Murder of late Ubulu-Uku monarch: Absence of Defense counsel stalls hearing; Judge bars Journalists from covering court proceedings

Late Obi Akaeze Ofulue, the late Obi of ubulu-Uku. Hearing in the case of kidnap and murder of late Obi Akaeze Ofulue III of Ubulu-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government of Delta State on Tuesday was stalled by the absence of the defence counsel. This is coming as the trial judge, Justice M.O. Omovie of the High Court, Ibusa, Delta State, inexplicably prevented journalists from covering the kidnap and murder case in his court. In the suit A/20C/2017 and A/198/2017 between the State versus Jamilo Ahmed and three others, Justice Omovie had to adjourn to April 28, 2021 for the next hearing due to the failure of the defense counsel to appear for the accused persons. Four suspects are standing trial for the murder of the late monarch who was kidnapped and then murdered in 2016. The suspects were apprehended by security operatives in various parts of the country with the recovery of the monarch’s stolen phone leading to the arrest of the suspects. Before the commencement of the proceedings, Justice Omoke ordered journalists to leave the court. The court Registrar came to inform journalists that their presence in the court was deemed detrimental y the presiding judge and should they leave or get permit from the Chief Judge of the State before they can be allowed to cover the proceedings. The dozens of journalists who were in the court to cover the hearing in the kidnap and murder case of late Obi Akaeze Ofulue III of Ubulu-Uku, were bewildered at the judge’s decision to prevent them from covering the proceedings for the day. Lawyers and members of the public at the court premises were equally shocked at the decision of Justice Omovie. Those who spoke on account of anonymity expressed their disbelief that a judge of the High Court could descend so low as to give such an order. They noted that journalists are very important in dissemination of information to the general public and court proceedings are not left out. They urged the Chief Judge of Delta State, Justice Marshall Umukoro, to call Justice Omovie to order, noting that his action amounted to impeding the dispensation of justice. According to them, the case is high profile one involving the kidnap and murder of a prominent traditional ruler. "The case has been going on for four years and I wonder the judge should be uncomfortable with the presence of media practitioners", one of the journalists said. Speaking to newsmen at the court premises, Chief Ojeigwu of Ubulu-Uku Kingdom, Dr. Samuel Nwabuoke lamented the gruesome murder of the late monarch, adding that the incident still torments the entire community till date. He expressed the belief that justice would be served at the end. Speaking in the same vein, the President-General of Ubulu-Uku Development Council, Sir Jonathan Monye, noted that even though the trial has been lingering since 2016, the people of Ubulu-Uku will not relent in he quest for justice, noting that since the abduction and killing of the royal, the town had nit know peace. According to Monye who also a lawyer, murderous cattle herders have continued to terrorise the community kidnapping, raping women, destroying farmlands and killing farmers. He called for increased security presence in the community.

