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Apo Killings: NHRC Rejects Order Against N135m Judgement
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside its order of stay of execution of the commission’s investigation report which awarded N135million to relatives and victims of the attack and killing of some squatters in Apo, Abuja.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole had on June 27, 2014, in his ruling on the ex parte application filed by the State Security Services (SSS), ordered a stay of execution of the report.
The judge had equally granted leave to the SSS to apply for an order of certiorari to quash the decisions and awards contained in the NHRC’s report on complaint No: C/2013/7908/HQ.
The court also granted leave to the SSS to serve the commission with the originating motion, which is the main suit.
The NHRC had in its report released in April 2014, blamed the SSS and the Nigerian Army for the killing of eight and injuring of 11 of the squatters in an uncompleted building in September, 2014.
The security forces had attacked the squatters on the allegation that they were suspected members of Boko Haram sect.
The NHRC, through its counsel, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), rejected the order of a stay of execution of its investigation report on the incident, arguing among others, that the manner of commencing the suit did not comply with the law.
The commission is praying for “an order setting aside the enrolled order of this court dated June 27, 2014 which was served on the 1st to 4th respondents/applicants on July 1, 2014.
“An order setting aside the service of the originating motion on notice dated June 30, 2014 which was served on the 1st to 4th respondents/applicants on July 1, 2014 doe non-compliance with the provisions of Order 3 Rule 12(1) and (3) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2009.”
It also faulted the orders made by the court on the grounds that it and its officials were erroneously listed as plaintiffs in the suit when actually they did not institute the suit.
The first to the fourth respondents to the suit which was instituted by the SSS for the review of the NHRC’s report of investigation are the commission’s Chairman, Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, its Secretary, Prof. Bem Angwe, another official, Saudatu Mahdi, and the NHRC itself.
Other respondents are, Global Rights, Human Rights Law Service, National Association of Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief of Army Staff and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The commission’s grounds for the application reads in part, “The applicant failed, refused, and or neglected to give the 1st to 4th respondents/applicants the notice prescribed by section 18(3) and (4) of the National Human Rights Commission (Amendment) Act 2010 before instituting the action in court.
“The enrolled order served on the 1st to 4th respondents/applicants described them (1st to 4th applicants /respondents) as plaintiffs in this case when this suit was not instituted by them.
“The enrolled order served on the 1st to 4th respondents/applicants is nullity.
“The condition precedent for the commencement of this proceeding has not been fulfilled.”
The commission added that the originating motion served on it and its officials were nullity as they were not certified and verified by the court registrar in line with Order 3 Rule 12(3) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules.
It also argued that the suit amounted to nullity on the grounds that it was not entered for hearing within 14 days of which the court granted leave for the suit to be instituted, as stated in Order 34 Rule 5(4) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules.
The NHRC had in the case tagged, Global Rights and 3 others vs. Federal Republic of Nigeria and 3 others, ordered the Federal Government to, among others, pay a total of N135million as compensation to the victims.
The SSS was expected to pay N10million for each of those killed and N5million to each of the 11 injured survivors.
But the SSS said it was never invited or interrogated during the preliminary investigations conducted by the NHRC in respect to the incident.
It added that it was not given a copy of the petitions lodged by the Global Rights, Human rights Law Office and National Association of Commercial tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association.
The SSS, through its suit, is seeking to quash the report of the NHRC on the grounds that the commission was biased against it throughout the proceedings of the public inquiry as it was not given any fair hearing during the preliminary investigation.
The applicant also argued that the NHRC, not being a regular court, lacked the jurisdiction to determine the nature of the incident relating to criminal offences under sections 317, 318 and 319 of the Criminal Code and section 220 of the Panel Code.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.