THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, on Thursday, September 21, confirmed the death of an undergraduate of the National Open University of Nigeria, Blessing Karami.
Karami was declared missing on September 11, when she didn’t return to her house in Lugbe after closing from work at the Visest Supplement company in Area 3 junction.
The Police subsequently initiated a search after her disappearance was communicated to the Durumi Police station in FCT by her elder brother, Genesis Moses Karami, and her boss.
The elder brother had explained to The Whistler that the lady “studied Early Childhood Development at College of Education, Gidan Waya in Kaduna before going to NOUN as a direct entry student where she was studying the same course. She was in the 200 level.”
“I stay in Kaduna, but she stays in Lugbe. She stays alone. My sister left for work on Monday morning. They (her colleagues) saw her at work. She did all of her work and closed by 5 p.m., which was the last time. That was all,” he said.
Meanwhile, confirming her death on Thursday, September 21, the Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said the police had an unwavering commitment to uncover the cause of Karami’s death.
According to her, the lady’s body was discovered in a wooded area in Karimo. This is a different direction and transport route from where she stays.
“We wish to inform the Public that our primary focus at this time, under the directive of the Commissioner of Police, FCT, Haruna Garba, is to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding Blessing Karami Moses’ untimely death. Our commitment to this case is unwavering, and we are determined to uncover the immediate and remote causes of this tragic incident.”
She noted that the police were working with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) to facilitate the retrieval of the decomposed remains, adding that they would continue to provide updates to the public as the investigation progresses.
Following her death, the Divisional Police Headquarters, Durumi, Abuja, arrested one Aminu, said to be the deceased’s boyfriend.
While recounting the incident, the deceased’s brother, Karami, informed the police that he received a call about discovering his sister’s body on Tuesday, September 19. However, it later became evident that the information was incorrect
“The caller said he saw a female body in Idu, so we asked him to describe what she was wearing, and he told us exactly what we were told my sister wore to the office the day she went missing,” Mr Karami told the police at the Durumi Divisional Police Headquarters on Wednesday.
Karami also told journalists that when he couldn’t reach the Durumi DPO, he proceeded to the police station at Karmo. Accompanied by a group of policemen, the caller kept toying with them as he kept changing location until they got tired and left.
He added: “We (later) saw her decomposed body in the bush here at Karmo; it’s not something we can move. We have to arrange with the environmental people to come and help us pack. We cannot travel with it. We have to bury it here. It seems she died for days due to the nature of the decomposition.”
The ICIR had reported how commuters in Nigeria’s major cities – Lagos and Abuja – are violently attacked and robbed.
THE Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the exhumation of the body of the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
The Spokesperson of the Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed the development via his X handle on Thursday, September 21.
A Nigerian actress, Iyabo Ojo, has also disclosed that the nurse who reportedly injected the late singer before his demise on Tuesday, September 12, has been arrested.
The Police said the investigation followed growing public concerns and the preliminary police review of the circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s death.
The Command said the team, which comprises seasoned homicide detectives, had been tasked to aggregate all allegations, suspicions and insinuations from various sources on the singer’s death and undertake a professional, diligent and timely investigation to establish facts and ensure that justice is served.
The Force promised to deploy all requisite protocols (which may include exhumation) and technical and scientific tools vital to the detailed investigation of homicide allegations related to Mohbad’s death.
The ICIR also reported that a lawyer, Festus Ogun, wrote to the Chief Coroner of Lagos State, Mojisola Dada and the newly sworn-in Attorney General of the state, Lawal Pedro, demanding a coroner’s inquest into the death of the singer
In a statement sent to The ICIR on Monday, September 18, Ogun, who described himself as a fan of the late singer, said there were significant reports that Mohbad’s death was not due to natural cause.
Mohbad passed away on September 12, 2023, and was buried a day after.
THE Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability (CMPA) has restated its commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in Nigeria by hosting a round-table to standardise anti-corruption reporting in Nigeria.
The organisation stated this on Wednesday, September 20, in Abuja while rounding off its two-day programme to engage and sensitize more stakeholders on its Nigeria Anti-Corruption Performance Public Reporting (NAPPR) Project.
CMPA brought together past and present heads of anti-corruption agencies (ACAs), mid-level executives representing the various ACAs, investigative journalists, civil society organizations (CSOs) and media organizations to collaboratively shape the creation of a standardised template for anti-corruption reporting in Nigeria.
