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Victory At Last: Nigerian Lecturer Victimised For 24 Years Secures Final Victory

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A lecturer, Inih Ebong, unjustly sacked by the University of Uyo (Uniuyo) over 22 years ago, has won a final victory against the university at the Court of Appeal, Calabar, Cross River State.

The appellate court, on Tuesday, dismissed an appeal filed by the University of Uyo for a stay of the execution of a 2020 judgement of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which ordered the university to reinstate Mr Ebong and pay him all his entitlements and damages.

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“It’s all over. It’s all over. Everything is over,” said Mr Ebong’s lawyer, Nse William, who confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday afternoon.

“We give glory to God,” he added.

“You know, wherever there’s a wrong, there’s always a remedy,” Mr William said, adding that he was happy that the lecturer was alive to witness the victory.

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‘It has been so long’

An elated Mr Ebong spoke with our reporter on Tuesday about his legal victory.

“I feel very happy,” he said.

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“The road is now as clear as the apian way for me to enforce that judgment (of the industrial court). Whether the vice-chancellor likes it or not, he must pay that money. It is his karma.”

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Lagos Orders Evacuation Of Police Barracks Over Imminent Collapse

The lecturer thanked Nigerians who stood by him throughout his travail.

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He thanked the Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola, who sponsored his medical treatment, and a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, for travelling from Lagos to Uyo to visit him and for speaking out against the injustice meted out to him.

Mr Ebong’s wife, Uduak, expressed her happiness about the court victory.

“It has been so long,” she said.

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“The whole thing started when I gave birth to my first daughter. All my three children were born into the struggle. Today, my first daughter is 21 years old and is in the university.

“Our kids have been our great supporters.”

Uduak narrated how, on Sunday, they were thinking about where to get money for the lawyer’s transport fare to Calabar for the Appeal Court judgment. Then, out of the blue, Mr Ebong’s former schoolmate at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, credited her husband’s account with N20,000.

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“We have been so blessed to receive support from kind Nigerians,” she said.

False accusations
Mr Ebong was an associate professor at the theatre arts department when Uniuyo unjustly sacked him in 2002 over a false accusation that he abandoned his duty.

The lecturer was reputed for his resistance to and criticism of maladministration, mismanagement and corruption in the university.

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READ ALSO: ‘It’s A Clear Set Up’ – Court Says, Discharges UNIBEN Lecturer, Dr. Ekundayo, Of Alleged Rape, Three Years After

Akpan Ekpo, a recently retired professor of economics, was the vice-chancellor of the university when authorities moved unjustly against the lecturer. A certain Peter Effiong was the registrar during the period.

PREMIUM TIMES, in October, published an investigative report on how Uniuyo ruined Mr Ebong’s career with unproven sexual assault allegations.

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The 73-year-old lecturer had been diagnosed with cardiac failure in October 2020 and was dying before Mr Otedola, stepped in to take care of his medical treatment, following a PREMIUM TIMES report.

Being out of a job for several years, Mr Ebong could hardly feed himself and his family, let alone take care of his medical treatment.

Shortly after his sacking in 2002, Uniuyo published a disclaimer on Mr Ebong in Punch newspaper, apparently to get other potential employers to avoid him.

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Industrial court judgment
Since 2002, when his appointment was terminated, Mr Ebong has won several court cases against the University of Uyo.

The outstanding victory was the January 2020 judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which ordered the university to reinstate the lecturer and pay him compensation.

“The stoppage of the Claimant’s salary, the indefinite suspension of him from duties, and the purported termination of his appointment by the Defendants without due process were malicious, ultra vires, and unlawful, and therefore null, void and of no effect whatsoever,” Justice M. A. Namtari declared in his judgment in the case instituted by Mr Ebong in 2017.

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READ ALSO: Sex Tape: Uniport Reacts To Lecturer S3xually Harassing Students

The court ordered Uniuyo to withdraw the termination letter, reinstate Mr Ebong, and pay all his salaries, allowances, and entitlements that would have accrued to him since 1 August 2001, when his salary was stopped, and from 28 March 2002, when his appointment was wrongfully and unlawfully terminated.

The court also ordered the university to pay Mr Ebong the equivalent of his full annual salaries and allowances for the 2001/2002, 2007/2008, and 2014/2015 academic years he should have gone on sabbatical leave in accordance with the terms and conditions of his employment if his appointment had not been unlawfully suspended and later terminated.

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The university, in addition, was ordered to pay Mr Ebong N10 million as damages.

Uniuyo had filed three separate applications at the Court of Appeal against Mr Ebong’s victory at the industrial court. The appellate court struck out two of them, remaining the last one, which the court has dismissed.

Since all cases from the Industrial Court end at the Court of Appeal, the management of the University of Uyo is now expected to implement the judgement of the Industrial Court.

