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FG plans mass prisoners’ release, writes governors

Published

2 years ago

November 9, 2022

Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior

Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior, has written to the Nigerian Governors Forum to request a meeting in order to decongest jails around the country.

This was made known to our correspondent by the Minister’s Media Adviser, Sola Fasure, on Tuesday.

In exactly one month, Aregbesola stated he would meet with state governors to agree on the mass release of at least 30 per cent of convicts from correctional facilities across the country.

The minister said that the interface was necessary as more than 90 per cent of the inmates were being held for contravening various state laws, noting that over 70 per cent of the 75,635 inmates at present were awaiting trial.

He said that the federal offenders in the system were far fewer than 10 per cent, adding that the bulk of people in custody were those who had run afoul of state laws.

Aregbesola said that they were therefore being kept under the legal jurisdiction of their respective states.

The minister added that the decongestion of the 253 custodial centres nationwide was necessary as some of the inmates have no reason to remain in custody.

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However, speaking on the action taken by the minister, Fasure said, “The minister has written to the Governors Forum, but he has not met with them because they will have to communicate with him and give him a date.

“He wrote to them with the request that he wants to meet with them, but he is yet to get a response. In other words, the meeting has not been held.”

Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Tuesday revealed that over 12,000 inmates were released from various correctional centres across the country within the last six years in line with the policy of prison decongestion.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice , Abubakar Malami, stated this to members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary , Human Rights and Legal Matters during 2023 budget defence session with the committee .

Malami, who made the declaration in response to question from Senator Ajibola Basiru ( APC Osun Central ) , said the Federal Government was able to decongest prisons across the country through policy actions aside from the Administration of Criminal Justice Act , meant for expeditious dispensation of Justice.

“When this government came on board in 2015, the problem of prison congestion was at the front burner of national discourse , which made President Muhammadu Buhari to set machineries in motion in different ways for required solution.

“One of such machineries set in motion was a presidential committee set up for prison decongestion which liaised with other stakeholders in the justice sector for way out .

“Aside from the committee, Mr President himself also wrote letters to the 36 states governors and Chief Judges of the states for required visitations to prisons and exercise of prerogative of mercies from time to time .

‘In one of such visitations made by the Governor of Kano State , Abdullahi Ganduje , about 500 inmates were granted pardon in one day, totality of which had led to release of over 12, 000 inmates across the country within the last six years .

“Special attention was given to awaiting trial persons who constitute the bulk of the inmates across the various correctional centres in the country by taking Magistrates and Judges to the centres for on the spot dispensation of Justice .

Earlier in his remarks , the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele ( APC Ekiti Central), said the 2023 budget estimates for the Federal Ministry of Justice and its agencies as contained in the Appropriation Bill submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari , is N71.291 billion.

Punch

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We destroyed Lakurawa logistics base in Sokoto during airstrike – Military

Published

6 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Trends Admin

Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba

We destroyed Lakurawa logistics base in Sokoto during airstrike – Military

The military high command on Friday said it has destroyed logistics base of the terrorists’ group known as Lakurawa, disturbing peace of Sokoto communities when it rained airstrikes on them on Christmas day.

It specifically clarified that the deaths of 10 villagers in Sokoto State were caused by the secondary explosion that arose when the airstrikes bombarded the logistics base of the group.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, while addressing journalists at Defence Headquarters, maintained that the airstrikes conducted by the Nigerian Air Force hit the primary target.

He explained that the airstrike was a precision-guided operation targeting the terrorist hideout in the area.

He maintained that the fatalities resulted from the secondary explosion triggered by the destruction of the terrorists’ logistics base.

“The airstrike indeed hit the logistics base of the terrorists, which led to secondary explosions. It was these explosions that caused the casualties reported earlier,” Buba stated.

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He further explained that the terrorists’ logistics base housed dangerous materials, including hand cartridges and explosives, which detonated when struck by the air force’s precision munitions.

“When I talk of the logistics base, I’m referring to hand cartridges and poles that were kept there. Naturally, when the munition hits, there will be a secondary explosion arising from that, which will generate other things flying in the air. That led to the death of about 10 persons that were reported. The 10 persons were not hit directly by the airstrikes,” Buba said.

He added that intelligence; surveillance, reconnaissance, and human intelligence were carried out over an extended period before the operation was conducted. He also said the earlier date for the operation had been shifted to prevent human casualties.

Buba said the ground forces confirmed the destruction of the terrorists’ key infrastructure and the neutralisation of several combatants during the operation, adding that survivors from the group fled the area, leveraging their familiarity with the terrain.

Also, troops of 1 Brigade in Sector 2 Joint Task Force North West, Operation Fansan Yamma, have neutralised several terrorists, including a notorious kingpin known as Alhaji Ma’oli.

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The operation took place in Mai Sheka village, near Kunchin Kalgo town, which is one of the local communities that had suffered under Ma’oli’s reign of terror.

Ma’oli is renowned for always imposing illegal levies on residents of Unguwan Rogo, Mai Sheka, Magazawa, and other surrounding areas of Bilbis in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State.

