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Senate Okays 7 Years Imprisonment For Human Trafficking

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Senate Okays 7 Years Imprisonment For Human Trafficking

The Senate on Wednesday passed a bill prohibiting trafficking in persons which prescribes a minimum of seven years imprisonment or a minimum fine of N1 million for offenders.

The Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Bill seeks to repeal and amend the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act of 2003.

The new bill, which seeks to stop the illegal trade of human trafficking, prescribes criminal punishment for any person found to have illegal custody of a child under the age of 18 years, sexually abuse or causes any person to be exploited.

The passage of the bill followed a clause by clause consideration of the report of the Senate joint committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters; and Women Affairs and Youth Development.

The repealed version of the bill had prescribed five years jail term or a fine of not less than N1 million.

The Senate also amended the bill by reducing the jail term for forced labour from seven years to five years and fine option of N2 million to N1 million.

“Any person who permits any place or premises to be used for the purpose of forced labour commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and to a fine of not less than N1million,” the new bill stipulates.

The Senate Joint committees said the recommendation for a reduction was necessary as “to make it consistent with punishments for similar offences under the bill”.

The amended bill also prohibits the employment or procurement of children under the age of 12 as domestic servants and protects children generally from being used for exploitative, injurious or hazardous work.

“Any person who employs, requires, recruits, transports, harbours, receives or hires out, a child under the age of 12 as a domestic worker, commits an offence. If convicted, such an offender is liable to imprisonment for a minimum term of six months and not exceeding seven years,” it states.

Jonathan Cancels NIS Exam, Gives Jobs To Victims

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Jonathan Cancels NIS Exam, Gives Jobs To Victims

President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the cancellation of the mass recruitment of job seekers by its ministries, departments and agencies, including the recent recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, with the exception of the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force.

This was disclosed Wednesday by the minister of Information, Labaran Maku, when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting in Abuja.

Maku said that the meeting, chaired by the President, was devoted entirely to the unfortunate incident which occurred last Saturday during the recruitment examination of the NIS, where about 20 lives were lost nationwide.

He said that the council set up a committed to be headed by the chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Joan Ayo, to conduct fresh recruitment into the NIS in place of the botched attempt.

Maku said that families of those that lost their loved ones during the incident would be offered three slots each with one being a woman) in the new exercise, while those injured would be given automatic employment.

According to the minister, the President instructed all government agencies henceforth “never to embark on any exercise of this nature” in recruiting people into public service because what happened could have been avoided all together.

Other members of the committee include representatives of the State Security Service, SSS, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakat, members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC and the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC.

Maku said that the federal government would take measures to ensure that such tragedy as witnessed in the immigration service recruitment bid did not repeat itself.

He added that the President, alongside members of the council, would pay condolence visits to all families of the victims of the incident.

Group Demands Information On NIS Exam From Minister, Attorney General

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Group Demands Information On NIS Exam From Minister, Attorney General

The Centre for Social Justice, CSJ, a transparency advocacy and rights group has written to the minister of Interior, Abba Moro, requesting him to furnish it with information concerning the just concluded recruitment examination into the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, which turned out to be a death trap nationwide.

Drawing powers from the Freedom of Information ACT and section 48 (1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007, the CSJ is demanding information on the total number of applicants that applied for the recruitment exercise; the total amount realised from the fees charged and paid by the applicants; the bank and the account number into which the money realised from the applicants has been paid and the signatories to the said account or, in the alternative, whether the money realised has been paid into the Federation Account and the details of the payment (date, time, cheques, letters of transfer or other evidence of payment,) into the Federation Account.

According to the letter signed by Kingsley Nnajiaka for the CSJ, the information sought also include details of the crowd control measures put in place for the nationwide exercise held on March 15 2014 and of the security agencies involved in the crowd control, including letters written to get them on board; whether there was any drill(s) and rehearsal(s) prior to the recruitment exercise and the details (Names, sex and addresses) of persons who lost their lives across the nation while attending the recruitment exercise.
In the same vein, the CSJ has also issued a seven day ultimatum to the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, to provide hard copies of the 2013 reports received from all ministries, departments and agencies or, alternatively, to declare whether they have been published online or at a single electronic access point and to state where if so.