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When contacted on Tuesday, Fidelis Iteshi, Uniuyo’s lawyer, declined comment on the matter.

“I can’t say anything until I get a copy of the judgment,” he said.
PREMIUM TIMES

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I Caught My Wife With Her Lover Naked In Our Bedroom —Husband

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Please forgive me —Wife

A man of Lusaka’s Chipata Compound, Zambia, Prisca Zulu, 30, was caught with a naked man in her matrimonial bedroom.

Mpanga, a metal fabricator, who had been away on duty in Chongwe for six weeks decided to surprise his wife by arriving back home unannounced.

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But on arriving home, the 38-year-old husband ended up with a shock of his life.

According to Zambia Observer, Mpanga stated that his wife reacted strangely to his, “Honey, I am home, announcement.” She just peeped through the window and closed the curtain.

READ ALSO:My Wife Denies Me Sex, Neglects Our Children —Husband

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After allowing himself in the house through the kitchen door, Mpanga noticed that his wife’s steps were distorted with worry and panic written all over her face.

Suspicious, Mpanga headed for the bedroom where he found a strange boxer on their bed along with other male clothes scattered on the floor.

When he picked the boxer to examine it, his wife attempted to grab it from him and this triggered a scuffle.

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Mpanga during the fight fell on a heap of clothes that hid a man beneath it.

Mpanga on pulling the man from the heap of clothes and seeing the massive weapon he carried in his groin area immediately understood why his wife of years had suddenly developed a limp in her walk.

READ ALSO:My Wife Crushed My Scrotum, Arrested Me With The Police —Husband

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With the help of neighbours, the naked man who was identified as David Mbere was marched to Kabanana Police Station while Mpana kept the clothes as evidence of his wife’s infidelity.

Mpanga then went to the Mstero Local Court seeking K30,00 compensation from David for adultery.

In court, David said he had slept with Prisca only on two occasions while the cheating wife admitted to her infidelity, but begged for forgiveness from her husband saying she treasured her marriage.

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Ruling, the magistrate, Harriet Mulenga, ordered David to compensate Mpanga with K35,000 while she counselled Prisca.

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ISWAP Makes $191m Annually Taxing Locals In Lake Chad Region — Report

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The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has quietly built a functioning state-like economy across the Lake Chad region, controlling farms and cattle business through a complex taxation and governance regime that rivals Somalia-style jihadi fiefdoms.

According to a report by The New Humanitarian news agency, ISWAP collects an estimated $191 million annually through a formalised system of levies on fishers, farmers, traders and migrant workers.

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Originally a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News) operated under the UN until January 1, 2015. On March 21, 2019, IRIN relaunched independently as The New Humanitarian.

The news agency, which said its report was based on painstaking investigations, stated that what the extremists make per year vastly outstrips the official tax intake of the Borno State government, which it said took in only about $18.4 million in 2024.

This investigation explores the system of rule and revenue streams that ISWAP has built in what it refers to as the dawla — the so-called caliphate it has established in parts of northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.

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READ ALSO:Military, DSS Arrest ISWAP Leader

The report is based on in-depth interviews with fishers and traders that regularly visit ISWAP territory on a string of islands in Lake Chad, as well as former ISWAP officials and clerics who have left the group and quietly resettled in northern Nigeria,” the agency said.

The New Humanitarian report identified three primary types of revenue for ISWAP.

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They are:JUST IN: 60 Boko Haram, ISWAP Fighters Killed In Renewed Clashes

Zakat: a faith-based levy on livestock, netting around $3.7 million yearly.
Haraji: a tax for outsiders engaging in economic activity within ISWAP territory, often fishers and seasonal workers, collected through entry permits of roughly $13 each.
Darayib: a broader category including fees on trade, cattle, charcoal, and agriculture, imposed at checkpoints and markets.

“These payments,” the report said, “are enforced systematically with receipts, designated inspectors, and severe penalties for non-payment, allowing ISWAP to finance military campaigns, pay fighters and bills, and even offer rudimentary public services.

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READ ALSO:ISWAP, Boko Haram: Why Tinubu Govt, Govs Can’t Dialogue With Bandits – Shehu Sani

ISWAP administers three broad categories of taxation: zakat, haraji and darayib. Each tax has a separate receipt that is issued after payment.

“ISWAP collects zakat from cattle-owning farmers worth roughly $3.7 million a year. The tax ranges from 3.3 per cent to 1 per cent, depending on herd size — the lowest rate levied on herds of more than 60 to 80 animals.

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“ISWAP does not physically take the cattle but instead collects the cash equivalent — based on a pre-determined market value, eliminating the possibility of herders undervaluing their livestock.

