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Senate Passes Witness Protection Bill

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Senate, on Wednesday, passed the Witness Protection and Management Bill, 2022.

The passage of the bill was sequel to the consideration of a report by the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.

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Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, in his presentation, said the bill was read for the first time on February 23, 2021, and a second time on January 25, 2022.

According to the lawmaker, the bill seeks to provide for the legal and institutional framework for the protection of witnesses and related persons in respect of disclosures made for the public interest.

“It also seeks to provide support, management and protection of witnesses, which will be implemented by all public institutions vested with powers to investigate an/or prosecute criminal cases: .

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“This programme is a universally accepted concept for the protection of witnesses, who are willing to provide information and evidence for the purpose of enhancing the justice system and whose lives are threatened as a result thereof.

READ ALSO: Why I Dumped PDP For NNPP – Senator Kwankwaso

“Therefore, the need to have this legislation in place, cannot be over-emphasised as it will give the needed impetus and credence to the current anti-corruption drive of this administration”, he said.

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The report on the Witness Protection and Management Bill was passed by the Senate after a clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of the Whole.

In a related development, a bill to amend some provisions of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015 has scaled second reading in the Senate.

The bill which was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), seeks to regulate, control and limit any threat to public health, or the environment from the commercial handling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria.

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The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, referred the bill after consideration to the Committee on Environment for further work.

The Committee was given four weeks to report back to the chamber in plenary.

The Senate on Wednesday also stepped down consideration of a report on a bill to establish the Federal Polytechnic Orozo, by the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.

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The bill was stepped down due to the absence of the Chairman, Senator Ahmad Babba-Kaita, who was billed to present the report for consideration.

Meanwhile, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has referred two confirmation requests by President Muhammadu Buhari to the relevant committees for legislative input.

The confirmation of Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet as Resident Electoral Commission for the Independent National Electoral Commission was referred to the Committee on INEC to report back in two weeks.

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Also referred to was the President’s request for the confirmation of four nominees as Executive Commissioners of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission to the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).

The nominees include Dr. Nuhu Habib (North West, Kano State), Commissioner, Development and Production; and Dr. Kelechi Onyekachi Ofoegbu (South East, Imo State), Commissioner, Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning.

Others are Capt. Tonlagha Roland John (South-South, Delta State), Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Community; and Jide Adeola (North Central, Kogi State), Commissioner, Corporate Services and Administration.

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The nominees are expected to appear before the respective Committees for screening.

The Committee was given four weeks to conclude work on the screening exercise and report back to the chamber.

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Medical Plane Crash Kills Six In Kenya

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A medical light aircraft crashed into a small residential block near the Kenyan capital Nairobi, killing at least six people and injuring two seriously, a local official said Thursday.

The plane took off from Nairobi’s Wilson airport at 2:17 pm local time (1100 GMT) and was en route to Somaliland when it came down in Ruiru, Kiambu County, shortly after 3:00 pm (1200 GMT).

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READ ALSO:FULL LIST: Ghana Releases Identities Of Helicopter Crash Victims

We have lost four people, including the pilot… it was all fatal,” said Kiambu County commissioner Henry Wafula, adding that two people were killed on the ground. He said another two had been “seriously injured”.

AFP

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FULL LIST: Ghana Releases Identities Of Helicopter Crash Victims

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The Ghanaian Government has released the names of individuals who died in Wednesday morning’s military helicopter crash.

The crash involved a Z-9 helicopter belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces, which lost contact during a flight from Accra, the capital, to Obuasi, a gold-mining town in the south, where the crew headed for an official engagement.

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In a post via its official X handle on Wednesday, the Ghana Armed Forces said the victims comprise eight people.

The names and portfolios of the victims are listed below:

READ ALSO:Ghana Defence, Environment Ministers Killed In Helicopter Crash

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1. Edward Omane Boamah – Minister for Defence

2. ⁠Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed – Minister for Environment, Science and Technology

3. Muniru Mohammed – Acting deputy, National Security Coordinator and former Minister for Food and Agriculture

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4. Samuel Sarpong – Vice- Chairman, National Democratic Congress

5. ⁠Samuel Aboagye – Former parliamentary candidate

READ ALSO:Human Trafficking: Police Rescue 40 Ghanaians, Arrest Three In Ondo

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6. Peter Baafemi Anala – ⁠Squadron leader

7. ⁠Manaen Twum Ampadu – Flying officer

8. ⁠Ernest Addo – Sergeant

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Following the sad development, Ghanaian President John Mahama described the incident as a national tragedy and suspended activities upon receiving the news.

He also directed that flags fly at half-mast to honour the memory of the victims.

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Bodies Of Helicopter Crash Victims Arrive In Accra

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The Ghana Armed Forces on Wednesday confirmed the arrival in Accra of the remains of the victims of the Z-9 military helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of eight personnel.

It stated that the victims’ bodies were transported from the crash site aboard a Ghana Air Force Casa aircraft and received at the Air Force Base in Accra on August 6, 2025.

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According to a statement issued by the Acting Director General, Public Relations, Ghana Navy, Captain Veronica Arhin, government officials, military personnel, and sympathisers led by the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Julius Debrah, were present to receive the bodies.

READ ALSO:Ghana Defence, Environment Ministers Killed In Helicopter Crash

The statement said the remains have since been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital for preservation and preparations for burial.

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It noted that all eight bodies were recovered from the crash site located in the Sikaman area, near Adansi Akrofuom in Ghana’s Ashanti Region.

The Ghana Armed Forces extended its appreciation to the people of Sikaman and the security services for their support during the recovery operations.

READ ALSO:Human Trafficking: Police Rescue 40 Ghanaians, Arrest Three In Ondo

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The Deputy Minister for Defence, Hon. Brogya Genfi, and the Military High Command extend their deepest condolences to the families in this difficult national tragedy,” the statement added.

The crash involved a Z-9 helicopter belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces, which lost contact during a flight from Accra, the capital, to Obuasi, a gold-mining town in the south, where the crew headed for an official engagement.

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