The MacArthur Foundation funds the NAPPR project to establish a unified reporting template for anti-corruption initiatives, fostering transparency and public engagement.
Discussions at the event centred on designing a harmonised framework for reporting anti-corruption activities to enhance transparency, consistency, and public awareness.
Executive Director of CMPA and project manager Suleiman Suleiman emphasised the importance of data collection in tackling anti-corruption.
“Our goal was to bridge the gap between anti-corruption agencies’ efforts and public perception by uniting CSOs and media organisations in shaping anti-corruption reporting,” Suleiman stated.
The Director of Research, Abdulmutalib Abubakar, reaffirmed the organisation’s vision and commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in Nigeria.
Participants, including CSOs, media representatives, leadership experts, and stakeholders, engaged in fruitful discussions and shared best practices for creating a unified reporting mechanism.
CMPA urged participants to utilise their platforms to disseminate insights and contribute to strengthened anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria.
The CMPA is an independent, not-for-profit organisation focused on anti-corruption, research, public policy analysis, transparency, and accountability.
A coalition of over 1,000 Women Rights Organisation, Womanifesto, on Wednesday (Sept 20), held a protest against the assault on Ondo State Commissioner of Women Affairs Olubunmi Osadahun by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ward Chairman of Akoko North-West LG Olumide Awolumate.
The Ondo State Chapter of Womanifesto took to the streets with banners demanding the prosecution of the APC Chairman and justice for the commissioner.
Awolumate attacked the commissioner on Saturday, September 16, while leading the distribution of palliatives provided by the Federal Government to alleviate hardships arising from the removal of fuel subsidy.
He was captured in a viral video hitting the commissioner on her head with a chair, which caused her some bleeding and swelling.
Osadahun was taken to the hospital for medical attention following the incident, while young men identified as her loyalists retaliated by launching an attack on Awolumate.
Following the attack, the Ondo State Chapter of the APC announced the Ward Chairman’s indefinite suspension on Tuesday, September 19.
His suspension was contained in a statement issued by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Alex Kalejaye, who described his actions as deplorable and lamentable.
“In furtherance of the above, the leadership of the party in Akoko North West deems it fit to officially inform the state secretariat that Awolumate Olumide is hereby suspended indefinitely from the party in Akoko North West of our great party,” the statement read in part.
Meanwhile, Womanifesto condemned the assault in a statement on Monday, September 18 and called for the Chairman’s prosecution.
“This situation is a microcosm and replica of the varying degrees of violence against women across Nigeria. The deepest disregard for women in Nigeria was displayed in public without any form of reservation or remorse. If a commissioner can be so assaulted, we can only imagine the gruesome forms of violence meted out to women around Mr Awolumate,” the statement partly read.
The Ondo State Police Command also condemned the attack in a statement and commenced an investigation into the attack.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that the commissioner who was in the Akoko area to see to the distribution of said palliatives was attacked by the assailant named Awolumate Olumide while having a meeting with some of their party members in the area.
“The CP (Commissioner of Police) has ordered that a thorough investigation be carried out and the case transferred to the SCID (State Criminal Investigation Department), Akure, for further probe into what led to the assault,” the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Funmilayo Odunlami noted in a statement.
Deputy Minority Leader of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Oluwatosin Ajirotutu, also described the attack as barbaric and inexcusable.
SECURITY operatives in Ogun State have arrested a member of the state House Of Assembly, Damilare Bello Mohammed, and five others over the recent cult clash in Sagamu area of the state.
Clashes erupted at the weekend between rival cult groups in Sagamu, leading to the death of some residents.
Bello, representing Sagamu State Constituency (1), allegedly provided refuge for some fleeing cultists.
According to Lekan Adeniran, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, the State Security Service (SSS) arrested the suspects on Wednesday, September 20, at the official residence of the lawmaker.
Adeniran, in the statement, revealed that various deadly items, including guns, were found on the suspects and that they were being interrogated in SSS custody.
He stated that those arrested include Damilare Bello Mohammed, aka DRE, Adewale Otesanya, Bamidele Saheed, Ismaila Onitire, Debo Animashaun and Tobi Owoade.
In February 2023, Bello was arrested by the SSS for allegedly planning the violent demonstration that broke out in Sagamu when angry youths vandalised about ten banks and other public facilities in protest against the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) currency redesign policy.
