A court of appeal in Lagos State has ordered a retrial of the case challenging the victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the March 9 governorship election.
The court on Tuesday asked that the case be returned to the election petitions tribunal for a retrial.
Owolabi Salis and Ifagbemi Awamaridi, the governorship candidates of Alliance for Democracy and Labour Party, respectively, filed a petition challenging the validity of Sanwo-Olu’s victory.
In a unanimous decision, a five-man panel of the court ordered the tribunal to continue hearing of the petition.
“From the record, it is clear that the tribunal was wrong to have declared the petition as an abandoned petition.
“The case is to be remitted to the lower court for expeditious hearing of the matter,” the court held on Owolabi’s appeal.
The appellate court also found merit in a related but separate appeal by Awamaridi challenging the dismissal of its appeal against the victory of Sanwo-Olu as governor of Lagos State.
The permanent secretary at Lagos State Ministry of TransportationTaiwo Salaam, says about 73,504 Nigerians died in different road crashes across the country between 2016 and 2018.
He said this at the flag-off of the Bi-annual Road Safety Campaign Week organized by the Lagos State Vehicle Services (VIS) in Lagos on Tuesday.
“This situation has major negative impacts on the socio-economic health of the country hence there is a need for a more holistic and strategic plan especially as it concerns safer vehicles and road users in line with the UN Decade of Action.
“As regards the reduction of road crashes, may I seize this opportunity to urge you to install standardized C-Caution and retro-reflective tapes on your vehicles to aid motorists visibility at night, especially when there is a breakdown of vehicles on the road. I would, therefore, urge Lagosians to be disciplined and patient,” Salaam added.
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday ordered the freezing of three accounts allegedly belonging to the Lagos State Government over alleged N9.9billion fraud.
Justice Chuka Obiozor made the order following an ex-parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He ordered the accounts’ “suspension” pending conclusion of investigation and possible prosecution of the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Adewale Adesanya.
The accounts are domiciled in First City Monument Bank (numbered 5617984012), Access Bank (0060949275) and Zenith Bank (1011691254).
In a supporting affidavit, an EFCC investigator Kungmi Daniel said the commission discovered huge inflow of N9,927,714,443.29 from the state accounts into the FCMB account.
It said the account, operated by Adesanya, was opened last September 17 during the Akinwunmi Ambode administration.
According to the deponent, investigators found that Adesanya and other signatories made fraudulent transfers from the state’s accounts and dissipated the funds.
“The trend is that the account always witnessed huge inflow from Lagos State Government in the above scheduled accounts managed by the respondent (Adesanya).
“There have been concerted efforts and attempts to dissipate the contents of the accounts listed in the schedule to this application.
“Without freezing the nominated accounts and temporarily forfeiting the money to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there is no way the fraud being perpetrated using the scheduled accounts can be stopped,” the EFCC said.
EFCC counsel Mohammed Abbas urged the court to grant the order temporarily attaching the accounts to enable it to conclude its investigations.
Scientists have made advances in their quest to eliminate the Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by the year 2030.
One of two separate studies published yesterday in the journal Nature, an experimental HIV vaccine that targets more strains of the virus than any other developed so far will start a late-stage clinical trial later in the year.
The researchers said the ‘mosaic’ vaccine, which incorporates genetic material from HIV strain from around the world, also seems to have the longest lasting effects of any others tested in
persons.
Small trials of the mosaic vaccine in people showed that it prompted an immune response, such as the production of antibodies, against HIV. But starting in September, scientists will test it in thousands of people to assess whether the vaccine provides any protection against HIV infection
The phase III trial will test the vaccine in transgender individuals and homosexuals in the Americas and Europe.The team running the trial, which they have named Mosaico, also discussed the project during the 10th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science in Mexico last week
In the second study, health authorities have uncovered a surge in resistance to crucial HIV drugs.The study, published in Nature and in WHO report, revealed that surveys by the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveal that in the past four years, 12 countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas have surpassed acceptable levels of drug resistance against two drugs: Efavirenz and Nevirapine that constitute the backbone of HIV treatment.
People living with HIV are routinely treated with antiretroviral therapy drugs, but the virus can mutate into a resistant form.The WHO conducted surveys from 2014 to 2018 in randomly selected clinics in 18 countries and examined the levels of resistance in people who had started HIV treatment during that period.
Over 10 per cent of adults with the virus have developed resistance to the drugs in 12 nations. Above this threshold, it is not considered safe to prescribe the same HIV medicines to the rest of the population, because resistance could increase.
