Headline

Trust TV: SERAP Drags Buhari To Court Over N5m Fine

Published

2 years ago

August 7, 2022

Editor

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development have filed a lawsuit against the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), asking the court to “declare arbitrary and illegal, the N5 million imposed on Trust Television, Multichoice Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Television Authority-Startimes Limited and others over their documentaries on terrorism in the country.”

Joined in the suit as Defendants are the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, and the National Broadcasting Commission.

The NBC had last week imposed the fines on the media houses, claiming that their documentaries “glorified the activities of bandits and undermines national security in Nigeria,” and contravene the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

The PUNCH reports that Trust TV was fined over the broadcast of the documentary titled “Nigeria’s Banditry: The Inside Story”, which was aired by the station on March 5, 2022.

The Trust TV management, in a statement last Wednesday, noted that the fine was communicated to the media firm in a letter signed by the NBC Director General, Balarabe Shehu Illela.

Illela had said the fine was imposed on Trust TV because its broadcast of the said documentary contravened sections of the National Broadcasting Code.

But in the suit number FHC/L/CS/1486/2022 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Lagos, SERAP, and the CJID are seeking: “an order setting aside the arbitrary and illegal fines of N5 million and any other penal sanction unilaterally imposed by the NBC on these media houses simply for carrying out their constitutional duties.”

According to the plaintiffs: “The NBC and Mohammed have not shown that the documentaries by the media houses would impose a specific risk of harm to a legitimate state interest that outweighs the public interest in the information provided by the documentaries.”

The plaintiffs said: “The documentaries by these independent media houses pose no risk to any definite interest in national security or public order.”

The plaintiffs also said, “It is inconsistent and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] to invoke the grounds of ‘glorifying terrorism and banditry’ as justifications for suppressing access to information of legitimate public interest that does not harm national security.”

The plaintiffs also said, “The documentaries by the independent media houses are in the public interest, and punishing the media houses simply for raising public awareness about these issues would have a disproportionate and chilling effect on their work, and on the work of other journalists and Nigerians.”

According to the plaintiffs, the action by the NBC and Mohammed is arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional, as it is contrary to section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, and international human rights treaties including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which Nigeria has ratified.

The suit filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by their lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Ms Adelanke Aremo, read in part: “A fine is a criminal sanction and only the court is empowered by the Constitution to impose it. Fine imposed by regulatory agencies like the NBC without recourse to the courts is unfair, illegal, and unconstitutional.”

“The grounds of ‘glorifying terrorism and banditry’ used as the bases for sanctioning the media houses are entirely contrary to constitutional and international standards on freedom of expression and access to information.”

“Imposing any fine whatsoever without due process of law is arbitrary, as it contravenes the principles of nemo judex in causa sua which literally means one cannot be a judge in his own cause and audi alteram partem which means no one should be condemned unheard.”

“Article 19 (1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights establishes the right to freedom of opinion without interference. Article 19(2) establishes Nigeria’s obligations to respect ‘the right to freedom of expression,’ which includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information, regardless of frontiers.”

“Under article 19 (3), restrictions on the right to freedom of expression must be ‘provided by law’, and necessary ‘for respect of the rights or reputations of others’ or ‘for the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health and morals.”

“Although article 19(3) recognises ‘national security’ as a legitimate aim, the Human Rights Council, the body charged with monitoring implementation of the Covenant, has stressed ‘the need to ensure that the invocation of national security is not used unjustifiably or arbitrarily to restrict the right to freedom of opinion and expression.’”

“The grounds for imposing fines on these independent media houses fail to meet the requirements of legality, necessity, and proportionality.”

“The requirement of necessity also implies an assessment of the proportionality of the grounds, with the aim of ensuring that the excuse of ‘glorifying terrorism and banditry’ and ‘national security’ are not used as a pretext to unduly intrude upon the rights to freedom of expression and access to information.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

Headline

Pandemonium During Church Service As Man Pulls Gun, Attempts To Shoot Pastor [VIDEO]

Published

4 mins ago

May 7, 2024

Editor

A church service in Pennsylvania was paused on Sunday, May 5, when a man pulled a gun on the pastor and allegedly attempted to shoot him during his sermon but his firearm failed to discharge.

The incident happened at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, shortly after 1:00 p.m. ET, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.

The suspected gunman, who police identified as 26-year-old Bernard Junior Polite, entered the church and allegedly attempted to shoot the pastor, Glenn Germany, as he was delivering his sermon on a live steam.

The suspect’s firearm failed to discharge and a congregation members and the pastor were able to subdue and disarm him before anyone was harmed, police said.

