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The Department of State Services has rearrested Empero Gabriel Ogbonna, a legal practitioner based in Abia State, hours after he was granted bail by a Federal High court sitting at Umuahia, the state capital.

Ogbonna was arrested six weeks ago on the orders of governor of the state, Okezie Ikpeazu, over a post he made on Facebook.

He was alleged to have posted that Ikpeazu visited a shrine outside the country where he swore to an oath of allegiance and secrecy to former governor of the state.

Ogbonna has denied being the originator of the post but that he only reshared it. 

He was subsequently charged to court with an offence of terrorism and in spite of all obstacles put in place by the state government, he was eventually granted bail on the condition that he was handed over to a lawyer, who had spent not less than 20 years at the bar.

SaharaReporters gathered that this judgment infuriated officials of the state government, who crowded the court premises.

The government officials led by Chief of Staff to the governor, Dr. A.C Agbazuere, who incidentally is also a lawyer, accompanied by officials of the DSS then made forceful attempt to rearrest Ogbonna within the premises of the Federal High Court but was resisted by prison officials and lawyers present because the bail term was yet to be perfected.

Upon obtaining the necessary documentation in the presence of prison warders, they drove to the Correctional Center at Afara Umuahia, rearrested Ogbonna and whisked him away to an unknown destination.

“He was released to the DSS officials and officials of Abia State Government on orders from above, they really wanted to deal with him,” a prison source told SaharaReporters.

Kunle Edun, National Publicity Secretary of Nigerian Bar Association, expressed anger at the development.

Edun in a statement said, “The circumstances surrounding the arrest and rearrest of Emperor Ogbonna by the DSS at the instance of the Abia State Government are very disturbing.

“Without commenting on the merit of the charge being subjudice, it is a fact that the matter has already been submitted to the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, and the court graciously granted Emperor Ogbonna bail.

“There was therefore no basis for the further involvement of the DSS apparently at the instigation by the officials of the Abia State Government to continue denying Ogbonna his constitutional right to personal liberty.

“The forceful arrest and continued detention of Ogbonna has made it impossible for him to perfect his bail term, and therefore, the actions of the Abia State Government and the DSS amount to flagrant disobedience to a valid order of a Federal High Court and violation of the constitutional rights of Ogbonna.

“The Nigerian Bar Association, therefore, demands that the DSS and Abia State Government immediately release Emperor Ogbonna to face his charge before the Federal High Court, for which plea has already been taken and the matter adjourned for hearing.”

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The COVID-19 Task Force of Victims Support Fund has begun the distribution of food items to poor and vulnerable Nigerians to cushion the effect of the lockdown occasioned by the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

According to the task force, N1bn would be used to provide relief materials to 300,000 households with two million Nigerians in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba.

In line with the directives of the United Nations, the task force would be capitalising on the involvement of youths to drive and implement the distribution.

Medical equipment like respirators, face masks, hand sanitisers and donated personal protective equipment would also be purchased and donated to health workers.

Speaking during the distribution of the goods, Chairperson of the VSF COVID-19 Task Force, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, stated that without effective distribution of palliatives, people won’t obey the lockdown order of the government.

She said, “We at VSF are increasingly worried about how we can provide support for the state government to efficiently implement the lockdown order because we are concerned about the community transmission.

“We decided to target some frontline Covid-19 states and deploy our resources to assist government and citizens coping with the lockdown.

“If people are hungry, they will not stay at home, they will go out and it will be hard to flatten the curve.

“We started with Abuja last week where we donated to 4,910 households with at least six family members each, then moved to Borno where we gave out palliatives to 6,137 households. We went to Yobe and donated to 3,828 households.

“From Yobe, we moved on to Adamawa and from there to Taraba, then to Ogun State and we arrived in Lagos.”

She noted that the distribution of relief materials is a risky assignment as the team would be visiting states that have the highest cases of Coronavirus in Nigeria.

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Many residents of the Federal Capital Territory not on essential duty are still moving around the city freely despite mobile courts to punish violators of the lockdown order in operation.

Large numbers of motorists and pedestrians have been going from place to place in the city without regard for the order.

Law enforcement agencies like the police are having difficult times bringing the situation under control.  Kubwa residents moving around during the lockdown in Abuja

Though no fewer than 1,736 violators of sit-at-home order have been prosecuted and sentenced so far by the mobile courts set up by the FCT Administration, residents have continued to flout the rule with impunity.

Worried by the continued violation of the lockdown in the city, head of FCTA Enforcement Team, Ikharo Attah, appealed to residents to stop undermining government’s efforts at curtailing the spread of COVID 19.  An FCT mobile court sitting at AYA bridge in Abuja

FCT Chief Judge, Justice Isha Bello, has warned magistrates of the mobile courts not to send any offender to a correctional centre in order not to undermine government’s efforts at decongesting the holding facilities.

