metro
Niger’s Polls: ECOWAS court adjourns hearing on exclusion suit
The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has adjourned hearing of a suit by Nigeriens in diaspora challenging their exclusion by the Republic of Niger, in the country’s 2020 elections.
President of the court, Justice Asante adjourned the case after listening to both parties at the court in Abuja.
Asante, who presided over the matter alongside other judges, Gberi-Be Ouattara, and Keikura Bangura, said the court was compelled to adjourn because a document was filed on the day of the hearing.
This, the judges said, would give the court time for its translation to enable all the judges in the three-member panel to understand the contents in their language.
In the suit, the Nigeriens in diaspora contended that their exclusion to participate in the country’s electoral process constituted a violation of their human rights.
They argued that their exclusion also included violating their right to register in the electoral register and consequently their right to vote.
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“The applicants requested the Court to declare that the state of Niger had infringed their rights as enshrined in Articles 1, 2 paragraph 1, 7.
“And 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR); Articles 2, 3, 25 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
“They also cited Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR); Articles 4 and 6 of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, Articles 4(g,i,j).
“And 5(3) of the revised ECOWAS Treaty; Articles 1(b), h), 4 paragraph 1, 5 and 6 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance,” they said.
They urged the Court to order the state of Niger to respect their rights.
“And to take the necessary measures to guarantee their right to participate freely in the electoral process of their state, in accordance with Community and international texts”.
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“They prayed the Court to also order the state of Niger to refrain from taking measures to prevent them from exercising their right to vote.”
Counsel to the Applicants, Bachirou Adamou cited the electoral calendar of the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) to back up their case.
Adamou stated that as contained in the calendar, citizens of the zone 2 regions, of which the Nigeriens in the diaspora belong, should register on the electoral register between Feb. 6, 2020 and April 2020.
However, he said, against all odds, by a press release of Feb. 14, 2020, the applicants learnt that they were excluded from the enlistment operation.
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According to the President of CENI (Commission Electorale Nationale Independante), their exclusion was due to the closure of the borders.
The Counsel, therefore, urged the Court to hold that by arbitrarily excluding the applicants from enjoying their right to vote and stand in the 2020 elections, the state of Niger breached the rules governing the electoral process.
He said that the suit was therefore in disregard of its international human rights commitments and violation of their human rights, as contained in the Community and international instruments mentioned.
Respondent to the case, represented by Mainassara Oumarou, prayed the Court to declare as inadmissible the action of the applicants who had failed to provide evidence of their status as Nigeriens residing or domici.led abroad.
Oumarou said that the CENI had experienced difficulties in the involvement of Nigeriens in the diaspora, and in consultations with the government, it restricted participation to those in 23 countries.
Then, missions were organized in these countries to see how to set up the administrative commissions for enrollment and voting.
The respondent further said that the process was also truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the closure of borders, the accompanying lockdown and travel disruptions.
“Faced with this situation, the Prime Minister sought the opinion of the Constitutional Court on whether this could constitute a force majeure.
“And in response issued a decision that by its scope, it excludes Nigeriens in the diaspora from voting.
“The state of Niger also raised a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the Court to hear the case, on the ground that it would amount to reviewing the decision of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Niger.
The court has adjourned next hearing till to Tuesday, April 12, 2022.
NAN
metro
BREAKING: PDP secretary shot dead in his residence [PHOTO]
BREAKING: PDP secretary shot dead in his residence [PHOTO]
Gunmen suspected to be terrorists have killed the secretary of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Alhaji Musa Ille.
The deceased was said to have been shot dead by the terrorists in front of his residence in Tsafe on Monday.
“The late Musa Ille was one of our good and God fearing neighbors, he was killed him in front of his house,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
Zamfara is one of states in the Northern region plagued by criminals known as bandits who raid and loot villages, kill residents and burn houses to the ground.
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The gangs maintain camps in a huge forest straddling the state, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states, and have carried out mass kidnappings of students from schools in recent years.
Recently, another prominent PDP chieftain in Zamfara, Alhaji Shafiu Abubakar, along with two others were killed near Danbaza junction and Maradun town, the headquarters of Maradun local government area.
Abubakar was murdered while pursuing his ambition to contest the chairmanship seat of Maradun Local Government Area council in the upcoming local government elections.
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Education
22 Zamfara varsity students, staff members released after six months in captivity
22 Zamfara varsity students, staff members released after six months in captivity
Twenty-two abducted students and staff members of the Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, have finally been released after six months in captivity.
The victims, comprising 15 students and seven workers of the university, were abducted from the university in September 2023.
They were received on Monday April 15 in Abuja by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The captives were released in three batches, with the last batch returning home on Sunday April 14.
Ribadu said the rescue operation was coordinated by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre.
He urged them not to allow their experience to break them, but should rather make them stronger.
He said, “On behalf of the President, I thank all those involved in the successful rescue of the victims without losing anyone of them or paying any ransom.
“This is yet again a success story in our efforts to free all those being unlawfully held in captivity.
“We have so far released over a thousand of such victims without noise and with complete respect to their privacy and safety.
“This occasion marks a final juncture in a series of rescues we have undertaken in the last few months, to free victims of recent cases of mass abductions.
“Going forward, we are strengthening law enforcement and security measures to prevent these abductions, and strengthen physical security across vulnerable communities.”
National Coordinator, NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, recalled that those rescued were abducted from the school on September 22, 2023, at about 0230hrs.
He said the bandits armed with various weapons attacked three off-campus students’ hostels at Sabon Gida in Gusau and kidnapped a number of female students alongside some male artisans.
Others, he said, were a private security guard and a protocol officer of the university.
He added that the bandits ransacked the hostels, and carted away foodstuffs, mobile phones, laptops, ATM cards, cash and other valuables.
According to him, the abductees were subsequently herded on motorcycles and foot to a location through a town in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara.
Laka said, “Search and rescue was conducted by a combined team of law enforcement agencies and the abductees were subsequently released in three batches, after 207 days in captivity.
“The first batch was rescued on March 15 while the second batch was rescued on April 12 and the last batch was rescued on April 14.
“All the abductees were profiled at the NCTC while the ONSA Medical Team examined them and administered minor treatments on the bruises sustained by 3 of the abductees.”
Education
Oromoni’s death natural but avoidable, coroner rules
Oromoni’s death natural but avoidable, coroner rules
Sylvester Oromoni died of a natural cause and not due to any action by his school, Down College, or accused five students of the college.
This is the verdict of a coroner, Mikhail Kadiri, who presided over the matter on Monday during a seven-hour magistrate court sitting in Ogba, Lagos.
The judgement coming after a two-year inquiry, affirmed that the 12-year-old died of sepsis emanating from an infection of the lungs and kidney due to an ankle injury.
The coroner however said his death was an avoidable case of parents and medical team’s negligence.
Sylvester Oromoni Junior who was a student of Dowen College in Lekki, Lagos, died on November 30, 2021.
The coroner cleared the five students of the college accused in the case, ruling that they played no part in the death of Sylvester and should not have been involved in the matter.
He also advised parents not to take their children’s health with levity.
The magistrate also called for better cooperation between the police and medical team and that the police must exercise caution before making arrests in the future.
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