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Tag: Bakare

  • Court discharges Sowore, Bakare, orders DSS to release seized items

    Court discharges Sowore, Bakare, orders DSS to release seized items

    A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, discharged Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare of alleged treasonable felony preferred against them by the Attorney-General.of the Federation (AGF), Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.

    Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling after counsel for the AGF, A.R. Tahir, withdrew the charge, struck out the matter.

    “In view of the application made by the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation, this charge, between Federal Republic of Nigeria and Omoyele Sowore and another, is hereby struck out and the defendants discharged,” he declared.

    Justice Nwite also ordered the Department of State Service (DSS) to immediately release three phones and the sum of N10, 000 seized from Sowore during his arrest.

    The judge equally ordered the DSS to release a phone belonging to Bakare and the sum of N1, 500 confiscated from him on his arrest.

    Justice Nwite further ordered that Sowore’s international passport be released to him forthwith.

    The orders followed an application by lawyer to Sowore and Bakare, Mr Femi Falana, SAN.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sowore and Bakare (1st and 3nd defendants) were earlier arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu in 2019 before the matter was reassigned to Nwite after Ojukwu was transferred to another jurisdiction.

    The Federal Government had dragged them to court on allegations of treason and attempts to overthrow former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

    When the matter was called, Tahir, an Assistant Chief State Counsel from the Federal Ministry of Justice, informed the court that she had a notice of discontinuance of the case dated Feb. 14 but filed Feb. 15 before the court.

    Tahir, said the application was filed pursuant to the powers conferred on the AGF in Section 174(1), Paragraph C of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 107(1) of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

    “We intend to discontinue the charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/235/2019 against the 1st and 2nd defendants,” she said

    The lawyer, who said that presently, hearing in the matter was yet to commence, urged the court to strike out the charge.

    But lawyer to Sowore and Bakare, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, disagreed with Tahir’s submission.

    Falana, who argued that contrary to her submission, the matter had been partly heard, prayed the court to dismiss the case.

    The senior lawyer reminded that before the matter was reassigned to Justice Nwite, the 1st prosecution witness had been taken before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.

    “My learner friend did not remember then. it was Mr Hassan Liman that was prosecuting the matter.

    “To that extent, the matter ought to be dismissed,” he added.

    Falana, however, commended the AGF and Minister if Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, for taken the bold step.

    “I wish to appreciate the position of the AGF and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbermi, SAN, for taken a hint from this honourable court because the court said in the last adjournment that this matter would be dismissed, even if heaven will fall.

    “Finally, we are compel to profess our sincere gratitude to this honourable court for the threat to have this matter dismissed for want of diligent prosecution,” he said.

    He said though he would not be asking for a cost on behalf of the defendants who had been standing trial since 2019, he, however, urged the court to make an order compelling the DSS to return Sowore’s three phones and the sum of N10, 000 seized from him during his arrest.

    Falana also prayed the court to order the DSS to release a phone belonging to Bakare and the sum of N1, 500 seized from him during arrest.

    The lawyer equally urged the court to make an order for the release of Sowore’s travel documents and the title deeds submitted to the court as conditions for his bail.

    Tahir, however, opposed Falana’s application for court to dismiss the case.

    She argued that it was in the court record that the matter started denovo (afresh) after it was reassigned.

    “My lord, the learner silk pointed out that there was a counsel handling the matter but it was not within my knowledge to confirm that,” she said

    She insisted that since the charge had not commenced before the court, the proper thing to do is for the charge to be struck out

    Delivering his ruling, Justice Nwite aligned with Tahir that the matter started afresh before him after reassignment.

    He held that in any criminal proceeding, the AGF had the power to discontinue a matter, even where a suspect had been committed to prison or was on bail.

    “Without much ado, the provision of ACJA is clear and unambiguous,” he said, while striking out the charge.

    The judge had, on Feb. 14, threatened to strike out the charge for lack of diligent prosecution.