OPINION - Tinubu rants in the face of staggering realities

Bola Ahmed Tinubu. By Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi This is the reality of the situation Asiwaju tried trivialising through politics. He is playing politics with our history, lives and posterity. "Agba kii wa l'oja k'ori omo tuntun wo", goes a Yoruba adage. Literally meaning, the elders can't be in the market place and the neck of a new born baby will be dangling on the mother's back. A way of saying, elders cannot watch things go wrong without taking concrete steps to correct them. Within the context of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is an elder by all standards. He was former Governor of a State like a mini Nigeria, the only National leader of APC, a Statesman whose voice many have expected to hear on the impasse of a one sided crisis of herders molesting farmers and dispossessing them of their ancestral lands. As at the time of this writing several villages have been sacked in Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau, Adamawa, Yobe, Bornu without sparing Kastina the home State of the President. In all affected states, indigenous tribes now live in IDP camps, while herders have settled in their villages and their herds grazing their farms without interference. This is the reality of the situation Asiwaju tried trivialising through politics. He is playing politics with our history, lives and posterity. The pending reality of a full blown killer herdsmen occupation of his ancestral home of Iragbiji in Osun State and his adopted State of Lagos is nothing to rejoice about. His nephew, Oyetola should furnish him with the intelligence report on his table. Tinubu need not give land to the herdsmen. They already have taken over all the forests in Osun. Better late than never is a common saying, but sometimes it may be too late than ever. This was the case with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose political sagacity saw to it that Buhari's many falls on the slippery terrain of politics was brought to an end. His political capital was spent to give democratic hope to the people who have lost same in the candidacy of an unrepentant dictator. Tinubu was undoubtedly one of the architects of Nigeria where a litre of PMS is being considered to be sold at the pump for 212 naira and 60 kobo. Words have been long expected from Tinubu; occasions has provided him the opportunity to speak, but he chose to be silent and his silence was golden until he broke it. Recently, Tinubu visited Zulum, a Governor who has been attacked fiercely on two occasions by Boko Haram. On that visit, Asiwaju said nothing on insecurity. When it was too late in the day to speak, then the stunting coarse voice of the Jagaban Bogu reverberated in emptiness of content. Like threatening thunder and lightning on a cloudy day in hope of rain blown off by the wind without rain, Tinubu was heard saying nothing! Tinubu stuck to the herders-farmers narrative like a story teller having things to hide. The Nigerian story of a tribe at war with the over 300 other tribes was made to look like that of Ife and Modakeke. Herders, he painted as if they are neighbours with farmers. Yes! There are indigenous Fulani who became part of Nigeria by force after the early 19th century invasion. Those ones have become part of the system. One of them is the Sultan of Sokoto who analysed our security situation without bias as a leader should do. He pointed fingers at his tribe; 7 out of every 10 kidnappers are herdsmen. Nigeria is privileged at this time to be presided over by another member of this tribe, who was spot on, having advantage of intelligence when he informed us that killer herdsmen are foreign militia hiding in our forest and wrecking havoc. The intelligence supplied by the President coincided with the 70th birthday gift of Kawu Baraje to the nation. Baraje has said at the occasion that Fulani militias were brought in by APC leaders to help them win 2015 election. The National leader of APC shouldn't have spoken without a response to Baraje. But he did! "Farmers have a right to farm THEIR LAND unmolested. Herders have a right to raise their livestock without undue interference". We should appreciate Asiwaju for recognising and affirming that the land belongs to farmers, but Asiwaju did encourage trespasses by herders when he pronounced their right to raise their herds without ownership of land. Our statesman was at best mischievous when he called for unity and decisiveness to tackle the unabated farmers-herders crisis in the country. If the crisis is unending, then a critical analysis would have been his duty to the nation. If decisiveness is expected,, it is first from the APC administration led by Muhammadu Buhari. The hypocrisy of Asiwaju stinks to the highest heaven by giving the call he should make to his party men and the President, to all Nigerians. Do I need remind Asiwaju that carts are driven by horses and not the other way round. The unity he