Nigerian govt disowns anti-press bills before Senate

The Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said the Federal Government was not the sponsor of the controversial anti-press bills now before the National Assembly.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos on Friday, Mohammed said the two bills seeking amendments to the Nigerian Press Council and the National Broadcasting Commission Acts were sponsored by a lawmaker in the National Assembly.

He condemned the criticism by some members of the public, saying that those who have been berating him on the bills have been doing so on a false premise that the Federal Government had sponsored the bills to stifle the press.

He said such criticism was a classic case of misinformation, as the Federal Government did not sponsor any bill to gag the press.

He said: “It baffles me that those who rushed to the media to slam the government didn’t even try to verify the facts.”

However, he said the sponsor of the bills has done nothing wrong, as he only did what he was elected to do.

”I insist that the bills were not sponsored by the Federal Government. I was invited, as the Minister of Information and Culture, to make my contributions, just like many other stakeholders at the public hearing.

“It was an opportunity for stakeholders to make their input into the bills. I attended and made my contributions.”

Meanwhile, Mohammed said those falsely accusing the Federal Government and misinforming the public on the bills had a chance to make their contributions during the public hearing.

He said rather than show up at the National Assembly’s sponsored public hearing on the bills, they chose to play to the gallery.

The minister said: “The Nigerian Press Organisation, which represented the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, appeared there merely for appearance’s sake.

• Lai Mohammed leads Nigerian team to discuss with T...

“Instead of strongly stating their reservations on the bill on the Nigerian Press Council, they were more interested in stopping the hearing, hinging their argument on the case at the Supreme Court on the Press Council.

“It is a shame that some of us love democracy so much but hate the fine details of democracy and its processes. These critics will rather play to the gallery than do the needful. Why didn’t these critics show up at the much-publicized public hearing on these bills?

“Why have they instead opted to go hysterical in the media and to point accusing fingers at the Federal Government as the sponsor of the bills when indeed that is not true?”

The minister advised the critics of the bills to engage with the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics, and Values to convey their reservations.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, had earlier said the President had nothing to do with the bills.

One of the bills is “A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Broadcasting Act to strengthen the Commission and make it more effective.”

The other is a bill seeking to amend the Nigeria Press Council Act to enable the Council effectively carry out its regulatory role on media practice.

Meet Beverly Tlhako, The South African Celebrity That Is Presently Mistaken As Chidinma

The whole country is talking about the death of Super TV CEO and the 21-year-old University of Lagos State student, Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu who is held accountable. In the cause to spice up the news on Chidinma, a misconception has been presently created dragging an innocent South African celebrity identified as Beverly Thlako.

Photo Credit; @littest_2001 : Instagram

A viral video of Beverly Tlhako, who is the CEO of the shopping and retail store, Beverly Luxury, was posted on Facebook to claim the identity of Chidinma.

Fact check: Beverley Thlako posted that video on January 2nd when she promoted a dress from her online shopping store.

Photo Credit; @littest_2001 : Instagram

It is so easy to confuse the suspected killer, Chidinma with the South African celebrity because both ladies have a similar facial and body appearance. In the photo above, the UNILAG student is by the left while Beverly Thlako is by the right. Without someone striking out the difference, any one can believe they are the same person.

Photo Credit; @littest_2001 : Instagram

As a matter of fact, Beverly Thlako just celebrated her 20th birthday four days ago and made no appearances in Nigeria.

Here are more photos of Beverly Thlako to see she is not Chidinma.

Photo Credit; @littest_2001 : Instagram

It is important that we try and debunk fake news because misconceptions like this are often created especially on trending topics. The genesis of this narrative was created hours ago after videos of Beverly Thlako were posted on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Social media users saw the videos and assumed it was Chidinma. Chidinma simply looks like the famous South African model but they are not the same person. 

Police release father of Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of Super TV CEO

The Lagos State Police Command has released the father of 21-year-old student of the University of Lagos, who allegedly stabbed the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, to death.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu, told The Punch that the suspect’s father and one Nkechi Mogbo, have been released on bail.

The Punch learnt that Chidinma Ojukwu’s father was arrested for hindering his daughter’s arrest at their residence in the Alagomeji area of the state.

Until Chidinma’s arrest, Mogbo had been in police custody after investigation showed that she operated the service apartment where the University of Lagos undergraduate allegedly killed Ataga.

The suspect, while being paraded at the command headquarters in Ikeja on Thursday, confessed to have committed the crime.

Speaking with The Punch on Friday, Odumosu said though investigation was ongoing, an order had been given for Mogbo’s release on bail, adding that Chidinma’s father had also been released.

He stated that Chidinma’s account of how she perpetrated the crime exonerated her father and Mogbo.