Attempts to speak with the SSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, over the incident were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to messages sent to his phone.
Proffering a solution to the regular cult crisis in Sagamu, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Police, Muyiwa Adejobi, in his reaction to the cult incident on his X handle, said the situation in the town was beyond the deployment of an anti-cultism squad alone, saying all stakeholders must collaborate to tame the menace.
He recommended a multi-track diplomacy approach to tackling the crisis.
Adejobi urged the Ogun State Commissioner of Police to look inward and take action on the report by some residents that the cultists were well known to security agents.
He added that most of those causing trouble in the area were not from Sagamu.
THE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has recorded a decrease in road traffic crashes (RTCs), related fatalities and injuries during the first half (H1) of 2023.
Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO) Bisi Kazeem disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 20, noting that there had been a 15.5 per cent decrease in fatalities compared to the same period in 2022.
“On the number of people killed, the corps also recorded a significant reduction within the operational period. According to the crash data report, in the first six months of 2023, the corps recorded a total of 2,850 fatalities as against 3,375 in the same period in 2022, representing a 15.5% reduction,” Kazeem noted.
There were 5,700 RTCs in the first half of 2023, a 14 per cent decrease compared to 6,627 cases in H1 2022.
FRSC also recorded a 14 per cent decline in the figure of people rescued with injuries, as 16,716 were rescued in 2023 and 19,440 in 2022.
“The corps marshal attributed this modest achievement to a number of strategies and innovations in enforcement activities, improved presence and visibility, public enlightenment and partner engagement.
“While charging drivers to desist from bad driving behaviours, corps marshal Dauda Ali Biu re-emphasised the commitment of the corps towards achieving its corporate mandate of sanitising the highways and entrenching safety on the nation’s over 200,000 kilometres road network,” Kazeem noted.
Globally, Africa is infamous for having the world’s highest road accident death rates.
According to a 2014 report by the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), a global multi-donor fund hosted by the World Bank, Nigeria tops the countries with the most fatalities from traffic crashes.
Before the decline in H1, RTC cases in Nigeria had been on the rise, with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) recording the highest figures nationwide.
There were 13,027 RTC cases in 2021, which rose to 13,656 in 2022.
ANOTHER missing Zamfara journalist, Hamisu Danjibga, has been found dead.
A statement issued by the secretary of the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ibrahim Ahmad, on Wednesday, September 20, said the deceased’s body was found dumped in a soakaway by those who murdered him.
While extending its condolences to his family members, the union charged the security operatives to investigate the death and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Danjibga, a reporter with Voice of Nigeria (VON), was declared missing on Monday, September 18.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), his killers had demanded one million naira for his release, but the amount was later increased.
Confirming the death, the NUJ said Danjibga’s body was found in a soakaway behind his house three days after missing.
According to the group, the discovery of his corpse resulted from an unpleasant odour observed by Islamiya Children (Muslim children group) on Wednesday, September 20, who drew their teachers’ attention.
The NUJ added, “After breaking the soakaway, the dead body was confirmed to be Danjibga by his family and some neighbours. His funeral rites have since been observed according to Islamic injunctions.”
The police have arrested one person allegedly involved in the journalist’s killing.
The ICIR had on Wednesday, September 20, reported how a missing Kwara journalist was found dead in Ilorin.
Mubarak, a new media journalist who hails from Ilorin, went missing on Wednesday (September 13), but his remains were eventually found three days later around the Unity area of Ilorin, the state capital, on Saturday, September 16.
Reacting to his tragic death, the Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) stated that the “circumstances surrounding the death of Yusuf Mubarak are both shocking and deeply concerning,” adding that the loss sent shockwaves through the media sphere and highlighted the need for swift and thorough investigations.
It also called on the security agencies to thoroughly investigate the incident and uncover the mystery surrounding his death.
FOR weeks, Omuo and Ilawe communities in Ekiti state have been at loggerheads over who hosts the newly-created Federal College of Education approved by former President Muhammadu Buhari weeks to the end of his tenure. The ICIR’s Marcus Fatunmole visited the communities, interviewed stakeholders, and presented his findings in this report.
The two communities are among the scores of Ekiti towns sharing common traditions, language and heritage. But the quest to host a Federal Government institution has pitched them against each other.
It all started on April 18, 2023, when Ibrahim Gambari, a professor and the Chief of Staff to former President Buhari, signed a letter approving the establishment of the Federal College of Education in Ilawe, Ekiti State, and six other schools in other states.
