THE Nigerian Police have taken stringent measures against officers caught on video for professional misconduct in Osun and Edo states.
In updates shared on NPF’s social media platforms, it was announced that officers Ikuesan Taiwo and Abass Ibrahim caught on video assaulting a woman in Odo Ori Market, Iwo Osun State have been dismissed from the Force.
In the same vein, Ozimende Aidonojie and Salubi Stephen, two officers captured on tape fighting by the roadside in Edo State, were also dismissed following investigations.
Ikuesan, a police inspector, and Abass, a corporal attacked and assaulted a lady identified as Tola Azeez on a weekend during the state-wide lockdown in Osun.
The victim was caught while trying to buy drugs for her relatives at a pharmacy in Odo Ori Market in Iwo by the two officers.
The incident which was captured on video went viral and was immediately condemned by the Police, with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu describing the officers’ actions as unwarranted, unnecessary and unjustifiable.
“Following the IGP condemnation and directives, that the Commissioner of Police immediately arrest and bring the officers to book,” the statement shared on Facebook by the NPF read in part.
On the part of Ozimende and Salubi, both officers came under criticisms after they were caught on video fighting each other by the road side.
The two officers who served under the Edo State Police Command were said to have been arrested and dismissed.
“Cpl Ozimende Aidonojie and PC Salubi Stephen captured in the viral video fighting shamelessly in Edo State, have been tried and found guilty. They have been dismissed from the Force,” the post by the Force Public Relations Department shared on Facebook and Twitter, read.
The disciplinary measures taken against the officers have been welcomed by some Nigerians on social media, with many believing it is a new dawn in the Force.
As the world fights the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19 pandemic, governments; including that of Nigeria have implemented lockdown orders in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.
In enforcing the lockdown, several reports of police officers imploring draconian measures on citizens have birthed concerns and led initiatives set to tackle any human rights violations.
Just recently, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) partnered with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to develop an online platform where Nigerians can report any case of human rights violations and abuse by security agents.
This came up following the plethora of abuses perpetrated by security officials in enforcing the lockdown order.
The ICIR earlier reported how some Lagos Task Force officials were captured on tape destroying goods and wares of small business owners for disregarding the lockdown order.
More worrying as of April 16, when Nigeria’s COVID-19 death toll was 12, reports reveal that security forces enforcing the lockdown in parts of Nigeria had killed more people than the virus itself.
According to the NHRC, there is a record of over 100 complaints of human rights violations by security operatives.
It added that between March 30 (when the lockdown began) and April 16, law enforcers killed 18 people extrajudicially, BBC reports.
While the police is yet to respond or debunk the report, it, however, released a statement cautioning officers against trampling on the rights of citizens.
A CIVIL Society Organisation, SayNoCampaign has accused the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) of selective distribution of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) palliatives to residents, particularly in Gwagwalada Area Council.
The group alleged that a selection pass was issued to selected members of the community, thus depriving the less privileged and physically challenged persons of benefitting from the intervention.
“Issue of concern was the suspicious innovation in the distribution exercise, introduced by the Gwagwalada area council, where it issues a certain ‘selection pass’ that automatically qualifies the holder to receive a share of the palliative items when tendered. While the purpose of this novel idea is unclear, community members did accuse the leadership of the area councils, distribution officials and traditional leaders of hoarding the limited ‘selection pass’ and rewarding their loyalists with them while deliberately shutting out majority of the community members who for no faults of theirs did not get the said pass,” Ezenwa Nwagwu, Co-convener of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), said in a statement released at the weekend in Abuja.
“In fact, we gathered that the pass was shared at night between the hours of 8 and 9:00 pm, on Saturday, a day before the end of the distribution exercise in Gwagwalada. Priority was not given to the vulnerable or less privileged as intended.”
He noted that aside from the discriminatory and opaque method adopted, beneficiaries also defied the COVID-19 social distancing guideline.
Nwagwu had raised questions on why the area council failed to map out a more transparent and fair strategy of distribution.
“Why couldn’t the area council stick to its house to house distribution as exemplified during the flag off a day ago? Why aren’t efforts made to properly identify the most vulnerable and make the delivery to them?” he stated.
