Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Bauchi State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has charged traditional and community leaders to join hands with security agencies to fish out killers of some local vigilantes in the state.

Leading Reporters reports that no fewer than nine members of a local vigilante group popularly known as Yan Ba Beli were killed by suspected bandits in Gamji village, in Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State, last Sunday.

The vigilantes were reportedly ambushed by the bandits in the forest.

The House Committee Chairman, Honourable Bala Abdullahi Dan, gave the charge during a condolence visit to family members of the slain vigilante members.

The committee also cautioned traditional rulers against giving shelter to criminal elements either by selling or allocating lands to them.

In his remarks, the caretaker chairman of Ningi LGA, Ibrahim Zubairu Mato, said the visit would foster unity and cooperation between the local council and the House of Assembly.

Joseph Aloba, the father of the late singer Mohbad, says a paternity test is a non-negotiable requirement to determine his grandson’s (Liam’s) true lineage.

Aloba spoke against the backdrop of ongoing debate on whether or not a DNA test was needed in the investigations into Mohbad’s death.

The late singer’s father said this in a video making the rounds on social media.

Aloba stated that he is willing to provide consent for the DNA test and is open to designating a representative if he cannot be present during the procedure.

He emphasized the importance of transparency in the process, insisting that the DNA test should be conducted at two distinct locations to eliminate any doubt regarding the results.

“Concerning the DNA test, it’s a MUST they do it. Nigerians are demanding for it. I heard rumours that they did it but no matter what, I’m Mohbad’s father so I’ll give consent to the DNA test or send anyone who can represent me during the test if I’m not there to know how they’ll do it. And even when they want to do it, it should be done in 2 different places so we can be very sure and know the truth.

“Also, where I am from in Ikere Ekiti, we don’t accept bastards, But it will be a thing of joy for me if this child is Mohbad’s because this is the only child he left behind. Three days before his death (on Saturday) I was with him, he even served me food and he put Liam on my hands and he was taking pictures.

“So, I’ll be very happy if Liam is Mohbad’s son because I love the child. But if it turns out that Liam is not his son, it won’t be good if we don’t find out now because of the future so that even late Mohbad shouldn’t be blaming me that I accepted something like this. So, the DNA is very necessary.”

The unfolding tale about the paternity of Mohbad’s son has captured the attention of Nigerians, as they eagerly await the results of the test to determine Liam’s true father.

All is now set for the Fidelity International Trade and Creative Connect (FITCC) billed for Houston, Texas in the United States of America.

Labeled as FITCC Houston, the second edition of the international expo will take place from the 24th to 25th of October, 2023 at the plush George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas.

Following the successful maiden edition that held last November in London with over $200million worth of deals closed, the bank is set for another edition of the globally rated expo. This year’s edition follows the tradition of promoting Nigeria’s non-oil exports as well as facilitating integrations to global supply-chain networks.

“Fidelity Bank is very much invested in supporting export trade and has consistently demonstrated this by the interventions and innovations that we bring to the space,” Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe talks up the motivation behind FITCC 2023:

“Beyond the instrument of financing, some of our key interventions in the space revolve around business management capacity development with initiatives like the Export Management Programme (EMP) which we host in partnership with the Lagos Business School and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and market access development initiatives like FITCC.”

Over the course of two-days, guests would be exposed to exhibitions by some of the very best of Nigerian businesses operating in the commodities, agriculture, FINTECH, fashion, arts, and allied sectors. Similarly, several panel discussions would hold across the various halls at the venue as stakeholders and leaders in the business, regulatory and investment sectors of the US and Nigerian economies share ideas on bilateral trade opportunities.
FITCC Houston would climax with a gala dinner on Wednesday, 25 October 2023 which would feature award-winning Nigerian hip-hop star, Kcee amongst other entertainers. Registration for this event is still open at www.fitccusa.com.

Ranked as one of the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged customer commercial bank with over 8 million customers serviced across its 251 business offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom as well as on digital banking channels.

The bank was recognized as the Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023 and Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking and Finance Awards. The bank has also won awards for the “Fastest Growing Bank” and “MSME & Entrepreneurship Financing Bank of the Year” at the 2021 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

A district head and about 50 others, mostly women and children, were abducted while three others were killed in an attack by bandits in Bagega, a mining village in Zamfara state.

Residents of the village said that the gunmen stormed the village on motorcycles Tuesday morning, shooting indiscriminately and setting houses on fire.

The Village Head, Malam Abubakar Uba, told Reuters that the gunmen kidnapped the district head before proceeding to kidnap dozen others in the village.

