News

Alleged Plot To Return Niger Delta Amnesty Boss, Youths Send Protest Letter To Buhari

Published

4 years ago

April 29, 2020

Following an alleged plot to reinstate the suspended Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Prof. Charles Dokubo, Niger Youths, under the auspices of the Niger Delta Patriotic Youths (NDPY), have sent protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.

President of NDPY, Timi West, in a statement on Wednesday said any attempt to bring back the suspended coordinator would destroy the programme.

West said instead of planning to return Dokubo back to the Amnesty Office, he should be allowed to face numerous allegations of corrupt practices that marred his administration.

West claimed that Dokubo showed lack of capacity while at the helm of affairs and lacked the clout to occupy such a sensitive office again.

NATION reports that West asked Buhari to ignore a group of faceless persons threatening to resume hostilities in the region if Dokubo failed to return and promised that the youths would continue to sustain the peace in the Niger Delta.

He said: “We also want to assure President Buhari that we will continue to sustain the peace. We urge the Presidency to discountenance any sponsored threat by some faceless groups to resume hostility in the region. It is an empty threat by paper tigers. This is part of the desperate measures adopted to bring back the suspended amnesty boss.

“There is need to bring someone, who knows the pains and aspirations of the Amnesty beneficiaries on board because as we speak over 10,000 youths, who surrendered their arms and embraced the olive branch are roaming the streets.

”Our belief is that if a person with a background from the trenches like an ex-agitator is appointed the coordinator, he can salvage the programme.

“We demand for the appointment of an ex-militant leader as a new coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Office to carry out the mandate of the amnesty programme such as skill acquisitions, educational training and other empowerment programmes.

”Therefore, we urge the Presidency to discountenance any threat by some faceless groups to resume hostility in the region over the reappointment of Charles Dokubo because it is an empty threat from paper tigers.”

He commended Buhari for closely monitoring the activities in the region and urged him to stop desperate attempts by some persons around him to return Dokubo.

(NATION)

(PHOTO:File)

News

JUST IN: Court Clears Ex-AGF Adoke Of Money Laundering Charges

Published

52 mins ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday discharged and acquitted former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) of the money laundering charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, while delivering a ruling on a no-case submission filed by the former AGF, held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima facie (sufficient evidence) case against him.

“I find that there is no evidence to prove the alleged offences against the first defendant (Adoke),” the judge said.

However, Justice Ekwo ruled that Aliyu Abubakar, the second defendant, has to open his defence because he has a case to answer.

EFCC had preferred a 14 counts charge against Adoke and an oil mogul, Aliyu Abubakar.

In the charge, the anti-graft agency alleged that Adoke sometime in August 2013 in Abuja accepted a cash payment of the dollar equivalent of N300 million from Abubakar and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 16(2)(b) of the money laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amended.

Details later…

News

Police Seal Off Benue APC Factional Secretariat

Published

1 hour ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

Armed policemen have sealed off the secretariat of the All Progressive Congress,APC, in Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State.

The party secretariat belongs to the Austin Agada-led APC Working Committee located along JS Tarka Way opposite the Railway Market in Makurdi.

There are two party secretariats in the capital city.

The other one belongs to Benjamin Omakolo’s team which is located along Kashim Ibrahim Way.

The Publicity Secretary of the Agada faction, Daniel Ihomun, said that the sealing off of their secretariat may not be unconnected with the inauguration of members of the zoning committee for the forthcoming local government election.

“We are to inaugurate members of the zoning committee for the coming local government election today at our secretariat only for the government to send policemen and their thugs to seal off the secretariat,” Ihomun said.

It was learnt that policemen and Armour Personnel Vehicle were deployed to the Agada-led office as early as 6am on Friday.

Efforts to get the reaction of the state Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, to ascertain the reason for the sealing off of the party secretariat were not successful as her phone rang out at the time of filing this report.

The Agada-led faction had constituted a 21-men zoning committee drawn from the three senatorial districts of the state and was expected to be inaugurated on Friday.

But in a swift response, the Omakolo-led team had in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Terseer Agber, called on all party members and the general public to disregard the zoning committee constituted by the Agada-led committee.

News

JUST IN: Army Releases Delta Monarch Arrested Over Soldiers Killings

Published

2 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

The Nigerian Army has released the traditional ruler, Clement Ikolo, earlier declared wanted and arrested over the gruesome murder of 17 soldiers in Delta State on 14 March 2024.

The monarch was declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters alongside seven others for alleged involvement in the act.

He was released to Senator Ede Dafianone who stood surety.

He was released during a brief at Army Headquarters by the Director, Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu.

Details later…