However, he expressed concerns that with the strategy employed, the purpose of the palliatives might be defeated if the majority of those who truly needed the palliative were left out.
According to him, some persons had allegedly collected over 10 ‘selection pass’ and shared with their friends and relatives who might not need them.
“We are also demanding that the remaining area councils adhere to the beneficiary lists earlier compiled and if the list is exhausted during distribution, the scope can be expanded, by this we will ensure no vulnerable member of the community is exempted from benefiting from the packages,” he stated.
Nwagwu further advised the appropriate authorities of the two remaining area councils to imbibe the principle of transparency, accountability, and fairness, to meet the expectations of their community members.
He promised to continue with the project monitoring assessment at the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Bwari to ensure better distribution exercise.
Ramatu Aliyu, the Minister of State for FCT, while reacting to some of the concerns on Channels Television Sunrise Daily, Monday said four local governments have been served with palliatives.
She explained that each of the wards has representatives at the six council areas and the distribution is being coordinated with inputs from the traditional rulers as well as the council chairmen.
Aliyu, however, disclosed that FCT is targeting five persons per household in the FCT.
“So far, the distribution has been okay. The targeted people are getting served. The old, young, vulnerable, widows, and families that have been decided by their own representatives and groups cleared to be beneficiaries of the goods.”
“They have their standards and also must recognise their people ranging from traditional rulers to recognise indigenes, also, the NGOs to recognise the non-indigenes, religious groups such as representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria.”
“We are targeting 25,000 bags of rice and 25,000 bags condiments,” she added.
On 13th April, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the inclusion of an extra 1 million beneficiaries to the social safety net. With the inclusion, the total number of expected beneficiaries increased to 3.6 million.
THE Akwa Ibom State Government is not only covering up cases of COVID-19 infections but also blocking moves to test persons with symptoms of the disease, our team of investigative reporters has discovered.
Public officials, medical experts and allied professionals, as well as activists, have condemned the government’s insincerity in its response to the deadly pandemic ravaging the world.
They also maintain that if contact tracing, isolation, testing and treatment are not urgently scaled-up, community infection and deaths could spiral uncontrollably in a matter of weeks.
By deliberately suppressing tests and politicising its response to the pandemic, Akwa Ibom State is putting the lives of its citizens at grave risk.
In separate interviews with our reporters, the sources, who askd not to be named for fear of victimisation and persecution, blamed Dominic Ukpong, the state Commissioner for Health, and Charles Udo, his Information counterpart, who are accused of misdirecting the state’s COVID-19 response.
“I can tell you that the government has politicised everything about the COVID-19 intervention,” a top public official in the state said.
“You know last year, Akwa Ibom was reported as having the highest HIV prevalence in the country and the government did not find that funny.
“So the commissioner for health is not hiding the fact that the state does not want to attract notoriety for the COVID-19 pandemic,” the official said.
Apart from lying about its preparedness, the government is also accused of turning away people who present symptoms of the virus from being tested by NCDC officials posted to the state.
Findings show that only the governor, Udom Emmanuel or health commissioner can approve for a test to be carried on persons with Coronavirus symptoms, a situation that has been roundly condemned by healthcare professionals in the state
Commissioner for Health, Akwa Ibom State, Dominic Ukpong/ File Copy
Coronavirus in the city
The first signal the deadly virus was already in Akwa Ibom came from a Lagos-based indigene of the state, Editi Effiong.
Effiong, we learnt, had contacted highly-placed persons in the state and told them some medics might have contracted the virus during a foreign medical outreach to the state.
Some top medical professionals who got wind of the alleged infections mounted pressure on the government to take action so the state is not caught off-guard.
Worried by the slow pace of government’s response, the Medical Association of Nigeria (NMA) in the state met with the Commissioner for Health and tabled their fears before him.
When the move failed to elicit an appropriate response, a coalition of health professionals in the state met on March 26, among other things to review the government’s preparedness to contend the pandemic.
The coalition consisted of the NMA, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria PSN, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, and the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria AMLSN.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, the coalition advised the government, among other things, to partially lockdown the state to check the pandemic.
