Aisha Buhari and Her Attention Seeking Granddaughter Looked Glam at Aso Rock Event

Nigeria’s Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari and her cute granddaughter were both pictured side-by-side at the ‘Graduation Dinner’ held for Halimat, Zahra and Yusuf Buhari at the State House over the weekend.

In the photo above, the little angel insisted on being the focus of attention, and deployed every means necessary to get her Excellency’s attention again and again.
Talk about kids and their attention seeking methods.
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9 Takeaways From Buhari’s Speech At Judicial Workshop

President Muhammadu Buhari during his address at the international workshop of the role of the judiciary in the fight against anti corruption made the following points.

Its no longer news that Pres. Buhari  has made the fight against corruption one of the top priorities of his administration according to him, it is with the hope that the fight will help restore the economy and build a new Nigeria. 247NEWS IN NAIJA brings you 9 interesting points he wants the judiciary to take note of.

1.The importance  of the judiciary

The responsibility of the judiciary in a democratic society such as ours is a critical one. It is one of the three pillars of the modern democratic nation state and is essential to the process of checks and balances, which is so fundamental to the way societies such as ours are meant to operate and function. This apparent function that the Judiciary plays is undeniably one of the cornerstones of any effective strategy against corruption.

2.The judiciary’s work

While it is true that corruption is a global phenomenon occurring in almost all countries in the world, the problem is much more pronounced in some countries than others but more complicated in developing countries. It has now become clear that corruption is one of the main obstacles to peace, stability, sustainable development, democracy, and human rights around the globe.
The judiciary is a public institution whose job is to provide fundamental checks on other public institutions. Therefore, a fair and efficient judiciary is the key to all anti-corruption initiatives.

3. What the UN says about the judiciary

Article 11 of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, provides that the independence of the judiciary and its crucial role in combating corruption, shall, in accordance with the fundamental principles of a State Party’s legal system and without prejudice to judicial independence, take measures to strengthen integrity and to prevent opportunities of corruption among members of the judiciary. What Article 11 simply means is that a corrupt judicial system not only violates the basic right to equality before the law but also deny procedural rights guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.

4.Why the judiciary must remain pure

In carrying out its role in the fight against corruption, the judiciary must remain impartial and most importantly, be seen to be impartial. It is incumbent on the judiciary to analyze facts based on the applicable law without prejudice and penchant regarding the case they are dealing with, and without acting in any way that would favor the interests of any of the parties.

5. When the judiciary is corrupt

Where judicial corruption occurs, the damage can be pervasive and extremely difficult to reverse. It undermines citizens’ morale, violates their human rights, harms national development and depletes the quality of governance.

6.What the judiciary must do

The Judiciary must take steps to ensure that it is not seen as being partisan. As such, it must be aware of the sensitivities of the public and take steps towards avoiding even the shred of a doubt as regards its independence. In justice, integrity is a necessity. Hence, Judicial Officers and all other members of this sector must always demonstrate manifest integrity.

7.What a slow judiciary means

Critically important also, is the sacred duty of the judiciary to ensure that criminal justice administration is not delayed. I am worried that the expectation of the public is yet to be met by the judiciary with regard to the removal of delay and the toleration of delay tactics by lawyers.

8.How Nigerians should see the judiciary

To this end, the Judiciary is under a duty to keep its house in order and to ensure that the public, which it serves, sees this. Thus, we cannot expect to make any gains in the war against corruption in our society when the judiciary is seen as being distant from the crusade. This will not augur well and its negative effect will impact all sectors of society.

9.The success of the corruption lies only with the judiciary

To this end, the Judiciary is under a duty to keep its house in order and to ensure that the public, which it serves, sees this. Thus, we cannot expect to make any gains in the war against corruption in our society when the judiciary is seen as being distant from the crusade. This will not augur well and its negative effect will impact all sectors of society.

