Home Blog Page 1770

Buhari approves team to engage Twitter over suspension

Ijeoma OPARA
-
0
Buhari approves team to engage Twitter over suspension

NIGERIAN President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a Federal Government’s team to engage with Twitter on the suspension of its operations within Nigeria.

This was announced in a statement released on Tuesday by the Minister for Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, who would be heading the team.

“The Federal Government’s team also comprises the Attorney General of the Federation and Honourable Minister of Justice, Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment as well as other relevant government agencies.

“Following the indefinite suspension of its operations in Nigeria, for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence, Twitter wrote to President Buhari seeking to engage with the Federal Government over the suspension, with a view to charting a path forward,” it read.

The ICIR reported Buhari’s suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria on June 4.

The suspension was effected after a post by Buhari, which threatened civil war treatment on a particular group of people in Nigeria. It was removed from the platform.

The tweet was removed due to its violation of Twitter rules against violent or inciting posts.

 

Police refuse to name officer who killed five persons in Enugu

Lukman ABOLADE
-
0
Police refuse to name officer who killed five persons in Enugu

THE Enugu State Police Command has refused to disclose the identity of the officer who shot and killed five persons in the state on Saturday.

Spokesperson for the Enugu Police Command Daniel Ndukwe had, in a statement, said a police inspector attached to the Special Protection Unit (SPU) Base 9, Umuahia, Abia State, who was on duty at RC Lotto Company located at Golf Estate in Enugu, shot some residents.

The statement did not name the concerned police officer.

READ ALSO:

Chief of Army Staff commends troops for successes recorded against IPOB

After ICIR investigations, Imo govt sets up panel to probe extra-judicial killings

Anambra guber poll: Soludo emerges APGA governorship candidate, suspended by faction

About five persons died from gunshot wounds while four others sustained injuries and were being treated in hospital.

Ndukwe said the officer had been arrested and taken into custody pending the conclusion of investigations.

But when contacted by The ICIR on Monday evening, Ndukwe refused to disclose the identity of the police officer.

He said the name of the officer would not be made known until the end of the investigation. But he added that the officer was in police custody.

Reacting to the incident, Governor of Enugu State Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi expressed shock at the ‘misuse of firearms’ by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.

Ugwuanyi, according to a statement released by his aide Louis Amoke, described the incident as sad and unfortunate.

READ ALSO:

The governor visited victims of the shooting at the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu.

After the constitution of the Enugu State judicial panel on police brutality earlier in 2020, more than 130 petitions were received with the complaints bordering on illegal killings and gross misconduct by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.

 

Tanker explodes along Lagos-Ibadan expressway

Ijeoma OPARA
-
0
Tanker explodes along Lagos-Ibadan expressway

VEHICLES and other properties have been destroyed in a tanker explosion along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Tuesday.

Spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed the development in an interview with The ICIR. Oyeyemi said the explosion occurred in the early hours of Tuesday at Ogere, in Ogun State.

“Reports are still sketchy for now but we have advised motorists plying that road to find alternative routes. All the security personnel are there; they are trying to clear the road,” he said.

Oyeyemi disclosed that the fire was still raging at the time of filing this report. But he added that efforts were being made to put it out.

“The fire is still on, but we have cordoned off the place. The firemen are there to put out the fire.”

The Ogun State police spokesperson added that the number of casualties involved could not be ascertained as the situation was still being brought under control.

“We cannot confirm yet. Until the whole thing settles down before we will be able to confirm the number of casualties involved,” Oyeyemi said.

About four days earlier, The ICIR had reported a gas tanker explosion in the Ikeja area of Lagos which claimed the lives of more than three people, leaving several others injured.

About 25 cars were destroyed in the explosion, which affected other properties around the Ogun State Property Investment Corporation (OPIC) plaza.

UAE backtracks on resuming flights with Nigeria in June, announces indefinite suspension

Oghenekevwe UCHECHUKWU
-
0
UAE backtracks on resuming flights with Nigeria in June, announces indefinite suspension

 

PASSENGER flights between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) billed to resume on Wednesday, June 23, have been placed on hold indefinitely, according to a new statement released by Emirates Airline on Monday.

Emirates said the suspension was in line with government’s directives.

“Passenger flights to and from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) are suspended with effect from 21 June 2021 until further notice. Customers travelling to and from Lagos and Abuja will not be accepted for travel,” the statement said.

The announcement comes barely two days after the country issued new travel guidelines for passengers from Nigeria, South Africa and India which was to come into effect on June 23.

Spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Aviation James Odaudu told The ICIR on Monday that resumption of flights between both countries was at the call of the UAE as the Nigerian government did not place a ban on travel.

“We simply gave them our conditions for flight operations,” he said.