The organisation observed that  Section 29 (6)] of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) makes attorney general’s office the law’s key implementation and oversight institution, adding that “the statute  imposes a duty on you  as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation to collect, latest by the 1st day of February each year, annual reports from  Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs) and other public institutions on their compliance efforts”.

It warned that failure to grant the request within the stipulated time will attract a “judicial review”..

Below are copies of the two letters:

March 18, 2014

The Honourable Minister of Interior
Federal Ministry of Interior
Block F, Old Secretariat
Garki Area 1
Abuja

Dear Sir,
IN THE MATTER OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST
Centre for Social Justice Limited by Guarantee (CSJ) on behalf of the Stop Impunity Nigeria Campaign is writing under the right to information guaranteed to all Nigerians by the Freedom of Information Act and to request for the following information in respect of the Immigration Service recruitment exercise that took place nationwide on Saturday March 15 2014. We seek the following information.
·         The total number of applicants that applied for the recruitment exercise;
·         The total amount realised from the fees charged and paid by the applicants;
·         The bank and the account number where the money realised from the applicants has been paid into;
·         The signatories to the said account;
·         In the alternative, whether the money realised has been paid into the Federation Account and the details of the payment (date, time, cheques, letters of transfer or other evidence of payment,) into the Federation Account;
·         Details of the crowd control measures put in place for the nationwide exercise held on March 15 2014;
·         Whether there was any drill(s) and rehearsal(s) prior to the recruitment exercise on Saturday March 15th ;
·         Details of the security agencies involved in the crowd control and letters written to get them on board;
·         Names, sex and addresses of persons who lost their lives across the nation while attending the recruitment exercise.
Our request is further strengthened by section 48 (1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007 which requires the Federal Government to ensure that its financial and fiscal affairs are conducted in a transparent manner and accordingly ensure full and timely disclosure and wide publication of all transactions and decisions involving public revenues and expenditures and their implications for its finances.

We trust that you will use your good office to ensure that the information requested is made available to us within the ambit of the aforementioned laws.

With the assurance of our highest regards.

Sincerely,

Kingsley Nnajiaka Esq.
Attorney

18th March 2014

THE HON. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION
HON. ATTORNEY GENERAL’S CHAMBERS
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
SHEHU SHAGARI WAY
MAITAMA-ABUJA

Dear Sir,
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) Ltd/Gte is Non-Governmental Organization dedicated inter alia to the development and implementation of national laws and policies on social rights and justice in accordance with international best practices; and promotion of accountability, transparency and popular participation in public expenditure management.

As you are well aware, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) makes your office its key implementation and oversight institution [s.29 (6)].  We believe that it is in furtherance of this , that the statute  imposes a duty on you  as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation to collect, latest by the 1st day of February each year, annual reports from  Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs) and other public institutions on their compliance efforts [s.29(1)]

Pursuant to our right under Section 1(1) of the Act, we hereby request hard copies of all the reports you have received from the MDAs for 2013. In the alternative, if it has been published online or at a single electronic access point, kindly let us know. We undertake to pay the necessary duplication fees in the event it is still in hard copy.

Take Notice that if we do not receive the said Reports within seven (7) of your receipt of this request, we shall be constrained to seek judicial review of your refusal.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,
For: Centre for Social Justice

Kingsley Nnajiaka Esq.

Eight Civilians Killed, Others Displaced In Giwa Barracks Attack

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Eight Civilians Killed, Others Displaced In Giwa Barracks Attack

Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

New information available indicate that at least eight civilians wre killed in last Friday’s terrorist  attack on Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri.

Although civilians were believed to have been caught in the crossfire between Boko Haram insurgents and the military, the number of those killed was not known.

But the chairman of the Borno State Special Emergency Relief Committee, Bulama Mali Gubio, said on Tuesday that at least eight civilians were killed in the attack on the barracks ostensibly carried out by the insurgents to free their colleagues who were detained there.

