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Eight abducted students escape captivity in Kaduna

Ijeoma OPARA
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Eight abducted students escape captivity in Kaduna

EIGHT female students who were abducted in the Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State have escaped from captivity.

Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Samuel Aruwan disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, April 18.

Aruwan said the students were now being kept in a military facility where they are receiving medical treatment.

“The eight female students of Government Secondary School, Awon, who were kidnapped by terrorists on Monday, April 3, 2023, in the Awon general area of Kachia LGA – have escaped from the terrorists’ den.

“The students, according to preliminary briefings, escaped from a thick forest around the Kaduna-Niger interstate boundaries, and walked for days before arriving at a location (kept undisclosed for security reasons) where they were harboured. Human intelligence sources subsequently alerted the Kaduna State Government for immediate evacuation,” Aruwan noted.

Terrorists had abducted the students along with other residents of the area on Monday, April 3.

Confirming the incident, Aruwan said the girls were on their way home from school when they were abducted.

“The Government can confirm that eight students of the Government Secondary School, Awon in Kachia LGA were kidnapped on Monday in the general area, along with other citizens. Furthermore, it was verified that the students were not kidnapped within the school premises, but on their way home from school when they came in contact with the bandits, who had abducted other residents,” Aruwan disclosed.

There has been a rising spate of terrorism and abductions in Nigeria, especially in the Northern region.

Students have been targets of these abductions since over 200 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, a situation that had an adverse effect on education in the country where about 20 million children are out of school.

Nine years after the abduction of the Chibok students, more than 90 girls are still in captivity, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Adamawa guber poll: INEC declares PDP’s Fintiri winner

Vincent Ufuoma
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Adamawa guber poll: INEC declares PDP’s Fintiri winner

ADAMAWA State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has been reelected for a second term in office after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him winner of the controversial gubernatorial poll in the state.

Fintiri, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner of the election on Tuesday, April 18, by the Returning Officer, Muhammed Melee.

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Melee said Fintiri secured a total of 430,861 votes, surpassing his main opponent Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru (Binani) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who got 398,788 votes.

The governorship election, which was earlier declared inconclusive on March 18, was concluded with a supplementary poll last Saturday.

INEC declared the final result days after the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) Hudu Ari ‘illegally” declared APC candidate Binani the winner of the election even while collation was ongoing.

The result declared by the REC was swiftly nullified by INEC.

Earlier on April 18, a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday had refused to hear an ex-parte motion filed by the APC and Binani to stop INEC from further collation and announcement of the governorship election result.

Court refuses to hear Binani’s motion against INEC, PDP

Vincent Ufuoma
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Court refuses to hear Binani’s motion against INEC, PDP

A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, April 18, refused to hear an ex-parte motion filed against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Adamawa governorship election, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani).

Binani had asked the court to stop INEC from declaring any other result in the Adamawa governorship poll, after the Commission nullified her declaration as winner of the election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ari.

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INEC suspends Adamawa REC

Adamawa: APC senator says INEC can’t nullify result declared by REC

Fintiri says Adamawa REC’s action on governorship supplementary election provocative

When the ex-parte motion came up on Tuesday, the judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, refused to hear the application and instead ordered the APC candidate’s counsel, Mohammed Sheriff, to address the court on the issue of jurisdiction before the substantive motion can be heard.

Afeez Matomi appeared for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, the third respondent in the suit.

Justice Ekwo asked Matomi if he had been served with the motion, to which the lawyer responded that he had not been served but had filed a motion to counter part of Binani’s prayers.

Matomi said his client got the hint about the ex-parte motion through the social media, hence, they decided to file a motion.

Thereafter, Binani’s lawyer, Sheriff, said the ex-parte motion was filed on April 17, adding that he was ready to move it.

However, the judge said though he was ready to hear Sheriff, he would not do so until the lawyer addresses the court on the issue of jurisdiction.

Justice Ekwo held that the motion would be taken together with the issue of jurisdiction on the next adjourned date and consequently adjourned the matter until April 26 for hearing of the motion and an address on jurisdiction.

Binani and the APC, in the motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/510/2023, had sued INEC, the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Fintiri, as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents, respectively.

The APC candidate is seeking a judicial review of the decision of INEC on April 16 in respect of her declaration as the winner of the governorship election held on March 18 and the supplementary poll of April 15.

She is also seeking an order preventing INEC and its agents from taking any further steps towards the declaration of the winner of the election pending the determination of her application for judicial review.

