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It’s Hypocrisy To Arrest Emefiele And Leave Buhari — Lawyers

Published

10 months ago

July 16, 2023

Editor

Legal practitioners under the aegis of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy have slammed the Department of State Services (DSS) for arresting and detaining the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele while leaving out his principal and approving authority, former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The DSS had in December last year made attempts to arrest Emefiele but was stopped by the Courts.

Emefiele had in the lead up to the 2023 general elections came under intense scrutiny following the apex bank’s Naira Redesign Policy which many partisans saw as targeting Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, then presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC.

Speaking on Arise Television breakfast show monitored Friday in Abuja, Convener, Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, Kingdom Okere, also accused the DSS of framing up Emefiele.

He described the arrest as illegal, saying it was in violation of a subsisting order of the Federal Capital Territory FCT High Court.

He consequently called for the sack of the Director General State Services DGSS, Yusuf Bichi, saying there was no reason to have retained him when President Tinubu sacked the Service Chiefs.

Okere who recalled how the DSS had tried to arrest Emefiele in December last year but only succeeded in June 2023, said it was deeply concerning that the security agency would still detain Emefiele for more than one month, instead of having gathered its evidences within the period from December 2022 to June 2023.

He said; “We just heard from the statement by the DSS that they have charged him to court. Charging him to court is different from arraigning him.

“We have not seen a copy of the charge. Of course, the accused has been in illegal detention of the DSS, and his lawyers should be privy to whatever charges that may have preferred against him.

“The point is that Lawyers in the Defence of Democracy have been on this issue since 7th December 2022 when the DSS sought to obtain a black market exparte application from the Federal High Court. It is black market because the honourable judge of the Federal High Court said the DSS could not use that honourable court to commence an irregular proceeding.

“Thereafter, on 29th December 2022, Justice MA Hassan of the FCT High Court made an order of perpetual injunction restraining the DSS from preferring any trump up charge of terrorism financing against the suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele and DSS participated in that proceeding and they have not appealed that decision and if they purport to have done that, there is no proper record of appeal at the Appeal Court to that effect.

“The rule of law does not empower the DSS to disregard an order of a court of competent jurisdiction. The only thing they can do within their constitutional right is to go to a higher court to set it aside. Insofar as that order remains, whatever they are purporting to do, to file any charges against Emefiele remains illegal ab initio.

“Between 7th of December 2022 when they first went to court and 8th June 2023 when they eventually arrested him, they didn’t have any evidence against him. What they have done is to prove us right that they had plans to frame him up. It has now taken them more than one month and just Thursday’s court order that directed them to either release him or charge him to court to now go and file whatever charge they purport to have filed.”

Okere also said Emefiele was only following orders, that the man who gave him the order, former President Muhammadu Buhari ought to also have been arrested by the SSS.

He said; “Whatever Emefiele did as CBN Governor had presidential approval. So, if they have anything against him, they should also know that it is traceable to former President Muhammadu Buhari and they should also being him to book so that they can defend themselves.

“Be that as it may, DSS upon searching Emefiele’s house found only N300,000. Does it mean that Emefiele from his legitimate earnings cannot have N300,000 in his house? They also found a licence for pump action. Any other thing they come out with tomorrow that they found in Emefiele’s house is pure falsehood. Those were the only two things they found in his house and it took them more than one month and the order of a court to go and file charges against him just yesterday.”

Track record of flouting rule of law
“The DSS has a history of disobeying court orders. It is their stock in trade. They also gave a track record of invading people’s homes in the wee hours of the day or night just as they did to justices of the supreme court and of course you know how the matter ended.

“DSS has always proven itself as an agency that flouts the rule of law. They see themselves as above the law, whereas they were established by just a piece of legislation, the Security Agencies Act that was signed by the president and they now see themselves to be over and above the constitution of Nigeria that established the federation where all arms of government must operate within the ambit of the constitution.

“Tinubu, the new president has a track record of believing in the rule of law. One example is that he fought former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he withheld the local government allocation due to Lagos state because Tinubu found that it was within the powers of the state Assembly to create local governments or development centres as they are called today”, he added.

Mr Okere also advocated the sack of the DGSS, Yusuf Bichi, saying President Tinubu could be sending the wrong signals to Nigerians by retaining him.

“We are calling on President Tinubu to not allow the overzealousness of the DSS to tarnish his hard-earned reputation of believing in the rule of law, of believing in opposition politics and in his inaugural address, he promised Nigerians that he was going to obey the rule of law.