  • APC scribe to Bakare: You’re grossly incompetent to speak on palliatives

    APC scribe to Bakare: You’re grossly incompetent to speak on palliatives

    The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has said Pastor Tunde Bakare is grossly incompetent to speak on palliatives.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports the APC national scribe while appearing on a national tv program queried competence of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, to criticise key economic decisions by President Bola Tinubu.

    Apparently referring to the new series of the fire spitting man of God state of the nation speech where the pastor had dared the president to send his watch dogs after him.

    Bakare had asserted that: “Mr President, even though you have announced some palliatives, let me remind you that palliatives cannot address the root cause of the problem,” Bakare said in an ideologically charged “State of the Nation” address broadcast on Sunday.

    Bakare’s comments echoed sentiments across the country, which have played out in a shortlived nationwide protest and protracted negotiations between organised labour and the Federal Government, following fuel price hikes occasioned by the removal of subsidies and the rising cost of living.

    While buttressing Tinubu’s decisions, the APC scribe acknowledged that the situation was “challenging now”, adding that “we cannot close our eyes to that reality”.

    He however argued that in the long run, the country’s economy would be better for it.

    “I must quickly comment on what you played that Pastor Bakare said, although I don’t see him as a politician and, with respect to him, I don’t see him as even competent to say what he has said,” Basiru said.

    “The fact that you are talking of palliatives does not mean that we’re not confronting the headlong of correcting the dysfunctions and imbalances in the economy. So, we’re both addressing the issue of palliative as an immediate step and addressing the fundamental problem.”

  • 2023: Pastor Bakare speaks against zoning, says Nigeria needs fresh, competent hands

    2023: Pastor Bakare speaks against zoning, says Nigeria needs fresh, competent hands

    The General Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church (CGCG), Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said that Nigeria needs fresh hands to fix its problems.

    Pastor Bakare explained that this is necessary as the change of hands would bring in competent people to handle critical issues.

    The clergyman made this disclosure known on Sunday during his state of the nation address titled: ‘The black box of Nigeria’s politics’, at the church auditorium, Oregun, Lagos.

    He explained that he was calling for a change of guards and not a change of government as such would set the country back just like the military government landed it in trouble many years back.

    The general overseer also stated that prioritizing 2023 elections without addressing the basic issues is akin to putting the cart before the horse, noting that meeting the requisite conditions is germane.

    “We need fresh hands on how to fix the problems of Nigeria. We need a change of guards to bring in competent people to handle critical issues.

    “I am not advocating for coup d’etat. God forbid because that would set us back many years again.

    “Military coup landed us in trouble many years. Anyone thinking about changing our system, it is illegal. I didn’t say change of government. I said a change of guards.

    “If you think the 2023 election is a priority, then you are putting the cart before the horse. I am not saying that there will be no election in 2023 but I am only saying that certain things have to be properly put in place before that time.

    “I was in the United States and I was to deliver a lecture on democracy at the John Hopkins University. And there was an election that day. It looked like a picnic.

    “They were having coke, drinks and they were voting. And yet those things can be accomplished. It can be done in Nigeria.

    “1993 was free, fair and it was clear to us. Yes, we annulled that. I think we need to put our house in order before we start throwing any hat into any ring,” he said.

    Meanwhile, The Former Presidential Candidate asked for the jettisoning of the presidential zoning arrangement but focus on competencies, character and capacity of the leader.

    While describing such as majoring in the minor and minoring in the major, Pastor Bakare explained that zoning has not birthed any productive fruit in the Nigerian history looking at the North, South-South and South-West.

    “The truth of the matter is that we major in minor and we minor in major. I took time to explain that where a president comes from does not benefit that region. It should have been cleared to us.

    “For almost 40 years out of 62, the North had been in power but the people there are impoverished.

    “When Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was in power, did it benefit South-South? When Obasanjo was in power, was it not the local government allocation that was frozen and kept away?

