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Reps Back Senate, Ask Buhari To Designate Bandits As Terrorists

Reps Back Senate, Ask Buhari To Designate Bandits As Terrorists

The House of Representatives has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to designate bandits, who have dominated the North-West and parts of the North-Central geopolitical zones, and their sponsors as terrorists.

The Senate had made the demand earlier on Wednesday.

Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, at the plenary on Thursday, moved a motion of urgent public importance to urge the chamber to back the Senate.

It was titled, ‘Declaration of Bandits and their Sponsors as Terrorists.’

The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, had asked for those who were against the motion but the lawmakers chorused, “No!”

The motion was unanimously adopted through voice vote.

Moving the motion, Benson said, “The Senate, on Wednesday, 29th September, 2021, adopted a motion asking President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits ravaging the northern part of the country terrorists and wage a total war on them. They also asked that the President declare all known leaders of bandits wanted and arrest them wherever they were found for speedy prosecution. Such declaration to be done through a Proscription Order can be done pursuant to Section 2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended).

“I will like to echo the same sentiment and ask honourable colleagues to join the Senate in urging Mr President to declare bandits and their sponsors as terrorists.  This will underline the determination of government to combat the wave of criminality and murders conducted by bandits all over the country.

“The declaration of bandits as terrorists can be done through a proscription order. That will serve as added impetus for our brave security personnel to redouble their efforts at dealing with this menace. Such declaration when given the force of law, will renew the vigour and resolve of our gallant security personnel in dealing with the menace of banditry as the mode of operations and rules of engagement will be scaled up accordingly.”

Benson listed more benefits of declaring the bandits terrorists, noting that such an order will officially bring the activities of bandits and their sponsors within the purview of the Terrorism Prevention Act, while any persons associated with such groups can then be legally prosecuted and sentenced to penalties specified in the Act.

He said, “Declaration of all bandits as terrorist may also encourage other countries to do same and help create a global consensus around dealing with transnational factors that feeds the domestic activities of such proscribed organisations and individuals.

“As previously observed in this House, no one action can be a silver bullet to solving our insecurity in Nigeria. But a collection of many effective actions and strategies can bring safety. It is in this spirit that I speak today.

“Insecurity in Nigeria requires an all-of-government approach. Hence, I also urge the President to implement the recommendations of the National Security Summit, which took place in June this year and was officially delivered to Mr President in July. All hands have to be on deck to be able to win this battle against insecurity in all its manifestations.”

Davido: My Support For #EndSARS Protest Put In A Lot Of Trouble

Davido: My Support For #EndSARS Protest Put In A Lot Of Trouble

Nigerian musician, David Adedeji Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, says he got into trouble during the #EndSARS protest after one of his albums ‘A better time’ became the anthem for the movement.

David made this known in a recent interview on Trevor Noah’s ‘The Daily Show’.

The singer said though he had not produced the music for that purpose, he is honoured to have his song representing the voice of the people.

He said he got into so much trouble that he had to travel out of the country during the period.

He said, “I did not record that song thinking that was going to happen but it’s amazing how I saw my voice being an instrument for people, it was amazing, I got into a lot of trouble, I had to actually leave the country.

“It was that bad, but it was amazing to see people come out like that and I will say this, they listened, they heard us, they might not have changed anything but they were shocked. I see a lot of young future leaders coming out in the next general elections, things are going to change.”

In October 2020, many Nigerians took to the streets to demonstrate against police brutality under the #EndSARS campaign.

The demands led to the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force.

Meanwhile, the song ‘FEM’ had been released a few weeks to the commencement of the protest ahead of the larger album. Coincidentally, it was recognised as the anthem of the protest.

As young Nigerians poured out into the streets across the country to protest against police, the “FEM” lyrics reverberated.

At the time, a video surfaced online showing Babajide Sanwo-Olu, trying to address the protesters outside the Lagos State Government House.

The youths were seen chanting “O boy you don dey talk too much” serving as proof of their dissatisfaction with his response to their demands.