Flights between Nigeria and the UAE have been suspended since March 17  over issues relating to COVID-19 testing.

The UAE had imposed antigens rapid test on travellers from 58 countries, including Nigeria, but the Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika said there was no basis for the test as it was devoid of any scientific backing.

On March 24, the UAE rescinded its position but stated it would only allow a maximum of 200 passengers with direct flights from Nigeria, who had negative PCR test certificates conducted 48 hours before boarding over a period of two weeks.

Yet flights resumption remained stalled with no information for the public and stranded passengers until Monday, April 26, when the Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority Musa Nuhu addressed a press conference and gave assurances that that both parties had reached a compromise.

“The gap has been significantly closed between the position of Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They have met some of our requirements, we are just waiting for one confirmation. Very shortly, announcement would be made on the outcome, hopefully within 48 hours,” Nuhu said nearly two months ago.

The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai, had, on June 19, announced new travel protocol for inbound passengers from Nigeria, South Africa and India.

However, two days later, flight resumption with Nigeria was suspended indefinitely while that of South Africa was postponed until July 6 even though daily passenger flights to Johannesburg would continue operation.

During this period of flight suspension, some Nigerians with emergency travel needs to the UAE have opted to reroute their trips through other neighbouring countries like Ghana and Togo, but Emirates Airline has announced that “customers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE.”

A source at Emirates, who is not authorised to speak, told this newspaper that there was yet no telling whether flights with India would indeed resume tomorrow.

“To be honest, this is a government decision, it has nothing to do with us. We have to oblige to what they say. Originally, yes, I they said it will be reopening on the 23rd (of June) but even for India and South Africa, we haven’t received anything else. So at the moment, we don’t know if it’s going to resume or not,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the airline said it remained committed to Nigeria and looked forward to resuming passenger services when conditions allowed.

 

Twitter ban: CSOs, journalists sue Nigerian government at ECOWAS court

Vincent Ufuoma
-
0
Twitter ban: CSOs, journalists sue Nigerian government at ECOWAS court

FIVE civil society organisations (CSOs) and four journalists have filed a suit against the Nigerian government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja over the suspension of the operations of microblogging platform, Twitter, in the country.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the action taken by the Nigerian government as a violation of their human rights under the international law.

They are also asking the court to order the government to immediately reverse the suspension and compensate them for the violation of their rights.

The CSOs involved in the suit are Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Paradigm Initiative (PIN), Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), the International Press Centre (IPC), and Tap Initiative for Citizens Development (TICD). The journalists are David Hundeyin, Samuel Ogundipe, Blessing Oladunjoye, and Nwakamri Zakari Apollo.

The suit numbered ECW/CCJ/APP/29/21 ECW/CCJ/APP/29/21 was filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by an Abuja-based human rights and free expression lawyer,  Mojirayo Ogunlana Nkanga, under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, and the Nigerian Constitution, among others.

The plaintiffs, in their originating summons, said the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria on June 4 violated their right to freedom of expression and interfered with the ability of the journalists to do their work.

The CSOs and journalists also told the court that freedom of expression was being stifled in Nigeria.

They further argued that Nigeria, having consented to respect and protect the right to freedom of expression under the ICCPR and the ACHPR, any limitation imposed by the government on the right to freedom of expression could only be justifiable where the restriction was provided by law, served a legitimate aim, and was necessary and proportionate in a democratic society.

Contending that these three conditions must be met before any restriction on the right to freedom of expression could be considered legitimate, they noted that the suspension of Twitter was not provided by law, adding that there was no justification for it under Nigeria’s domestic laws and that it was done by the government in an arbitrary manner in circumstances where there was no public or judicial oversight, transparency or accountability.

The CSOs and journalists are asking the court to declare the indefinite suspension of Twitter a continuous violation of their human rights under the international law, particularly the right to seek and receive information as well as the right to express and disseminate opinions, as provided  under Article 9(1) and (2) of the African Charter; Article 19(2) of the ICCPR and the rights of journalists under Article 66(2)(c) of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty.

They are also seeking a declaration that the government’s directive, through the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), for the deactivation of Twitter accounts in Nigeria violated their human rights under the international law and that the threat by the attorney-general of the federation to prosecute anybody found to be using Twitter in Nigeria following the suspension of the platform also violated their rights.

The CSOs and the journalists urged the court to issue orders mandating the Nigerian government to immediately take all necessary measures to reverse the suspension and guarantee that the same violation would not occur again in future.

They also asked the government to issue adequate reparations, including restitution, compensation and measures of satisfaction to be specified and submitted to the court.

The court was also asked to issue an order of injunction restraining the government, its servants and agents from imposing criminal sanctions on individuals, including the applicants, using Twitter or any other social media service provider.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

The suit is supported by Media Defence, a London-based civil society organisation which provides legal assistance to journalists, citizen journalists and the independent media.