“The leadership calls on the state government to immediately apply a partial lockdown policy in Akwa Ibom State and set up surveillance screening posts at all points of entry into the state.
“All motorists should fill surveillance forms and be screened at these points. The leadership suggests that all civil servants from Grade level 12 and below should be directed to stay at home except for those on essential duty.
“We call on the government to enforce social distancing by placing a ban on all social gatherings of more than 50 persons in line with the directives of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19,” a part of the communiqué read.
But the advice from the medical professionals did not go down well with Ukpong and Udo
Commissioner for Information, Charles Udo/ CREDIT: Wide Angle
The one-man riot
Back in Lagos, Effiong was getting apprehensive over the nonchalant attitude of the state government and the danger that that could pose to his people back home.
Not willing to keep silent, he took to his Facebook page on March 27, and dropped the bombshell. He posted thus: “Urgent: Akwa Ibom Update on COVID-19.”
“At least three health workers who visited from the US over the last two weeks have tested positive to COVID-19. They started showing symptoms while in Akwa Ibom,” he began.
“Some health workers they had contact with are currently ill with fever and body ache, but there are no test kits currently in Akwa Ibom.
“If you are currently exhibiting coughing, fever or body aches or symptoms that feel like malaria, please isolate and speak to a doctor now.”
A denial
ImaBridge Africa Foundation-USA, the group that organised the medical outreach referred to by Effiong had immediately issued a statement denying the claim.
The Akwa Ibom State Police command whose clinic was used for the outreach also denied any medic who was involved in the exercise was down with any symptoms of COVID-19.
ImaBridge Africa Foundation-USA and its Nigerian affiliate, ImaBridge Development Foundation International Nigeria, carried a medical outreach to Uyo, where close to 1, 000 persons got treated for various forms of illnesses.
The free medical treatment was carried out in collaboration with the medical wing of the Nigeria Police at the state headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia.
In a disclaimer, the group’s President, Christian Carrington, and Director of Healthcare, Tima Omeke, said no one involved in its outreach tested positive to the virus.
“None of our medical and charitable mission agents, volunteers, associates and or their family members is known to have tested positive to Coronavirus, not in Nigeria, USA and or the UK from where our team members came,” a part of the statement read.
And a litany of denials
With the denial from the medical outreach group, Effiong came under fire from the government’s media hirelings.
He was accused of blackmailing the government with the aim of getting contract awards.
The Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Aniekeme Finbarr, on his verified Twitter account said, “Etidi Effiong is just out to create panic to sell his test kits.”
Continuing, he twitted, “Akwa Ibom State like everywhere else is doing all it can to contain the COVID-19 monster but it’s unfortunate someone is taking advantage of this for pecuniary reasons. Very sad!”
But not deterred by the accusations, on March 28, Effiong came up with another post, indicating some of the persons suspected to have contracted the virus had been traced.
“I have found eight people who had initial contact with the US team and now have suspected COVID-19 symptoms. All medics, they can’t be tested because there are no test kits.
“I have informed the government/NCDC about the suspected COVID-19 cases in Akwa Ibom, spoken to the commissioner and epidemiologist – they’re working on it.”
The fresh post triggered a barrage of attacks and cacophony of denials by government in the media.
As the denial continues, unknown to many, the NCDC had dispatched a team to test some of those suspected of being infected, having self-isolated.
Drenched in deceit and confusion, the government unsuccessfully attempted to keep the NCDC’s team visit top-secret.
Statements and counter statements were fired by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Emmanuel Ekuwem, Ukpong and Udo, most times contradicting each other.
Udo was almost consistent in countering whatever statements emerging from Ukpong and the SSG, who happens to head the state’s COVID-19 Task Force.
Meanwhile, the growing rivalry and mutual suspicion between Ukpong and his colleagues in the medical profession got to indecorous levels on March 27, during a meeting in Uyo.
Trouble started when the leadership of PSN, NANNM and AMLSN queried the absence of their NMA counterparts in a meeting convened by the health commissioner to apprise them of the state’s preparedness to tackle the pandemic.