Lecturers, Course mates Speak On Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu.

A 21 year old, 300 level student of University of Lagos, identified as Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu, in the Department of Mass Communication was paraded by men of the Lagos State, Police Command for the alleged murder of Super Television, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Usifo Ataga. The deceased body was discovered in a service apartment in Lekki, this was after he lodged in the apartment with the suspect on Sunday but Chidinma left the apartment alone on Tuesday.

After Chidinma left the apartment, Usifo Ataga was said to have remained inside till Tuesday and Wednesday, cleaners who went in to dispose the trash in the room and also to clean it up discovered the body of the deceased as he was found in the pool of his blood with only his boxers on. This was when they raised an alarm over his death. The incident was taken to the Police, and investigation into the death of the Super Television CEO began immediately.

Investigation carried out led to the arrest of Chidinma as the prime suspect of the murder, which she later confessed to. In her confession, she said she met the Super Television CEO, four months back through a friend. On the occasion, Usifo Ataga had invited her to the apartment in Lekki, they both took drugs which got them high and Usifo Ataga decided to have his way with her which he did, this she said got her angry.

Chidinma, who said she recommended the apartment after searching online, said she went out to get food for them. On her return, she was smoking and drinking, watching movie when Ataga wanted to have his way with her again, then she told him she wasn't pleased with what he did the first time, saying he wasn't doing anything for her. This was when he gave her his ATM card and told she could withdraw any amount she wants.

Chidinma said he insisted on having his way with her and chased her into the kitchen. He kept coming at her, at this point she took a knife and stabbed him on the neck twice, then on the stomach, after he died, she absconded with his ATM card and withdrew over N380k from his account, which she said was to pay her school fees. She said, they both had the drug known as "Loud and SK". He became violent on her to have his way, she confess to have stabbed him because she too was on the influence.

Chidinma insisted that she only withdrew N380k and not N5 million. She confess to feel remorse for what she did, she said she had told her father while leaving the house that she was going for an ushering job and made contact with the apartment management with a foreign number she generated. The Lagos State, Police Command have also arrested the father of the suspect for resisting the arrest of his daughter when Police men came to pick her up. Her father was arrested in their home, No. 57, Akinwunmi street, Alagomeji, Yaba.

Chidinma father resisted the arrest of his daughter because he didn't believe his daughter committed any crime until she made her confession on Thursday. Everyone that knows Chidinma has expressed shock over the incident. Some of her lecturers and course mates spoke under anonymity. One of her lecturer describe Chidinma as an introvert who is always quiet in class but can only be identified because of her striking beauty. Adding that she looks so innocent and doesn't talk in class.

Another Lecturer confirmed to have seen the update on a group platform of Unilag professors. A course mate of Chidinma claimed not to have seen Chidinma in the ongoing semester, adding that they usually receive their lectures from 5pm to 8pm on weekends. Another course mate claim to know Chidinma and said they don't interact as Chidinma doesn't talk to much people in their class. Another course mate address Chidinma as a cool girl who attends lecture and only talk to a few friends and leaves afterwards. Chidinma is currently in Police custody in Lagos State.

Culled from Opera News )

Gunmen storm Abuja hotel, kidnap owner, 6 guests

 

There was tension at Tunga Maje village, near Zuba, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), when gunmen stormed a hotel and abducted about six guests and the owner of the hotel.

The guests, whose names were given as Hon. Friday Sani Makama, Prince Frederick Adejoh and others yet to be identified, were taken away in a commando style from the Hilltop Hotel, where they lodged in the early hours of yesterday.

Makama, who is said to be a former lawmaker in the Kogi State House of Assembly, recently defected from the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while Prince Adejoh is the Oma Onu Aya of Igala land.

Residents told Daily Sun that the armed men, who came in their numbers, had shot sporadically into the air, causing residents of the village and security guards on duty at the hotel to run for their lives, while they got inside and kidnapped the guests and the owner of the hotel.

For some time now, Tunga Maje and the Kaduna-Abuja Highway had become dens for kidnappers and hoodlums who, on a daily basis, rob motorists, villagers and other road users.

The management of the hotel has since reported the incident which happened in the early hours of yesterday to the police.

It was gathered that other guests, who were lucky to escape from being kidnapped, have relocated from the hotel to a safer place.

When contacted, FCT Police public relations officer, Mariam Yusuf, who confirmed the incident, said the command has launched a manhunt to rescue the kidnapped victims alive and arrest their abductors.

BREAKING: Buhari Postpones London Medical Trip

President Muhammadu Buhari has postponed his medical trip to London indefinitely.

Femi Adesina, Presidential spokesman disclosed this in a statement on Friday,

No reason was given for the development which was announced hours before the scheduled medical trip.

