The order followed an incident involving a Dana Air plane at Lagos airport on April 23, which forced aviation authorities to divert flights from local to international airport.
The decision was announced by Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo.
Wednesday, 24 April 2024
BREAKING: Nigerian Govt grounds Dana Air operations
The order followed an incident involving a Dana Air plane at Lagos airport on April 23, which forced aviation authorities to divert flights from local to international airport.
The decision was announced by Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo.
Yahaya Bello not running from the law — EFCC never invited him, says media office
Kogi state was never invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC).
In a statement signed by Ohiare Michael, Bello’s media
office said the anti-graft agency declared the former governor wanted without
sending an invitation his way.
The statement added that Bello is not afraid of the EFCC.
BACKGROUND
The EFCC is accusing the former governor of involvement in
the laundering of N80.2 billion belonging to the Kogi government.
On April 17, EFCC operatives laid siege on Bello’s Abuja
residence in a bid to arrest him.
While the operatives were at Bello’s residence, Usman Ododo,
governor of Kogi, arrived at the scene.
Shortly after Ododo left the residence, the EFCC operatives
ended their siege.
Bello was believed to have been rescued from his residence
by Ododo.
Amid the drama, the Kogi high court delivered judgment in a
fundamental rights enforcement suit, restraining the commission from
“harassing, threatening to arrest or detaining” the former governor.
On the same day, the EFCC obtained a warrant of arrest against
Bello from a federal high court in Abuja.
Subsequently, the anti-graft agency declared the former
governor wanted, while the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) placed Bello on a
watchlist.
In the statement, Michael said Bello is not a fugitive
running from the law.
“Let it be known to all that Alhaji Yahaya Bello is not
afraid of the EFCC, he is not a fugitive running from the Law. All he demands
is that the rule of law be respected!!,” the statement reads.
‘BELLO WAS NEVER
INVITED’
In a statement on Monday, the EFCC had said Bello was
invited when his tenure ended but he refused to honour the invitation.
On April 23, Ola Olukoyede, EFCC chair, said he invited
Bello to his office for a dignified interrogation.
Olukoyede said Bello turned down the invitation and
requested operatives to come to his village instead.
The media office dared the anti-graft agency to prove that
Bello was ever invited.
“The EFCC stated that
they invited Alhaji Yahaya Bello immediately after his tenure ended on the 27th
of January 2024. We challenge the EFCC to publish a copy of the invitation
delivered to Yahaya Bello,” the statement reads.
“They should also tell Nigerians the date the alleged
invitation was delivered and who it was delivered to. We are certain that the
EFCC will not be able to produce any of the foregoing as to date, they have yet
to invite Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
“Indeed, just about
the end of his administration, several online news sites published that the
EFCC would arrest the Governor as soon as he handed over power to his successor
as they intended to charge him for alleged crimes committed as Governor of Kogi
State.
“True to the stories, the EFCC on the 5th day of February
2023 in an ongoing trial of other persons, in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/550/22
before Honourable Justice J.K. Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja
Division, amended the Charge to include in Count 1 thereof, the allegation that
Yahaya Bello conspired with others, including a Kogi State Government House
Cashier, in September 2015, to convert the sum of 80 Billion.
“The news of the inclusion of his name in the Charge as
usual was given wide publicity by the EFCC who still had not invited him but
had described him as being at large.
“It was thus clear from the foregoing that the EFCC was out
for mischief. A stage was being set to move in a gestapo manner to his home,
lay siege there and violently arrest him with the aim of tarnishing his name
and ruining his reputation as if he were a fugitive even though he was not
invited.”
‘EFCC VIOLATING COURT
ORDER’
Michael accused the EFCC of violating the court order
barring the agency from harassing the former governor.
“For the protection of his reputation, rights to presumption
of innocence, liberty, and dignity of the human person, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, as
a Law abiding Citizen, caused to be filed a Fundamental Rights Enforcement
action in Suit No. HCL/68M/2024 between Alhaji Yahaya Bello v. Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission on the 8th day of February 2024, at the High Court
of Justice, Kogi State,” the media office said.
“The belief of the imminent dramatic arrest, which
eventually occurred on the 17th of April 2024 in Abuja, was indeed predicted in
paragraph 36(c) of the Affidavit in Support of the Originating Summons filed on
the 8th of February 2024.
“Upon the above facts, particularly that he was to be
investigated, invited, arrested, or prosecuted on an impossible allegation, the
High Court granted him reprieve by restraining the EFCC from inviting,
arresting, and prosecuting him, pending the determination of the Originating
Motion for the enforcement of his fundamental rights. The said Order was served
on the EFCC on the 12th day of February 2024.”
Buni tasks World Bank group on solutions to mitigate anticipated flood
Buni gave the charge on Tuesday when he received a delegation from the World Bank and ACReSAL.
The Governor, in a statement by his media aide, Mamman Mohammed, said the most definite measure to avert the flood was to construct drainages to channel the flood waters outside the towns and communities.
“This should be treated as a matter of emergency and urgent public importance to avert the looming threat posed by the anticipated flood”, Buni said.
He further appealed that adequate measures must be taken to support the resilience of resettled communities, as well as the resettlement programme of the state government by saving the reconstructed houses from the threat of flood.
The ACReSAL Team Leader, Ms Joy Iyanga Agene, assured to support the state government to save the people.
She commended Yobe State government for providing conducive environment that enhanced the performance of projects in the state.
Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Court to rule on Yahaya Bello’s request to vacate arrest warrant May 10
Bello canvased on Tuesday that the arrest warrant has become unnecessary since his lead counsel, Abdulwahab Mohammed, has accepted the service of the criminal charges on his behalf in respect of the alleged N80 billion money laundering charge brought against him by the Federal Government.
Although , the former governor was not physically present in court to take his plea, his counsel at the proceeding, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, argued the application in which he prayed Justice Emeka Nwite to vacate the order earlier made for the arrest of his client.
Among others, the senior lawyer submitted that the arrest warrant was issued in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by the court in violation of fair hearing to Yahaya Bello.
Adedipe also argued that the EFCC is an unconstitutional body because its establishment was not ratified by the 36 states of the Federation.
He said that for the EFCC to become a constitutional body, the 36 states of the Federation must ratify the law establishing it as against the current position where he claimed that the EFCC Establishment Act was unilaterally ratified by the Federal Government.
He therefore asked the judge to vacate the arrest warrant against the former governor for the reasons he advanced in his argument.
The request was however vehemently opposed by EFCC which claimed that the application was strange, baseless and premature.
EFCC’s lead lawyer, Kemi Pinhero, SAN, told Justice Nwite that the arrest warrant can only be vacated on the day Yahaya Bello physically appears before the court to take his plea in the charges against him.
The senior lawyer argued that the acceptance of the service of the charge on Bello through his lawyer not withstanding, the arrest warrant has to stay and subsists till the day Bello submits himself to court or is brought to court by the EFCC.
He asked Justice Nwite to discontinuance the claim of the former governor that EFCC is an unconstitutional body.
According to him the National Assembly lawfully passed the bill that led to the establishment of the agency after a presidential assent has been given to the bill.
In the alternative, Pinhero offered Yahaya Bello’s lawyers a soft land opportunity to give an undertaking to the court to produce their client in court on the adjourned date for arraignment .
He said on his own part, he would give undertaking to the court that EFCC will not execute the arrest warrant.
However, Yahaya Bello’s lawyer Adeola Adedipe, SAN, rejected the offer on the ground that it was not necessary and also because the offer is unknown to any law.
Justice Nwite after taking arguments from the two parties fixed May 10 to deliver ruling in the application.
It would be recalled that earlier in the day, the judge had ordered Yahaya Bello’s lead lawyer Abdulwahab Mohammed to accept the charge against Bello on behalf of his client, having unconditionally appeared in court for him and filled processes on his behalf.
The court order was complied with by the lawyer who accepted and acknowledged receipt of the charge in writing.
Ex-Imo gov, Ihedioha resigns from PDP
In his resignation letter addressed to the PDP chairman in Mbutu Ward, Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of the state, Ihedioha cited a misalignment between his personal beliefs and the current trajectory of the main opposition party.
The former governor expressed his dedication to the advancement of democracy and good governance in the country despite his decision to step away from PDP.
According to Ihedioha, having been a member of the party since its inception in 1998, he has contributed immensely to the growth and evolution of the party.
The former governor, however, lamented recent developments within the PDP, stating that it has deviated from its core principles.
He voiced concerns over the party’s inability to enact internal reforms, uphold its own regulations, and effectively oppose the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
“Regrettably, in recent times, the party has taken on a path that is at variance with my personal beliefs. Despite my attempt to offer counsel, the party is, sadly, no longer able to carry out internal reforms, enforce its own rules or offer credible opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress.’
“It is in the light of the foregoing, that I am compelled to offer my resignation from the People’s Democratic Party effective immediately.
“While the decision was difficult to take, I, however, believe that it is the right one. Despite this resignation, I will always be available to offer my services towards the deepening of democracy and good governance in Nigeria”, the letter added.
Abuja school: Video of another bullying incident hit the Internet
Lead British International School, Abuja has emerged.
In the new video posted on Tuesday, some male students in
the school’s uniform are seen surrounding another boy who appears to be in
casual attire.
A student slapped the boy who was on his knees, and then
some of the other boys who are gathered appealed to stop the ‘bully’ from
further harming the boy, who was later whisked away in the nine-second video.
An X user, @PopoolaJoke4, who posted the video wrote, “No be
the same school?”
This is in response to the first viral video of bullying in
the same school that was released earlier.
An X user, @moooyeeeee, had on Monday night posted two
videos of a female student of the school being repeatedly slapped by another
female classmate.
The user called for justice for the victim.
Since they were posted, the videos have drawn the wrath of
many users of the microblogging platform who condemned the incident and called
for the school authorities to investigate and punish the culprits.
However, the management of Lead British International
School, Abuja, in a statement on Tuesday, said it has begun investigation into
the matter.
No be the the same school? pic.twitter.com/G6aavYiFUI— J O K E 👸 (@PopoolaJoke4) April 23, 2024
BREAKING: Court orders EFCC to serve Yahaya Bello N80bn fraud charges through his lawyer
The Judge issued the order on Tuesday while delivering a ruling in an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for substituted service on Bello.
Lead counsel to the anti-graft agency, Kemi Pinheiro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, argued the application.
Although Bello’s lawyer Abdulwahab Mohammed initially declined to accept the charges and proof of evidence, he was compelled to do so by Justice Nwite.
The Judge rejected the plea by the senior lawyer that a junior lawyer in his team, AI Musa be the one to accept the charges on behalf of the former governor.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Yahaya Bello was again not in court but represented by his lawyer.
Justice Nwite had last week issued a bench warrant against Bello following an application to that effect by EFCC.
The EFCC subsequently declared the former governor wanted for his persistent absence in court and evading the criminal charges on him.
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