The neutralisation of Ma’oli has brought relief and excitement to locals in Bilbis general area.

In a statement, Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, Coordinator Joint Media Coordination Centre, Operation Fansan Yamma, said the operation which led to the killing of the terrorist was initiated in response to intelligence report of terrorists on motorcycles operating on Bilbis axis of Bilbis District, Tsafe LGA in Zamfara State.

“Swift response by troops of Operation Fansan Yamma not only thwarted the terrorists’ plan to attack the locals but also reinforced the commitment to securing the area from further acts of violence.”

We destroyed Lakurawa logistics base in Sokoto during airstrike – Military

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INEC to destroy six million PVCs, parties kick

Published

6 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Trends Admin

Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)

INEC to destroy six million PVCs, parties kick

Political parties in Nigeria have kicked against the plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to destroy uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

Chronicle NG reports that INEC is contemplating a policy to withdraw and destroy Permanent Voter Cards that remain uncollected for a decade.

This recommendation was among 208 proposals arising from the commission’s review of the 2023 general elections.

The decision resulted from the recurrent issue of unclaimed PVCs, with over six million cards still uncollected as of the 2023 elections, including many issued as long back as 2015.

Stakeholders in the post-election assessment recommended that INEC resolve the backlog of uncollected PVCs by instituting a policy to withdraw PVCs that stay uncollected for extended periods, starting with cards issued in 2015.

The rationale is that these cards are unlikely to be used, and their retention clogs the voter management system.

Reacting to the plans to destroy the PVCs, the National Legal Adviser of the Labour Party, Kehinde Edun, believed that the initiative was in order, stressing that there was a need to declutter the voters register, especially if it is confirmed that many of those registered have died.

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He said, “I am sure most of those uncollected PVCs must have been as a result of irregularities in the process of registration and all that. If truly people register to vote and register as eligible electorate, they must have collected over a long period, after being given enough time.

“But I believe no system is perfect. So I think destroying them may be in order. If people have not collected over a long period, there is a likelihood those lapses were the result of some irregularities in the process of registration.”

However, the Peoples Democratic Party expressed worry that destroying uncollected PVCs could be another strategy by INEC to distract Nigerians.

Timothy Osadolor, PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, mentioned that INEC had given Nigerians enough grounds to be suspicious.

He claimed that individuals refused to acquire PVCs because they had lost faith in INEC’s ability to count their votes during elections.

Osadolor said, “How do you contemplate destroying cards produced with billions of taxpayers’ money because INEC has failed the credibility and integrity test that has made millions of Nigerians lose faith in the commission’s ability to organise free, fair, and credible elections?

“I urge INEC to, as a matter of immediate action, begin an image laundering and rebranding campaign to convince Nigerians and stakeholders that the commission is ready to be truly independent in spelling, actions, and character.”

In the same vein, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) advised INEC to reconsider the plan to destroy PVCs.

Ladipo Johnson, the National Publicity Secretary of the NNPP, said destroying over six million voter cards would amount to sheer waste of money.

He said, “If people register and haven’t come to collect over a long period of time unless they know those people have passed on, I think the cards should not be destroyed as long as they are in safekeeping.

“If you destroy about six million PVCs, and all of a sudden, some of the owners show up and want to vote, it will cost God-knows-how-much to register them again. It’s a waste of money.”

INEC to destroy six million PVCs, parties kick

metro

SANs back INEC on destruction of uncollected PVCs

Published

6 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Trends Admin

Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)

SANs back INEC on destruction of uncollected PVCs

Some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) have backed the intended withdrawal and destruction of uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Chronicle NG reports that INEC is contemplating a policy to withdraw and destroy Permanent Voter Cards that remain uncollected for a decade.

This recommendation was among 208 proposals arising from the commission’s review of the 2023 general elections.

The decision resulted from the recurrent issue of unclaimed PVCs, with over six million cards still uncollected as of the 2023 elections, including many issued as long back as 2015.

Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), the former chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, stated that some of the uncollected PVCs were most likely the result of double registration.

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“They (uncollected PVCs) are taking space. My suspicion is that the owners don’t exist. It is double fraudulent registration by a lot of people.

“Just as I am sure that we are not up to 200 million, neither do I believe that we are up to 90 million registered voters when only 20 percent of that is always voting.

“There is a lot of fake information and fake facts in this country, and I’m sure this is part of it. So, let them destroy the uncollected PVCs,” he said.

Sharing the same sentiment, another SAN, Sam Erugo, said, “The PVCs have been uncollected over time, so I don’t see anything wrong in them destroying them because not collecting them means something is definitely wrong with the owners.

“Either they are dead or they are duplicates. Now, that brings the question of whether eligible voters have voter cards or whether that will impede their right to vote or not.

“That is a different question altogether, but if they have uncollected voter cards, of course, they have a right to destroy them because that will help stop people from using them to rig elections.

“Given that they are uncollected, they are useless already, and money has been wasted already.”