HUMAN rights lawyer Femi Falana has urged President Tinubu-led Federal Government to prosecute the suspended and now former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over the naira scarcity that hit the country early this year.
In a statement he released on Sunday, September 17, 2023, Falana said Emefiele and the CBN lied to Nigerians over the availability of cash owing to redesigning the nation’s currency.
“Convinced that the suspended Governor of the Central Bank, Mr. Emefiele, had lied and deceived the Nigerian people, we requested information about the actual amount made available to each of the commercial banks. In its belated response to our request, the CBN has now confirmed that it issued redesigned currency notes of N402 billion to the banks,” he said.
“Having misled Nigerians to believe that sufficient cash was distributed to commercial banks to replace the sum of N3.5 trillion mopped up from customers, Mr Godwin Emefiele and the entire management of the CBN ought to be prosecuted for incitement and culpable homicide.”
Falana also charged the CBN to rebuild commercial bank buildings destroyed by angry customers while the scarcity lasted.
He also appealed to the apex bank to compensate the families of those who were killed due to the incitement of the public.
Buhari authorised the policy, which the CBN said made the old notes cease to be legal tender from February 10.
In one of its many reports on the hardship the policy has brought to people in the country, The ICIRreportedhow Nigerians went nude, fought in banks and engaged in other habits that counted as offences when things were normal.
The then-candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and incumbent President, said the prevailing fuel scarcity, which coincided with the naira scarcity, aimed to sabotage the 2023 general elections.
The ICIRreported how Tinubu suspended Emefiele shortly after assuming office and directed him to hand over the affairs of his office to the deputy governor operations directorate, Folashodun Shonubi.
The State Security Service (SSS), which arrested him shortly after his suspension, did not initially give reasons for his arrest.
However, the SSS eventually brought him to the Federal High Court in Lagos, where he faced charges of alleged illegal gun possession, comprising two counts related to firearms and ammunition.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo granted him bail on a N20 million bond, requiring one surety of equivalent value.
However, the Federal Government filed additional charges against him in Abuja on August 15, following his rearrest at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
THE Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has apologised for threatening female students who testified against the suspended University of Calabar (UNICAL) lecturer, Cyril Ndifon.
The university suspended Ndifon, a professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law in the institution, on August 17 after the female Law students protested, alleging that he had subjected them to sexual harassment and assault.
Ndifon denied the allegations.
Following the developments, the university set up an investigation panel to investigate the allegations, namely sexual harassment, lack of accountability and abuse of office.
In a video, the minister threatened the students testifying against the lecturer with dire consequences, including imprisonment if they lied against him.
However, in a statement released on Sunday, September 17, 2023, Uju tendered her apology to Nigerians and students who testified in the probe.
Uju stated: “I wish to express my sincere apologies to those who were offended by my comments and actions regarding the sexual harassment scandal at the University of Calabar. This is extremely regrettable as my intentions were sincere and aligned with my consistent advocacy for the welfare of Nigerian women and the pursuit of justice.
“I stand for all Nigerian women, and I stand for justice. It is my hope that we can work together to actualize the dream of a country where women’s rights are respected and protected and where our daughters feel safe in institutions of learning.”
She further expressed her concern over the escalating cases of sexual harassment across campuses and emphasized the need for decisive action. She assured that her ministry would actively seek justice for those affected.
The ICIR reported how in a leaked telephone conversation said to be of Ohaneye with one of the girls claiming to have been raped by Ndifon, threatened the girl and other testifiers that they would go to jail if they lied against Ndifon.
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Jamila Bio Ibrahim and Ayodele Olawande as the Minister of Youth and Minister of State Youth, respectively.
The appointments were contained in a statement issued by the President’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, on Sunday, September 17.
A medical doctor, Ibrahim recently served as the Progressive Young Women Forum (PYWF) president.
She also served as the Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Olawande, on the other hand, is a youth leader in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He most recently served in the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Innovation from 2019 to 2023 in the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu charged the appointees to consistently reflect the dynamism, innovative zeal, and unyielding productivity synonymous with young Nigeria as they discharge their duties.
