an article titled, ‘WARNING SHOTS FROM KIGALI’ which he shared on his official Facebook page on Thursday.

Nigerians had, in October 2020, protested against the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force.

 

Set up in the mid-1990s to combat armed robbery, SARS morphed into a force associated with harassment, extortion, human rights violations and extrajudicial killing of suspects.

 

Following additional pressure from human rights groups and local and global media, President Buhari dissolved SARS on October 11, 2020.

 

The protest, tagged #EndSARS, was later hijacked by hoodlums, leading to killings and destruction of public buildings.

 

According to Adesina, the protest was hijacked by opposition parties and separatists to destabilise Nigeria.

 

He said, “On the sidelines of the 26th edition of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) holding in Kigali, Rwanda, President Muhammadu Buhari and his team Thursday morning visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which is one of the monuments in memory of about a million people that were killed in the 1994 pogrom.

 

“I had written before that if Nigeria dies, it is hatred that killed her. And our pastors would not be innocent. Nor the Imams, and everyone that trades in hateful language against government and other ethnic groups. Those things pile up continuously, till it boils over, and cascades on an entire country. The heinous crimes we see in the land today cannot be entirely divorced from hateful and incendiary speeches.

 

“The tour of the Genocide Memorial took the whole of one hour and five minutes. You start from a video account from survivors, who recounted the gory way in which fathers, mothers, siblings, children were slaughtered, and how they were lucky to be alive. Sad. Dolorous.

 

“And then we moved to the burial place of the 250,000 victims. A pensive President Buhari lay a wreath there. Then to a pictorial excursion of the history of Rwanda. They had once been a happy, united people before colonial rule came. They had their monarchical system, and the fissures among them were not emphasized.

 

“The monarchy was abolished, the country suffered instability and the differences between the people became prominent. The Hutus began to see themselves as superior beings, a kind of Aryan supremacy as espoused by Adolf Hitler. There were killings in the 50s, 60s, 70s, till things first degenerated into a civil war, and genocide in 1994.

 

“Come and see skulls of the dead. In many hundreds. Bones that were exhumed and preserved. In many thousands. Pictures of the dead, adults and children, men and women, in their thousands. Clothes and personal effects of the slain. All kept for posterity to see. It was man’s inhumanity to man at its worst, result of hatred, malice, evil hearts, ill will.

 

“Let us carry those bishops and pastors who spew hatred from the pulpit, and bring them to the genocide museum. And the imams too. Maybe they will ‘lend themselves some brain.’ And the TV and radio hosts, who make snide, hateful remarks, and allow their guests to do the same. That was the same road Rwanda trod, and genocide was unleashed on the land.

 

“The media is said to have played a huge role in the genocide, lending itself to being used to denigrate the Tutsis. Till things boiled over. One Hassan Ngeze is on record to have written in a newspaper he owned and edited, about the Tutsis: “Let whatever is smouldering erupt.”

 

“Permit me to recall some of the things I said in an earlier piece, with the title, If Nigeria dies, hatred killed her:

 

“What a week it has been for our own dear native land! Just at the beginning of the month, as the country turned 60 as an independent entity, President Muhammadu Buhari had charged us to “begin sincere process of national healing, eliminate old and outworn perceptions that are always put to test in the lie they are.”

 

“Some people call it ‘the mistake of 1914,’ in which what used to be the Northern and Southern Protectorates were forcefully cobbled together by the colonial masters, leading to the emergence of Nigeria. Since then, it has been one uneasy relationship among the people that make up the Union. Suspicion of domination, ethnic rivalry, fear of being given the shorter end of the stick, gaining unfair advantage, and the like, have characterized the relationship. And the overriding sentiment is hatred, fueled and justified by many factors and tendencies.

 

“If Nigeria dies, whether now or in the future, hatred killed her. How can a people go about, bearing giant-sized grudges against their country, its leadership, against one another, and expect that country to live in peace and prosperity? It won’t happen. “When we don’t know who to hate, we hate ourselves,” observed a writer.

