IN a bid to forestall clashes with police personnel, the Nigerian army issued directives to soldiers to guide their conduct after the death of three policemen by soldiers in Taraba state.
Felix Omoigui, a brigadier-general, in a letter signed on behalf of the chief of army staff, Tukur Buratai directed its personnel to be cautious in their approach when dealing with police officers.
“In the aftermath of the unfortunate incident involving troops of 93 bn, Takum and members of the Intelligence Response Team of the NPF at Ibi LGA of Taraba State on August 6, 2019, inciting and inflammatory comments are being made by the NPF on the regular and social media platform,” the letter revealed.
In the letter circulated on Sunday evening, the army directed its personnel travelling with a pass, to be in mufti and circumspect in their conduct.
“This is capable of inciting the rank and file of the NP to exhibit aggressive tendencies against NA personnel. Accordingly, all troops on IS, Internal Security, duty as well as personnel travelling in and out of uniform are to be circumspect in their conduct to avoid escalation,” it reads.
On August 6, police officers on a clandestine operation to arrest a suspected kidnap kingpin were attacked by soldiers from 93 Battalion who opened fire on them, killing three officers and a civilian on the spot.
The police who identified the suspect as Hamisu Wadume, was disappointed that soldiers had set free a man that its detectives were trailing for several years before they got a chance to take him into custody.
Although the army admitted that soldiers had attacked the police team which led to the death of the police officers and a civilian, it blamed the incident on poor intelligence and disclosed its readiness to cooperate with the investigation.
“Consequently, formations and unit commanders are to educate troops to be cautious in their dealings with members of the Nigerian Police, NP, in view of this development,” it concludes.
HONG Kong International Airport has cancelled all departing flights on Monday, as thousands of anti-government protesters occupied and caused disruption in 11th week of protests.
Passengers have been told not to travel to the airport, which is one of the world’s busiest transport hubs.
In a statement, officials of the airport quoted “seriously disrupted” operations as a reason for the shutdown as they were cancelling all flights that were not yet checked in by Monday afternoon.
Hong Kong International report is one of the busiest in the world, handling 1,100 flights daily across about 200 destinations.
More than 160 flights scheduled to leave after 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT) would not depart.
Some protesters wore bandages over their eyes in response to images of a woman bleeding heavily from her eye on Sunday, having reportedly been shot by a police projectile.
The Hong Kong unrest was sparked due to the introduction of a bill introduced in April that would allow people accused of crimes against mainland China to be extradited.
The bill met with lots of criticism as many believed that those sent to the mainland could face an unfair trial and violent treatment under China’s court system and could put activists and journalists at risk as they argued the bill would give China more control over Hong Kong.
Protesters at Hong Kong airport. Credit: BBC
Earlier today, a top Chinese official said the protests — now in their eleventh week — had “begun to show signs of terrorism” as protesters’ demands have changed since the beginning of the protests and they are now calling for complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, withdrawal of the “riot” description used about the 12 June protests, amnesty for all arrested protesters, creation of an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality and Universal suffrage for the Chief Executive and Legislative Council elections.
Calls have also been raised for the resignation of Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong who they view as a puppet of Beijing.
#HongKong radical protesters are showing signs of #terrorism, spokesperson of State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said Mon, reiterating that restoring order and stopping violence and crimes are the most pressing issue for Hong Kong. pic.twitter.com/oDwMS7QNNw
The Chinese government and military have been saying for days/weeks that they can be called upon by the Hong Kong government to preserve security and stability in Hong Kong if needed.
As videos have been circulating in Chinese state media of exercises in Hong Kong’s neighbouring city of Shenzhen conducted by the People’s Armed Police (PAP), a paramilitary group under the direct control of the Central Military Commission, headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In video: Chinese armed police armored vehicle fleet is prepared for a drill in Shenzhen, S China's Guangdong province. pic.twitter.com/bU4IxhaM0s
IBRAHIM El-Zakzaky, leader of the banned Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and his wife, Zeenat, have been spotted at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The couple would leave the country on Monday for India, where they would receive medical attention for an undisclosed health challenge.
They were arrested in December 2015 and have remained in DSS detention until last week when they got court’s approval to travel on account of ill -health.
Meanwhile, one hundred and eighty-six doctors from Pakistan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq have written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari concerning Sheikh El-Zakzaky’s physical conditions.