“They stormed the village on dozen motorcycles and their first stop was the District’s Head residence. A few of them took him away with three members of his household before they entered the town and unleashed more harm”, Uba stated

The Zamfara state police command have not confirmed the incident.

The Senate has issued a plea to the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in response to the escalating crisis of drugs and narcotics abuse within Nigeria.

Furthermore, the Red Chamber has instructed its National Agency for Administration Control, Drugs and Narcotics committee to collaborate with pertinent federal agencies in convening a National Summit addressing the issue of drugs and narcotics abuse in the nation.

These decisions were reached during the Senate’s deliberation on a motion titled: “Immediate Intervention Required to Combat Drug Abuse in Nigeria” during its plenary session. The motion was introduced by Senator Babangida Uba Hussaini of the APC representing Jigawa Northwest.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio emphasised the critical nature of the drug abuse crisis in the country. He expressed alarm at the extent to which some young individuals have resorted to drilling holes in soakaway pits to inhale vapours for a high. He urged parents to regularly inspect their soakaways to ensure they are intact.

Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau underscored the significance of youth to a country’s future, noting that when the youth are adversely affected, it jeopardises the nation’s prospects.

He highlighted that drug abuse permeates various segments of society, including celebrities and politicians. While commending the efforts of the NDLEA, Barau called for heightened vigilance from all parties responsible for addressing this issue.

He said, “The future of every country lies in its youth and when you have something that is destroying your youth, it shows that your future is in jeopardy.

“This scourge is everywhere, even celebrities who are supposed to be role models, be exemplary and show the way for others to follow are also into it. Politicians alike and indeed, all spheres of our life.”

He added, “The NDLEA is doing very well but the motion is a wake-up call for all those that have the responsibility for making sure that we deal with this matter to wake up and make sure that they do the needful in getting this matter dealt with properly.

“We must include this phenomenon in our school curriculum to begin to teach our children from the primary school level, the negative effects of drug abuse. Elsewhere, like in the United States, there are courses even in the universities that deal with abuse. We need to put that on the front burner in our higher institutions so that people will be aware of the harmful effects of drug abuse.

“It is a sad commentary on the way things are done in this country. Human capital is what drives a good economy and we have an abundance of population but we are allowing it to get destroyed through the intake of illicit drugs.”

“We must all join hands and work together to make sure we deal with the menace of drug abuse,” Barau stated.

Senator Hussaini, in his lead argument, highlighted the unprecedented surge in drug abuse in Nigeria.

He pointed out that what was once a transit route in the 1990s has now transformed into a nation grappling with drug abuse and trafficking. He drew attention to the substantial expenditure on psychotropic drugs and alcoholic beverages, emphasising the urgency of the situation.

Hussaini cited a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Union, revealing that approximately 14.3 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 are engaged in drug abuse. He provided a breakdown of drug usage across various geopolitical zones, painting a stark picture of the extent of the problem.

He said, “Nigeria is currently facing a rise in drug abuse which has reached an unprecedented level transforming from a mere transit route in the 1990s, into a country filled with drug abusers and drug traffickers all over its land space, while a population of 30 to 35 million spends approximately $15,000 and $30,000annually on psychotropic drugs and alcoholic beverages, respectively.

The lawmaker added, “Also note that according to a report by the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Union on drug use in Nigeria, about 14.3 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64, are drug abusers;

“The report stated that 10.6 million addicts were cannabis users, 4.6 addicts used pharmaceutical opioids and 238,000 drug abusers used amphetamines;

“The report further revealed that the prevalence of drug use per geopolitical zone as far back as 2017 shows that the North-West zone accounted for 12% (3,000,000), North-East zone 13.6% (2,090,000), North-Central zone 10.0% (1,500,000), South-West zone 22.4% (4,382,000), South-South zone 16.6% (2,124,000), and the South-East zone 13.8% (1,550,000).”

He lamented that the main drugs abused in Nigeria are mood-altering or psychoactive drugs, performance-enhancing drugs, dependency drugs, as well as prescription drugs, “whose side effects include addiction, trauma, mental illness and often times resulting in ill health, violence and involvement in criminal activities.”

He said the Senate is disturbed that a significant number of deaths from accidents and violent crimes have been traced to the activities of persons under the influence of drugs “especially the discovery of more dangerous substances called ‘Kurkura’ in the North and ‘Umkpromiri’ in the South.”