“We now asked him, why are you still leaving this man in office? All other Service Chiefs have been removed. Why did you leave him? Probably because he participated in the whole politics of old and new Naira notes and attempted to initially frame Emefiele up by going to the Federal High Court to seek exparte application. And of course, it is widely believed that he belongs to Tinubu’s camp and that is why the president is still leaving him in office.

“So, we are telling the president that this is not the right way to begin. Nobody is above the entire Federal Republic if Nigeria. Look for more competent hands and replace this person because ab initio, his appointment was a subject of controversy.

“We learned in the public domain that he had retired and former President Muhammadu Buhari in his characteristic manner of not following the law in making certain appointments like he appointed former CG of Customs, a retired Army colonel, also brought Bichi back to serve as DSS, an institution from which he had long retired as we learned in the media.

“So, we are telling the incumbent president to do things right,” Okere added.

News

Rivers Crisis: Fubara Mocks Wike, Says ‘We’ve Defeated Our Enemies’

Published

1 hour ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, declared on Thursday that his battles were over as he had defeated his opponents, who are not sleeping with their two eyes open.

He said he had turned the tide against his opponents, noting that he was still in office about to mark his first anniversary, contrary to the plan by his detractors.

Fubara spoke on Thursday amid the ranging feud between him and his predecessor and estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike.

Last October, Fubara survived an impeachment plot by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike.

As of Wednesday, nine members of his cabinet loyal to Wike had tendered their resignation and exited.

Addressing the national and state leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council on Thursday at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Fubara said he appreciated their support and the assurance that they were with him but said, “there is nothing to call on you for because we have already defeated them.”

According to The PUNCH, the IYC leadership was on a solidarity walk to the Government House in Port Harcourt, to celebrate the Isaac Adaka Boro Day.

The solidarity walk was part of activities to celebrate the heroic exploits of the late Major Isaac Adaka Boro, 56 years after his death, which is observed on May 16, every year.

Boro, it will be recalled, formed the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, an armed militia with members consisting mainly of his fellow Ijaw ethnic group who declared the Niger Delta Republic on February 23, 1966, and fought with federal forces for 12 days before they were defeated.

After he was granted amnesty, he enlisted and was commissioned as a Major in the Nigerian Army, fought on the side of the Federal Government during the civil war but was killed under mysterious circumstances in active service in 1968 at Ogu (near Okrika) in Rivers State on May 9, 1968.

Speaking with the Ijaw youths, Fubara acknowledged the assurances of brotherly support from the council and urged the Ijaw Nation to key into the ongoing celebration of the liberation the state now enjoyed.

“I am happy that you’ve told me this morning that when I call on you, you will respond. But there is nothing to call on you for because we have already defeated them.

“By the special grace of God, what they thought that they would have done to us while we were celebrating our one year in office, they are the ones sleeping with their two eyes open. It shows that we have the Ijaw blood. And what is that blood: it is the blood of action; less talk, more action,” Fubara said.

Fubara noted that Boro genuinely stood for equity, justice, and fair play, and pursued his course to ensure liberation for the Ijaw people and their clans.

He described every genuine Rivers man as a liberator, adding that he was delighted to receive them on such auspicious day to re-enact the common purpose of liberation that they shared.

“Because he (Isaac Boro) stood for that unique thing, even after his death, we still celebrate him because he was a liberator.

“Every Rivers man, it doesn’t matter whether you are Ijaw or upland, the most important thing is that every genuine Rivers man must be a liberator.

“And I’m happy that you have come here today. I have also received you because we have one common purpose: to liberate our dear state. We are not going back on that.”

The governor thanked the crowd for their assurances of being available to respond to his call and stand by him and appealed to Ijaw youths to conduct themselves peacefully as they celebrate Major Isaac Adaka Boro Day.

He stressed that it should be done in the same spirit that had enveloped the state now, celebrating victory over his political detractors.

In his speech, the National President of IYC, Mr Jonathan Lokpobiri, described the day as historic, because Ijaw people were meeting with their governor on Major Isaac Adaka Boro Day of Memorial.

He warned all detractors to retrace their steps and allow the governor, who had the full mandate of the people, to discharge his duties to Rivers people.

He commended Fubara for his courage, bravery and commitment to good governance, insisting that his struggle and triumph resonated with the hope of all Ijaw people.