Meanwhile, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, United States, who is part of the Mosaico team, Susan Buchbinder, said adding an effective HIV vaccine to the arsenal of preventive measures currently available to protect people from infection, including condoms and an antiretroviral regimen called Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), could make a huge difference.
Also, an epidemiologist from the Centre for Technological, Biomedical and Environmental Research in Lima, Peru, one of Mosaico’s research sites, Jorge Sánchez, said some of the preventive methods — such as PrEP, which requires taking a daily pill — could be difficult for people to maintain or even access.
A group clamouring support for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has been allowed into the Unity Fountain in Abuja by security operatives.
Operating under the name – Coalition for Good Governance – members of the group stormed the popular park in Nigeria’s capital city on Monday afternoon, wielding banners and placards with messages of support for the administration of President Buhari.
Convener of the solidarity march, Sunday Attah, said that the move was to express their total support for the former military general for laying a solid foundation for the country.
He said, “We are over 12 civil society organisations and we just want to express our support for this government and President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We are here to tell Nigerians that this government is doing well, this government has set a strong foundation for us to build on.
“Therefore, we do not need any person to disrupt what the President is doing.”
Speaking further, Attah said that those calling for a revolution have been sponsored by enemies of Nigeria.
The group was given access into the Unity Fountain shortly after #RevolutionNow protesters were prevented from using the place to express their displeasure with the Buhari regime.
VITAMIN B12 deficiency symptoms are important to recognise because left untreated, a number of health complications can occur, including problems with the nerves and infertility. Three signs to watch out for could be hidden in your skin.
Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms can begin to show when a person lacks the essential vitamin in their diet. B12 plays a vital role in the production of red blood cells and keeping the nerves healthy. A lack of vitamin B12 means a lack of red blood cells, and those that are produced can be abnormally large and have a short lifespan. If the body doesn’t get enough red blood cells, then tissues and organs become deprived of oxygen, triggering the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can be easier to spot than others – three are associated with a person’s skin.
A yellow tinge to skin
This yellow tinge to skin could be a sign of jaundice, which has been linked to vitamin B12 deficiency. Jaundice is when your skin and the white of your eyes turn yellow, explains the NHS.
It can be a sign of something serious, such as liver disease, in which case you need to get urgent medical help. But experts say jaundice can also develop when a person’s body is not able to produce enough red blood cells.
The skin gets its normal colour by red blood cells circulating under the skin. Vitamin B12 can also weaken red blood cells, which the body then breaks down more quickly.
When the red blood cells are broken down by the liver, bilirubin is released. Bilirubin is a brown-coloured substance that gives skin the yellowish tone.
It’s important to note jaundice can also be a sign of liver disease.
Pale skin
Pale skin may also appear if a person has jaundice as a result of vitamin B12 deficiency. “If you have vitamin B12-deficiency anaemia, you may also look pale.”
Again, a person may be pale due to a lack of red blood cells circulating under the skin.
White spots
White spots on the skin can be a symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, according to charity Thyroid Patient Advocacy. These spots may develop in someone with a vitamin B12 deficiency because of a lower level of melanin.
The spots are more likely to appear on the forearm, and many be dry and flakey. But it’s important to note these white spots could also be another condition, such as sunspots.
If you experience any of these symptoms see your GP.
The Nigeria Police Force has detained Victor Ogungbero, a video editor and cameraman with Sahara Reporters.
He is being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos State.
Ogungbenro was arrested alongside eight others at the scene of RevolutionNow protest in front of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
Others arrested include Segun Babatunde Osunla, Gabriel Ojumah, Ehis Omohomio, Aniobi Stanley, Elias Ozikpu, Kenechukwu Ukachukwu, Banwo Olagokun and Sanyaolu Juwon.
The police clamped down on the protesters earlier today, using live bullets and teargas canisters to disperse the people, who turned out in large numbers to express their displeasure against the state of affairs in Nigeria.
A colleague to Ogungbenro, who witnessed the arrest said the video editor was not allowed to identify himself before he was dragged away by armed security officials.
The young lady, who is not named for security reasons, said, “We kept telling them that he is with Sahara Reporters but instead that worsened the case and made them to take him away.
“They did not allow him to identity himself. He was beaten and dragged on the floor while being taken away.”
The arrested persons were first held in a black truck at ‘Area C Police Command, Funsho Williams Road, Surulere, Lagos, before being taken to Panti where they are yet to be released.