 

“The EndSARS campaign began as an agitation against police brutality, in which there was unanimity of purpose. And suddenly, it became a vehicle of hate. Against leadership, against national cohesion, an opportunity to settle political scores, and equally prepare for power grab in 2023. Hatred came into the mix.

 

“The agitation by youths against injustice and oppression suddenly took on a variegated nature. Separatists came under the umbrella, and began to advance their cause, working for the dismemberment of the country. Those beaten black and blue in 2015 and 2019 elections also crept in, and asked for pound of flesh, while also plotting for a return to power in 2023.

 

“The venom, which peaceful protests eventually became, can only be summed up by one word. Hatred. How can you begin to club people to death, in different parts of the country? How can you set fire to national assets and institutions, storm prisons and release prisoners into society, all in the name of peaceful protests? No, peace had fled through the window, and hatred was fully in control.

 

“There are many factors and agencies of hatred in Nigeria, and until we learn to purge ourselves, the country may never move beyond where it has been pirouetting and gyrating for six decades. Like the macabre dance, it has been one step forward and two steps backwards.

 

“Hatred is evinced from many quarters for Nigeria, and for its government and people at any given time. It comes from churches, mosques, professional activists and agitators, interest groups, some elements in the media, so-called analysts who never see anything good, and so on and so forth.

 

“When things boil over in graphic demonstration of hatred, it is a culmination of negative sentiments and tendencies. They come in persistent negative postings on social media, which generate and stimulate hate. From hateful messages from the pulpit, as if that was the message of love Jesus Christ handed over to his followers. From unduly critical messages during jumat services. From radio and television programs, in which bile is spewed. From talkshows which become a harangue of government, newspaper articles and columns tailored to instigate and generate dissent, and the like.”

 

 

 

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The 29 wedding guests kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be Islamic terrorists in Zamfara State have been released.

 

Although the Zamfara State Police Command has not confirmed their release at the time of filing this report, Secretary of the Global Systems Mobile, GSM Dealers Union in Gusau, Ashiru Zurmi confirm it to Daily Post.

Zurmi, however, did not say if any ransom was paid.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that terrorists on June 13, abducted 29 wedding guests while they were returning from Tambuwal LGA in Sokoto State.

 

It reported that the kidnapers initially abducted 50 persons but about 20 of them managed to escape.

The kidnappers demanded a ransom of N145 million to release the others.

However, it is not clear whether the N145 million was paid or not.

 

Zurmi on Thursday said the 29 abductees that were released were in good health.

 

He said the kidnap victims were released on Thursday evening and that they were on their way to Gusau.

Efforts to get the Zamfara Police Public Relations Officer for further confirmation and clarification were not successful as he did not pick up calls.

 

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The President of the Federal Capital Territory Baptist Conference, Abuja, Rev Dogara Gwana, has faulted the Nigerian government’s rehabilitation and reintegration of the so-called repentant terrorists, more so recruiting them into the Armed Forces without serving justice to their crimes.
Dogara, who decried the ravaging insecurity across the country which the Christian communities had become the major victims, noted that the government inactions are emboldening the perpetrators of the dastardly acts on daily basis.