Angered that the union leaders questioned his shutting out of the NMA, a critical component of the state’s healthcare delivery system,the commissioner asked those who were not comfortable with his decision to quit the meeting.
As expected, the leaders of the medical professional bodies walked out on the commissioner and his team.
In a communiqué issued the same day, they called on the commissioner to resign with a threat they would not work with him in the fight against COVID-19.
“Dr. Dominic Ukpong has shown lack of managerial and interpersonal skills, disregard for professionals and professionalism, high-handedness and divisive tendencies, and outright poor management of COVID-19 preparedness hence the need for his resignation,” part of the communiqué issued by the health workers read.
However, when our reporter contacted the Nyakno Nyoyoko, Chairman, Akwa Ibom State chapter of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) declined comments on the situation.
“I’m not involved in Covid 19 response,” he said in response to a question posted to him on Whatsapp.
Nyoyoko who had earlier to our reporter when contacted on phone to call back later because he was going for a meeting did not to further questions including one seeking to clarify if medical personnel were among the 31 samples the state government claimed were sent for test.
Governor Udom to the rescue
It was the intervention of Governor Emmanuel that halted what could have been a total face-off between Ukpong and healthcare professionals in the state.
At a meeting at the Government House on March 29, the governor persuaded the angry executive of the Coalition of Health Workers Against COVID-19 to support the state’s effort to fight the pandemic.
Unlike his health commissioner, who accused his colleagues of sabotage, Emmanuel acted differently. He was mature and frank.
“You have displayed genuine patriotism in the fight to forestall the incident and spread of the global pandemic in our dear state,” the governor had told the health workers.
“I’m particularly impressed by your show of solidarity and commitment in getting the right things done in this cause.”
As part of measures to douse tension and energise the state’s response mechanism, Emmanuel advised each of the associations in the coalition to contribute a member to the state Emergency Task Force on COVID-19.
Before then, the task force, headed by Ekuwem, was made up largely of government officials without representation from allied medical professional groups in the state.
Regretting the misinformation and the confusion, which characterised the state’s response, the governor called for urgent training not only on information management but also proper communication about the disease.
Digging into the trenches of infamy
Those who thought the deliberate cover-up and denial ended after the governor’s intervention got it all wrong.
Akwa Ibom was on the verge of breaking a new record in the Hall of Infamy.
On April 2, barely days after Governor Emmanuel called for a ceasefire, the commissioner for health did the unthinkable.
He challenged the NCDC’s announcement that five out of the samples collected from the state returned positive.
In a statement, Ukpong faulted the result and demanded an “immediate re-confirmation test on the five reported cases.”
“Owing to the irregularities observed in the testing and reporting procedure, healthcare professionals in Akwa Ibom State have called for an immediate reconfirmation test on the five reported cases,” the commissioner, who never wanted anyone tested, said.
A member of the NMA confided in one of our reporters that Ukpong unilaterally rejected the results of the test without discussing with the leadership of healthcare workers in the state.
NCDC fires back
However, speaking at the regular media briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, NCDC’s Director-General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, faulted Ukpong’s position, saying the result was indisputable.
“I just read the press release of the commissioner for health in Akwa Ibom State, and I think it’s a little unfortunate because there was some delay in reporting the results,” Ihekweazu said.
“The tests were done in the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital. This is our oldest and most experienced lab in carrying out PCR diagnosis. So, there is really no reason to dispute the validity of these results.
“We must focus on the challenge at our hands; every new case in a new state always leads to a little bit of anxiety and people need time to accept these results and what they are.
“But they are what they are and I have no reason to doubt the results coming out from any of our labs, especially the Irrua Specialist,” the NCDC boss concluded.
Sack of state’s epidemiologist
The state’s epidemiologist, Aniekeme Uwah, was on Friday removed from office on the orders of the commissioner for health, Ukpong. The sack of the top medical officer has been confirmed by the state commissioner for information. While no reason has been given for the action, the NMA spokesperson in the state, Ekem Emmanuel in a live radio programme in Uyo, Saturday morning, said Uwah was sacked for taking more samples for COVID-19 test against the advice of Ukpong.
“Mr. Uwah had instructions from the commissioner for Health to collect only 10 samples,” Dr. Emmanuel said.