2023: Abaribe endorses Moghalu’s presidential ambition

Ijeoma OPARA
-
0
2023: Abaribe endorses Moghalu’s presidential ambition

PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Kingsley Moghalu on Monday said that Senate minority leader Eyinnaya Abaribe has endorsed him for the 2023 general elections.

Moghalu announced the endorsement via his Twitter handle @MoghaluKingsley while expressing gratitude to the senator for the support.

“Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe has just announced his complete support and endorsement for me to become President of Nigeria in 2023, at the inauguration of Igbonine Sociocultural Organization happening live now in Enugu. Thank you my distinguished brother Enyi!” he tweeted.

Abaribe, who has been a constant critic of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, is a member of the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and represents the Abia-South Senatorial District.

In 2020, Abaribe had raised a motion during plenary, demanding the resignation of Buhari over the high level of insecurity in Nigeria.

Moving the motion, Abaribe had noted that Nigerians voted Buhari into power due to his promise to bring an end to insurgency and other forms of insecurity in the country.

Moghalu contested against Buhari and other candidates in the 2019 presidential election under the platform of Young Progressives Party (YPP).

According to the results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Moghalu got 21,886 out of the total of 28,614,190 votes cast the election.

Sunday Igboho plans ‘Yoruba Nation’ protest in Lagos

Vincent Ufuoma
-
0
Sunday Igboho plans ‘Yoruba Nation’ protest in Lagos

A self-acclaimed Yoruba activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, is planning to stage a ‘Yoruba Nation’ protest in Lagos State.

Igboho, who has staged protests in Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and Osun, said the Lagos rally would be held on July 3.

Speaking to newsmen, he expressed anger over the continuous killing and kidnapping of Yoruba people by the killer herdsmen in recent times.

He noted that the time was now for the Yoruba to jointly reject the dominance of the Fulani people from Yorubaland.

“We will no longer tolerate them in the South-West again,” he said.

“We will drive them out by force, or else there will not be 2023 election. This is a cause all Yoruba must support. God willing, the rally is expected to hold on July 3.”

The ‘Yoruba Nation’ agitation is a political ideology to realise the independent and sovereign country for the Yoruba race in Nigeria. Igboho has consistently accused President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration of marginalising the people of the South-West region.

However, several political leaders in the region have all rejected and kicked against the idea.

Former Governor of Lagos Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alongside Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, Bisi Akande and all leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-West, in a meeting in Lagos last month, called for ethnic and religious unity instead of a divided nation.

NHRC urges government to protect refugees, migrants, IDPs

Ijeoma OPARA
-
0
NHRC urges government to protect refugees, migrants, IDPs

THE National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the Nigerian government to take action towards the protection of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within the country.

Executive Secretary of the NHRC Tony Ojukwu made the call in a statement released to commemorate World Refugee Day on June 20.

“As Nigeria joins the rest of the international community to celebrate the 2021 World Refugees Day, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is calling on the government at all levels and other duty bearers to give more attention to Refugees,” Ojukwu said in the statement.

He expressed concerns over the escalation of humanitarian issues in Nigeria in recent times and the attendant exposure of victims of human rights abuses to poverty.

Ojukwu also frowned at the high morbidity and mortality rate among IDPs in the country.

The humanitarian situation in the country has worsened due to the Boko Haram insurgency, farmer-herder clashes and increasing cases of kidnapping, according to the human rights commission chief.  

Citing provisions of relevant international conventions such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), he stressed that every human being was entitled to social protection in and outside their country of origin.

“Respecting these conventions is the only way to boost social protection and collectively reap the fruits of inclusiveness and non-discrimination,” he said.

Ojukwu further hinted that the commission monitored the human rights situation of the IDPs in Northern Nigeria as well as how the police and other law enforcement agencies complied with human rights principles in their operations.

The World Refugee Day is celebrated annually on June 20 to draw attention to the plight of refugees across the world.

Nigerians pass vote of no confidence on Buhari’s administration in trending media campaign

Editorial
-
0
Nigerians pass vote of no confidence on Buhari’s administration in trending media campaign
By Our Reporter
THOUSANDS of Nigerians have started passing a vote of no confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in a spontaneous social media campaign that started on Wednesday.
It was observed that about 12,000 Nigerians had already tweeted ‘Vote of No Confidence’ on Twitter in a global demand aimed at ending the spate of insecurity and poverty under Buhari’s administration.
The campaign was started by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, who called on Nigerians who were tired of the precarious situation in the country, to join in raising their voices to demand change.
A protest scene in Nigeria
A protest scene in Nigeria
Sowore tweeted, “If there is anyone still out there who hasn’t placed a ‘Vote of No Confidence’ on the @MBuhari regime, that person or group of person needs help! #BuhariMustGo #RevolutionNow
“Let’s all start by repudiation, let’s pass a Vote of No Confidence on the @MBuhari regime here on @twitter just write ‘No Confidence’ as your response and let’s see if we can get 100 responses! #BuhariMustGo.

