President Muhammadu Buhari said on Thursday that Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, enjoyed immunity from prosecution as a sitting governor.
He also noted that under Nigerian laws, an accused remained innocent until proven guilty by the courts.
Besides, the President noted that the alleged dollar bribes Ganduje was seen stuffing in his pockets in a video widely circulated on social media, had become a matter already in a law court.
Buhari was reacting to criticisms in some quarters that he shielded his political associates like Ganduje among others, from prosecution in the face of glaring evidence.
Only on Thursday, the President, at an All Progressives Congress rally in Kano, raised up the hand of Ganduje for his second term bid before supporters.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Thursday, the President dismissed criticisms suggesting that his association with Ganduje was a smear on his anti-corruption stance.
The statement said some high-profile persons, including a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and a former state governor, were being prosecuted for corruption.
The Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Usman Yusuf, was also cited as another government official serving administrative leave to pave the way for investigation into corruption allegations levelled against him.
“Despite some of the suspects being close to the President, he had not shielded them from investigation, administrative suspensions and prosecution”, the statement added.
Specifically, on Ganduje, the Presidency said, “as a sitting governor, (he) enjoys immunity from prosecution in his own right.
“Furthermore, under Nigerian laws, a suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
“In the circumstances, the matter is in court and the President has no power to dictate to the court or the Kano State House of Assembly, which is already investigating the matter, about what to do with the allegations against Ganduje.”
The plan, according to government, is expected to gulp about N91billion in investments, while a profit of N2trillion is expected over the 10-year period.
The Nigerian government has initiated a 10-year National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) as part of efforts to address clashes between herdsmen and farmers.
The plan, according to government, is expected to gulp about N91billion in investments, while a profit of N2trillion is expected over the 10-year period.
The first phase of the plan will take care of grazing reserves in each of the seven pilot states of Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, and Zamfara which have been affected by herdsmen/farmers clashes, with four ranches (small, intermediate, medium and large) in each grazing reserve.
According to the plan as reported by Daily Trust newspaper, ranchers and rearers will be encouraged to bring their cattle to a fattening site wherein the cattle will be fed so as to boost average weight from 200-250 kg to 450-500kg.
If done, livestock farmers are expected to recoup N350,000 per cow at the selling rate of N900 per kilogramme.
According to the plan, “funding would be provided to cover the cost of fattening. Once cattle are enrolled in the programme, the asset owner will sign an agreement with the lender to allow for all cattle to be sold at specified weight range.
“Upon sale, lender deducts the cost of fattening from realized value, and cattle owner keeps the remainder of profit, minimizing risk and upfront investment.”
ENUGU- THE Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Enugu state has expressed support for Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s endorsement of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi.
The Labour union also took a swipe on the Governor of Anambra state, Mr. Willie Obiano for alleged insult on the entire Igbo through his attack on the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, who superintended over the collective Igbo decision in Enugu last week.
In a statement by the political committee of the state chapter of NLC in Enugu, Thursday, the union stated that Ohanaeze reserves right of opinion, free speech and freedom of electoral choices and warned the Anambra state government of the consequence of isolating the people of the state from the wider Igbo. Chairman of the NLC political committee, Comrade Ikechukwu Ekere and secretary, Pat Eze in the statement they jointly authored said “It is embarrassing and disgusting to learn and hear the utterly vacillating statements made against the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo and Ohanaeze in general. “We, the Igbo, especially our younger ones should learn how to respect our elders which is in tune with our tradition, culture, norms and values of an average Igbo man. On this note we vehemently pledge our loyalty and unalloyed support for the leadership/Ohanaeze Ndigbo, belonging to where they belong. “We remit to all Ndigbo the renewed vigor and reassurance of our highest esteem as our destiny lies in our hands.” It will be recalled that the Anambra state government had flayed Ohanaeze’s adoption of the PDP presidential candidate based on his restructuring proposal if elected into office.
Subsequently, Governor Obiano is reported to have canvassed support for the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has said that his government would be willing to investigate the military hierarchy as a way of tackling the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, if elected.
Abubakar said this at a town hall meeting tagged: ‘’The Candidates”, organised by the MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with NTA and DARIA media on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said that his government would not hesitate to deal with any senior officer who failed in his duty after being adequately funded by his government.
“We cannot continue to accept that kind of situation whereby commanders lose lives, lose equipment to terrorists and then nothing happens to them,’’ he said.
The PDP presidential also said that he would be willing to investigate the report of Amnesty International indicting the military on allegations of genocide.
He stressed the need for government to invest more in education and health sectors as well as to bring in more private investors to compliment governments programmes in the health sector.
He said that if re-elected he would resend a bill to the National Assembly to prosecute any government at any level that managed education funds.
Asked if he would accept the outcome of the forthcoming presidential election if he lost, Abubakar said “that why not, if the election is credible?”
On the issue of farmers and herdsmen clashes, Abubakar said there was need to enlighten the herders on feeding lots.
“There is need for extensive public sensitisation of these herders to adopt this solution to minimize this crisis,’’ adding that this would not only reduce the crises, as it would also increase their income.
On the allegation that he paid less tax, Abubakar said what he paid was his personal income tax, while his companies paid their taxes also to government.
He added that there may be mistake in the privatisation done under his eight years when he was vice president “but the programme was a success.’’
His Running Mate, Mr Peter Obi, said that the PDP government invested heavily in the power sector but that APC government had not invested anything in the sector.
“If you say that the PDP spent $16 billion and there is no power, it is not true,” Obi said.
Davies Iheamnachor ABUJA — THE Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, yesterday, cleared the coast for the Federal Government to open its case against suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT. The appellate court, in a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, declined to stop further proceedings in the six-count charge the Federal Government preferred against Onnoghen.
It ordered the CCT, which on Monday adjourned hearing of the matter indefinitely to await the Appeal Court ruling, to entertain the suit and ensure speedy hearing.
This happened on a day Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State said the Supreme Court ruling on the suit filed by the National Assembly challenging President Muhammadu Buhari’s suspension of Justice Onnoghen without recourse to the Senate would strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
Also, some lawyers who attempted to disrupt an Appeal Court session in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to enforce the the two-day court boycott directive of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, over the Onnoghen issue, were beaten up by litigants as judges declared that they would not be intimidated.
This is even as the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, backed President Buhari’s suspension of Justice Onnoghen, saying allowing the CJN to be tried by the NJC would have amounted to allowing him “seat (sic) in judgment over his own case.
” FG’s charge against Onnoghen The Federal Government had in the charge marked CCT/ABJ/01/2019 alleged that Onnoghen failed to declare his assets as prescribed by law, and maintained foreign bank accounts. However, Onnoghen, who was last Friday, suspended from office by President Buhari, approached the appellate court to challenge the procedure the CCT planned to adopt in his trial.
