Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 4th December 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 04/12/19
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E2%80%99s-mother-stands-him-says-%E2%80%9Cmy-son-not-criminal-speaks-against-injustice%E2%80%9D Sowore’s Mother Stands By Him, Says “My Son Is Not A Criminal, Speaks Against Injustice”
Madam Esther Kehinde Sowore, mother of rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has spoken out for the first time since the arrest and detention of her son by the Department of State Services on August 3, 2019.
The activist was picked up from his hotel in Lagos in the early hours of that day for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets on August 5 in peaceful demonstrations to demand a better country from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Under Buhari’s government, dozens of Nigerians continue to lose their jobs and sources of livelihood by the day while a growing number of individuals and households are now forced to go unimaginable heights in trying to put decent meals on their tables.
Speaking on the situation of the activist on Tuesday, Madam Esther said that contrary to claims by the Nigerian Government that her son was out to distabilise the country through violence, ‘Yele’ as she fondly calls him, was not a criminal but a kind-hearted soul born to challenge evil and every form of injustice around him.
In a two-minute, 40-second video, the woman called on Buhari and Director-General of the DSS – Nigeria’s secret and ruthless police – Yusuf Bichi, to immediately release her son especially after two court orders had directed that he should be freed upon satisfying stringent bail conditions.
Madam Esther went further to call on Nigerians all around the world to raise their voices against Sowore’s continued detention by the government.
She said, “Dear SSS, Dear Buhari, I am Yele Sowore’s mother. I am sending you this message as a mother. I am a woman, your mother is a woman, your wife is a woman also. This is December and Yele has been taken away since August.
“He always comes to me in the village every December but you have been holding him. I am a widow, my son has always been like that. He speaks against injustice and stands up against it. He doesn’t run away, he faces his case. Please release him and let him face his case in court. I know him, he can’t run away because he knows he has not committed any crime.
“You are a Muslim, please in the name of Allah, leave my son, release him. I call on all mothers to speak out, let us join voice for the sake of the future of our children.
“Omoyele is only asking for a better Nigeria so that all our children can have good future. My mind is disturbed that he has not been allowed to go for medical care since August. Alhaji Bichi Yusuf, please obey the law since you have gone to court release Omoyele Sowore now.
“Since I gave birth to him, he always speaks against evil. Even in the village, before he went to school in Lagos, he has always been like that. He is not a criminal, release Sowore now. Please release my son because you have your own son, you take care of your son, let me take care of my children.
“I am a widow, release my son. I cannot eat, I cannot sleep and it is affecting my health. Please release Omoyele Sowore, my son. He is not a criminal. Omoyele is not a criminal, leave him.”
Video of Breaking: Sowore's Mother Makes Video Note to Buhuari: "You've Complicated My Health; Leave My Son"
Breaking: Sowore’s Mother Makes Video Note to Buhuari: “You’ve Complicated My Health; Leave My Son”
WATCH VIDEO: Sowore’s Mother Makes Video Note …
As part of a growing number of groups and individuals around the world calling for his freedom, international rights group, Clooney Foundation for Justice, on November 22 demanded Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release by Buhari’s government.
Co-President of the foundation, Amal Clooney, in a statement said, “It is outrageous that Nigeria continues to imprison a journalist and presidential candidate after a court had ordered his release.
“TrialWatch will continue to monitor Sowore’s trial and calls on the authorities to implement the court’s order as soon as possible.”
This came only a day after Amnesty International designated Sowore a prisoner of conscience.
Similarly, on November 26, Robert Menendez, a United States senator and Josh Gottheimer, a member of congress, petitioned the Nigerian Head of Mission to America, Sylvanus Adiewere Nsofor, over the continued detention of Sowore.
The US lawmakers expressed concern over the activist’s situation despite fulfilling bail conditions twice after court orders.
In the weeks and days before that time, series of rallies had been held in major cities across the world with leading rights advocates and scholars all calling for the immediate release of Sowore.
But the Nigerian Government rather than yield to those demands, has continued to adopt different strategies to keep the 48-year-old out of circulation.
For instance, on November 19, spokesperson for the DSS, Peter Afunanya, told journalists in Abuja that they were yet to release Sowore because they feared he could be knocked down by a vehicle on his way out of their facility.
