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Lekki shootings: Four generals to testify before Lagos panel today
After a week’s break, the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing the alleged shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate by soldiers on the night of October 20 will resume sitting today (Saturday).
The retired Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel had adjourned on November 7 when its proceedings were frustrated over inability to form quorum due to the boycott of the sitting by the two youth panel members protesting against the freezing of the bank account of #EndSARS promoters by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The Nigerian Army, which had been scheduled to testify before the panel then, was unable to do so.
The panel fixed today for the Nigerian Army to return to give its testimony.
The Nigerian Army has listed three Brigadier Generals and one Lieutenant Colonel, who will testify before the panel.
The top military officers, whose statements on oath have already been submitted to the panel, are the Commander of 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island, Lagos, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Taiwo; Chief of Staff, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, VI, Lagos, Brig. Gen. Nsikak Edet; Commander, 81 Division Garrison, VI, Brig. Gen. Francis Omata; Commander, 9 Brigade, Ikeja, Brig. Gen. Musa Etsu-Ndagi; and Commanding Officer, 65 Battalion, Bonny Camp, VI, Lt. Col. Salisu Bello.
The military said it is bringing before the panel “expended blank ammunition, which was used to disperse the crowd by firing into the air on 20th day of October, 2020; unexpended 7.62mm ammunition ( a detailed explanation of the use of this ammunition will be given at the hearing); an expended live ammunition and also an unexpended live ammunition (a detailed explanation of these ammunition will be given at the hearing); 13 flash drives containing the recorded videos of the Army involvement in the incident and news report from the British Broadcasting Corporation on the incident and other stations.”
SARS brutality victims narrate ordeal in C’River, Ekiti
Meanwhile, victims of SARS brutality have narrated their ordeals in the hands of the personnel in some states.
They spoke during the sitting of judicial panels set up by the state governments.
Also, a victim of police brutality in Calabar narrated how the police broke into her home, arrested her and took her to Lagos in her night gown.
The victim, Scholastica Ojeka, who was a nursing mother at the time of the incident on September 4, 2014, narrated her ordeal to the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Police Brutality and Restitution in Calabar on Friday.
The civil servant told the panel headed by retired Justice Michael Edem that she and her husband had paid a rent of N340,000 for an apartment to a landlord and moved in only for another man to show up and claim to be the landlord.
Ojeka, who testified under oath, narrated how she was arrested with her baby in her apartment in Calabar on September 4, 2014 by men of the Nigeria Police Force and taken to Alagbon in Lagos.
“We were detained in Lagos until my husband went to the Force headquarters in Abuja to lay a complaint and they were directed to let us go. In fact, one of them while apologising said I didn’t tell her that we had someone in Abuja,” she said.
She demanded the sum of N500m and an apology in a national daily as compensation.
The Chairman of the panel, Justice Michael Edem, adjourned sitting to Thursday, November 19.
Also, Mrs Ogunleye Ajayi, the wife of a late Sgt Musiliu Ajayi of the disbanded SARS, told the Ekiti State Judicial Panel on Human Rights Violations by Police Officers and other Persons that her husband’s death still remained a mystery.
The woman, a mother of four, told the panel that she had yet to know the cause of death of her husband, who left home for work hale and hearty on January 2, 2019 but was dead less than two hours after.
She said under cross-examination on Friday, “My husband, who left home on January 2nd, 2019 by 6.30am, never returned home alive. I received an emergency call from Police Hospital in Ado Ekiti by 8:30am only to get there and find out that my husband was dead.
“There were strange bruises on the dead body of my husband and the motorcycle he rode on was parked at the police station. No assistance has come to me from any person, group of persons or any organisation for the care of my children,” she said.
The woman, however, sought government assistance on the care, needs and education of her children which she said was now very difficult for her because her husband was the breadwinner of the family.
Her counsel, Samson Osobu, told the panel that three witnesses would testify on the case.
The panel requested for the investigaion report from the police on the matter and then adjourned the case for continuation on November 24, 2020.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Deputy Governor, Mr. Benedict Alabi, has suggested how future protests by Nigerians could be organised to achieve results.
Alabi, who spoke in Iwo on the sidelines of an event organised by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress for the adoption of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola for another term, said a protest without a leader would be hijacked.
-Punch
International
2 Supreme Court judges gunned down in Iran
2 Supreme Court judges gunned down in Iran
Two prominent Iranian judges were fatally shot in what authorities are calling a targeted assassination at the supreme court in Tehran on Saturday morning.
