When you think you have seen it all in our dearly beloved country, you realise you ain’t seen nothing yet. Every day, we keep coming up with the silliest of things. The spectacle at the federal high court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, July 25, wherein officials of two government agencies openly re-enacted a scene from WrestleMania, is one of the many things that make you thoroughly embarrassed being called a Nigerian. Is this the best we can do in a country of highly educated, enlightened and well-travelled people? Is this the limit of our capability? Or are we simply determined to turn Nigeria into a complete jungle where anything goes? No low is too low for us. When we go low, we go really low.

Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had finally been charged to court by the Department of State Services (DSS) after what looked like an eternity since his arrest. The judge granted him bail in the sum of N20 million and ruled that he be remanded specifically in Ikoyi prison — or what we have fancifully renamed “Correctional Centre” without substance — while perfecting his bail conditions. But as we have now become fully accustomed to, the DSS waited outside the courtroom to re-arrest Emefiele on another allegation that is not yet public. That makes it look like they were trying to hold on to him by any means necessary.

But wait for this. Prison warders started tussling with DSS operatives over Emefiele’s custody. Is there no formalised process of handing over a suspect from one agency to the other, with the help of paperwork? As some lawyers have pointed out, if the DSS refused to obey the court order, it was not in the place of the warders to seek to enforce it. It is Emefiele’s lawyers that would have to apply to the court for contempt proceedings against the secret police. The way the prison officials were hustling to take Emefiele away suggested that they had hit a jackpot. It was like a hunter catching a big game. The prison officials felt someone was trying to deny them their monumental catch.

A senior official of Ikoyi prison suddenly showed up at the court to help extract Emefiele from the DSS. The whole world ended up seeing his underwear as his uniform was ripped in the WrestleMania. Actually, the underwear of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) was also on display. In a viral article, a former Kuje prison detainee, who gave his name as Emeka Ugwuonye, said prison officials make a lot of money when a “big man” is detained at their facility. “They go out of their way to curry favour from such big men,” he wrote, listing some of the mutual benefits on offer when someone of Emefiele’s status is with them. These are things you can’t make up about Nigeria.

We have been hearing unpleasant tales of corruption in Nigerian prisons. Mr Femi Falana, a senior lawyer, alleged some time last year that some convicts never serve in jail. “When a judge pronounces a jail term,” he said, “before getting to Kirikiri, warders have an arrangement whereby some prepared young persons will replace the convict. That is the person that will enter the prison. He’s paid. Also, there’s a syndicate run by the defence counsel, prosecutors, warders and court clerks at court premises. Once the judge turns his back, the convict will pay these officials and walk back home.” The prison authorities have always denied these allegations. I wish I believed them.

The DSS, I now have to say, has not covered itself in glory in recent times with the way it has been handling certain matters, particularly issues bordering on the rule of law. While the service continues to insist that it has not broken any law and that it has continued to act within its legal mandate, that is not exactly the picture we are getting from the outside. There has been a slew of court orders which we believe the DSS has refused to obey, and re-arresting Emefiele in the court premises without informing us of the basis is not going to win them friends or earn them points. Nigerians deserve to know and understand why DSS does what it does. We don’t need the sensitive details.

There has been a running battle between the DSS and Emefiele since at least 2022 when the service sought a court order to interrogate him over allegations of terrorism and economic crimes. The court did not grant the order. Protesters believed to be working for Emefiele took to the streets to lampoon the DSS — something I think was unprecedented — and the battleline became very visible from then. Seeking to arrest a sitting CBN governor was also unprecedented. A Yoruba proverb, simply translated, says when you do what nobody has done before, you will see what nobody has seen before. It has been one bizarre drama or another since this cat-and-mouse game started.

I know that under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), suspects can be detained for only 48 hours before they are charged to court. However, they can be further detained for 14 days based on a detention warrant obtained from a court of law. This can be extended by another 14 days after which the suspect must be charged to court or released. The intention of the lawmakers is to make sure no citizen is detained endlessly. You either establish your case against the suspects or let them go. The law does not envisage the arrest and detention of a citizen for 30 days over one allegation, and a continuous re-arrest and re-detention every 30 days over every other allegation.

The Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act allows a suspect to be detained for 60 days with a court order. The suspect can be held for longer if investigation is still ongoing, but with a court order. We do not know under what law the DSS is holding Emefiele. We have not been told. But whatever it is, the tide is turning against the secret police and Emefiele is now enjoying sympathy from many quarters. Before the 2023 general election when Emefiele fronted the traumatic naira recolouring policy, he was easily one of the most disliked men in Africa. Nigerians were directing acidic insults and curses in his direction as they went through hell trying to access their cash in the banks.

Although Emefiele said the policy was routine as currencies are redesigned at regular intervals, he also made statements about stopping vote-buying which many read to mean he was targeting a particular candidate. In fact, Candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu pointedly said the policy was directed at inflicting hardship on Nigerians to stop him from winning the presidential poll. But we all know that the way the presidential system works in an underdeveloped democracy, it is impossible for the CBN governor to change the colour of the currency without full presidential authorisation. Whether or not it was his idea, Emefiele could not have done it without President Muhammadu Buhari’s say-so.

Emefiele was so vocal that he became the poster boy of the devastating policy. Many branded it the policy of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). It became a major campaign tool against Tinubu, the party’s candidate. The APC subsequently lost a significant number of votes especially in the north, believed to be the hardest hit region because of the heavy reliance on cash transactions. Tinubu still won. We didn’t need any prophecy to know that Emefiele would pay dearly. There was wild jubilation in the land when Emefiele was suspended by Tinubu on June 9 and arrested by the DSS the following day at his house in Ikoyi. It was as if Nigeria had won the FIFA World Cup.

But the way the DSS went about it — leaking the video of Emefiele’s arrival at the airport in a Hilux van before he was loaded on a jet to Abuja, with an operative showing off handcuffs that many believed would be used to chain him on board — got some sympathy for the CBN governor. Many felt this was an unnecessary humiliation and a raw display of power. And by keeping him for so long amidst running and confusing legal battles, the DSS has inadvertently diverted more sympathy to him. The longer the drama lasts, the more sympathy Emefiele gets — except the DSS is able to come up with loads of earth-shattering allegations that will be clear to all that Emefiele cannot defend.

In sum, none of the combatants in the Ikoyi WrestleMania should be given a medal. For one, the correctional service needs to undergo a customised overhaul. The rot stinks to high heavens. Also, the DSS should stop acting like they do not owe Nigerians any explanations. If there is a new offence they are investigating, we need to know. We don’t have to be told the fine details. Many were disappointed that Emefiele was charged with illegal possession of firearms rather than some horrendous crimes. I guess this is just a “holding” charge to keep him in detention while investigation continues. Something tells me they are still searching for the smoking gun (not literally) to nail him.

This is where the whole affair gets clumsy. In a modern society, a security agency should have enough on you before arresting and detaining you. And there is a limit to the length of detention before you are charged to court. Even then, you are still entitled to bail if it is a bailable charge. But in Nigeria, it seems you are first arrested and the search then begins for the evidence to keep you in detention and charge you to court. It is not just the DSS that does this. It has become the established order for Nigerian state agencies. Detain first, search for evidence later. We can do better than this. Because it is Emefiele that is at the receiving end in this instance, many people cannot be bothered.

Nevertheless, if the DSS doesn’t have any concrete case against Emefiele, they should just let him go. Otherwise, the only way the Emefiele drama will be read is that this is all about vendetta, and such a reading is not good for the Tinubu administration, for the DSS, for the judiciary and for the country. The DSS remains one of the most professional and efficient government agencies. They must not drop the ball. It is not about Emefiele. It is about law and order. It is about how a democratic society should run. The Ikoyi drama is too bizarre to be laughed off. It is too embarrassing to be wished away. It is too damaging to our justice system. It is too dramatic. No, Nigerians deserve better that this.