placed ahead of decisiveness is an aberration. Indecision of the President over the herdsmen expansionist agenda first became obvious in Benue. Our President still left Benue without making any decisions. Our dear Asiwaju admitted that the dispute had taken an acute and violent dimension and had cost too many innocent lives while destroying the property and livelihood of many others. He further amplified the situation without proferring solutions. He went further by saying: "as vital as security is to the resolution of the matter", and back our Asiwaju came, like a reed in the wind, "the nation must realise security measures alone will not suffice". What has Asiwaju said? The matter Tinubu said is not ethnic in factual origin or actual causation although in the minds and hearts of too many it has become ethnic in recriminations and impulsive action. Tinubu spoke on the state of the nation with such wit of words that waved away the current issue of kidnapping and banditry. He spoke louder than the deafening cries coming from the forest of the bandits where Students of Federal College of Forestry and Mechanization, Mandu, are being held. How can foreigners bearing arms be so comfortably admitted by Asiwaju into the commonwealth of Nigeria without process? How can people who travelled hundreds of kilometres have their issues resolved as if, the Itsekiri are at it again with their Uhrobo and Isoko neighbors? How can dispute over land with majorly foreigners be treated like a border dispute between Akwa Ibom and Ikwuano? How can he make it look as if State creation has separated the Tiv of Benue from Jukums in Taraba and they must live together as Nigerians? My fear of the possibility of a political conspiracy was heightened, and I was not disappointed, when he said what he said without saying anything. "When conflict between these groups arises to such an extent, the nation must set forth clear principles and policies to remove the tension, in order to allow both to proceed towards their STATED goal, to live in harmony and according to their respective rights". Tinubu is an extremely brilliant politician who would have eaten his cake and still be having it. But an adage of the Yoruba nation of South West Nigeria says, "s'oro s'oro ko ranti eni to mo oro gbo", meaning those who know how to speak must remain mindful of those who know how to hear and interprete correctly. Within the said, the unsaid intention of the Asiwaju stood naked before the discerning. Of course who doesn't know the STATED goal of the Fulani oligarchy to own land in all the States of Nigeria! This goal the Buhari administration has pursued through cattle colonies, Ruga settlements and lately Livestock Transformation Plans without success. The question Nigerians need to ask Asiwaju is, what are the dynamics their contracted election machineries from Mali, Chad, and Niger, the ancestral home of the President brought into the election? And why are they finding it difficult to go back? Why does a leading Presidential Aspirant in Asiwaju prefer that this people be conferred with Nigeria citizenships without due process? Were voters card issued to them on arrival in 2015? Are there secrets polling units in our forest where this people voted in the last two elections, (2015 and 2019). Asiwaju in beautiful communication skills committed himself to the establishment of herders communities (colonies, Ruga or whatever) in all local government area of Nigeria when he noted that unoccupied public lands could be fenced into grazing areas or ranches and leased out to herders on a very low cost, or no cost the Asiwaju meant to say. For if his presidential ambition will be backed by the oligarchy they will have as much land as their ancestors wished since early 19th century. Bola Tinubu at best wanted to fan the coals of his ambition to flame without addressing the issue. His words became the rain that will extinguish the flicker left of it. He's of course out of page with majority of Nigerians, particularly his Yoruba people of South West Nigeria. This insensitivity has made of him, "adara n'ita ma n'iyi n'ile", a good man outside but without honour in his home. Tinubu is a victim of the 1999 political calculations that made Obasanjo the President without the support of the South West. But Obasanjo was not pretentious. He was known for whom he was at home, a nationalist, and was trusted by others across the country for same. Tinubu however is a tribal lord who is responding desperately to the demands of his ambition to trade whatever need be to become President in 2023. The only known solution to the Nigerian problem is restructuring. For it, Tinubu and his co- progressive travellers shunned 2014 National Conference. But when he spoke there was no mention or reference to it from our would never be President. Whatever has happened to restructuring with our once vocal ambassador is the reason his many words saying nothing should be taken with a pinch of salt. • Source: Sahara Reporters