In the appeal he lodged on January 15, the suspended CJN maintained that the Mr. Danladi Umar-led tribunal erred in law when it held that the preliminary objection he filed to challenge the competence of the charge would be heard alongside the motion the government filed for him to step-aside as both the CJN and chairman of the National Judicial Council, NJC.
Onnoghen insisted that it was wrong for the tribunal to hear and determine the government’s motion when its jurisdiction to entertain the substantive charge was being challenged. He, therefore, prayed the appellate court to set-aside the decision of the CCT as contained in a ruling its chairman delivered on January 14. Meantime, before the appeal could be heard, Justice Onnoghen, on January 18, filed a motion wherein he prayed the appellate court to stay further proceedings in the case against him.
Based on the motion, the Appeal Court, on January 24, ordered the Mr. Umar-led CCT panel to suspended further proceedings in the matter to enable it consider Onnoghen’s request. The order of the court came barely 24 hours after the Federal Government secured an ex-parte order from the tribunal, which gave President Buhari the nod to suspend Onnoghen and swear-in the most senior jurist of the Supreme Court, Justice Tanko Muhammad, as acting CJN.
At its resumed sitting, yesterday, the appellate court vacated its initial order that stopped the CCT from taking further steps in Onnoghen’s trial. The Appeal Court ruling In the lead ruling delivered by Justice Abdul Aboki, the appellate court held that granting the suspended CJN’s motion would amount to a “fundamental interruption” of a criminal proceeding before the CCT. It noted that Onnoghen himself had in a judgment he delivered in a case involving a firm owned by former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, Destra Investment Limited, banned the grant of stay of proceeding in criminal matters.
Justice Aboki further recalled that the suspended CJN had in another case that involved the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, identified the CCT as a special court with quasi-criminal jurisdiction. He maintained that Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, expressly forbade courts from granting orders to stay proceedings in criminal cases.
“We cannot run away from the fact that the CCT, which has quasi-criminal jurisdiction, does not have an option than to abide and be apolitical in all proceedings before it,” Justice Aboki added. Consequently, the appellate court dismissed Onnoghen’s appeal, stressing that the order for stay of proceedings he requested for could not be granted because “an applicant must convince the court that grant of such order will be in the interest of justice”, adding that there was no “special or exceptional circumstance” to warrant the suspension of the case pending against Onnoghen before the CCT.
“The Applicants motion for an order for stay of proceeding is hereby refused”, Justice Aboki ruled. Nevertheless, the appellate court fixed February 4 to hear the substantive appeal the suspended CJN filed to challenge the decision of the CCT to hear his preliminary objection alongside FG’s motion to remove him from office. Onnoghen had through his team of lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, contended that his objection and the Federal Government’s motion were mutually exclusive, and as such, could not be heard together.
He argued that the tribunal ought to determine first whether or not it has the requisite jurisdiction to handle the charge against him, before it could proceed to hear any other application. Specifically, Justice Onnoghen faulted the competence of his trial before the CCT on the premise that the Federal Government failed to allow the National Judicial Council, NJC, to investigate the allegations against him, before it proceeded to prefer a criminal charge against him. Aside the instant appeal, Justice Onnoghen had also lodged another appeal to challenge the ex-parte order the CCT issued for his suspension. In the four grounds of appeal filed on Tuesday, Onnoghen argued that the CCT erred in law by granting an ex-parte order for his removal, even when it had yet to determine whether or not it has the jurisdiction to try him.
He therefore applied for, “An order setting aside the order of the tribunal made on January 23, directing the Appellant to step aside as the Chief Justice of Nigeria and a further order that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria takes all necessary measures to swear-in the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria as Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council”.
He maintained that “the exercise of powers over the motion ex-parte without first determining the jurisdiction of the tribunal amounted to unlawful exercise of jurisdiction and therefore void.” Supreme Court verdict’ll strengthen our democracy — Ortom Commending Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and leadership of the National Assembly for approaching the Supreme Court over the suspension of Justice Onnoghen, the Benue State Governor stressed that the move would further strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
Governor Ortom noted that the leadership of the National Assembly had also demonstrated true patriotism by leading the legislature to seek interpretation of the Apex Court to the Presidency’s unfortunate sacking of the CJN. In a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Terver Akase, the Governor said: “Nigerians are patiently waiting to know the Court’s verdict, whether or not the decision of the Presidency to suspend the CJN amounts to usurpation of the powers of Senate as provided for in Section 292 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“It is only when due process, the rule of law and separation of powers are respected by the three arms of government that the country’s democracy can grow. I, therefore, urge Nigerians to reject impunity and high-handedness in any disguise and be prepared to vote without the fear of intimidation during the coming elections.” ACF backs Buhari Meanwhile, The Board of Trustees, BoT, of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has backed President Buhari’s suspension of Justice Onnoghen, saying allowing the CJN to be tried by the NJC would have amounted to allowing him “seat (sic) in judgment over his own case.” In a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting in Kaduna, the forum said by his conduct, the CJN has demonstrated that his personal interest supersedes that of the nation.
The statement read: “The ACF notes that the allegation against the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, are that he failed to comply with the expressed provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act, to wit, failure to declare his assets on assumption of office as Justice of the supreme Court and as the Chief Justice of Nigeria. “That when he was made to declare his assets as demanded by law, he failed to declare all of them. Following the discovery of these infractions, the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, swiftly referred the matter to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, which made an order for the temporary suspension of the CJN in the interest of natural justice.
However, this action by the CCT has provoked intense controversy. “Yet, from a reading of all the facts of the matter, ACF cannot defend the position taken by the Hon. Justice Onnoghen, especially his insistence that he should first be tried by the National Judicial Council, of which he is Chairman. To do so would have allowed him to seat in judgment over his own case. “ACF deeply regrets the conduct of Justice Onnoghen, particularly his refusal to step aside and allow the due process o f the law to take its course.
He has created the impression that his personal interests in this matter supercede that of the judiciary and the nation. “On their part, law enforcement agencies must strive to always execute their tasks in neat and professional manner in order to avoid creating perceptions of partisanship. In the end, Nigeria cannot hope to develop and take its rightful place in the comity of nations unless and until we learn to respect our laws and enforce them fairly and consistently.” Drama, as NBA attempts disruption of A-Court sitting in Rivers There was drama, panic and violence as members of the NBA Rivers State, invaded the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt to disrupt the session. The NBA members, who stormed the court, however, were beaten up by litigants.