“We cannot just release Sowore and ask him to go because he may be knocked down by a vehicle at the gate,” Afunanya had said at the time – a position that was met with stiff criticism by many Nigerians.
On other occasions, the secret police, through Afunanya, had claimed that nobody showed up to collect the activist and that he in fact prefers to be kept with them – narratives Sowore’s lawyer, Femi Falana – a senior advocate of Nigeria – and many rights crusaders describe as insane.
Famed globally for exposing Nigeria’s corrupt politicians through his pioneering online news medium – SaharaReporters – Sowore is being accused and held by the government for insulting Buhari and planning to bring down his regime – charges observers around the world have described as baseless.
DSS’ refusal to release the activist casts a huge shadow over the human rights record of Buhari’s regime, many observers believe.
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Sowore, Bakare Object Plan By DSS To Transfer Them To Correctional Centre
Omoyele Sowore
Omoyele Sowore
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Detained human right activists, Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare popularly known as Mandate, have rejected moves by the Department of State Services to seek leave of court to transfer them to the solitary confinement in a correctional centre (prison).
In a notice of preliminary objection obtained by SaharaReporters filed through their lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday with suit No: FHC/ABJ/CR/235/2019, the activists described the application of the DSS as frivolous, vexatious and a contemptuous abuse of the process of court.
The secret police through the agency’s counsel, Hassan Liman, had on November 27, 2019 filed an application seeking an order of the court to vary a pronouncement made on October 4, 2019 following the requests of the defendants and their counsels to be remanded in DSS custody instead of the Nigerian Correctional Services.
The application reads, “The Department of the State Services upon being served the release order dated November 6, 2019 from the court, requested the defendants and their counsel to bring forward their sureties in order to comply with the internal administrative procedures for the release of the defendants by the DSS but the defendants and their counsel refused to comply with the request.
“That the DSS is no longer interested in keeping the defendants in their custody.”
According to Falana, the application was a ploy by the DSS to frustrate the execution of the order of release made by the court on November 6.
He argued that the agency had no genuine intention to prosecute his clients on the trumped-up charges as prosecution refused to avail the defence team statement of witnesses as ordered by the court.
Falana urged the court to order for the immediate release of his client in line with the ruling earlier delivered.
The DSS has continued to hold on to Sowore and Bakare despite two court orders to release them after meeting bail conditions on both occasions.
Sowore was arrested in Lagos on August 3, 2019 for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to demand a better country from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The government has accused him of insulting President Buhari and planning to bring down his government – charges observers around the world including leading legal practitioners describe as frivolous and laughable.
His trial is set to resume in Abuja this week in what observers describe as another huge attempt by the Nigerian Government to silence his voice.
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Atiku Files Deposition Against Lauretta Onochie Over Libel
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday, appeared at the registry of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja, to sign and file his deposition in support of the N2.5bn libel suit which he instituted against President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, earlier in June this year, according to a report by PUNCH.
Photographs of Atiku with his lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), and others in the legal team were sent to journalists on Tuesday.
In one of the pictures, Atiku was seen seated while holding a pen above a white paper with Ozekhome bent over the table beside him.
In the caption accompanying the pictures, Ozekhome stated, “Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, OFR, today, at the Central Registry of the FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja, with his client, His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa.
“The former Vice President was physically at the Registry to sign his witness deposition (on oath) before the Commissioner for Oaths, on the case he instituted against Lauretta Onochie.
“The Waziri is claiming amongst others, the sum of N2.5bn only from the Presidential Assistant on Social Media, as general, aggravated, punitive and exemplary damages against her.
“Atiku is claiming this sum from her for her defamatory story published on her twitter handle and Facebook page, in which she stated that Atiku was on the UAE watch list.”
Atiku had on June 26, 2019, instituted the suit against Onochie for her alleged libellous tweet against him via her Twitter handle on May 7, 2019.
The tweet allegedly suggested that Atiku was on the watch list of security operatives in the United Arab Emirates and had travelled to shop for terrorists in the Middle East.