Many convicted motorists, who were caught picking passenger and could not afford to pay the fines put in place, were compelled to do community service by sweeping the roads as an option for paying between 10,000 to N30,000. 

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Monday extended the lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State by one week to further curb the spread of the virus.

According to Buhari, from Monday, the lockdown will be relaxed in the three states while curfews from 8:00pm to 6:00am will come into force.

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Many residents of the Federal Capital Territory not on essential duty are still moving around the city freely despite mobile courts to punish violators of the lockdown order in operation.

Large numbers of motorists and pedestrians have been going from place to place in the city without regard for the order.

Law enforcement agencies like the police are having difficult times bringing the situation under control.  Kubwa residents moving around during the lockdown in Abuja

Though no fewer than 1,736 violators of sit-at-home order have been prosecuted and sentenced so far by the mobile courts set up by the FCT Administration, residents have continued to flout the rule with impunity.

Worried by the continued violation of the lockdown in the city, head of FCTA Enforcement Team, Ikharo Attah, appealed to residents to stop undermining government’s efforts at curtailing the spread of COVID 19.  An FCT mobile court sitting at AYA bridge in Abuja

FCT Chief Judge, Justice Isha Bello, has warned magistrates of the mobile courts not to send any offender to a correctional centre in order not to undermine government’s efforts at decongesting the holding facilities.

Many convicted motorists, who were caught picking passenger and could not afford to pay the fines put in place, were compelled to do community service by sweeping the roads as an option for paying between 10,000 to N30,000. 

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Monday extended the lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State by one week to further curb the spread of the virus.

According to Buhari, from Monday, the lockdown will be relaxed in the three states while curfews from 8:00pm to 6:00am will come into force.

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Borno State has recorded three more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities in the state to six.

Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Salihu Kwayabura, disclosed this during the daily media briefing.

Kwayabura said the three deaths were all independent of each other and had no link with the index case in the state.

This, according to him, was an indication that community spread had begun, which necessitates the need for a review of strategy by the team.

Consequently, the surveillance team has commenced the tracing of 230 people of interest believed to be contacts of the deceased.

The commissioner called on residents in the state to practise personal hygiene such as regular washing of hands with soap under running water, social and physical distancing and wearing of masks to control the spread of the virus.

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Borno State has recorded three more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities in the state to six.

Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Salihu Kwayabura, disclosed this during the daily media briefing.

Kwayabura said the three deaths were all independent of each other and had no link with the index case in the state.

This, according to him, was an indication that community spread had begun, which necessitates the need for a review of strategy by the team.

Consequently, the surveillance team has commenced the tracing of 230 people of interest believed to be contacts of the deceased.

The commissioner called on residents in the state to practise personal hygiene such as regular washing of hands with soap under running water, social and physical distancing and wearing of masks to control the spread of the virus.

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A coalition of labour movements and over 70 civil society groups have launched a new platform to campaign for the protection of the interest of workers and the vulnerable poor against the far-reaching economic and socio-cultural impact of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

The new coalition, Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, was launched ahead of May 1, which is Workers Day.

According to a statement by the group’s Secretary for Publicity, Adewale Adeoye, human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), was elected as its interim chairman.

Other interim officers include Ms. Hauwa Mustapha (deputy chairman), Mr. Ade Atambi (Secretary,).

Adeoye said the coalition has an extensive network of participating organisations drawn from across Nigeria’s six-geo political zones. 

Some of the affiliate members are Nigerian Labour Congress, Nigerian Trade Union Congress, United Action for Democracy, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Journalists for Democratic Rights, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Services Technical And Recreational Services Employees, Civil Liberties Organisation (Bayelsa), COPEAIDS Foundation, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights among many others.

ASCAB bemoaned the fact that Coronavirus was turning the world upside down and that responses from the corrupt elite was for a lockdown until the virus goes away without a short and long term strategic plan.

It said authorities in Nigeria had failed to link the spread of the pandemic to failure of an effective public health system, the absence of social security and health insurance for the masses, while governments had no preference for provision of the essentials of life like housing and food security. 

It condemned a regime of policies driven by investments in consumables rather than production. 

It said Coronavirus had exposed the vulnerability of Nigerians to communicable diseases and has demonstrated the complete lack of creativity on the part of leadership.

The group warned on the consequences of neglecting indigenous alternative medicine by public health administrators.

It said there are 72,000 doctors registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria but more than half of those in this category have been compelled to flee the country for overseas.

The group said COVID-19 will have long and short term implications for the political economy of Nigeria and that only a leadership driven by common good can lead Nigeria out of the doldrums.

