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Tag: kogi

  • Civil servant arraigned for exposing Kogi gov’s Abuja residence

    Civil servant arraigned for exposing Kogi gov’s Abuja residence

    32-year-old civil servant, Mr. Johnson Musa, was on yesterday dragged before a Lokoja Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly threatening and exposing the Abuja residence of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.

    Musa, an indigene of Dekina Local Government Area of the state, was alleged to have taken aerial pictures of the governor’s Abuja residence with a drone camera and posted them on social media.

    He was said to have posted the pictures with the caption, “This building is owned by an individual in Kogi, where hunger is the first name, in less than one year.”

    The prosecuting counsel, Mohammed Abaji, a senior legal officer with the state Ministry of Justice, said Musa was arrested on Thursday by men of the Department of State Services.

    The action, Abaji said, had put the governor and his family under threat and potential harm to their property, urging the court to take cognisance of the offence of cyber stalking against the accused.

    Musa pleaded not guilty to the offence and his counsel, Williams Aliwo of Crystal Chambers, orally applied for his bail in line with section 36(5) of the Constitution and section 341(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

    Aliwo submitted that any order to remand the accused in prison custody would amount to punishing him ahead of the proof of his guilt, adding that the accused would not jump bail or try to escape justice if the bail conditions were granted.

    But the bail application was vehemently opposed by Abaji on the grounds that an investigation into the matter was ongoing aside from the fact that the penalty attached to the offence is 10 years’ imprisonment or an option of a minimum of N25m fine.

    In his ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Alhassan Husaini, said by virtue of Section 36(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the presumption of innocence of the accused was constitutionally guaranteed.

    Husaini granted the accused bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum, adding that the sureties must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.

    To allay the fears of the prosecution counsel over the inconclusive investigation, he ordered that a register of attendance be opened at the DSS office for the accused to report on Monday and Thursday.

  • Photos: Man, wife, two children found dead in their apartment in Kogi

    Photos: Man, wife, two children found dead in their apartment in Kogi

    A man identified as Segun Ayodele, his wife and two children were found dead in their Obajana apartment in Kogi State last Friday.

    They were believed to have died in their sleep after reportedly inhaling fumes from a generator kept inside a toilet in their self-contained apartment.

    The family of four was said to have been found lying lifeless in their apartment by Ayodele’s business partner who came to check on him when he failed to turn up in the office.

    According to a report by The Punch, policemen from Obajana Division were alerted and after forcefully opening the door found the decomposing bodies.

    The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, told Northern City News on Tuesday that Ayodele had just moved into the apartment located in an isolated part of the area a few weeks ago.

    The CP explained that the man who visited the family found the apartment locked and reported to the police after no one responded to repeated knocks on the door.

    He said the police had commenced investigations into the unfortunate incident, adding that it was too early to identify the cause of death.

    “The man and his family lived in an isolated area, he just packed into the house and his neighbours said they didn’t really know him well. It was quite unfortunate,” he said on the phone.

    Another report, however, said the deceased family members were discovered by Ayodele’s cousin who had gone to check on them following his failure to respond to phone calls and text messages.

  • Anarchy looms in Kogi, declare state of emergency now – Melaye tells Osinbajo

    The Lawmaker representing Kogi West in the Senate, Senator Dino Melaye has called on the Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to declare a State of Emergency in Kogi before anarchy becomes the order of the day.

    This followed the onslaught suffered by the State lawmakers when suspected thugs invaded the Kogi State House of Assembly on Tuesday to disrupt house sitting.

    Dino Melaye who disclosed in a social media platforms “Chat with the Speaker” condemned in strong terms the attack on the Assembly, most especially the member representing Igalamela Odolu Constituency, Friday Sanni Makama who resumed sitting after his victory at the Kogi State High Court Lokoja challenging his six months suspension from the house for alleged anti legislative activities.

    He called on stakeholders in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to challenge the anti democratic activities allegedly orchestrated by Governor Yahaya Bello, noting that the Governor should not be allowed to destroy the labour of genuine APC members in Kogi State.

    According to him “The draconian Idi Amin approach to governance by Yahaya Bello today as displayed by his criminally minded hooligans and hired killers in usurping the legislative powers and priviledges of the Parliament is a clear manifestation of satanism.

    “The unwarranted attack on Hon. Friday Sani Makama shall not be swept under the carpet.

    “We are not in a banana republic. It is manifestly clear now that the acting President must declare a state of Emergency in Kogi State before Anarchy becomes Total.

    “The economic cankerworm and social scavenger called Bello must be tamed before he finishes spending the little political capital left for APC in Kogi. We must not all keep quiet and allow this Stranger destroy the labour of genuine APC members in Kogi.

