Bandits shun Gumi, ask Buhari to lead peace talk – Newstrends
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Bandits shun Gumi, ask Buhari to lead peace talk

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  • No legal basis for dialogue with bandits – Senior lawyers

Bandits causing mayhem in many parts of the country through killings and kidnappings have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to personally lead peace talks with them.

They may have thus shunned the mediation being embarked upon by a popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, between them and the government for the release of students and other kidnapped people in their captivity.

But some senior lawyers have cautioned against the ongoing appeasement of bandits, terrorising several states through dialogue between them and some governors as well as non-state actors.

Some of the bandits who demanded this accused the President of not being serious about the ongoing peace talk or calls for amnesty for them to make them to stop their attacks.

In the past few months, bandits have carried out series of attacks and kidnappings, including secondary schools, especially in northern Nigeria.

Gumi had met with some of the bandits in the forests of Zamfara, appealing for peace.

But in an interview with Daily Trust, a masked bandit said if Buhari could travel around the country when he was campaigning, nothing should stop him from coming for peace talks.

He said an agreement was earlier reached with his group, but they were soon abandoned in the forest.

“An agreement was reached, but you left that person in the forest with a gun and nothing to substitute. What do you expect? How do you want that person to survive? All the promises made to us none of it was fulfilled,” he said.

“The president should personally come and preside over the talks. When he was campaigning, he travelled all over, why would he not do it now? He does not take these peace talks seriously and everyday people are being killed.

“There is no day that someone is not killed between Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, Sokoto and Katsina. There is no tribe that is spared, gunmen kill, soldiers kill, vigilantes kill. Whoever you see with a gun today in Nigeria, he uses it to kill people. You may not know but if I were to tell you the situation of things in this country, you will cry. Even the president will cry.

“We supported this administration and accepted dialogue because we thought Buhari will fix this country, but he won’t fix this country. From the time he praised Goodluck, Obasanjo, and Yar’Adua, these were not praiseworthy. It would have been better if he had praised Abacha, because, under Abacha, pastoralists were being educated.

“During Abacha, there was allocation in the budget for the nomadic communities. There was no such thing again since Obasanjo became president. They stopped looking after the Fulanis. Their forests and grazing areas were taken over.”

He said they took up arms because they, as herders, were not carried along by the government.

According to him, the herders had no security as they were being killed, and the government didn’t do anything.

He also accused the government of not providing education and jobs for their young ones.

But some senior lawyers described dialogue with the bandits, who had kidnapped and killed hundreds of people in Katsina, Niger, Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, Zamfara and Sokoto States, among others, as illegal as there is no legal framework to support it.

The lawyers such as former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN); former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu; Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN) and Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN), spoke in separate interviews with THISDAY against the backdrop of negotiations with the bandits in order for them to end attacks on various communities in the affected states.

Gumi recently after visiting the camps of the bandits called on the government to grant those willing to make peace ‘blanket amnesty’ if the current security situation must be tackled.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has also reportedly expressed its readiness to enter into dialogue with the bandits to resolve the current security challenges.

Azinge said it is unacceptable to engage criminals.

“In all criminal jurisprudence, you will always see that the issue of conspiracy to commit a crime or the issue of aiding and abetting the crime has always been criminalised,” he stated.

He added that anyone who negotiates with suspected criminals, whether authorised or not, is aiding and abetting crime.

“This is not something that should be encouraged in any form. It is another way of saying that government is boldly and clearly saying that it has lost grip and is no longer in control,” he stated.

Similarly, Odinkalu condemned negotiation with bandits, saying they have committed offences against the laws of the land and must be punished, accordingly.

He said: “This is not necessarily a matter on which the constitution provides specific instructions. You have to read the tea leaves and other things. It is rather simple to do so.

“Look, the constitution guarantees a right to life for every Nigerian and makes it a crime to kill another without lawful justification.”

He added that reprisal, such as Gumi was speaking about, is not the lawful justification for killing.

“So, that is a crime. Government has a duty to ensure accountability for such crime, not to negotiate it away,” he said.

Akinlaja said there was no legal basis for negotiating with bandits or any criminals.

“Assuming without conceding that there is a legal rule that allows for negotiation with criminals, the very heinous, traumatic and pervasive nature of the banditry that has seemingly held our nation by the jugular would even make it an exception to that rule,” he stated.