“I’m thankful to God that I’m still here because he definitely pulled the trigger,” Pastor Germany told ABC News affiliate WTAE.

Describing the alarming encounter, Germany told the outlet Polite smiled at him before the attempted attack.

“I started to begin to preach, and all of a sudden, from my left-hand side, I saw him move from the back to the front of the church, and he set up in the front corner of the church and smiled at me,” Germany said.

“All of a sudden, I just saw a gun pointing right at me. And at that point, all I could try to do is run for cover,” he said.

Church service comes to a halt as man pulls gun and attempts to shoot pastor (video)

The pastor went on to praise the congregation member who sprang into action to subdue Polite, saying, “He could have lost his life in that struggle, but he sacrificed himself for everyone, and he’s the hero.”

The suspect was held at the church until Pennsylvania State Police troopers arrived at the scene and arrested him.

Police said charges have been filed.

Watch a video of the incident below.

Headline

Kenya Deports Nigerian Captured On CCTV Assaulting Woman In Wheelchair [VIDEO]

Published

1 day ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

A Nigerian national who was caught on CCTV camera assaulting a Kenyan woman confined to a wheelchair in Nairobi has been deported.

In the footage that went viral on April 26, 2024, the Nigerian man identified as John Nwankwo Noko, is seen clobbering a helpless Ms. Pauline in the head before two other ladies looking on intervened to stop the act.

In a statement signed by State Department of Gender Principal Secretary Anne Wang’ombe, Nwankwo was deported on Saturday, May 4, 2024, for assaulting his partner, Ms Pauline.

He is accused of physically assaulting his partner, a Kenyan woman confined to a wheelchair, raising concerns about cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

“The act of violence has not only violated the rights of an individual but has also highlighted the broader issues of gender-based violence, that is rampant in our society,” Orwoba said in the statement.

The case was first brought to the attention of the police by Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba on Wednesday, May 1.

Orwoba, acting on the video that first went viral on social media on April 29, visited the woman at her home, who confirmed that her life was in danger.

She [the woman] claimed that her Nigerian partner “had been threatening to kill her and her two domestic workers if they outed him,” Orwoba said.

Senator Orwoba then reported the matter to Karen Police Station, after which it was picked up by the offices of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki Kithure, and that of Immigration PS Julius Bitok.

“Mr Nwankwo Noko has been arrested and processed for deportation,” Gender PS confirmed.

The nominated senator, who has continually advocated for violence against women has since demanded an end to the rising cases, saying they not only leave women with physical and emotional damage but also tear the moral fabric of our society.

“We strongly condemn such behavior and we shall continue working towards creating a safer environment for women, free of fear,” Orwoba added.

Watch footage below:

John Nwankwo, a devil, assaults woman in wheelchair in Kenya…
Criminal:
John Nwankwo Noko
Crime:
Nigerian man by the name of John Nwankwo Noko was captured on CCTV assaulting a woman in a wheelchair. In the footage, the ruthless man is seen raining kicks and blows on the… pic.twitter.com/COGgqaFEzd
— CitizenOlu (@jagabanolu) April 26, 2024

Headline

Woman Wins $1million Lottery For Second Time In 10 Weeks

Published

1 day ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

Christine Wilson of Attleboro recently claimed a $1 million jackpot, the Massachusetts State Lottery announced on Wednesday, May 1.

Amazingly, it marked the second $1 million prize she’d won in just 10 weeks.

Wilson’s latest winnings came from playing the 100X Cash $10 instant ticket game. The scratch game involves matching any of the player’s numbers or bonus numbers to any winning number.

In February, Wilson claimed her first $1 million lottery prize after playing the Lifetime Millions $50 instant ticket game.

When she won her first prize, Wilson said that she would use some of the money to buy an SUV. Now she plans to put her new winnings towards savings.

As with her first jackpot prize back in February, for her latest win, Wilson opted for the cash payout option of $650,000 before taxes.

And it’s not just Wilson who is reaping the rewards for her latest jackpot. The Family Food Mart that sold her the ticket will receive a $10,000 bonus.

Wilson joins other lucky folks who have won a lottery jackpot twice in the last year. In February, a Michigan man won a $110,000 prize by playing the state’s Fantasy 5 Double Play drawing. Six months earlier, the man had also netted $110,000 via the same game.

Meanwhile, in October 2023, Jennifer Minton of Gloucester, Virginia, won $50,000 playing that state’s Safari Quest online game. A week later, she won again, netting a $1 million prize.

And in March of that same year, a couple from Australia scored two $1 million prizes on separate tickets in the same drawing for Australia’s Monday & Wednesday Lotto game.