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A Magistrate Court in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, has defied the National Judicial Council's order for courts to shut down across the country during the Coronavirus period.

Magistrate Dimas Gwama of Court IV, Yola, on Wednesday held a session to consider an ex-parte application to detain a lawyer, his client and one other person.

The trio, who had been on bail since last Saturday, were brought before the court on charges of terrorism, forgery and conspiracy to cause violence.

During the session, the Adamawa State Police Commissioner prayed the court for an order to remand the defendants in custody.

Relying on section 294 of the Adamawa State Administration of Criminal Justice law, the prosecution asked the court to remand three men in prison custody.

Counsel to the defendants, Jerry Owe, however, challenged the application on grounds of incompetence.

He said, "This charge was brought under ex-parte application, which permits the police to bring a person to court; apply that the person should be remanded in prison custody.

"Usually under this section of the law, the defendants and or their counsel, don't have a right of audience.

"But the court went beyond and took the plea of the defendants contrary to law, and by so doing, you have granted them a right of audience.

"Since the plea was taken before we arrived as their counsels, we now tried to explain to the court that they now have a right to be heard.

"Even if we do not have a right of audience as defence counsel, being lawyers, we can draw the attention of the court at any time when a law had not been complied with.

"However, the court in its wisdom went ahead and remanded them in police custody."

Commenting on the action of the court, another lawyer, Gabriel Akpanamasi, also faulted the remand order.

He said, "Besides flouting the orders of NJC to shut down courts till April 20, 2020, this kind of remand order is sought for from places where there is no court of competent jurisdiction.”

Reacting, Dr Umar Ardo, who is a former aide to former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, described the move as political victimisation.

He said, "The magistrate is being used by the Adamawa State Government as a pawn in its political chess game.

"For that, we are going to write a petition to the NJC on the magistrate who had exercised this injustice on us.

"And we are also going to write a petition before the Inspector General of Police against the police commissioner for being a pawn in the political chess game of the Adamawa State Government."

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The Coalition of Northern Groups has called on state governors in Nigeria’s Northern region to stop showing less concern to the fight against Coronavirus in the country. 

The group in a statement by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, its spokesperson, on Wednesday said the governors now demanding palliatives would mismanage any resource allocated to them just like they did with bailout funds intended for the payment of salary arrears to workers.

The statement reads, "CNG frowns at the incoherent response to the COVID-19 by most Northern state governments that only pay lip service to the issue of provision of equipped isolation and treatment centres and palliatives to communities affected by their lockdown orders. 

"We frown at the focus of the Northern governors on demanding for funds from the federation account under the pretext of fighting the spread of the pandemic. 

"In this regard, CNG recalls the scandalous controversies that trailed the squander of bailout grants for the settlement of salary arrears by most state governments. 

"We urge the Federal Government not to succumb to the states' demand for funds for fear that they would not be put to judicious use as with the salary bailouts.

"And if the Federal Government is disposed to granting the funds to the states, CNG insists on the setting up of a mechanism in the form of committee comprising of credible elders and community leaders in each state to monitor the process of the disbursements and ensuring the judicious use of the funds for the purpose they are meant.

"CNG notes that just like the Federal Government, the palliatives offered by the state governments are equally inadequate and non-transparently distributed and must be reviewed immediately."

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Rotimi Aketi Akeredolu AIT News

The Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State has attacked Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for declaring curfew in the state in order to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

The party in a statement on Tuesday by its spokesperson, Zadok Akintoye, accused Governor Akeredolu of lacking “administrative competence" over the decision being taken over the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Akeredolu had in a broadcast imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in the state starting from 7:00pm to 7:00am as part of measures to stem the spread of Coronavirus in the city.  See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Ondo Governor, Akeredolu, Declares Curfew Over Coronavirus Outbreak 0 Comments 1 Day Ago

The statement reads, "The recently announced curfew which prohibits movement of citizens from 7:00pm to 7:00am again shows a government that is totally ignorant of the culture of its people.

"To declare a total prohibition of movement only during the night shows that Akeredolu is disconnected from the people and totally unaware of the nature of Ondo State. 

"Is Akeredolu suggesting that the virus is inactive during day time? Our people rarely gather in clusters at night and the larger percentage of residents in Ondo State rarely stay outside their homes at this time. 

"To restrict movements to night time is at best playing to the gallery and a cheap shot at seeking political benefit from a people whose very lives are threatened by the governor’s inefficiency. 

"What the governor should do to safeguard the lives of our people is to totally shutdown movement across the state without delay. The lives of our citizens are far more valuable that any selfish political benefit.”

"Government must wake up to its responsibility of providing clearly defined palliatives and incentives at this time.”