Justice Darius Khobo of Kaduna State High Court, on Monday, granted leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim Elzakzaky, leave to seek for medical attention in New Delhi, India.
Khobo while granting the IMN leader the leave said he would travel in company of State officials.
He said the IMN leader must return immediately after his discharge from the hospital to face his charges.
The IMN leader and his wife had applied to the court seeking to travel, following poor health while in detention.
The State Director of Public Prosecution, Mr Dari Bayero, briefed newsmen, shortly after Monday’s ruling in Kaduna.
Bayero, who is the respondent in El-Zazaky’s application, said the team had taken time and examined the eight medical reports by Nigerian and foreign doctors that accompanied the IMN leader’s application.
“The context of the court ruling is that Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife are granted leave to travel out for urgent medical attention.
“The court looked through the medical reports filed and believed Mallam is indeed in dire need of medical attention.
“This is not a bail, but a leave to travel. So as soon as his discharge from the hospital and he returns to the country, his trial will resume,” he said.
Bayero said the team of lawyers would study the ruling and explore whether there is a need for appeal, “We have a month to go through that.”
On his part, Mr Marshal Abubakar, counsel to El-Zakzaky recalled that before July 29, the lead counsel to the applicant, Femi Falana was in the court to move the application, which was adjourned to today.
“It is not a bail application as is being wrongly reported by some media, it was an application to save the life of the applicants, El-Zakzaky and his wife.”
According to him, “The ruling came up today and the court graciously agreed with Mr Femi Falana SAN and the various medical reports that were attached to the applications.
“There were eight medical reports that clearly show the applicants are in dire need of medical treatment abroad.
“The court agreed that they should be allowed to seek treatment that they sort for and with supervision,” Marshal said.
El-Zazaky had in the application said he and his wife would return to Nigeria as soon as they were discharged.
The IMN leader is standing trial in another court over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of public peace among other charges.
Justice Gideon Kurada, who was handling the case, had on April 25 adjourned the trial of the IMN leader indefinitely.
The indefinite adjournment was to enable the judge to serve on the panel of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal in Yobe State.
The Chief Magistrates’ Court in Minna, Niger State has sentenced a 33-year-old Islamic teacher, Abubakar Abdullahi, to seven years imprisonment for having anal sex with 35 of his pupils, the News Agency of Nigeria Reports.
Abdullahi, a resident of Sabon Gari, Kontagora, was charged with an unnatural offence, contrary to section 284 of the penal code law.
The Police Prosecutor, ASP. Daniel Ikwoche had told the court that one Murtala Abdullahi, a Hisbah Commander in Kontagora Local Government Area reported the matter at the ‘A’ Police Division in Kontagora on July 22.
Ikwoche said the complainant alleged that the accused lured 35 of his pupils, who are between the ages of 9 and 14 years, into his room and had anal intercourse with them on different occasions between March and July.
When the charge was read to him, he pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency.
The prosecutor thereafter prayed the court to try him summarily in line with section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
In her ruling, Magistrate Hauwa Yusuf sentenced Abdullahi to seven years in prison with hard labour.
Yusuf, however, said the convict will have the option of a N2 million fine after serving the first four years of his sentence.
A security expert and retired Captain in the United States of America Army, Mr. Sunday Adebomi, has said the Nigerian Army and Police lack the equipment necessary to combat the rising wave of kidnapping, insurgency and banditry being witnessed across the nation.
This, Adebomi, said was responsible for the under performance of the security architecture in combating the men of the underworld terrorizing the country.
He called on the Federal Government to provide necessary military hardware required and ensure proper funding of the nation’s security formation, adding that all hydra- headed security threats could be easily surmounted if federal police structure is decentralized to give way for the creation of a state police.
He said a nation-state with wide territorial expansion and dense population like Nigeria can only guarantee the safety of lives and property of the citizens, if it spreads the dragnet of security to the grassroots.
Adebomi, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, gave the advice in a chat with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, calling on members of the public to be conscious of their environment and report suspicious persons and movement to security agents.
Adebomi, who tasked the security operatives, particularly in Ekiti to step up surveillance and patrol in order to nip the rate of insecurity in the bud, said such can only be achieved if those with the deep knowledge of the terrain are integrated into the security architecture to gather information for proper actions.
He commended the various efforts of Governor Kayode Fayemi towards stopping criminal activities and called on the people of the state to always support the government in this regard.
“I want to express concerns on the alleged killing of about 23 people at a funeral ceremony in Borno State last weekend by suspected Boko Haram sect. The news was disturbing and traumatizing to me.