This is just as the court adjourned till Thursday, January 31, hearing of pending motions for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to be served the hearing notice. On January 28, the Court of Appeal adjourned till yesterday, to hear the motion of Stay of Execution on the judgment of a Federal High Court, which barred the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State from fielding candidates for the 2019 elections. The adjourned date coincided with the two days boycott of court proceedings declared by NBA nationwide over the Justice Onnoghen saga. When the Court resumed yesterday to commence hearing, the NBA in the state, led by its chairman, Sylvester Adaka, arrived with placards.
The NBA protesters were halted by the judge of the court, who said protest into a court room was unethical, urging the protesters to sit and express their griefs. The court had following the nature of the APC matter, in view of the forthcoming general election, decided to take appearance and regularise processes and then adjourn till (today) Thursday for hearing. However, the NBA protesters, who had been briefed by the judges, returned minutes later to disrupt the court proceedings, asking their colleagues to leave the court room.
Peeved, angry litigants at the Appeal Court pounced heavily on the chairman of NBA, Port Harcourt, Adaka, and chased the protesting NBA team out of the court room, causing fear among the judges and APC big wigs, who were in court. This is incivility, we won’t be intimidated — Judges The Court of Appeal panel described the incident as an act of incivility, adding that it was aimed at intimidating the court. Presiding judge, Justice A.A. Gumel, said it was unethical for the bar to attempt to disrupt the sitting of the bench, adding that the court ought to be respected. Gumel said: “You have seen people barge into our proceeding. This is incivility.
We will not be intimidated. We will do our work. We are here to do a solemn job and we will give justice. The bar is entitled to respect the bench and the bench should carry the bar along. If the ethical behaviours handed to us by our fathers are maintained we will make headway. It is about all the courts and administration of justice and not just the Appeal Court in Rivers State.
” We’re not aware of boycott notice Also, Justice Isaiah Akeju, the second in the panel noted that the panel was not officially notified of the boycott order by the NBA, adding that notice ought to have been served on the bench to that regard. Akeju said: “Advice your colleagues that it is not in their best interest to disrupt the sitting of the bench. We are not aware because they did not inform us. What stops them from doing a small notice to us on the issue?” The third judge in the panel, Justice Mustafa, said the act displayed in court would remain in the mind of the court.
“This will remain in our memory. It is important for the bar to respect the bench. No lawyer is expected to misbehave. We are happy that the pandemonium did not extended to the bench.’’ Thugs zeroed in on me — Adaka On his part, Sylvester Adaka said: “Today we were continuing our peaceful boycott of courts as directed by our national secretariat and national executive committee in our meeting of Monday, January 28, 2019.
“While we were at the court of appeal, I peacefully addressed the justices of the court of appeal to rise in continuation of our peaceful boycott of the court and also appealed to lawyers to leave the court premises. “But while we were there in court, a couple of thugs in the court premises attacked the lawyers there, the thugs zeroed in on me and and a couple of lawyers. ‘’If not for the intervention of my colleagues around, I don’t know what would have happened. “The court was sitting and continued sitting even after the attack on us and we felt that in an atmosphere that was charged like that, the court should have at least reasoned to allow tempers cool.”
The owner of Etashol Hotel and Suites, located on Budland Street in the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos State, Mrs Abimbola Olusola, and the manager, Tunji Omikunle, have been murdered.
Olusola, who had lived in London, the United Kingdom, for 35 years, was said to have returned to Nigeria recently and opened the hotel for business in March 2018.
Our correspondent learnt that the 56-year-old had issues with some of the workers, who allegedly defrauded the hotel of millions of naira.
Two of the workers were reportedly sacked after the police were invited to look into the matter.
Last week Thursday, a gang said to have consisted some of the sacked workers and some still in the employment of the hotel, allegedly conspired among themselves and drugged Olusola and Tunji.
They allegedly deactivated the Closed Circuit Television cameras on the premises, dragged the manager into a toilet, where his hands and feet were tied.
Our correspondent learnt that Tunji was strangled, after which the suspects proceeded to Olusola’s room and strangled her too.
Relatives of the deceased told our correspondent that the suspects fled the hotel, as family members met the lifeless bodies of the victims in the hotel.
The case was reported at the Ojodu Abiodun Police Station.
A family member of the late businesswoman, who asked not to be named, said Olusola was planning to lease out the hotel and return to London when tragedy struck.
She said, “The incident happened on Thursday night cum Friday morning. I was called that my sister had been murdered by the boys working for her in the hotel.
“From what I learnt, the manager had dragged one of them, called Light, to a police station for involvement in fraud in the hotel. There were also cases of stealing involving these guys. Two of them were sacked.
“On Thursday night, the men tied Tunji’s hands and feet and strangled him. I think it was after they had killed Tunji that they got access to the card that opens my sister’s room. They went to her bed, tied her up and strangled her.”
Around 7am when the school bus came to pick him, a vigilante member, who had tried unsuccessfully to reach the deceased businesswoman on the telephone, insisted on knowing her whereabouts from the son.
The boy was said to have found her dead on the bed in her room.
The family member added, “The child sleeps in a room in the hotel. Tunji used to wake him up and prepare him for school. But when the boy did not see the manager that morning and his school bus had arrived, he quickly got himself ready and ran out.
“However, a vigilante member, who had suspected that something was amiss after noticing some of the workers’ movements the previous night, waited at the hotel’s gate. The man had called both Tunji and the woman on their phones without getting any response.
“When the boy was hurrying to school that morning, the man said he should go and call the manager. The boy went inside and returned, saying he could not find the manager. He was hurrying to get into the school bus when the man said he should go and call his mother.
“He went to her room and raised the alarm after discovering her corpse.”
Our correspondent learnt that Olusola, who hailed from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, had separated from her husband.
Tunji’s uncle, Chief Tunde Omikunle, said the deceased was survived by his wife and twin children.
Tunde said, “He grew up with me before learning fashion designing. And when he was done, the family got a shop for him; he even had apprentices until last year when he said he had been employed as a manager in the hotel.
“His wife, a graduate, had just been delivered of a set of twins. She stays in Ibadan. In fact, he wanted to go to meet his family in Ibadan when his boss asked him to wait. It was that night that he and the boss were killed.
“From what we know, two of the sacked workers conspired with those still there to carry out the act. They drugged him and took him to a toilet, where he was strangled. Although they destroyed the CCTV in the hotel in order to cover their tracks, we still got to know that they were responsible for the killings.”
A source said the police had recovered the ropes used to commit the crime.
“There was no stab wound or anything on the corpses. The victims were strangled. We recovered the ropes used to commit the crime,” the source said.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the incident, adding that investigation was ongoing.
Lionel Messi believes Barcelona showed their appetite for the Copa del Rey by blowing away Sevilla 6-1 on Thursday to pull off a brilliant comeback and book their place in the semi-finals.
