News
NCS Pardons Defunct Bendel Gov, Coup Plotters …IBB, Gowon, Abdulsalami, Jonathan Attend
The National Council of State meeting presided over by President Muhammedu Buhari, yesterday, ratified the presidential pardon granted to Former Governor, Prof Ambrose Alli (governor of the now-defunct Bendel State, 1979—1983, now Edo and Delta States), over N900,000 fraud.
Although Ali later paid the money back to government, he was convicted.
The NCS also gave presidential pardon to three other Nigerians.
Those pardoned along with Alli are Col. Moses Effiong, Major E.J. Olarenwaju (for attempted coup in the Ibrahim Babangida era) and Ajayi Olusola Babalola.
Addressing State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting, which had in attendance four former heads of states – General Yakubu Gowon, General Ibrahim Babangida; Chief Ernest Shonekan, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Goodluck Jonathan; the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said that the ratification follows his presentation of a memo from the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy.
According to him, “The memo presented for consultation in line with one of the constitutional requirements and consideration of grant of pardon to 45 persons, two inmates for pardon, 39 inmates for clemency and four ex-convicts for presidential pardon.
“To further clarify on the prerogative of mercy, Mr. President because of the Covid-19 pandemic has directed the decongestion of our correctional centres across the country. And by way of collaborative action, the governors, heads of courts across the nation, have worked assiduously in collaboration with the Presidential Committee on Decongestion of our Correctional Centres, and at the end of the day, we have succeeded in taking over 4,000 inmates out of our correctional centres across the country.
“What we have today is a consolidation of what has been done, and the strategies put in place to see to the decongestion of our correctional centres.
“As you are aware, more than 70 percent inmates in our correctional centres were awaiting trial across the country, and a lot of considerations were put in place to ensure our correctional centres are decongested. The prerogative of mercy was one of such considerations by Mr. President.”
Malami said the Council of State also approved the appointment of two new legal practitioners as members of Federal Judicial Service Commission.
The AGF explained that the law confers on President Buhari the right to appoint members of the Federal Judicial Service Commission, subject to consultation with the Council of State.
He said: “The exercise this morning relating to the presentation of the council memo was for the purpose of fulfilling the constitutional righteousness relating to the appointment of the two new legal practitioners; in essence, it is to consult with the Council of State out of desire for compliance with constitutional requirements.
“The two members to represent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on the Federal Judicial Service Commission are Namoso Ekanem (SAN) from Akwa Ibom State representing the South-South geo-political zone and Mammud Abubakar Mogaji (SAN) from Niger State to represent the North-Central geo-political zone.”
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, on his part, said Council of State also approved the appointment of Silas Agara, as chairman of National Population Commission (NPC).
Members of the commission also approved are: Muhammed Chuso A. Dottijo (Sokoto); Alhaji Razaq Gidado (Kwara); Ibrahim Mohammed (Bauchi); Joseph Kwai Shazin (FCT); Engineer Bala Almu Banya (Katsina); and Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin (Lagos).
It would be recalled that the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, had denied media reports that he joined forces with the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof Ibrahim Gambari to stop the appointment of Agara as chairman of NPC.
Buhari had in two separate letters dated March 20 and August 12, 2020, nominated Agara, a former deputy governor of Nasarawa State, to head the NPC.
The SGF said apart from the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, that was absent, the meeting was attended by all living former Nigerian leaders.
Mustapha said council members also commended the Presidential Task Force on National Response on Covid-19 for a job well done.
He said the council noted that the impact of the panel on the nation’s economy and the fact that it has exposed the weaknesses in the system.
The members, however, appealed to Nigerians to continue to adhere to non-pharmaceuticals measures put in place pending when vaccines would be found for the virus.
Also speaking, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj-Gen Babagana Mungonu (rtd), briefed the council on the security challenges facing the country, adding that in response, the council approved the setting up of the National Centre for Control of Small and Light Weapons to be domiciled in his office.
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