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…

MINISTERIAL MESS

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu finally sent the ministerial list to the senate on Thursday — one day to the constitutional deadline. It was incomplete and was tagged “first batch”, albeit the constitution does not say “send the first batch before 60 days”. We seem to have overlooked that. In any case, I am still trying to understand why it took Tinubu forever to name a cabinet. This is someone who said being Nigeria’s president was his life ambition and had been declared winner since March 1. If there was no constitutional timeframe, he probably would have beaten President Muhammadu Buhari’s “GWR” cabine-thon set in 2015. Buhari sent his own list four months after inauguration. Startling.

PETROL PARTY

Obviously, it was not just our neighbouring countries that were having a ball with our petrol subsidy regime. According to a Reuters report, many refineries in Europe were also feeding on our ineptitude and the billion-dollar bazaar. But the removal of the subsidy — which has badly hit millions of Nigerians, especially the poorest, as a result of increased transportation and feeding costs — has left many European refineries vulnerable as demand has dropped by a quarter. The oil traders would also lose: we were giving them crude in exchange for petrol, which is just one of the thousands of products from a barrel. We can now export our oil properly and earn some revenue in forex. Sense.

THE JACKBOOTS

On Wednesday, soldiers from Republic of Niger’s presidential guard said they had deposed President Mohamed Bazoum in an apparent coup. This is yet another affront on democracy by ambitious soldiers. West Africa is increasingly becoming a hotbed of military rule, with similar coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and Guinea in recent years. Some of us who grew up under military regimes in Nigeria can relate with the impact on the people. The soldiers usually come with beautiful promises. The gullible warmly embrace them. It does not take more than a year or two for many citizens to realise that the worst form of democracy is better than the best military dictatorship. Fired!

AND FINALLY…

Did you see the video of Mrs Stella Okotete, former executive director of Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), when news broke that she had made the ministerial list? If you didn’t, what a miss! She lifted up holy hands, broke into tongues, psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in her mouth to the Good Lord who does wonders without number. The Delta state nominee acted like someone who had been praying all her life to have the opportunity to serve her country and put her quota into national development. She was so emotional. The only charitable conclusion is that she loves Nigeria so patriotically and would serve the country with heart and might. LOL.

The Nigerian police force public relation unit of the force headquarters released a publication some days back which was signed by the force public relations officer,  ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi stating that the force is coming after a famous skit maker Mr Abdulgafar Abiola, aka cute Abiola and will prosecute him for always wearing the Nigerian police force uniforms in some of his skits and painting the Nigerian police in a bad light.

Many people have raised concern as to the reason the police force headquarters would want to go after a skit maker for shooting his skits dubbing a police attire. Some said that it is all entertainment and that the police have no jurisdiction or power to arrest and prosecute a person merely because that person dubbed a police attired to shoot a video. 

Now let’s push emotions and sentiments aside and see what the law says about this acts of using police uniforms or any other law enforcement agency uniform for skits or for whatever reasons;

Section 251 of the Criminal Code Act which was captioned, Bringing contempt on the uniform, states thus; 

Any person who, not being a person serving in any of the armed or police forces of Nigeria, wears the uniform of any of these forces, or any dress having the appearance or bearing any of the regimental or other distinctive marks of any such uniform, in such manner or in such circumstances as to be likely to bring contempt on that uniform, or employs any other person so to wear such uniform or dress, is guilty of a simple offense, and is liable to imprisonment for three months or to a fine of forty naira.

Subsequently, the Penal Code in its Section 133 provides as follows;

Whoever not belonging to a certain class of public officer wears any dress or carries a token resembling a dress or token used by that class of public officer with the intention that it may be believed that he belongs to that class of public officer, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to forty naira or with both.