    “We will not allow him to take us back to Egypt. We must rescue Kogi NOW!!!!.”

    In a swift reaction, the State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello distanced himself from the Assembly attack.

    Speaking through his Director General, Media and publicity Kingsley Fanwho the Governor maintained that his administration will not condone any act of thuggery, adding that anyone caught would be made to face the full weight of the law.

    Meanwhile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria from Kogi State Okutepa (SAN) also shared his view on the invasion of the house by suspected thugs.

    “I think time has come for all stakeholders of Kogi State to be out against tyrannical and authoritarian acts and actions.

    “The whimsical and tyrannical misdeamenour of our politicians cut across political parties. Kogi has everything but is lacking everything.

    “We cannot in the face of available human and material resources continue to condone the wickedness being visited on our people.

    “Democracy is not government of adolescent by the adolescent for the adolescent. It is much more than that. It is a form of government that has no room for tyrannical and whimsical warlords masquerading as thugs.

    “We must come together as a people to liberate ourselves from the current poverty of political and legal ideas,” Okutepa noted.

     

     

  • Ban on Kogi ASUU: NLC writes Gov Bello, says, even military couldn’t suppress unions

    Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has criticised Governor Yahaya Bello, for proscribing the Academic Staff Union, ASUU, Kogi State University, KSU, chapter.

    “Even in the dark days of the military when such obnoxious actions were attempted against the unions, the Juntas had to reverse themselves in compliance with International Conventions and laws of the land”, NLC said in a letter to Bello by its President, Ayuba Wabba.

    Labour lamented that the action was contrary to the International Labour Organisation, ILO, convention that had recognized freedom of association.

    “We therefore call on Your Excellency to allow reason and sound judgement to prevail as well as desist from these ill-advised and thoughtless steps that would make the country a laughing stock in the comity of nations.

    “Coupled with this, we are afraid to state that such precipitate actions are capable of exacerbating the already fragile social and industrial relations atmosphere in the state. And although we do not intend a threat, the non-reversal of this abhorrent and repugnant decision will inevitably provoke a serious national action in the state.”

    Wabba added that ASUU did no wrong by embarking on strike in protest against unpaid salaries, allowances and pensions.

    The labour leader insisted that the governor’s action was hasty and ill-advised which contradicted all known and extant national and international laws and conventions.

    He said “the Governor has no right to ban a Union. Trade Unions as independent workers organisations are neither under the control of the state government nor registered by it.
    “According to ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, which has been duly ratified by the country, workers shall have the right to organise and form trade unions, and “public authorities shall refrain from any interference which would restrict this right or impede the lawful exercise thereof”, and the unions “shall not be liable to be dissolved or suspended by administrative authority.”

    “This Convention is not only reinforced by ILO Convention 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining, but buttressed and domesticated by the 1999 Constitution which states unequivocally in Section 40 that every person shall not only be entitled to freely assemble or associate, but in particular, shall “freely form or belong to trade unions and other associations for the protection of his interests”

    “The contravention of these laws by Your Excellency is not only a violation of ILO Conventions and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but an abuse of the fundamental human rights of the lecturers in Kogi State. Your action is also a representation of the height of impunity and high-handedness that has, unfortunately, characterized governance in Kogi State since your assumption of office.”

    The letter was copied to the Minister of Labour and Employment and other relevant Government agencies for appropriate action.

  • Tragedy! 25 killed, several injured as tanker collides with commercial bus in Kogi {PHOTOS}

    No fewer than 25 people have just lost their lives in a fatal accident that occurred in Kogi State involving a tanker conveying fuel and an eighteen seater bus coming from the North.

    The accident which occurred between Felele-Okene Abuja Road at about 1:30 pm on Friday saw residents of the area scampering for safety.

    According to a report by Daily Post, as at 2:05 pm, officers of the Fire Service were yet to arrive at the scene.

    However, when they came at about 2:20 pm to salvage the situation, they could only help for a few minutes as their water got finished while fighting the raging fire.

    Several unidentified bodies were seen lying lifeless on the ground at the scene of the inferno.

    Tragedy! 25 killed, several injured as tanker collides with commercial bus in Kogi {PHOTOS}

    Equally consumed in the inferno were about 10 cars parked by the road side.

    Sympathizers watching helplessly expressed shock and blamed the bad nature of the road for the accident.

    An eyewitness, Bawasa Ibrahim said two tricycle rider popularly called Keke Napep were equally burnt in the accident.

