Nigeria’s Supreme Court has fixed Thursday the 26th of October to deliver the judgement of the appeal filed by the People’s Democratic Party’s Presidential candidate in the February 25 polls, Atiku Abubakar, and the Labor Party’s Presidential candidate in the February 25 polls, Peter Obi, which seeks to void the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This development was confirmed by a spokesman of the Supreme Court, Festus Akande.
The court had, on Monday, reserved judgement on the appeals after counsels of Atiku, electoral body, INEC, Tinubu and the All-Progressives Congress APC adopted their briefs of arguments.
Atiku Abubakar had approached the Supreme Court in his quest to have it set aside the decision of the lower court, depending on 35 grounds for seeking this.
The former Vice President insists Mr Tinubu didn’t win the election, citing non-compliance with the electoral act by failing to upload real results to INEC portal, corrupt practice, forfeiture due to alleged drug trafficking, failing to secure 25% votes in the FCT, among others.
Atiku, through his counsel, Chris Uche, prayed the apex court to grant the main appeal and nullify the electoral victory of President Bola Tinubu.
In their separate response, the electoral body- INEC, Bola Tinubu, and the APC urged the Court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit.
A joint security team comprising the Military, Police, DSS, Civil Defense and Vigilante members has neutralized one suspected bandit and rescued three abducted persons on Sunday, a government statement said.
The operation was conducted in Kanzama Forest, Bunza Local Government Area of the state, Malam Yahaya Sarki, Special Assistant to Kebbi Governor on Media and Publicity, said in a statement issued in Birnin Kebbi on Monday.
He said that the operation followed the assurance given to Kalgo communities in Bunza LGA by Gov. Nasir Idris when he paid a visit to the area on Saturday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor, at an emergency Security Council meeting, ordered a joint operation to go after the bandits and the provision of adequate security to the affected villages.
The governor also directed the provision of adequate logistics to the joint security team and called for the deployment of more security personnel to complement ongoing efforts to bolster security and protect lives and property in the area and across the state. According to Sarki, the governor has saluted the gallant security personnel for their efforts and pledged to provide all necessary support for them to make the state safe.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has mandated the demand and verification of Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) as a pre-condition for business transactions in the FCT. Mr Chinedum Elechi, the Mandate Secretary, Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and Public Private Partnership Secretariat, FCT Administration (FCTA), made this known at a press conference in Abuja on Monday.
“I am here today to announce that the Minister of the FCT has approved the implementation of Section 85 of Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) and Section 31 of the FCT Internal Revenue Service Act, 2015.
“Both sections provide for demand and verification of TCC by the Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs); Commercial banks; and FCT Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs).
“Implementation of these laws is intended to ensure that all eligible taxpayers in the FCT comply with their tax obligations.
“This will ensure that the FCT Administration gets the required resources it needs to provide essential services to FCT residents,” he said.
Elechi explained that Section 85 of the Personal Income Tax Act, 2011, provides that MDAs or a commercial bank demand for TCC when transacting with any person as specified by the law. He added that the TCC would cover the immediate past three years preceding the current year of assessment. He further said that MDAs or commercial banks shall also verify the authenticity of the tax clearance certificate by the issuing tax authority before carrying out any of the transactions.
“Section 85 of PITA also provides that for purposes of obtaining a TCC, any person who gives incorrect information or obtains a TCC through misrepresentation, forgery or falsification is guilty of an offence.
“Such a person is liable on conviction to a fine of N50,000, plus twice the tax payable by him or her, or to imprisonment for three years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
“Similarly, a person, be it a government organization or corporate entity to whom Section 85 applies, who fails to demand for, or verify a TCC, is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N5 million, or to imprisonment for three years or both fine and imprisonment,” he said.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said Monday that more than 5,000 people have been killed in the besieged Palestinian enclave since Israel launched its withering bombing campaign more than two weeks ago.