The victims, Ali Razini, 71, and Mohammad Moghiseh, 68, were attacked by a gunman who entered the court premises. According to the judiciary’s news agency, Mizan, the assailant took his own life while attempting to flee the scene. A bodyguard was also injured during the incident.
While the motive behind the attack remains unclear, both judges had long histories of involvement in the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on government opposition dating back to the 1980s.
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In a statement, the judiciary’s media office characterized the incident as a “premeditated assassination.”
Officials have also stated that preliminary investigations indicate the attacker was not connected to any case heard by the supreme court. Authorities are now exploring the possibility of other individuals being involved in the planning of the attack.
Razini, who had been one of Iran’s highest-ranking judges, survived a previous assassination attempt in 1998. Moghiseh, meanwhile, was sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, and Canada for alleged human rights violations.
Both men had decades-long careers in the judiciary, where their duties included confirming death sentences.
Investigations into the attack are ongoing.
2 Supreme Court judges gunned down in Iran
metro
Nnamdi Kanu petitions NJC over alleged bias by Justice Nyako
Nnamdi Kanu petitions NJC over alleged bias by Justice Nyako
Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed a petition against Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing her of judicial misconduct in handling his case.
The petition, dated January 13, 2024, was addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who also serves as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC).
In the complaint, Kanu alleged that Justice Nyako’s actions during his trial had caused him “incalculable and continuing damage,” including a prolonged loss of his liberty.
Justice Nyako is currently overseeing the Federal Government’s seven-count terrorism charges against the IPOB leader.
The petition, backed by an affidavit signed by Kanu’s brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, accuses the judge of several instances of misconduct, including her refusal to reinstate Kanu’s bail. He described this as a violation of constitutional rights.
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“Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako currently presides over Court 2 of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division. Her conduct amounts to judicial fraud and non-adherence to the Constitution and established rules of law,” Kanu stated in the petition.
He further argued that the judge’s refusal to act in line with a Supreme Court ruling constitutes a breach of Section 287(1) of the Constitution, which mandates enforcement of the apex court’s decisions.
Kanu accused Justice Nyako of violating his fundamental rights through actions he described as disregarding constitutional provisions and the rule of law.
The petition concluded with Kanu requesting that the NJC take disciplinary action against Justice Nyako, stating, “Wherefore, the complainant prays the Council to discipline Her Lordship, Honourable Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako in accordance with the pertinent rules for disciplining erring judicial officers.”
Nnamdi Kanu petitions NJC over alleged bias by Justice Nyako
Uncategorized
Residents flee as bandits impose N172m levy on Zamfara villages
Residents flee as bandits impose N172m levy on Zamfara villages
Gunmen, allegedly led by a notorious bandit leader, Danisuhu, have reportedly imposed a N172.7 million levy on 25 villages in the Tsafe West Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Zagazola Makama, a counter insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, reports that the levies were accompanied by demands for in-kind contributions, including bags of soybeans and threats of violence against those who fail to comply.The report added that these demands have forced hundreds of residents to abandon their homes and livelihoods.
Makama stated that the targeted villages and their respective levies include Gijinzama (N8.5 million), Dakolo (N5 million + 20 bags of soybeans), Gunja (N7 million), Kauyen Kane (N5 million), Kurar Mota (N6 million), Sabon Garin Bakin Gulbi (N2.5 million), Kibari (N3 million), Karda (N5 million), Daga Ciki (N3 million), Biya (N5 million), Barebari (N6 million), Kauyen Magaji (N7 million), Kwaren Maisaje (N10 million), Magazawa (N10 million), Maciya (N5 million), and Unguwar Danhalima (N5 million).
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Others are Unguwar Rogo (N5 million), Katanga (N5 million), Magazu (N5 million), Sungawa (N15 million), Rakyabu (N15 million), Yalwa (N2.7 million), Tsageru (N5 million), Gidan Anne (N7 million), and Kunchin Kalgo (N20 million).
“Hundreds of residents of these villages have reportedly abandoned their homes, farmlands, and livelihoods in fear of violent reprisals for failing to meet the demands,” the report reads.
Makama quoted a local source as describing the situation as dire.
“The inability to pay these levies often results in brutal attacks by the bandits, leaving the residents with no option but to flee,” the source said.
“While security has improved along the Funtua-Tsafe axis and in Tsafe town, these gains have yet to extend to the rural villages of Tsafe West.”
The report added that residents have called for more security personnel and permanent posts in Tsafe west, alongside emergency relief for displaced residents.
Residents flee as bandits impose N172m levy on Zamfara villages
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