The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has mourned Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Joseph Egbunike, describing him as a dedicated and seasoned police officer.

Egbunike died on Tuesday night at the National Hospital, Abuja, after a brief illness. Until his death, he was in charge of the highest investigating arm of the Nigeria Police Force.He was in charge on the investigation of embattled Abba Kyari,who is currently being tried on drug charges

In a statement issued on Wednesday by Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the IGP said Egunike was instrumental to the achievements of the giant strides within the Police architecture.

“DIG Egbunike was a dedicated and seasoned police officer who served the nation in various capacities including as the Commissioner of Police in charge of Police Accounts and Budget,” the statement read.

“An officer with finesse and commitment to intellectual development and was instrumental to the achievements of the giant strides within the Police architecture.”

The IGP also condoled with the immediate family, relatives, and friends of the DIG who passed away in active service of his fatherland and prayed for the repose of his soul.

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Ayobami Adedeji News 2022-03-09

The embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Abba Kyari, who is facing a drug trafficking charge, on Monday, begged the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja not to remand him in prison custody.

Kyari, through his lawyer, Mr Kanu Agabi, SAN, prayed the court to allow him to remain in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, pending the hearing and determination of his fresh application for bail.

The suspended DCP, who hitherto headed the Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, made the request after he pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge the NDLEA preferred against him and six others. He was docked before trial Justice Emeka Nwike, alongside four other police officers- ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp. Simon Agirigba and Insp. John Nuhu, as well as two alleged drug traffickers that were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne.

Whereas Kyari, dressed in blue native attire, and his police Co-Defendants, pleaded not guilty to the charge, the 6th and 7th Defendants, Umeibe and Ezenwanne, pleaded guilty to allegations against them

Meanwhile, shortly after the Defendants entered their plea, the NDLEA, through its Director, Prosecution & Legal Services, Mr Joseph Sunday, applied for a trial date and for review of facts in respect of the Defendants that pleaded guilty to the charge. The NDLEA equally told the court that it filed a counter-affidavit to oppose the release of Kyari and the other four former members of the Police IRT, on bail.

However, Agabi, SAN, while arguing that the charge against the Defendants contained bailable offences, he urged the court not to accede to request for facts in respect of Umeibe and Ezenwanne.

Agabi, SAN, contended that it will be prejudicial to his client for facts of the case to be reviewed and a decision reached on it, while the trial is still subsisting.

He further made reference to cases where Defendants, out of ignorance, pleaded guilty to a charge against them.

“It is not in the interest of justice for the facts to be reviewed while the trial is still ongoing”, he added.

He noted that both Umeibe and Ezenwanne were also mentioned in some counts in the charge that involved Kyari and the others.

On his part, the Prosecution counsel, Mr. Sunday, maintained that reviewing the facts of the case would not prejudice DCP Kyari and the others.

“My lord, this sort of application by the Defence is to undermine the capacity of this court.

“This case is to be considered on the basis of the evidence before the court. I do not see how the 1st to 5th Defendants will be prejudiced since we are going to confront them with evidence against them”.

“The most proper thing is to dispose of the case against the 6th and 7th Defendants.

“It will be unjust and unfair to keep the two Defendants in custody while waiting for the conclusion of the trial of the others.

“It is better for them to be convicted to enable them to start serving their sentence”, the Prosecution added.

After he had listened to oral arguments from both sides, trial Justice Nwite said he would want the parties to formally address the court on the issue next Monday.

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Ayobami Adedeji News 2022-03-07

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has urged its chapters across the country to sensitise members of the public on the situation between the union and the Federal Government. This is as it declared Monday, February 7, 2022, as a lecture-free day in a bid to enhance the sensitisation.

The National President of the Union, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday evening.

Sunday PUNCH reports that the directive to the chapters of ASUU comes less than a week after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari(retd.) pledged the commitment of his administration to fulfilling the agreement with the union.

Buhari made the promise when members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council visited him to discuss the lingering issues.

While making the pledge, Buhari pleaded with the union to exercise patience and consider current economic realities.

The last national strike by ASUU was in March 2020 and it lasted till December 2020, when a Memorandum of Action was signed.

However, a year after signing the MoA, ASUU accused the government of failing to fulfil its side of the bargain and threatened to mobilise for another strike immediately.

The government quickly moved to pay N55bn as part-payment for the Earned Academic Allowance and Revitalisation Fund, but the union was unmoved until the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council and other dignitaries waded in.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Prof Osodeke clarified that the union had not yet declared a strike but would be sensitising the public, which includes the media, on the state of affairs between the union and the Federal Government.

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Ayobami Adedeji News 2022-02-06

To mark the International Women’s Day this year, on March 8, 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched a new global partnership with 11 global businesses to improve girls’ access to education and employment in developing countries. 

·       The UK Government will contribute an initial £9m, with the partners providing an additional  £11m.

·       The programme aims to provide high quality skills training to around 1 million girls around the world. 

·       Improving girls’ access to education is a key part of the UK’s foreign policy, to ensure the  build back  from the pandemic and prevent a lost generation. Investing in education helps lift communities out of poverty and protects girls from early marriage, forced labour and gender-based violence. 