The motion reads in part: “Worried that the prevalence of drug abuse in Nigeria is a public health challenge which seems to be on the increase despite intervention by international, regional, federal and state bodies through laws, policies, and technical supports;

“Also worried that the war against drug abuse carried out by the NDLEA and other relevant institutions of both state and federal governments are not providing the required result, hence the need to include special drug education as a compulsory subject in Nigerian basic education;

“Alarmed that the consequences of drug abuse will continue to endanger our national development, public safety and family system if urgent action is not taken to strengthen existing legal, policy and institutional frameworks to face the challenges with all sense of responsibility.”

Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo also supported the motion.

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court in Wuse Zone 2 has dismissed the no-case submission filed by Peter Nwachukwu, husband of Osinachi, the late gospel singer.

Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme, while delivering a ruling on Tuesday, held that the prosecution has established a case against the defendant.

The Federal Government had filed a 23-count charge against Nwachukwu, over the death of Osinachi.

After pleading not guilty, the judge ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Kuje correctional facility, pending further hearing.

The prosecution had called 17 witnesses to testify during the trial, which commenced on June 20, 2022, and ended on March 10, 2023.

Osinachi Nwachukwu, who passed away on April 8, 2022, was initially thought to have died of cancer, but family and friends claimed her death was connected to assault by her husband, who was later arrested, and trial is ongoing.

Counsel for Nwachukwu, Aliyu, proceeded to file a no-case submission, following the autopsy report by the National Hospital in Abuja, which stated that there was no mark of violence on the deceased.

Aliyu said evidence presented by the medical practitioners, exonerated Nwachukwu from the allegations of culpable homicide and domestic violence, praying for the court to discharge and acquit his client of all allegations.

The report listed the causes of Osinachi’s death as “generalised organ pallor; bilateral leg swelling; fluid in the sac containing the heart; tumour deposits in and on the heart, lungs, and kidneys; a massively enlarged heart; and fluid around the lungs that restricts breathing”.

The court, however, dismissed the no-case submission and ordered the defendant to open his defence

ABUJA– A retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG, Mr. Moses Ambakina Jitoboh, has approached the National Industrial Court in Abuja, alleging that he was forced out of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF.

Jitoboh, in the process he filed before the court, said he was compulsorily retired by the Police Service Commission, PSC, even though he has not clocked the 60 years mandatory retirement age or reached 35 years in service.

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He told the court that the PSC compulsorily retired him and three others on the ground that it was upholding the police tradition of retiring senior officers when their junior is promoted over them, to avoid what it termed as “status reversal”.

The claimant maintained that his purported compulsory retirement was done in breach of Rule 020810 of the Public Service Rules as well as Section 18 (8) of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020.

He is, therefore, praying the court to not only declare his compulsory retirement as wrongful, but to also issue an order, directing the PSC to pay the sum of N500million as general damages for the abrupt termination of his employment, which he said portrayed him as a disloyal officer.

“An order of this Honorable Court (NIC) setting aside the purported
compulsory retirement of the claimant as Deputy Inspector-General of Police on the 25th day of August, 2023 by the
Defendant.”

As well as, “an order setting aside all the unlawful and embarrassing decisions taken by the defendant (PSC), including the retirement of the claimant
and the promotion of another to replace the claimant, same having been done unlawfully and illegally.”

He further prayed the court to compel the defendant to pay him the sum of N50m as the cost of prosecuting the action.

In his statement of claims, DIG Jitoboh maintained that he remains an officer of the NPF until June 10, 2029, when he would have attained 35 years in service.

He argued that he ought to be entitled to his salaries, emoluments and
all other paraphernalia of office due to him, pending his retirement from the force.

Besides, he applied for a declaration of the court that pursuant to Section 4 (3) of the Police Service Commission Act, 2001, the defendant (PSC), has no valid Board to take any decision whatsoever purporting to retire or promote any Police Officer, insisting that tenure of the PSC Board elapsed in July 2023.

The PSC Board, he added, enjoys a joint tenure, adding that there was and no legal basis for Mr. Solomon Arase to remain in office after the tenure of the Board had elapsed as he was appointed to complete the tenure of Mr. Musiliu Smith who resigned as the PSC Chairman in 2022.

More so, the claimant told the court that there were precedents that senior officers remained in office despite the elevation of their junior.

He cited the case of Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo, whom he said served under two of his juniors without being compulsorily retired until he later became the IG of Police.

The claimant further told the court that Mr. Arase, who ordered his retirement, served under Suleiman Abbawho was his junior, without being compulsorily retired until he eventually rose to the position of IG of Police.

He noted that in 2016 when the PSC purportedly retired AIG Mbu Joseph Mbu on the same ground, the action was nullified by the court for being unlawful, embarrassing and unconstitutional.