Sevilla had won the first leg 2-0 but their lead was wiped out within 31 minutes at the Camp Nou, after Philippe Coutinho scored a penalty, referred to him by Messi, before Ivan Rakitic poked in a second.
Ever Banega had squandered the chance to level for Sevilla by missing his own spot-kick and Barca ran riot in the second half.
Coutinho headed in his second and Sergi Roberto added a fourth, only for Guilherme Arana to give Sevilla brief hope. Luis Suarez and Messi wrapped up an emphatic victory late on, the latter after a superb counter-attacking move.
Some had suggested Barcelona would be relieved to exit the Copa del Rey to focus fully on La Liga and the Champions League but Messi said their display had silenced the doubters.
“It was said that we had given up in the cup, that we didn’t want it,” Messi said afterwards. “But in no way is this the case. This team wants to fight for all three titles, as is the obligation of Barca every year.”
Coutinho’s form has wavered in recent weeks but his double could do wonders for confidence.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are no strangers to these sort of revivals but against Sevilla, who sit fourth in La Liga and have been one of their closest challengers this season, it was particularly impressive.
The defending champions are into the last four for the ninth consecutive year and edge closer to an historic fifth Copa del Rey title in a row.
They join Valencia and Real Betis in the semis after Betis had earlier needed extra time to beat Espanyol 3-1, 4-2 on aggregate, while Valencia knocked out Getafe on Tuesday.
Real Madrid could fill the last spot. They carry a 4-2 lead into their second leg against Girona on Thursday.
Ernesto Valverde had rested players at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan but he fielded almost his strongest XI in the return.
Messi, left out last week, was back in the starting line-up, along with Suarez, Jordi Alba and Coutinho. Jasper Cillessen kept his place in goal ahead of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
– Messi gives up penalty duties –
Perhaps Messi felt Coutinho had played a big part in winning the penalty after it was the Brazilian’s drag-back that gave him the ball.
Messi went to shoot but struck the leg of Quincy Promes, who could do little about the contact. Referee Jose Sanchez checked with VAR and pointed to the spot. Messi gave way to Coutinho, who whipped it into the corner.
The night could have been different had Cillessen not produced a pair of brilliant saves to preserve his team’s lead. First, he tipped Andre Silva’s flicked finish onto the post and then he saved Banega’s penalty, pushing it out after Gerard Pique had brought down Roque Mesa.
It could have been 1-1 but four minutes later, it was 2-0, Arthur Melo picking out Rakitic, whose attempt to control turned into a poke past the committed Juan Soriano. Rakitic held up his hands, choosing not to celebrate against his former club.
Barca appeared to have put the tie beyond doubt when they scored twice in as many minutes in the second half. Coutinho stooped low to head in Suarez’s cross and then Sergi Roberto hammered in after a delicate ball through from Messi.
Instead, Sevilla pulled one back, Arana driving into the far corner. There were 23 minutes left and the visitors only needed one more to go through on away goals.
But Suarez set Barca off again, tapping in Alba’s cross before Messi added a final flourish. He started the move with a soaring pass left to Arturo Vidal, who fed inside to Suarez. Pique played the ball back to Suarez by flicking it with his right foot and then Alba teed up Messi, by flicking with his left. Messi made it six.
The Ondo State Police Command, on Wednesday, arrested a man, Adojoh Ojonugwa, for allegedly stealing his brother wife’s pants in Akure.
The suspect was arrested along with a pastor, Olajide Ogunleye, who was also alleged to be involved in the crime.
Five ladies’ pants were found inside Ojonugwa’s bag, two of which reportedly belonged to his brother’s wife, while his sister owned the others.
The 35-year-old Kogi State indigene was alleged to be planning to use the pants for money-making rituals.
It was gathered that when the brother’s wife discovered that her pants had been stolen by the suspect, she reported the matter at the police station, after which Ojonugwa was arrested.
Parading the suspect at the command’s headquarters in Akure, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Joseph, said Ojonugwa, in connivance with Ogunleye, stole the pants in a bid to use them for money rituals.
He said both suspects had confessed to the crime and would soon be charged to court after the completion of police investigation.
Ojonugwa, while speaking to journalists, confessed to the crime, adding that he was instructed by his pastor, Ogunleye, to bring women’s pants to be used to prepare a portion for good fortune and favour.
He said, “When things were difficult for me, I approached the pastor to help me out spiritually and he first gave me something like seeds to swallow and then asked me to go and bring women’s pants as ingredients for money rituals.
“I obeyed the pastor because immediately after I swallowed the thing he gave me, I could no longer disobey him; I could not even ask him what he wanted to do with the female pants that he asked me to bring. All I knew was that I went to my brother’s house and stole his wife’s pants and those of my sister.”
Ogunleye, however, denied the allegation, saying he was set up by Ojonugwa and his brother.
Ogunleye, who claimed to be a pastor at a Celestial Church of Christ in Uso in the Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, admitted to helping people to solve their problems spiritually but insisted that he never met Ojonugwa.
He stated, “I don’t know him; I never set my eyes on him before now; he and his brother are just lying against me; it was his brother that I know. He wanted to buy a piece of land from me but I refused to sell the land to him, because he wanted to use the land to plant cannabis.
“I was surprised to be arrested by the police for a matter I know nothing about. It was a frame-up by his brother, because I refused to sell the land to him.”
The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington, says he has received assurance from all leading presidential candidates that every vote will count in the forthcoming general elections.i never give biafra freedom beacuse they never rest me at all.Thier kind of human being is very hard to understand.Once i am voted into power everything will take a good shape.
Symington stated this on Wednesday in Kaduna State after meeting with the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ahmad Abdulrahaman.
“I have talked to your President, I have talked to the leading candidates and they have all reassured me personally of their commitment to every vote counting, to people being able to cast their vote and for those votes to be counted lawfully,” he said.
The US envoy believes that Nigeria plays a crucial role in consolidating democratic norms in Africa as the world watches with keen interest.
“These elections are really about only about Nigerians. They will be decided by Nigerians and the Nigerian law and they will define the future of Nigeria. But they are also important for others.
“They are important for everybody who has looked up to Nigeria’s example of democracy in the past and who may, if these elections are as good as the elections of 2015, that credit can be invested in democracy and freedom throughout Africa, throughout the Western Africa and throughout the rest of the world.
“So they are important for Nigeria and they are also important for the rest of the world,” the envoy added.
Facebook paid users, including teens, to track their smartphone activity as part of an effort to glean more data that could help the social network’s competition efforts, according to a new report that may raise fresh privacy concerns.
An investigation by the online news site TechCrunch said the effort, which had been known as the Onavo Project and later rebaptized as Facebook Research, was used to gather data on usage habits.
The news could be a further embarrassment for Facebook, which has been under heightened scrutiny over failing to crack down on manipulation of its platform and for sharing private data with its business partners.