“He asked Why and the commissioner replied that Cross River State has no case because they are not testing. This is how we went about testing HIV and became number one in the country.”
The NMA spokesperson accused Ukpong of wanting to be all and all, highhanded and extremely vindictive, the reason he insists on combining as commissioner for health and the state incident manager. He argued that it is against World Health Organization’s stand that a politician cannot be the head of a technical committee. “It’s only in Akwa Ibom State that this is happening,” the NMA spokesperson said.
Civil society kicks
Policy Alert, a major civil society group in the state, scored the state low in its response, insisting it is marred by gaps in risk communication, stakeholder engagement and the absence of transparency.
The group’s Executive Director, Tijah Bolton-Akpan, said apart from politicising the result of tests, the government spent weeks in denial, adding even when a single test was not done, the government said there was no coronavirus in the state.
“The state failed to stop public gatherings and even called on churches to hold fasting and prayers in an official statement,” Bolton-Akpan said.
“This laid back tone at the top affected citizens’ perception of the seriousness of the situation so that even when the government finally woke up from its slumber, they weren’t taken seriously.”
Akpan said the state has failed in stakeholder engagement, adding that critical stakeholders like the media, medical professionals and civil society are being left behind.
Continuing, he said, “Government officials have been highhanded and unduly political and that has been counterproductive to the effort which requires synergy.
The State Government never denied NCDC test results — Commissioner
Attempts by The ICIR to speak to the health commissioner were unsuccessful as several calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages to him were neither answered nor replied.
However, Udo rose to the defence of the state government, denying that it was preventing residents from testing for Coronavirus disease. When asked to comment on allegation that the state government was preventing people with symptoms from taking test at the NCDC facility, Udo queried if the state had a testing centre
“Is there an NCDC test facility in Akwa Ibom?, he asked. He would not say anything else on the matter but he told our reporter that the state government’s response to COVID-19 has been captured in a documentary billed for airing at 9:30pm on Sunday on a Lagos – based television..
On the issue of the state government’s rejection of the positive result of five persons in the state, the commissioner faulted NCDC’s announcement but stated that the government did not deny the results.
“The state government did not deny. We only flagged a glaring breach of reporting protocols sir,” Udo told our reporter in an interview.
“Akwa Ibom State only got to hear the test results in the news!!! Was that a proper thing to do? Is that what they did before then? Are they doing same now?
He maintained that the “reporting protocols demands that the originating state must be informed of the result of tests whether negative or positive.”
Asked to clarify on the status of some medics in the state who allegedly contracted the virus during a medical outreach by US based organisation, the commissioner who apparently did not say anything concerning the medical outreach or the medics involved said some medical personnel were among the last batch of samples sent for testing.
“Are you aware that the last batch of 31 samples sent for Akwa Ibom for testing was made up of predominantly medics? Thirty of them returned negative and only one positive,” he said.
THE POLICE on Sunday announced it has arrested three accused persons involved in the murder of late Nnadi Michael, about three months after a criminal group of hoodlums attacked the Catholic Good Shepherd Major Seminary at Gonin Gora, Kakau in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The gang had on 9th January, kidnapped four seminarians, killed one and later released the remaining three on 31st January, after receiving a ransom.
Rev. Father Joel Usman, Registrar of the seminary school also confirmed Michael’s death about 24 hours after three of the abducted students were released.
“On a sad note!!! This is to inform all our friends and well-wishers that the remaining abducted Seminarian has been found dead,” the clergy had announced.
However, the Police also accused the suspects as being responsible for other kidnapping incidents including the death of one Mrs. Ataga, wife of Dr. Phillip Ataga, who was abducted with her two children on 24th January.
The incident had occurred at Juji community in Chikun LGA of the state.
The Police, however, identified the suspects through a statement shared via their verified twitters handle as, “Tukur Usman ‘m’ aged 37, father of seven (7); Shehu Bello ‘m’ aged 40, father of five (5) and Mustapha Mohammed ‘m’ aged 30, father of one (1), all of Igabi LGA of Kaduna State.”