The application was brought pursuant to Order 34 Rules 1a, Order 3(1) & 3(2) a, b, c, Order 6 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure Rules), 2019 and Section 251 (1)q & r of the 1999 Constitution, as well as Section 149 & 152 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

Stating grounds as to why the motion should be granted, Binani noted that after the collation of results, INEC declared her as the winner of the elections but the PDP and its candidate resorted to fighting and causing a public disturbance which led to the beating and manhandling of an INEC staff.

The crisis, she said, led INEC to cancel the initial declaration. Binani argued that INEC had no power to cancel the declaration as only the election petition tribunal was vested with such powers.

Binani contended that by cancelling her declaration, INEC usurped the powers of the election petition tribunal which was the only court vested with powers on a declaration from the conduct of an election.

She averred that a judicial review existed to enable the superior court to checkmate the actions and decisions of inferior courts as well as the legislative and administrative arm of government including agencies and public officers.

The applicant further submitted that INEC, being an agency of the government, could have its actions, records and decisions checked by the court and only a court could nullify the actions of an INEC official and not INEC itself.

Collation of governorship election results resumes in Adamawa

Marcus FATUNMOLE
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Collation of governorship election results resumes in Adamawa

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has resumed collating results of the supplementary poll for the Adamawa State governorship election.

The development came two days after the Commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Hudu Yunusa Ari, a lawyer, illegally declared the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Dahiru (also known as Binani), the winner of the election.

INEC headquarters fumed at Ari’s action, which sparked protests in parts of the state, especially by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose candidate and incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was leading before the declaration.

The ICIR reported how the INEC headquarters in Abuja summoned Ari minutes after he declared Binani the winner.

The Commission also invited its other staff involved in the declaration to Abuja and consequently suspended the collation of results of the supplementary poll.

On Monday, April 17, The ICIR reported how the Commission suspended the REC from office.

Hours later, on Tuesday, April 18, the election umpire resolved to write the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, for immediate arrest and prosecution of the erring REC.

While the drama played out, Binani approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Commission from halting her ‘victory.’

The ICIR reports that Ari declared Binani winner while the collation of results is yet to be concluded. According to Electoral Act (2022), the Returning Officer for the election, rather than the REC, has the power to declare the winner of an election.

Fintiri had the highest number of votes cast in the governorship election held on March 18, but some votes were cancelled, and the election could not hold in some parts of the state, forcing INEC to declare the exercise inconclusive.

Fintiri polled 421,524, while Binani secured 390, 275 in the March 18 election.

The incumbent governor won 13 of Adamawa’s 21 local government areas, while Binani won eight LGAs in the first round of the exercise on March 18.

Similarly, Fintiri was leading in the supplementary votes counted in 10 out of the 20 local government areas before the REC made his pronouncement.

Police arrest two for child theft, trafficking in Enugu

Ijeoma OPARA
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Police arrest two for child theft, trafficking in Enugu

THE Enugu State Police Command has arrested two women suspected of child theft and trafficking.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Command Daniel Ndukwe disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, April 18.

The two suspects, Miracle Orji, 24, and Blessing Ani, 34, were apprehended with the aid of locals in Ameke-Oduma community, Aninri Local Government Area (LGA).

Two children – four-year-old Ogechi Eneh (female) and one-year-old Destiny Okechukwu (male) were rescued during the arrest.

“Preliminary investigation reveals that on March 24, 2023, Miracle Orji stole and was escaping with Ogechi Edeh before she was intercepted and arrested with the assistance of citizens at Ameke-Oduma Community in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.

“Her confessional statement led to the arrest of Blessing Ani around Shoprite Mall within Enugu metropolis, where she was waiting to receive and further traffic the child. Ani further guided the operatives to Abuja, where the male victim, Destiny Okechukwu, who had been sold with fake documents and renamed Chibuike, was rescued,” Ndukwe noted.

The suspects would be arraigned before a court at the end of the investigations, the Enugu police spokesman said, adding that efforts are being made to track other members of the syndicate.

Trafficking of children is rampant in many parts of Nigeria.

On Friday, April 14, the Police in Rivers State arrested three women running a child trafficking syndicate in the state.

In many cases, family members are involved in the trafficking of children.

On Monday, April 17, The ICIR reported that the Ogun State Police Command arrested a 33-year-old woman, Olaide Adekunle, for selling her 18-month-old child.

The suspect said she sold the child for N600,000 to clear a loan she had taken from an undisclosed microfinance bank.

In June 2022, a resident of Rivers, identified as Ejike Edith, sold her sister’s child to a buyer in Imo State for N600,000.

INEC to write IGP, seeks prosecution of Adamawa REC

Marcus FATUNMOLE
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INEC to write IGP, seeks prosecution of Adamawa REC

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has resolved to write the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, for immediate arrest and prosecution of its Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa Ari.