France: Ex-President Gets Jail Term For illegal Campaign Financing

France: Ex-President Gets Jail Term For illegal Campaign Financing

Former French President, Nicholas Sarkozy, has been handed a one-year custodial sentence, but will not serve his time behind bars, a French court has ruled.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy leaves court after the judgment on his trial on corruption charges in Paris, France, 1 March 2021.

A French court on Thursday handed former President Nicolas Sarkozy a one-year sentence for illegal financing of his 2012 re-election bid, dealing a fresh blow to the right-winger six months after a conviction for corruption.

Sarkozy, 66, will not serve time behind bars under the terms of this verdict, however, with the court ruling that he would be able to serve the sentence outside of prison.

The verdict comes six months after Sarkozy was found guilty of corruption in a separate trial.

Sarkozy spent nearly twice the legal limit on his failed bid for a second term in office.
The right-winger pulled out all the stops in 2012 to try fend off the ultimately victorious Socialist candidate, Francois Hollande.
A series of lavish United States-style election rallies caused his costs to spiral, with the final bill coming to at least 42.8 million euros ($AU69 million), nearly double the legal limit of 22.5 million euros ($AU36 million).
The case is known as the Bygmalion affair, after the name of the public relations firm which set up a system of fake invoices to mask the real cost of the events.
Sarkozy, who remains a hugely popular and influential figure on the right despite being caught up in multiple investigations since losing office, was not in court for the verdict.
At his five-week trial in May and June, the prosecution portrayed him as having a “cavalier” attitude to the public money available to candidates during campaigning and said he ignored warnings from his accountants about the ballooning costs.
Sarkozy dismissed the allegations of wanton recklessness as “a fairy tale”, saying he had been too busy running the country to pay attention to the finer details of his campaign finances.
He also denied any knowledge of the fake invoices.
Illegal campaign financing carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros ($AU6,000).
Prosecutors had asked the court to give Mr Sarkozy a one-year term, but to suspend six months of the sentence.
Thirteen other people, including Mr Sarkozy’s former campaign manager, several Bygmalion executives and a handful of former directors of Mr Sarkozy’s The Republicans party were also tried in the case. The court will deliver their verdicts on Thursday.

Corruption And Influence Peddling

In March, Sarkozy became France’s first post-war president to be handed a custodial sentence when he was given a three-year term, two years of which were suspended, for corruption and influence-peddling over attempts to secure favours from a judge.

Sarkozy, who has accused the judiciary of hounding him since he lost his presidential immunity, appealed that verdict.

Before him, the only former leader to be sentenced at trial was Sarkozy’s predecessor Jacques Chirac, who received a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 for corruption over a fake jobs scandal relating to his time as Paris mayor.

Scott Morrison yet to speak with Emmanuel Macron since tearing up submarine contract Sarkozy attended just one day of his campaign finance trial, a snub that infuriated prosecutors who accused him of acting “as if he is not answerable to the law like everyone else”.
The case failed to garner much interest among the public, with the charges seen as less sensational than the corruption charges that had already dented any prospect of Sarkozy making another comeback.
In 2016, he attempted to win back the Elysee Palace but failed to gain the nomination of his right-wing The Republicans party.
Sarkozy was defeated by his former Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, who was tipped to go on to win the election but crashed out in the first round over a fraud scandal that would later see him convicted.
Fillon’s downfall left the right rudderless and added to nostalgia among conservative voters for the heyday of the energetic Sarkozy, who led France through the eurozone debt crisis of 2008-2009.
With new Presidential elections looming in April next year, conservative candidates have been jostling to receive Sarkozy’s endorsement.

El-Rufai: Only Foolish Southerners Think The North Will Hand Over Power

El-Rufai: Only Foolish Southerners Think The North Will Hand Over Power
Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai

“No one has the right to sit in Lagos or Port Harcourt and say whether northerners want it (2023 presidency) or not; they must relinquish power to the South; that is wrong. It is not how we do politics, and in fact, it is foolish,” says Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, lambasting Southern Governors over their insistence on producing the next president in 2023.

The governor’s statement came on the heels of a meeting held by the Northern Governors’ Forum that criticised southern governors’ statement that the presidency must go to the South.

El-Rufai pointed out that the southern governors should learn to collaborate and communicate respectfully rather than grandstand.