ASCAB said it will work with local, regional and international organisations to ensure networking and collaboration for leadership responsibility in Africa and Nigeria.

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A coalition of labour movements and over 70 civil society groups have launched a new platform to campaign for the protection of the interest of workers and the vulnerable poor against the far-reaching economic and socio-cultural impact of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

The new coalition, Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, was launched ahead of May 1, which is Workers Day.

According to a statement by the group’s Secretary for Publicity, Adewale Adeoye, human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), was elected as its interim chairman.

Other interim officers include Ms. Hauwa Mustapha (deputy chairman), Mr. Ade Atambi (Secretary,).

Adeoye said the coalition has an extensive network of participating organisations drawn from across Nigeria’s six-geo political zones. 

Some of the affiliate members are Nigerian Labour Congress, Nigerian Trade Union Congress, United Action for Democracy, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Journalists for Democratic Rights, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Services Technical And Recreational Services Employees, Civil Liberties Organisation (Bayelsa), COPEAIDS Foundation, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights among many others.

ASCAB bemoaned the fact that Coronavirus was turning the world upside down and that responses from the corrupt elite was for a lockdown until the virus goes away without a short and long term strategic plan.

It said authorities in Nigeria had failed to link the spread of the pandemic to failure of an effective public health system, the absence of social security and health insurance for the masses, while governments had no preference for provision of the essentials of life like housing and food security. 

It condemned a regime of policies driven by investments in consumables rather than production. 

It said Coronavirus had exposed the vulnerability of Nigerians to communicable diseases and has demonstrated the complete lack of creativity on the part of leadership.

The group warned on the consequences of neglecting indigenous alternative medicine by public health administrators.

It said there are 72,000 doctors registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria but more than half of those in this category have been compelled to flee the country for overseas.

The group said COVID-19 will have long and short term implications for the political economy of Nigeria and that only a leadership driven by common good can lead Nigeria out of the doldrums.

ASCAB said it will work with local, regional and international organisations to ensure networking and collaboration for leadership responsibility in Africa and Nigeria.

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The truth is that social distancing is impracticable in Lagos.

Over 70 per cent of Lagosians use the public transport system, mainly buses popularly called "danfo".

Here, people are compelled to sit really very close to one another under very uncomfortable and disconcerting situations.

The bus conductor cries out intermittently, calling passengers to come board the bus for a trip. Not many of these conductors care about personal hygiene or public health. It's just about how much they can make. 

The bus operators live on the verge of survival. 

The passengers are equally the sub-middle class and the poor, who largely earn their living on daily income. The pressure therefore to ease off the lockdown is understandable but we must think of the cost on both ends. 

As the lockdown is relaxed from next week Monday, I see danger looming. Perhaps you may want to just sit back and watch it. Be careful because when water flows through the forest, it brings down trees with it. 

The rush that is said to happen is building up already. The Lagos populace wants to grab the moment of freedom with sizzling sensation. This will come with consequences.

I don't think both the federal and Lagos state government have the capacity to stand the consequences of the days foretold herein.

The Federal Government should be responsible to her citizens. A society cannot function without a social support system. The government should provide for Nigerians and keep the lockdown active for a while until we get to the peak of the curve.

There are alternative arguments that the lockdown isn't a good approach for the Nigerian society where informal employment is the mainstay of the economy. But I think our problem is the lack of structure and the absolute absence of a social support system.

The proposed curfew from 8pm to 6am that is said to take effect from Monday, 4th of May, 2020 in Lagos is rather impracticable too.

Lagos does not sleep.

Lagos is a city of traffic and more traffic. It will be easy for the police to effect arrest on defaulters where perhaps a few dissidents are involved not when the whole Lagos resident are on traffic from Lekki to Third Mainland Bridge to Ikeja and to wherever.

Even the law enforcement agents will be lockdown on the chaotic traffic situation.

Lagos is impossible, Mr President!

While we think the economy is grounded and needs revival, we must understand that it is better that way than have our health grounded under the influence of the pandemic.

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Ebonyi State has recorded its second case of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commissioner for Health in the state, Umezurike Daniel, made the announcement on Wednesday.

This comes three days after the state recorded its first case.

Daniel said the case was a 27-year-old man, who returned to Ebonyi from Asaba, Delta State, with his pregnant wife.

According to the commissioner, the patient tested positive twice while his wife tested negative twice.

He noted that the patient has been taken to the isolation centre and the index case was stable and in good condition.

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Ebonyi State has recorded its second case of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commissioner for Health in the state, Umezurike Daniel, made the announcement on Wednesday.

This comes three days after the state recorded its first case.