The REC has been suspended for “illegally” declaring a winner in the Adamawa State governorship election.

The decision to write the IGP was taken at a meeting of INEC top hierarchy in Abuja on Tuesday, April 18.

In a statement released after the meeting, the Commission said it would brief President Muhammadu Buhari on the REC’s conduct.

The Commission also disclosed that the Returning Officer would determine when the collation of the result of the Adamawa State governorship election would resume.

The statement read:” At its meeting today, 18th April 2023, the Commission discussed matters arising from the Adamawa Governorship election and decided to:

“1. Write to the Inspector-General of Police for the immediate investigation and possible prosecution of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State, Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari.

“2. Request the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to draw the attention of the appointing authority to the unwholesome behaviour of the REC for further action.

“3. The collation process shall resume at a time to be determined by the Returning Officer.”

On Monday, April 17, The ICIR reported how the Commission suspended the REC from office after he illegally declared the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Dahiru (Binani), the winner of the election concluded through a supplementary poll on Saturday, April 15.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose candidate and incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was leading in the results already announced by the electoral body, protested the declaration.

Ari declared Dahiru winner while the collation of results had yet to conclude. According to Electoral Act (2022), the Returning Officer for the election, rather than the REC, has the power to declare the winner of an election.

Fintiri had the highest number of votes cast in the governorship election held on March 18, but some votes were cancelled, and the election could not hold in some parts of the state, forcing INEC to declare the exercise inconclusive.

Fintiri polled 421,524, while Binani secured 390, 275 in the March 18 election.

The incumbent governor won 13 of Adamawa’s 21 local government areas, while Binani won eight LGAs in the first round of the exercise on March 18.

Similarly, Fintiri was leading in the supplementary votes counted in 10 out of the 20 local government areas before the REC made his pronouncement.

The ICIR reported how the INEC headquarters in Abuja summoned Ari minutes after he declared Binani winner.

The Commission also invited its other staff involved in the declaration to Abuja and consequently suspended the collation of results of the supplementary poll.

The ICIR reports that Adamawa State is the only remaining state that is yet to have a governor-elect in all states where the governorship election took place on March 18 across Nigeria.

The ICIR reported how the PDP had repeatedly called for Ari’s removal over alleged malpractices during the elections in the state.

Many Nigerians have reacted to the bizarre incident in the North-East state, where the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, hails from.

Many have described the declaration by the REC as the height of the shortcomings of the 2023 elections.

The ICIR reports that while INEC continues the collation process, Binani has approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Commission from halting her ‘victory.’

Nova Institute offers media fellowship

Blessing OTOIBHI
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Nova Institute offers media fellowship

NOVA Institute for Health of People, Places and Planets is inviting applications for its 2023 media fellowship.

The media fellowship program aims to give recipients the time, space and resources to research, write and speak about issues that validate and show the importance of an expansive health framework.

The programme will provide journalists an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the complex, intertwined network of factors that affect health and well-being and the inadequacy of a health framework that focuses on disease.

Media Fellows can play an important role in translating research findings and analyses for a range of audiences, combining data with stories that inform the public and engage policymakers in order to change attitudes the organiser says.

The fellowship will run for one year in duration and full-time, allowing recipients to undertake their projects in a comprehensive and creative manner.

The Nova Institute strongly prefers that Media Fellows take a leave of absence from any organisation where they are currently employed during the fellowship period.

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Projects begin in the fall of 2023; no later than December 1, 2023.

Fellows will receive $105,000 which is intended to support living expenses, project-related expenses, travel, conference fees, health insurance, etc.

The deadline for the submission of applications is July 5, 2023. Interested applicants can apply here.

Nigeria loses 79 persons to cholera in three months — NCDC

Theophilus ADEDOKUN
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THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Nigeria has recorded 1,336 suspected cases of cholera disease in 2023.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with vibrio cholerae bacteria.

NCDC released its latest cholera disease situation report which covered all the suspected cases recorded between March 6 and April 2, on Monday, April 18.

The Centre said 12 of the 36 states and the Feeder Capital Territory (FCT) had recorded suspected cholera cases in 2023.

The suspected cases were recorded in Abia, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Sokoto and Zamfara.

NCDC also disclosed that 79 persons have died from suspected cases of cholera across 12 state in 2023.

“As of 2nd April 2023, a total of 1336 suspected cases including 79 deaths (CFR 5.9%) have been reported from 12 states,” the NCDC said.

It added that 53 per cent of suspected cases involve males while the remaining 47 females were females.

