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DSS invites MURIC Founder for questioning, body kicks

Published

2 years ago

December 17, 2022

Professor Ishaq Akintola

The Ogun State Chapter of the Muslim Rights Concern has said that its attention has been drawn to recent invitations by the Department of State Service to its Founder, Prof. Ishaq Akintola.

According to the Islamic human rights organisation, Akintola was told to report at the DSS office in Ibadan, Oyo State.

A statement issued by the Ogun State Chairman of MURIC, Alhaji Tajudeen Jimoh Alao, and State Secretary, Olaleye Rasheed Damilare, on Friday confirmed the development.

The statement said: “We are particularly disturbed by the insistence of the officers of Oyo State D.S.S Office that Professor Ishaq Akintola, the director of MURIC, must report to their office in Ibadan, Oyo State, for questioning despite Professor Akintola’s poor health which he explained to the DSS.

“Although the caller agreed that our director could report in their office within one week, we still find this disturbing because they refused to tell him his offence.

“Our guess is that he is being invited in connection with a press release of Monday, 6th of December, 2022 in which MURIC cautioned Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State against the repression of Muslim students and teachers who were forced to sing Christmas carol in St. Annes School 1 senior, St Annes School 2, and St Annes Junior school, Molete, Ibadan.

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“In the statement, MURIC asked Muslims in the state to vote out Makinde in the coming election in the State.

“MURIC repeated in the statement that it is not averse to having a Christian Governor as long as the governor is just to all and as long as he respects the rights of all.

“If for this the D.S.S. in Oyo State is now being used as a tool to intimidate, harass, distract and silence MURIC, we alert Nigerians to the emerging tyranny in Oyo State.

“Professor Ishaq Akintola is a law abiding citizen of this country. We are not aware of any crime that he has ever committed.

“MURIC refuses to be distracted and intimidated for speaking in the interest of Nigerian Muslims.

“After all, we have videos of pastors who have uttered incriminating and provocative statements on the 2023 elections and nothing has happened to them.

“Ordinarily, the D.S.S has the right to invite people to their offices for questioning, but the question begging for answer is ‘How sure are we that the person who called our director is a member of D.S.S.? What if it is a ploy to get him out of his comfort zone in order to assassinate or kidnap him?’

“This is a man people have been threatening to kill. Professor Ishaq Akintola has been threatened on many occasions and the telephone call may have been made by any of his prospective assailants.

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“This is a man, who has been publicly molested for speaking up for the Muslims by people who are against social justice, security and peace.

“This is a man that has escaped series of assassination attempts by miscreants and hoodlums. Assassins have been sent to Akintola’s home. They shot his wife in the stomach and she spent weeks in the hospital. How can the DSS invite a man who has suffered such fate just by ordinary telephone call.

“Going by the above, we advice Oyo State DSS to invite our director professionally in writing for the sake of security. Another alternative is for the DSS to come and pick him in Lagos on condition that Muslim lawyers must be present during the questioning. Any attempt at illegal detention will be resisted with every legal means available. At least that will give Nigerians the guarantee that he is in the hands of the DSS. But we warn that nothing must happen to Akintola.

“Although he is based in Lagos, the DSS Oyo State wants him to report in Ibadan, Oyo State. It is therefore a cross-state invitation and we see it as very dangerous in present-day Nigeria where there is insecurity everywhere. We are particularly concerned when the caller rejected Akintola’s suggestion that he was ready to report at the DSS Lagos office and they insisted that he must come all the way to Ibadan.

“We remind Governor Seyi Makinde that the current president of Nigeria has been criticized and abused by many yet he never ordered the security agents to invite, arrest or detain any of his critics. Many state governors have also experienced criticism and they tolerated it. But Seyi Makinde has set the state security personnel against a Muslim non-governmental organization for daring to interrogate the intolerance of school authorities who forced Muslim students and teachers to sing Christmas carol. It is executive recklessness. We reaffirm that we will not succumb to intimidation.

“Governor Seyi Makinde never cautioned Christian school authorities who persecuted Muslim students but he wants to use the DSS to harass the leader of an Islamic human rights organization that has been exposing the excesses of christian principals and teachers in the state.

“We insist that peace, justice and tolerance can only be achieved, if only we respect the rights of ordinary citizens.”

Eagle

metro

CBN fines any bank N150m hoarding cash

Published

48 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

Trends Admin

CBN fines any bank N150m hoarding cash

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has imposed a N150 million fine on a commercial bank for failing to dispense cash through its Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

This action follows an unannounced inspection by the apex bank, which uncovered deliberate cash hoarding and ATM manipulation by the erring bank.

Sources within the CBN revealed that the sanctioned bank was caught disabling its ATMs, thereby denying customers access to their funds while prioritizing cash disbursements to select VIP clients.

A staff member of the CBN stressed that the apex bank would not tolerate such practices. “The Bank will not spare any Deposit Money Bank (DMB) caught in the act of hoarding cash or found favoring VIP customers over other customers,” the official stated.

To this end, the CBN has intensified spot checks on banks nationwide, exposing various illicit cash-handling practices by some unscrupulous financial institutions.

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For now, the CBN is imposing financial penalties on defaulting banks. However, according to the official, the next phase of enforcement will include publicly naming and shaming offending banks and prosecuting implicated bank officials.

“This fine is just the beginning. The CBN is determined to hold banks accountable for any actions that undermine public trust and the integrity of the banking system,” the official added.

Despite the ongoing challenges, the CBN has reiterated its commitment to promoting cashless banking in the country. Another senior official disclosed that the apex bank’s management is intensifying efforts to encourage the use of electronic channels for transactions.