They were reportedly arrested after months of intensive intelligence-led operations by detectives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
According to the Police, the arrested persons were part of a 19-man ‘hybrid terrorist criminal network’ terrifying the north-central part of the nation and also responsible for the kidnap of six students and two teachers of Engravers College in Chikun.
The police stated that the students were abducted while in the school arena on 3rd October, 2019.
“Mrs Ataga was killed by the gang following her heroic resistance to the despicable and inhuman attempt by the leader of the gang to rape her. The suspects after killing her released the daughters and corpse of the slain woman to the family after collecting ransom.
“Further investigations reveal that the same criminal gang is responsible for the kidnap of six students and two teachers of Engravers College, Chikun LGA, Kaduna, from their school premises on October 3, 2019.
“The suspects, known to belong to a hybrid terrorist criminal network causing untold havoc in North-Central, Nigeria, have confessed to several other random operations along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway where they kidnapped, killed and robbed motorists, collecting ransom and valuables running into millions of naira,” the police stated.
However, Inspector-General of Police, Mohammad Adamu, restated the force’s commitment to ensure that crimes across the country are reduced to the barest minimum, with a promise to arrest the remaining members of the gang at large.
A TEAM of more than 200 Cuban health workers are set to arrive at the OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday.
The medics left on a plane that first carried a donation of South African medical supplies to the Caribbean island, its embassy in Pretoria said.
The country, which at one point was following the UK’s infection curve, has stunned observers in the way it has slowed the spread of the virus, has now recorded 4,361 cases of coronavirus, including 86 deaths says the BBC.
The doctors are among 1,200 healthcare workers sent to battle COVID-19 in 22 countries that have requested help from the communist state but largely to vulnerable African and Caribbean nations, but also to European countries like Italy.
Cuba, with 1,337 recorded cases of Covid-19 and 51 deaths, has the world’s highest ratio of doctors to population and began preparations for the novel virus early.
According to the Reuters news agency, it is renowned for its focus on prevention and community-orientated primary health care to fight epidemics.
According to the BBC, the Cuban doctors – arriving in Johannesburg are to be deployed to different provinces by South Africa’s Department of Health, Cuba’s ambassador Rodolfo Benítez Verson has said.
The two countries have close ties as Cuba was instrumental in the fight against white-minority rule in South Africa, which did not end until 1994 when anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was elected president.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize previously remarked that Cuba’s community health model is similar to South Africa’s.
More than 1.5 million people will be allowed to return to work, some schools will reopen, deliveries of hot food will be permitted and cigarettes will be back on sale as South Africa is to begin easing strict lockdown restrictions next month but the sale of alcohol and public gatherings will still be banned.
In South Africa, thousands of community health workers have been screening millions of people for coronavirus.
Professor Salim Abdool Karimwe, who is leading South Africa’s scientific response to outbreak, says they have been targeting “the most socially vulnerable communities, where this likely was most likely to spread”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned of overconfidence as lockdown measures ease, saying infections are likely to reach their peak in August.
TWO Civil Society Organisation, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the International Press Centre (IPC) have petitioned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) demanding the sack of Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi for alleged abuse of office and continuous journalist right violation.
The media support groups in their petition alleged that Umahi is unfit to continue to hold the Office of Governor and requested the bureau to investigate the allegations and invoke the provisions of law on public office holders.
The group urges the CCB to secure his removal from office and disqualification from holding any public office in Nigeria for the next 10 years.
The petition co-signed by MRA’s Executive Director, Edetaen Ojo and the Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, citied the April 18 arrest of Chijioke Agwu, a reporter with the “Daily Sun” newspaper, on the instructions of the Governor.
Citing another case of journalists’ right violation, the group said on April 22, Umahi made a state-wide radio and television broadcast where he banned for life Agwu and Peter Okutu, a correspondent of the “Vanguard” newspaper, from entering the State Government House or any other Government facility in the state and from covering any government or official functions in the state.
The organisations attached an audio recording of the governor’s broadcast to the petition, saying it contained inciting statements against the two journalists whom he banned.
The governor put their lives at risk, as well as threats to other journalists in the State whom he said would face dire consequences should they publish any negative story about his government.
