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PDP Leadership Not Gender Sensitive – Senator Biodun Olujimi

By
Ayodele Oni
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Senator Biodun Olujimi

By Ayodele Oni

Senator Biodun Olujimi representing Ekiti North at the Senate, said she was humilated by the position of the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) on the outcome of the party’s Governorship Primary in Ekiti state.

She was the only female that participated in the Primary Election of the PDP.

Olujimi had pulled out of the Primary  due to some alleged malpractices observed in the delegates list used for the election.

She also cited refusal to conduct Party Congress in two Local Governments, in her Senatorial District.

Despite her position, the leadership of the party went ahead to present Certificate of Return to the winner of the election, Bisi Kolawole, annoited candidate of former Governor Ayo Fayose.

Addressing her supporters at a meeting on Tuesday, the Senator expressed the view that her position on the Primary Election was jetissioned because of her gender.

“Today we just held a meeting, we thought it was going to be a small meeting but our people really want to hear from us, that’s why we’re many here.

“There were erroneous beliefs over the time, but we’ve discussed extensively about the issues and its clear now.

“In our group, we’ve decided to maintain collegiate leadership and that’s why we’re here to listen to our people. They’ve told us their feelings and what they are seeing.

“We’ve set up a 17-man Committee of one per local government with a Chairman, Rt. Hon Tunji Odeyemi, and we gave them a time frame of three days to report back to us on what we should agree to do.

“The Committee members are veritable leaders, there will be a larger house meeting on Sunday.

“What some of our people want is to pull out, but I let them realize that, that cannot be done in a hurry because tempers are high and we can see a lot of angers in our people.

‘We’ve initiated a good force, it’s the ability to sit together and to channel a good course for ourselves.

“What the national did, is highly disappointing and unexpected. If the former governor is a sitting senator would they have rubbished him as they did to Senator Biodun Olujimi?

“No! It’s clear that my Gender has affected me and no one can take me for granted.

”The reason Engr. Segun Oni has not contacted me is simple, he knows how I feel and he knows that I’ll never take any decision in hurry.”

Oni has since then quit the PDP, and gunning to contest for the Governorship under the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

NGO Faults Ban On Visits By Charity Groups To Correctional Centres

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

A non-Governmental Organization, (NGO) has called for a reversal, of an order banning religious groups and other charity organizations from paying visits to Correctional Centres nationwide.

The One Love Family and Caring Association, known as One Love Foundation, in a letter to the Comptroller-General of Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) Mr Haliru Nababa, noted that such ban would have negative effect on the lives of inmates that are not being adequately taken care of.

The letter signed by its President, Chief Patrick Eholor, stated that “as part of our social work schedule for the year 2022, we are undertaking a convict rehabilitation programme called Second Chance.

“For this programme, our foundation drew up a curriculum of prison visitations by social work counsellors, pastors and imams who are partners with our foundation for the purpose of moral reorientation, preaching instructions and skills acquisition training for correctional centre inmates across Nigeria.

“Accordingly, we communicated our said programme to various state controllers of your correctional services.

“Sir, to our dismay, we were informed by state commands of your service that an administrative memo originating from the office of the Comptroller-General prohibits every form of charity activity, including the various aspects of our Second Chance philanthropic programme, except the operators of such activity obtained the written authorization of the Comptroller-General.

“This hard-to-comprehend restriction against constitutional and religious acts of charity, which both the major faiths of Christianity and Islam command, have grievously disrupted our foundation’s humanitarian support programmes for inmates in the past and in the present, as well as other NGOs’ charity support for innates across the country.

“We of One Love Foundation and our civil society partners hereby respectfully seek an interactive meeting of civil society groups and NGOs with the office of the Comptroller-General for enlightenment as a public institution established to serve the best interest of correctional service reforms and inmates’ well-being in Nigeria.

“The laws and orders blocking charity for prisoners are very dangerous and tantamount to totalitarianism.

“What are our lawyers doing, what are the Senior Advocates doing, what is Yemi Osibanjo doing with all these injustice?

“How can the centre have so much power that if you have to do anything meaningful in this country, you have to come to Abuja?

“We are now asking questions, and we must get answers, using the Freedom of Information Act.

“We want to know the annual budget of the prisons, because we understand the prisoners are not being fed or cared for, they don’t get their emoluments.

“They don’t get trade work or schooling, the system is rotten. We will keep fighting until these things are corrected.”

It is not likely the protest will have any impact. The ban is a consequence of the many bloody invasion of  Correctional Centres across the country by hoodlums, causing mayhem, and the releasing inmates. On a couple of occasions, Prison Warders and other Security Agents had either been killed or seriously injured.