    ” The tanker and the eighteen seater bus were trying to overtake each other. But unfortunately, the tanker lost balance and it fell on the bus.

    “We have been complaining to the government to fix this road. Now you can see how many lives that have been lost. No fewer than 25 burnt bodies can be seen here.” Ibrahim added.

    Another eyewitness, Haruna Sadiq who sympathize with families of those who lost their lives said they have been calling the fire authority for more 20 minute but they claimed there was no fuel in their vehicle.

    ” I am really disappointed with our firemen. We have been calling them that people are dying here, but all we could hear is that they don’t have fuel. What a shame.” he lamented.

    He, however, appealed to the government to do the needful, stating that a similar accident happened in this same spot where lives were also lost.

    As at the time of filing this report, the fire is still on.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Federal Road Safety Corps, Kogi State Command is yet to issue any official statement to confirm the accident.

  • Melaye: Udom fires back at Bello, says ‘manage your resources well, pay civil servants’ salaries’

    The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel has responded to the statement credited to the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello and signed by his Director-General, Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo where he criticized the governor (Udom) for allegedly backing Senator Melaye and describing him as ‘general’ in the Senate.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that in a paid advertorial, Bello took issues with his Akwa Ibom governor for describing Senator Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District as a “General” in the Senate during the recent empowerment event by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio (CON) held in Ikot Ekpene.

    But Governor Udom, while responding to his Kogi State counterpart, said he does not intend to immerse himself in the politics of zero-sum game that is currently playing out in Kogi State, adding that in Akwa Ibom he plays politics of inclusion, where accent is placed on delivering the best democratic dividends to his people.

    Udom, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Media/Chief Press Secretary, Ekerete Udoh slammed Governor Bello’s media team for not giving their principal professional advice before responding to issues.

    He described the statement credited to the Governor’s chief media handler as unfortunately, pugnacious in context, pettifogger in tone and tenor and supercilious at best.

    The job of professionally- minded media handlers of a public servant is to dispassionately present an unvarnished truth about a given situation to his principal and advise him on the best possible means of reaction.

    “We are afraid the Kogi State Governor was not served well by his Director-General of Media and Publicity here otherwise he would have resisted the rush to direct the issuance of a press statement where he was quoted to have said a number of unsanitized things about a Brother Governor on an issue that was at best innocuous and done with no malice.

    “Governor Yahaha Bello’s media team should align with globally acceptable best practices in democratic governance where leaders are usually circumspect in their choice of words while engaging their counterparts. If the Governor’s media team truly meant well, it should have advised the Governor that he will look snippy, truculent and un-gubernatorial in the court of public opinion if he were seen to be joining issues with his Brother Governor”, he said.

    He added that his administration is not interested in the local politics of Kogi State.

    “We are not interested in the local politics in Kogi State or if His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello has challenges paying salaries since we don’t have such problems here in our State, as our civil servants get paid regularly and Governor Emmanuel is embarking on a number of infrastructural upgrades and other life-touching projects. He is able to do all these, through the judicious application of the lean resources available to him”.

     

  • Police rescue victim, arrest 9 suspected kidnappers in Kogi

    Police rescue victim, arrest 9 suspected kidnappers in Kogi

    Kogi State Police Command said on Monday that it had arrested nine suspected kidnappers and rescued a victim, Pastor Oliver Clement.

    Its Public Relations Officer, Mr William Aya, said in a statement in Lokoja that the suspects were rounded up at their various hideouts in Okene, Ankpa, Lokoja and other parts of the state.

    He said that the cleric was kidnapped on July 9 and was with his abductors until July 13, when he was rescued.

    “The kidnappers took him to their hideout at Inye in Ankpa area. We are happy to announce that he has reunited with his family,” Aya said.

    According to him, one of the suspects, Uche Michael, was arrested with bullets wounds at the General Hospital, Okpo, Olamaboro Local Government Area.

    Aya described Michael as “a notorious armed robber/kidnapper, who has just escaped from police arrest in Ondo State”.

    He said that the suspect had gone to the hospital for treatment when luck ran out on him.

    The police officer said that one Habeeb Abdulkareem, an “old time criminal”, who had been on the police wanted list for so many years, was among those arrested. The suspect was arrested in Okene.

    He named other suspects arrested for kidnapping and armed robbery to include Muazu Salem, Mutari Suleiman, Mohammed Abubakar, Ibrahim Ali, Abdulahi Idris, Amodu Isah and Gade Garba.

    “Some of the suspects escaped arrest, but intelligence officers have been detailed to track and arrest them,” he said.

    Aya said that the suspects were arrested between May 25 and July 13, adding that nine assorted rifles, including AK47, pump action machine, double barrel guns and pistols were recovered from them.