According to TechCrunch, Facebook said it shut down the application on Apple’s iOS on Wednesday after the article was published, but apparently kept it active for Android users.
The report said the initial Onavo app was shuttered for violating Apple’s privacy policy and that the newer version may also contravene Apple’s terms.
The program paid users ages 13 to 35 up to $20 a month for “root” access to their devices to track their location, app usage, spending habits and other activity.
According to a statement to TechCrunch, Facebook claimed there was nothing secret about the effort and that it obtained parental consent for teens where required.
Facebook did not immediately respond to further requests for comment.
The project may have allowed Facebook to scoop up more data about younger users as it fends off a challenge from rival services like Snapchat, which has become more popular than Facebook among US teens.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja, has refused an application for stay of proceedings filed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, against the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The court said the charges filed against Onnoghen are criminal in nature and the proceedings before the CCT cannot be stopped.
Orji Uzor Kalu, former Governor of Abia State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has taken a swipe at the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, over the latter’s continued attack on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
He claimed that the former President brought corruption in the country, which then impeded the economic growth of Nigeria.
Kalu, who made this known in his speech during the APC presidential rally held in Aba, Abia State, on Tuesday, also berated Obasanjo for trying to truncate the nation’s democracy with his third term agenda.
According to him, “I saw a man, called Olusegun Obasanjo attacking Mr. President. Obasanjo was a President who brought corruption in Nigeria.
“Obasanjo is a man, who told everybody that he never wanted third term, but, he wanted third term. My problem with him was his third term agenda, my problem with him was that he (Obasanjo) called me and former Speaker, Ghali Umar N’Abba that we should change the electoral bill.
“I signalled N’Abba in his room and I said, N’Abba, we cannot do this. Obasanjo turned himself to be a dictator. How can you compare Obasanjo and Buhari together. Is there any comparison? No. Mr. President had no comparison.
“Buhari want the judiciary to be truly independent. The judges in Abia have told me that they are in the process of receiving their salaries directly from the federal government.
“You have seen our roads, since I left as Abia governor, look at our roads, we have never had any new road. When they go to Abuja, they will tell Mr. President all kinds of lies, that Abia is not APC.
“February 16 presidential election is around the corner. The popularity of the party (APC) will be tested in this soil (Abia). Abians are ready. We are going to give him 70 per cent votes from this Abia State, to the glory of God”.
Kalu, however, canvassed total support for the APC gubernatorial candidate in Abia, Uchechukwu Ogah, in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
He said, “Uche Ogah had been tried and tested. He is coming from the private sector the way I came. I have confidence that he will deliver dividends of democracy to the Abia people if elected as governor”.
Turkish authorities on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for 63 suspects, most of them military pilots, allegedly linked to a 2016 failed coup attempt, the Ankara chief prosecutor’s office said.
The roundup is part of an investigation carried out by the prosecutor into the “Fethullah Terror Organisation” or FETO, an acronym authorities use for the group allegedly behind the failed putsch.
Forty-six of the 63 suspects are helicopter pilots on active military duty, the office said. Two are former pilots and the remaining 15 are civilians working for the movement, it added.
Police raids to catch the suspects were underway.
Turkey accuses the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen and his movement of ordering the attempted coup, which he strongly denies.
Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in the crackdown that followed the putsch in a bid to eradicate the Gulen movement’s influence in Turkey.
In recent weeks, the number of raids has increased with almost daily reports of arrests across the country.
Turkish authorities say the purges are necessary to cleanse the “virus” of the Gulen movement’s infiltration of state institutions.
An estimated 30,000 Nigerians fled a town in their West African nation over the weekend in search of safety in neighboring Cameroon, according to the United Nations refugee agency. They fled the northeast border town of Rann amid mounting violence from a Boko Haram insurgency.
“With more 250,000 children, women and men already uprooted from northeast Nigeria, surging militant attacks are targeting civilians and forcing thousands more to run for their lives each day,” the refugee agency, UNHCR, said Tuesday.
The Associated Press reports that refugees started escaping to Cameroon several weeks ago when Boko Haram captured Rann, which was hosting people who were internally displaced by the Boko Haram conflict, according to Amnesty International. The town is located in Nigeria’s Borno state, where more than 80,000 people have sought refuge in towns and camps as violence in the region has escalated, UNHCR said.
Thousands have also recently fled to Chad.
UNHCR said $848 million is needed to provide basics like water and shelter to the most vulnerable people inside Nigeria. It is also seeking $135 million to help displaced people across the Lake Chad Basin region, where nearly 2.4 million people in total have been displaced due to Boko Haram’s insurgency, which started in 2009 in Nigeria.
“Although the Nigerian military has regained control in parts of the country’s north-east, civilians in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger continue to be affected by grave violations of human rights, widespread sexual and gender-based violence, forced recruitment and suicide bombings,” UNHCR said.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria director said earlier this month that the situation in Rann “shows how vulnerable internally displaced persons are in Nigeria and the need to do more to protect them.”
Olalekan Adetayo, John Ameh, Kamarudeen Ogundele and Ade Adesomoju
The National Judicial Council has given the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, and the acting CJN, Tanko Muhammad, seven working days to respond to petitions against them.
The council gave the ultimatum at its emergency meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday. The two men did not attend the meeting.
A former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umar Abdullahi, presided over the meeting as the interim chairman.
President Muhammadu Buhari had suspended Onnoghen on Friday based on an ex parte order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, which ordered him to step aside.
The President swore in Muhammad in his place in an acting capacity.
The NJC also referred a petition against the CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar, to the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
According to a press release by the NJC’s Director (Information), Soji Oye, the council took the decisions after considering four petitions filed at its secretariat.
The statement explained that the petition against Onnoghen was by Zikhrillahi Ibrahim of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civil Education while two petitions against Muhammad came from Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative, and Olisa Agbakoba (SAN).
It added that the petition against Umar was authored by the Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative.
The statement added, “Council referred the petition against Honurable Danladi Yakubu Umar to the Federal Judicial Service Commission, which is the appropriate constitutional body empowered to deal with it.
“In line with its procedure, council also forwarded the petitions against Honourable Justices W.S.N. Onnoghen, (GCON) and I. T. Muhammad (CFR), to them for their responses.
“In view of the gravity of the matters involved, council abridged the usual response period from fourteen (14) to seven (7) working days for the honurable Justices to respond.”
Oye said the council would reconvene on February 11.
Onnoghen appeals his suspension, Muhammad’s inauguration
Meanwhile, Onnoghen, has asked the Court of Appeal in Abuja to nullify the CCT’s ex parte order which formed the basis for Buhari’s decision to suspend him last Friday.