Government is, therefore, tightening all loopholes.

Fuel Scarcity Hits Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt

By
Uche Mbah
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By Uche Mbah

Long queues at filling stations – where they agree to sell – resurfaced in parts of Lagos Tuesday after similar reports  from Abuja.

For the second day running, Gas Stations were sending commuters away claiming no supply. Expectedly, this has resulted in panic buying and hoarding of premium motor spirits, PMS, popularly known as Petrol.

At Egbeda-ikotun road, it was chaos at Mobil Filling Station, with many struggling to buy from one nuzzle. The problem was compounded by reduced and rationed power supply, resulting in many okada people and pedestrians with jerry cans seeking fuel for generators, clustering round the fuel pump.

Reports indicate that there was no difference in Lagos Island, Ikeja, Ojota, and Apapa. Alimosho, Agege, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, LASU-Iba Road, Ikoyi, and so many other places are reportedly locked down.

Reports over the weekend suggested that as early as Saturday, the scarcity was building up in Abuja and Port Harcourt. Traffic controllers are having hard times with doing their jobs due to pandemonium caused by the gridlocks.

Sources within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, indicate that the last batch of imported fuel was contaminated, and NNPC had to withdraw it from the market, resulting in a temporary scarcity.

Ekiti Politics And Emergence Of Third Force

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

Permutations and negotiations have continued to trail the outcome of the Governorship primaries of the two leading political parties in Ekiti state, People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) and All Progressive Congress, (APC).

While losers in the primary election are re-strategizing on the next line of action, the candidates are set to go into full blown campaign, preparatory to the June election.

There is, however, a twist in the arrangement as some of the losers are now set to constitute themselves into a third force.

Dr Oluwole Oluyide, a candidate of the African Democratic Congress(ADC) is one of those in this category. In his company is the former Governor of the State, Chief Segun Oni, who lost the PDP contest to another ex-Governor’s favourite, Bisi Kolawole.

Oni is set to pick the flag of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) banking on the strength of his supporters in the State.

From the history of politics in Ekiti, the struggle has always been between the PDP and APC. From Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Ayodele Fayose, Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi, it has been a change of baton between the two main political parties.

Oni, who is now the architect of the third force, became Governor on the ticket of the PDP. There is the belief among political watchers in the State that the emergence of a third force in the politics of the State is an indication that the people are tired of the imposition of Governors on them.

Fayemi is the god father of APC’s candidate, Biodun Oyebanji while PDP’s candidate, Bisi Kolawole is an annoited son of Fayose. The victory of any of them during the June poll is seen as a third term for their sponsors.

Mr Femi Awojobi, a political analyst said the birth of a third force is redefining democracy in Ekiti state

According to him, “the recent primary elections to pick the candidates of both APC and PDP in Ekiti State, where the parochia attitudes of few had dubiously overpowered the general interests of the majority of the People has made it axiomatic clear that, the generally accepted definition of Democracy has been redefined in Ekiti from what it used to be to the Government of the few by the few and for the few.

“The shadow of the new definition is, however, the nemesis that has been chasing the Oshokomole dynasty in PDP and the Tokan-Tokan cabals of Fayemi in APC.

“The inability of Fayemi and Fayose to form an all-inclusive Government in the past and now within their parties has resulted to a shameful desperation to install their stooges at all cost as the flagbearers of their parties and even at the expense of the general interests of the majority of their party members.

“It is now an open secret that, Fayemi and Fayose undemocratic actions before and during the recent primary elections will give birth to a third Force that may be too hard to contend with by both APC and PDP in Ekiti State.

“The volume of the aggrieved members from both APC and PDP who are now planning to move into the already ripe pregnancy which is about to be delivered of a new political party in Ekiti State will no doubt be a political tsunami tide wave that will consume many self-centred, egocentric, greedy politicians and their cohorts to oblivion.

“What had tranpired at the just concluded primary elections of both APC and PDP in Ekit State was nothing but a reckless abuse of power and unreasonable insulting of the sensibility of other aspirants, especially those who control the larger, if not largest followers within the parties and Ekiti State in general, in order to impose unpopular but annointed aspirants, whose their god-fathers believe will do their wishes against the wishes of the people of the State when elected.”

Mr Jackson Adebayo, spokesman for the Segun Oni Campaign Group also believes that the emergence of his boss on another political platform has been causing sleepless nights to Fayemi and Fayose.

He said that Oni has the largest followers of electorate in the state as he used his first term as Governor to touch their lives and they are still waiting to return him to the number one seat.