Alarm has surged about the spiraling humanitarian crisis in Gaza amid the war sparked by the October 7 Hamas attack that, Israeli officials say, killed more than 1,400 people who were gunned down, stabbed or burnt by the Islamist militants. Hamas also took more than 200 hostages. On a day when Israel’s army reported more than 300 new strikes within 24 hours, Gaza’s health ministry said the death toll had surged above 5,000, around 40 per cent of them children.
About a dozen trucks carrying desperately needed aid — the third convoy in three days — arrived inside Gaza from Egypt on Monday through Rafah, Gaza’s only crossing not controlled by Israel. The United States, which has brokered the entry of the aid convoys, has vowed a “continued flow” of relief goods into Gaza, even as UN aid agencies have said far more is needed.
Fighting raged unabated overnight after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed again that Israel would “erase Hamas” and as a full-scale ground invasion loomed. Gaza’s Hamas-controlled government media office said that “more than 60 were martyred in the raids” during the night — including 17 in a single strike that hit a house in Gaza’s north — and at least 10 others were killed in new strikes early Monday.
Thousands of buildings have been destroyed and more than one million people displaced in the territory that has been under siege and largely deprived of water, food and other basic supplies. The Israeli military said it had hit “over 320 military targets in the Gaza Strip” in the past 24 hours.
It said the targets “included tunnels containing Hamas terrorists, dozens of operational command centers” as well as “military compounds and observation posts” used by Islamic Jihad, another militant group.
“Alaba International Market, Ojo has been sealed up for poor waste disposal practices, failure to pay their waste bills, and gross environmental sanitation offences,” he wrote on X.
The closure is the latest in the shutting down of markets and demolition of illegal structures by the Lagos State Government.
It recently sealed but later reopened the Mile 12 International Market. The Owode Onirin Market along Ikorodu Road also faced a similar fate for indiscriminate waste disposal.
The Lagos State Government had equally shut the Ladipo Auto Parts Market and other markets for environmental infractions.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 40-year-old Madrid, Spain-based “businessman”, Sherif Egbo Ally, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, while attempting to board an Air France flight to Paris, France, after they discovered he ingested illicit drugs.
According to a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, Egbo was arrested on Saturday 14th October after body scanner revealed he had wraps of illicit drugs in his stomach. He was subsequently placed under observation at the agency’s exhibit recovery room where he excreted 93 pellets of heroin weighing 2.222 kilograms. He subsequently in his statement, claimed he works at a chicken hatchery farm in Madrid, Spain and also into drug trafficking business.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO imports shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos last Monday seized a consignment of 10 cartons containing 500,000 pills of tramadol 225mg branded as tapentadol.
Babafemi said the cargo, which was shipped from India through Qatar Airways with airwaybill number MAWB 319-01227236 was purported to be a transit cargo to Monrovia, Liberia, but the lid was blown open through partnership and real time intelligence sharing mechanisms between NDLEA and its Liberian counterpart.
The spokesman said an attempt by an intending passenger to Muscat, Oman on Qatar airways, Ngene Chinecherem to export 11.1 kilograms of skunk and 600 grammes of tramadol concealed in foodstuffs through the Lagos airport was thwarted by NDLEA officers who arrested him and seized the illicit substances.
In another operation, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, DOGI, attached to courier companies on Sunday 15th October intercepted 1 kilograms methamphetamine concealed in containers of body cream going to New Zealand as well as another consignment of 2.5 kilograms cocaine and phenacetin hidden in walls of a carton heading to Saudi Arabia.
Babafemi said two more seizures: 112 grammes of Dimethyl Sulfone and 583 grammes of cocaine and phenacetin were made at another courier company in Lagos last Wednesday, while the Dimethyl Sulfone was concealed in the hollow of a motor driving shaft going to New Zealand, the consignment of cocaine and phenacetin was packed into a bottle of body cream heading to Saudi Arabia.