“It is clear to us from the actions and utterances of Governor Umahi that he is lawless and has no regard for the Constitution, his Oath of Office, or common decency.
“He believes that he is a law unto himself and we have no doubt that such a person is not fit to continue to hold such high office in Nigeria. We therefore intend to use all legal and constitutional means available to us to pursue this matter to its logical conclusion,” Ojo said.
“We consider the actions of Governor Umahi a grave threat to and assault on our fundamental rights and freedoms as citizens, particularly in the light of his relentless attacks on journalists whose roles are more important now than ever before in the context of a global pandemic that poses an existential threat to humanity, Arogundade added.
NORTH Normal, an Abuja-based pressure group that stands against sexual and gender-based violence, has demanded an immediate retraction and apology from Hadiza El-Rufai, wife to Governor of Kaduna State, over her libel suit against the group.
The group in a counter suit classified Hadiza’s suit as malicious and a ploy to set them up for violent attacks and harm.
“This is a clear indication of malice; and, of course, that your client has an axe to grind with our clients. It is also a dangerous reckless and malicious ploy to set our clients up as targets for violent attacks, considering the nature of their work,” the document read in part.
Hadiza had slammed a suit against the key members of North Normal group; Farida Adamu, Hassana Maina, Fakhrriyyah Hashim, claiming that they had soiled her reputation for calling her out over her support for a post shared on Twitter on April 12 by her son, Bello Elrufai.
32-year-old Elrufai had come under criticisms after he threatened on Twitter to organise a gang rape of a critic’s mother.
In a private message sent to Twitter user identified as @thanos_zer, El-Rufai said: “Tell your mother I’m passing her to my friends tonight. No Igbo sounds please!”
Soon after the message was made public, Nigerians condemned the statement of Elrufai, beseeching his mother, Hadiza, who is the head of Kaduna State Sexual Assault Task Force, to call her son to order.
However, the First lady of Kaduna State responded in a tweet: “Don’t @ me. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind,” she wrote on Twitter on April 12. “All is fair in love and war. My belief: Respect everyone, but take no shit from anyone. I didn’t see any threats of rape. I would never condone that.”
Hadiza’s comment generated a lot of backlash, with many people describing her post as support for her son’s threat to ‘gang-rape’ someone’s mother – a statement in violation of the Cybercrime Act.
In condemnation of the statement by Elrufai and the endorsement by Hadiza, the North Normal group released a public statement on Twitter, demanding an apology and calling for the resignation of Hadiza as the chair of the sexual assault task force group in Kaduna State.
After tendering an apology on Twitter, the First Lady launched a legal attack against the North Normal group, claiming they had tarnished her image and seeking several levels of apologies from its members.
Meanwhile, Elrufai also threatened to sue Premium Times reporter, Samuel Ogundipe, for his report on the offensive post.
Bello wrote on Twitter, “Oh @SamuelOgundipe, our hired PDP columnist, you in particular were the last piece of the puzzle. I assure you that my lawyers will get to you to prove the usage/threat of rape. The onus is on you. I eagerly anticipate the #FreeSamuel hashtag. Thanks for completing the jigsaw.
ROTIMI Akeredolu, the Ondo State Governor on Sunday disclosed that a suspected killer of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, daughter of Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasorantin has tested positive for the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
THE governor, who revealed this through his personal Twitter handle, said the case along with two others were the newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state.
“We have confirmed three other cases in Ondo state. One of the cases involves one of the recently arraigned suspects in the murder of Mrs Funke Olakunrin, Pa Fasoranti’s Daughter,” he tweeted.
The state COVID-19 Response Centre says, as of today April 26, it has recorded a total of seven cases, among which six are active while one has been discharged.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) had on 17th April, confirmed the arrest of the suspects.
However, Akeredolu said the state commissioner of police has been duly informed of the development.
He added that tracing of police officers among other individuals in the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARs) facility where the suspect was kept has commenced.
According to the governor, relevant officials have commenced collection of specimens of persons who might have come in contact with the accused.
“The suspect has been isolated from others and will be moved to the IDH for treatment. The commissioner of police has assured the state that there will be adequate security around the IDH premises to prevent his escape, and while on treatment, he will be manacled to the bed,” Akeredolu stated.