Some of the losers of the APC primaries still believe that the National leadership of the party still has the opportunity to right the wrong that took place during the Primary election by annulling the outcome.

The winner of the Primary, Oyebanji, is yet to receive a Certificate of Return, almost, 15 days after the exercise was conducted and the delay is giving those opposed to his victory confidence that anything can still happen.

However, unless the losers come together to support one of them, instead of each going to a different Political Party and, thus, divide the votes, victory, not a few people think, will still go to either the APC or the PDP.

Customs’ PRO, Tin can Controller Moved In Major Shakeup

By
Bayo Bernard
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By Fola James
The Comptroller General of Customs Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd.) has effected a major shake- up in the service. In the new arrangement, the Customs Area Comtroller,Tin Can Island Port, Lagos Controllers Musa Abdullahi and Joseph Attah, until now the Customs Public Relations  Officer,  CPRO have been moved from their former positions.
While Attah is expected to assume duty at the Kebbi command of the Service, Musa Abdullahi’s new place of assignment has yet to be communicated by the Service.
Speaking to the magazine on Tuesday, some top officials of the Service said a substnative Spokesman will soon be announced. “That will be communicated  to you in due course,” one of the source in the PR department said while responding to a question on whether an officer has been apointed to take over from Attah.
According to a statement  signed by T. Bomodi, a Deputy Controller of Customs, the Services’ top command has approved “the deployment of 37 Comptrollers to various Units, Departments and Commands across the country. In postings released yesterday the 7th of February, he charged the newly posted Comptrollers to justify the confidence reposed in them by NCS Management by bringing to bear their years of experience and training in trade facilitation and anti-smuggling activities on their new assignment.
“Among those deployed are Comptroller AAS Oloyede who shall be moving from ICT/MOD to Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller SI Bomoi to FCT Command, while Comptroller Joseph Oboshi Attah will assume the office of Area Controller in Kebbi Command. Other postings are Comptroller BA Jaiyeoba to Oyo/Osun Command, Comptroller A Dappa-Williams to Eastern Marine Command, Compt. MA Umar Kano/Jigawa, Compt. KC Egwuh ICT/MOD, Compt. LM Mark Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi, Compt. T Tachio  CTC Kano, Compt.  AA Umar Western Marine, Compt. M Dansakwa North Eastern Marine, Compt. AC Ayalogu T & T and Compt. KD Ilesanmi will assume duty as Controller Board among others.
“Given the enormous expectations of government regarding revenue generation in the current year, the Comptroller General reiterated the need for all Area Controllers and Unit heads to take full charge of the affairs of their Commands by ensuring absolute compliance with extant fiscal policies while leveraging on the efficient management of data to optimize trade facilitation and revenue collection.
“Furthermore, the CGC directed all officers to be extremely vigilant in protecting the lives and wellbeing of Nigerians by ensuring the full fortification of our borders against the incursion of smugglers and other cross border criminals. The deployments take immediate effect,” Bomodi said.

EFCC Arraigns Access Bank Hacker

By
Bayo Bernard
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0

 

By Tosin Olatokunbo

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,  EFCC says Chris Ihebuzo, who hacked into Access Bank Plc system two years ago has been completely  neutralised.  Adewunmi Omotosho, an invesigator with the EFCC told an an Ikeja Special Offences Court that the hacker no longer poses a threat.

Omotosho said Ihebuzo was apprehended by the anti-graft agency after he claimed in a viral video  that he has  gained access into the commercial  bank’s database and extracted data of over 2,000 customers.

According to the  ews Agency of Nigeria,  NAN, the EFCC investigator when led in evidence by EFCC Prosecuting Counsel, Franklin Ofoma, informed the court that the commission swung into action as soon as it received  a petition from Access Bank Plc, complaining about the viral video on social media.

Adewunmi, the second prosecution witness, said that when EFCC apprehended Ihebuzo, they recovered an HP Laptop, 12 blank ATM Master Cards, documents containing account numbers, phone numbers and Biometric Verification Number (BVN) of customers.

Ofoma submitted the materials to court while urging the judge to admit them into evidence. Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe thereafter admitted all the seized materials and documents as exhibits.

Adewunmi in her evidence told the court that a forensic expert working in EFCC had given her team, the defendant’s name and address.

She said that all the documents seized from Ihebuzo were exclusively for the bank.

The EFCC investigator further told the court that after his arrest, the defendant volunteered his statement to the commission under caution.

NAN reports that Ihebuzo is facing a seven-count charge of stealing, demanding property by written threats, attempting to obtain property by false pretence and unauthorised access to computer material.

