The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned a Federal High Court ruling that prevented theIndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the conduct of local government elections, which have since taken place.

In delivering its judgment on Thursday, a special panel led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi declared that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction over the matter.

The appellate court clarified that Section 28 of the Electoral Act applies solely to federal elections, governorship elections, and area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory, not state-conducted elections.

The Court of Appeal further criticized the lower court’s directive, which barred security agencies from performing their constitutional duties during the election process.

Previously, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had ruled against RSIEC for scheduling the local government elections for October 5 without complying with legal provisions.

He stated that RSIEC violated the local government election law by failing to provide the mandatory 90-day notice before setting the election date.

Justice Lifu also held that the voters’ register must be updated and revised before any valid election date could be determined.

As a result, Justice Lifu had directed INEC not to release the Certified Voters’ Register to RSIEC until all legal requirements were fulfilled.

The appeal heard by Justice Otisi’s special panel was among several appeals challenging the Federal High Court’s decisions on political cases in Rivers State.

The panel had previously reserved judgment on consolidated appeals contesting Justice Lifu’s ruling.

Naija News reports that the rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, had escalated tensions before, during and after the LG Election.

The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has narrated how eight teenagers allegedly gang-raped and filmed a 14-year-old girl in the Ijebu-Mushin area of the state.

The narration was contained in a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Dyke Ogbonnaya, and obtained by PUNCH Metro on Thursday.

Ogbonnaya narrated that the suspects, which included 17-year-old Mathew Omotayo and seven others had taken the victim to a secluded room and had canal knowledge of her without her consent.

He added that the suspects also recorded the scene of the act and had continually used it as blackmail to deter the victim from reporting the incident.

He identified the other suspects as “Mojeeb Solomon, male, 16 years; Olamilekan Adefuye, male, 18 years; Damilola Ismail, male, 19 years; Emmanuel George, male, 17 years; Aborisade Paul Ayomide, male, 17 years; Paul Chukwuchebe, male, 19 years; and Lateef Adeoye, male, 16 years.”

Ogbonnaya said, “The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ogun State Command Headquarters, Abeokuta, has arrested one Matthew Omotayo, male, 17 years and seven other suspected teenagers for alleged conspiracy, sexual abuse, unlawful sexual intercourse, exploitation and assault of a 14-year-old minor (name withheld) at the Ijebu-Mushin, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State on Friday, November 15, 2024.

“The alleged suspects, who claimed to be students of St. Anthony Grammar School, Esure, Ijebu-Mushin, Ijebu East Local Government Area of the state, took the said minor without consent to a secluded room and had violent sexual intercourse with her and putting the same event in a video form.

“According to the narrative of the assaulted minor, she was sexually abused the first time and was recorded and the alleged suspects threatened to upload the video on social media if she did not allow them to have her again which she also consented to until her resolved to report the matter to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Divisional Office at Ijebu-Mushin, Ogun State.”

The NSCDC PRO noted that the victim, however, reported the matter after she was allegedly beaten and verbally assaulted by the suspects.

He added that the victim’s statement led to the arrest of the teenagers while the victim was made to undergo a medical examination.

Upon conducting a preliminary investigation, Ogbonnaya noted that the command sought a remand order which was granted by a magistrate court sitting in Ijebu.

He continued, “The results of the investigations culminated in the application for a remand order by the state command’s legal officer through the Magistrate Court in Ijebu-Mushin, Ogun State.

“Upon the presentation of the matter by the prosecution counsel with several pieces of evidence, the court ordered a 60-day remand of the eight suspects after which the directives of the Department of Public Prosecutions on the matter should have been out.

“The Hon. Magistrate Sotayo granted the prayer of the civil defence legal officer to remand the suspects pending the outcome of the advice from the DPP, and he thereafter adjourned the matter to January 20, 2025.”

Reacting, the Ogun NSCDC commandant, Remilekun Ekundayo, stressed that the command would not tolerate abuse of minors while noting that perpetrators of such acts would be dealt with.

“Commandant Ekundayo has noted that the Corps will not tolerate any act of abuse on the girl child nor a minor either by teenagers, caregivers, guardians, and/or parents.

“She emphasised that anyone caught in such an indecent act would be dealt with decisively according to the dictates of the law,” Ogbonnaya concluded.