Nigerian Army Released 249 Suspected Boko Haram Insurgents Borno

The Nigerian Army has freed 249 captured suspected Boko Haram terrorists and accomplices after being cleared by the Chief of Army Staff in Maiduguri on Sunday.

Those cleared and released include 169 males, 46 women and 34 children. Further breakdown shows that 203 of them were from 18 Local Government Areas of Borno State, while 44 were from other States as follows; Adamawa 2, Jigawa 2, Lagos 1, Oyo 1 and Yobe 38. However, 2 of them were from the Republic of Cameroon.
The released suspects were handed N3,000 each
The Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu made the handing over to the State government through the Commissioner for Local Government while the two Cameroonians were handed over to the Borno State Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The Commissioner in his remarks praised the military effort’s in the fight against insurgency and respect for human rights as manifested in the painstaking efforts that led to their clearance and subsequent release. He therefore urged the released detainees to remain law abiding and go about their lawful businesses. He also commended the

UEFA Releases Shortlist For The Best Player In Europe

UEFA has released its ten man shortlist for the ‘Best Player In Europe’. UEFA originally released a 37 man long list but the battle for the claim of Europe’s best will now come down to 10 footballers.

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid & Wales)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy)
Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid & France)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid & Germany)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
Thomas Müller (Bayern München & Germany)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern München & Germany)
Pepe (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Luis Suárez (Barcelona & Uruguay)
The winner of the award will be announced on August 25 during the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco.
Who are you rooting for?

Buhari Wants To Kill PDP – Uche Secondus

Uche Secondus, former acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said in an interview with Punch, that his experiences over the last one year of the Buhari led administration have revealed that Buhari’s plan is to “kill” PDP.

See Also; Amaechi Frittered Away N3trn In Eight Years – Rivers Govt
INFORMATION NIGERIA brings you 5 very interesting takeaways from the interview.

How the EFFC has neglected the rule of law

The EFCC has turned itself to the judge, jury and a court, becoming a law unto itself.
There is absolute absence of the rule of law in the pursuit of this anti-corruption crusade

He wonders why Buhari hasn’t probed people like Amaechi and Fashola

“We know there are ex-governors who are ministers now, why are they not probing them? Why are they not inviting them? It is absolutely wrong.

Secondus says the whole world is aware of Buhari’s plan to kill PDP

“The partiality is obvious now, and Nigerians know, the world now knows that the agenda of this government is to kill the PDP
See also; 6 Things PDP’s Secondus Has To Say About Nigeria Under Buhari

That the PDP totally support anti-corruption war

“We in the PDP are in total support of the anti-corruption fight but we believe that due process and the rule of law are not being followed.
“We are not in a garrison command structure, a person can be invited or arrested if he resists but the rule of law must be followed.

He said the PDP also had the mind to fight corruption
“It is absolutely wrong to say PDP feels comfortable with corruption. Let me ask this question, if the PDP had no interest in fighting corruption, would we have set up the EFCC, ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices Commission) and all other institutions?
“All these institutions were set up by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo who headed a PDP-led government”

I Spent Fake Currency In Lagos, Ogun For Five Years – Ex-convict

A robbery suspect and ex-convict identified as Felix Ademola, has been arrested by the police in Oyo State.

Ademola specialized in dealing in fake currency shortly after he was set free from prison.

The suspect and his gang members were also said to have been involved in robbing and terrorizing residents of the state.
While being paraded along with other robbery suspects at the state command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, the state capital, at the weekend, Ademola claimed he had conducted successful robbery operations in Lagos and Ogun states.
He said, “After I left prison, I began dealing in fake money. I bought the fakes from a man who printed them in the Abattoir area of Agege, Lagos State. For the N200, 000 that I collected from him, I paid him N30, 000. The fakes were in N1, 000 denominations.
“I usually go out and buy items of about N200, pay with a fake N1, 000. I will then be given a change of N800. I will do this to different traders until I spend all the fake money and gain about N170, 000. I did this for 5 years.
“Apart from dealing in fake currency, I led a gang of robbers to attack some residents in the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos State and we shared N450, 000 after the operation.
“We used a local gun and a pistol. After breaking in, we threatened the occupants with our guns and took their money and mobile phones. Because they cooperated, we did not kill anyone.
“In another operation three months after, we made about N60, 000.
“After that, I had an accident and my hand was injured. For a long time, I did not rob. But when my health improved, I organised another robbery in Oyo. We were still operating when the police came, but I was the only one caught,” he added.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP. Leye Oyebade, who paraded the suspects, said the command had been successful in freeing the state of hoodlums.
“Those arrested would be prosecuted soon,” the CP added.
Source: Dailypost