In a statement, the president said, "We now have a situation where we have what we call “repentant terrorist.” So, characters who have caused so much pain to families and institutions in the country are now reintegrated into the society and even enrolled in the military.
"I personally consider this an anomaly and a dangerous trend. While the church preaches forgiveness and restoration, the church also preaches justice based on the biblical principle that establishes sowing and reaping. A man reaps what he sows even when he had repented."
The cleric explained that God forgives and restores men, "but governments are established to ensure justice which serves as a deterrent against the perpetuation of criminality."
"Most recently, in the Kajuru area of Kaduna State, some churches were attacked by the usual unknown gunmen killing three people and abducting scores of others. The attacks have become so regular that using the appellation “unknown” appears a contradiction.
"Government cannot claim that these men are unknown gun men, considering the regularity of their operations. Daredevils cannot continue to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens while government maintains that the assailants are unknown.
"The tragic massacre of Christian worshippers in a Church in Owo, Ondo cannot be easily forgotten. Kidnapping for ransom has become a big business in Nigeria and the Christian fold has suffered immensely in this menace.
"Bethel Baptist Comprehensive High school children were taken and the church went through the harrowing experience of having to pay ransom and most recently the Prelate of the Methodist Church in Nigeria, His Eminence, Samuel Kanu-Uche and two others were abducted and the church had to pay a huge amount of money to secure their release.
"Another clergyman was kidnapped with his wife and son in Oyo State and was asked to pay the sum of N50m before they could be released.
"A Catholic priest and hundreds of Christians are still languishing in the den of these terrorists. Victims of the train attack are still in bondage and several people have died in the hands of the men who have practically held Nigeria captive.
"The attacks are widespread, affecting all areas of the Nigerian society and everyone irrespective of his faith persuasion has a gory story to share."
While commending the President Muhammadu Buhari's commitment in his Democracy Day message to Nigeria where he promised to end the insecurity before his tenure ends, the cleric urged him to keep his word.
"We call on the president to keep his word and mobilize all government apparatus to go after these criminals until they are fully rounded up. This we believe is within the capacity of our military if there is government willpower and true commitment."

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Personnel of the Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, a state government-backed vigilante group, have protested at the Government House in Port Harcourt to demand payment of several months of stipends which the state government owed them.
The protesters claimed that the government owed them for 15 months.

One of them, who is identified as Benjamin Saruwaji, said members of their families had suffered hardship and hunger.
The protesters also complained of not having “operational vehicles” to carry out the assignment given to them by the state government.
They therefore urged Governor Nyesom Wike to urgently intervene and pay them their stipends to end their “sufferings.”
The protesters, who did not meet the governor at the Government House, proceeded to his private residence at Ada George to try to get his attention.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Wike allegedly bribed the PDP panel members and some members of the National Working Committee of the party with $5 million (N2.1billion at the official exchange rates) to beat Okowa.
Wike had 16 votes to Okowa’s three votes, making the Rivers State governor the winner of the contest.
But sources told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that Wike doled out $5million and promised to pay N10,000 for each vote cast for the party in the 2023 presidential election.
Similarly, Governor Wike reportedly lavished N30billion on PDP delegates at the party’s recent presidential primary election.

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The President of the Federal Capital Territory Baptist Conference, Abuja, Rev Dogara Gwana, has faulted the Nigerian government’s rehabilitation and reintegration of the so-called repentant terrorists, more so recruiting them into the Armed Forces without serving justice to their crimes.
Dogara, who decried the ravaging insecurity across the country which the Christian communities had become the major victims, noted that the government inactions are emboldening the perpetrators of the dastardly acts on daily basis.

In a statement, the president said, "We now have a situation where we have what we call “repentant terrorist.” So, characters who have caused so much pain to families and institutions in the country are now reintegrated into the society and even enrolled in the military.
"I personally consider this an anomaly and a dangerous trend. While the church preaches forgiveness and restoration, the church also preaches justice based on the biblical principle that establishes sowing and reaping. A man reaps what he sows even when he had repented."
The cleric explained that God forgives and restores men, "but governments are established to ensure justice which serves as a deterrent against the perpetuation of criminality."
"Most recently, in the Kajuru area of Kaduna State, some churches were attacked by the usual unknown gunmen killing three people and abducting scores of others. The attacks have become so regular that using the appellation “unknown” appears a contradiction.
"Government cannot claim that these men are unknown gun men, considering the regularity of their operations. Daredevils cannot continue to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens while government maintains that the assailants are unknown.
"The tragic massacre of Christian worshippers in a Church in Owo, Ondo cannot be easily forgotten. Kidnapping for ransom has become a big business in Nigeria and the Christian fold has suffered immensely in this menace.
"Bethel Baptist Comprehensive High school children were taken and the church went through the harrowing experience of having to pay ransom and most recently the Prelate of the Methodist Church in Nigeria, His Eminence, Samuel Kanu-Uche and two others were abducted and the church had to pay a huge amount of money to secure their release.
"Another clergyman was kidnapped with his wife and son in Oyo State and was asked to pay the sum of N50m before they could be released.
"A Catholic priest and hundreds of Christians are still languishing in the den of these terrorists. Victims of the train attack are still in bondage and several people have died in the hands of the men who have practically held Nigeria captive.
"The attacks are widespread, affecting all areas of the Nigerian society and everyone irrespective of his faith persuasion has a gory story to share."
While commending the President Muhammadu Buhari's commitment in his Democracy Day message to Nigeria where he promised to end the insecurity before his tenure ends, the cleric urged him to keep his word.
"We call on the president to keep his word and mobilize all government apparatus to go after these criminals until they are fully rounded up. This we believe is within the capacity of our military if there is government willpower and true commitment."