In July, Governors from the southern states of Nigeria had demanded that the region produce the country’s next president.

While clarifying the forum’s position, El-Rufai claimed that northern governors did not oppose their southern counterparts’ demand. The Kaduna Governor pointed out that what riled the northerners was the southerners’ use of “must” in demanding power shift after Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.

“We are not saying there cannot be a rotational presidency, it can be done; but you have to come and sit with the politicians in the North and dialogue, and then we agree to give our support to the South,” he added.

The northern governors had argued that “the statement is quite contradictory with the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended that the elected President shall score the majority votes; score at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in two-third states of the Federation. In the case of a run-up, a simple majority wins the election.”

El-Rufai also claimed that the resolution of the northern governor’s meeting on Monday was misrepresented while recalling that “the North has supported southern presidential aspirants in the past,” particularly Olusegun Obasanjo’s aspiration in 1999 and his reelection in 2003.

Apart from the Northern Governors, other leaders in the region had condemned southerners’ insistence that they must produce the next President in 2023.

Bandits Raid Police Headquarters, Kill Cop, Attack Emir’s Palace

Bandits Raid Police Headquarters, Kill Cop, Attack Emir's Palace

Nigeria’s insecurity continues to worsen as scores of bandits invaded a divisional police headquarters and an emir’s palace in Niger, killing at least a cop and two civilians.

The Police Command in Niger confirmed the killing of three people by the bandits who attacked the palace of the Emir of Kagara in the Rafi local government area of the state.

Police Commissioner Monday Kuryas confirmed the attack in Minna on Wednesday.

Kuryas explained that the incident occurred at about 5.30 p.m.on Tuesday as “over 100 bandits who came with dangerous weapons gained entry into the emir’s palace and the divisional police headquarters in the area.”

He said the bandits gunned down a policeman and two civilians during the attack.

The police commissioner said some bandits also attacked Kachiwe in Sarkin Pawa headquarters of Munya local government area of the state.

According to him, the bandits “sneaked from their hideout in Kaduna to execute the heinous act.”

“I don’t have the actual number of people killed during the attack,” said Kuryas.

The commissioner, however, pointed out that the command would continue to make efforts to rid the state of criminals and appealed to residents to provide timely information to security agencies.

Kuryas further stated that the police had launched investigations into the attack to track down the bandits.

According to him, a team of policemen has been dispatched to Sarkin Pawa to safeguard lives and properties.

NAN

VAT War: Oyo Seeks To Join Suit Against Federal Government

VAT War: Oyo Seeks To Join Suit Against Federal Government
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde

Oyo State government has sought to join in the suit instituted by the Rivers State government seeking to take over the collection of Value-Added Tax from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The suit is against the Attorney-General of Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

The Muhammadu Buhari-led government has been locked in a legal battle with Rivers and Lagos states over which government should collect Value-Added Tax- state or federal.

Instituted by the Attorney-General of Oyo State, Professor Oyelowo Oyewo, the suit is seeking an order of the Appellate Court to enable the state join the suit as an interested party, Tribune reports.

In the suit, Oyo State government is seeking two orders, which are an order of the court joining the Attorney-General of Oyo State as a respondent on the appeal with suit number FHC/PH/CS/149/2020 and appeal number CA/PH/282/2021, and any other order the court may deem fit.

Oyewo said the state government was not aware of the suit between his Rivers State counterpart and the FIRS at the Federal High Court until the judgment was delivered.

Other grounds upon which the application was based include that the decision of the Appeal Court will affect the collection of VAT by the government of Oyo State, being one of the states which the judgment of the lower court recognised as entitled to collect VAT within its territorial jurisdiction.

The state government also indicates that the applicant (Attorney-General of Oyo State) “represents the interest of Oyo State government, whose interest in the collection of Value Added Tax within Oyo State will be impacted one way or another by any judgment delivered by this Court in this Appeal”.

The grounds claimed by the state government state among others that: “The applicant is a necessary party to this suit being a party who will be bound by the judgment of this court in this appeal.

