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Sowore granted bail in sum of N20m
Omoyele Sowore, convener of the Revolution Now Movement, has been granted bail in the sum of N20 million.
A magistrate court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday granted bail but Sowore said the conditions were too stringent.
He along with Peter Williams, Sanyaolu Juwon, Emmanuel Bulus and Damilare Adenola were arrested on New Year’s eve during a protest organised and led by him.
The police had arraigned the five persons last week Monday on three counts of conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and incitement.
Mabel Segun-Bello, the magistrate, had ordered that they be remanded at the Kuje correctional centre.
But last Tuesday, they were transferred to the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) after Sowore reported that they were denied access to healthcare, food and water.
Counsel to the defendants, Marshal Abubakar, while moving the application for bail, asked the court to grant them clients “on self recognisance or in the alternative grant bail in the most liberal terms”.
The ruling which was scheduled for Friday was stalled owing to the failure of the police to produce the defendants in court.
On Monday, ruling on the bail application, the chief magistrate said the defendants did not resist arrest while being apprehended.
According to her, the defendants are entitled to bail as it is their fundamental right to liberty.
The second, third, fourth and fifth defendants were granted bail in liberal terms with a bond of one million each.
They are also to produce one surety in like sum who “must be resident in Abuja with an identifiable workplace and residential address”.
“The first defendant however, Omoyele Sowore is also admitted to bail in the sum of N20m and two sureties in like sum,” the magistrate ordered.
One of the sureties must be a civil servant not below grade level 12 in the federal civil service.
The magistrate said Sowore must report physically to the chief registrar of the FCT high court or any other person designated by the chief registrar every Monday and Friday morning until the end of the case.
She added that all defendants must not travel outside Abuja metropolis or outside the country pending determination of the case.
Sowore, in his reaction, said the bail conditions were too stringent.
He said the bail sum was too high for a civil servant, adding that no civil servant would want to risk their job for such bail.
Sowore, however, thanked his supporters for standing by him.
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UK hikes visa fees as new rates take effect April 9
UK hikes visa fees as new rates take effect April 9
The United Kingdom Home Office has announced an upward revision of visa application fees across various categories, with the cost of study visas for main applicants and their dependents rising from £490 to £524.
According to an update published on the Home Office website on March 19, the new fees will apply from April 9. The cost of a six-month visit visa will increase from £115 to £127, while a two-year visa will now be issued at £475, up from £432. Additionally, the fee for a 10-year visa has been raised from £963 to £1,059.
Transit visas have also been affected by the changes, with the direct airside transit visa fee increasing from £35 to £39, and the direct landside visit visa rising from £64 to £70.
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The UK has long been a preferred destination for Nigerian students looking to further their education, often as a way to escape economic challenges at home. However, the number of Nigerian students applying to study in the UK has dropped significantly in 2024 following a government policy barring most international students from bringing their family members.
The rule, which does not apply to postgraduate research students, has led to a decline in study visa applications from countries such as Nigeria and India. A March 2024 report by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service highlighted the shift, noting that many prospective students are now seeking admission in alternative destinations.
UK hikes visa fees as new rates take effect April 9
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Ramadan ends in Nigeria, Sultan announces March 30 as Eid-el-Fitr
Ramadan ends in Nigeria, Sultan announces March 30 as Eid-el-Fitr
Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar Sa’ad, says the crescent moon marking the end of Ramadan fasting has been sighted.
The Sultan, who is president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSIA), said in a broadcast on Saturday night, “Today marks the end of the Ramadan fasting and Sunday, March 30, is the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.”
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Embrace environmental sanitation during Eid-Fitr, LAGESC boss tells Lagosians
Embrace environmental sanitation during Eid-Fitr, LAGESC boss tells Lagosians
By Dada Jackson
The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) has urged Lagosians to embrace proper environmental practices and obey the state’s environmental laws ahead of the Eid-l-Fitr festivities to mark the end of the Ramadan fast by Muslim faithful around the world.
Corps Marshal of the agency, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (retd), sounded the call at the agency’s command headquarters at Bolade-Oshodi.
He said, ‘‘The Ramadan fast is a testament to the willingness of Muslim faithful to adhere to the pillars of their faith and it is enjoined that cleanliness is an important religious practice in all faiths, which is why we admonish Lagosians to imbibe proper waste disposal and keep their environment clean during the celebration.”
Cole also advised Lagosians to make proper use of pedestrian bridges for their safety instead of crossing highways to prevent ‘hit and run’ cases by speeding motorists.
He equally read a riot act to miscreants in the habit of converting pedestrian bridges to sleeping areas which deters Lagosians in transit, pedestrians vowing that anyone caught w be made to face the state Environmental laws as amended
The KAI boss also revealed that the agency had recorded giant strides and would not relent in ridding pedestrian bridges across Lagos of criminal obstructions, traders and hawkers with daily arrests made alongside secured prosecutions by the Courts.
The Corps Marshal also warned Lagosians to desist from street trading, use of Styrofoam pack, hawking in traffic, patronage of cart pushers for refuse disposal, and erection of illegal structures on laybys, setbacks, medians, road verges, kerbs or around public schools in the state.
The KAI head said offenders would be made to face the consequences via prosecution in a competent court of appropriate jurisdiction.
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