A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday stopped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from holding a planned convention billed for August 17 this year.
The PDP has been occupied by series of intra-party power tussle between former governors of Borno and Kaduna States, Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi, with the former insisting that he is the rightful leader of the party despite a court order to the contrary.
The Makarfi-led faction had relied on the court ruling last month, which nullified the party’s process that made Sheriff chairman, to plan a convention that will see someone emerge to lead it in preparation for the 2019 elections.
Sheriff had approached the court on July 4, asking it to stop the convention because going by the party’s constitution, he and other members of the National Working Committee should be in office till 2018.
The plaintiffs also asked the court to prevent the Makarfi-led faction of the PDP from embarking on any moves to remove them from office.
Also named in the suit as plaintiffs are Wale Oladapo, National Secretary; Dennis Alonge-Niyi, Deputy National Youth Leader; Alhaji Bashir Maidugu, Deputy National Legal Adviser; Hanatu Ulam, Deputy National Women Leader; Lawal Dutsima Anchi, Deputy National Auditor; Okey Nnadozie, Deputy National Organising Secretary, and; Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary.
However, Metuh, who is facing trial over N400 million he allegedly received from former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, a retired Colonel, denied being a part of the suit and said he never attended any meeting where he agreed to be part of the suit.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Richard Ihediwa, Metuh said those who included his name assured him that it was erroneously done and would be removed.
“Our appeal therefore is that Chief Metuh at this time should be left out of intra-party controversies. His only preoccupation now remains matters concerning his health and the extant court trial,” the statement read.
Gbagyi residents protest the proposed demolition exercise
Residents of Gbagyi community in Kaduna State have staged a peaceful protest asking the state government not to go ahead with the planned demolition of their houses that have been marked as illegal structures.
The residents of the community in Chikun Local Government Area, took to the streets on Thursday, carrying placards and chanting anti-government songs while demanding that the demolition be suspended as the matter was already before the courts.
They claimed to have all the relevant documents that gave them the right to occupy the land, insisting that the planned demolition was illegal and inhuman.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai had during a working visit to Gbagyi Villa said some of the buildings in the area had illegally encroached on the land belonging to the Kaduna State Polytechnic and would be demolished.
The Governor had also added that government was ready to recognise and protect every proven title to the land.
Chris Obodumu, leader of Gbagyi community, noted that late Governor Patrick Yakowa in 2011, resolved the dispute and amicably demarcated the boundary between the two parties, but another former Kaduna State Governor, Balarabe Musa, said that those claiming ownership of the land were not the genuine owners.
He advised the aggrieved residents to tread with caution, stating that the land in question was allocated to the Kaduna Polytechnic by the state government as a virgin land over 40 years, until some people started encroaching into it.
Musa, however, urged the government to set up a verification committee before the demolition.
The students of the Kaduna Polytechnic on their part held a peaceful protest where they commended Governor El-Rufai for assisting the institution to recover its land from encroachers.
President of the Student Union Government, Usman Kareem, expressed optimism that the land would solve the school’s myriad of accommodation problems if recovered.
President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with Catholic Priest, Ejike Mbaka, on the 21st anniversary of his ordination to priesthood in the Catholic Church which comes up on Friday.
Premium Times reported presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, as stating that “The President extends his best wishes to Fr. Mbaka’s family, congregation and well-wishers as they celebrate this special occasion with him in his continued devotion to the well-being of others as a father, wise counselor, teacher and guardian,”
“The President commends Fr. Mbaka’s steadfast devotion to his vocation and ministry amply demonstrated in his love and service for his people, nation and God.
“President Buhari prays that God Almighty, who has given the cleric the strength to devote his entire life to service in the Vineyard, will continually bless and prosper his ministry.”
Mbaka became a controversial figure in the months leading to the 2015 general elections when he famously prophesied that incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan would lose his seat to his opponent Muhammadu Buhari, after having reportedly endorsed Jonathan.
The prophecy drew a lot of controversy, with some Nigerians accusing the Catholic priest of deliberately heating up the polity.
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has reiterated that recent attacks in the country involving asylum-seekers would not change its willingness to take in refugees.
She said the attackers “wanted to undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need. We firmly reject this”.
But she did propose new measures to improve security, including information sharing, deciphering web chatter and tackling arms sales on the internet.
A suicide bomb attack in Ansbach that injured 15 people was carried out by a Syrian who had been denied asylum but given temporary leave to stay.
An earlier attack on a train in Wuerzburg on 18 July that wounded five people was also carried out by an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, with both attackers claiming allegiance to the so-called Islamic State.
The deadliest recent attack – in Munich on 22 July which left nine dead – was carried out by a German teenager of Iranian extraction but was not jihadist-related.