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Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa Google

Chairman of Ugbori community under Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, Godwin Metie, has been arrested by the state government.

SaharaReporters reliably gathered that Metie was arrested on Sunday on the orders of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa over a video exposing the state government's failure to properly protect its residents against Coronavirus. 

Governor Okowa had on Friday announced the second case of Coronavirus disease in the state, who died before he could receive his result.

According to the state government, the deceased was first treated at a private clinic at Ugbori community before being transfered to Oghara Teaching Hospital.

The poor fumigation of the area angered residents and forced Metie to publish the video online to expose the situation. 

A community source, who identified himself as Ovie, told our correspondent that the arrest of Metie was as a result of the viral video condemning the state government's handling of the purported Coronavirus case in the community. 

He said, "Chairman of Ugbori community in Warri South, Prince Godwin Metie, was arrested two days ago because of the video where he exposed the state government concerning their claims of Coronavirus case in our community. 

"The arrest was ordered by the council chairman, Tidi and the state governor. As we speak, he has been taken to Asaba." 

Contacted on the arrest of Metie, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, said, "I am not aware of any arrest concerning the community chairman."

Reacting to the incident, Tidi said, "His arrest followed the video he did on the Coronavirus victim who was earlier treated in a clinic in the community. 

"The video actually caused serious embarrassment to the council and the state. I received series of calls from prominent Deltans from the local government and state expressing bitterness concerning the viral video. 

"And I was to have a talk with him to do a rebuttal before I learnt of his arrest. 

"Though we are doing all within our powers to secure his release, I want to appeal to people of Warri South to adhere strictly to the state government directives of stay at home and follow the preventive measures outlined."
 

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The Action Democratic Party has urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to neglect the private sector in the distribution of palliative as a result of the lockdown to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

This was contained in the reaction of the party to the broadcast of President Buhari on Monday. 

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prince Adelaja Adeoye, the ADP noted that critical sectors of the economy must not be forgotten in the provision of palliatives.

He posited that private sector might be forced to downsize if the lockdown continues without provision of palliatives for them.

"We must prepare not only to contain the Coronavirus but also consider the effect of the lockdown on the employers of labour and their employees, who carry the largest workforce. 

"Some of them might resort to downsizing after the pandemic is over because of how bad they may have been affected. 

"To avoid massive job cut, the government at both federal and state level should work out some relief for these employers in form of supports. 

"There must be transparency and accountability in the process of making these funds available to the beneficiaries so that the real vulnerable Nigerians will benefit and their palliatives will not be shared amongst politicians and their followers only." 

The party also called the attention of President Buhari, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun over increasing gang robberies, attacks and all forms of criminalities in both cities. 

The ADP called for increase in the security forces to respond swiftly to any threat experienced by Nigerians at this time.
 

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An Osun State Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo, the capital, has remanded in prison custody one Akinloye Saheed, a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, for allegedly posting false information on Facebook against the government of the state.

Akinloye, 32, was accused of defamation, false information, instilling fear and inciting the people against the Osun State Government.

He was said to have committed all the offences on April 11, 2020 in Osogbo.

The prosecution team led by Acting Solicitor-General of the state, Mr Dapo Adeniji, appeared alongside Moses Faremi, Biodun Badiora, Kemi Bello and Oyedele Akintayo.

According to the charge sheet presented before the court, Akinloye was accused of posting information he knew was false in order to incite members of the public against the state government.

The charge reads, “That you Akinloye Saheed ‘m’ on 11th day of April, 2020 at 11:05pm at Osogbo did interfere with an executive order of the Osun State Government when you published on your Facebook page that 'When I accused Osun Government of importing COVID-19 patients into the state just to access fund from the FG, many didn’t believe. The said imported patients are now negative. APC, you are not doing well.'

“The information you know to be false and an intent to incite members of the public against the Osun State Government."

He contended that the offence committed by Akinloye contravened section 61, 374, 59(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002 and section 24 of the (Cyber Crime Prohibition Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.

However, Akinloye pleaded not guilty to the four-count charges preferred against him.

Counsel to the defendant, Bamidele Ajibade, made an oral application for bail on behalf of his client, saying that he won’t jump bail if granted.

“Akinloye Saheed was arrested by police and had been granted administrative bail in police station. 

"He has been going to the police station ever since then. This is an attestation that if he is granted bail, he won’t jump bail.

“I urge the court to admit my client to bail on the most liberal terms. He has reliable sureties to stand for him and he won’t jump bail,” he said.

But Adeniji opposed the bail application by the defence counsel and urged the court to remand the accused in a correctional centre.