Okowa calls for sustainable development of youths

From Left: Delta Governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa being received on arrival by Bishop Simeon Okah of the Flock of Christ Mission and his wife, Comfort, at the church's 2021 world convention in Enheren ,, Uvwie LGA. Sunday 14/3/21. PIX: BRIPIN ENARUSAI Delta Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has called for impactful reforms to make youths in Nigeria resourceful and competitive globally. Okowa made the call on Sunday at the Christ Flock World Convention 2021 of Flock of Christ Mission, Enerhen, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state. The governor, who inaugurated the Flock of Christ "Youth Dream Centre" called on youths to make use of the centre to better their lives and contribute meaningfully to societal growth. He said that youths represent the future of the country and called for sustainable efforts to mould them to become better leaders of tomorrow. Drawing inference from the Bible, he urged Christians to preach the word of God to transform individuals to the way of God. Okowa commended church leaders for helping him in charting a path of greatness for people of the state. "I thank God for the vision of our Presiding Bishop, for the idea of building a youth centre for our youths. "More than ever, it is time for us to truly communicate with our youths, not only the youths of this church but the youths of this state, Nigeria and beyond because the temptations of these end-times are numerous. "Communication will help us to grow a better future because there is always a tendency for youths to be misled into unprofitable ventures and if we allow them to continue in that stead, we will be destroying the future of our country. "When individuals are transformed, families are transformed and when families are transformed, the communities are transformed and when communities are transformed the state is transformed and when the states are transformed the country is transformed," he said. He called on men of God to always have the courage to speak the truth to government and those in authority when the need arose. "In everything we do, we must realise that we must give account in heaven and I pray that our church leaders will contine to communicate that to us as leaders in authority to remember that there is a God to be accounted to. "It is my hope and prayer that God will continue to impact on all of us so that in the last days we have good stories to tell." The governor thanked the people of Warri and Uvwie for their patience with government, adding that a solution was in sight to the drainage and road challenges in the area. He said the storm drainage projects in Asaba had been a success story, assuring that the people of Warri and Uvwie would soon heave a sigh of relief from flooding challenges. "Today we have seen major drainage projects all over Warri and Effurun and we thank God that based on the studies done and from the advice given to us, a permanent solution is coming to the flooding in Warri and Effurun. "It is my prayer that we will be able to complete the drainage projects so that we can begin to work on the roads to ensure sustainability," he stated. Earlier, the Bishop of the Church, Simeon Okah, in a message titled "The God that made these days to be your days of blessing" said it was God's intention from beginning that man should live a life of blessings. He stated that Christians were in a time of God's visitation and time of God's blessings, adding that God made everything beautiful at the right time. Okah said that Nigeria was God's project and urged Christians to put their trust in God as their pains and sufferings were temporal. "In all my years of ministering, I have never seen anywhere in the Bible where it was written that those who obey God will suffer. "Jesus Christ suffered for us after he had left heaven to die for our sins to give us a life of abundance," he stated. The cleric prayed for Okowa that God would give him the grace to finish his tenure with great achievements in the state, saying that the governor was God's gift to the state.

Mother’s Day: Reps Minority Caucus celebrate Nigerian mothers

 

Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Minority Leader, House of Representatives.

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has congratulated Nigerians mothers on the occasion of this year’s Mother’s Day celebration, describing mothers as key agents of stability and development in our homes and society at large.

The lawmakers, in a statement by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu on Sunday, stressed that mothers must be appreciated as true nation builders, who are playing a fundamental role in propagating and sustaining the virtues of love, tolerance, honesty, faith and peaceful coexistence, without which our nation cannot survive.

“As true representatives of the people, our caucus celebrates the industry, resilience and energy of Nigerian mothers in their sacrificial roles towards character moulding, family stability and building of a virile nation of productive citizens.

“I sincerely convey our appreciation to women across the length and breadth of our country as they celebrate this year’s Mother’s Day. Over the years, mothers have been the bastion of hope for our nation in every sphere of life and we urge them not to relent.

“As lawmakers, we commend our mothers and assure them of our resolve to redouble of efforts towards legislations and oversight activities that will ensure that they are adequately protected, catered for and empowered for the task ahead.

“We assure our mothers of our love and pray the Almighty God to continue to strengthen them in their sacrificial endeavours of family moulding, nation building and service to humanity”. 

 

Constituency Review: Reps flays INEC for flouting law in motion moved by Elumelu; orders immediate compliance

Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, during plenary.

The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission for failing to review division of states of the federation as prescribed by the Constitution.

The Federal law makers in a unanimous decision directed the commission to embark on a nationwide delineation exercise immediately.

The decision was sequel to a motion of urgent public importance to criticise INEC for failing to comply with the law which prescribed a review every 10 years, moved by the Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, on Wednesday at plenary.