Chancellor Merkel, who interrupted her summer holiday to hold the news conference in Berlin, said the asylum seekers who had carried out the attacks had “shamed the country that welcomed them”.
But she insisted that those fleeing persecution and war had a right to be protected, and Germany would not deny shelter to the deserving.
Referring to the attacks that have taken place in France, Belgium, Turkey, the US and elsewhere, she said they were intended to “spread fear and hatred between cultures and between religions”.
But in reference to her famous phrase “We can do this” – uttered last year when she agreed to take in a million migrants – Merkel said: “I am still convinced today that “we can do it”.
“It is our historic duty and this is a historic challenge in times of globalisation. We have already achieved very, very much in the last 11 months,” she said.
The Sokoto State Government said it has uncovered no fewer than 12,915 `ghost workers,’ padded into the payrolls of the 23 local government areas of the state.
This was disclosed by the State’s Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Mannir Dan-Iya, during a media briefing in Sokoto on Thursday.
He said the discovery was made after the ministry had concluded a local government junior staff verification of about 58,143 workers, comprising of scheduled and unscheduled staff.
“The verification exercise yielded fruitful result, whereby about 12, 915 workers, comprising of seat-at-home and ghost workers were fished out of the local governments’ staff payrolls.”
Dan-Iya stated that the exercise was a huge success as it saved the state government over N319 million.
He added that plans are underway for a similar verification exercise of the ministry’s senior staff, whose salaries are paid through their respective banks.
He also said that issues that arose from the exercise, mostly associated with human errors, were being effectively addressed.
Former Military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to do all it could to bring to an end the economic recession which Nigeria is currently grappling with.
Gowon made the call on Wednesday at the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, in Osun State, expressing optimism that the team put up by the federal government can come up with a solution to the crisis.
“I have left government for a long time, so I may not really know what the problem is. The current administration should do whatever they can to solve our economic challenges,
“They should find a way to restore confidence in the citizens and the nation at large by fixing the economy,” he said.
Reacting to the current budget padding scandal rocking the House of representatives, Gowon sad, “ If that is true. If anybody is doing that, the person should be checked and stopped to ensure that such does not occur in the future.
“We didn’t do it during my time. We had Chief Obafemi Awolowo in-charge of our finance and he taught us to survive without borrowing. Such (budget padding) should stop, there is no point doing that”, he added.
The former military president admitted that the masses and businesses were going through a tough time.
He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to find a way to restore the confidence of the people in the economy and the country at large.
US President, Barack Obama has implored voters to help continue his legacy by carrying Hillary Clinton to victory at the polls in November.
Obama praised Clinton at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, saying that she is the most qualified person ever to run for the White House.
He said voters must choose between hope and fear, attacking “home-grown demagogue” Republican Donald Trump.
Obama recounted his key victories over his past eight years in office and painted an optimistic future.
He extolled Clinton’s character, calling her a “leader with real plans to break down barriers, blast through glass ceilings and widen the circle of opportunity to every single American”.
Obama described Americans as “full of courage, “decent and generous”, but also expressed concerns about racial divisions and “political gridlock”.
He said Trump’s grim portrait of America was “not the America I know”.
The IGP and some Nasarawa State traditional rulers
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has called on traditional rulers across the country to cooperate with the police in ensuring the security of lives and property of all Nigerians.
This was made known in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Don Awunah.
The IGP made this plea while playing host to some traditional rulers from Nasarawa State, led by the Chairman of the Nasarawa State council of Traditional Rulers, Isa Mustapha Agwai who was represented by the Emir of Keffi, Chindo Yahusa.
He sought the cooperation of the royal fathers in crime prevention and control in their jurisdictions, asking them to ensure adequate security in their domains by prevailing on their subjects to be law abiding.
The IGP further informed the royal fathers of the establishment of the ‘Eminent Persons Forum’ in every State of the federation, urging them to participate actively in the forum by making inputs from their wealth of experience to intervene and resolve conflicts and crisis where they occur.
The Emir of Keffi, while responding on behalf of the Chairman of the Nasarawa State Traditional Rulers, assured the IGP of their support and cooperation, while also pledging their readiness to be of assistance whenever the need arises.
The Commission of Inquiry set-up by the Kaduna State government to investigate the cause of the clash between members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, and soldiers last December, has blamed the leader of the group, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky for all the transgressions of the Shiites.
A copy of the commission’s report made available to the New Telegraph said that El-Zakzaky had refused to order his followers to allow passage to the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai and his convoy, when members of the IMN blocked the road at the PZ junction in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The 295-page report, which has 15 chapters, quoted the Secretary to Kaduna State Government as saying that Governor Nasir El Rufai had personally called El-Zakzaky on phone “to persuade him to prevail on his members to remove the road blockade to no avail.”