He disclosed that in Imo state, operatives on Sunday 15th October intercepted a Mercedes Benz container truck marked ABN 418 YN parked in an isolated area along Owerri – Onitsha expressway. A search of the abandoned truck led to the recovery of 168 bags of skunk weighing 1, 854 kilograms.
He added that not less than 1,381.3 kilograms of the same substance were seized in four interdiction operations in parts of Edo state including: Ekpon community, Igueben local government area , Iguiye forest in Ovia North East local government area, Iruekpen, Ndokwa West where a suspect, Monday Samuel Nwocha was arrested and Egwalor village in Onwude local government area where the duo of Obune Prince and Chika Obi was arrested and their Audi 80 salon car marked BEN 406 CL loaded with cannabis sativa, recovered.
In Kano state, an ex-convict, Aminu Suleiman, 46, was arrested along with Haruna Abdurrahaman, 41, and Ojo Esezobor, 34, at Gadar Tamburawa area of the state on Saturday 14th October while 106 kilograms of cannabis were recovered from them. Aminu was first arrested with 22 kilograms of cannabis on 3rd June 2022 and convicted by the court on 24th November 2022. Four other suspects: Inusa Ali, Yahaya Musa, Abba Audu, Ali Abubakar, and Bunu Kyari were also arrested at Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano last Monday for dealing in 75.3 kilograms of skunk.
He said while operatives of the Zone J Command of the agency seized 478 kilograms of cannabis in a forest in Ikere Ekiti last Friday, those of Ondo state command recovered a total of 928 kilograms of the same substance in a bush by Shagari market, along Ifon-Owo express road, and Ibola camp, Ipele forest.
In Borno state, a suspect, Sani Mohammed, 31, was arrested on Saturday 21st October with 182 kilograms of cannabis at Njimtilo, along Maiduguri – Damaturu road.
Babafemi said Commands across the 36 states and the FCT equally continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures in schools, communities, work places and others. Some of these include: WADA sensitization lecture for students of Ogborhill Secondary School, Aba, Abia state; WADA sensitization lecture to Students of Nana Aisha Memorial Islamiyya Secondary School, Buba-Shongo, Gombe; WADA sensitization lecture at Awe High School, Awe, same at Smiles and Surprises Academy, Onna, Akwa Ibom; WADA sensitization lecture for students of Sango High School, Ijoko, Ogun state while the Zone C Command of NDLEA along with Kwara state command also had WADA sensitization town hall meeting with principals of secondary schools from five local government areas of the state.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the arrests and seizures of the past week by officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Imo, Ondo, Kano, Edo, Zone J Commands as well as those of DOGI, charged them and their compatriots across all formations of the Agency to continue to remain vigilant and double their efforts especially with the desperation of criminal networks to make money by all means towards the end of the year season.
The supreme court has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by Atiku Abubakar challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu.
A seven-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Inyang Okorowo reserved judgment after parties in the appeal adopted their respective briefs of arguments on Monday.
Mr Abubakr is challenging the judgment of the presidential election petitions court, which affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu.
… as Anambra Women Affairs Commissioner, Obinabo, warns against illegal adoption
A middle-aged woman, Oluchukwu Nwosu, has explained that economic hardship forced her into selling of her daughter’s 3-month-old baby in Nnewi, Anambra State.
The woman, who said she is 49yr-old, explained that her daughter had earlier given birth to two babies, and abandoned them for her to take care of.
She said she sold the baby for N50,000, adding that the other two sons were being cared for at the state community children’s home in Awka.
She however pleaded for forgiveness, sobbing profusely.
She said, “This is the third time my daughter Ijeoma has conceived outside of marriage.
“Due to our poor income and lack of childcare, we’ve had trouble feeding right from the time my daughter gave birth to the first baby.
“We had no other option than to take the kids to motherless babies home, especially when our daughter refused to tell us who’s responsible for her pregnancy.