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The U.S. Senate on Thursday night passed a bipartisan bill to address gun violence that amounts to the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades.

 

The final vote was 65 to 33 with 15 Republicans joining Democrats in support of the measure, marking a significant bipartisan breakthrough on one of the most contentious policy issues in the country, CNN reports. The bill will next go to the House for a vote before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

The bipartisan gun deal includes millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programmes and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

It also makes significant changes to the process when someone ages 18 to 21 goes to buy a firearm and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole, a victory for Democrats, who have long fought for that.

Now, the law will bar from having a gun anyone who is convicted of a domestic violence crime against someone they have a "continuing serious relationship of a romantic or intimate nature."

 

The law isn't retroactive. It will, however, allow those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes to restore their gun rights after five years if they haven't committed other crimes.

The bill encourages states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System with grants as well as implements a new protocol for checking those records.

The bill goes after individuals who sell guns as primary sources of income but have previously evaded registering as federally licensed firearms dealers. It also increases funding for mental health programs and school security.

The package amounts to the most significant new federal legislation to address gun violence since the expired 10-year assault weapons ban of 1994 -- though it fails to ban any weapons and falls far short of what Democrats and polls show most Americans want to see.

The vote on the federal gun safety bill came on the same day as the Supreme Court struck down a New York gun law enacted more than a century ago that places restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun outside the home.

The ruling highlights the conflicting political forces surrounding the issue at all levels of government, as the judicial branch implements the widest expansion of gun rights in a decade, happening right as the legislative branch appears on track to pass its most significant gun safety package in almost 30 years.

The gun safety bill had moved a step closer to passage in the Senate earlier in the day after a critical vote succeeded in advancing the measure with Republican support.

The vote was 65-34, with 15 GOP senators joining Democrats to break the filibuster. The same 15 GOP senators who voted to break the filibuster voted to approve the measure on final passage.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court earlier overturned a law in New York that restricted the carrying of concealed weapons in public.

This is a major expansion of gun legislation.

It was hours later that senators passed the modest gun control bill.

The US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected as unconstitutional New York state's limits on carrying concealed handguns in public, AFP and Reuters report.

It is expected that the justices' 6-3 decision could ultimately allow more people to legally carry guns on the streets of New York and other large cities such as Los Angeles and Boston.

The ruling — the high court's first major gun decision in more than a decade — follows a series of recent mass shootings.

New York's law — in place since 1913 — says that, to carry a concealed handgun, a person must have "proper cause."

 

An individual would have to convince a state firearms licensing officer of a real, rather than speculative, need for self-defence. Licenses could also be granted for activities such as hunting or target practice.

 

The challenge was brought by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. Two men were seeking an unrestricted ability to carry guns outside their homes.

 

Backers of the New York law say it ultimately prevents people from carrying guns on the streets, leading to less violent crime.

 

However, justices said the requirement violates the Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms."