The letter published on Monday by Fars News, an Iranian news agency, quoted the doctors asking the Nigerian government to transfer him to a well-equipped hospital as soon as possible.
It was, however, not indicated whether the letter was written after a Kaduna High Court last week approved leave for El-Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat, to seek medical attention in India.
THERE is a growing disquiet among students of the University of Ibadan over a number of fees they pay for items that were not provided, The ICIR can report.
The concerns raised by the students stem from the items that have always appeared on the breakdown of their school fees but have not always been provided by the university authorities.
The students who spoke anonymously for fear of being persecuted said undergraduates are made to pay Student Union Government fee, despite that the Union has been proscribed by the university since 2017.
Although they said the school’s Vice-Chancellor, Abel Idowu Olayinka, directed that the money should be refunded, the students told our correspondent they didn’t get a refund.And the following session, students were still compelled to pay SUG fee.
Another item students of the University Ibadan pay for is Faculty Prospectus, charged at ₦500. Graduates of the University confirmed they yearly pay for the booklet but not every student obtained a copy throughout their years in the college. Some students only got the prospectus only once or twice throughout their years.
Hassan Sanni, a former faculty president while an undergraduate, said he didn’t get the prospectus in his years at the university.
But he said, in a private chat with his faculty’s Dean last session, there was a plan to have an updated prospectus, which will contain a new syllabus for the faculty and would be distributed to students.
A sample of receipt to students of the University of Ibadan showing items they paid for but never given. Photo Credit: Yusuf AKINPELU
“It was not ready till I graduated,” he said. “Because they collected money for it, they [the university managemet] should have provided it before students graduate.”
Tomisin Odunmbaku, a 2016 graduate of Statistics, when asked if he ever got a copy of the prospectus, said, ‘“Not even once”.
“We were not even given the student ID cards in our final year.”
Students every session are charged ₦1, 350 for an identity card, but the university does not provide one until last year after the 2017 student protest. Nobody accounted for the I.D card levies collected in the years past.
Another receipt from 2015 academic session showing those items, Photo Credit: Yusuf AKINPELU
A 300-level engineering student told The ICIR that the students were compelled to pay for I.D again in the 2018-2019 session, despite the fact there was no new identity card given to them.
He also criticised the management for collecting ₦1, 000 for Chemistry Practical Manual every session, whereas the manual was only given once when they were freshers.
His colleagues also confirmed that the less than 10-page manual was only given to students in their first year, though they are paid to pay for it every session.
More Concerns
At the start of the 2018-2019 session, the University introduced a new fee called Technology Fee, pegged at ₦6, 500. And the notification of the increase was so short that students complained bitterly.
“The notification for the imposition of the fee was quite short. A lot of students, including me, did not know about the technology fee until we resumed for this new session. In fact, I had to call home to send me additional money so as to pay my technology fee,” a student told The ICIR.
When the campus press, AFAS Press, asked the Vice-Chancellor the rationale for the increase, the VC said, it was to “provide fast, reliable and robust internet services to students.”
This is how he responded to the question of the student journalists:
“The University is opening up internet access to students on campus (to a capped volume per student per semester/session). As such there is an on-going investment on additional network infrastructure/ bandwidth.
“The bandwidth is projected to be increased in the first instance from the present 475 to 775 Mbps. It is worth mentioning that the bandwidth increase will be dedicated to the new student network.
“The bandwidth cost will grow from N64 million to about N100 million. This is excluding other required network infrastructural upgrades. I do hope this clarification helps in providing justification for the Technology Fee.”
But it’s two months into the academic calendar, the students said they are yet to see any improvement in the school’s internet service system.
“We are yet to hear of anything about it (technology fee),” Ojedele, a student said, adding, “Except we’d be given our Wi-Fi passwords tomorrow.”
He wondered how the leadership of the university can be trusted in the future when they fail to keep a simple promise.
Other students are uncertain of what purpose the technology fee will serve. Is it for internet services, as claimed in some quarters, or for portal maintenance, as others claimed?
“They said it is for portal maintenance. What are they maintaining?” a sophomore from the Faculty of Education queried.
“With the ₦6, 500, we should have access to the internet whenever we want to use it. We paid ₦6, 500, yet we can’t even access anything. It’s extortion. They are just extorting us,” she lamented.