Denying the allegations in the said tweet, Atiku said it was “politically orchestrated” “solely to cause maximum damage” to his “high reputation” while challenging “the purported victory” of Onochie’s boss, President Buhari in the last presidential election at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
Atiku had through a May 14, 2019 letter signed by Ozekhome, demanded from Onochie an apology, a retraction of the said post and a payment of N500m compensation to him “to assuage” the damage allegedly done to him by her social media post.
He also threatened to sue her should she fail to accede to the demand “within 48 hours”.
Justifying his suit, Atiku stated in his claim accompanying his suit, that rather than show “remorse by retracting her earlier publication”, she further, on May 20, made “another derogatory publication and also published same online in the social and other print media” against his person.”
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United States Partners Nigerian Innovators On Solutions For Persons With Disabilities
The United States Consulate General in Lagos has organised a hackathon that provided a great platform for Nigerian innovators to provide tech solutions to help people with disabilities live better lives.
The event, which was in collaboration with Project Enable Africa, took place on Tuesday in Lagos.
At the hackathon, a number of Nigerian software developers created accessible digital solutions including Vinsighte, which helps visually impaired persons to read and navigate their environment independently.
Others include VoiS, which converts sign language to speech, speech to sign language and sign language to text.
There was also Sickle Smart, an application that monitors stress level of sickle cell patients.
It is targeted at 3.6 million people living with sickle cell in Nigeria.
The US Consulate awarded $1000 to Theraconnect, an app developed to help children on the autism spectrum have access to cheap and affordable therapy.
Speaking at the event, US Consular General, Claire Pierangelo, said that America will continue to mobilise support for people living with disabilities in Nigeria to be included especially in technology.
According to her, the aim was to provide an accessible world for all – an essential ingredient for democracy to thrive.
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OPEC To Maintain 1.2m Oil Production Cut At Vienna Meeting
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries is expected to maintain the current volume of cuts to oil produced by member states and Russian-led allies.
This is the view expressed by head of the International Energy Agency oil industry marketing division, Neil Atkinson, two days before meetings start in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Thursday.
“OPEC is quite likely to do what it has often done in the past: put off taking a decision which involves changing the current system until things become clearer,” Reuters quotes Atkinson as saying at an event organised by S&P Global Platts in London.
OPEC and its Russian alliance known as OPEC Plus, had agreed this time last year to reduce the volume of oil supplied to the market by 1.2m barrels daily.
The deal took effect from January 2019 with Nigeria and Iraq flouting their share of the cut regularly.
Atkinson said press reports from Russia indicate an intent to maintain the status quo till there was some certainty in the supply and demand volumes in the first quarter of 2020.
He said, “The Russians, we understand from press reports, are keen at least on the political level not to change anything immediately.
“There’s a lot of uncertainties out there, not least the United States shale outlook, strength in demand, the overall economic outlook, all the rest of it, that more likely than not they will leave it in place and meet again in March.”
The Qatari Government left the OPEC earlier, saying it was a gas country and the oil bloc did not align with its vision.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration said it intends to grow oil production in the country to 3-3.5m by 20203.
While the alliance expects the country to produce 1.744m barrels daily, Nigeria’s budget is predicated on a production of 2.3m barrels daily.
It slightly reduced this figure to 2.18m barrels of petroleum daily in its 2020 spending intention.
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E2%80%99s-refusal-obey-court-orders-nigeria%E2%80%99s-attorney-general-tells-global Despite Government’s Refusal To Obey Court Orders, Nigeria’s Attorney-General Tells Global Audience There’s No Room For Impunity In Country
Nigeria’s Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has told an international audience that there is no room for impunity in the country.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr Umar Gwandu, Malami was said to have on Monday told the 18th session of the assembly of state parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, The Hague, Netherlands, that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to upholding the rule of law in Nigeria.
He said, “Nigeria is not a jungle. It is a peace and justice-loving country which is aspiring to develop and create a conducive environment for foreign and other investments, thereby generating jobs and other opportunities for the teeming population.
“Therefore, impunity being a critical element that could prevent this lofty idea from coming to fruition does not have a place and will never be tolerated in all facets of our criminal justice system.”
But Malami’ claim is in direct contrast to the reality on ground, according to checks by SaharaReporters.