The House of Representatives is currently advancing a bill aimed at eliminating the disparity between Higher National Diploma (HND) holders and Bachelor’s Degree (BSc) holders, according to Speaker Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.

Speaking on Thursday at the 36th convocation ceremony of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, Abbas, represented by Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, the Speaker emphasized the importance of promoting vocational and technical education in the country.

Abbas stressed that increasing the funds allocated to these sectors is essential for driving technological progress and raising the nation’s profile.

He also pointed out that the bill being worked on would make it a criminal offense to discriminate between HND and BSc holders, ensuring equal opportunities for all.

“We know the importance of education and what the country would gain by promoting vocational and technical education. The country needs people with the skills needed to take it to a higher level. Those who are going to raise the nation’s profile technologically. In view of that, we are increasing funds to the sector.

“Also, we are taking steps by working on the necessary legal framework to criminalise the dichotomy between HND and BSc certificates. There should be equal opportunity for all,” he said.

The Speaker further urged the graduating students to seize every opportunity to make a positive impact in the world, acknowledging that they have a crucial role in the nation’s advancement.

During the ceremony, Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Remi Tinubu, also honoured as a Fellow of the College, expressed her firm belief in the transformative power of education.

She recounted her efforts in founding the New Era Foundation in Lagos to support educational initiatives.

Represented by Hon. Wahab Alawiye King, Mrs. Tinubu announced a N50 million Endowment Fund for YABATECH, aimed at supporting the best female graduates.

She stressed the importance of removing barriers to the education of girls and making life easier for the younger generation, as they hold the country’s future.

“The Fund is to support female best-graduating students. We need to support education and we should support the education of the girl child and remove all the barriers on her path. Even when I was in the Senate, my focus was on how to make life better and easier for our young ones. They are our future,” she stated.

Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmed, Minister of State for Education, read a speech on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, highlighting the steps his administration has taken to improve the education sector, including the introduction of a student loan scheme and the ongoing needs assessment of tertiary institutions.

He encouraged the graduates to be exemplary ambassadors of their alma mater.

In his welcome address, the Rector of YABATECH, Dr. Ibraheem Abdul, reflected on the institution’s 77 years of contributions to Nigeria’s education sector and called for support from individuals and corporate bodies to replace and upgrade aging facilities on campus.

The Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Funso Afolabi, commended the College’s management for the significant strides they have made since assuming office.

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, on Thursday, handed over 76 minors arrested during the August #EndBadGovernance protests to their parents.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Shehu Sagagi, the governor oversaw the handover at the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, where the children had been accommodated and treated for ailments they suffered during their remand.

The minors were arrested following their participation in the protests that highlighted governance concerns in the state and across the country. Their release followed an order by President Bola Tinubu.

Governor Yusuf expressed gratitude to the president for his intervention and called on parents to support the state’s efforts to provide quality education for their children.

“I want to call on parents to complement the government’s efforts towards ensuring these children are properly educated to enable them to contribute towards the development of the state and the country.

“Both the Federal and state governments have to also wake up to ensure that our children are educated,” Yusuf said.

He warned the parents who have an association to desist from using it to solicit any financial assistance from any individual, group or organisation, as the state government would not condone such an act.

The governor assured the parents that the state Commissioner for Education would ensure that the children are given the necessary support to return to their respective schools.

In his remarks, the state Commissioner for Education, Haruna Doguwa, said one of the protesters, who is a final-year undergraduate, would be supported in completing his studies. At the same time, another one who holds a National Certificate in Education would be employed.

“We have provided (cambus) shoes, two sets of uniforms for the 50 others to be supported to complete their secondary school education,” he said.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Yusuf, said all the sick minors had been treated during the period of their stay at the hospital.

“The 76 minors who had been accommodated in this facility, underwent a medical evaluation and received necessary treatment before being reunited with their families today,” he said.

A cross-section of parents who spoke to newsmen commended the state government for the gesture and thanked all those who contributed to ensuring the children’s release.

During the occasion, former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa donated N50,000 to each of the children in support of their education.

The National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismantled illegal alcohol centers in Abule-Osun, Lagos State.

NAFDAC, during the operation at Article Market, Abule-Osun, confiscated 50,000 counterfeit branded labels and packaging materials for fake alcoholic beverages, valued at ₦2 billion.

In a statement on Thursday, NAFDAC said the items were being used to produce hazardous alcoholic drinks.