Akinseye-George described negotiating with bandits as an admission of state failure.

“Those who negotiate with bandits may indirectly be encouraging banditry,” he said.

Akinseye-George distinguished between what is currently going on and amnesty, stating that amnesty involves a change of heart on the part of the wrongdoers and surrender of arms in exchange for amnesty.

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Binance Executive drags NSA, EFCC to court, demands public apology

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Binance Executive drags NSA, EFCC to court, demands public apology

Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan has taken legal action against National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging violations of his fundamental rights.

In a filing dated March 18 and presented by his lawyer Olujoke Aliyu from Aluko and Oyebode Law Firm, Gambaryan sought redress before Justice Inyang Ekwo, requesting five reliefs.

Similarly, Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager who escaped custody on March 22, initiated a separate suit before Justice Ekwo.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gambaryan and Anjarwalla, in the suits marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/356/24 and FHC/ABJ/CS/355/24, had sued the Office of NSA (ONSA) and EFCC as 1st and 2nd respondents.

Gambaryan, a US citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, alleged that his detention and the confiscation of his international travel passport violated Section 35 (1) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution, constituting a breach of his fundamental right to personal liberty.

He further requested the court to order his immediate release and the return of his passport. Additionally, he sought an injunction preventing further detention related to any Binance investigations and demanded a public apology from the respondents, along with costs incurred.

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Gambaryan stated that he visited Nigeria on February 26 alongside Nadeem Anjarwalla, representing Binance, in response to invitations from ONSA and EFCC. Despite attending the meeting as requested, both were detained afterward without formal charges.

During the court proceedings, T.J. Krukrubo, SAN, representing Anjarwalla and Gambaryan, informed the court of the respondents’ absence despite being served. Krukrubo also mentioned their notice of withdrawal of legal representation for Anjarwalla, filed on March 26.

Justice Ekwo noted the withdrawal of legal representation and adjourned the matter to April 8 to allow the applicants to seek new representation and give the respondents an opportunity to appear.

In Gambaryan’s case, Krukrubo stated that although the processes were served on ONSA and EFCC, they still had time to respond. He requested an adjournment, indicating that the respondents’ deadline to file their applications would expire the following week.

Consequently, Justice Ekwo scheduled the next hearing for April 8 to continue proceedings.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government will arraign Binance Holdings Limited and its two top officials, Tigran Gambaryan and the fleeing Nadeem Anjarwalla, on April 4 on allegations bordering on tax evasion.

Binance, Gambaryan, and Anjarwalla, listed as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively, are expected to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja on a four-count charge.

Anjarwalla, who had been in detention alongside Gambaryan, was said to have escaped from lawful custody. He escaped on Friday from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were detained.

Binance Executive drags NSA, EFCC to court, demands public apology

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FG shuts KFC outlet that ‘humiliated’ Gbenga Daniel’s wheelchair-bound son

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KFC outlet at MMIA, Adebola Daniel

FG shuts KFC outlet that ‘humiliated’ Gbenga Daniel’s wheelchair-bound son

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has shut down a branch of a popular food outlet, KFC, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos  State.

FAAN stated this on Thursday in a statement signed by its Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Obiageli Orah.

The statement, titled, ‘FAAN shuts down KFC outlet at MMIA,’ noted that the food outlet violated the Lagos State law on People with Special Needs, Part C, Section 55 of General Provisions on Discrimination.

The statement added that the directive followed a social media report by a Passenger with Reduced Mobility who alleged discriminatory treatment he received at the airport.

It read, “In line with Lagos State law on People with Special Needs, Part C, section 55 of General Provisions on Discrimination which states that “A person shall not deprive another person of access to any place, vehicle or facility that members of the public are entitled to enter or use on the basis of the disability of that person”, the management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has closed the KFC facility at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos with effect from March 28, 2024.

“This is as a result of a social media report by a Passenger with Reduced Mobility (PRM), alleging discriminatory treatment he received at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

“The MD/CE of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi, Kuku intervened swiftly by deploying a management team comprising the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Obiageli Orah; the Regional Manager South West, Mr. Sunday Ayodele; Ag. General Manager Public Affairs, Mrs Ijeoma Nwosu-Igbo and the International Terminal Manager, Mr. Kerri, to investigate the allegation.”

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FAAN said, “It is based on the findings of the team that FAAN has shut down the KFC facility at the MMA, where the incident occurred.