On November 25, 2019 for instance, legal adviser to Amnesty International, Dr Kolawole Olaniyan, revealed that President Buhari had shown “stunning disregard for the rule of law and human rights, ignoring Nigerian judges on at least 40 occasions”.
The London-based lawyer, who accused the President of treating judges with disdain, also questioned the sincerity of Buhari’s anti-corruption fight.
He said, “It’s hard to overstate the significance of this disregard of court orders not just for the operation of the rule of law but also effective respect for constitutional and international human rights, such as freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and access to information. Yet, Buhari is carrying on, irrespective of human rights and the rule of law.
“Anytime the courts have told Buhari’s government to do something it doesn’t like, it has refused to obey it.
“Even Buhari’s Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami (SAN), once said the rule of law is what the authorities determine it to be.
“The government always has explanations on why it should not obey lawful court orders, seemingly replacing binding legal decisions with the vagaries of politics, and obeying the decisions whenever they suit it.”
The Nigerian Bar Association on Tuesday described Buhari government’s habit of flouting court orders as legendary.
In an interview with PUNCH, National Publicity Secretary of NBA, Kunle Edun, said Malami, as chief law officer of the country, ought to be worried by this trend.
He said, “The disobedience of court orders by the present Federal government is legendary.
“This is not good for our polity. The judiciary remains the only arm of government that can guarantee the rule of law in this country. Court orders are now disobeyed by the Federal Government with impunity.
“Col. Dasuki, El-Zakzaky, Omoyele Sowore and many others that have been granted bail are still in the custody of security agencies that report to the Presidency.
“This sends a very dangerous signal to foreign investors and the international community.
“It is rather shameful that it had to take a foreign court to compel the Federal Government to comply with a judgment entered in relation to the P& ID case.
“The Federal Government does not respect Nigerian courts and the Attorney-General of the Federation who is the chief law officer and legal adviser to the Federal Government ought to be very concerned.”
It has been over three years since Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, directed Buhari’s government to free leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zennah, from custody.
In his ruling on December 3, 2016, Justice Kolawole posited that the continued detention of the IMN leader and his wife was in gross abuse of their human rights as guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution and African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
The judge ordered their freedom within 45 days and a compensation of N50m to be paid to them by the government.
Spokesperson for the IMN, Ibrahim Musa, in a statement on Monday, said, “Failure to obey that judgment by President Buhari three years on and counting, makes it one of the worst violations of the rule of law and a monumental abuse of the rights of the couple.”
Senior Advocate of Nigeria and lawyer to El-Zakzaky, Femi Falana, disclosed that he had a roll call of at least 50 cases whose court pronouncements Buhari’s government flouted.
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31 Political Parties Conduct Parallel IPAC Election In Kwara
The Inter-Party Advisory Council election in Kwara State ended in rancour as 31 political parties in the state resolved to conduct a parallel election.
The election, which was coordinated by Alhaji Ganiu Galadima, was described as biased and one staged to fit the agenda of the commission.
The political parties had alleged that IPAC and INEC connived “to present fake names and imposters as party leadership in the state”.
Chairman of Action Democratic Party in Kwara, Adesina Lukman Ajisafe, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved political parties, said INEC had been compromised.
He also said that INEC had bought over some political parties using the divide and rule policy to achieve its agenda in the state.
He added that the parties decided to hold parallel IPAC election because they could not trust Galadima and INEC to conduct a credible election in Kwara State.
He said, “We discovered so many discrepancies from INEC in Kwara State and IPAC sent from the national level.
“There were so many daylight robberies, we say enough is enough and we have decided to take the bull by the horn.
“INEC has not been able to give us the desired performance. We have been requesting for the list of the registered political parties in Kwara State from INEC but they did not give us.
“To our dismay, we discovered that after collecting the list from INEC, at the venue of election, another list emerged where names of people who are known political parties in the state have been changed and removed.
“While some of our names were missing, in another instance, some had the right names but other information were forged.”
Chairman of the African Action Congress, Buhari Olanrewaju Ahmed, accused INEC and Galadima of being bias and recognising expelled members of the party as valid members.
He narrated that Leonard Ezenwa, expelled Secretary of the party, who now parades himself as chairman, sent “an imposter” to represent the party.
