Today's Headlines: Reps panel to screen Service Chiefs Monday; Police rescue 4 kidnapped victims in

GLatestJuly 16, 2023

4 minutes read

Reps panel to screen Service Chiefs Monday

The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee set up to screen the recently appointed Service Chiefs will engage the appointees on Monday.

The panel, headed by the chairman of the Committee on Defence in the 9th House, Rep. Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos), was constituted last Tuesday.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, who announced the setting up of the panel at plenary, said all the eight principal officers of the House from the majority and minority parties would be part of the ad-hoc committee.

The Majority Caucus has Prof. Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo) as Majority Leader; Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims (APC, Kogi), Deputy Majority Leader; Bello Usman Kumo (APC, Gombe), Chief Whip; and Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga (APC, Ogun) as Deputy Chief Whip.

The Minority Caucus equally has Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) as Minority Leader; Aliyu Sani Madaki (NNPP, Kano), Deputy Minority Leader; Ali Isa (PDP, Gombe), Minority Whip; and George OzodinobiLP, Anambra) as Deputy Minority Whip.

Consequently, the ad-hoc panel has scheduled a screening session with the newly appointed Service Chiefs on Monday, July 17.

Source: The Nation

Nnamdi Kanu can’t actualize Biafra, release him – Primate Ayodele advises Tinubu

The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, on Sunday, advised President Bola Tinubu to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

Primate Ayodele said Kanu cannot actualize Biafra Republic, neither can he cause a division in Nigeria because he doesn’t have the power.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele said IPOB members are only crying out due to marginalization, an issue that can be easily resolved.

He urged Tinubu to have mercy on the embattled leader of the proscribed organization.

Primate Ayodele made it known that at God’s appointed time, Nigeria will divide without bloodshed or violence but peacefully.

He said: ‘’President Tinubu should look into the issue of Nnamdi Kanu and let justice prevail. I advise Mr President to release him because he won’t be the one to divide Nigeria. He cannot even actualize Biafra Republic in Nigeria.

Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB members will only make noise. They are only shouting because of marginalization which can easily be resolved, they can’t cause division in the country.

‘’When God is ready, he will 5bn the country Himself and there will no bloodshed or violence.’’

Source : Daily Post

APGA Guber candidate withdraws petition against Peter Mbah in Enugu

FRANK Nweke jnr, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the 18th March 2023 governorship election in Enugu State, has withdrawn his petition against Governor Peter Mbah of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The withdrawal came on a day Labour party and the governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga closed their case in their petition against Mbah and PDP.

Also, the Resident Electoral Commissioner who was supeoned by the Court also appeared today to give evidence. He was represented by the commission’s public relations officer.

Nweke, who came third in the governorship election announced the withdrawal of his petition at the Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Sunday, through an oral application by his counsel, R.A.C.E Achara.

Achara said it became imperative to withdraw the petition so as to reduce the workload of the tribunal. The tribunal granted the application and dismissed the petition accordingly.

Confirming the withdrawal, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr., said he decided to withdraw the petition against Dr. Mbah for personal reasons.

Meanwhile, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu,

who was in court following the subpoena served on the on him produce specific BVAS machines used during the election in some isolated areas.

He insisted during cross-examination, that the election was free, fair, and credible.

Represented by the Public Relations Officer of the Commission in Enugu, Victor Ezeokafor, he also stated that the Commission gave certified True Copies of electoral documents requested by Labour Party. He said those that were not released were those they did not pray for.

The electoral body also brought some BVAS machines as ordered by the court.

Reminded by that based on the last page of the subpoena, Exhibit 60, INEC was mandated to produce the BVAS machines in 15 polling units, he said, “according to the list in the subpoena, we were mandated to produce five BVAS, and I am here with the five BVAS”.

Asked if he had the BVAS for Owo and Ugbawka I Registration Areas of Nkanu East L.G.A, the REC said INEC BVAS were marked by codes, insisting that INEC provided all the BVAS machines for the Codes mentioned in the court order, adding that the electoral body responds only to Codes and not name.

Answering more questions, he explained: “It is because he (Petitioners’ counsel) did not call out any code numbers, the BVAS machines I have here, are the five code numbers contained in the subpoena”.

Source: Vanguard

Police rescue 4 kidnapped victims in Kwara

The Police Command in Kwara has confirmed rescue of four kidnapped victims, abducted in Isin Local Government Area of the state.

The Spokeperson of the command, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Ilorin.

The statement said the victims were rescued by a combined team of policemen, hunters and vigilantes on the directive of the state Police Commissioner, Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi.

“However, acting on the directive of the state Police Commissioner, the command’s anti-kidnapping unit stationed within the Isanlu-Isin axis, assisted by hunters and vigilantes, swung into action and The ave the abductors a hot chase.

“In the process, the kidnappers abandoned the Sienna bus conveying the victims at the time of the incident and one of them, Oke Olatunji.

The CP personally led another special tactical team on search and rescue operation into the forest within Isin town and in the process, another victim identified as Femi Ajayi, with bullet injury, was rescued.

“He was taken to the health center in Isanlu-Isin where he is currently receiving medical attention.

Another two persons were rescued by the police on Saturday night July 15,” the statement read in part.

The Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on July 13, four victims Dipe Ajayi, Kunle Abolarin, Femi Abolarin and Femi Ajayi were abducted at about 5 p.m in Isanlu-Isin.

The victims all hailed from Oke-Arin, Isanlu-Isin in lsin local government area of the state