Both the criminal code applicable in the South and the penal code applicable in the North criminalizes the use of police uniforms or any other force agency uniform for skit-making, content creation or for whatever reasons. The punishment for this offense as provided by law is a 3-6 months imprisonment term or a fine of 40 naira or both. 

The offense committed when a person who is not in any law enforcement agency in Nigeria wears a force uniform for whatever reason is contempt of the uniform and impersonation of an officer. To   that extent, anybody who wants to shoot a movie, skit or whatever reason that would warrant that person to dub on a police uniform or any other force uniform but obtain express consent from the law enforcement agency or risk getting prosecuted for the offense of bringing contempt to the force uniform and impersonation of an officer of the law. 

We are deeply concerned about the negative tilting of a very harmless statement by President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, about his deep concern and that of the Senate on the plight of the ordinary Nigerians as a result of the prevailing economic situation In the country.

The statement "Let The People Breathe" made during Plenary on 26th July 2023, was made by Senator Akintunde Abiodun while speaking on the motion to halt the planned electricity tariff hike.

We want to assure the general public that all matters discussed during Senate sessions are of utmost importance and are treated with great seriousness by the President of the Senate and his Distinguish. colleagues.

It is crucial to clarify that the intentions of the mover of the motion and the com-ments of the President of the Senate were never to make light of the hardships, suffering and economic challenges faced by Nigerians at this critical juncture.

The purpose of the proposal was to firmly reject any plan of Increasing electricity tariffs for Nigerians, considering the ongoing economic challenges that Nigerians are faced with.
The primary focus of the current National Assembly under the Chairmanship of Senator Akpabio is on the implementation of effective and well-structured policies that truly benefit the people. He has repeatedly assured Nigerians that the current Senate will work for all Nigerians.

The President of the senate deeply empathises with Nigerians and has never considered the current economic crisis in the country as a matter of jest. His unwaver-ing commitment lies in serving the best interests of the Nigerian people with the release of the ministerial list and the subsequent screening and swearing-in of the ministers, we have high hopes that the newly appointed officials will promptly ad-dress the challenges and bring the much needed relief and succour to all citizens, thereby, easing the current hardship and pains experienced by Nigerians.

Signed,

Media Unit

Love potion. Is it real? Does it still work? Can a wife be that mean as to administer it on the man she married, the father of her children? Love potion, if you ask me, is like magun, only those who live to tell the story know that it is still efficient.

This is a major sensitive subject. It is one that rubs many people , especially men, the wrong way. It is one of the topics that earned me a warning from one of my close friends, Steve.

‘You want to be teaching our wives bad bad things, right?’ He once scolded me.

Well, it is not like that. This is an age-old sensitive matter in marriages. It is spiritual. It is real does not matter what the Gen-Z thinkers think. It may not be as common place as it once was but who wants to dare it, whether it still works or not? Who wants to be the guinea pig volunteer so we can finally chalk it up as a scientific find?

By the time Jane discovered that she had made the one wrong choice that had led to a dozen more wrong choices, it was too late to cry. In the beginning, she thought it was love. Toye was all over her, refused to let her spend her money. He assured her he was going to pick all her bills, that that was the way he was raised.  All Jane’s friends were green with envy. After the wedding, Toye’s true colours started emerging. First he wanted Jane to quit her job. She didn’t need it. He was picking all the bills already. Jane resisted. She kicked. She begged. She refused to stop going to work. That was when the demons strolled out of Toye’s closet, in a fine line. It started with the occasional slaps. Then he made good his threat to lock her out of their apartment. The embarrassment was indescribable for her. She slept on her balcony all night. Toye made sure of it. After that things move from bad to worse.

Toye wanted his breakfast to be ready by 7a,m and his lunch packed by the time he finished breakfast. He didn’t want the housekeeper touching his food in any way or at any stage. Jane k new she was in trouble but she didn’t want her friends to know. How do you tell your friends who thought you married a keeper that your husband is actually a killer?  She concealed her pain and maintained the façade. If she had a party with the girls at the same time she was wearing a black eye or her arm was in a sling courtesy Toye’s raging fists, she would come up with a gigantic lie, like she and her mother-in-law were going to see ‘mama’s cardiologist.

