The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC ,on Wednesday was granted a warrant by a Federal High Court in Abuja to apprehend Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State.

The warrant was issued following an ex parte motion filed by the EFCC.

In his ruling on the motion, Justice Emeka Nwite also directed that the former governor be produced before him on Thursday, April 18, for arraignment.

He said, “It is hereby ordered as follows:

“That an order of this honourable court is hereby made directing and/or issuing a warrant for the immediate arrest of the defendant to bring him before this honourable court for arraignment.

“That case is adjourned to the 18th day of April 2024 for arraignment.”

Earlier, a Lokoja High Court restrained the EFCC from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the immediate past governor of Kogi State.

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Meanwhile, the incumbent governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, on Wednesday, helped the embattled former governor of the state escape arrest by operatives of the EFCC.

The PUNCH correspondent, who was at the ex-governor’s residence, observed Ododo’s arrival with heavy security at about 2:30 pm on Wednesday.

About two hours later, at exactly 4:20 pm, Ododo’s entourage drove out with Bello in the governor’s car.

About 10 minutes after the governor and former governor left, EFCC operatives laying siege to Bello’s home retreated from Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.

By Silver Yeibake 

Hiccups, or singultus, are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. It is an abnormal breathing pattern.

Normal breathing is possible as the diaphragm, a muscle directly under the lungs that separates the chest from the abdomen, works together with other chest muscles by contracting and relaxing in a controlled manner, allows air to enter and leave the lungs at a fixed amount and rate.
Irritation of this major muscle makes it contract involuntarily, causing a sudden intake of air, which is then stopped by the vocal cords (a set of soft tissues in our throat that is involved in voice generation) closing, resulting in the the characteristic “HIC” sound

Hiccups are normally harmless and transitory, but they can be annoying and disruptive. The condition usually lasts a few minutes but can persist for up to 2 days.

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Although the specific cause of hiccups are not always evident, they can be provoked by several events such as eating too rapidly, eating large meals, consuming carbonated beverages, hot ir spicy food, indigestion, excessive alcohol intake, smoking, bad odours, abrupt temperature changes, emotional stress and pregnancy.

Frequent and prolonged hiccups (lasting more than 2 days) are triggered by diseases like oesophagitis (inflammation of the gullet), pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs), pleurisy (inflammation of the coverings of the lungs), stroke, brain tumour, thyroid disease, kidney disease, some epilepsy medicines, nicotine gum, chest and abdominal surgeries.

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To relieve hiccups, several measures are designed to disrupt the abnormal breathing pattern and restore normal respiration. These include breathing into a paper bag, sipping ice-cold or hot water, holding of breath, taking of deep breaths, eating a spoonful of sugar, sit down and lean forward over the knees, suck on a slice of lemon.

When hiccups are prolonged (chronic forms) or are severe enough to affect sleep, rest, eating, drinking, or other important functions, the patient should consult competent medical experts for proper evaluation and treatment is necessary.

Dr. Yeibake, Weriwoyingipre Silver, a
Senior Registrar, Faculty Of Pediatrics, West Africa College of Physician (WACP), writes from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Education to include graduates of the National Open University, NOUN, in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

Tinubu also resolved the longstanding admittance of NOUN Law graduates to participate in Law School in the country for equal opportunities.

He made the disclosure during his presentation at the 13th convocation ceremony of NOUN on Saturday, at the university’s Convocation Arena, Jabi, Abuja.

Before now, NOUN graduates in 2017 were assured by the former vice chancellor of the institution, Abdallah Adamu, that they would soon be able to participate in the National Youth Service Corps and the Nigerian Law School.

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Adamu, in an interview, said, “The fact is that the National University Commission law doesn’t allow those who do part-time studies to do NYSC, and the original Act that established NOUN says we offer courses by correspondence, and that is the expression NYSC is using to say ‘if it’s a correspondence course, then it is part-time, if it’s part-time, then the students are not eligible for NYSC.’

A few years later, a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt squashed a suit by Law graduates of NOUN seeking admission into the Nigerian Law School.

Some graduates of the NOUN Law Department instituted a legal action on May 12, 2015, against the Council of Legal Education, the National University Commission, the Attorney General of the Federation and NOUN over their refusal to admit them into the Law School.

In their suit, the graduates wanted the court to compel the relevant authorities to make provisions to include graduates of the NOUN in the Nigerian Law School as benefiting from law graduates from other institutions.

READ ALSO: Court Restrains EFCC From Arresting, Detaining Yahaya Bello

But Tinubu gave the new directive through the Deputy Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Biodun Saliu, who represented him at the convocation on Saturday, adding that the opportunity is within the age bracket as allowed by the law.

He said, “With the changing demographics of our great nation, the government has recognised the importance of allowing NOUN graduates to participate in the NYSC scheme.

“The doors of the Law School are now open to the graduates, ensuring equal opportunities for all. Any remaining concerns or uncertainties should be promptly addressed by the Federal Ministry of Education.

“We will continue to do this in order to improve quality, access, and affordability.

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“Government is, therefore, committed through the Federal Ministry of Education and the NUC to provide the enabling environment to ensure a good delivery of this mode of education in Nigeria.”

The president noted that the gathering was not just a celebration of the graduates’ academic successes but also highlighted the crucial role that Open and Distance Education has in shaping the nation’s educational framework.

He, therefore, affirmed his administration’s commitment to enhancing ODL to expand access to higher education across the nation, emphasizing that the utilisation of ODL is essential for meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The president expressed satisfaction with what NOUN has become, stressing that it is a central figure in advancing the government’s commitment to achieving educational goals through ICT.