 

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority that the Constitution protects "an individual's right to carry a handgun for self-defence outside the home.''

 

Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, in the dissenting opinion, highlighted the gun violence epidemic in the US and said his colleagues in the majority are ruling "without considering the potentially deadly consequences" of their decision.

 

The last decision the Supreme Court made on a major gun issue was in 2010 when it established a nationwide right to keep a gun at home for self-defence.

 

 

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When I first read the news in People’s Gazette through a link forwarded to me by a friend, I prayed that it would not be true. My prayer was in spite of the evidence to the contrary provided in watermarked documents by the news platform.
 
The letter read like the demand of unionised shop floor factory workers to their mean, grasping bosses upstairs. Except that even such correspondences occasionally contain a hint of shared Marxian humour.
 
This one was different. It had no place at all for humour. It was from the most rarified recesses of Nigeria’s judiciary: a letter by 14 out of the 17 justices of the Supreme Court calling out the Chief Justice of the Federation Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, a jurist with decades of experience on the Bench. In parliamentary language, it was a vote of no confidence. A mutiny.
 
After dispensing with a line or two of courtesy, the long letter wasted no time in making its case, even though the authors said they were doing so with a heavy heart and hoped the matter would not go public. The jurists, each of whom would have spent at least 20 years before appointment to the Supreme Court, said they had just as much stake in the country as other citizens and wondered why they were being shortchanged, in spite of their sacrifices.
 
They have been forced to dance naked, they said, because nothing short of that radical step could redeem a potentially catastrophic situation. How could justices of the Supreme Court be using “refurbished” or “sub-standard” vehicles, derisively called Tokunbo?
 
Why must they scavenge for training and even when they finally get the chance, be consigned to places of dubious relevance, whereas when His Lordship travels, he goes with a retinue of personal staff and chooses any number of his 23 or more children to be in his company?
 
I was relieved that the petitioners did not update the petition by mentioning the names of two of His Lordship’s sons who could, in fact, consolidate His Lordship’s juridical hegemony if they win next year’s election as candidates of the two major political parties to represent Bauchi in the National Assembly.
 
But they were not done. Why, the 14 justices asked, do they have to scrounge for money to pay electricity and health bills, recharge their internet data and buy diesel and petrol for their generators at home and in the office? They even recalled that the Chief Registrar had recently informed them that electricity would only be supplied to the courts between 8 am and 4 pm, which means that outside these hours, they would, like the rest of us, be on their own.
 
Why, in spite of being overworked and underpaid, even in better times, is their misery being compounded under His Lordship who appears to want them to work with bare hands? Why hasn’t he lifted a finger three months after he “reluctantly” met with them over these matters on March 23? And fundamentally, what has happened to the Judiciary’s budget on the watch of His Lordship?
 
Faced with a rebellion not remotely comparable with what Chief Justice Muhammadu Uwais faced when his brother Justice Salihu Alfa Belgore was tussling for his chair, His Lordship Tanko, has flatly and publicly denied any wrongdoing. He has, instead, blamed it all on the economy, not to mention the impatience and inability of his brother justices to read the signs of the times.
 
In the extraordinary back-and-forth, the devil is in the details. We just might be able to get some clarity by following, if not the devil, at least his footprints - which is to say, the money.
 
For many years, the judiciary has been demanding financial autonomy, a system which allows that branch of government to control and manage its own budget. After a prolonged wrestling match, the (Federal) Executive branch conceded but, working hand-in-glove with the Legislature, did so in a cynical manner.
 
Instead of providing details, line-by-line, as is the case with other items in the annual budget, the Executive has been using undisclosed estimates from the Judiciary (read the office of the Chief Justice), to appropriate a bulk sum which the Legislature simply rubber stamps.
 
For three years, between 2018 and 2021, for example, a fixed lump sum of N110 billion was budgeted each year for the Federal judiciary. The sum was disbursed with zero details about what the money was meant for or how it was expected to be used.
 