The letter sent shock waves to Omuo when the news broke. The town had waited for the President to sign a bill backing the school creation and siting in the community, but Buhari opted for Ilawe as the host community and ignored the bill.
While streams of joy flowed in Ilawe over the news, tempers rose in Omuo, and protests raged.
Turns of events saw the communities hurling a barrage of abuses at each other in the media, but they were too far apart to engage in physical combat.
The letter from the Presidency approving the Federal College of Education and others in April 2023
The genesis
The senator who represented Ekiti South in the eight and ninth Senate, Biodun Olujimi, sponsored a bill for the school creation. She hails from Omuo.
The bill, titled the “Federal College of Education Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti-State, 2021,” was first read at the Senate on February 13, 2020.
It passed through the second and third readings on October 30, 2020, and September 21, 2021.
It also had a concurrence at the House of Representatives and was transmitted to the President for signing in 2022.
The government sealed its decision to establish the school in Ilawe by appointing the institution’s principal officers through a letter carrying Sunday, May 28 date – a day before the end of the administration. Earlier, the chief of staff of the then president Ibrahim Gambari issued a memo with SH/COS/02/A/3342 on April 18 stating that the school was approved.
Top government officials who have worked in the Presidency and ministries interviewed by The ICIR said government documents could not carry Sunday dates because government offices do not open on weekends.
The Federal Ministry of Education’s letter appointing the provost of the Federal College of Education on Sunday, May 28
The officials, in the rank of director, claimed anonymity for fear of being punished and called for a probe into the letter.
In the letter with reference number FME/PS/569/C.I/II/89 and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Andrew David Adejo, the government appointed Ajigbade Ikuejube, a doctorate holder, as the college provost.
The ICIR observed that the ministry misspelled the new provost’s name as ‘Ijkuejube’ instead of ‘kuejube’.
Ikuejube is a former Acting Provost of the Federal College of Education, Ondo, Ondo State. He worked for several years at the college and served in various capacities.
Days after the ministry released the circular, Alawe of Alawe, Adebanji Ajibade Alabi, Afuntade 1, broke the news of the college’s take-off to his community at a media briefing.
The monarch’s briefing evoked more rage in Omuo, which accused Ilawe of hijacking the college.
Youth and other residents took to the streets in protest for at least three days. The demonstrations affected commuters and other travellers plying the border town. Omuo borders Kwara, Kogi and Ondo States.
Omuo residents attributed ‘high-level politicking’ at the Presidency to why Buhari approved the school for Ilawe.
A cross-section of Omuo residents interviewed claimed that the victory of Yemi Adaramodu, an Ilawe indigene and candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over Olujimi of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) at the February 25 National Assembly poll conferred an advantage on Ilawe to get the school from the Buhari government.
Others blamed Omuo’s loss in hosting the institution on Olujimi’s staying in the PDP rather than defecting to the ruling APC before the general election.
The ICIR reports that the two communities parade an array of illustrious sons and daughters, including Femi Bamisile, a member of the House of Representatives (from Omuo), and Femi Falana, a prominent senior advocate ( from Ilawe).
Speaking with the ICIR reporter in his palace on August 26, Olomuo of Omuo Kingdom, Oba Noah Adejuwon Omonigbehin (Okinbaloye II), described siting the school in Ilawe as a ‘mystery’ and a ‘hijack’.
He argued that there was never a time when Ilawe requested any Federal College of Education from the Federal Government.
Olomuo of Omuo Kingdom, Oba Noah Adejuwon Omonigbehin (Okinbaloye II). Photo: Marcus Fatunmole/The ICIR
“There was never a time when Alawe and Ilawe community were invited by the Committee of the Senate on Tertiary Institution and TETFund,” he said, stressing that his community, including himself, was invited to Abuja by the government and National Assembly over the institution.
The Olomuo said he and other stalwarts from his community attended public hearings on the school bill, and nobody represented Ilawe.
“To our dismay, we just heard that the school had been approved for Ilawe. I don’t know what parameter they used,” he said.
He added, “We want him (Alawe) to show when he was invited by the Senate, to the House of Representatives, the Committee of TETFund and Tertiary Institution. Even the bill that was passed was duly signed by the President of the Senate and the Clerk of the Senate.
“We wonder how someone who did not ask for a thing would come up that they have been given that thing.”