Onnoghen, in his four grounds notice of appeal filed later on Monday, argued among others that the CCT’s order dated January 23, 2019, and signed by two out of the three members was issued without jurisdiction.
He also argued that the CCT erred in law in issuing the order, adding that the order was unlawful and violated his right to fair hearing.
He added that it remained null and void as it amounted to prematurely passing on him the final punishment imposable by the tribunal upon conviction, when his plea to the six counts preferred against him had not even been taken.
Onnoghen through his lawyers, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), in his appeal, faulted the CCT’s ex parte order issued without first hearing him.
He prayed in his appeal before the Court of Appeal, “an order of this honourable court allowing the appeal.
He prayed for an order setting aside the order of the tribunal made on January 23, 2019, directing him to step aside as the CJN.
He added, “The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and members have a duty to hear the appellant before making the orders.
“The orders made by the Chairman and a member of the Code of Conduct are null and void.”
In another grounds of appeal, the appellant argued that the CCT’s order “occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice” as “parties have joined issue on similar application on notice.”
He explained further that “the Chairman and a member of the Code of Conduct Tribunal made the orders when there was pending before the tribunal a motion on notice with similar prayers as the one granted by the tribunal.”
He added that the CCT, by its order, prematurely granted a relief which the law prescribed as final punishment for violation of the prohibited acts under the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.”
In the fourth grounds, Onnoghen argued that the CCT chairman and member “acted without jurisdiction” when they made the order.
Meanwhile, the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said Buhari was fair and balanced in his approach by suspending Onnoghen.
He said those who were faulting the President’s decision, particularly Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, apparently did not know the difference between suspension and sacking.
Tinubu said this in a statement he personally signed, tagged “Reply to Atiku’s state of the nation” and made available to journalists.
He said, “Buhari actually exercised considerable restraint in this matter. He has reasonably balanced concerns about the integrity of the judiciary with concerns for the individual rights of the accused.
“Nothing has been taken from the CJN that cannot be restored if the facts warrant such restoration.
“Thus, President Buhari conditionally suspended the CJN. By doing so, this allows for the case to move forward without the CCT or others fearing the CJN might use his position to unduly interfere with proceedings.
“If the CJN is exonerated, then he will return to his position. If not exonerated, then a more permanent discipline awaits him.
“This is an imminently fair and balanced approach, especially given the fact that the constitution and other laws really do not provide clear and unambiguous guidance on how to proceed in a case whether the CJN is the defendant under this unique fact pattern.
“While Atiku rails against Buhari because of this act of restraint, we can but imagine the tact Chief Obasanjo and Atiku would have taken if they presided over this situation.”
Nigeria no longer a colony, says Oshiomhole
Also, the APC National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday said Nigeria was no longer a colony of any superpower.
Speaking with State House correspondents, Oshiomhole noted, “The thing is that Nigeria is not a colony. I think we all have to be careful. We must defend the sovereignty of our country. We welcome collaboration, we welcome peer review, we can compare notes, we welcome people who are interested in sharing experiences with us whenever the need arises, whether it is capacity building, making useful suggestions on how we can continue to improve on our electoral process.
“Those are very valuable contributions that we appreciate. But Nigeria is not a colony. We will not accept any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Nigeria.”
Oshiomhole argued further that Onnoghen admitted to have committed the alleged infractions he was accused of by the CCB.
Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, says Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, is a man capable of bringing Nigeria together in unity and in peace.
Jonathan spoke on Tuesday at Ox-bow Lake Pavillion in Yenagoa, when Atiku’s campaign train hit Bayelsa State.
The former president said Atiku also loved the people of Bayelsa and urged them to vote for him.
He urged politicians to desist from using political office to punish people.
“Political office should not be used as instrument of punishment to the people.
“Atiku has love and understanding for the people of Bayelsa State and the Ijaws.
“Atiku will definitely bring the whole country together in unity and peace,” Jonathan said.
Atiku, at the rally, reiterated his promise to make youth and women empowerment his priority if he wins in the forthcoming election.
“Now is the time to secure the future of Nigerians.
“Youth and women empowerment is going to be top on my agenda, if elected as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa said at the rally that the people of the state were ready to vote for the presidential candidate of the PDP come Feb. 16.
“Bayelsa is PDP and PDP is Bayelsa,” Dickson said.
The Federal Government has said that the statements by the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) on the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, portends tolerance for corrupt acts and the downplaying of the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari administration.
The government also said the statements signified alignment with the opposition and endorsement of its position that the ruling party, and by extension, the Federal Government of Nigeria, is working on rigging the forthcoming elections.
This is the third time the government is reacting to statements by the US, the UK and the EU, having earlier said that the presidency will not bend rules or allow interference, and that the US, UK and the EU were not properly informed over concerns raised by the suspension of Onnoghen.
In a statement by the spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, George Ehidiamen Edokpa, the government stated that the statements were inimical to the wellbeing and development of Nigeria, given their nuisance value of promoting sectional and religious divide in the country, anarchy and retrogression.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria notes with deep concern, statements made by representatives of foreign governments and international organizations resident in Nigeria, notably the Embassy of the United States of America, the High Commission of the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union Election Observer Mission, regarding the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), which demonstrate serious and unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Nigeria.
“The various statements, especially of those referred to above, appear prejudicial and signify alignment with the opposition and endorsement of its position that the ruling party, and by extension, the Federal Government of Nigeria, is working on rigging the forthcoming elections in Nigeria. These statements also portend tolerance for corrupt acts and downplay the anticorruption crusade of the Buhari administration, knowing fully that the suspended CJN had not denied the charges against him and that probity requires of him to step aside while the case is under scrutiny.
“It is pertinent to underscore the unfortunate fact that statements, as referred above, are inimical to the wellbeing and development of Nigeria, given their nuisance value of promoting sectional and religious divide in the country, anarchy and retrogression. Now, more than any other time, Nigerians and true friends of Nigeria should be working towards repositioning Nigeria to realize her potential and sustainably provide the leadership expected of her.
“His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari had consistently demonstrated respect for the rule of law as a presidential candidate and as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and would engage in nothing to the contrary. He also remains a man of integrity who has severally pledged free and fair elections. It is therefore absurd to presume that the suspension of the CJN is geared towards rigging the forthcoming elections in favour of the ruling party.
“For the avoidance of doubt, be it known that on three occasions that Mr. President went to court as a presidential candidate and lost his case, in 2013, 2011 and 2007, the presiding judges at the Supreme Court were all northerners and Muslims: Justice Muhammad Lawal Uwais, Idris Lebo Kutigi and Dahiru Mustapha respectively. In fact, in one instance, the presiding judge at the Appeal Court was from Katsina State and the President’s former classmate, yet, he lost the case. The minority judgements in his favour were given by two judges, both of them southerners and Christians: Justices George Adesola Oguntade and Sylvanus Nsofor.