The Chief Magistrate, Olusegun Ayilara, ordered that the accused person be remanded in a correctional facility pending when the defence counsel will file the formal application for his bail.

He adjourned the case until May 13, 2020 for continuation. 
 

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President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the addition of one million persons to the social register of the country.

The register, which contains 2,600,000 million persons, is being used to distribute the Conditional Cash Transfer of the National Social Investment Program.

The President revealed this while addressing the country in a nationwide broadcast.

He said the addition would help to cushion the effect of the lockdown on the people.

He said, "In the past two weeks, we announced palliative measures such as food distribution, cash transfers and loans repayment waivers to ease the pains of our restrictive policies during this difficult time. These palliatives will be sustained.

"I have also directed that the current social register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks.

"This means we will support an additional one million homes with our social investment programs.

"A technical committee is working on this and will submit a report to me by the end of this week." 

The President also ordered the lockdown of Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory for another 14 days to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

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Nigerians living in Abuja, the country’s capital, who are intended beneficiaries of the COVID-19 palliatives, have denied receiving any amount of money or relief materials from government.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouq, had said 2.6 million vulnerable persons benefited from the Federal Government’s cash transfer intervention programme.

She said 11 million households have been identified in 35 states, who benefited from the scheme.

Farouq said the FCT had 5,982 households, in Nasarawa, 8,271; Katsina, 6,732; and Anambra State has 1,367 households respectively.

SaharaReporters however, gathered that in communities such as Dutse Alhaji, Lugbe, Kuje, Gwagwalada and Gudu, Nigerians vulnerable to the economic impact of COVID-19 had no idea of any fund that was disbursed for that purpose despite governments claim that millions of Nigeria had received N20,000 each.

Through the Household Upliftment Programme, the government has been paying some vulnerable Nigerians N5,000 since 2017 after basic data is captured and a form of identification was issued.

SaharaReporters however, found out that beneficiaries of the scheme since 2017 do not receive payment every January.

"At the beginning of the year, they do skip January disbursement and pay N10,000 by February, but this year 2020 they have not showed up.

"They came beginning of April and started disbursement of the money. January to April money was dispensed at once (N5,000 X 4 = N20,000). The communities where not told this is a COVID-19 palliative package," a source told SaharaReporters.

Many members of the communities visited expressed shock that government said it had provided N20,000 as palliatives to them. 

 

 

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Ibraheem-El-Zakzaky The Pulse Nigeria

 

The Nigerian Government appears to have ignored leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria in its latest pardon of prisoners in the country. 

On Thursday, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said government was freeing 2,600 inmates in various prisons in a bid to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the country. 

According to Aregbesola, inmates including those from 60 years and above, especially those suffering from ill-health likely to end in death, serving at least three years and have less than six months to serve, persons with mental issues, and with options of fine not exceeding N50,000, are among those to be considered for the state pardon.  See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Nigerian Government Grants Amnesty To 2,600 Prisoners Over COVID-19 Pandemic 0 Comments 1 Day Ago

“This amnesty will not apply to inmates sentenced for violent and extreme offences such as terrorism, kidnapping, armed banditry, rape, human trafficking, culpable homicide and so on,” Aregbesola said. 

He went on to say that governors of the 36 states under whose jurisdiction most of the inmates were incarcerated will complete the exercise “in line with the federal principle”.

But according to government sources, the pardon was specifically meant to benefit persons close to the corridors of power currently in jail for various offences.

According to a prison source, three former governors serving various jail terms for financial misappropriation are among those, who could benefit from the state pardon.

They include Senator Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau of State, Jolly Nyame, former governor of Taraba, and Orji Uzor Kalu, former Abia State governor, who will be 60 by April 21.

Recall that Kalu’s travails began before he ended his tenure as governor of Abia State. 

He was convicted of N7.1bn money laundering and jailed for 12 years in 2019.

Dariye, on his part, was in 2018 sentenced to 16 years in prison for N1.126bn fraud. 

He was to serve a two-year and 14-year jail term concurrently with no option of fine but a court of appeal reduced his term by four years.

For Nyame, Adebukola Banjoko, a judge of a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gudu on May 30, 2018 convicted and sentenced him to 14 years in prison for diverting public funds. 

He was accused of diverting N1.64bn during his tenure as governor of Taraba between 1999 and 2007.

With Aregbesola’s statement that those on trial and sentenced for terrorism, kidnapping, armed banditry, rape, human and culpable homicide will not be considered for the state pardon, the Nigerian Government appears to have deliberately shut out El-Zakzaky, who has been held at the Kaduna Prison for months despite court orders sanctioning his release on bail. 

El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, are facing eight counts from the Kaduna State Government over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of public peace among others.