Arase Knocks Idris For Making Media Show Of 24 ‘Stolen’ Police Vehicles

The immediate past Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, has condemned his successor, Ibrahim Idris’ decision to address the media, rather than personally reach out to him over alleged ‘missing’ police vehicles.
Acting IG of Police, Idris, had while addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, accused his predecessor of taking with him, following his retirement last month, 24 police vehicles, including two BMW 7 series; one armoured and leaving him with an old and rickety vehicle.

The police chief, who claimed Arase refused to return the vehicles despite writing him to that effect, disclosed that he had set up a Special Investigation Panel to “investigate all the vehicle purchases, contributions to the police and the distribution of those vehicles in the last three years”.
But Arase, who is in London for his son’s graduation, said in a statement on Monday that every information needed by his successor on vehicles bought by the police were in his handover notes.

RELATED POST: Arase Took Away 24 Police Vehicles, Including IG’s Official Car – Idris

The retired IG maintained that all vehicles bought by the police under him were distributed to the state commands and other appropriate units of the force.
He also denied getting any letter from Idris since he has been in the UK.
“I suspect there must be a disconnect somewhere because every information needed by my successor are provided in my handover notes”, Mr. Arase said.
“I’m also not aware that any letter was written to me because if there was any dropped in my house, someone would have alerted me.
“It’s unfortunate that this matter is being made a media issue because my successor has my telephone number and could have called me for any clarification or even sent me a text message rather than addressing the media on an issue well documented in my handover notes”, he lamented.

Ooni of Ife Attends Wedding Ceremony in full Regalia

Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi & his adorable wife, Olori Wuraola were among the dignitaries at the wedding of Chief Wole Olanipekun, and Mr. Dele Adesina’s children at the prestigious Landmark event center in Lagos over the weekend.

Other guests at the wedding include Former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku, Oba Akinrutan, Governor Segun Mimiko of Ondo state, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state, Minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed and his Communications counterpart, Barrister Adebayo Shittu.

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Why Ikpeazu was sacked as Abia governor – Court

Ikpeazu

The Federal High Court on Friday said Justice Okon Abang ordered Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu’s sack because the judge found that he allegedly submitted false tax information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court said the case had nothing to do with forgery of tax documents.
The court’s Chief Registrar, Emmanuel Gakko, said in a statement that there were two different cases against Ikpeazu.
He said one of the cases was filed by Sir Friday Nwosu with Dr. Ikpeazu and Dr. Sampson Uche Ogah as defendants. The case was before Justice Ambrose Allagoa.
In the second suit before Justice Abang, Dr. Ogah was the plaintiff, while Dr. Ikpeazu and Sir Nwosu were the defendants.

The court said the case before Justice Allagoa bothered on alleged forgery or falsification of tax certificate and receipts for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 by Dr. Ikpeazu.