“The interests of the applicant and that of the respondent, in this case, are similar, being states within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

An affidavit filed in support of the motion stated that it is in the interest of justice that the court grants the application, adding that the joinder would not prejudice the appellants/respondents.

It also stated that Oyo, being one of the 36 states in the country, will be affected by the decision of the Appeal Court, adding that joining the state to the suit already instituted by Rivers State will help to avoid multiplicity of suits by the states against the Nigerian government.

In a motion on notice also attached to the proceedings already filed before the court, Oyo State said it relied on eight grounds and declared that the state is a necessary party to be joined since it has sufficient interest in the outcome of the appeal.

“We, therefore, urge the court to resolve the sole issue raised in this application in favour of the applicant and hold that the Applicant is a proper, desirable and necessary party to be joined in this appeal…

“In conclusion, we humbly urge your Lordships to grant this application in the interest of justice and effective determination of the issues before the court,” it said.

FEC Approves 14 days Paternity Leave For Civil Servants

FEC Approves 14 days Paternity Leave For Civil Servants

The Federal Executive Council has approved the introduction of 14 days paternity leave for public servants in the new Public Service Rules.

Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, briefed State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Yemi-Esan said that the annual leave would henceforth be calculated based on working days instead of calendar days.

She said that the Annual Performance Evaluation Review and Promotions had been replaced with a new Performance Management System.

“We presented a memo on the revised Public Service Rules (PSR); and we are all aware that the PSR is an old important tool in the public service; it is what governs the actions of public servants at work.

“The last time these rules were revised was in 2008; and so, we recognise that the revision was long overdue.

“And so, we put everything that we got to ensure that we did the vision; these rules ideally, are supposed to be revised every five years.

“But this has taken more than that for us to get the revised PSR 2021.’’

She said that in doing the revision, there were a lot of stakeholder engagements.

Yemi-Esan said that a circular was put out for inputs from different sectors and from various groups that wanted amendments to the PSR.

“We set up different committees to look at what we got; and finally, a technical committee that consisted of permanent secretaries serving and retired and directors were put together to look at the zero draft that we got.

“After they reviewed it, we took it to the National Council on Establishment.’’

She said that, at the National Council on Establishment, the essence of the PSR was approved.

The head of service said that there were some revisions that were supposed to be made before making the new PSR public.

“Those revisions have been done; and so, we brought it to FEC this morning for approval and we got approval for it.

“Some of the revisions that we made–the first thing was that the 2008 version had 16 chapters;  meanwhile, the 2021 version now has 17 chapters in it.

“The chapter on APER and Promotions has been replaced by a new chapter on the New Performance Management System that has been introduced into the public service.

“There’s also a chapter that has also been reinvigorated–the chapter on training–this is an all-important chapter because of the importance that training has in the public service.’’

She said the revised PSR also had a new chapter on virtual meetings.

According to her, some of the guidelines in the policy document earlier approved by FEC were put into the new PSR.

“And so, we have accepted virtual meetings as a tool to be used in service now and there are some guidelines there.

“We also got approval to include paternity leave; this is something that is new, and this is something that the unions in the service asked that we include and luckily, we have been able to include it.

“We’ve also been able to ensure that leave now is calculated based on working days not on calendar days–that also has been approved.

“We also have introduced the transition from paper service to a digital service.

“So, these are some of the new things that are in the new PSR that has just been approved by FEC,’’ she said.

Yemi-Esan said that there would be a transition period from APER to the new system as work had started with some pilot ministries.

NAN

Jonathan: Lack Of Electoral Transparency Could Cause E-Transmission Crisis

Jonathan: Lack Of Electoral Transparency Could Cause E-Transmission Crisis
Former President, Goodluck Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that lack of transparency could result in crises as he makes case for the electronic transmission election results.

Jonathan who spoke at the inauguration ceremony of the National Defence College (NDC), in Abuja, urged Nigerian lawmakers to reconsider the deployment of electronic transmission for the sake of transparency and avoidance of violence.

“Where there is no confidence in the electoral umpire, people resort to crisis. But unfortunately, sometimes when the result comes out, the damage would have been done,” the former president said.