“It also imposes a similar tax structure on sheep and goats but does collect the animals, reportedly for festive occasions and other internal uses within the group,” the report said.

READ ALSO:Gaza Civil Defence Says Israeli Strikes Kill 30

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While violent and ideologically driven, ISWAP has adopted pragmatic governance models. In many of its controlled areas, locals report being taxed for perceived “protection.”

“Before entry into ISWAP’s territory, every individual is required to pay a $13 fee. Those with cash pay immediately at the first checkpoint before being allowed to proceed. Those without the money are permitted to enter after making a pledge to pay following their business activities.

In such cases, the group leader is held accountable for ensuring that all deferred payments are settled. Each person receives a permit or receipt, which serves as proof of payment and protects them from harassment by ISWAP’s inspection task force operating on the islands. With this permit, individuals are not disturbed.

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READ ALSO:ISWAP Kills 8 Boko Haram Members, Seizes Large Quantities Of Ammunition

“Once inside, fishers are required to pay additional fees to be in allocated fishing areas. The amount depends on the size of the area requested and the fishing method they intend to use,” the report said.

Quoting fishers it interviewed, The New Humanitarian said: “These fees range from $13 to $196 and cover an entire fishing season, usually from February to June.

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“Before exiting the territory with their goods, each fisher or fish trader is charged a fishing tax of around $2.60 per 100-kilogram carton of fish. During a normal fishing season, ISWAP can generate around $156,000 from entry permits alone.”

The Nigerian military has been unrelenting in tackling extremist groups in the entire North East area, which includes the Lake Chad region.
(TRIBUNE)

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My Wife Used To Slap Me, Lock Me In The Room, Man Tells Court

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Grade A Customary Court, Court 2, sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, has listened to a divorce suit brought before it by a man, Jelili, against his wife, Kudirat, whom he accused of irresponsibility, lack of love, constant fight, public embarrassment and threat to life.

Jelili said before the court that Kudirat never showed him love and care while she also shirked her responsibilities as a wife in the home.

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The plaintiff stated that the defendant had no regard for him and was in the habit of treating his counsel and orders with disdain.

According to the plaintiff, these always led to their being at loggerhead almost all the time.

Jelili further told the court that Kudirat not only fought him but was in the habit of slapping him any time they had a misunderstanding.

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READ ALSO:My Wife Crushed My Scrotum, Arrested Me With The Police —Husband

He further said that his wife always locked him up in the room any time they fought and would refused that he went about his business for the day.

According to the plaintiff, any time he escaped, the defendant would come after him and fight him in the public, thereby embarrassing him.

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Jelili stated that he had suffered much pain and ridicule in the hands of his wife and therefore prayed that their union be dissolved.

He, therefore, sought an order of the court restraining his wife from coming to his home and work place to fight him.

The plaintiff further entreated the court for their children’s custody.

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READ ALSO:My Wife Is Promiscuous, Sleeps With My Close Friend — Husband

According to him, his wife had constantly failed in her responsibilities towards them.

Kudirat refuted all the charges brought against her.

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She also refused that her husband had custody of their children.

Jelili, in his evidence, said: “My wife and I met in 2013, and we started living together as husband and wife shortly after this.

“We held no marriage ceremony, and I did not pay her bride.

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READ ALSO:My Wife Abandoned Me, Deserted Home For Three Months —Husband

I failed to carry out these because her parents were not in support of our relationship.

“They therefore did not give their consent to our marriage.

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“I regret every day that I went into marriage with my wife.

“Our union has brought humiliation and pain.

“My wife constantly abandoned her duties in the home.

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“She never cared for me and our children and showed no interest in our welfare.

READ ALSO:‘I Found Out That My Husband Was A Cultist, Drug Addict One Month Into Our Marriage’

What we ate, wore, or did were never of interest to her.

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“Kudirat had no regard for me and treated me with scorn.

“She placed no value on my words and always disregarded my counsel while she went against my orders.

“My wife always ensured our discussions ended in argument and then a fight.

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“My lord, my wife did not stop at only fighting me, but would also slap me.

“Kudirat would slap me and lock me up in the room, thereby refusing that I went to work or do some other things.

“On some occasions that I made my way out of the room, she would run after me and fight me in the public, thus ridiculing me.

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READ ALSO:My Husband Starved Me, Beat, Left Me Stark Naked After Tearing My Clothes, Woman Tells Court

My wife not only fought me at home and in the public, but she also came to my workplace to fight and slap me.

“My lord, my wife’s misbehaviour had brought me constant shame.

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“I pray to be permanently disengaged from her.

“I also sought an order restricting her from coming to my house and office to harass, threaten and fight me.

“I further plead for our children’s custody because she has never been a good mother unto them.”

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The court president, Mrs O.E Owoseni, adjourned the case for further hearing.
(TRIBUNE)

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