In deciding the case, Justice Allagoa held that “a mere nebulous averment is not enough for the purpose of pleading the crime of forgery.”
According to the judge, “forgery is a criminal offence and must be proved, which the plaintiff failed to do.”
The statement added: “The court further held that by the affidavit of the Abia State Director of Taxes testifying that the documents are genuine, the court held that there was presumption of genuineness of the assessment and the certificate and/or receipts issued to Dr. Ikpeazu.
“The court further held that the consequential reliefs have become unnecessary for the court’s consideration.
“It should be noted that the court did not make any consequential orders with regard to the position of the governor other than the allegation of forgery.”
The Chief Registrar said the case before Justice Abang had a different subject-matter, that Dr. Ikpeazu submitted form CF001 to INEC which were alleged to contain false information.
“The court held that the information in Form CF001 as shown by him (Ikpeazu) in the affidavit accompanied with other documents to INEC are false and has nothing to do with forgery.
“The, court, therefore made consequential orders under the doctrine of ‘lis pendens,’ which disallows any transfer of rights or interest in any subject matter that is being litigated upon during the pendency of litigation in respect of the said subject-matter.
“The court, accordingly, declared Dr. Ogah as the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries and should be issued with Certificate of Return accordingly.”
The Chief Registrar said the clarification became necessary in view of “misrepresentation of facts as published in some electronic and print media and comments by both legal practitioners and laymen on the correct facts of the cases involving the Abia State Governor and the Judgment of Hon. justice O. E. Abang and Hon. Justice A. L. Allagoa.”

Nice terror attack: Driver who killed 84 on French Riviera was criminal known to police

Police on Friday have identified the man who used a hired lorry to kill at least 84 people in a terrorist attack during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, France, as a well known French-Tunisian criminal.
The man was shot by police after he deliberately drove at a packed street of spectators, killing at least 84 and wounding many more.

According to AFP, the perpetrator was a local 30-year-old career criminal who was born in Tunisia before moving to France.

His 19 tonne lorry had zigzagged through crowds massing on the Promenade des Anglais on Thursday night, killing anyone he could.
After being stopped by armed police, who fired bullets into the lorry’s windscreen, the so far unnamed man exchanged fire with officers using a 7.65pistol, before being shot dead.
The attack, which comes eight months and a day after Isis gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris, appeared so far to be the work of a lone assailant.

“People went down like ninepins,” Jacques, who runs Le Queenie restaurant on the seafront, told France Info.
“I saw people go down,” bystander Franck Sidoli, who was visibly shocked, told Reuters at the scene. “Then the truck stopped, we were just five metres away. A woman was there, she lost her son. Her son was on the ground, bleeding.”
The fact that the killer was known to the authorities will be of grave concern to those trying to prevent terrorist attacks in France.
Source: AFP/Telegraph UK

Court Refuses To Hear Omisore’s Bail Application

The Federal High Court sitting at Abuja before Justice Olukayode Adeniyi has declined to hear the Bail application of Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Justice Adeniyi stated that the Application is premature and therefore incompetent. Omisore was remanded in accordance with Section 293 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 (ACJL) by an Order made by a magistrate court of the Federal capital territory pursuant to an ex parte application made by the EFCC.

Section 293 of the ACJL gives a magistrate the power to cause a pre-charge remand to be issued against a suspect depending on the gravity of their crime(s), where the Magistrate has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter .

The application for remand, when granted, subsists for a period of 14 days and can be renewed twice- each renewal for fourteen days.

Omisore applied through Counsel and the Judge stated that while the application is premature and incompetent, it puts the Court in a position to act in an appellate capacity for a Court of coordinate jurisdiction.

A lot of Counsel and Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) have spoken on the validity/invalidity of Section 293 of the ACJL as it seems to contravene Section 35 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (CFRN) which guarantees the right of a person to Liberty.

Those who toe this line are also of the opinion that it amounts to a Holding Charge which the Supreme Court has stated to be illegal. Some others are of the view that it is simply a pre-charge remand and it does not exactly contravene the CFRN Section 35 as the section further provided that any person arrested or detained “shall be brought before a court of law within a reasonable time” and shall be released either conditionally or unconditionally, if not tried within a period of two months from the date of arrest or detention in the case of a person who is in custody or not entitled to bail.”

They contend that 2 months is at par with the number of days cumulative laid down for remand by the ACJL. It is hoped that this issue is clarified by the Supreme Court in the near future.