“I urge the National Assembly (NASS), while looking at the law, they should allow the use electronic means of transmitting results for the sake of transparency as well as avoiding electoral crisis,“ he added.

Jonathan’s warning comes a few days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) accused the National Assembly of being the only blockade to e-transmission of election results.

The commission said it would electronically transmit elections results “if the choice was up to INEC”, reiterating that it has over the years put adequate structures for such in place across Nigeria.

The election umpire had earlier in July expressed its readiness to switch to electronic transmission of election results.

INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, said the commission has since 2018 proven to the National Assembly its capacity to electronically transmit election results across all parts of Nigeria, including from remote areas.

But after months of consideration about whether or not the country should eliminate a crucial channel of election rigging and allow electronic transmission of results, lawmakers of the ruling All Progressives Congress exclusively rejected the proposal in the Senate.

The APC senators said there was no capacity for INEC to transmit results via electronic channels throughout the country, leaving the final decision to the NCC. The move was rejected by opposition PDP senators, who voted entirely in support of electronic transmission of results as a needed improvement to a process long marred by irregularities.

Shortly after the rejection at the senate,  APC lawmakers in the House also followed their Senate counterparts to kick against the deployment of electronic transmission, leading PDP lawmakers to stage a walkout of the parliament session in anger.

Peoples Gazette

Senate To Buhari: Declare Bandits As Terrorists, Declare Leaders Wanted

Senate To Buhari: Declare Bandits As Terrorists, Declare Leaders Wanted
President Muhammadu Buhari

The Nigerian Senate has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits causing various havocs across the country as terrorists.

The Senate mentioned this while calling on the President to wage war against bandits, including bombing all their locations to annihilate and eliminate them.

It advised the President to declare all the known leaders of the bandits wanted and track them wherever they are for arrest and prosecution.

The resolutions followed a motion by Senator Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir representing Sokoto East Senatorial district and eight others.

Gobir noted his district had turned to a safe haven for bandits because of the recent onslaught against them in Zamfara State.

He recalled the killing of 21 security personnel last Saturday in Dama and Gangara and a yet-to-be-ascertained number of civilians from the neighbouring villages by rampaging bandits.

The lawmaker described the incident as one which requires urgent action by the declaring war on banditry.

He expressed worry that losing such a number of trained officers would further deplete the numerical strength of the security personnel in the country, thereby jeopardizing the security architecture of the country.

He also lamented that most of the bandits have now relocated to Sabon Birni and Isa local government areas due to the sustained military operations at the Zamfara axis.

Gobir said while the crackdown on the bandits was taking place in Zamfara State, no concrete measures have been taken in Sokoto State, leaving it totally exposed to the activities of the bandits.

“The operation should be holistic instead of restrictive in order to produce effective and the desired results,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senate observed a minute of silence in honour of the fallen heroes and civilians who lost their lives in the unwholesome activities of the bandits.

The Upper Chamber then directed the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and other relevant federal government agencies to give all the necessary support to the victims of the menace of banditry in Sokoto and other parts of the country.

Twitter Ban: ECOWAS Court Adjourns For Ruling In January 2022

Twitter Ban: ECOWAS Court Adjourns For Ruling In January 2022

The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States has adjourned, for ruling, the case brought against the Federal Republic of Nigeria over the ban of Twitter in Nigeria till January 2022.

The cases marked as ECW/CCJ/APP/23/21, ECW/CCJ/APP/29/21, ECW/CCJ/APP/24/21, and ECW/CCJ/APP/26/21 were previously consolidated in July. This was done to enable all parties prepare for trial.

The cases were filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and 196 others, Media Rights Agenda and 8 others.

The suit against the Federal Republic of Nigeria challenges the action of the Buhari-led administration of banning Twitter’s operations in the country.

The ban took effect on June 4 after the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, announced the indefinite suspension of the social media app, claiming it was being used to spread false information and “activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

The ban, now 116 days in, has negatively affected Nigeria’s economic growth. A report in August said Nigeria lost over N150 billion as a result of the suspension of the app. Small and medium-sized businesses which relied on Twitter’s reach for marketing also suffer from the effects of the ban, as business owners reduced or completely cut off their operations from the app.