Tinubu had designated Abubakar Momoh as the Youths Minister but later moved him to the Niger Delta Development Ministry.
The ICIR reports that Ibrahim and Olawande’s appointments are subject to confirmation by the Senate.
THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has denied a claim suggesting the late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad, was poisoned while in its custody.
In an X post on Saturday, September 16, the NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi argued that the deceased was not one of the Marlian Music artistes and others arrested by the agency in 2022, as speculated by many, adding that it makes it impossible for Mohbad to have been poisoned in its custody.
Babafemi’s rebuttal came in response to a widely circulated video of the deceased that surfaced on the internet, where he claimed he was harassed and given a white substance to consume.
The late singer was distressed in what looked like a hospital setting as he recounted his ordeal at the NDLEA custody.
In the video, MohBad said: “They gave me water to drink. It was inside a bottle of water plastic. They said I was using drugs. I was the only one who drank it; they didn’t give others to drink. I won’t lie. Then they told me to go home and told the others to wait.
“They even hit a gun on my head. I saved Zino in that video, but Zino snitched on me.”
Addressing the allegation, Babafemi shared a link to a report by an online platform, TheCable Lifestyle, which detailed the arrest of six people—comprising two females and four males—specifically, Oniyide Azeez (known as Zinoleesky), Owoeye Michael, and Abimbola Ogbe.
Others are Dominica Chinwe (f), Olaolohun Shubomi Mariam (f), and Ibrahim Alawo (m).
“This is an authentic account of the arrest and detention of some Malian artistes in February 2022, an incident that has now been twisted by purveyors of fake news to say Mohbad was poisoned or detained by the agency.
“I hope they’ll be bold enough to defend their claims when the hand of the law catches them,” Babafemi tweeted.
The ICIR, had reported that Mohdad passed on at age 27 on Tuesday, September 12. Various allegations have trailed his death.
He was signed to Marlian Records, Naira Marley’s record label, between 2020 and 2022 as he started his music career. He released his debut extended play, ‘Light’ in 2020, with eight songs featuring Davido, Naira Marley and Lil Kesh.
Until his death, Mohbad was nominated for several awards, including The Headies Awards and was also listed in Audiomack’s top 21 Afrobeats artists of 2021.
THE Lagos State Police Command has commenced a full investigation into the death of singer Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
The Command made this known on Saturday, September 16, in a statement signed by its spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin on its official X account.
The Police said the investigation followed growing public concerns and the preliminary police review of the circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s death.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Idowu Owohunwa, has directed the commencement of full-scale criminal investigation into the case.
“To this end, the Commissioner of Police has constituted a Special Investigation Team within the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to coordinate the investigation.
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 statement added that to aid the investigation, the Lagos State Government had pledged its total support to the Special Investigation Team in all ways required to guarantee a diligent investigative exercise.
It added that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave this assurance while consulting with the State Commissioner of Police earlier on how best to ensure the case is expeditiously investigated and justice delivered promptly.
Meanwhile, the state command has appealed to the deceased’s family, friends, business associates or anyone with helpful information that could aid the investigation to kindly share same with the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department on 08036885727.
The Lagos State Police Command assured that the progress of the investigation would, as much as legally and professionally permissible, be shared with the general public accordingly.
Mohbad died on Tuesday, September 12, at the age of 27. The cause of his death remains unknown.
Shortly after the young artiste’s passing and his burial in the Ikorodu area of the state the following day, a petition emerged online revealing that he had submitted a complaint to the Police over alleged threats to his life two months before his death.
In the petition addressed to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos State and shared by a music blogger Ayo Jaguda on X, Mohbad named individuals, including SamLerry Elegushi and Elele, detailing alleged threats from them to his life and the destruction of equipment worth over N5 million he was using for a video shoot with another artiste, Zlatan Ibile.
THE Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) on Wednesday, September 6, affirmed President Bola Tinubu’s victory as the February 25 presidential election winner.