Due to the difficulty in accessing the internet, some tech-savvy students have resorted to using passwords assigned to staff.
According to The Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking, University of Ibadan has a full-time student population of 25, 416. It also said undergraduate and postgraduate students are in the ratio 50:50. It, therefore, means that the undergraduate population estimate of the university stands at 12, 708 students. When the number of the undergraduates is multiplied with the technology fee of N6,500, it amounts to ₦82, 602, 000 per session.
No one is extorting anyone —University’s reaction
Speaking on the school’s plan on the utilisation of the technology fee, Tunji Oladejo, the university’s spokesperson, says “no one is extorting anyone.” He rather insisted that the ivory tower is underfunded.
But he declined to make further comment. “I am always misrepresented by the press. So, I may not pick your call anymore,” he said and hung up later. Also, messages sent to the Vice-Chancellor were not responded to.
Problem of poor funding
Public record shows that all federal universities in Nigeria are underfunded. In recent years, allocation to the education sector has ranged from five to seven percent of total budget. The 2019 figure stands at 7.05 percent of the total budget.
According to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, from 2011 to 2018, a combined total of ₦101,694,545,436 was accrued to the University of Ibadan. Of this amount, ₦2,025,051,401 (less than 2 percent) was released to the university. And the university spent only ₦769,485,563 out of the amount released (38 percent).
Muhammad Abba, a Gombe-based educationalist said institutions must work out ways with some bodies through grants and others to attract adequate funding. He said institutions must be innovative in seeking more funding. “Universities are primarily research-based institutions meant at solving problems,” Abba said.
On her part, Victoria Ibiwoye, the Director of OneAfricanChild Foundation for Creative Learning, also noted that institutions must use creative means to drive the education system forward. She, nonetheless, placed the major responsibility on the government.
“Government are duty bearers as far as funding education is concerned, but they can’t do it alone,” Ibiwoye said. “So, they need to create a friendly environment for partnerships with stakeholders like CSOs, local and international NGOs working in the education space. Even when the resources are available to these CSOs, if the environment is not conducive, they will be forced to take the aid elsewhere.”
THE FCT Emergency Management Agency has advised the residents of Kubwa, Gwagwa-Karimo, Kuje, Airport Road and Gwagwalada to be wary of possible flooding.
The Director-General of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, in a statement made available through their official Facebook page @fctemergencymanagement said that torrential rainfall had increased the water level at the Usuma Dam and spilled into the Usuma River Channel.
“This is to notify the general public that due to the recent torrential rainfall there has been an increase in the water level of the Lower Usuma Dam making the Dam to spill into the Usuma River Channel. People leaving along the Usuma Dam channel will experience an increase in the volume of water along the River Channels.
Areas mostly to be affected are; Kubwa, Gwagwa-Karimo, Kuje, Airport Road and Gwagwalada,” the statement read.
Based on the above, Idriss advised residents of the above settlements to be wary of possible flooding and should also observe the following simple precautions:
“They should observe simple precautions because not all floods are alike. Some develop slowly, sometimes over a period of days. But flash floods can develop quickly, sometimes in just a minute and without any visible signs of rain.”
He, therefore, enjoined communities to listen to the radio or television for information concerning the flood situation.
“Always be aware that there could be possible flooding. If there is any possibility of that in your area, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move.”
He also urged the residents of Kubwa and Kuje to be aware of streams, drainage channels, and other areas prone to sudden flood.
Idriss said that flash floods could occur in those areas with or without such typical warnings.
The director-general also cautioned residents against walking through moving water, adding that six inches of moving water could make people fall.
“Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely.
“If you do not do that, you and the vehicle can be quickly swept away. After your escape, look for a safe environment, call FEMA RESCUE TEAM on 112 Toll-Free Emergency Number for prompt
response,” the statement said.
It will be recalled that Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) a few days ago alerted Nigerians of more flooding, appealing the 36 states to prepare for the upcoming flooding as the Rivers Benue and Niger keeps rising.
Similarly, a story by The ICIR in May confirmed that most drainages in Abuja were clogged with a mass of wastes, causing water to find unplanned paths to pass.
“Once you block the natural path where water can pass, what it would result to is flooding,” said John Harry, National Secretary of the Nigerian Environmental Society.