So, when His Lordship in his response complained about the effect of inflation, he was right. That money in 2018 is not what it is today. But when his brother justices complained of not knowing what was happening to the money, they were also right. The inconvenient truth is that the money is somewhere in between, stashed under a system that mischievously hides the details for the benefit of a few.
 
If there was a line-item budget showing what was appropriated, budgeted and released outside the direct control of the Chief Justice, His Lordship would not need the guile of Eneke, the bird, to explain what happened to the money. His brother justices would also know why they have been constrained to work in conditions similar to those in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. A national newspaper, PUNCH, has written twice to the office of the Chief Justice, under the Freedom of Information Act to demand details of the Judiciary’s budget, without a reply.
 
If there was a transparent budgeting process, His Lordship’s brother justices would have known why instead of 21 justices statutorily required for a full court, the Supreme Court currently down to 15 justices, would have only five justices to sit on a mountain of cases spilling into 2024 on the excuse of poor funding, while exposing the court to allegations of bribes-for-early-dates.
 
And those on the Bench or outside who are as concerned about financial transparency as they are about equity and fairness would have been able to know, also, why all five of the heads of the other judicial branches - Courts of Appeal, Industrial Court, Federal High Court, FCT High Court, and the Code of Conduct - are from a section of the country.
 
The displeasure is deeper. The Chief Justice is first among equals. Unfortunately - and this has nothing to do with His Lordship - the system has created an obscene gap in official entitlements between a sitting Chief Justice and his brother justices. For example, when a Chief Justice retires, he or she receives a house in Abuja valued at N1 billion, among other parting gifts, which also include a significant lump sum cash payment.
 
The other justices are on their own. There are, in fact, the cases of at least two retired judges in a state judiciary fighting in court for their pensions. As a desperate, despicable act of self-survival, some courts are following the money by prioritising political cases.
 
It is obviously out of panic that the angry justices whose salaries, like those of other Federal judges, which I am told have not been reviewed in the last 15 years and who are at various stages near the end of their career, have resorted to this extraordinary means to air their grievances. But it’s even deeper.
 
Why did the justices use a method they knew would be public? They know the system. They have, through their acts of omissions and commissions, been responsible for creating and nurturing the monster. The angry justices wrote a letter they knew would go public because His Lordship appoints 14 out of the 24 members of the National Judicial Commission (NJC), the only body statutorily charged with the responsibility for investigating complaints against sitting judges. The Chief Justice is the Chairman of the commission. Reporting His Lordship to the NJC would have been like taking him to his own court.
 
His powers are almost transcendent. Apart from being Chairman of the NJC, and also head of the Supreme Court, His Lordship is also the Chairman of the Federal Judicial Service Commission; and the Chairman of the National Judicial Institute, to complete his misery. It’s no surprise that the Rules of Court, meant to speed up court proceedings, are still stranded in the office of His Lordship three years after it was submitted for review.
 
It would seem, in hindsight, that this is not the financial autonomy that supporters of the idea wished for. They did not want financial autonomy that would conceal the details of the budget or one that would make the overall head of the judicial branch the contract-awarder-in-chief, accountable only to themselves.
 
But the row, like most dark clouds, has its silver lining. It should be a moment not only to address grievances about pay and entitlements with greater transparency but one to also review the process of the appointment of judges and the condition of the courts, which are infinitely worse in the states. It should be a moment of reflection.
 
There are still judges in the system committed to hard, diligent and honest work. They deserve praise. But a vetting process which prioritises politics over quality of work, depth and sagacity of jurisprudence, would only produce judges who, during screenings, will confuse legal technicalities with aeronautics.
 
The current system is broken. It is a disincentive to hard work and honesty. But the current mess, if it’s not wasted, could also be a good start at redemption.
 
Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP
 

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A splinter Ohanaeze Ndigbo group has threatened to sack former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, as a member of its decision-making organ “Ime-Obi” over his arrest on suspicions of organ harvesting and child trafficking in the United Kingdom.