Other charges are: unauthorised access with intent to commit and facilitate the commission of further offences and unauthorised modification of computer materials.

The EFCC further alleged that the defendant had sometime in August 2020 in Lagos with an intent to extort money from Access Bank Plc, knowingly sent an electronic mail to the bank’s management to demand money.

The defendant had claimed that he had in his possession, Access Bank Public Liability Company’s documents, containing the phone numbers, bank accounts, NIN numbers, and Biometrics Verification Numbers (BVN) of the bank’s customers.

The offences are contrary to Sections 21(5), 278(1) and (2), 285 (1), 312 (1)(a) and (2),385(1), 386(1), 387(1), 388(1) and 389 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.

Justice Abike-Fadipe adjourned until Feb. 18 for continuation of trial.

Ihebuzo, was arrested in September 2020 in Benin City, Edo State, following a petition from the Herbert Wigwe- led Access Bank.

 

 

GTCO Becomes All-round Financial Behemoth; Acquires Investment One

By
Bayo Bernard
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By Fola James

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, GTCO has emerged as a fully-fledged all round  financial behemoth in Africa, the Group Managing Director, GMD of the financial institution, Segun Agbaje has said. Agbaje made this disclosure on the back of recent acquisition of two subsidiaries of Investment one. GTCO acquired the companies in its quest to add pension fund  management to its core business of commercial and corporate banking.

Investment One was originally owned by GTB Asset Management  before the bank divested its stakes in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN 2010 directive. According to a corporate filing on Monday, Erhi Obebeduo, GTCO Company Secretary said Investment One is purely for pension funds management, which will provide financial and investments services in Nigeria.

Agbaje said as a trusted banker to many Nigerians for over 30 years, GTCO will bring to bear its expertise in financial services  to pension funds management, to the benefit of millions of its customers.

The GTCO CEO said “With over 30 years of being a trusted banker to millions of Nigerians and expertise in capital allocation to generate the highest yields for our customers and shareholders; the Pension Fund business is a natural fit for the Guaranty Trust brand.

“Also, our bias for the highest standards in corporate governance will ensure transparency in how we manage the funds under our management, which will ultimately make us the preferred Pension Fund Administrator, not only in the Nigerian market but also in Africa.

“Whilst evolving as an organisation, we remain committed to our founding values of excellence, hard work and integrity, as we continue to build a Proudly African and Truly International brand for millions of people in and outside of Africa”. 

He expressed delight at the acquisition of Investment One Funds Management, saying it would position GTCO as a provider of full financial services and products to its customers. 

“We are excited about our foray into the wealth management space, as it provides us with the opportunity of becoming a one-stop-shop for financial services and products that will empower our customers through the course of their lives”.

He said GTCO will focus on delivering pension fund management  services through digital means to the satisfaction of customers.

“We will focus on replicating our digital-first customer-centric retail strategy to create distribution channels for wealth solutions that we will offer, to both institutional and retail clients. 

“As a dominant leader in financial services, we are positioned to add significant value to the asset management business in Nigeria and compete favourably with the largest global wealth managers in the areas of disclosure, corporate governance and regulatory compliance,” Agbaje said.

OPINION: Why Nigeria Cannot Explain How It Intercepted Nnamdi Kanu

By
The Source
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Aloy Ejimakor

By Aloy Ejimakor, Esq.

Following the sudden appearance of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in a Federal High Court in Abuja on 29th June, 2021, the Attorney-General of Nigeria (Abubakar Malami, SAN), at a press conference on the same date, stated that Kanu was “intercepted through the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and Security Services”. He added that “recent steps taken by the Federal Government saw to the interception of the fugitive Kanu on Sunday the 27th day of June 2021”.

Beyond this bland use of the word ‘interception’, neither the Attorney-General, nor any other Nigerian official has explained how and where this infamous interception occurred or whether it occurred under the pertinent legal framework or not. From published accounts, all efforts by the media (domestic and international) to elicit details of this interception have met a stubborn official silence. And it appears that the same is true with myriad diplomatic inquiries issuing to Nigeria from the international community, notably from the United Kingdom and United Nations.

Conversely, Nnamdi Kanu had, in various sworn statements, given credible accounts and details that prove that the so-called interception is simply that he was officially kidnapped, disappeared, tortured in Kenya, and extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria. During the hearing of Kanu’s fundamental rights suit in Abia State (which he won), the Nigerian government could not explain how Kanu ended up in Nigeria, thus confirming that Kanu was not extradited but illegally renditioned. If Kanu was extradited, the Nigerian government would have been very forthright with it, especially given the insurmountable prosecutorial barrier that comes with extraordinary rendition.