Then came the day she knew she must be ready to die in her marriage or must do something about it. Jane had fallen ill and gone to the hospital in a taxi because her husband always locked all car keys up somewhere or took them to the office. She was asleep from all the drugs and injections when Toye arrived hungry and angry. Jane had not cooked. What effrontery? He dragged her out of bed, down the stairs into the kitchen and ordered her to make dinner. A sick, groggy woman dragged down the stairs and locked in the kitchen. You got the picture, right? Of course, all Jane could do was lean on the kitchen island and cry bitter tears. Bitter tears don’t make dinners. No dinner meant more walloping for Jane and Toye really beat her that night.

After three days in bed, Jane decided to seek counsel and a way out of her troubled marriage. You see, there was an ‘aunty adugbo’ a neighbourhood big sister whose husband used to be a beast but is now a ‘born-again’ husband. Jane took her burden to big aunty and pleaded with her to teach her what she did that made her husband now caring and loving. Long story short, Toye is now a born again husband. He no longer beats his wife. If she goes to work or even a party and is not back by midnight, Toye waits outside, harmattan or downpour, on the balcony for Jane. Toye cooks and cleans now. He calls Jane honey and sweetheart. If Jane says he should not go out, he stays home. Jane decides when he goes to hang out with the boys and once she blows the whistle, he packs his things and returns to his ‘honey’. Imagine the man who once pulled his wife’s newly braided hair until she wept like a baby now opening the door for her, carrying her bags and massaging her feet and back every day after work?

Did you say it is not ‘ordinary eye’? Ah, that’s my point exactly. It was also not ‘ordinary eye’ when he was pummeling another woman’s daughter, was it?

Women in abusive relationships react to their pains in different ways. Some pray and hope that God will change the man. Some just bear the punches until they die or end up in a psychiatric ward.  Some talk about their pain. Many cover the gashes and scars. Some leave in the night while others have been known to kill their abusers in fits of frustrated rage.

The group under discussion here are those who opt for self-help by changing their husbands with dark magic. They call it love potion. I call it changing your husband’s heart and forcefully remolding him The only problem is the ‘dosage’ and ‘directions for use’ of this dark magic do not specify the ‘spec’ you will end up with. Too often we’ve heard of a once confident man becoming a super-mumu, fool who the wife does not even recognize. A remodeled abusive husband is usually extremely different from his original self. But if their wives like the pimped version, who are we to explain?    

All it takes, I heard, is a sprinkle of the life-changing powder in the food of the abusive bully. In the case of Toye, the powder was put in his  favourite soup, seafood okro .  Now, he’s a  pimped, prim and proper husband.

My stand has always been this. A man who will be fed with love potion always asks for it. Good husbands, responsible fathers do not end up with belly-full of dark magic powder. A loving man who does what he should do when he should do it is not a problem his wife wants to solve. A man who protects and respects his wife will not be changed to a model his mother will not recognize.

These are the men who are likely to be served love potion along with their dinner, today or in no distant future.

Men who beat their wives regularly or irregularly.

Men who disappear from home to hibernate with side chicks for weeks.

Men who impregnate multiple women without marrying or catering for them or their children.

Men who think they are special gifts to women and so should take and not give back in  a relationship or marriage.

Rich, fine young men who are known for breaking hearts of women who trust and truly love them.

For a while these iniquitous men may get away with their bad ways but the day they meet their match or waterloo, their ‘ofada’ rice stew or ‘ofe nsala’ or groundnut soup will be spiced with love potion. And that’s when they become good husbands by force, washing toilets and driving madam to the market and waiting until she finishes shopping.

Guys, I’m not interested in any debate over whether love potion exists or if it works or not. I’m just a concerned mum trying to do my bit.  Whatever names medical doctors call ‘magun’, it has been seen in action including its cousin that glues a man and a woman together via their private pens and ink-pot, until they become a spectacle.