    “Shouldn’t we be much more concerned about who leads us than where they come from?

    “Is the person competent? Does he have character, capacity and what are the things he is bringing to the table?

    “As long as the person is a Nigerian and has what it takes to steer the affairs of Nigeria accurately, so be it,” he said.

  • 2023: Bakare okays another Northerner to rule Nigeria after Buhari

    2023: Bakare okays another Northerner to rule Nigeria after Buhari

    Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Senior Pastor of Citadel Global Community Church, has said a Northern Hausa or Fulani can still emerge as Nigeria’s president in 2023.

    Bakare said the emphasis should be on competence of the next president and not the zone producing him.

    Speaking on Channels Television, the clergyman stressed that there is nothing wrong with the North still producing Nigeria’s next president.

    He noted that political parties should field their best candidates and allow the electorates decide.

    According to Bakare: “Let the best of the best emerge, it doesn’t matter which part of the country the person comes from.

    “Anyone plunging into election in 2023 is just plunging his head inside hot water, and therefore you must go with a team and not go alone.

    “Very shortly, you will see the formidable team that we are presenting to the nation like a shadow cabinet, these are the men that would do it.

    “We are meeting right now, they don’t even understand what is about to hit the nation. It is going to hit it big time, in a positive manner.”

    “I have heard all kinds of arguments on rotation and zoning. Some are saying (Olusegun) Obasanjo, plus (Goodluck) Jonathan, that’s 14 years and (Umaru) Yar’Adua plus Buhari is 10 years and that the North still has four more years. At this moment, what is needed is a person who can do it.

    “Political parties should bring their best forward. Let the best of the best emerge. It can go to the South, it can go to the North. It is only one seat.

    “If it’s an Igbo man, so be it, if it’s a Yoruba man, so be it. If it is a Northerner, a Hausa or Fulani, so be it. And I am saying that passionately.”

  • Buhari must stop the blame game and reshuffle his cabinet- Bakare

    Buhari must stop the blame game and reshuffle his cabinet- Bakare

    Pastor Tunde Bakare, serving overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, has averred that President Muhammadu Buhari should reshuffle his cabinet “rather than blaming those abusing or misusing power around the throne”.

    Bakare made the remark during a sermon in his church on Sunday.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that last week, Bakare had accused Buhari of bad governance and dared him to come after him.

    The minister said his remark elicited a series of reactions from his associates and friends as well as “the high and the mighty”.

     

    “The past one week has been a time of tremendous pressure on me from far and near, from the high and the mighty because of the message that was preached here last Sunday. Apart from my phone ringing non-stop, some took it upon themselves to visit us at home wondering what has happened to my professed friendship with Mr president,” he said.

    “Truly, I appreciate the concerns of families, friends and associates, especially, those who have raised the tempo of prayers to a new and higher level because of their understanding of the season we are in and how deadly and callous the enemy can be. My family and I are grateful for the magnitude of the demonstration, your love and affection for us.

    “Genuine friendship is very scarce in this falling world whereas false friends and true enemies are common friends. Nevertheless, it is my considered opinion that truth should not and must not be sacrificed on the altar of friendship. True friends are the ones that tell themselves the truth, no matter how bitter or unpalatable. That is what last Sunday’s message was and what today’s message is all about.

     

     

    “Just maybe, we are convicted of our sins and we repent of them, we will spend less money on medication, we spend less money on medical tourism in other to have good health, maybe we live right, think right, talk right, lead right, God in his infinite mercies who first heal, can bring perfect health into the life of the president, just maybe.

    “Rather than blaming those abusing or misusing power around the throne, it is incumbent on the head of government or leader to identify such men and show them the way out. That is why there must be a reshuffling of this cabinet and a change of that in 2021.”