“Resident embassies and international organizations invited to observe the forthcoming elections must therefore be wary of being drawn into the camp of the opposition, otherwise their neutrality, which is the hallmark of election observers becomes questionable. It is indeed unfortunate that foreign missions would align with the opposition and seek to negatively interpret actions by the Federal Government, no matter their positive basis and intention. Had the Federal Government been high-handed, would the opposition have been able to express its views even to the point of pouring invectives on Mr. President? How best can the corruption in the judiciary, which has enormously undermined the rights of the common man and made justice available only to the highest bidder, be best tackled than by ensuring that known cases are fundamentally tackled? Where is the rule of law, if justice is applied selectively?” the government queried
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, on Monday, condemned the statements issued by the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom as well as the European Union Observers on the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
Oshiomhole condemned the statements at the Presidential Villa after the APC Senate caucus and the party’s senatorial candidates met with President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Nigeria is not a colony. We will not accept any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Nigeria,” he said.
He argued that judges get dismissed in Europe and the United States without interference.
“They (judges) have been dismissed across the world when they are found guilty of corruption and the western world cannot, on the one hand when it suits them, describe Nigeria as fantastically corrupt and when a corrupt judicial officer is being charged, people want to interfere.”
Oshiomhole’s comments were in reaction to questions about the criticism that had trailed the suspension of the CJN.
Amid the storm caused by the suspension, the UK, the US, and the EU said in separate statements that they were concerned about the development.
While the UK said the timing “gives cause for concern”, the US said it “undercuts the stated determination of the government, candidates, and political party leaders to ensure that the elections proceed in a way that is free, fair, transparent, and peaceful – leading to a credible result”.
The Presidency has since criticised their reaction, warning that the government won’t tolerate interference, a position Oshiomhole defended on Monday.
Apart from faulting the statements, Oshiomhole called on Nigerians to defend the country’s sovereignty.
“I think we all have to be careful. We must defend the sovereignty of our country,” he said.
Despite his criticism, he said Nigeria remained open to maintaining a relationship with other countries.
“We welcome collaboration, we welcome peer review; we can compare notes. We welcome people who are interested in sharing experiences with us wherever the need arises whether it is capacity building or making useful suggestions on how we can improve on our electoral process. Those are very valuable contributions that we appreciate,” Oshiomhole said.
A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr Olisa Agbakoba has submitted a petition against Justice Tanko Muhammed, who was appointed last Friday as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement from his chambers on Monday, Mr Agbakoba said he submitted his petition to the National Judicial Council, asking it to determine the propriety of Justice Mohammed accepting to be sworn-in by the President in place of the suspended CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
According to him, by submitting himself to the President to be sworn-in as acting CJN, Justice Mohammed lent himself to a constitutional infraction by the executive arm of government.
Agbakoba recalled that Justice Mohammed was part of an NJC panel that sanctioned Justice Obisike Orji of Abia State for allowing himself to be sworn-in as Abia State Chief Judge by the state’s governor without the recommendation of the NJC.
Agbakoba said, “It is a matter of regret that Justice Tanko Muhammad, who participated in this process, will lend himself to this constitutional infraction.
“We pray the NJC to determine this petition in line with the decision in Justice Obisike Orji by immediately removing Justice Tanko Muhammad as Justice of the Supreme Court on grounds of gross misconduct which has generated perhaps the most controversial crisis in Nigeria’s judicial history.”
Insisting that the President violated the law in suspending Justice Onnoghen, Agbakoba cited Section 153 of the constitution, saying the law was clear on how a CJN could be removed.
He said, “The Constitution is clear about the procedure for suspending or removing the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
“The Chief Justice of Nigeria can only be removed on the recommendation of the NJC. See Section 153 (1), Paragraph 21 (a) of the 3rd Schedule and Section 292 (1) (a) (i) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999and the Supreme Court decision in Elelu-Habeeb v AGF (2012) 40 WRN 1.
“Hon. Justice Tanko Muhammad is fully aware of the state of law, yet presented himself to be sworn in by the President.”
Meanwhile, anti-corruption group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has given the NJC till Thursday to take over Onnoghen’s case and look into the false asset declaration allegations levelled against him.
SERAP, in a statement by its Senior Legal Adviser, Bamisope Adeyanju, asked Justice Muhammad to recuse himself from the case.
It said if the allegations against Justice Onnoghen are established after the investigation by the NJC, the CJN should be handed over to the relevant anti-graft agency for prosecution.
“The NJC should take the recommended action within five days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, failing which SERAP will take appropriate legal action to compel the NJC to take action on the case,” the statement read.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who was purportedly suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari last Friday, has debunked the rumour gaining traction online that he has resigned.
Onnoghen debunked the rumour in a terse statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Awassam Bassey.
He described the CJN’s rumoured resignation as “fake news circulated by mischief makers.”
“Mischief makers are still circulating this fake news. Once again, no truth in it whatsoever. The Hon CJN, Hon Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, GCON, has not resigned,” Bassey said.
The embattled CJN has been replaced by President Buhari with the next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Tanko Mohammed, as Acting CJN.
The resignation rumour came less than 24 hours to the emergency meeting summoned by the National Judicial Council to deliberate on Onnoghen’s suspension and Muhammad’s emergence as the Acting CJN.
The Buhari administration has since Friday, come under scathing and widespread criticism locally and from the international community for being ill-timed, coming in the eve of the imminent general elections.
This morning The police, stormed and sealed off the office of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen.
Confirming the development, the media aide to Onnoghen, Awusam Bassey, said the police operatives who stormed the office premise in the early hours of Monday sent staff members out of the office before taking it over.
Onnoghen was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari over false asset declaration. President Buhari ordered his suspension pending the outcome of the decision over his case by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
TEXT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, IN ABUJA ON MONDAY, 28 JAN 2019
Gentlemen of the press, thank you for once again honouring our invitation.
As you would recollect, President Muhammadu Buhari last Friday complied with the order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, directing the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon Justice Walter Onnoghen, pending the determination of the cases against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and several fora relating to his alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.
Since then, there have been widespread reactions from within and outside the country. In particular, the opposition has latched on to it, threatening fire and brimstone and concocting all sorts of imaginary scenarios and generally muddying the waters. In what I will call the theater of the absurd, the main opposition party, the PDP, even suspended its electioneering campaign for 72 hours! Of course,
you must have seen my reaction to that. I said there is nothing to suspend in a campaign that never took off in the first instance! So much for the opposition’s hysteria.