Isn’t it just better to change your ways, your bad manners, my brother, before your wife changes it for you with just a pinch of powder? And fellow mothers, let’s pull our sons, wards, brothers’ ears before they are pimped into models we can’t recognize. Let’s stop encouraging these young men to do evil things in the name of tradition. Their wives are their partners, not commodities. These Gen-Z girls are wired differently. Let’s not push them into taking matters into their own hands. As for recalcitrant men who like to test fate, go on, keep abusing your wife physically and mentally, when you have had a full dose of the dark powder, and you start your Mondays with sorting your wife’s coloured pants and bra from the whites, we will be here to cheer you up.

On Saturday (today), the Department of State Services (DSS) grilled the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo.

Naija News learnt that Ododo was invited to the office of the DSS for investigation over a petition against him reportedly by some members of the opposition party in the state.

Confirming the event, the spokesperson to the Kogi State Government, Kingsley Fanwo, took to his social media page to reveal that Ododo willingly honoured an invitation by the DSS.

However, Fanwo, who accompanied the APC governorship candidate to the DSS office, did not reveal the allegations in the petition. He rather described the allegations as “frivolous and unfounded”, maintaining that the APC governorship candidate honoured the invitation by DSS “to respect a constituted authority.”

Fanwo explained on his Facebook page that Ododo was drilled by a team of Operatives at the DSS for hours, “and he gave convincing explanations to the interrogators.”

He was thereafter allowed to go by the DSS operatives.

Fanwo’s Facebook post read: “The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo today honoured the invitation of the DSS to answer questions regarding a petition against him by some members of the opposition.

“The DSS invited him, and as a law-abiding citizen who is aspiring to lead the state, he honoured the invitation.

The allegations contained in the petition are frivolous and unfounded, but it was incumbent on the APC Governorship Candidate to respect a constituted authority such as the DSS.

“Alh. Ododo was drilled by a team of operatives at the DSS for hours, and he gave convincing explanations to the interrogators.

“We commend the professionalism of the DSS and pledge our cooperation to whatever measures taken, or that would be taken to ensure a peaceful Kogi and a peaceful poll in November 2023.

“We assure supporters of the APC GOVERNORSHIP candidate that he has since left the DSS Office to continue his consultations with Kogites ahead of the Guber poll. Our commitment to peace and tranquillity is ironcast. Every Kogite and every supporter of Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo should endeavour to be peaceful in all their activities towards the election.”

As President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees prepare to face the Senate for screening, several allegations and issues are emerging against the chosen candidates.

One of these nominees, Stella Okotete from Delta State, is currently being investigated by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) over allegations of “Abuse of Office.”

According to a CCB letter dated 21st March 2023, Okotete is under investigation for potential breaches of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.

The Bureau has asked Okotete to provide all necessary documents for their investigation.

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, announced on Thursday the list of 28 ministerial nominees sent by President Bola Tinubu. The screening is set to begin on Monday at the National Assembly.

The list includes former Governors Mallam Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, and Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, as well as former Executive Director of the Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Stella Okotete, and the immediate Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru.

The letter from the CCB concerning Okotete is titled, “Alleged Breach of Code of Conduct for Public Officer.”

According to the Bureau in the letter, it was currently investigating a case of alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers against your office, adding, “In view of the foregoing, you are requested to furnish the Bureau with the Certified True Copies (CTC) of the following documents: i. Copies of your letters of Appointment, Promotion Letters, Record of Service and Payslips from 2019 till date. ii. All lists of loans processed and approved under you. iii Acknowledgement slips of all Assets Declaration made to the Code of Conduct Bureau since you joined the Public Service. iv All documents of your buildings and landed properties both developed and underdeveloped in Nigeria and abroad. v. Bank Account Statements of all your personal bank accounts from January 2019 to date. This request is made pursuant to the mandate and powers of the Bureau as enshrined in the 3° Schedule, Part 1, Paragraph 3(e) to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended; Section 137 (a) and (b) and 138 (a) and (b) Panel Cede laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and section 104 of Evidence Act 2011.”