FORMER Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Friday refuted claims that his account was frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ambode, in a statement, through his media aide Habib Aruna, disclosed that the said accounts reportedly frozen by the federal high court belonged to the Lagos state government and was not associated with him.
“Those accounts were opened in the course of normal operations by the Lagos State Government for its administrative purposes and not for the former governor’s personal transactions as was being wrongly insinuated and have been operated to ensure smooth operations of government activities by previous and present administrations,” the statement said.
On Tuesday, the federal high court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos had ordered the freezing of the sum of N9.9bn belonging to the Lagos State Government.
Justice Chuka Obiozor, the presiding judge gave the order, to freeze the accounts following an ex-parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
However, the statement reads, “The former governor was not and will never be involved in any unauthorized use of government property and resources”.
He said he won’t confront the EFCC because there was no communication between him and the antigraft agency. However, he emphasized that his family and loved ones did not deserve the “unwarranted attacks on his well-earned reputation”.
The EFCC had traced N9,927,714,443.29 from the state accounts into an FCMB bank account opened on September 17, 2018, during the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode, and operated by Adewale Adesanya.
Adesanya is the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the former governor, Ambode.
The antigraft agency disclosed that Adesanya and other signatories to the account made a fraudulent transfer from the accounts of the Lagos State Government and dispersed the funds kept in the said accounts.
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sacked its Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Cross River State, Frankland Briyai, on the ground of breaching the code of conduct while declaring his political ambition.
Briyai who was the electoral commission boss at Cross River State had declared on Thursday, August 8, his ambition to contest in the upcoming Bayelsa state governorship election, prior to the announcement of his resignation. The gubernatorial poll would be conducted by INEC on November 16.
While at the commission’s office in Calabar, he declared that he would contest the election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
After Briyai made his position known to journalists at his office on Thursday, he announced his resignation from INEC job.
However, a statement signed by Festus Okoye chairman of information and voter education committee for INEC claimed that the Commission was yet to receive Briyai’s resignation letter.
“Although this was done at the commission’s Cross River State office in Calabar, the commission is yet to receive any communication on this from Briyai.
“Section 306(2) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that the resignation of such appointment takes effect on receipt of the letter of resignation by the appointing authority – in this case, the President,” the statement read in part.
INEC also frowned at the use of the commission’s premises and facilities for his political pursuit.
It described Briyai act as “unlawful and contrary to the Code of Conduct subscribed to by all INEC officials”.
As a result of not tendering an official letter to relay his resignation, the electoral umpire, thereby, sacked him from his duties, withdrawing all powers delegated to him. It directed the Administrative Secretary of the State office to oversee the office and take over the functions and duties of the REC until further notice.
AT the centre of Department of State Security (DSS’) arrest of Mr. Omowole Sowore at the weekend over the protest #RevolutionNow is the meaning of the noun ‘Revolution.’ Erudite spokesman of DSS, Peter Afunanya, justified the security agency’s ‘preventive measure’ by not just defining ‘revolution,’ but provided extended meaning of the word to include: “… threats of sabotage, threats of subversion, threat of terrorism and, of course, ethnic agitations, separatist agitations, economic sabotage and others.” On the legacy and social media, there is rancorous debate on two issues: the meaning of the word ‘revolution’ and the propriety of Sowore’s arrest and detention by SSS.
This intervention is meant to provide linguistics insight that could illuminate our understanding of the face-off between the State and the Coalition for Revolution (CORE). There are two dictionary definitions of revolution. One is historical and the other is figurative. The Cambridge Dictionary provides the historical definition as “a change in the way a country is governed, usually to a different politicalsystem and often using violence or war.” The dictionary accompanied this definition with a typical example, thus “The French Revolution changed France from a monarchy to a republic.
The countryseems to be heading towards revolution.” The concept of revolution is tied to the 18th and 19th Century European ideology of ‘propaganda of deed,’ which gave birth to the French Revolution, and later Marxism. It is, therefore, understandable if, to Europeans, revolution is seen as equivalent of terror. In fact, the French Revolution was at a point unashamedly called the Reign of Terror. It is this atmosphere that comes to mind when we agree with the DSS that Sowore and his cohorts were a danger to the Nigerian State.