Gubio said this in an interview with journalists in Maiduguri, after the distributions of relief materials to victims of the attack.

“From what we gathered from affected communities, 8 people died. These are not included in the numbers of insurgents killed. These are civilians. Some of those wounded are still in the hospital,” he stated.

The chairman lamented that residents of at least four communities (Fori, Koreri, Wadia and Gambori villages) were displaced, as their houses were burnt down.

“What we’re doing now is to distribute food items and non food items to the victims and affected communities at least to address their immediate need. The state government would later rebuild their burnt houses,” he said.

Trucks of foodstuffs, clothes, cooking utensils and N1 million were distributed to each of the affected communities, amounting to N27 million.

Delta Assembly Elects New Speaker

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Delta Assembly Elects New Speaker

The Delta House of Assembly on Tuesday elected Peter Onwusanye, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Oshimili South, as its new speaker.

The election of Onwusanya was sequel to the resignation of the former speaker, Victor Ochei, as contained in a letter read by the deputy speaker of the House, Basil Ganagana, during Tuesday’s plenary.

According to the letter, Ochei said that his decision to resign was to pave way for new leadership and commended the state government and PDP for giving him the opportunity to serve the state.

In his acceptance speech, Onwusanya, who is an accountant, thanked the lawmakers for the confidence reposed in him.

He also thanked the governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, and PDP for giving him the opportunity to serve the people of the state and commended the former speaker; Ochei for his contribution to legislature in the state.

He solicited the support of the members in carrying out his duty.

Friday Osanebi (PDP) Ndokwa East was also elected as the new Chief Whip of the House following the recommendation by the state chairman of PDP, Peter Nwoboshi.

Military Foils Terrorist Attack In Yobe

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Military Foils Terrorist Attack In Yobe

The presence of military troops on patrol in the Goniri community, Gujba local government area of Yobe State, frustrated plans by a group of terrorists to launch an attack.

Following a tip off, the Army laid ambush for members of the group and an exchange of gunfire ensued.

Rockets and machine guns were freely used by the terrorists and in the end, over eight of them were killed, while several were wounded. Others fled.

The troops captured large amount of weapons from the terrorists but sadly lost a soldier while another officer was seriously wounded in the encounter.

According to a statement by the director defence information, Chris Olukolade, a major general, the troops are still in pursuit of the fleeing terrorists.

Goniri is not far from Buni Yadi where the terrorists killed school children recently.

Meanwhile troops operating around Gamboru, Ngala and Dikwa local government area towards the borders of Chad and Cameroun were throughout the weekend busy recovering weapons hidden by terrorists who were dislodged from the area.

The military said it was assisted by captured terrorists to discover arms which had been hidden in farms and cemeteries.

Edo State Residents Protest Extortionary Electricity Charge

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Edo State Residents Protest Extortionary Electricity Charge

From Jefferson Ibiwale, Benin

Civil society groups led residents of Edo State staged a peaceful walk Monday to protest the collection of N750 from electricity consumers by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BDISCO.

They alleged that the sum demanded monthly by the distribution company, which is a fixed charge whether or not they consumed electricity, was extortionary and illegal.

Several hundreds of people including traders, landords, tenants, students and lawmakers joined in the march to the State House of Assembly and the King square, grounding activities in the city’s centre.

Coordinator of the group, Kaduna Eboigbodin, said rhe charges were exploitative and should be stopped, vowing to make the protest a daily affair until their demand is met.

Another leader of the protest, Olu Martins, a clergyman, said among other illegal charges, some of the protesters paid for prepaid meters but have not received them and that in spite of the levies, power is not available to consumers.

The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Uyigue Igbe, while addressing the protesters, said he had met with the BDISCO in December 2013 to discuss how power will be improved across the state and urged citizens of the state to exercise patience.

He assured them that the Assembly would swing into action regarding their complaints and ensure that the issues raised are addressed.

But reacting to the planned protest last weekend, the managing director and chief executive of BDISCO, Funke Osibodu, said the N750 fixed charge represents the capacity charge on customers for power supplied by power generating and transmission firms to the distribution firm.