“The medical follow-up visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United Kingdom earlier scheduled for today, Friday, June 25, 2021, has been postponed.”

“A new date will be announced in due course,” the statement read.

Since he assumed office on May 29, 2015, Buhari has embarked on medical trips abroad at least five times, covering a period of no fewer than 170 days of the five years he had been in power.

The following is a timeline of the President's trips for medical treatment; on February 5 to 10, 2016, the President took a six-day vacation in the United Kingdom, saying that his doctors lived in England. 

Between June 6 and 19, 2016, Buhari went on a 10-day medical trip to England for an ear infection surgery. He extended his trip by three days to rest.

On January 19, 2017, the President was back in London again on a medical vacation.

On February 5, 2017, he wrote to the National Assembly, seeking an extension of his London medical leave. Later on March 10, 2017, Buhari returned to Nigeria but didn't resume work immediately at Aso Villa.

The Presidency had claimed that "he was working from home." On May 7, 2017, Buhari embarked on a trip to London for another medical vacation. He returned after 104 days – the longest he had stayed outside the country.

On August 19, 2017, Buhari returned to Nigeria, and it took him a while to resume work because rats had reportedly damaged furniture in his office.

The Presidency had announced that he would be working from home. On May 8, 2018, Buhari went to London for a four-day "medical review."

On April 26, 2019, Buhari again left for the UK on a 10-day private visit to seek medical care. He came back to the country on May 5.

In 2020, Buhari had not minimised his foreign medical trips to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global lockdown and strain on medical facilities.

Also, from March 30 to April 6, 2021, the President embarked on another trip for a routine medical check-up in London.

Source: SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK

Dot Nation: Senate Minority Leader, Abaribe Speaks On Alleged Arrest By Department Of State Services

Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has described a report circulating on social media that he has been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) as false.

The report had claimed the senator was arrested at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, where he had gone to attend a function.

Reacting through his spokesman, Uche Awon, Abaribe said he was not arrested nor accosted by security operatives.

“It’s not true, we are here in the office together, I’m with the senator here. Some guys are mismanaging social media, because this thing pops up to remind them that he was arrested three years ago.

“Three years ago, he was arrested, today is the anniversary of it. So somebody just quickly claimed he has been arrested. The senator is here in his office,” his media aide told SaharaReporters.

Abaribe has been very critical of President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration’s policies in the last six years.

Abaribe earlier in the week wore a T-shirt branded: 'The Dot Nation'.

This was clearly in reference to a statement made by President Muhammadu Buhari earlier in June when he described the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a dot nation with limited access.

"So that IPOB is just like a dot in a circle. Even if they want to exit, they’ll have no access to anywhere. And the way they are spread all over the country, having businesses and properties. I don’t think IPOB knows what they are talking about,” he said. 

I Started Robbing From Age Seven, Hoped To Be Popular Like Oyenusi, Anini, Shina Rambo

Kikiowo made the confession after he was arrested and paraded by men of the Ondo State Police Command at the state police headquarters in Akure, the state capital.

A 28-year-old suspected armed robber, Gbenga Kikiowo, has said that he chose to become an armed robber when he was seven-year-old to command international respect like some infamous notorious robbers in Nigeria.

 

Kikiowo made the confession after he was arrested and paraded by men of the Ondo State Police Command at the state police headquarters in Akure, the state capital.

According to him, he was caught by the policemen with one of his gang members, Tope Aladeloye, 25, on their way to buy bullets ahead of an operation within the Oke-Aro area of the state.

He disclosed that his motive was to be as popular as past notorious armed robbers in the country such as Ishola Oyenusi, Mufu Olosha Oko, Lawrence Anini and Shina Rambo, adding that he had performed robbery operations in Ghana, Daily Post reports. 

The suspect began his robbery operation at his home town in Igbara-Oke, headquarters of the Ifedore Local Government Area of the state at a tender age, and revealed that he had been jailed three times as he blamed spiritual attacks for his engagement in social vices.

“I called my partner who normally goes with me for operations. I informed him that I had a gun with me but there was no bullet. So he told me to bring the gun down to Akure from Ife which I did. It was on our way to buy the cartridge that we were arrested by the Scorpion Squad of the police.

“Honestly, I don’t have any genuine reason for what led me to crime because I was born into a very rich family. I suddenly started stealing from my parents. They believed in traditional custom and that’s what they practice, so the more they use spiritual solutions for me to stop my criminal act, the more I steal.

“I even went to Ghana to rob. After a while, I brought my squad to Nigeria and we were arrested during an operation in 2015 and remanded in the Olokuta prison.