It is therefore instructive that, to date, the Nigerian government has neither – in court or public – contradicted Kanu’s accounts, nor offered any alternative account that may suggest that Kanu’s return to Nigeria was secured through some due process of law. On its part, the Kenyan Government has, in the public and in processes filed in court, vehemently denied that Kanu was subjected to any extradition (or even deportation) proceedings in Kenya; and Nigeria has deadpanned to Kenya’s self-righteous denials.

In view of the foregoing, there are several questions and answers well-meaning Nigerians and the international community must demand from Nigeria. These questions and answers are very crucial, because under the domestic and international legal order, Nigeria cannot properly levy its sovereign rights of criminal prosecution against Kanu without first proving that the act of transferring Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria conformed to the basic tenets of the law – municipal and international, including particularly treaties to which Nigeria is subject.

As a sovereign nation and member of comity of nations, and a country with a Constitution and laws, Nigeria must first explain to her domestic courts and the international community (particularly Britain) how Kanu ended up in Nigeria in chains. This is but a basic condition precedent without which prosecution of Nnamdi Kanu cannot ensue.

The whispering notion that extraordinary rendition is but a concept in international law that does not apply to Nigeria is false and it borders on crass ignorance. The Nigerian Constitution provides in its fundamental rights at Section 35(1) that ‘No person shall be deprived of his liberty save in accordance with a procedure permitted by law’. The operative phrase here is ‘procedure permitted by law’. This, if there is absence of extradition proceedings in Kenya for Nnamdi Kanu, it means that the deprivation of his personal liberty (the interception and detention) was not in accordance with procedure permitted by law. At law, such gross misconduct must surely complicate any criminal prosecution by the complicit State.

A lot of people might not be aware but there’s a Nigerian law, enacted by the National Assembly in 1983, known as the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act. You can see this Law at CAP A9, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004. Article 12(4) of this Law provides that “A non-national legally admitted in a territory of a State Party to the present Charter, may only be expelled from it by virtue of a decision taken in accordance with the law”.

To be sure, Nnamdi Kanu, a non-national of Kenya, was legally admitted to Kenya on 5th May, 2021 and then expelled or was transferred from Kenya to Nigeria on 27th June, 2021 without ‘a decision taken in accordance with the law’. Both Nigeria and Kenya are State Parties to the parent African Charter that grandfathered the similar law Nigeria later domesticated into its municipal laws.

Additionally, the ‘Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters within the Commonwealth (Enactment and Enforcement) Act’ – another Nigerian Law – clearly specified at Sections 4 to 6 the procedure that must be followed in any situation, such as the case of Kanu, where Nigeria is requesting assistance in a criminal matter or a fugitive from a Commonwealth country, of which Kenya is one. The procedure strictly requires the consent of the State of refuge where such fugitive is found. In particular, Section 6(5) stated clearly that “The provisions of sections 4, 5 and 6 of this Act shall apply mutatis mutandis to any case in which Nigeria is either the requesting or requested country, as the case may require”. Thus, before Nigeria can prosecute Nnamdi Kanu, it must show that it complied with provisions of this Law.

The continental version of the earlier mentioned African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights which Nigeria ratified and is thus thereby bound provides at Article 6 that: “No one may be deprived of his freedom except for reasons and conditions previously laid down by law. In particular no one may be arbitrarily arrested or detained”. Given that Nigeria claims that it ‘intercepted’ Kanu, the question that arises is whether said interception amounted to arbitrary arrest and detention. If it did, then no prosecution ensuing therefrom can stand in law.

The same African Charter provides in its ‘Principles and Guidelines on Human and Peoples’ Rights while Countering Terrorism in Africa’ (at Part 5(A): Transfers of Individuals) that: “A State may not transfer (e.g., deport, expel, remove, extradite) an individual to the custody of another State unless it is prescribed by law and in accordance with due process and other international human rights obligations. Deportation, expulsion, and removal cannot be used to circumvent criminal justice processes, including extradition procedures. Extraordinary rendition, or any other transfer, without due process is prohibited”.

With particular reference to the preceding paragraph, what immediately jumps out is the phrase “extraordinary rendition or any other transfer without due process of law is prohibited”. Since Nigeria is, by treaty, bound by this, it should be guided by the celebrated case of General Sani Abacha v Gani Fawehinmi, where the Supreme Court held that: ‘Where a treaty is enacted into law by the National Assembly as was the case with the African Charter, it becomes binding and our courts must give effect to it like all other laws falling within the judicial powers of the courts’.