Looking at the use of the word from a different perspective, it is necessary to invoke the linguistics concept of ‘Felicity Condition.’ The concept is widely discussed in the field of Pragmatics, which deals with the critical study of words, signs and symbols. Felicity Condition simply means, for a statement to be considered as being capable of performing an action, such word or statement must meet certain [contextual] conditions. For instance, if a messenger in an officer threatens to issue a written query to his manager, it is clear that it is an empty threat because he does not have the authority to do so. But if, in reverse, a manager threatens to issue a cleaner a query, we know that threat is genuine; we may begin to plead with the manager to temper justice with mercy because the manager has the authority to query the cleaner.
In line with the above, the natural question is, ‘does Sowore and his cohort have the capacity to violently overthrow Buhari’s government?’ Perhaps, the DSS needs to investigate and provide ample evidence that when CORE threatened #RevolutionNow, they have amassed lethal weapons, militia groups, and other ingredients of insurrection which all combined are capable of displacing Buhari for Aso Rock Presidential Villa. As at now, what the DSS has done successfully is to invoke the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2013. In this Act, the word that is close to the offence Sowore is accused of is “incitement.” In the Act, “incites” and “incitements” are mentioned six times. The one that may be relevant in this case is found in a section that defines the word “support” for a terrorist act. Subsection 2 (a) talks about: “incitement to commit a terrorist act through the internet, or any electronic means or through the use of printed materials or through the dissemination of terrorist information,” as punishable under the act. However, to successfully invoke this section of the law, the DSS would have to prove the ‘act of terror’ in #RevolutionNow movement.
For those who line up behind Sowore, there is a linguistic escape route for their use of the word ‘revolution.’ It is in what is called figurative language use, and umbrella concept for allusion, metaphor, symbolism, personification, synecdoche, hyperbole (exaggeration), pun, and even simile. If we say, ‘the cleaner has been fired,’ do we mean the cleaner has been cast into fire? If we say ‘the cleaner sermonized his innocence to the manager,’ does that mean the cleaner had become a bishop? Also, if we say ‘the soup transported me to heaven,’ do we mean the soup has become a carrier which has the capacity of tearing through outer space into heaven?
In its second definition of revolution, the Cambridge Dictionary provides its figurative meaning, as different from its literal meaning. It says, “a bigchange or improvement in the way that something works or looks, or in the way that people do a particularactivity:” Among the examples the dictionary writers used to illustrate this figurative use of ‘revolution,’ includes, “This biomedical revolution includes procedures and strategies in therapy, diagnosis, and prevention of diseases.” When the dictionary talks about ‘biomedical revolution,’ it does not mean there was a violent overthrow of the regime in order to diagnose or prevent diseases. Here, revolution is used to describe the remarkable change that biomedical discoveries have brought into the treatment of diseases.
My instinct tells me that Sowore and his elements in CORE used the expression ‘#RevolutionNow’ as a ‘clickbait’ or catch-phrase for the planned protest in order to attract national attention. And this may be an act of indiscretion on their part. However, there is need for a huge paradigm shift in the way this country is governed at the moment. Both online and offline, Nigerians are tramautised by palpable fear as killings in various shades seem to have come to stay. There is evidence that security operatives have come to their wits end. They now leave everything to their natural course, including the killings, expecting a divine intervention to halt the mayhem at some point along the line. Nigerians would be very glad if the DSS can prevent many of the criminal acts tagged on criminal Fulani herders, just the way they have halted #RevolutionNow protest. Dr. Theophilus ABBAH, a journalist, writer, researcher, and trainer, lives in Abuja.
United States Office of the Amnesty International, a global right movement on Friday issued a travel warning to intending tourists to the US, asking them to remain cautious due to the prevailing gun violence in the country.
The rights group said the warning became vital as the increasing gun violence amounts to human right crisis.
According to Ernest Coverson, Campaign Manager for the End Gun Violence Campaign at Amnesty International USA, the caution is to also replicate the United States Department of State’s travel advice for U.S. travelers to other nations.
“Travellers to the United States should remain cautious that the country does not adequately protect people’s right to be safe, regardless of who they might be. People in the United States cannot reasonably expect to be free from harm – a guarantee of not being shot is impossible,” says Coverson. “Once again, it is chillingly clear that the U.S. government is unwilling to ensure protection against gun violence.”
Gun violence in the US is reported to cost the American economy at least $229 billion every year while eight children and teens are shot daily unintentionally by family fire.