“NAFDAC has dismantled illegal alcohol packaging operations at Article Market in Abule-Osun, Lagos State.

“During the raid, over 50,000 counterfeit branded labels and packaging materials for fake alcoholic beverages, valued at approximately ₦2 billion, were confiscated. These items were being used to produce unapproved and hazardous alcoholic products.

“NAFDAC warns about the severe health risks of counterfeit alcohol, including poisoning and organ damage. Consumers are advised to purchase alcoholic beverages only from trusted vendors and report any suspicious activities to the nearest NAFDAC office,” it read.

Naija News reports that NAFDAC on Wednesday also uncovered a warehouse in Oke-Afa, Okota, Lagos, stocked with unregistered and expired supermarket items.

Over 14 rooms packed with unregistered and expired products, some of which were contaminated by rats, indicating poor storage conditions, were confiscated. The agency also confiscated a 20ft container filled with unregistered carbonated drinks meant for the warehouse.

A former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign, Doyin Okupe, has said that the opposition’s claim of a stolen mandate in the 2023 election does not hold water.

He argued that there might have been possibility of rigging, but no presidential mandate was stolen from the opposition.

Okupe shared his thoughts in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.

He wondered how Peter Obi was able to win in Tinubu’s home base if the election was indeed rigged.

Okupe said, “If Peter Obi (2023 LP presidential candidate) or the Labour Party says APC rigged elections, how come Obi was able to win in the home base of President Bola Tinubu?

“How come APC lost the election in the home base of the sitting president (Muhammadu Buhari)? How come APC lost the election in the home base of the secretary to that government?

“So, the accusations about rigging do not hold water; they do not hold water at all.

“The truth of the matter is that under the best of conditions, the results we got may not have been the exact results, but they will have that ratio.

“I was in the Labour Party; we couldn’t have done better than we did. I know that for some reasons, but that is a discussion for another day.”

According to him, the opposition PDP and LP appear to be unrealistic with their accusations that “the presidency was stolen.”.

Okupe added, “There’s nothing like that. No presidency was stolen. I am not saying there was no rigging.

“There was no election that we have done in Nigeria since 1960 till date that was not rigged one way or the other. Not one.

“Perhaps an exception was MKO Abiola’s election because of the unique nature of the voting pattern. You know it was Option A4; people were counted. Apart from that, every other election was rigged.”

Okupe, who expressed strong belief in Tinubu’s reforms, said that the president’s policies would begin to yield results from the second year of his administration.

The former LP chieftain said that Tinubu had impressed him not only as a politician but as a technocrat: “a man that is capable of deep thinking.”

He said that Tinubu had development ideologies and policies at his fingertips. “This thing, you don’t learn it. It’s a gift.”

The 72-year-old politician said that Tinubu was like the late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, with great ideas about public policies.

Describing Tinubu as a reformer, Okupe said it was “total nonsense” to say that the president came to the office without a plan.

Former Nigerian model, Olajumoke Orisaguna, popularly known as Olajumoke Onibread, has opened up on her sudden disappearance from the public after coming to the limelight.

Recalls that Olajumoke became a social media sensation in 2016 after accidentally walking into a photoshoot featuring British rapper, Tinie Tempah, photographed by Nigerian photographer, TY Bello.

In an interview with City FM, Olajumoke shared a heart-wrenching ordeal about domestic violence from her husband, Sunday Orisaguna.

She revealed that their marital challenges began while they were still in Ire, Osun State. She cited her mother-in-law’s mistreatment and Sunday’s alleged physical abuse as major contributors to her ordeal.

She said the physical abuse continued despite their relocation to Lagos state and persisted even as her career blossomed.

Olajumoke admitted that societal pressures and the stigma of separation, especially as a mother of two, kept her silent about her struggles for a long time, adding her ex-husband worked to tarnish her reputation and that of her supporters.

She said, “What I am saying now, I have never said it out before. Even when I met TY Bello and I told her that I had a husband, my friend was furious when she found out. She was like I do not have sense, why would I say someone who beats me is my husband? I had to explain that I had to say that because I have children. That was how he came to Lagos. Even in the house that was rented for me in Surulere, he would still beat me up.

“I did not even tell TY Bello what was going on. I could not even admit that we were not married. I am a very gentle person so I did not tell anyone what was going on, I was enduring all of it. Sometimes when he goes out to drink, because he is someone to have a good time, when he gets back and a minor misunderstanding happens, he would start beating me again. It is almost four years since we separated.