    Also recovered from them are live cartridges, cutlasses, knives, hammers and charms.

    Aya said that some of the suspects had made confessional statement and would soon be charged to court.

  • Incessant road accidents: FG to establish truck transit parks in Kogi, Enugu, Lagos, others

    In a bid to stop the increasing rate of accident and loss of cargoes due to bad roads, the Federal Government has decided to establish Truck Transit Parks, TTP, across major cities in Nigeria.

    Amaechi explained that providing this critical infrastructure will enhance trade across the country.

    In his words: “The Federal Government plans over the next couple of years to develop Truck Transit Parks at Lokoja in Kogi State, Obollo-Afor in Enugu State, Ogere in Ogun State, Jebba in Kwara State and Port Novo Creek in Lagos State as an alternative strategy to address the menace of truck congestion at the seaports in Apapa and Port Harcourt.

    “These are meant to complement the Ore Sunshine in Ondo State and the ones being processed by the Kaduna State Government at the Mararaban – Jos, and Tapa on the Kaduna Abuja highway.

    “The Federal Government shall ensure that TTP projects independently developed by state governments and private investors meets a minimum standard in the number of facilities provided at TTP sites.

    “The Federal Government shall also ensure that the TTPs are economic and business hub creating wealth and employment for our teeming population particularly the youths”.

    Similarly, Minister Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola said that if the activities of these big vehicles are not well managed, they will become a big menace to the society.

    Fashola also disclosed the Federal government in a bid to curb the menace of the Heavy Duty Vehicles, HDVs, at the Apapa-Tin-Can area of Lagos embarked on the construction of a 340 HDV capacity Trailer Park opposite Tincan port.

    He said “The trailer park which is first of its kind in Nigeria, is expected to be completed within the 2017 fiscal year.

    “The park when completed is expected to decongest the area and improve economic activities.”

  • Kogi crisis: APC leaders lambast Gov Bello, pass vote of confidence on Melaye

    The leadership of the All Progressive Congress in Kogi state have passed a vote of confidence on Senator Dino Melaye who represents Kogi West in the Senate.

    According to a communique issued at the end of APC Kogi state leaders meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday, July 5th, 2017, the leaders declared total support for all the positions canvassed by Senator Dino Melaye in matters of Kogi State, saying the lawmaker took up the struggle on behalf of the good people of the State.

    The party, however, expressed worries over the political bickering vis-à-vis the state of affairs in Kogi State under Governor Yahaya Bello.

    The leaders while giving approval to all the steps taken so far by the State Executive of the APC in Kogi State led by its Chairman, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo also observed that the State Government under Governor Yahaya Bello is not only in a confused state of affairs but heading towards political cul-de-sac.

    The communique reads in parts ” The Governor Yahaya Bello’s anti-party activities led to the loss of 2 APC Senatorial seats, one House of Representatives seat and 2 State House of Assembly members’ seats to the opposition party (PDP) thereby causing a huge setback to our Party in Kogi State.”

    “Those positions mentioned above were won during the 2015 elections before Alhaji Yahaya Bello joined the APC and his subsequent emergence as the Governor of Kogi State.”

    “The only senatorial seat left for the Kogi State APC family in the Senate is being harassed by Governor Yahaya Bello and cohorts as evidenced by the on-going charade, known as recall exercise, which is pregnant with forgeries and absurdities.”

    “We are concerned that many weeks after the submission of the Chief Tony Momoh’s Reconciliation Report, the National Leadership of our Party, APC, is yet to take any step towards the implementation of its recommendations.

    They also admonished the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) not to waste its scarce resources in sustaining the ongoing recall being allegedly perpetrated by the Government of Kogi State.

    The 20 APC Kogi leaders who signed the communique are Senator Alex Kadir,
    Senator Mohammed Salami Ohiare, Senator Nicholas Ugbane, Senator Dangana E Ocheja, Senator Abdulrahman Abubakar, Rt. Hon Clarance Olafemi, Rt. Hon Abdullahi Bello, Hon James A Faleke, Hon Mohammed Idris and Alhaji (Prince) Mohammed Audu

    Others are Hon Duro Meseko, Alhaji Abubakar Rajab, Pharm. A. Zakari, Chief Michael Ozovehe, Chief Lawrence Gbenga Asagun, Hon (Dr) Idris Jimoh
    Engr. S. A. Ezekiel, Dr Tom Ohikere Alhaji Sanusi Abubakar and Alhaji Haddy Ametuo.

  • TNG News Hour 04-07-2017

    TNG News Hour 04-07-2017