Adopting the motion titled, “Review of the Division of States of the Federation into Federal Constituencies,” the House resolved that “INEC should without further delay review constituency delineation as enshrined in the 1999 constitution as amended.”

The House stated that in reviewing, “INEC should take into consideration Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in Delta State which has four Local Government Areas and one of the largest federal constituencies in both population and land mass in the entire nation.”

The commission was asked to split the constituency into Aniocha-North/Aniocha-South Federal Constituency and Oshimili-North/Oshimili-South Federal Constituency.

Also, INEC is to break the present Iseyin/Kajola/Iwajowa/Itesiwaju Federal Constituency in Oyo State with four LGAs into Iseyin/Kajola Federal Constituency and Iwajowa/Itesiwaju Federal Constituency.

The House mandated the Committee on Electoral Matters to interface with the leadership of INEC on the resolutions and report back within six weeks.

Moving the motion, Elumelu noted that Section 71(b) of the 1999 Constitution empowers INEC to divide the federation into 360 federal constituencies for the purpose of elections into the House of Representatives.

He further noted that Section 73(1) expressly directed that INEC “shall review the division of states of the federation into federal constituencies at intervals of not less than 10 years, and may alter the constituencies in accordance with the provisions of this section to such extent as it may consider desirable in the light of the review.”

The Minority Leader stressed that Section 49 provides that the House “shall consist of 360 members representing 360 constituency of nearly equal population as far as possible, provided that no constituency shall fall within more than one state.”

Elumelu said, “The House is aware that since the commencement of the Fourth Republic (in 1999) till date, INEC has not deemed it necessary, the compliance with Section 73(1) of the 1999 Constitution, thereby depriving citizens of bloated federal constituencies adequate attention.

“The House is worried that though the Constitution provides a 10-year time frame for constituency reviews, INEC has not done any known review in the last 22 years of the current democratic dispensation, hence the urgent need to call on INEC to be alive to her responsibilities.

“The House is further worried that the reality on ground today, whereby some federal constituencies are twice the size of others in both size and population, is at variance with the letters and dictates of the 1999 Constitution. This is so because INEC has failed to live up to its responsibilities, hence the need to urgently rectify this abnormally for the sake of equitable representation.”

According to the lawmaker, to guarantee effective, quality and adequate representation in the House, INEC should without delay delimit the constituencies and carve out new federal constituencies especially in constituencies covering four LGAs.

“The House is further concerned that the continuous failure for INEC to live up to its responsibilities in reviewing the division of states into federal constituencies does not only portray INEC in a bad light but also the entire government institution, including the National Assembly, for also failing to call her to order and invoking adequate sanctions where necessary, hence the need for this motion,” Elumelu stated.

 

Conduct elections in restored Aniocha South Constituency 1, HoReps orders INEC, as Elumelu makes case

 

Hon. Ndudi Elumelu during plenary.

The House of Representatives has mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to, as a matter of urgency, conduct a bye election to fill in the Aniocha South constituency 1 seat in the Delta State House of Assembly. 

The mandate was sequel to a motion raised on Tuesday at Plenary, by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, under matter of urgent National Importance.

In leading the debate on the motion, which was seconded by Hon. Toby Okechukwu, Deputy Leader of the House and member representing Aninri/Agwu/Oji-uzo Federal Constituency, Hon. Elumelu called on INEC to, as a matter of urgency, see to the conduct of the needed election for residents of Aniocha South Constituency 1 with a view to enjoying due representation at the State House of Assembly level. 

Elumelu who represents Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, described INEC's refusal to conduct election into the state constituency 1, despite Supreme Court judgment on the matter, as a gross infringement on the rights of citizens of the Constituency. 

He noted that Aniocha South State Constituency 1 of Delta State, comprises Otulu, Olodo, olloh, Isah Ogwuashi, Azagba Ogwuashi, Edo Ogwuashi, Aboh Ogwuashi and ogwuashi uku, while constituency 2 comprises of Ewulu, Nsukwa, Ejeme-unor, Ejeme Aniogor, Egbodu aka, Ashama, Umute Abah unor ,Adonte and ukwu-oba. 