“While he was beating me, he did not have a job. I was the one who would go out to hustle for us because I did not want my children to suffer. He would just stay at home and sleep or go out to drink. I did not even disturb him from doing these things, I just wanted him to stop beating me. Then he also started monitoring me when I went to work. If I go for photoshoots, sometimes I come back very late. He would accuse me of sleeping around with other men.

“So I decided to finally leave him. It got so bad that he would even start insulting my parents. It was when I separated from him, that was when everything started going down the drain because he started spoiling my name. All those who had helped me then, he started saying bad things against them. Since then, things started going down.”

President Bola Tinubu has decried that his economic reforms weakened Nigerians’ purchasing power; he promised to prioritize social investment programmes to help the most vulnerable.

President Tinubu stated this on Wednesday night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, paid him a courtesy call on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

A statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that “While acknowledging that the reforms had weakened Nigerians’ purchasing power, President Tinubu said his administration will continue to provide social safety nets to cushion the unintended consequences”.

Congratulating the IMF Chief on her election for a second term in office, President Tinubu appreciated her support in implementing the reforms, calling for more institutional backing for stability and sustainable growth.

He emphasized the critical need for educational access, stating “We have too many children out of school, and we know that education is a way out of hunger and poverty. That is why we are designing ways and incentives to keep these children in school, and we need your support for these kids who want to stay in school.”

President Tinubu stressed that substantial resources must be invested to stimulate the much-needed infrastructural development in the country.

The President further noted that Nigeria is working on tax reforms to stimulate the economy further.

“We are engaging stakeholders and sensitizing Nigerians to expand the economy’s tax base for inclusive developmental growth. We are doing this without necessarily increasing the taxes on our people who have already given a lot. We will require your support on this,” he appealed.

In her remarks, the Managing Director, who expressed a desire to visit Nigeria, commended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms and their positive indicators.

She assured the President of further support in diversifying the Nigerian economy. She specifically lauded the social investment programmes as a way of cushioning the effects on the most vulnerable and promised the assistance of the body in this regard.

Contrary to popular perception, she said that the IMF is focused on developing vulnerable societies and devoting substantial resources to emerging economies.

The managing director expressed the Fund’s readiness to offer technical support for the budgeting process, adding that it will assist Nigeria in achieving the best possible results from loans.

Georgieva said the world had suffered some shocks from the pandemic that caused damage to world economies. Over the last two years, the IMF has injected about $1 trillion into the world economy.

While the developed countries managed the shocks better, the developing nations did not do so, she noted. She said the IMF is working with developing countries to build resilient institutions to better manage future global economic shocks.

She stressed that it is the right of every country to benefit from the Fund after a critical analysis of its priorities.

The IMF Managing Director informed President Tinubu that the organization’s Executive Board has approved the 3rd Chair for Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), enhancing the African voice.

She congratulated Nigeria on hosting the IMF’s African Caucus meeting in Abuja in August. Georgieva also advocated for deepening regional economic ties, ensuring the IMF is ready to support this process.

Acclaimed leader of Eastern Security Network (ESN), alleged armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa, has been reportedly arrested in Finland.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Pidgin Service, Simon Ekpa was remanded in detention by Finland authority for alleged terrorist activities.

BBC reported that the District Court of Päijät-Häme, in Finland, sent Ekpa, who is a Lahti-Nigerian municipal politician, ‘to prison on probable cause and on suspicion of publicly inciting people to commit crime with terrorist intent“.

The court reportedly said Simon Ekpa allegedly spread separatist propaganda on social media.

It reported that Ekpa allegedly committed the reported crime on 23 August 2021, in Lahti.

In addition to Ekpa, BBC reported Finnish National Bureau of Investigation also arrested four other men on suspicion of terrorist offences.

Recall that Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, had called on the federal government to expedite action for the repatriation of Ekpa.

Governor Mbah accused Ekpa, who claimed to replace IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, of disrupting the security of the South East region through his Monday sit-at-home order.

On his social media handle, Ekpa consistently described Nigeria as a ‘zoo’. According to him, he wants a separate country for the people of South East.

However, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, in press statements, condemned Ekpa’s sit-at-home order. Emma Power also emphasized that Ekpa was not a replacement for Nnamdi Kanu.