“The authority has instructed that the KFC Management should tender an unreserved apology, in writing, to the affected PRM and a policy statement of non-discrimination be written and pasted conspicuously at the door post of their facility at MMIA before it resumes operation.

“FAAN uses this medium to express our unreserved apology to the affected Passenger with Reduced Mobility and assures all airport users that we shall continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the rights of every passenger are not infringed upon.”

The victim of the maltreatment, Adebola Daniel, son of former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, recounted his experience at the KFC outlet of the airport in a series of tweets posted on Wednesday via his X handle, @DebolaDaniel.

Daniel, a wheelchair user, described his ordeal as “the worst sort of public humiliation” he ever had.

The Ogun State-born noted that it all started during his planned trip to  London from Lagos via a Virgin Atlantic airline.

He stated that in years past, while he was quite familiar with security and immigration processes, being a frequent traveller, he would visit the Oasis lounge of the airport to wait for his flight.

However, because “the lift to the lounge has been out of service,” for the past three years, he decided to find “solace” at the KFC outlet in the airport, alongside his wife and his three brothers, whom they were travelling together.

“Today I chose KFC – what a colossal mistake,” he bemoaned.

His tweets partly read, “Being disabled often rolls over my spirit, leaving behind a trail of shattered dignity and forgotten humanity. Nowhere more so than in Nigeria.

“I have never been the type of person to make a fuss or complain about my disability. My approach has always been ‘laissez-faire.’ Ultimately, it is what it is. It is a part of my identity and like everyone else, I have my days of self-doubt and confusion as to how/if I fit in society.

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“To be disabled in Nigeria is to be undesirable, unwelcome and unaccepted. As I’ve said before, it’s a lonely, scary and isolated place.

“Never has this been more true than it has ever been today when I faced the worst sort of public humiliation that I have ever experienced. To think that this happened at an international brand @kfc @kfcnigeria at an international airport – Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos – is unthinkable.”

Daniel stated that he “arrived at the airport as normal for my Virgin Atlantic flight to London. I’m a frequent flyer and I’m extremely familiar with all due processes at Murtala Muhammed Airport. Years ago, after all security and immigration formalities had been completed, I would normally go to the Oasis lounge to wait for my flight.

“For the past three years, the lift to the lounge has been out of service so I’ve often found solace in other establishments, sometimes lounges, sometimes restaurants such as @kfc @kfcnigeria.”

Daniel stated that as they were about to sit, a lady who is “apparently the manager” called out loudly, “No wheelchairs allowed.”

He added that upon hearing what she said, one of his brothers, Taiwo, asked what the lady meant, but “she refused to listen to reason and stood her ground that at @kfc @kfcnigeria Murtala Muhammed branch, wheelchairs and wheelchair users of all shapes and sizes were not permitted in the premises and we should leave immediately.

“My siblings and wife became instantly irate and proceeded to debate her position with her, ultimately cumulating in raised voices and strong verbal protests. If there’s one thing I hate more than anything in this life is to create a scene. I detest it. I do not like to draw attention to myself and as such I began pleading with my people that we should just leave.

“My wife took some video footage and my brothers took some pictures. There were at least five other witnesses at the scene, who tried to intervene as things unfolded. Eventually, our party departed to another lounge upset and quite frankly pissed off.”

Daniel stated that he wouldn’t let such an incident slide, adding that as another of his brothers alongside his wife met the lady at another time, she stressed “that the business does not allow wheelchairs into their premises,” while they took an audio record of her statement.

He recalled the lady saying that “she recently just transferred to that branch, it is something that has been drummed into them.

FG shuts KFC outlet that ‘humiliated’ Gbenga Daniel’s wheelchair-bound son

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DHQ declares prof, 7 others wanted over killing of soldiers in Delta

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DHQ declares prof, 7 others wanted over killing of soldiers in Delta

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has declared eight persons wanted including a professor over the brutal killing of 17 soldiers and officers in Okuama community of Delta State.

Those declared wanted are Prof. Ekpekpo Arthur; a woman, Mrs Igoli Ebi; Reuben Baru; Akata Malawa David and four other persons

Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, announced this on Thursday at a briefing in Abuja.

Buba urged traditional rulers and other stakeholders particularly in the Niger Delta to help in fishing out the wanted suspects.

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