He has been in detention since 2015 after soldiers raided the IMN headquarters in Zaria, Kaduna, and killed at least 347 Shiites.

The government accused the group of not recognising the Nigerian constitution and authority. 

It blames El-Zakzaky for the death of a soldier in December 2015.

His prolonged detention despite has fuelled several protests by members of the Shiite movement in many Nigeria cities.

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Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Farouq, has asked members of the National Assembly to nominate individuals from their constituency to oversee the implementation of the Social Investment Programme in the country.

This comes after a meeting between the minister and President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Tuesday.

At the meeting, Lawan and Gbajabiamila both made reservations about the scheme, asking the minister to seek their legislative input in the disbursement of the SIP funds in the country.

Confirming the report by SaharaReporters, the minister has now asked the lawmakers to nominate individuals from their constituencies, who would oversee the implementation of the scheme.  See Also Exclusive EXCLUSIVE: Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Farouq, Bows To Pressure From Lawan, Gbajabiamila To Compromise Social Register 0 Comments 2 Days Ago

According to a source within the ministry, this development would serve as an immediate settlement for members of the committees at the Senate and House of Representatives.

In a letter personally signed by Farouq and sent to the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation, which was exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, the minister said each member of the committee would nominate two individuals.

The letter reads, “Therefore, in our efforts to ensure your full participation, we invite each honourable member of this committee to nominate two individuals from their respective constituencies to serve as independent monitors. The letter

“These monitors would provide additional oversight of the implementation of SIPs in their respective federal constituencies.

“The nominees for the position of independent monitors should be submitted on/before 10th April, 2020 to enable the ministry commence reporting for the second quarter of the year.”

In backing the move, the minister said the nomination would form part of the ministry’s efforts to institutionalise the programme.

The minister also said that there was a need for proper oversight across all local government areas of Nigeria.

This connivance by the lawmakers and the minister has been met with strong criticism from Nigerians, however.

Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on the programme, Mrs Maryam Uwais, faulted the leadership of the National Assembly over its claims about the conditional cash transfer scheme.

She said that the claim by the NASS not being involved was wrong, adding that the documents relating to the structure, activities and progress of the SIP was routinely shared with them.

Uwais warned that it was pertinent to safeguard the entitlements of the poorest of Nigerian citizens, whose benefits are likely to cease because they are not known or connected to NASS members or any other person of influence. 

She also said that there was a need to ensure compliance with the World Bank Financing Agreement as well as the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Nigeria, the Swiss Government and World Bank to facilitate the return of the funds recovered from the Abacha family.

The conditional cash transfer is being monitored by the World Bank and distributed in line with the social register of the country.

It is not yet known what the response of the World Bank and other countries involved in the implementation of the SIP would be.

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The erring workers being handed to the police in Akure SaharaReporters Media

At least 25 civil servants under the employment of the Ondo State Government have been handed over to the police for allegedly stealing public funds.

Senior Special Assistant to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on Special Duties, Doyin Odebowale, who handed over the workers to the police in Akure, the state capital, accused them of stealing and defrauding the state government.  

He disclosed that the civil servants were caught involving in all forms of employment racketeering and inputting fictitious names into the state's payroll system.

According to Odebowale, one of the erring workers put the name of his wife on the payroll system and placed her on monthly salary at the expense of government. 

He said, “A particular man (among the civil servants) employed his wife and placed her on level 14 and she had been collecting salaries. She never attended any interview.

“Also, we were able to discover that some certain elements whose names appears on the staff list were never employed directly by this government.

“One of them even moved N104m out of the State Universal Basic Education Board account which is pure stealing.”

According to him, the workers were trailed following a reform carried out in the civil service system by the State's Head of Service, Mr Alex Aragbaye.

Odebowale noted that the workers had been suspended from the state's workforce on the instructions of the governor in order to give room for proper investigation by the police. 

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President Muhammadu Buhari has granted Presidential pardon to former governor of old Bendel State, late Prof Ambrose Alli, and a foremost nationalist, late Chief Anthony Enahoro, according to a report by The Nation.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.

He said three other high profile persons also benefitted from the presidential amnesty. See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Nigerian Government Grants Amnesty To 2,600 Prisoners Over COVID-19 Pandemic 0 Comments 1 Day Ago

He added that the gesture means that they were never convicted.

Aregbesola, who was flanked at the conference by Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the gesture was based on compassion.

He added that 70 inmates of the Kuje custodian centre Abuja would also be released on Thursday as part of efforts to decongest the centre.

Aregbesola said the Presidential pardon followed recommendations to the President by a committee and the imperative of drastically reducing the number of inmates in correctional centres across the country due to the outbreak of COVID 19.

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