He called on President Bola Tinubu to investigate and do justice to the matter.
Monarch blames Education Ministry, Senator
The Olomuo accused the Education Ministry of being the mastermind of the ‘hijack.’ He also said Adaramodu could not absolve himself from the matter.
“You can see the hasty attitude and action of the Federal Ministry of Education. Federal Ministry of Education issued a letter that is contestable. In the letter they wrote, they appointed principal officers dated May 28, which is a Sunday. Our question is: has it been a new policy of the Federal Ministry of Education to open office on Sundays?”
The monarch contended that the government should look into the equitable distribution of federal institutions in the state.
Speaking on how his part of Ekiti was ‘deprived’ of any higher institution of learning, he said the Ikere community, neighbouring Ado, had the state University of Education, Ado got the Federal Polytechnic and the State University, and Ilawe, also neighbouring the state capital, wanted the Federal College.
He said Omuo had taken the matter to the Public Complaint Commission in Abuja, and the commission had forwarded its report to the Presidency. He added that the community planned to meet the President over the matter.
A letter from the Senate inviting Omuo community leader to a public hearing on the college bill
The ICIR reports that Omuo and Ilawe are in the same senatorial district but about 100 kilometres apart.
“Ilawe to Ado Ekiti is not up to 30 minutes. If you look at Ilawe to Ikere, it is about 25 minutes. Look at this axis here, as a senatorial district, nothing at all—no Federal Government presence. Omuo is strategically located. It is a nodal town, having a border with Ondo, Kwara and Kogi States. It is also a gateway to Abuja. Such an institution is more suitable for Omuo than any other area in Ekiti State,” the Olomuo said.
He explained that he had no issue with the Alawe or his community but said it was shocking that the town could “come through the back door” to claim what Omuo had worked for many years.
According to him, the issue could have deteriorated to a physical clash between the two communities, but for the distance.
He said he had appealed to his people, especially the youth, to be patient to allow Omuo to use diplomacy and peaceful means to reclaim the institution.
Media have no role to play in crisis – Alawe
The reporter was at the palace of Alawe on August 25. The monarch said he was out of town. The reporter got his phone number from a youth in the community, called him and explained his mission for coming to the palace.
The monarch asked a series of questions on the phone and concluded that The ICIR had an ‘interest’ in the matter.
Some of the questions he asked the reporter include, “Who is funding you?”, “What’s your interest in the matter?”
Frontage of the palace of Alawe of Ilawe, Oba Adebanji Ajibade Alabi, Afuntade 1. Photo: Marcus Fatunmole/The ICIR
He eventually asked the reporter to wait for him in the palace. “I travelled. I’m on my way back. I will soon be in the palace,” he explained.
Some 30 minutes later, he called the reporter and told him he would not be available again that day. The reporter pleaded to return to his hotel and meet him the following day. He said he wasn’t funding the reporter’s work and would not ask him to wait till another day.
The reporter told him he had enough funds to care for himself for many days in the state. The monarch retorted, “What is your interest (in the matter) that you’re funding yourself? You don’t have an appointment with me, and I’m unavailable.”
He promised to call the reporter, and he never did.
While concluding the investigation, on Friday, September 8, the reporter again called the king to obtain his reaction to the allegation levelled against his community.
“I’m not interested in any discussion with you. You don’t have any role to play,” he said, ending the call abruptly.
Bills not law, of no effect on executive decisions – Adaramodu
Adaramodu said bills not signed by a President are not laws and can’t be binding on the society.
He denied having a hand in the school’s location in his community.
He argued that he had superiors in Ilawe – more educated, influential and exposed – who worked for the community’s development and would not stop them.
He said the town’s monarch is a retiree from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who could ask for projects in his community from Abuja and anywhere.
A section of the Ilawe community. Photo: Marcus Fatunmole/The ICIR
“Those people who alleged must have told you how I was instrumental, whether I am law to myself or whether I am the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who approved school. They should tell. We all know how a school can be sited. It is the prerogative of the executive. Moreover, I was in the Ninth Assembly (as a Rep.) We all know that if there is any law that is existing, nobody can change that law.
“When they sited the school, I was just two weeks old in the Senate. How can somebody who is two weeks old in the Senate change any law? Is it possible? Does it speak well at all? Anything done by the Ninth Assembly, the Tenth Assembly cannot touch it. If a bill has not become law, you cannot even touch it at the Tenth Assembly. It went away with that Assembly, and then you have to start again,” he said.