Those who wrote a petition against her to the President of the Senate are also referring to a 2019 report of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions which in its recommendation that was adopted revealed that Stella Okotete was indicted for forgery and was recommended for voluntary resignation or sack over fraudulent misrepresentation.

According to the report of the 8th Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions which was then chaired by Senator Samuel N, Anyanwu, who is presently the Gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the November 11 Imo State Governorship election, Stella Okotete was found guilty after it thoroughly went through oral and written submissions available to the committee by the petitioners, Myson Law Practice on Behalf of Ilaje Global Think Tank Initiative and Stella Okotete. It was revealed that Okotete fraudulently misrepresented her qualifications to hold the post of Executive Director at the bank.

The Senate document observed that the chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC did not have 15 years post-graduation experience which is required to occupy the office as specified by the Central Bank of Nigeria circular of 15th October, 2015.

Other members of the committee who signed the report then include; Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, Senator Mohammed Shitu, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Senator Jeremiah Useni, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Omotayo Alasoadura, Senator Binta Garba, Omogunwa Yele and Senator Philip Gyunka.

Also, a petition by Barrister Aare Oladotun Hassan Esq of Juryman Associate Chambers to disqualify the appointment of Okotete as a Ministerial designate based on a pending case instituted against her at the Federal High Court has also been submitted to the Senate.

In the letter acknowledged by the office of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the Ministerial nominee has a pending suit at the Federal High Court with No:FHC/ABJ/C8/2233/2023 bothering on serial false misrepresentation and forgery.

The letter read; Based on lis pending case before the Federal High Court suite No: FHC/ABJ/C8/2233/2023 /Public complaint against criminal conspiracy to wit: Violation of the CBN’S regulations on Appointment of Heads of Financial Institutions, GROSS contemptous Violation of Senate Ruling and Unimplemented 2019, Senate resolution on removal recommendation over serial fraudulent misrepresentation, No NYSC RECORDS, FALSE information in respect of her CV on Appointment as Delta State Government’s Director of Millennium Development, No accurate records, lack of prerequisite qualifications and deceitful withholding of CBN’s statutory position, obligations and duties as the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) against Stella Erhuvwuoghene Okotete.

In a related development a group, Campaign for Transparency Network, CTN, has also asked the Nigerian Senate to reject Okekete based on her questionable Academic records.

In a statement signed by the Programme Director, Ebube Nwanka, Okotete has no School Leaving Certificate but however proceeded to the University of Port Harcourt where she underwent through Remedial Studies after which she got admitted via direct entry into the Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State.

Ebube alleged further that Stella Okotete as an undergraduate had carryovers in four courses that she did not retake. The University upon discovery did not approve of her graduation from the institution, adding that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate presented by Okotete was fake.

However, a Police action plan has been instituted to investigate the series of allegations against Okotete. The action plan cited on Friday Reads “Re: Case of Criminal Conspiracy, Offense to Wit: Falsification of Documents, Fraudulent Misrepresentation of Qualification to Hold CBN’S Statutory Position, Corrupt Practice, Monumental Fraud and Misappropriation,” the police authority ordered for discreet investigation of the allegations.

The police investigation plan partly read: “The petition was endorsed to the DIG FCIID Abuja via letter No. CB:7000/IGP SEC/AB)/VOL.613/ 312 dated 23/01/2023 and re-endorsed to the CP GI Section via letter No. CB: 7000/X/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.592/85 dated 03/02/2023 for discreet investigation”.

Former Kaduna Central lawmaker, Shehu Sani has identified five major reasons military coups are happening in West Africa.

Speaking on Saturday amidst the most recent coup in Niger Republic, Sani said the five factors are responsible for the collapse of democratic governments in West Africa.