He said, “Leonard sent an imposter as chairperson to impersonate Buhari Olanrewaju Ahmed, the authentic party chairman of AAC.
“We wonder overnight how Galadima would call Leonard the National Chairman of AAC, and also order security personnel to manhandled Buhari Olanrewaju Ahmed out of the hall.”
The 31 political party chairmen after conducting their parallel election, urged INEC to summon the leadership of the electoral umpire in the state to make public the official list of all registered parties in the state.
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Students Protest In Bayelsa As Police Confirm Abduction Of Three Females
Angry students of the Bayelsa State College of Health Technology on Tuesday took to the streets to register their displeasure over the abduction of three females of the institution along the College of Health Technology Road, Otuogidi under Ogbia Local Government Area on Monday.
The protesting students, who barricaded Ogbia-Nembe Road on Tuesday, called on security agencies to expedite action and rescue the abducted ladies from their captors.
The students’ action followed a confirmation of the abduction by the police in the state.
In a statement, spokesperson for the police in Bayelsa, Asimin Butswat, said, “On December 2, 2019 at about 1120 hours, three female students of Environmental Health Department, College of Health Technology, Otuogidi, Bayelsa State, were kidnapped by unknown gunmen.
“Police were alerted, a search of the area was conducted and a boat containing foodstuffs and other items used by the kidnappers was recovered.
“The surrounding area was cordoned off and a joint patrol is ongoing to rescue the victims and arrest the kidnappers.”
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Nigeria Loses Four Million Barrels Of Oil From Nembe Creek Trunk Line
Nigeria has lost four million barrels of oil from the disturbed Nembe Creek Trunk Line in 2019.
This is the figure given by Victor Okonkwo, Managing Director of Aiteo, at a week-long conference organised by the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The figure does not tally with the 61 days of shutdown the company said in a statement that it had recorded on the pipeline, which carries 200,000 barrels of oil daily, so far in 2019.
Okonkwo said security agencies had up to the point of his presentation, failed to arrest any of the ‘crude oil thieves’ identified and reported.
He said, “Despite our efforts in raising NCTL uptime from 60 to over 80 per cent since acquisition, we have recorded more shutdown days in operations due to third party infractions for over two months this year compared to previous years.
“This has resulted in loss of revenue and deferments estimated at about four million barrels so far this year.
“Also worrying is the amount of crude loss recorded even when the pipeline is operational, usually in the range of 25 to 35 per cent.
“More worrying is that even when the perpetrators of these acts are caught and handed over to security agencies, we are yet to witness any conviction.”
Speaking further, Okonkwo stated that the challenge with operating the line had not stopped it from investing N3.6bn on community development projects.
He added, “Despite all these challenges, we have kept our commitment to NCDMB, paying up to N1.52bn in fees and N1.5bn as NDDC levies.
“In addition, Aiteo has spent over N3.6bn in community support programs and projects; offered jobs to thousands of Nigerians and intentionally led inclusive participation of indigenous contractors in our business operations.”
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said Nigeria’s resources were being depleted by a high cost of producing a barrel of petroleum relative to the margins in other OPEC member-states.
He disclosed that he would reduce the cost of production in crude oil exploration by five per cent.
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Lagos Governor Renames Onikan Stadium After Late Mobolaji Johnson
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has renamed the Onikan Stadium as Mobolaji Olufunso Johnson Arena.
The renaming was announced by the governor during a ‘Day of Honour’ event organised to celebrate the exit of the first Military Governor of Lagos State, Brigadier-General Mobolaji Johnson.
Paying tributes to the late Johnson, Sanwo-Olu described him as “a man who saw the future and worked to achieve the Lagos of our dreams”.
He said, “In whatever role we knew him, the first and longest serving military administrator of Lagos State stood out as a special person for his leadership and charismatic personality.
“If anyone was qualified to be addressed as ‘an officer and gentleman’, it was Brigadier-General Johnson. Despite his imposing frame, he was as gentle as a dove.
“He never threw his weight around, even though he was a man of power.
“As a man of authority, he was never authoritarian. Though a soldier, he never ruled with an iron hand; he was compassionate.”
The Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, led members of the state’s Executive Council and high-profile dignitaries to the event to honour the life and times of the deceased.
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