Also speaking, the Chairman of IYC, Eastern Zone, Mr Tamuno Kpokpo, said the visit was not to signify an ethnic war, but to lend support in the protection of the interest and continuous development of Rivers State.

Kpokpo said the IYC would stand to resist anybody or group of persons anywhere who dared to cause any distraction of governance in the state.

PUNCH

News

JUST IN: NCC Suspends Issuance Of Virtual Operators Licence, Two Others

Published

2 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

The Nigerian Communication Commission has announced a temporary suspension of new licence issuance to operators in three categories.

The categories are Mobile Virtual Network Operator Licence, Interconnect Exchange Licence and Value Added Service Aggregator Licence.

A virtual operator is a company that does not own a mobile spectrum licence but sells mobile services under its brand name using the network of a licensed mobile operator. Currently, there are at least 25 operators.

The Interconnect Exchange Licence is a network facility that enables the interconnection of more than two independent connecting entities to facilitate the transfer of electronic communications.

While VAS aggregators are non‐core network telecommunication services which are beyond standard voice calls.

These services include internet, directory service, paging service, voice mail and prepaid calling card service, call centre services, content services, and vehicle tracking.

The NCC said the suspension is in line with its powers under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 to grant, renew licenses and promote fair competition.

The commission, in a public notice posted on its X handle on Friday, said the temporary suspension is to enable a thorough review of several key areas of market saturation, competition level and current market dynamics.

The notice titled, “Temporary Suspension Of The Issuance Of Communications Licences In Three Categories” was signed by the Director, Public Affairs Department, Nigerian Communications Commission, Reuben Muoka.

The notice read, “In line with its powers under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 to grant and renew licenses, promote fair competition and develop the Communications Industry, the Nigerian Communications Commission (The Commissions) hereby informs all stakeholders of a temporary suspension on issuance of new licenses in the following categories, Interconnect Exchange License, Mobile Virtual Network Operator License and Value Added Service Aggregator License.

“This temporary suspension is necessary to enable the commission to conduct a thorough review of several key areas within these categories, including the current level of competition, market saturation and current market dynamics.”

It, however, noted that the new directive doesn’t affect pending applications which would be considered based on merit.

“The public is invited to note that during the suspension period commencing on 17th of May, 2024, new applications for the aforementioned licenses will not be accepted. This is without prejudice to pending applications before the Commission which will be considered on its merits.

“Any enquiries of clarification in respect of this Suspension Notice should be forwarded to: licensing@ncc.gov.ng,” the statement read.

In recent times, the telecommunications sector has been faced with a myriad of issues raising concerns about sustainability and efficient service delivery amid ongoing economic challenges.

Record high inflation has reduced purchasing power and a currency devaluation has cut margins.

These challenges are exacerbated by the issue of multiple taxation and regulations and prohibitive right-of-way charges, inadequate electric power supply, and vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure.

News

Bauchi Commissioner Gifts 3 Students Cash For Prompt Resumption, Ability To Read

Published

10 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

The Bauchi state Commissioner for Education, Dr Jamila Dahiru, on Thursday, gave a cash gift of N5,000 each to three Senior Secondary II students of Government Science Secondary School, Misau for their determination to succeed in Education.

Two of the students, Adamu Adamu, Mustapha and Haruna impressed the commissioner for their presence in school in the first day of resumption while Abdullahi Musa marvelled her for his reading ability and comprehension.

According to the commissioner, the gesture was to appreciate their determination to learn as well and motivate other students to emulate them.

While paying a courtesy visit to the Emir of Misau, Alh. Ahmed Sulaiman, the commissioner disclosed that the Bauchi State government was working with stakeholders from the Misau Emirate to fine-tune modalities of temporarily accommodating the students of Federal Science Technical College, Misau at its Science Secondary School Misau.

She said the college made the request in a letter to the ministry stating that the facility given to them could no longer accommodate their students population, hence the resolve to convene the stakeholders meeting to fine-tune ways of sharing the facility for the betterment of the state.

She disclosed that government science secondary school Misau, one of the best in the state in terms of befitting facilities has the capacity to accommodate up to five thousand students, but currently houses about three hundred students.

She appreciated the Emir for his continued support to programmes and policies of the government with more emphasis on the education sector.

Speaking on behalf of the Emir and other stakeholders, a retired Director with the Ministry, Muhammad Musa, expressed gratitude to the Commissioner for the honour and promised to assemble critical stakeholders from the emirate so as to arrive at an acceptable decision for the benefit of all and sundry.