Further, in anticipation that an African State could commit extraordinary rendition, such as Nigeria has done to Kanu, the African Charter’s ‘Principles and Guidelines on Human and Peoples’ Rights while Countering Terrorism in Africa, (at Part 1(F) provides that: ‘States shall provide full and effective reparation to individuals who have suffered violations of their human rights as a result of acts committed in the name of countering terrorism. Full and effective reparation should include restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition’. As the Charges leveled against Kanu indicate, Nigeria justified its interception of Kanu in the name of countering terrorism.

On what constitutes ‘restitution’, the United Nations ‘Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law’ provides in Part IX (19) that ‘Restitution should restore the victim to the original situation before the gross violations of international human rights law occurred. Restitution includes restoration of liberty and return to one’s place of residence’. Nigeria is, by virtue of being a member of United Nations, bound by these provisions.

In view of the foregoing, it is trite that a renditioned fugitive suspect cannot be subjected to trial. Thus, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should be restitutioned or restored to the status quo, whether to Kenya or Britain, at his option. It is inherently contradictory to postulate that a renditioned suspect will get a fair trial from the jurisdiction that renditioned him.

By its infamous nature, extraordinary rendition destroys every prospect for a fair trial. Therefore, the next best thing for Nigerian authorities to do is to toe the path of honor and contrition by releasing Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally. In the interim, it may choose the easier option of forbearing any objections to reinstatement of Nnamdi Kanu’s bail, which will instantly clear the judicial path to his release.

Going forward, the authorities can be guided by the recent judgment of the Abia State High which exonerated Kanu from the supervening event that disquieted his bail and ultimately culminated in the extraordinary rendition.

Ejimakor Is Special Counsel To Kanu/IPOB

AFCON 2021 Review: The Mystery Behind Gabaski’s Penalty Heroics Revealed

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0
Gabaski

By Akinwale Kasali

The Teranga Lions of Senegal are still basking in the euphoria of their historic African Cup of Nations triumph. The Senegalese President, Macky Fall,  declared Monday, 7th February, 2022, a National Public Holiday.

Though, the Senegalese defeated the Pharaohs of Egypt in the tense penalty shootouts, but the heroics of Egyptian Second Choice Goalkeeper, Mohammed Abou Qotb Gabal Gabaski, from the Round of 16  till the final can never be underestimated or neglected.

The Zamalek Football Club of Egypt Shot Stopper was behind first choice goalkeeper, Mohammed El Shanewy, but the injury sustained by El Shanewy in the Round of 16 clash against the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire was the turning point for Gabaski.

He made brilliant saves in the one-sided match dominated by the West African country against Egypt, and saved Eric Bailley Spot kick during the shootout to send the North African country into the Quarter Finals.

The Quarter Final match was a North African affair and Gabaski remained between the sticks due to the injury sustained by El Shanewy, and never disappointed, helping his team triumph over the Atlas Lions of Morocco with a 2-1 score line.

Gabaski’s heroics came into play in Egypt’s Semi Final clash against host, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.

After 120 minutes of action with both team remaining square, penalty kicks was the decider for the match.

The confidence in Gabaski grew as both teams were heading for the spot kicks. He held closely to himself his bottle of water.

He was able to save three of Cameroon’s spot kicks. This brought about rumours and speculations that Gabaski was involved in voodoo or ‘Juju’ in local parlance.

It was surprising how he could have made the heroic saves, denying the host a place in the final.

Gabaski never rested on his oars. In the finals, he saved a seventh minute spot kick of Sadio Mane and went ahead to make some crucial saves that sent the game into extra time and eventually spot kicks.

Sadly, he was unable to repeat the heroics in his two previous penalty shootouts, but he was able to save Boubakar Sarr penalty and went to the right direction for remaining four penalty kicks, while his teammates lose two kicks that gave the Teranga Lions their first AFCON trophy.

Many had wondered how Gabaski was able to guess right the directions the penalties was played.

Here is the secret.

Gabaski forgot his bottle of water on the pitch after the loss to Senegal. A journalist at the Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon Capital picked up the bottle and discovered that it was not just a bottle of water, printed on the bottle is the list of Senegal players and the angles they have played their last 10  penalty kicks.

This has helped Gabaski from the Round of 16 till the final to easily know where to dive and can easily catch the penalty.

Soccer analysts and enthusiasts has described the heroics of Gabaski as outstanding but this revelation brought about mixed feelings.

Could this be described as cheating? Could this be the reason why Egypt has always preferred to go into penalties by absorbing pressures and defending all through the knock out stages of the tournament because they knew Gabaski has the water bottle in his hands to save them?