The news of Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice’s arrest broke Thursday afternoon in Nigeria after various foreign media reported that they were remanded in police custody after a UK Court in Uxbridge denied them bail over an alleged child trafficking and organ harvesting plan.

The Ohanaeze splinter group in a reaction statement signed by its Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, described Ekweremadu’s alleged offence as atrocious.
The statement partly read, "Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide has described the arrest of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu, by the UK police on allegations of child organ harvesting as the height of “monstrosities and atrocities” against humanity.
“They should be allowed to face the consequences of their actions in UK. The Igbo leadership will strip him of all titles and privileges accorded to him as an Ime-Obi member (the apex decision making organ of Ohanaeze) if he is found guilty of this allegations.”

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo also calls on the good people of Enugu West Senatorial zone to initiate the process of his recall from the Senate if he is finally convicted. This anathema is condemned in strong words and must come with strict sanctions against Ekweremadu.

“Ndigbo will not condone such actions in Igboland, he dishonored the people he represents in the Senate. The stigma of these allegations will torment Ike Ekweremadu and his wife," it concluded.

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A prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Adamu Dahiru, has told the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja at a resumed trial how three former employees of First Bank of Nigeria conspired with hackers to steal N20 billion from the bank.

 

The trio are facing charges bordering on attempted fraud before the court.

The defendants, Ozioma Ugorji, 35; Ugwu Emeka, 32; and Obike Chukwuka, 38, were arraigned by the EFCC on a charge of attempting to steal N20 billion from the bank.

 

Information the anti-graft agency filed before the court indicates that the defendants conspired to hack into the bank’s server to grant access to a syndicate.

 

Following credible intelligence, the operatives of the Commission arrested the suspects on March 6, 2021.

 

At the resumed trial on Wednesday, one of the defence lawyers, Uchenna Ozoagbo, cross-examined Dahiru in his deposed affidavit.

 

He told the court that the defendants were apprehended after one of them connected a laptop he collected from the syndicate to the bank’s server.

 

He said, “They conspired to give access to a fraudster to defraud the bank of over N20 billion. The report we gathered was that the money was in the cloud and they needed to bring it out.

 

“The second defendant (Emeka) had a meeting with the syndicate at a hotel.

 

“When the first defendant (Ugorji) was arrested, he made a statement that he was introduced to the syndicate by the third defendant (Chukwuka) and that they had communicated with someone from the headquarters.

 

“The second defendant made a statement that a laptop was given after several promises that he should connect the laptop to the bank’s system.

 

“When he was on duty, he connected the laptop to the banking system, but during the connection, the I.P. (Internet Protocol address) of the laptop was picked up and the system was destroyed.”

 

The judge, S. O. Solebo, adjourned the case till October 5, 2022, for the continuation of the trial.

 

 

 

CyberCrime News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

A prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Adamu Dahiru, has told the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja at a resumed trial how three former employees of First Bank of Nigeria conspired with hackers to steal N20 billion from the bank.

 

The trio are facing charges bordering on attempted fraud before the court.

The defendants, Ozioma Ugorji, 35; Ugwu Emeka, 32; and Obike Chukwuka, 38, were arraigned by the EFCC on a charge of attempting to steal N20 billion from the bank.

 

Information the anti-graft agency filed before the court indicates that the defendants conspired to hack into the bank’s server to grant access to a syndicate.

 

Following credible intelligence, the operatives of the Commission arrested the suspects on March 6, 2021.

 

At the resumed trial on Wednesday, one of the defence lawyers, Uchenna Ozoagbo, cross-examined Dahiru in his deposed affidavit.

 

He told the court that the defendants were apprehended after one of them connected a laptop he collected from the syndicate to the bank’s server.

 

He said, “They conspired to give access to a fraudster to defraud the bank of over N20 billion. The report we gathered was that the money was in the cloud and they needed to bring it out.

 

“The second defendant (Emeka) had a meeting with the syndicate at a hotel.