     

     

  • Some pastors returning to their senses – Charlyboy reacts as Pastor Bakare slams Buhari

    Some pastors returning to their senses – Charlyboy reacts as Pastor Bakare slams Buhari

    Popular singer and activist, Charles Oputa, aka Charlyboy, has reacted to recent statements made by the overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare.

    Bakare, during a recent message in his church, spoke against the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

    The Pastor dared Buhari to come after him as he has “done to other dissenting voices in the country.”

    Bakare, who was Buhari’s running mate during the 2011 general elections, made it clear he is no longer interested in meeting or having a dialogue with anyone because “this is war”.

    He said: “Sovereignty is not in your hand anymore, you are the commander-in-chief of nothing, except the people who put you there. The highest office in the land is the office of the citizen. Nigerians are going to rise and demand their rights.

    “I served you, I respected you, I did everything to make it work for you but you turned against me and God has turned against you.”

    In reaction, Charlyboy tweeted: “E be like some Pastors der head don dey reset. We are all in the same pot sha.”

     

  • God has turned against you- Bakare slams Buhari [VIDEO]

    God has turned against you- Bakare slams Buhari [VIDEO]

    Senior Pastor of Citadel Global Community Church, Tunde Bakare says God has turned against President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Speaking at the church formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, Bakare dared Buhari the president to come after him as he has done for other dissenting voices in the country.

    “Sovereignty is not in your hand anymore, you are commander-in-chief of nothing, except the people put you there. The highest office in the land is the office of the citizen. Nigerians are going to rise and demand for their rights,” he said on Sunday.

    “And I dare you to try to stretch your hand against me like you have done to others, then you will know whether God sent me or I’m just empty and just making noise.

    “Nigeria for Nigeria; the time to save this country has come; the government can’t save us, the military can’t safe us, Nigerians must rise and demand for what is rightly theirs.

    “Get out of my way, get out of my way, this is the final warning. I loved you, I served you, I respected you, I did everything to make it work for you but you turned against me and God has turned against you, get out of my way”

    The vocal cleric said he told Buhari before 2014 that he would become president and told him exactly how it would happen, but that same mouth he used to tell him has become “a smelly mouth”.

    Bakare said Nigerians for Nigeria movement starts now, and he knows exactly how things would happen in the days ahead.

    Bakare added that he is no longer interested in meeting with the president any longer, stating that “I’m not holding dialogue with anyone anymore… because, it is war”.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that Buhari and Bakare ran for the presidency on a joint ticket in 2011, and Bakare supported Buhari in 2015, but the two have since fallen out .

     

  • EFCC arrests son, father for alleged internet fraud

    EFCC arrests son, father for alleged internet fraud

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is grilling a father, Isa Bola Bakare, and his son, Malik Giles Bakare over alleged conspiracy on computer-related fraud.

    They were apprehended for allegedly obtaining money by false pretence and retention of proceeds of unlawful activities.

    Malik was arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police, Force CID, Alagbon in Lagos on May 31, 2021, and handed over to the EFCC.

    In a statement on Wednesday, EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren said Malik acted as a “middleman”.

    “He connects internet fraudsters around the globe with pickers, and receives some percentage on every successful transaction”, it read.

    During preliminary investigation, the father appeared at the EFCC to claim the N46 million Range Rover SUV recovered from Malik.

    Uwujaren said the senior Bakare was arrested after he failed to provide a satisfactory explanation of how he acquired it.

    Items seized from the suspects include the vehicle, an iPhone 12 Pro Max, an iPhone 8 and “some incriminating items”.

    The father and son will be charged to court after the conclusion of the full investigation.

  • This is not the Buhari I knew, Pastor Bakare speaks up

    This is not the Buhari I knew, Pastor Bakare speaks up

    Pastor Tunde Bakare on Sunday said the state of the nation today does not represent the President Muhammadu Buhari he knew.

    He warned that unless the president woke up from slumber, his legacy was in grave danger of being confined to an unsavoury side of history.
    