“The frustration faced by account holders is undermining our push for a cashless economy. We are doubling down on initiatives to restore public confidence in electronic banking solutions,” the official said.

CBN fines any bank N150m hoarding cash

metro

Three days to Christmas, food prices, transport fares hit the roof

Published

1 hour ago

December 22, 2024

Trends Admin

Three days to Christmas, food prices, transport fares hit the roof

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ,UDHR, Article 25(1), everyone has the right to standard of living adequate for their health and well-being, which includes access to food, clothing, and housing.

Similarly, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ,ICESCR, Article 11 emphasizes the right to an adequate standard of living, including sufficient food.

Furthermore, the Covenant recognizes the fundamental right to be free from hunger and advocates for measures both individual and international to eliminate hunger.

It is widely acknowledged that inadequate food availability can lead to health issues, as food is as essential to health as air is to breathing.

The situation is exacerbated by the rising costs of healthcare, which are increasingly out of reach for many due to ongoing inflation.

Difficult situations

In Nigeria, harsh economic conditions are forcing households into difficult situations, with many going to bed hungry due to skyrocketing food prices. With Christmas just three days away, our correspondents visited local food markets in Lagos and Abuja to see how citizens are coping with the rising cost of goods and services.

In the locations, buyers and sellers expressed their frustrations over the increasing prices of food items.

At Agric Market in Ikorodu, Mummy Somto, lamented that she had never witnessed such high prices in her lifetime.

She noted that a chicken that cost N15,000 last year now sells for N35,000, with only older layers available for N15,000.

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“What will that do for my family? We have never seen it like this in Nigeria. I hope this hope is the hope,” she said.

At Mile 12 International Market, trucks filled with perishable goods such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, cabbages, and other vegetables were lined up for unloading while eager buyers waited nearby.

When asked about the high prices despite the abundance of food, truck owner Alhaji Shehu, explained that the situation arose from expenses related to diesel, farm security, police and military checkpoints before reaching Lagos.

He mentioned spending between N500,000 and N800,000 per truck, which inevitably raises prices.
“This is our business, and we are not pleased with the high costs either. If I sell my goods, I still need to buy what I don’t sell. It’s suffocating us. I also commend the buyers,” Shehu added.

Bags of rice

Mrs. Bukky Osagie, a rice vendor at Mike 12, shared her concerns about escalating prices: “Last December, a bag of rice was between N65,000 and N70,000. Today, it’s from N95,000 depending on the brand. Traders are exhausted. People are buying half bags because they can’t afford full ones. They also need to buy additional items. How do people survive this trend? This has to stop if the government truly cares for its citizens.”

At Daleko Market, Mrs. Hannah, was seen pricing vegetable oil when she declared, “Whether the devil likes it or not, we will celebrate with our families and share love during this season. We will just have to adjust our spending according to our means.”

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As of the time of filing this report, a 25-liter container of vegetable oil was selling for between N86,000 and N95,000 depending on the brand.

Garri was priced at N56,000, while Ijebu Gaari was N58,000.

A carton of satchel tomatoes ranged from N8,800 to N9,200 while a pack of spaghetti cost N23,000.
70 grams of noodles were priced between N9,800 and N10,500. A roll of curry or thyme sold for N550 each, while small bulbs of onion reached as high as N200, making them almost unaffordable for many.

Christmas cheer

In Abuja, soaring food prices and steep transportation costs are casting a shadow over Christmas celebrations for many families.

The cost of essential holiday items, such as poultry, has surged, with chickens priced between ¦ 15,000 and ¦ 25,000, and turkeys reaching up to ¦ 130,000 in some markets.

Sunday Vanguard learned that rising feed prices, transportation costs, and supply chain disruptions are driving these increases.

Additionally, a 50-kg bag of rice now costs between ¦ 94,000 and ¦ 125,000, a significant leap from previous months.

Transportation fares have also skyrocketed, with transport fare from Abuja to major cities such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Enugu increasing from 15 percent to 35 percent in the past month.

For instance, a trip from Abuja to Lagos by road, which previously cost ¦ 28,000–¦ 35,000, now ranges between ¦ 46,500 and ¦ 60,000.

Three days to Christmas, food prices, transport fares hit the roof

VANGUARD

metro

Three Ogun varsity students die auto crash

Published

1 hour ago

December 22, 2024

Trends Admin

Ogun State Command Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola

Three Ogun varsity students die auto crash

The Police Command in Ogun State has confirmed the death of three university students in a single-vehicle accident on the Ilisan-Ago-Iwoye Road.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the command’s spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, revealed that the victims were suspected to be students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye.

The incident, which occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, involved an Opel car with registration number AAA-126 HE. The vehicle was reportedly driven by Adekunle Adebiyi, a resident of 5 Sunmibare Street, Awa Ijebu.

“The accident was caused by overspeeding, leading to the driver losing control and the vehicle flipping into the bush,” Odutola explained.

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She further disclosed that one male passenger, whose identity is yet to be confirmed but is believed to be an OOU student, died on the spot. His body was taken to the mortuary at General Hospital, Ijebu Ode.

“Two female students from Olabisi Onabanjo University — Dada Oluwanifesimi, 18, and Miracle Daniel, 19 — were rushed to Love and Care Hospital but sadly passed away while receiving treatment,” she added.

The vehicle involved in the crash has been recovered and is now in police custody.

Odutola assured the public that further updates on the tragic incident would be provided and advised motorists to adhere to traffic regulations, particularly during the festive season.