According to the NCDC, the suspected cases of cholera were prevalent among people between the age of 15 to 24 and individuals above 45 years of age.

“Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, age groups 15-24 and >45 years is the most affected age groups for males and females respectively.

“Six states – Cross River (647 cases), Ebonyi (97 cases), Abia (72 cases), Niger (38 cases) and Zamfara (28 cases) account for 96% of all cumulative cases.

“Fifteen local government areas across nine states Ebonyi (4), Cross River (3), Ondo (2), Bayelsa (1), Abia (1), Katsina (1), Sokoto (1) Niger (1) and Zamfara (1), reported more than five cases each this year.”

Meanwhile, The ICIR reported that, earlier in January, residents of Obubura community in Cross River State cried out for the state government’s assistance following a cholera outbreak that claimed over 60 lives in the area.

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The traditional ruler of the community called on the government to intercede by providing them with potable drinking water to avoid another outbreak.

The ICIR also reported that the NCDC disclosed that 233 deaths were recorded from a total of 10,217 suspected cases of cholera in 31 states between January and October 2022.

Lack of potable water is a major factor in the outbreak of cholera and an investigation published by The ICIR in 2021 revealed that several communities in the satellite areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are experiencing challenges relating to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

Nigeria gets Commonwealth appointment

Oghenekevwe UCHECHUKWU
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Nigeria gets Commonwealth appointment

NIGERIA has been appointed Deputy Chair for the Finance Ministers Working Group for a Commonwealth Call for Reform of the Global Financial Architecture.

The appointment was made during the inaugural Commonwealth Finance Ministers High-Level Working Group meeting on the margins of the 2023 World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings, held in Washington DC on April 14.

The ministers who also agreed for India to be the chair, called for a systemic reform of the global financial architecture to enhance access to development financing for vulnerable countries.

Discussions were centred around national fiscal policies, measures for financial sustainability, eligibility criteria for development finance and potential reforms required for a more equitable financial architecture.

In her opening remarks, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, said to create meaningful change, the global financial system must take into account the realities of vulnerability when allocating support to developing countries.

Scotland highlighted that the Commonwealth’s Universal Vulnerability Index provides a solid basis to better target support for those who need it the most.

Similarly, while delivering a keynote address at the working group meeting, the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, noted that the continued discriminatory treatment between the Global North and the Global South, was not sustainable.

“The time is now for action and to ensure that the global financial system is fit for purpose,” Mottley said.

The working group meeting also gave ministers an opportunity to focus on the urgent need to influence the global financial architecture, which is still underpinned by fiscal rules and conditions deemed unfit to meet the needs of the current global economic landscape and overlapping challenges.

Eligibility criteria for accessing concessional finance are usually based on sole metrics of gross national income (GNI) per capita, which mostly disregards national vulnerabilities.

However, recent overlapping crises have exposed and provided evidence of countries’ susceptibility to external shocks.

The meeting pointed that the traditional rules and governing conditions for access to international development finance are no longer relevant in this era of interlocked and overlapping crises.

Ex NBA President Okey Wali abducted for the second time

Ijeoma OPARA
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0
Ex NBA President Okey Wali abducted for the second time

A FORMER President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Okey Wali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was on Monday, April 17, abducted in Rivers State.

Wali was reportedly abducted early Monday morning following an attack on his convoy along the East-West road in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

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Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Rivers Command Grace Iringe-Koko, also confirmed the incident to The ICIR, saying the Police is working towards his release.

“We are aware of it. It happened along the Obiri Ikwerre area. We are investigating to actualise his freedom,” she said.

The NBA is appealing for Wali’s immediate release.

In a statement on Tuesday, April 18, President of the association Yakubu Maikyau described the abduction as an indication of the country’s weak security system and pleaded with the abductors to release Wali to his family, unharmed.

“This ugly incident is yet another sad reminder of the weakness in our security system and the failure of successive governments to live up to the constitutional duty of providing for the welfare and security of all Nigerians,” Maikyau noted.

He called on the Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba, and the River State Police Command to make every effort to secure Wali’s release.

Maikyau also assured Wali’s family of the NBA’s support and prayers.

Second abduction 

This is not the first time Wali would be abducted by unknown gunmen.

In October 2014, the ex-NBA President was abducted by unknown persons in the Port Harcourt area of Rivers State.

The NBA, at the time, also passionately appealed for his immediate and safe release to his family.

While investigating the kidnap, the police said Wali had been trail by his abductors before being captured, and his vehicle was subsequently recovered along the Ozuoba waterfront in Rivers State.

Wali was released after 13 days in captivity, although it remains unclear if a ransom was paid to secure his freedom.

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