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Senate halts ministerial confirmation of Kingsley Udeh over pending security clearance
Senate halts ministerial confirmation of Kingsley Udeh over pending security clearance
The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday suspended the confirmation process for Kingsley Udeh (SAN), a ministerial nominee from Enugu State, citing the absence of a mandatory security clearance.
Presiding over the plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced that the chamber could not proceed with the confirmation until the required security report was submitted. “The confirmation of the minister-nominee would have been next on the list, but we need security clearance,” Akpabio stated.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, on Tuesday, forwarded Udeh’s nomination to the Senate for confirmation, in accordance with Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates Senate approval for ministerial appointments.
Udeh’s nomination comes in the wake of the resignation of Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, who stepped down last month amid controversy surrounding his academic credentials. Nnaji’s exit left Enugu State without representation in the Federal Executive Council.
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Following the reading of the President’s letter, Akpabio referred Udeh’s nomination to the Committee of the Whole for screening. However, when the matter appeared on Wednesday’s Order Paper, the Senate President announced a pause in proceedings due to the missing clearance.
Akpabio hinted that a senator had informed him the nominee was en route to the National Assembly with the clearance document. This prompted Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) to caution against breaching institutional protocols. “This is an institution. I have nothing against the young man; I know him. But let’s respect this institution. You can’t wait for the nominee because he’s coming with a security clearance letter. No, that’s not done,” Ningi asserted.
Responding, Akpabio clarified that the Senate would not wait indefinitely. “I don’t even have any intention of waiting for anybody because after screening them, you don’t see them again,” he said.
The Senate President subsequently directed the Senate Leader to move a motion for a closed-door session to deliberate on national issues. The motion was seconded, and lawmakers dissolved into an executive session.
Senate halts ministerial confirmation of Kingsley Udeh over pending security clearance
metro
Court Sends Chris Ngige to Kuje Prison on EFCC’s N2.2bn Fraud Charges
Court Sends Chris Ngige to Kuje Prison on EFCC’s N2.2bn Fraud Charges
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Gwarinpa has ordered the remand of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in Kuje prison pending the hearing of his bail application.
Justice Maryam Hassan issued the order on Friday after Ngige pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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The former minister, who served from November 11, 2015, to May 29, 2023, is being prosecuted for his alleged role in a N2.2 billion contract fraud. The charges include abuse of office and accusations that he received kickbacks from companies that secured contracts from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
The court ruled that Ngige should remain in custody until Monday, when his bail application will be heard.
Court Sends Chris Ngige to Kuje Prison on EFCC’s N2.2bn Fraud Charges
metro
Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda Despite Tinubu’s Pardon
Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda Despite Tinubu’s Pardon
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reaffirmed the death sentence imposed on Maryam Sanda, daughter-in-law of a former PDP chairman, for the culpable homicide of her husband, Bilyamin Bello, in 2017.
Sanda was convicted by an Abuja High Court on January 27, 2020, and sentenced to death by hanging after being found guilty of stabbing her husband to death at their Abuja residence. She had spent six years and eight months in Suleja prison before President Bola Tinubu reduced her punishment to 12 years under the recent presidential pardon initiative.
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According to the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the clemency was granted on “compassionate grounds” and in the “best interest of the children,” noting Sanda’s good conduct, reformed behaviour, and remorse during incarceration.
However, in a split decision of four to one, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court on Friday overturned the executive intervention and reaffirmed the original death sentence. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Moore Adumein ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The apex court upheld the earlier decisions of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal, describing them as sound and unassailable. It further held that President Tinubu lacked the constitutional authority to issue a pardon in a homicide case that was still under judicial review.
Sanda’s appeal was dismissed for lacking merit, bringing a definitive close to one of Nigeria’s most widely followed murder conviction cases.
Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda Despite Tinubu’s Pardon
metro
Mother, 10-Month-Old Baby Murdered in Katsina Over Alleged Paternity Dispute
Mother, 10-Month-Old Baby Murdered in Katsina Over Alleged Paternity Dispute
A woman and her 10-month-old baby have been found murdered in Sheme village, Faskari Local Government Area, Katsina State, in what authorities believe was linked to a paternity dispute.
The Katsina State Police Command confirmed that detectives are investigating the incident. In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said 35-year-old Sahabi Rabi’u has been arrested in connection with the killings, while a second suspect remains at large.
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Aliyu explained: “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and admitted conspiring with a friend, now at large, to lure the victims to the outskirts of Sheme village, where they were killed. The bodies were burnt and thrown into a nearby well.”
Investigations revealed that the murder stemmed from a paternity disagreement, which escalated into a brutal killing. The bodies have been recovered, and the suspect is currently in police custody. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing accomplice.
Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Bello Shehu, condemned the killings as “barbaric and inhumane,” assuring that justice will be served. He appealed to members of the public to provide information that could assist in capturing the second suspect, with guarantees of confidentiality.
Mother, 10-Month-Old Baby Murdered in Katsina Over Alleged Paternity Dispute
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