Elumelu revealed that Aniocha South Constituency 1 was created in 1991 by the defunct National Electoral Commission and was duly represented in the Delta State House of Assembly from January 1992 to November 1993. 

The Federal lawmaker also noted that Aniocha South State Constituency 1 has arbitrarily collapsed into the present day Aniocha South state constituency during the 1999 elections while constituency 2 is currently having a member representing them thereby depriving constituency 1 the opportunity to have a representative at the State house of Assembly. 

“We are aware that INEC has refused to restore the constituency to its original status, thereby continuing the suppression and further depriving the constituents of their rightful representation in the state House of Assembly.  

“Worried that the further suppression of Aniocha South constituency1 by INEC, after the decision of the Supreme Court on similar issues in other constituencies i.e. Aniocha North Constituency 2, is not just unfair but illegal and unconstitutional, as it offends the letters and provisions of Sections 91 and 112 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. 

“Further worried that if INEC, which is the chief electoral umpire of the country can flagrantly disregard the decision of the apex court of our country, then there is need to worry. Consequently, I want the house to note that, if this issue is not urgently looked into and nipped in the bud by calling INEC to order, further occurrences may someday provoke anarchy in the country and also, bring the nation to disrepute in the eyes of other nations,” Hon. Elumelu lamented in his motion.

The motion was thereafter, unanimously adopted by the House with a further directive to the House Committee on electoral matters to ensure that INEC complied with the House mandate.

 

NANS presidential debate: Alopay seeks proper funding for education sector; urges adherence to 26% funding advocated by UNESCO

 

Comrade Alabi Kayode - Alopay.

By Ikechukwu Chukwudi

The case has been made for member nations of the United Nations to properly fund education by adhering strictly to the 26 per cent UNESCO advocated percentage for educational funding in their budgets.

 

Frontline contender for the office of the President, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Comrade Alabi Kayode aka 'Alopay', made the submission at the NANS presidential debate at which he emphasized the need to give and ensure proper funding to the Nigerian educational sector by governments at all levels.

Alopay, a Masters Degree student of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) spoke at the debate organized by the Nigerian Students Debate Group (NISDG) at the ongoing elective convention on Wednesday December 2, 2020.

While responding to posers from the moderating panel on the question of overhauling the educational system, Alopay stated that the issue was not really about overhauling the system, but ensuring that the specified percentage advocated for funding education was given.

 

Alopay said: "For me, it is not really about overhauling the system so to say, it's more about we playing by the rules regarding the financing of education in Nigeria.

“The system is not the best and it is obvious, however I believe that our advocacy should start from ensuring that the 26 per cent UNESCO advocated percentage for educational funding in the budget of it's member nations is adhered to.

“Education is underfunded and if we will be sincere with ourselves, this constitutes a big problem as it translates to poor manpower, equipments and facilities which are essential to the development of education across the country."

 

On the autonomy of Student Union Governments and victimization of union officials, Alopay averred that "it begins with everyone union member and official holding themselves first to a strong sense of responsibility and integrity so that issues bordering on misappropriation of funds meant for students and their welfare are not used to blackmail them.

 

This is one area where different management of tertiary institutions have held the Union officials to ransom in the struggle. However, we must ensure that instances of this becomes a thing of the past by the present Union leaders in the country as well as stakeholders holding ourselves to a high moral responsibility and decency. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands."

 

The one-time SUG PRO of LAUTECH, Ogbomosho concluded his submission by calling for peaceful processes in the student’s movement similar to the one being witnessed so far at the Convention. "If we can continually see peaceful engagements in student related activities especially in NANS, we will definitely have more people being a part of it actively. In truth, the feminine folks will more readily engage with their contemporaries of either gender and participate more actively in student’s unionism."