“I came across a buyer, one Tochukwu Asiegbu, who approached me, after bargaining, paid me the agreed sum.”
Confirming the incident, the Anambra State Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, said the 3-month-old baby sold by the grandmother has been rescued.
She said the rescue followed report by mother of the baby, Ijeoma Nwosu, who claimed that her mother, forcefully sold her baby soon after he was born, and refused to disclose the child’s whereabouts.
She added that those involved in the act have all been arrested and handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
She said, “Following receipt of the allegation, I quickly swung into action to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
“After barely one month of consistent intelligence surveillance by officials in the Ministry, the offenders were caught.”
The Women Affairs Commissioner Obinabo, who regretted growing rate of illegal adoption of children in the state despite government’s efforts to put an end to such nefarious activities, warned that anyone found involved in any form of unlawful adoption must face legal action.
The Nigerian Senate is set to amend the 2022 Electoral Act to allow for diaspora voting, at least for presidential elections, to enable citizens to vote, especially those on essential service abroad, such as military, paramilitary, and other security personnel abroad, Embassy staff, and other citizens.
This was contained in a communiqué issued by the senate at the end of its retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa-Ibom State.
The new amendment will make electronic transmission of results mandatory, allow uploading of polling unit-level results and result sheets used at different levels of result collation and allow for diaspora voting, at least for presidential elections.
The Senate noted that it was necessary for the Independent National Electoral Commission to be unbundled to improve its efficiency and effectiveness in the preparation and conduct of elections.
The communiqué stated, “Relating to the use of technology in elections, remove the ambiguity evident in Section 64 of the EA22.
“Also, make electronic transmission of results mandatory from the next general elections in 2027, including the uploading of polling unit-level results and result sheets used at different levels of result collation.
“Introduce diaspora voting, at least for presidential elections, to enable citizens to vote, especially those on essential service abroad, such as military, paramilitary, and other security personnel abroad, Embassy staff, and other citizens.
“Relating to political parties; stipulate sanctions for failure to submit the register of party members not later than 30 days before the date of party primaries, congresses, or conventions in relation to Section 77(3) EA22, which the political parties have observed in the breach in the 2023 elections without penalty.”
The 10th Senate further noted that it was time to develop and enact a comprehensive national security strategy that outlines the nation’s security objectives, threats, and policy priorities.
The Red Chamber added that such a strategy could serve as a guiding framework for legislative action in the security sector.
The strategy it noted would, “Address the root causes of terrorism/banditry, which is often driven by poverty, inequality, and a lack of opportunity.
“Promote community policing and engagement to identify and prevent terrorist attacks. The government should also work with civil society organizations and local/ traditional communities to identify and address security concerns. “
The Senate added that it would, “ Establish independent oversight mechanisms for the security sector. These mechanisms can help to investigate allegations of abuse and corruption and to ensure that security forces are accountable to the law.”
The Senate further agreed that legislative engagement and oversight in Nigeria’s security sector can be significantly bolstered through comprehensive legislative reforms.
“These reforms are essential for ensuring that the legislative branch is equipped with the necessary tools and mechanisms to fulfill its critical role in security sector reform,” it explained.
The Senate concluded that “The periodic engagement of the National Assembly with the security chiefs for adequate briefing. There is a need for the Senate President and the Speaker, House of Representatives to be part of the weekly security briefing that goes to the President.”
In a bid to salvage the economic situation of the country, the Senate has proposed the enactment of an Emergency Economic Intervention Bill.
It explained that “This will address critical socio-economic issues concerning foreign exchange management, tackling inflation, stimulating economic growth, and creating more jobs.
“Enforce consequences for violations of any provisions of the law regarding monetary and fiscal matters.
“This will require amendments to the relevant laws to ensure effective oversight and enforcement of the consequences, as the case may be.”
Also agreed was the “need for legislation that clearly defines the taxing rights of the three levels of government.