The worrying statistics also revealed that 310 people are shot daily in the US.
Report by the Voice of America (VOA) also put the number of mass killings only in 2019 at 19 deaths.
In total, 31 people died at the recent gun incident which happened in El Paso, Texas and Dayton in Ohio, US.
However, the AI explained that the issued travel advisory is meant to address growing gun violence, mostly hate crimes, including racism and discrimination in the US.
It noted that the traveler’s race, country of origin, ethnic background, sexual orientation or gender identity may place them at higher risk after recent attacks linked to white supremacist ideology.
The group noted that by prioritising gun ownership over basic human rights, it accused the U.S. government of willfully and systematically failing on multiple levels, thus ignoring its international obligations to protect people’s rights and safety.
“The action called attention to the extent to which all aspects of life in the United States have been compromised in some way by unfettered access to guns, without comprehensive and uniform regulation of their acquisition and use.
“Amnesty International has been calling for common-sense reform regarding the use and possession of firearms, including comprehensive background checks, national regulations for registering and licensing firearms, required training, a ban on high capacity magazines/assault weapons, and mandatory safe-storage laws.
“Amnesty International USA’s campaign to end gun violence has focused efforts on passing S.42., the Assault Weapons ban, and the Disarm Hate Act,” it stated.
The global human rights organisation, last month published a report to examine how gun violence survivors in the US suffer years of trauma and pain “due to a destructive combination of government policies” which allegedly ignore peoples’ needs.
AFTER twenty-five years, the Supreme Court has affirmed N25m damages against the Department of State Services (DSS) for the unlawful invasion and sealing off of Punch Nigeria Limited’s office in Lagos in 1994.
In a report published by The PUNCH, the judgment was a sequel to a fundamental rights enforcement suit; the newspaper had filed against the DSS and four others.
The other four included the attorney general of the federation, the inspector-general of police, the commissioner of police, Lagos and the Chief of Army Staff.
The suit was filed by the late Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) at the federal high court, Lagos on July 29, 1994, in favour of the newspaper company.
The court also awarded a separate N100,000 to the then Editor of The PUNCH, Bola Bolawale for his unlawful detention by the security agents.
The court upheld the newspaper’s plea, that the “invasion, search without warrant, sealing off, seizure and/or occupation of its business premises at No.1 Kudeti Street, Onipetesi, Ikeja, Lagos State and the consequent stoppage of the newspaper’s lawful business by the respondents, were a gross violation of the newspaper’s fundamental rights”.
The Supreme Court’s history of the case noted that Punch had obtained an order of the federal high court, Lagos, directing the security agents to produce, Bolawale, the then editor in court on June 20, 1994.
This, however, was after the invasion of the newspaper, but the security agencies ignored the order.
Consequently, the counsel from the Attorney General of the Federation’s (AGF) office wrote to the court praying the case, be adjourned.
The application for adjournment was opposed by Fawahinmi but was overruled, as the court eventually adjourned the hearing till June 28, 1994.
At the resumption of the proceedings, both the AGF and security agencies were absent with no representative at the court.
At their absence, Fawehinmi went on to argue the suit, which resulted in the court granting its judgment in favour of the newspaper company on July 29, 1994, against the defendants.
The defendants at the court’s verdict on August 10, 1994, appealed to the court, that the judgment should be reversed.
The appeal, however, remained in the court for five years without the appellants filing their brief of argument.
Therefore, the newspaper on June 4, 1999, filed an application to the court, asking that the court dismissed the appeal, “for want of diligent prosecution”.
On March 8, 2004, exactly 10 years after the appeal was filed, the court of appeal dismissed it “for want of diligent prosecution.”
The appellants filed another application, urging the court to reverse its judgment.
The appeal court rejected the application, leading to another appeal at the supreme court by the AGF and the security agencies.
The apex court also dismissed the appeal by a judgment led by a five-man Supreme Court panel delivered by Olu Ariwoola on June 14, 2019.
The other panelists were Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, Chima Nweze, Paul Galume and Sidi Bage.
Ariwoola held, “It is clear that the appeal of the appellants was dismissed pursuant to Order 6 Rule 10 of the Court of Appeal Rules for failure to file the brief of argument within the prescribed time and there was no application for extension of time to file the said brief out of time. The appeal was, therefore, properly dismissed and the dismissal order is final and irreversible.”