READ ALSO:

“Fellow Nigerians: We are passing a ‘Vote of No Confidence’ on President Muhammadu Buhari over his abysmal performance in office. We only need you to retweet this by writing. I hereby pass a Vote of No Confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership. #Buharimustgo.
“What if a million Nigerians on Twitter pass a ‘Vote of No Confidence’ on President @MBuhari? It will change the game! Let’s keep going, let the world know we are tired of the tyrant, a bigot, a nepotistic ruler, an incompetent ex-general. Let’s go to work! #BuhariMustGo.”
The trending social media campaign is coming a day after parents of some abducted students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State, protested at the National Assembly, Abuja.
Sowore, who also joined the protest, had accused the government of being insensitive to the plight of the parents who had been traumatised as a result of the incident.
The activist had criticised the Nigerian government for failing in its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property of the citizens.
Sowore had said, “The only thing the Department of State Services can tell you is that if you are speaking out at this time, they will come after you but they can’t come after kidnappers. They can’t come after bandits and they can’t come after terrorists including those in government, they can’t go after them but they are very happy to go after you if you speak your mind.
“I feel sad for Nigeria, I feel sad for all these students in captivity; students who wanted a bright future. They could as well have taken to kidnapping themselves so that they can make quick money but they opted to go to school and look at what our government has done to them.
“As a person who has been kidnapped before by the Nigerian government, I know what it means to be in captivity. I know what it means to have zero expectation of when you will leave and when you will join your family.
“Nobody is doing anything about your plight. They are not interested. The Federal Government does not care about you. The Kaduna State Governor does not care about you, I heard him say he will never negotiate with terrorists. The same El-Rufai who was blaming former President Goodluck Jonathan for not negotiating with the Boko Haram when Chibok girls were kidnapped has suddenly realised that he can’t negotiate with terrorists.
“I am not here to appeal to the government. The Nigerian government has failed the Nigerian people. It is up to the Nigerian people to decide how long they want to continue to tolerate this failure. Don’t be afraid of security agents because they have failed too. Soldiers are being kidnapped. A DSS operative was kidnapped, they paid ransom and they killed him and nothing happened.”

Kebbi closes seven schools amid fears of abduction

Lukman ABOLADE
-
0
Kebbi closes seven schools amid fears of abduction

ABOUT seven schools have been shut down in Kebbi State following the recent abduction of more than 50 students from the Federal Government College, Yauri.

Chairman of the state chapter of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) Isah Arzika disclosed this in Kebbi on Monday.

Arzika explained that the government had told the union to close schools located close to forests and areas prone to attacks by bandits or terrorists.

“Government has given us an order and option to take any necessary action as far as our schools are concerned that we can close those schools which we think are not safe and prone to attacks in the areas close to the forest.

“I am not talking about only boarding schools, any school that is on the frontline areas and not safe, we would just ask the students to pack and go home, pending the time the situation normalises,” Arzika said.

He noted that seven schools had been closed so far while more could still be closed if the situation persists.

Arzika further stated that the terrorists who abducted students and teachers from the Federal Government College, Yauri, have contacted the parents of the victims.

However, he said the terrorists did not demand ransom from the parents.

“They collected the contacts of parents and teachers from the abductees and thereafter made calls to tell them that their children and people were with them but none of them asked for a kobo, they only said they wanted to establish contact that the abductees are in their custody,” he noted.

The ICIR had reported that more than 50 students were abducted from the FGC on Thursday following an attack by terrorists in the state.

Reacting to the development, Senate President Ahmad Lawan had expressed concerns that the increasing number of attacks on schools in the northern part of the country was undermining education in the region.

“In northern Nigeria, education has always been a problem. It is getting worse with this kind of abduction of students either in Islamiya schools or normal secondary schools or even in tertiary institutions as it happened in Afaka in Kaduna State.

“I believe we should continue to fight this insurgency and banditry for our country to make progress,” Lawan said.

In 2021, Zamfara, Katsina and Yobe states had to shut down schools following the kidnapping of students.

At least 130 students are still being held in a terrorist’s den following an attack on Tanko Salihu Islamiyya School, Tegina, Niger State.

According to a statement by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), pupils as young as three were kidnapped during the attack.

Although President Muhammadu Buhari had on many occasions said his administration was committed to ending insurgency and other criminal activities in the country, the security situation in the country has continued to get worse by the day.

1...1,7691,7701,771...3,440Page 1,770 of 3,440