News
‘Why We Declared Amaechi Governor’
Two years after Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State was declared the validly elected governor of the state, Supreme Court Justice, George Oguntade, Friday at a lecture gave reasons for the decision of the apex court.
The court, he said, was motivated by the desire to do substantial justice in the case of the governor versus the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Amaechi, he stated, was wrongfully excluded from the erection as he was the validly nominated candidate of the party in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Electoral Act.
He said the same principle guided the court also in the case of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and the PDP who was expelled by the party in an apparent attempt to render the judgment of the apex court nugatory.
Oguntade, who voiced his frustration at the lawlessness exhibited by the ruling party in its bid to frustrate the court judgment, said if he had his way, the party would have been committed for contempt.
“After Araraurme won the case in the Supreme Court, PDP then said, well you have won the case but we have expelled you from the party. If I had my way, I do not know why PDP should not be committed for contempt.”
Oguntade, who wrote the dissenting judgment in the case of Gen. Mohammed Buhari, and the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), said he decided to deliver the lecture entitled: “Dissenting Judgments and Judicial Making”, because of the role dissenting judgments play in the development of the law.
“It is my firm view that in a nascent democracy as Nigeria’s, where our public law can he regarded very much as still in its infancy, judges must be encouraged to exercise independence of mind in the interpretation and application of law so as to protect the rights of the people.”
The Justice also went down memory lane to comment on the case of the former vice president, Aliku Abubakar and INEC when he was excluded from contesting the 2007 on the strength of a committee set up by former President Olusesun Obasanjo.
The former vice president, Oguntade said, was treated unfairly as he was denied the provisions of Section 34 (2) of the Electoral Act which provides for 90 days of campaigning before election as he (Atiku Abubakar) only had four days to campaign.
For law and order to prevail in the nation’s democracy, Ohasanjo, he emphasis, needed to be told in categorical terms that he had no power to constitute himself as the accuser, the prosecutor and the judge.
The court, he said, was motivated by the conviction that nobody should be denied the right to contest an election unless convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The judge who will be retiring from the Supreme Court early next year on the attainment of the statutory age of 70 years, spoke at the inaugural Justice Adolphus Godwin KaribiWhyte Convocation lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Advance Legal Studies (NIALS), University of Lagos.
Distinguised guests at the lecture included the Justice Minister, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa (SAN); retired Supreme Court Justice; Adolphus Karibi-Whyte, Director-General of the Institute, Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN) and Chief George Uwueche (SAN).
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has cautioned parents to closely monitor their children’s craving for cookies and gummies, warning that some of the products may contain illicit substances being smuggled into the country.
In a statement posted yesterday, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said recent seizures by the agency’s officers had revealed attempts by criminal elements to introduce prohibited substances under the guise of everyday snacks.
“As parents, if your kids and young ones always crave for cookies and gummies, you may have to pay a little more attention. There may be more to it than ordinary cookies and gummies,” Babafemi wrote, sharing images of seized packages.
The photos showed colourful pouches of “Cookies Delta 8 Gummies” in flavours such as Hawaiian Rain Pineapple Guava and Thai Mango, labelled as vegan and hemp-derived, alongside the actual gummy products.
The warning comes amid a major interception by the Nigeria Customs Service at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
Officers seized two 40-foot containers containing large quantities of cannabis-infused products concealed among legitimate imports such as used vehicles, generators, batteries and fabrics.
The consignment included thousands of Delta-8 cannabis pre-roll cookies, packs of cannabis-infused gummies and other cannabis-infused cookies, with a combined estimated street value of about ?373.8m.
The items were subsequently handed over to the NDLEA.
NDLEA officials described the products, which originated from the United States and were packaged to resemble ordinary vegan snacks with appealing flavours, as an emerging public health threat.
They noted that the attractive packaging could appeal especially to children, students and young people, raising the risk of accidental consumption of concentrated cannabis.
The Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) has announced plans to partner with the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) to strengthen efforts at combating illegal waste dumping and improving environmental sanitation across the state.
The partnership was unveiled during a meeting between officials of RIWAMA and the leadership of the Rivers State chapter of the PCRC in Port Harcourt, recently, where both organisations pledged to work together to restore the Garden City status of the state capital.
In his speech, the Supervisor of Market and Community Sanitation in RIWAMA, Mr. Omereji Ukoha, said the collaboration was in line with the vision of the agency’s Managing Director, Dr. Ibimina Wokoma, and the Board Chairman, Dr. Samuel Nwanosike, to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
Ukoha described the PCRC as a strategic grassroots partner capable of mobilising communities and driving behavioural change through sustained public enlightenment on proper waste disposal.
He expressed concern over the increasing rate of indiscriminate refuse dumping in parts of Port Harcourt, particularly in New GRA, where blocked drainage channels and illegal shanties have continued to contribute to flooding and environmental degradation.
According to him, the agency is determined to intensify enforcement against environmental offenders, warning that unregistered cart pushers and residents who patronise them would be prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the RIWAMA Act, 2014.
The RIWAMA official urged residents to embrace proper waste disposal practices and patronise only government-approved waste operators in order to safeguard public health and protect the environment.
Responding, the Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee in Rivers State, Dr. Voke Emore, commended RIWAMA for seeking collaboration with the committee in addressing environmental challenges confronting the state.
Emore said the PCRC would deploy its community-based structures across the state to support public sensitisation and encourage residents to comply with environmental sanitation regulations.
He also called on local government councils to play more active roles in waste management, noting that they collect sanitation levies and should complement the efforts of the state government in maintaining a clean environment.
The PCRC chairman described indiscriminate refuse disposal as a serious environmental and public health concern, stressing that sustained collaboration among government agencies, community leaders and residents remained critical to achieving lasting sanitation goals.
Both organisations expressed optimism that the partnership would promote cleaner communities, reduce environmental hazards and strengthen public participation in efforts to ensure a healthier and more sustainable environment for the people of Rivers State.
King Onunwor
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested five suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate allegedly terrorising communities in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the State.
The State Police Command disclosed this in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, ASP Blessing Agabe, in Port Harcourt, recently.
The suspects were arrested during a coordinated operation at Oyigbo, following directives by the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju.
Those arrested were Ezekiel Emmanuel, 44, from Benue State; Chukwuma Mbanefor, 51, from Anambra State; Nicholas Diala, 65, from Imo State; Ndubuisi Uwakwe, 49, from Abia State; and Ifeanyi Nwakwo, 51, from Imo State.
The Command said the arrest represented another significant operational success in its ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating in the State.
According to the Police, preliminary investigation indicated that the suspects were allegedly involved in kidnapping operations within Rivers State.
The suspects, during interrogation, allegedly confessed to their involvement in kidnapping and further admitted participating in several operations carried out in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.
The Command said investigation was ongoing, with efforts intensified to identify and apprehend other members of the suspected syndicate who may be connected with the criminal activities.
The Police boss said the operation reflected the implementation of operational directives and the intelligence-driven policing strategy of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc, NPM.
Adepoju reaffirmed the Command’s determination to sustain aggressive intelligence-led operations against kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery and other violent crimes across Rivers State.
He warned kidnappers and other criminal elements operating in the State that there would be no safe haven for them, stressing that the Command would relentlessly pursue, arrest and ensure that those found culpable were brought to justice.
The Commissioner further assured residents of the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, urging members of the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies in the fight against crime.
He appealed to residents to provide the Police with credible and timely information capable of assisting security operatives in preventing criminal activities and apprehending suspected criminals.
The Command urged members of the public who may have useful information on the activities of the suspected kidnapping syndicate or other criminal elements to contact the Police through its emergency lines, assuring that such information would assist ongoing investigations.
King Onunwor