Today, I have called this press conference to set the records straight and redirect the discourse. Contrary to what the opposition and their ilk have been saying, this is not about the forthcoming elections, neither does the suspension of the CJN signal the beginning of dictatorship. President Buhari is an avowed democrat, and this he has proven time and time again. This Administration stands firm on the rule of law!
This whole issue is about the country’s highest judicial officer, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, being accused of a breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, and the legal and moral conundrum surrounding that. It is about the suspicious transactions running into millions of dollars to the suspended CJN’s personal accounts, all undeclared or improperly declared as required by law. It is about the Hon. Justice Onnoghen himself admitting to the charges that he indeed failed to follow the spirit and letter of the law in declaring his assets, calling it a ‘mistake’. And it is about him refusing to take responsibility, instead opting to put the entire judiciary on trial. Please remember that Justice Onnoghen has been given the opportunity of fair hearing, but he has been abusing his position and the judicial process by filing frivolous applications and even dodging service of process.
THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA
READ ALSO: Ex-Muslim Igbo Corper Finally Begins Exposure Of ‘Radical Islam’, Reveals Who Buhari Really Is [Video]
It is regrettable to note that the media, which should have led the discourse, has not done so. In fact, a section of the media has taken sides. Several newspapers have written editorials on this issue. Some newspapers have employed rather crude and obnoxious language to push forth their opinions, while others have been more tempered. But curiously, none has written from a perspective that shows that they understand the big picture.
What is the big picture? In the words of The Right Honourable Sir
Alfred Denning, or Lord Denning, then Lord Justice of the British Court of Appeal, a judge should in his own character be beyond reproach, or at any rate should have so disciplined himself that he is not himself a breaker of the law. Still talking of the big picture, some have suggested that the suspension of Justice Onnoghen is a threat to our democracy or even the country’s very existence. They are wrong. Again, Lord Denning, himself quoting the words of Sydney Smith, said: ”Nations fall when judges are unjust, because there is nothing which the multitude thinks worth defending.” Had the section of the media that I referred to earlier understood the big picture, they would have framed the debate differently, rather than work to inflame passion and help those seeking to muddy the waters.
THE ROLES OF THE NJC AND THE CODE OF CONDUCT TRIBUNAL
It is unfortunate that in the ensuing debate, the talk about due process has overshadowed the talk about the substance. Procedure cannot or should not trounce substance. That brings me to the role of the National Judicial Council (NJC). Some have argued that the Justice Onnoghen issue should have been referred to the NJC to handle. They would have been right if Justice Onnoghen had been accused of professional misconduct, which is what is within the purview of the NJC. The allegations against Justice Onnoghen go beyond professional misconduct. It is the alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers. And only one body is statutorily empowered to deal with this: The Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Interestingly, Justice Onnoghen himself has elucidated on this. In various judgments, he upheld the provisions of the law concerning the CCT. In one particular judgement he delivered on July 12, 2013,
Justice Onnoghen held that the CCT had EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION (emphasis mine) to deal with all violations contravening any of the provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau. Let me put this in a layman’s language: All breaches of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers must be handled by the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Pure and simple. In other words, Justice Onnoghen’s judgement held that the provisions expressly ousted the powers of ordinary regular courts in respect of such violations.”
READ ALSO: FG Clamping Down On Those Opposed To Buhari, PDP Alleges
In a case between Ismaeel Ahmed and Nasiru Ahmed, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Chairman of the Kano state chapter of the party, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which has been reported by the media, Onnoghen, while interpreting Paragraph 12 of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as regards CCT’s jurisdiction held that, “…the said paragraph 12 provides as follows: ‘Any allegation that a public officer has committed a breach of or has not complied with the provisions of this Code shall be made to the Code of Conduct Bureau.”
The judgement, which was delivered at the Supreme Court with suit number ‘SC.279/2012’ before Justices Onnoghen and others, also held that the provisions of the law are clearly unambiguous. Justice
Onnoghen said that the provisions are, “so construed literally meaning that any breaches of any provisions of the said 5th schedule or matters of noncompliance with any provisions of the Code shall be made to the Code of Conduct Bureau that has established its Tribunal with the exclusive jurisdiction to deal with any violations of any provisions under the Code.”
Is anyone still in doubt that the CCT is the right court to try the alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers levied against Justice Onnoghen? Is it not clear that challenging the jurisdiction of the CCT to try him is an abuse of court process by Justice Onnoghen?
As for those who argued that the CCT is wrong in ordering Justice Onnoghen’s suspension, are they aware that Justice Onnoghen himself disagreed with them? In the judgement I referred to earlier, he wrote:
“The Tribunal to the exclusion of other courts is also empowered to impose any punishments as specified under sub-paragraphs (2) (a), (b) & (c) of paragraph 18 as provided in sub-paragraphs 3 and 4 of paragraph 18 while appeals shall lie as of right from such decisions to the Court of Appeal.” In essence, the CCT is right to have directed Justice Onnoghen’s suspension, and the President did the right thing by acting on the orders of the CCT. Needless to say that in many of the cases of professional misconduct against judges that Justice Onnoghen has presided over at the NJC, judges have been suspended while still undergoing trial!
READ ALSO: Nigerian Govt Urges Spain To Dialogue With Catalonia
CONCLUSION
Gentlemen, from the foregoing, it is clear that:
a) Contrary to the cacophony of voices that have been muddying the waters, the CCT was acting within its powers in ordering the suspension of Justice Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria, and President Muhammadu Buhari was right in carrying out the order.
b) The suspension of Justice Onnoghen is a consequence of his breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and has nothing to do with the forthcoming elections, neither does it signify the onset of dictatorship or tyranny as some have insinuated. It amounts to irresponsible extrapolation to say that the suspension of Justice Onnoghen is the onset of dictatorship.
c) A section of the media shirked their agenda-setting role by failing to objectively lead the discourse on the issue of the allegation facing Justice Onnoghen and his subsequent suspension. Certain editorials crossed the acceptable limit of decent discourse, and did little or nothing to enlighten the public on the issue at stake.
d) The opposition, in its reaction, is guilty of engaging in hysteria and for overheating the polity. Conveniently, they have anchored their failed campaign for the 2019 election on an issue that is totally
unrelated to the election. By their reaction, they have made their tattered umbrella available for shielding alleged corrupt persons.Their leopard can never change its spots: The PDP is corruption personified and it’s only reason for seeking a return to office is to complete their looting of the national treasury. The attack dogs unleashed by the opposition have been engaging in incitement and other actions that can threaten law and order. There is no cause for alarm, as the law enforcement agencies are alive to their responsibilities
e) The threat of mass action by some groups cannot undermine the course of justice. More Nigerians are with us than are with them on this issue, going by the feelers that we are getting from across the country. Those who want to protest against the suspension of the CJN should feel free to exercise their rights, within the limits of the law.