 

“When the first defendant (Ugorji) was arrested, he made a statement that he was introduced to the syndicate by the third defendant (Chukwuka) and that they had communicated with someone from the headquarters.

 

“The second defendant made a statement that a laptop was given after several promises that he should connect the laptop to the bank’s system.

 

“When he was on duty, he connected the laptop to the banking system, but during the connection, the I.P. (Internet Protocol address) of the laptop was picked up and the system was destroyed.”

 

The judge, S. O. Solebo, adjourned the case till October 5, 2022, for the continuation of the trial.

 

 

 

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President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated that he will hand over in 2023 saying that the Nigerian leader, making reference to Olusegun Obasanjo, who attempted a third term agenda did not end well.
According to Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, Buhari spoke on Thursday during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, at the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda.

During the meeting, the British prime minister had asked if Buhari would run for office again.
In his respose, he said, “Another term for me? No! The first person who tried it didn’t end very well."
Also speaking on Boko Haram insurgency, Buhari said there was serious effort to educate the people on the fact that only an unserious person could kill innocent people, “and say Allah Akbar (God is Great).”
He said, "God is justice. You can’t take innocent souls, and ascribe it to God. And the education process is working, the people now understand that Boko Haram as anti-God, and not about religion.”
He also reiterated his stance of not seeking third term in office.
Buhari also denied claims that leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was not allowed to see his lawyers privately.
The president said the detained separatist was being given every opportunity under the law “to justify all the uncomplimentary things he had been saying against Nigeria in Britain.”
He added, “He felt very safe in Britain, and said awful things against Nigeria. We eventually got him when he stepped out of the United Kingdom, and we sent him to court. Let him defend all that he has said there. His lawyers have access to him. Remember he jumped bail before, how are we sure he won’t do it again, if he’s admitted to bail?”

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A 68-year-old retired permanent secretary and over 140 others who were caught impersonating during the Anambra State teachers recruitment Computer Based Test (CBT) examination conducted on Saturday, June 18, have been freed by the state Ministry of Education in violation of the Examination Malpractice Act.
The CBT exam was first conducted on Saturday, June 4, but was later cancelled following reported malfunctioning of the website barely 30 minutes into the examination, due to suspected cyber-attack.

The state Commissioner of Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, had accused about 1000 teachers employed by the former Governor Willie Obiano under the Parents, Teachers Association (PTA) who protested their sack by Governor Chukwuma Soludo government, for being responsible for the cyber-attack.
Speaking with SaharaReporters on the phone, the education commissioner said that the 68-year-old retired Permanent Secretary in the state whom she did not mention his name presented an affidavit that he was 38 years old.
According to her, the man insisted on writing the exam until she asked the invigilating supervisors to allow him write the exam.
“The man came in but he did not know we were monitoring him. He wrote the first one and logged in for the second one and the invigilating supervisor called me and told me that the man was up to something but I told him to wait, that I would catch him,” she said.
The Commissioner said they caught the man while trying to write the second exam; and he then claimed that he was a senior citizen. But when asked why he was impersonating, he claimed his wife was late and he was living alone as his three children who would take the job.
“When I asked him if what he did was right as a senior citizen he claimed, he insisted that we must allow him to write the exam. We caught more than 146 impersonators.”
However, when asked what happened to the 68-year-old man and the rest of the impersonators caught during the exam, she said they stopped them from writing the exam but let them go.
“We let them go but we stopped them from writing. Then for the old man, we went to history, removed the first one he had written for his daughter and asked him to go.”
Meanwhile, Section 3 (2a-c) of the Examination Malpractice Act 1999 No. 33, on impersonation provided that “A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) of this section is liable on conviction:
“In the case of a person under the age of 18 years, to a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for a  term not exceeding three years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
“In the case of a principal, teacher, an invigilator, a supervisor, an examiner, or an agent or employee of the examination body concerned with the conduct of an examination, to imprisonment for a term of 4 years without the option of a fine; and in any other case, to imprisonment for a term of three years without the option of a fine.”

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