She said it is not a Benin DISCO issue adding, “it has been on before now, it is not new; it used to be N500 and was increased to N750.”

Osibodu added that the charge will be increased to N1, 500 by middle of the year.

Jonathan Approves 25 Justices For Court Of Appeal

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Jonathan Approves 25 Justices For Court Of Appeal

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday approved the appointment of 25 Justices to the Court of Appeal.

This was announce through a statement signed by the acting director of information of the National Judicial Council, NJC, Soji Oye.

It said the approval followed recommendation by the council chairman and Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Murkhtar.

The justices are, Hamma Barka, (Gombe); Joseph Jella, (Taraba); Bitrus Sanga, (Bauchi); Muhammed Mustapha, (Borno); Yargata Nimpar, (Gombe) and Sai’idiu Hussein, (Kogi),

Others are, Mudashiru Oniyangi, (Kwara); Amina Wambai, (Niger); Ridwan Abdullahi, (Nasarawa); Tani Hassan, (Kano); Muhammed Shuaibu, (Jigawa); Musa Alkali, (Kaduna); Jamilu Tukur, (Katsina); Paul Elechi, (Ebonyi) and Ugochukwu Ogakwu, (Enugu).

Still on the list are Nonyerem Okoronkwo, (Imo); Joseph Ekanem, (Akwa Ibom); F.E Oho, (Delta); Abimbola Adejumo, (Edo); Bolokuromo Ugo, (Bayelsa); Biobele Geogewill, (Rivers); Oludotun Adefope-okojie, (Ogun); Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf, (Oyo); J.O.K Oyewole, (Osun) and E.O Williams-Dawudu, (Lagos).

The statement said the appointment was in line with the new Court of Appeal Act as amended  which stipulates an increase in the number of justices of the Court from 70 to 90.

It said the appointment is also to fill the vacancies occasioned by the demise, retirement and elevation of some justices of the court.

The justices are expected to be sworn-in on March 24 by the CJN.

Canadian Scholarship Opens To African Journalists

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Canadian Scholarship Opens To African Journalists

The University of Winnipeg and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation are organising a journalism conference to bring journalists, academics and the public together to debate important issues like basic human rights, global corruption and criminal justice abuses, that investigative journalism can help illuminate.

African journalists can now apply for an all-expense paid trip to attend the conference which will hold between June 13-15 in Winnipeg, Canada..

The Global Integrity scholarship will cover the flight from the reporter’s home country in Africa to the conference, hotel, and a per diem to cover meals and transportation.

If the selected journalist needs to obtain a visa to visit Canada, Global Integrity and the conference organizers will provide a supporting letter.

To apply for the scholarship, applicants must fill out an application and explain in not more than four to five paragraphs how participating in the conference could make a difference in their journalism career or enable them to report a current or future story.

The deadline to apply is April 13.

For more information, click here.

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Monarch Dragged To Court For Diverting Community Funds

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Monarch Dragged To Court For Diverting Community Funds

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has charged the  traditional ruler of Ipupe community in Ubalaka Umuahia South local government of Abia State, Chima Bolo Ubiaru, before a state High Court sitting in Umuahi, for allegedly diverting N40million belonging to the community for his personal use.

The traditional ruler was charged alongsideside his brother, Iyke Patrick Ubiaru, a retired captain of the Nigerian Army, who is now the Palace secretary.

This is sequel to a petition by members of the Ipupe Development Union, IDU, to the commission that the community head connived with his brother to cheat them of N40 million from the N60 million given to them by the federal government through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited, as compensation for the relocation of shrines in the sacred forest of Okota in the community.

They alleged that the brothers lied about the amount received and converted a large chunk of it for their personal use.

Counsel to the ICPC, Raheem Adeshina, said the act of stealing public funds is contrary to and punishable under Sections 19 and 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Section 383(1) and 390(9) of the Criminal Code Act Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the seven count charge preferred against them and were granted bail.

The presiding judge, Justice A. U Kalu after listening to the submissions of counsels for ICPC and the accused persons adjourned the matter till April 16, 2014 for hearing.

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