Tinubu, who contested under the All Progressives Congress (APC), defeated his main contestants, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), to emerge victorious.
Both Obi, Atiku and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) disagreed with the result declared by INEC and challenged Tinubu’s victory in court.
PEPC Judgement
After months of rigorous hearing, the court on Wednesday, September 6, affirmed Tinubu as the duly elected president of Nigeria.
Delivering judgment on the matter, the court said Obi’s case lacked merit.
The court ruled that INEC could not be obliged to send election results to its IREV electronically after rejecting Obi and the LP’s claims of significant non-compliance with Electoral Act requirements.
The court determined that the LP and Obi’s claims of numerous anomalies, voter suppression, and corrupt practices lacked adequate evidence and were unpersuasive.
Head of the Presidential Election Petition Court, Haruna Simon Tsammani
The judges threw away ten witnesses’ statements presented by LP and described them as inadmissible.
Regarding Obi’s case concerning Tinubu’s forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States government, the tribunal said it was a civil matter, not a criminal one.
The court also pointed out that the LP had not shown proof of Tinubu’s arrest, trial, penalties, or punishment for any crimes.
According to the PEPC, the allegations are not enough to invalidate the entire result of the poll.
On the controversial issue of 25 per cent in FCT, the court declared that no candidate needed to secure 25 per cent in FCT to be declared winner.
Additionally, it determined that President Tinubu was intellectually qualified to run for president, noting that deciding to disqualify him based only on his academic credentials was insufficient.
In Atiku’s case, the court determined that Atiku had not sufficiently shown that he received the majority of valid votes in his case.
The panel stated in the lead ruling, which Moses Ugo read, that PDP had neglected to specify the affected polling units, the locations where the ballot boxes were allegedly stolen, and the methods used to manipulate the BVAS machines.
The panel’s chair, Tsammani, also stated that the PDP’s claims of violence and vote box snatching lacked supporting videos and documentation, adding that these claims were criminal and required proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
In the APM case, bothering the double nomination against Shettima, the PEPC struck it out and described it as incompetent.
Options before Atiku, Obi and APM
Nigerian law permits parties who feel wronged by the PEPC’s decision to appeal the ruling to a higher court, in this case, the Supreme Court.
The aggrieved parties have 14 days to file their appeals at the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court is also expected to announce its ruling within 60 days of receiving the petitioner’s appeal.
Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi
As displeased parties head for the Supreme Court, The ICIR in March 2023 profiled the current 13 justices of the Supreme Court, including some of the recent cases they handled and accompanying public opinions that greeted their outcomes.
Timeline for determining election petition
At the Tribunal level (Appeal Court in case of a presidential election) – 180 Days (six months)
At the Appeal level (Supreme Court in case of presidential election) – 60 days (two months)
In total- 240 days (eight months)
In case of a presidential election, five Justices of the Appeal Court will determine the petition, while seven Justices will sit to decide the appeal at the apex court.
History of previous Supreme Court judgements on presidential election disputes
It must be noted that the Supreme Court has never ruled against the result of any presidential election in Nigeria. Therefore, Atiku and Obi will seek a groundbreaking ruling against Tinubu.
Obasanjo vs Olu Falae in 1999
President Olusegun Obasanjo’s primary opponent in 1999, Olu Falae of the Alliance of Democracy (AD), lost his appeal against the election results.
The Court of Appeal rejected his application based on technicalities.
Obasanjo vs. Buhari in 2003
The All Nigeria People’s Party’s (ANPP) Muhammadu Buhari unsuccessfully appealed to the Supreme Court to contest Obasanjo’s victory in the election.
When Buhari appealed, the Supreme Court upheld the tribunal’s decision and insisted Obasanjo won the election.
Buhari, Atiku challenged Musa Yar’Adua in 2007
Buhari and Atiku contested Umaru Yar’Adua’s victory in the 2007 presidential election.