Paul Ashamoye, a Sports Journalist said that Gabaski’s heroics irrespective of the  manner he was able to save the spot kicks shows that he did his assignment right and was equal to the task.

“He hasn’t cheated in anyway, he has just showed that in every game you need to be tactically sound, know your opponents strength and weakness, be calculative, determined and focused.

“Gabaski did his home work right and it laid off. This can’t be described as cheating. Why do coaches and players watch video clips of their opponents, it is basically for them to have a tactics and know what to do on the pitch. Gabaski has not in anyway done anything wrong but should be praised and applauded”, Ashamoye concluded.

Keren: HURIWA Urges House Of Reps To Probe Alleged Rape

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0
Late Keren Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher

By Akinwale Kasali

There have been public outcry, protest and demonstrations over the delay in the investigation into the alleged rape of 14-Year Old Keren Happuch Aondodoo Akphagher, a boarding school student of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja.

Rights Group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has decried the delay in the commencement of the  public hearing by the House of Representatives. It is urging the House to unravel the circumstances that led to her alleged rape and eventual death.

It was gathered from a medical report issued by Queen Clinic where Keren died on the 22nd of June 2021 after the condom left inside her by a “killer-rapist” resulted in a sepsis, which spiked her blood sugar, compromised her immunity, and led to her death by hyperglycemia.

In a motion presented by Hon. Mark Gbilah on the floor of the House of Representatives on  December  7, 2021, the House resolved to conduct an Investigative public hearing into the rape and death of Keren.

It also directed the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba to conduct DNA test for all male staff of the said school in Lugbe, Abuja, and march it with the dead spermatozoa found in Keren’s urine.

Though the School denied allegations that the teenage- student was raped by anyone within their school premises, sadly, over two months after the far reaching resolutions were made, the case is gradually becoming a forgotten issue.

However, HURIWA, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator,  Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, lamented that the House of Representatives seem to have developed  cold feet about enforcing, or implementing its own resolutions.

The Human Rights Advocacy Group affirmed thus: “We appreciate the far-reaching resolutions of the House of Representatives to uncover the alleged rape and death of Keren-Happuch.

“But the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is concerned that eight weeks after these resolutions were made, the House of Representatives seem to have developed a cold feet.

“This is surely not good for the image of the green chambers. This seeming reluctance and delay can only achieve one thing – help the alleged killer-rapist to buy more time and evade justice”, the rights group stated.

It continued:

“In case the import of their resolution to conduct investigative public hearing on the matter is lost on the lawmakers, HURIWA wishes to point out that a public hearing will go along way in reminding management of schools all across Nigeria and beyond  that they are accountable for whatever happens to a child entrusted in their care in line with the principle of in loco parentis.

“It will further clean up the aegean stable and the oozing odour in the global community that Nigeria as a Sovereign nation does not care about her Children.

“The public investigative hearing by the House of Representatives will also demonstrate the resolve of the green chambers to help curtail the alarming rise in sexual violence and particularly child sexual abuse in Nigeria.

“They cannot afford to delay anymore as this will send a wrong message to the Nigerian people as to their seriousness to address this societal malaise”, HURIWA stated.

The Advocacy Group called on the House to urge the Inspector General of Police to protect the Executive Director of Men Against Rape Foundation and Leader of the Coalition of Gender Based Violence Responders, Lemmy Ughegbe, whose life it alleges, has been under  threat for seeking justice for Keren-Happuch.

“All Security Agencies and people of good will must continually support the work Ughegbe has been doing to address Sexual and Gender Based Violence generally and provide access to justice for victims, survivors and their families.”

HURIWA said it was perturbed by the neglect the issue is facing as the Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory, Women Affairs and Education, Pauline Tallen and Adamu Adamu, have neither spoken nor taken any action to ensure that the culprit is found, brought to book and the school is investigated over its complicity leading to Keren’s rape and death.

It would be recalled that the Coalition of Gender Based Violence Responders led by the Executive Director of Men Against Rape Foundation (MARF), Lemmy Ughegbe embarked on a protest walk to the National Assmebly with Keren’s mother, Vivien Vihimga Akphagher and other family members.

Ughegbe had accused the Ministers of FCT, Education and Women Affairs of a conspiracy of silence and inaction, which he said “incentivises rape and pedophilia, emboldens rapists and pedophiles and make schools and the society unsafe for our children and the vulnerable.”