Daniel said the case was a 27-year-old man, who returned to Ebonyi from Asaba, Delta State, with his pregnant wife.

According to the commissioner, the patient tested positive twice while his wife tested negative twice.

He noted that the patient has been taken to the isolation centre and the index case was stable and in good condition.

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Hajiya Fatima Badami, mother of Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has died.

The 68-year-old woman died in the early hours of Wednesday at the Federal Medical Centre Yola, the state capital, while undergoing treatment for a protracted illness.

A statement by the state’s Director-General, Media and Communications, Solomon Kumangar, said, "Her death at this critical moment creates a huge vacuum not only for the immediate family but the entire state."

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Hajiya Fatima Badami, mother of Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has died.

The 68-year-old woman died in the early hours of Wednesday at the Federal Medical Centre Yola, the state capital, while undergoing treatment for a protracted illness.

A statement by the state’s Director-General, Media and Communications, Solomon Kumangar, said, "Her death at this critical moment creates a huge vacuum not only for the immediate family but the entire state."

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A wealthy murder suspect, Anthony Onyeagolu, who is awaiting arraignment and trial for the murder of one Angus Okoye, has been freed by the police.

SaharaReporters gathered that Onyeagolu was released by the Officer in Charge of Legal Matters, Anambra Command, on Monday following the directive of the Commissioner of Police in charge of Legal Matters, Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, Mr Augustine Sanomi.

Okoye, a 48-year-old businessman, was killed after being kidnapped at about 1:30 am on December 16, 2018 at his home in Ifite Isu Village, Isuaniocha, under Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

His family members said he was killed for being the star witness in a case of N100m fraud instituted by the community through the Economic Financial Crimes Commission against Onyeagolu. 

One Chidiebere Okoye, an indigene of the community, who was one of those kidnapped, tortured, shot and presumed dead, survived and was invited by the police to make statement on the incident where he indicted Onyeagolu.

Okoye also named others linked to the incident to include Boniface Enweani, Augustine Adigwe, Mr Moses Emebo, Stephen Ibeania and others.

Elder George Okoye, elder brother to the deceased, in a save our soul message sent to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Michael Ogbizi, said the family members and community had been thrown into sorrow with the release of the principal suspect.

Okoye narrated the trajectory of the murder and the tortuous efforts to get the police to arrest the suspects and investigate them.

He said, “We petitioned the Force Headquarters on 3/1/19 over the alleged murder of our brother, Angus Okoye, in Isuaniocha, Awka, by Anthony Onyeagolu and others.

“A long drawn investigation by officer Amuche, who is now with the IGP Monitoring Unit, was frustrated by a former DC now CP Anyim of Homicide.

“We were ridiculed as a poor family while our brother's dead body lies in the mortuary till date. God touched your heart, out of our prayers we received a call from the IPO Bitrus sometime in September 2019, who said you invited us to revisit our case under DC Anyim.

“We were reluctant because we knew the end would be like this under the same Ayim, now CP in the same case.

“But we were later convinced by Bitrus to come, which we did and actually the three suspects were arrested a year after the murder.

“After concluding the investigation by the IPO under the same CP Ayim, the case was again killed in connivance with the CP Legal.

“Right now, the murderers are enjoying freedom without going to court, having been released in the midnight of April 20 in suspected circumstance due to their compromise as usual.

“Sir, where is your promise that the deceased family will get justice.

“The same murderer-in-chief was released from SCID Awka in readiness for arraignment that led to the killing of my brother. 

“Worst still, the case file was emptied by your legal men in connivance with your CP to get soft landing in court for their wealthy benefactor which they could not even wait to arraign to justify their own side of the bargain with him.”

Meanwhile, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre has called on the Police Service Commission to order a prompt, exhaustive and effective investigation into the release of Onyeagolu while awaiting arraignment and trial for murder on the orders of Sanomia.

The Executive Director, RULAAC, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, who made this call in a statement, said the investigation was with a view to determining the grounds and motive, if any, upon which the suspect could be released at midnight and to determine whether indeed the case file had been tampered with as alleged and appropriate remedial and disciplinary action taken.

Nwanguma noted that upon receiving this information, RULAAC first made contacts with the SCID in Awka and confirmed that the suspect was actually released at odd hours but without the knowledge of the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, Mr John Abang.

According to him, “RULAAC made several calls, texted and sent WhatsApp messages to Mr Austin Sanomia, CP Legal, Force Headquarters, Abuja, to verify the information that he ordered the release and to understand why, but has received no answer or reply till the time of issuing this alert.

“Our repeated efforts to get the CP Legal to confirm or rebut the information have not yielded any result. 

“We then also sent the information to the DIG FCID, Michael Ogbizi, but yet to get his response.”

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