“My father’s name is Kikiowo Ayodele. He’s a very popular man in Igbara-Oke axis and married six wives with 24 children. He’s a well known retired soldier and also a farmer. He is rich in his own capability, not educated but believes in his rugged life and farming.

“My last hope was the gun I was caught with because I had made up my mind to quit local crime for big ones, like going internationally. That’s why I took the risk to look for a gun. I wanted to become an international armed robber like Mufu Olosha Oko and Oyenusi because I wanted my name to reign. I believed that it’s through crime that it could reign,” he said.

Kikiowo boasted that if not for the gun, there was no way the police would have arrested him, stressing that he believed more in using intelligence to operate.

He also said he did not engage in searching for money when he went to steal from his victims, adding that he knew where exactly the money was.

“Through intelligence you can operate and do all things and you will achieve it. Let me tell you, I don’t look for money when I enter your room. I smell money,” he said.

The state Commissioner of Police, Bolaji Salami, said on May 24, 2021, the command received from a reliable source information about the move of a gang of armed robbers to carry out a robbery operation in Akure metropolis.

The police boss said on receipt of the information, detectives swung into action and in the process, one Kikiowo and Aladeloye were arrested at Oke-Aro, Akure.

“The suspects also confessed to have been involved in other robbery operations within and around Ondo State. Items recovered are one pump action gun,” he said.

Salami added that Kikiowo and other paraded suspects will be charged to court soon.

Northern Coalition Sues National Assembly Over Constitutional Review, Demands Support For Biafra

The suit was filed by the leadership of the group, Nastura Ashir Shariff, Balarabe Rufa’i l, Abdul-Aziz Sulaiman and Aminu Adam joined against the defendants: Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; and the National Assembly.

The Coalition of Northern Group (CNG) has dragged the National Assembly to court, asking that the ongoing constitutional review across the country be stopped with immediate effect.

The suit was filed by the leadership of the group, Nastura Ashir Shariff, Balarabe Rufa’i l, Abdul-Aziz Sulaiman and Aminu Adam joined against the defendants: Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; and the National Assembly, Daily Trust reports.

File Photo: National Assembly

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the coalition's spokesman, Abdul-Aziz Sulaiman, argued that instead of the ongoing constitutional review, the defendants should immediately provide a framework for the actualisation of agitators’ demand on self-determination.

The Coalition on June 11, had urged the National Assembly to suspend the constitution review to enable the Government to organise a referendum on the actualisation of a Biafra Republic.

It also urged the National Assembly to invoke the doctrine of necessity to organise a Biafra referendum as the final step towards the separation of the Igbo from the rest of Nigeria.

The group argued that the unrelenting disturbances created by certain interest groups in the South-East, in the form of the agitation for a separate State of Biafra, had turned violent.

It appealed to the government to invite the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to initiate the process of self-determination that will mandate the Biafrans out of the Nigerian union by leveraging the several relevant international treaties and conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.

ECOWAS Court Rules Against Government Prosecution, Arrest Of Anyone Using Twitter In Nigeria — SERAP

ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, in its ruling on Tuesday, stopped the Nigerian government from intimidating or arresting anyone for using the microblogging platform, Twitter in Nigeria.

This was disclosed in a tweet by Socio-Economic Rights And Accountability Project (SERAP) on its verified Twitter handle.

 

The tweet read, “Victory: The ECOWAS Court of Justice, Abuja in a landmark ruling today has stopped the Buhari administration and its agents from intimidating, sanctioning, arresting or prosecuting anyone for using Twitter in Nigeria, pending the final determination of the suit. Details shortly.”

VICTORY: The ECOWAS Court of Justice, Abuja in a landmark ruling today has stopped the Buhari administration and its agents from intimidating, sanctioning, arresting or prosecuting anyone for using Twitter in Nigeria, pending the final determination of the suit.

Details shortly.

— SERAP (@SERAPNigeria) June 22, 2021

SERAP had earlier said it would sue the Nigerian government over its suspension of Twitter indefinitely. 

The Nigerian Government on June 4 suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service in Nigeria.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement signed by his Special Assistant Segun Adeyemi citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.

The Minister said the Federal Government had also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.

The development comes after Twitter deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet where he threatened to treat Nigerians “misbehaving” in “the language they understand”.

Buhari had in one of his tweets stated that his government would get “harder” on those hell-bent on destroying the country.

Following widespread condemnation of the tweet, Twitter deleted the message.

The platform said the message by the Nigerian President violated its rules.

SERAP, shortly after the government's suspension, tweeted, "We're suing Nigerian authorities over their ILLEGAL indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.

"Nigerians have a right to freedom of expression and access to information including online, and we plan to fight to keep it that way.

"@NigeriaGov, we'll see you in court."

Culled from Sahara Reporters.com