He blamed the political class, economic challenges, security challenges, expanding influence of Russia and China as well as failure to sanction those who carry out the coups.

According to the former lawmaker via his Twitter account, “I think there are FIVE factors that are responsible for the collapse of democratic Governments in West Africa and now giving rise to military coups.”

1. Strangulation of Democracy by the political class and shrinking civil space.
2. Economic challenges that lead to widespread poverty and hunger.
3. Security challenges; the spread of terror groups and overreliance on the military.
4. Expanding presence of Russian and Chinese influence in the economic, security and political sphere.
5. Failure of sanctions to have any meaningful impact on coupists.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has suggested that the recent leak of a Lagos State Government memo regarding the secret mass burial of 103 victims of the 2020 EndSARS protests may be the first of several unexpected revelations.

Adegboruwa, a member of the Justice Doris Okuwobi-led Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS-Related Abuses, stated this on Channels Television’s Law Weekly.

“The leaked memo from the Ministry of Health of Lagos State is one of the many surprises that people will still see in the course of time so long as the government has not come to terms with the reality of the events of October 20th, 2020,” Adegboruwa said.

The senior lawyer argued that the reality of fatalities from the night of October 20, 2020, when soldiers stormed the Lekki Toll Gate, a major site of the protests, is undeniable.

“To blanketly assert that there was no death or there was no blood spilt in any way at all as a result in particular of gunshots by members of the Nigerian Army is to do a disservice to the souls of those people who are affected,” Adegboruwa added.

The leaked memo, dated July 19, 2023, which sparked outrage, indicated that the Lagos State Government approved a sum of N61,285,000 for the mass burial of individuals identified as victims of the 2020 EndSARS protests.

This came three years after the incident drew global criticism and condemnation from human rights organizations.

In response, the Lagos State Ministry of Health confirmed the letter’s authenticity but clarified that the bodies were not from the Lekki toll gate.

Instead, they were collected by the Lagos State Environmental Health Unit from various other areas within the state.

The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kaduna has upheld the victory of Donatus Mathew who contested and won the Kaura Federal Constituency seat on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) in the last general elections.

Naija News reports Mathew was an Okada rider when he contested the election held on February 25, 2023, and defeated all other aspirants for the legislative seat.

On Friday, the tribunal affirmed his victory and dismissed the petition brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives candidate for Kaura Federal Constituency, Gideon Gwani.

Gwani, a Minority whip in the House of Representatives in the 9th National Assembly had approached the tribunal to challenge and invalidate the election of his Labour Party (LP) counterpart.

However, Justice F.A. Fiberesima on behalf of the three-man panel of the tribunal while delivering judgment on the case on Friday, dismissed the petition against the LP lawmaker and ordered the PDP candidate to pay N 1.6 million damages to Donatus.

The counsel to the respondent, Zakari Sogfa told newsmen on Friday that two prayers were brought by the petitioner against his client but were dismissed by the tribunal.

“The first prayer was that the Respondent, Donatus was not qualified to contest the election that produced him as his party’s flag bearer for Kaura Federal Constituency.

”He based that conclusion on the ground that Donatus was not sponsored by his political party and that there were electoral malpractices in five areas, but the two prayers were struck out by the Tribunal for lack of merit.”

He revealed that the tribunal further ruled that Gwani did not have the right to determine a political party who should sponsor its candidate other than who should fly its flag and how it should go with its elections as such were pre-election matters.

Videos showing some angry citizens of Niger Republic beating up a female politician and another male politician have surfaced on social media and have gone viral.

The videos are making rounds on the internet at a time the country is going through a coup in which some members of the nation’s military force decided to take over power and force the President, Mohamed Bazoum to step down from power and vacate office.

As seen in the video shared by popular security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama via his Twitter handle, the youths attacked a female politician and beat her up.

Luckily for her, however, some other youths intervened and rescued her from the mob before much harm could be done to her.

Also, another unidentified male politician was similarly attacked.

Their offences could not be ascertained as of press time.

See the videos