The lawmaker said Ilawe people also went for the public hearing in Abuja over the siting of a Law School, and the government gave the institution to its sister community.
He also explained that Iyin Ekiti went for public hearing over the siting of the University of Health Sciences, and the government denied the community.
He alleged that Olujimi used the bill she sponsored for the Federal College to deceive the Omuo people to enable her to win a re-election.
“Politicians are just manipulating the people. They are just using the ignorance of the people in law-making…They are just playing politics with our people. Auntie Olujimi said that she sponsored the bill. Ask her if that amounts to a law. Has it been assented to? Several legislators will say they want schools in their communities. Does the executive site those schools?”
Aerial view of United High School, which the Ilawe community offered as the temporary site for the new Federal College of Education in the town. Photo: Marcus Fatunmole/The ICIR
He said the National Assembly had passed “several thousand” bills, which didn’t become law, adding that the National Assembly would not create a school or any institution but the executive.
Adaramodu said he invited Omuo stakeholders to Abuja to join him in finding the truth about the school’s creation and siting, but they shunned him.
When told that the letter appointing the school’s principal officers was issued and signed on Sunday, May 28, he said it was not his business but of the Ministry of Education.
He called for peace and understanding between the communities, as, according to him, there is no way the towns will not work together.
He urged Omuo to discover the truth, stressing that he loved the two communities as others in the state.
Education Ministry declines interview with The ICIR
The reporter was at the Federal Ministry of Education on Thursday, August 31, to hear from the Permanent Secretary why he signed the letter appointing the principal officers on a Sunday and to get his reaction to the allegation that the ministry colluded with some people to convince Buhari to site the school in Ilawe.
At his office door on the first floor of the ministry, every visitor fills out a form stating why they want to see him. The reporter did, and the private security guard manning the door took the note to him.
Andrew David Adejo, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education.
The Permanent Secretary refused to attend to the reporter, who spent nearly three hours in his waiting room. Adejo attended to everyone in the waiting room except the reporter, who waited till after 5 p.m. before leaving.
It’s not time for me to talk over college – Olujimi
Meanwhile, Olujimi, who is challenging Adaramodu’s victory in court, declined to react. She texted the reporter, who requested having an interview with her on the government siting of the college in Ilawe, saying, “Sorry, I don’t intend to speak on it for now. It’s not yet time.”
A leader in Omuo, Segun Akanle, was among the first people who went for the first reading of the bill.
He told the reporter during an interview, “I was shocked when we heard that Ilawe people were jubilating a few weeks ago when they were receiving the principal officers of the school. That was the first news about the school. There was no pronouncement from the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Federal Education.
“We just read online that the principal officers for the Federal College of Education had resumed in Ilawe. We were shocked. We also learnt from Alawe’s media briefing that he had set up a committee that would see to the smooth take-off of the school. That was where we picked the whole thing up.”
He said the Omuo community petitioned the Federal Character Commission, the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Education.
He said when Omuo stakeholders attended the public hearing in Abuja on the bill, the Senate announced that if any community had an interest as Omuo, it should indicate. No town showed up, he stated.
“But to my dismay, when we went for the petition in Abuja recently, the Ministry of Education told us that Ilawe had written for request since 2017. “Where was Ilawe since 2018?.”
A leader in Omuo community, Segun Akanle
He said the name of Ilawe just came up between March and May this year.
The ICIR contacted Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Gambari, to request his reaction to the allegation of collusion between the Education Ministry and the Presidency officials over the siting of the college in Ilawe.
He did not respond to calls and messages sent to him in this regard.
This organisation also reached out to Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Tinubu and the Speaker of the Ninth House of Representatives, under whose leadership the bill had a concurrence at the Lower Chamber.
The ICIR sought to know if he was aware of the crisis the school’s siting was causing between the two towns and how the President would resolve the matter.
He did not respond to calls, texts and WhatsApp messages sent to his phone number.
Why communities want college – Findings
Apart from guaranteeing the socio-economic transformation of the host community, The ICIR found that none of the two communities has a commercial bank.
This organisation reports that while the only bank in Ilawe had shut down because of fear of armed robbery attacks on banks in communities in the state, Omuo does not have any, except the one in Omuo-Oke, its neighbour.
Many houses are unoccupied in the two communities, and economic activities in the largely agrarian towns are low.