NIGERIA expects a $3.4 billion in emergency funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on the nation’s economy.
The facility has been considered to be the largest loan allocation by the monetary fund to an African nation to fight the pandemic, and it is scheduled to be repaid in not more than five years.
It will be recalled that minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed, earlier this month referred to the loan as part of funds being expected from multilateral organisations to aid the country’s battle against the pandemic.
According to Worldometer, Nigeria as at today April 26, has recorded 1,182 cases, with 222 recovered cases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
IMF approved a disbursement of about $1 billion to Ghana earlier this month, as the outbreak is reducing demand for and prices of Africa’s commodities, while domestic lockdowns have shuttered industries and trade.
Seyi Kolawole a Financial Analyst at NASD Plc who spoke to The ICIR said; ”The IMF debt obviously inflates our ballooning debt profile which obviously makes us an even more risky country to creditors.”
“However, regarding the size of the loan, it is commensurate with our size as the largest country in Africa,” he added.
“On repayment, I believe if oil prices stabilize back to pre-oil crash figures (which is still a few months away) we shouldn’t have a problem repaying the debt in about five years in line with the requirements of the IMF’s rapid financing instrument scheme,” he said.
Kolawole went on to say that the challenge this debt portends (in addition to the existing debt) is that, Nigeria’s debt servicing allocation would undoubtedly increase and would negatively impact the ability to finance and undertake other vital projects in the economy.
“More important and most worrying, is that the IMF and the beneficiary countries of its facility must agree on a program of economic policies (which are usually very stringent) and must be implemented to the letter to ensure countries repay the loan,” he further explained.
Kolawole said, “It seems like a good idea to raise the funds because Nigeria needs it and have limited options, and perhaps we may be beneficiaries of the next IMF debt relief.”
“In the event that oil prices don’t recover quickly enough and we can’t repay the loan and it would tell on us as a nation,” he added.
“However, if the policy conditionality does exist, Nigerians should prepare to experience some very stringent policy measures imposed on us by the IMF to facilitate loan repayment,” Kolawole said.
BARELY fourty-eight hours after Oyo state goverment rejected and returned a total of 1,800 bags of rice, Kwara state goverment has acknowledged the receipt and acceptance of 1,800 50kg bags of rice and 700 pieces of 25 litres of vegetable oil from the Federal Governement of Nigeria.
The ICIR reported here on Friday that Oyo state government rejected the palliatives on the allegation that the bags of rice are pest-infested which makes it unhealthy for human consumption.
However, Rafiu Ajakayethe Chief Press Secretary to the governor of the state, in a statement, disclosed that the state governement has received its own share of the Federal Government’s palliatives to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
Ajakaye said “the items are part of the meausres by the federal government to palliate the effect of the lockdown on those at the lowest rung of the economy ladder as the pandemic tighten its grips across the globe”
He added that the palliatives received by Prof Mamman Saba Jibril, the secretary to the government of the state, on behalf of the governor , AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is meant for the most vulnerable in the society.
According to the press statement, Prof Jibril lauded the Federal Government’s commitment to the needs of the society as the world battles covid-19 and lockdown as he assured of delivery to the intended beneficiaries as we have been doing.
“We are very grateful to the Federal Government for reaching out to the most vulnerable in our state at this time. Specifically, we thank the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development for the gesture.
Prof. Jibril also urged Muslims in the state to use the month of Ramadan to seek God’s intervention as the world battles the pandemic
“All of us should use this period of Ramadan to seek God’s mercy. The situation at hand shows just how vulnerable we are and we must pray to God to save us even as we play our individual roles as explained by various health authorities.”
Earlier, Bashir Ahmad, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital Media, tweeted that the president has directed the Nigeria Customs Service to release 150 truckloads of rice seized from smugglers for immediate distribution across the country as part of the Federal Government’s palliative measures to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to The ICIR COVID-19 dashboard, Kwara state has recorded 11 cases with two patients discharged. The dashboard also recorded that Nigeria has 1,182 total number of COVID-19 confirmed cases with 222 total discharges and 35 total deaths.