“When the grandson of a political elite was allegedly beaten to death by his teacher in a school in Kwali, all these indolent Ministers picked up the story from social media within minutes and took some steps immediately, but five months after Keren died following health complications and despite our correspondences to them, they have been in a conspiracy of silence and inaction”, Ughegbe lamented.

He said by their inaction, “they have shown that all they are interested in is servicing of the political elites and their families. They have acted as though Keren’s life doesn’t matter.

“But we shall continue to call them out for the ineffectual and hypocritical public officers that they are”, he said.

In his address to the protesters, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila who was represented by Hon. Mark Gbilah, said the entire parliament was pained by the sad circumstances leading to the death of Keren, declaring that no school was above the law.

According to Gbilah, ”The House is in session, but when we were notified that you people were here on a peaceful protest, the Speaker asked me to come and address you people.

“I am, therefore, here at his instance. Yesterday, I was able to table the motion on the floor of the house and I made very far-reaching demands and what you said about DNA test is specifically indicated as a requirement and the police have been mandated to initiate an investigation through Inspector General of Police on this matter.

“They have been told to carry out a DNA test on everybody in that school. They have informed me that the spermatozoa have been preserved so that we will know who is responsible for this act.

“Also we are going to have public investigative hearing and the Minister of Women Affairs, Minister of FCT, The Inspector General of Police, Minister of Education and the school authority will be invited.

“It is a shame that our children can no longer be safe and this is totally unacceptable. But let me assure you that for some of us, when we start something, we follow it to the end. So, please, we will need the news report where the police confirmed that Keren was raped.

“This will be useful for the investigative panel. I assure you justice shall be done and we will find the culprit.”

On Tuesday, December 7th, 2021, Hon Gbilah moved a motion to investigate the school, which was adopted by the House of Representatives.

The motion titled “Suspected Rape and Murder of 14–Years Old Miss Keren–Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher: Hon. Mark Terseer Gbillah:

“The House Notes the reported death of Miss Keren–Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher, a 14–year old SS1 boarding student of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, who was allegedly raped and eventually died on 22 June 2021 from medical complications as a result of rape; Also notes that Keren was reported to have taken ill on 16 June 2021, without adequate medical care by Premiere Academy, until the mother took her to a hospital in Wuse Zone 6 Abuja on 19 June 2021 where she eventually died three days later;

“Worried that the Medical examination before her death revealed a condom lodged in her private part which had a milky effusion with the presence of dead spermatozoa within the fluid which had caused an infection that developed into sepsis;

“Alarmed at the unwillingness of Premiere Academy to uncover the truth behind Keren’s death and the management media denial of previous cases of sexual harassment of students in the institution contrary to documentary evidence;

“Also alarmed at the lack of proactive and thorough investigation by the Nigeria Police Force even after formal correspondence to the police by the deceased family’s lawyers and the allegations by Amnesty International of harassment and threat to the lives of Keren’s mother, Vivien Akpagher, her family and the leader of the Coalition of Gender–Based Violence Responders and his family over their public campaigns and advocacy demanding justice for Keren;

“Disturbed that while the world recently observed the United Nations International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2021 with the theme “Orange the World:

“End Violence against Women Now! which marked the launch of the 16–day campaign “Unite to End Violence against Women” from 25 November 2021 to 10 December 2021, Nigerian Authorities do not appear to recognize its obligation to adopt and implement appropriate measures to ensure women and girls are protected from all forms of violence including rape and sexual harassment considering the nation’s ratification of several Domestic, Regional And International Protocols and Charters on Women’s rights, ending Violence against Women and other Human rights laws including Section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which guarantees that no Nigerian shall be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.

“Resolves to: (i) Urge the Nigeria Police Force to thoroughly investigate mysteries surrounding the death of Keren, allegations of harassment and threat to the life of Keren’s family and the leader of a Coalition of Gender–Based Violence and his family and carry out a DNA test, recover spermatozoa and test Premiere Academy staff to identify anyone liable and bring him to justice;

“(ii) mandate the Committees on Woman Affairs, Human Rights and Police Affairs to invite stakeholders to investigate the following :

(a) Circumstances surrounding the death of Keren–Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher; (b) allegations of the unwillingness of the Nigeria Police Force to initiate an investigation into the death of Keren; (c) allegations of harassment and threat to the life of Keren’s family and the leader of an NGO and his family; (d) Previous cases of sexual harassment at Premiere Academy Abuja; (e) Other incidents of Violence against Women in Nigeria; (f) probable lapses by other relevant agencies handling the incident and report back within six (6) weeks for further legislative action;

“(iii) observe a minute of silence in honour of Miss Keren–Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher and other victims of violence against women in Nigeria.”

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