    Bakare, in a State of the Nation broadcast said “I am compelled to speak out because this is not the Nigeria General Muhammadu Buhari and I had dreams to create when he invited me to be his running mate in 2011.

    “I am compelled to speak out because the state of the nation does not represent the Buhari I knew when we took that solemn journey towards rebuilding Nigeria.

    “I am compelled to speak out at this point because, given the state of the nation, the legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari is in grave danger of being confined to an unsavoury side of history. I am indeed compelled to speak out because Nigeria is in a state of emergency,” he lamented.

    Bakare, founder of The Citadel Global Community Church, said the nation’s survival is hanging in the balance and that the nation had been rushed to the emergency room.

    “The diagnosis indicates that a surgical procedure is unavoidable; the longer it is postponed, the more she stands to lose and the longer it will take for her to recover. The purpose of this address is to present the facts of this diagnosis and point a way out of our current crisis even as we approach a critical juncture in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “The purpose of this address is to ensure that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari finishes strong and breaks the jinx of the second-term curse,” he said.

    Bakare said as laudable as the achievements of Buhari during his first tenure were, the current state of the nation was a clear indication that these efforts have been insufficient in dealing with national problems.

    “They have been unable to address the underlying problems of the Nigerian nation. The
    major limitation of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been the failure to appreciate the fact that the problems of Nigeria are more deeply rooted than these honest efforts can reach, and that what is required is a holistic and systematic approach to governance.

    “Unfortunately, after winning re-election in 2019, rather than do a deep dive to address the fundamental causes of our national malady by dealing with the root causes of insecurity, corruption and joblessness, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari decided to treat more symptoms by broadening its agenda.

    “Instead, we have spent time papering over cracks and dressing windows while the weak foundational structures are crumbling under the weight of neglect,” he said.

    On security, Bakare said the president must intensify the clampdown on terrorism and banditry by expanding support to the armed forces in terms of technology, armoury, logistics, prompt action onmilitary intelligence, as well as inspirational leadership to sustain the morale of the newly appointed service chiefs.

    “Beyond these, the devolution of policing powers to the subnational governments must be prioritised, saying that the state governments must be empowered to form local police forces and to provide cutting edge training and equipment for these forces.

  • Pastor Tunde Bakare denies saying Buhari dissappointed Nigerians

    Pastor Tunde Bakare denies saying Buhari dissappointed Nigerians

    Founder and General Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has denied stating President Muhammadu Buhari has failed Nigerians.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Bakare had in an Instagram live interview with the Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, on Tuesday, said reportedly said the President had disappointed Nigerians.

    But speaking on Arise TV on Thursday, the clergyman dismissed the reports, noting that media outlets quoted him wrongly.

    He said: “The truth of the matter is, that was an instagram live interview that lasted for over 2 hours and the audio and the video will be available, I’m sure the publisher of Ovation Media, Bashorun Dele Momodu, can make that available to the public.

    “Those headlines in the newspapers were the creation of the newspapers themselves, those were not the exact words I used. I said, if I remember correctly, that the coming of President Buhari into power in 2015 was a breath of fresh air to so many people.

    “But in the midst of all competing demands, the conflicts and everything that happened, the expectations they had; not all of them would have been met. And, therefore, Nigerians are entitled to say they are disappointed.

    “I did not use the words ‘Buhari has disappointed Nigerians’. I will not ask the papers not to sell their papers using any headline. Sometimes they make their own deduction from what was spoken but those words were not exactly or expressly spoken by me.

    “I choose to be moderate in all that I say. Except I have concrete facts, I do not just talk. But are Nigerians disappointed? It’s everywhere, every day. You see it in the news. When expectations are not met, people will express their frustrations. It is natural and normal.

    “But that does not mean this administration has not done anything good at all and, therefore, should be consigned to the dustbin of history as a big disappointment. These were not my words, those were what the papers chose to use.”