“Similarly, the testimony of the State Director of Department of State Services, DSS, indicated that he did contact a DSS officer at Hussainiyya Baqiyatillah (the headquarters of the Shiites where the roadblock was mounted) to persuade the IMN to allow passage for the COAS convoy to no effect,” the commission noted.
The commission said it heard 102 memoranda, received 39 exhibits and 87 witnesses testified before it.
“The refusal of the IMN leader to cooperate with appropriate authorities to direct his followers to grant access to the COAS, was unnecessary, inappropriate and confrontational in the circumstances.
“Considering the nature and organisational structure of IMN, where the leader has total control over the members, Sheikh Ibraheem El Zakzaky should be personally held responsible for all acts of commission or omission of the entire membership of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in its clash with the Nigerian Army, for refusing to call his members to order when required to do so,” the report noted.
The commission, which was inaugurated on January 26, reported that “IMN has been steadfast and deliberate in widespread and habitual acts of lawlessness and defiance to constituted authorities, including the refusal to recognise the legitimacy, authority and the constitution of the Nigerian state.”
According to the report, the clash, which occurred between soldiers and Shiites in December is one out of several of such clashes with constituted authorities, adding that the clashes have continued “mainly due to weak and poor decisive/ proactive action and measures by appropriate constitutional authorities.”
The report recognised a “lack of political will at all levels of government to take proactive, appropriate and quick steps/ measures, including provision of proper and adequate equipment and training of law enforcement agencies, especially the Nigerian Police Force.”
The commission also noted that IMN has the habit of erecting roadblocks at will and “claims are rife that El Zakzaky orders IMN’s ‘Hurras’ or guards to arrest local residents for alleged offences such as not giving way to his entourage, prosecuting the arrested persons in his court, pass and execute judgements against them, including death penalty.”
The commission, however, faulted the Nigerian Army for “disproportionate use of force to deal with the situation.”
“The commission observed that the Nigerian Army had not followed its own rules of engagement and its actions would seem to be contrary to international standards, which must be strictly observed in carrying out such internal security operations,” the report stated.
In addition, the commission noted that the Nigerian Army was not forthcoming in the number of IMN casualties, although its memorandum revealed that it lost one soldier, Corporal Dan Kaduna Yakubu.
“The commission’s findings are that a total of 349 persons lost their lives during the clashes. The commission could not ascertain whether out of the said 349 who lost their lives, the seven people who died at the road blockade were included in the 347 buried in a mass grave by Kaduna state government,” the report stated.
The commission also indicted the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 1st Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade for giving a verbal order to soldiers to undertake a cordon and search operation around El Zakzaky’s residence.
According to the report, the standard practice is for such an order to be given either by the president or COAS in writing, which was not done.
It was not clear whether the GOC obtained a written order from President Muhammadu Buhari or Buratai before giving the verbal order for the operation to commence.
The Nigerian Army says it will begin an operation codenamed ‘Crocodile Smile’ in the South-south region of the country in order to curb the increase in militancy and crime in the area.
Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai made this known during the closing ceremony of the Nigerian Army 2016 Combat Support Arms Training week which was held at the headquarters of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maimalari Barracks in Maiduguri.
Buratai said the operation is expected to commence this week and will involve the deployment of military special troop and other hardware to the region to restore peace and normalcy.
“After the success of the Nigerian Army Day Celebration, Funtua Exercise, Exercise- Harbin Kunama in Zamfara state, another major exercise, ‘Crocodile Smile’ will commence this weekend in south-south states of the country,
“The aim of the exercise is to train our special force troops in amphibious and internal security operation in riverine environment,
“It will also check criminal activities like kidnappings, militancy, piracy and forms of criminal activities in support of the civil authority,” the army chief said.
Buratai said the Combat Support Arms Training is an annual event designed to keep troops updated on the ethical and professional conduct of combat support to meet up with current and future challenges.
He noted that the current training activities have been going on in all formations and units of the Nigerian Army.
“It is a reality that the nature of threats we are countering now and in the near future is asymmetric, hence the need to be proactive by all security agencies especially the military”.
“I’m glad to note that several efforts were made to tackle the challenges of counter-insurgency operations. The current counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations being undertaken by the military in the country especially in north-east have yielded positive results,” Buratai said.
He added that security agencies should not rest in their oars, rather they should continue to synergise in order to make gains on the progress recorded so far in the counter insurgency operations across the country.
The COAS urged troops to be loyal and committed to the maintenance of security in the country, adding that the army headquarters will continue to provide the necessary direction and resources to its troops to ensure that the combat arms perform optimally.