In Omuo, there has been no grid electricity for eight years.
In 2022, The ICIRreported how Omuo and its environs had not seen grid electricity for seven years.
A section of the Amunnu Comprehensive High School, which the Omuo community offered for the take-off of the anticipated Federal College of Education in the town. Photo: Marcus Fatunmole/ICIR
When the reporter carried out this investigation in late August 2023, the community had yet to get the light, but work was ongoing.
Residents interviewed said with the school, the light would return faster than expected.
The ICIR reports that while Omuo lies on a plateau, Ilawe is enveloped by hills and valleys.
The reporter contacted Yinka Oyebode, the Chief Press Secretary to the Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, to know how the state government is handling the crisis. He did not pick up the reporter’s calls or respond to the text and WhatsApp messages sent to him.
Similarly, efforts by the reporter to know how the Ekiti State Police Command is maintaining the peace in both communities proved abortive, as the command’s spokesperson, Sunday Abutu, has yet to respond to the text and Whatsapp messages sent to him.
He had promised to call the reporter back when he called him earlier.
Communities pick temporary sites for college
Ilawe and Omuo have picked a temporary campus for the new college.
The ICIR visited the secondary schools the towns offered for the school’s take-off.
Omuo picked Amunnu Comprehensive High School along Ikare (Ondo State) Road, while Ilawe chose United High School along Igede Ekiti.
Each school has about 20 classrooms, administrative offices, a large hall and wide land space.
The ICIR reports that given the conditions of the schools, it is unlikely the institution will commence operation immediately because both lack the infrastructure for a comfortable take-off for the institution.
The reporter gathered that prominent indigenes in both communities donated their houses to the school to boost its operations.
One of the houses donated by an Ilawe indigene to ease the school’s take-off
A resident of Ilawe, Akinniyi Bada, a pastor, said the institution was a great development for the community. He expressed delight with the college coming to the town.
“We have been agitating for it for a long time. The community is very happy to receive the school.”
He said the town was waiting to receive the students and the college’s workforce.
“We are ready to accommodate everyone. We are ready to accept the students as friends, daughters and children because we’ve been expecting the school for a long time.
He said the school would bring development to the community.
The translator will collaborate closely with the IJNet French editor to add valuable articles and resources for journalists to the French site and the IJNet home office team to ensure the site runs smoothly.
Additionally, the translator will look for, write about, and publish training opportunities in French for IJNet and training opportunities from French to English and English to French.
English to French translators with three to five years of experience are welcome to apply.
THE Kano State Police Command has declared a 24-hour curfew across the state.
The state Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Usaini Gumel, disclosed this in a statement he signed Wednesday evening.
His decision followed growing apprehension across the state after the State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sacked Abba Kabir Yusuf as the state governor and declared theAll Progressives Congress candidate, Nasir Gawuna, as the winner of the March 18 governorship poll.
Yusuf was the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) led by the state’s former Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), through its returning officer, Ahmed Ibrahim, a professor, had declared Yusuf the winner.
The commission said Yusuf won with 1,019,602 to beat Gawuna, whom it claimed polled 890,705.
Delivering its judgement, the three-person tribunal on Wednesday ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Yusuf and give it to Nasiru Gawuna.
The panel, presided over by Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, deducted 165,663 votes from Yusuf’s total votes.
The court declared the deducted votes as invalid because the ballot papers were not stamped or signed.
Police in the state said on Wednesday that they had dispatched a combined team of officers across the city to enforce the curfew.
The ICIR reports that the sacked governor ordered the Police to declare a curfew.
“In view of the constitutional mandate of the Nigeria Police Force alongside the relevant internal security and law enforcement agencies to preserve law and order in the state, the Kano State Police Command has mapped out strategies in that direction and call on the good people of the state to give the necessary confidence and supports.
“Going forward, Kano State residents are called upon to note that the combined security forces have already been dispatched to the nooks and crannies, including the entry and exits of the state, to ensure enforcement and strict compliance with the 24-hour curfew order as communicated by the state government via letter with Reference No: K/SEC/H/435/T.1/153 dated September 20, 2023 taking effect from 6 p.m. of Wednesday, September 20 to 6 p.m. of Thursday, September 21 2023.”
The Police vowed to arrest violators and make them face the law.
The ICIR reports that fear enveloped the state shortly after the tribunal gave its judgment via Zoom.