The electoral tribunal panel upheld Yar’adua’s victory, but the contenders appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld Yar’Adua’s victory.
Buhari took Jonathan to the Supreme Court in 2011
The Supreme Court validated Goodluck Jonathan’s victory over Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 presidential election.
In 2015, Jonathan refused to challenge Buhari’s victory
Meanwhile, Goodluck Jonathan and other candidates accepted the election results and did not challenge the election result in 2015.
Atiku challenged Buhari in 2019
Atiku contested the presidential election result against Buhari in 2019.
Atiku’s petition was denied by the electoral petition tribunal and the Supreme Court, which affirmed Buhari’s victory.
Obi and Atiku vow to challenge PEPC judgement.
The PEPC has given its verdict on the petitions brought by Atiku, Obi and the APM against the victory of President Tinubu in the February 25 election, but both of them have rejected the outcome announced by the court and have vowed to approach the Supreme Court. It is left to be seen how events will shape up at the apex court.
INEC, through its chairman, Yakubu, had declared Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC as the winner of the 2023 presidential election, with 8,794,726 votes.
Atiku of the PDP came second with 6,984,520 votes, while Obi of the LP took third place with 6,101,533 votes.
THE Nigerian senate has dismissed the report that some aggrieved senators were plotting to impeach Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
A newspaper publication had reported that some aggrieved senators are conspiring while in Saudi Arabia to initiate impeachment proceedings against Akpabio, who took office on June 13.
Reacting to the report in a statement issued on Sunday, September 17 and signed by Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, the senate described the claim as a ruse and rumour.
Part of the statement read, “Our attention has just been drawn to a syndicated satanic verses in a section of the media, of purported and illusory plots of leadership change in the Senate.
“The Nigerian Senate is one united and fraternal family. This imaginative composition is in the realm of the fake and fallacious story of 100m per legislator. It’s apt to note that the 10th Senate, under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio, has carried out its Legislative and constitutional duties diligently.”
The statement proudly pointed out that in fewer than 60 legislative days, the Senate has successfully approved various essential bills and motions and confirmed Service Chiefs and Ministers, in addition to its other crucial oversight tasks.
“We urge the fifth columnists, who operate undoubtedly outside the Senate, desperate to cause disharmony through media stunts and thus clipping the wings of Nigeria’s democracy, to take caution,” the statement warned.
THE United Kingdom (UK) has announcedan increase inits visas, includingtourists and students.
The increase encompasses various visa categories, including up to six months, two, five, and ten-year visit visas.
Fees for entry clearance and specific applications for leave to remain in the UK, such as work and study visas, have also been raised.
Additionally, fees for indefinite leave to enter and remain, health and care visas, settlement priority service, and more have increased, while applications to register and naturalise as a British citizen and the User Pays Visa Application service fee jumped.
According to the UK Home Office, a tourist visa for less than six months will cost £115 (about N111,878.28 ) instead of the initial £15 (14,592.70), effective October 4.
The ICIR reports the rise as above 700 per cent.
Meanwhile, the visa fee will jump from £127 (N123,537.58) to £490 (N476,677.59), making it jump by over 300 per cent.
The Office issued the new fees on Friday, September 15, in a statement titled “New visa fees set to take effect next month.”
The statement said the increase followed the approval of relevant legislation in Parliament.
The government said the changes were intended to safeguard essential services and direct more money towards wage increases for public employees.
The government had announced a fee increase of at least 20 per cent for priority visas, study visas, and certificates of sponsorship in July, in addition to a 15 per cent price hike for most work and visit visas.
Friday’s statement said that the Home Office’s capacity to manage a viable immigration and nationality system depended on the income from fees collected.
“Careful consideration is given when setting fees to help reduce the funding contribution from British taxpayers whilst continuing to provide a service that remains attractive to those wishing to work in the UK and support broader prosperity for all.” the statement stated.
It noted that the settlement priority service would be reduced to align with the cost of using the priority service.
However, the statement noted that subject to parliamentary approval, the immigration and nationality fees would increase from October 4.
