Metro

JUST IN: ASUU Stages Peaceful Protest In Bauchi, Demands Exception From IPPIS

Published

1 year ago

June 28, 2024

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi state chapter has staged a peaceful protest to press home its demands and urged the Federal Government to fulfill its promise to remove its members from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

Comrade Ibrahim Inuwa, the Chairman of the union made the call on Thursday, at the end of the peaceful protest.

He also urged the federal government to implement the re-negotiations of 2009 agreements reached with the national ASUU to prevent the resumption of the suspended industrial action.

The ASUU members who walked from their Secretariat in the Yelwa campus of the University to the main gate, called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure the signing and implementation of the Prof. Nimi Briggs Committee’s agreement on the renegotiation of salaries of academic staff of Federal Universities.

The members, through their Chairperson, expressed their grievances by carrying placards with different inscriptions, calling the attention of relevant authorities to their plights such as ‘Remove ASUU from IPPIS, Release our withheld salaries, Implement ASUU FG agreements, We are not Casual Workers’ among many others.

Inuwa, who stated that the non implementation of the agreement has the implications of denying Academics a wage that is consistent with the current economic reality, also lamented that for 15 years now, ASUU members have remained on the same salary system while all efforts for renegotiation have failed thereby making them to remain stagnant on the same spot.

“Following the federal government and ASUU in the 2009 agreement, it was provided that the agreement would be reviewed every 3 years. However, the Union has been without a renegotiated agreement for the past 15 years.

“Consequently, after so much effort and pressure on the government, a renegotiation committee was set-up under the Chairmanship of Wale Babalakin in 2017. This committee failed to ensure the conclusion of its assignment within the agreed time frame.

“Two other committees headed by Prof. Munzali Jibrin and Late Emeritus Prof. Nimi Briggs negotiated and produced draft agreements but the process was truncated at the point of finalizing the reviewed agreement and from 2021 till date, the document has remained in a draft form.

ASUU has over the years remained concerned over the need for successive governments to give the deserved attention to the development and provision of quality education to the Nigerian citizens.

“This position of the Union is consistent with section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. This section states that the government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities to the citizens at all levels.

“The provision of access to quality education not only basic education, but including tertiary education is a matter of national interest and patriotism.

“This is because no nation is able to develop to its full potential where its citizens are poorly educated and their access to education is limited and obstructed by the lackadaisical attitude of the political class,” he said.

He called on the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, attend to their demands so as not to resolve embarking on an industrial action which the union had been avoiding over the years.

Metro

Sowore Arraigned Over Alleged Cybercrime

Published

8 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned politician and online publisher Omoyele Sowore before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged cybercrime offences.

Sowore, a former presidential candidate, faced a five-count charge accusing him of defaming President Bola Tinubu by calling him a criminal in posts on X and Facebook. The DSS claims that his actions violate the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, as well as the Criminal Code Act.

At the hearing, Justice Mohammed Umar granted Sowore bail on self-recognition. However, the court imposed strict conditions, barring him from making any statements capable of inciting the public or undermining national security. The judge warned that any violation of these conditions would lead to immediate revocation of his bail.

Justice Umar noted that Sowore, who previously contested for the presidency, was already under bail conditions with his international passport held by the court. He said these factors justified granting him bail without a monetary surety.

The arraignment on Tuesday came after two earlier attempts were unsuccessful. DSS counsel, Akinolu Kehinde (SAN), attributed the delays to legal obstacles introduced by Sowore’s defence team.

Sowore pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, also filed a fresh bail application during the proceedings, which the court considered before ruling.

Two other defendants — X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Inc. — are listed in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025. The DSS claims that these companies aided Sowore in publishing the posts allegedly containing defamatory statements against the president.

The case is the latest in a series of legal battles involving Sowore, who has in the past faced arrests and charges over his activism and online publications.

The Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, under which Sowore was charged, criminalises the online publication of false statements that can harm individuals or public institutions. The law also empowers the government to hold social media companies accountable if they facilitate the spread of such content.

Sowore’s arraignment has drawn reactions on social media, with supporters describing the charges as politically motivated, while others argue that public figures must exercise caution in their statements online.

Metro

Alleged Cybercrime: Court Grants Sowore Bail

Published

8 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

Justice Mohammed Umar of the Abuja Federal High Court, on Tuesday, granted former presidential candidate and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, bail on self-recognition, cautioning him to refrain from making any utterances that could incite the public against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Sowore’s bail followed his arraignment by the Department of State Services (DSS) before the court on a five-count charge bordering on alleged cybercrime.

In the five-count charge, Sowore is accused of allegedly making derogatory remarks about President Tinubu on his social media handles.

Sowore, who is the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read to him.

Earlier in the proceedings, his counsel, Marshall Abubakar, had raised a motion challenging the competence of the suit, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction.

The prosecution objected, stating they had only just been served with the processes and needed time to respond.

In a short ruling, Justice Umar held that the objection on jurisdiction was not ready for hearing because the prosecution was served that morning, adding that the defendant needed to give them adequate time to file a counter-affidavit.

He then directed that the charges be read to the defendant.

When the charge was read, Sowore pleaded not guilty; his counsel applied for bail on self-recognition. The prosecution, however, opposed the application, arguing that Sowore posed a flight risk.

Justice Umar, in ruling on the bail request, granted Sowore bail on self-recognition and adjourned the matter to January 19, 2026, for trial.

Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019, was accused of contravening the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Criminal Code Act by calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal

The two other defendants listed in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, are X Incorp (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Incorp.

Metro

Delta: Suspected Kidnapper Killed In Gun Battle With Police

Published

14 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

A suspected kidnapper has been killed during a gun battle with operatives of the Delta State Police Command in collaboration with Community Volunteers in Obiaruku Forest.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer,SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday.

“Operatives of the Command State Anti-Cult Unit (SACU), in collaboration with community volunteers, were on intensive patrol when they received credible intelligence that suspected kidnappers were mobilising within the Obiaruku forest to carry out an attack.

“Acting swiftly on the information, the operatives advanced towards the location to forestall the planned criminal activity,” the statement said.

According to Edafe, on approaching the area, the suspects opened fire from multiple directions in a bid to repel the team.

“The operatives responded with superior firepower, leading to the death of one suspect, while others escaped into the forest with various degrees of injuries.

“One AK-47 rifle with forty-two rounds of live ammunition, nine mobile phones, and charms were recovered,” the statement added.