London, United Kingdom; 8 March, 2021: As part of activities to mark this year’s edition of the International Women’s Day (IWD), the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has launched a new global partnership with UBA Foundation and 10 other organisations, to improve girls’ access to education and employment in developing countries. 

To this end, the UBA Foundation, together with 10 other global businesses have come together with the UK government who will be working in partnership with UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited (GenU) to fund this very crucial programme that aims to provide high quality skills training to around one million girls around the world. 

The UBA Foundation, other private sector players and global businesses who are partnering to fund and resource the the initiative to tune of £11m are Accenture, Standard Chartered, Unilever, Microsoft, Pearson, PwC, Coursera, Vodafone, BP and Cognizant. The UK government has contributed an initial £9m to the initiative called the Girls’ Education Skills Partnership programme.  

Explaining its drive to undertake this project which is expected to have far-reaching positive effects for the girl-child across the world, the UK Government pointed out that even before the Covid pandemic, millions of children did not have any access to school - and girls from disadvantaged families are particularly vulnerable to missing out on education, whether through poverty or prejudice. The pandemic has created even more barriers to education, with a peak of 1.6 billion children around the world having faced school closures. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who pointed out that this is UK’s first education partnership of its kind where the UK Government is joining forces with the private sector to boost girls’ access to education in developing countries, said, “The United Kingdom has long been a proud and mighty champion of this fundamental cause and today we take one leap further through our first Global Partnership of its kind - opening up opportunities for one million girls across the developing world to have access to high quality skills training.  

Continuing, Boris said, “Ensuring every girl and young woman across the globe receives 12 years of quality education is the greatest tool in our armoury to end the world’s great injustices. “Delivering on this mission will be one of the best defences against ignorance, ensure the greatest protection from prejudice and put a rocket booster behind our hopes and dreams for global development in the years to come.” 

In his speech, Mr Johnson noted that some of the businesses involved will be contributing a range of resources including books, computers and other technology, mentoring, advice and access to their networks, skills and training programmes just as the private sector involvement will help ensure that education and learning opportunities provide girls with the skills for the future that employers need. 

The Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Mr Tony O. Elumelu, CON, who was in attendance at the event reiterated the importance of educating the girl child and giving back always as we strive towards sustainable development.  “We understand first hand, the need to empower young women in African communities to catalyse sustainable socio economic development. At the UBA Group, we are committed to women empowerment and we continue to champion women causes in our business and through our work in philanthropy. Working together, we must ensure that our girls are properly educated and attain the necessary skills that allow them to effectively compete as the world becomes increasingly global,” He added.

Mr Elumelu thanked the Prime Minister and the UK Special Envoy, Helen Grant, for the laudable initiative that will see more girls globally, being educated.

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Ayobami Adedeji News 2022-03-09

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, refused to grant the bail application of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling, said the application had been overtaken by events following an order of a sister court, granting the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s prayers to detain Kyari for another 14 days to enable it to conclude its investigation.

Justice Ekwo held that the sister court, which gave the order in favour of NDLEA on February 22, was a court of coordinate jurisdiction.

The judge, however, said he was inclined to hear Kyari’s fundamental enforcement rights suit with the urgency it deserves after the expiration of the 14-day court order.

He then adjourned until March 15 to hear Kyari’s application to demand his fundamental right enforcement.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Justice Zainab Abubakar of FHC sitting in Abuja had granted the agency’s application to have Kyari and others suspects linked to the alleged drug trafficking detained for 14 more days to complete its investigation.

NAN also reports that Kyari, through his lawyer, had, on February 21, approached the court with an ex-parte motion and originating summons seeking bail and asking the court to enforce his fundamental human rights which he alleged had been breached by unlawful arrest and detention.

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Ayobami Adedeji News 2022-02-28

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, adjourned further proceedings in the case against the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, till Wednesday.

The adjournment followed Kanu’s complaint that the Federal Government failed to promptly serve him the fresh 15 amended charges it brought before the court.

Kanu, through his team of lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, further accused FG of denying him the necessary facility to defend the charge against him.

Ozekhome told the court that the amended charges were served on them barely 24 hours to the scheduled hearing.

“My Lord, the proposed amended charges were served on us yesterday (Monday) evening. As I speak to you my lord, the defendant, who was just brought in, has not even seen the charges which he is being told to enter his plea.

“With due respect, that is not justice. It is ambushing. I know that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, allows FG to amend, but this is the sixth amendment they are making, and each time they do it, they serve us a day to the hearing, just to frustrate the trial,” Ozekhome added

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Ayobami Adedeji News 2022-01-18

The Senate, on Wednesday, rejected a bill by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), seeking the amendment of Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act.

Section 84 (12) prevents political office holders from contesting for election from the party primary level without resigning.

The bill had scaled the first reading on Tuesday, despite a court order barring the Senate from acting on it.

The request was rejected after Senator Yahaya Abdullahi made the lead debate for the second reading of the bill on Wednesday.

The Senators kicked against it and voted no when put to voice votes by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.

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Ayobami Adedeji News 2022-03-09

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday arrived in Abuja from Ethiopia where he had attended the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads and Government of African Union.

Before leaving Ethiopia, the President received the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, on the sidelines of the AU Summit.

He also received the Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant Administrator, Director, United Nations Development Programmes Regional Bureau for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa.

He had yesterday met with Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guinea-Bissau, Suzi Barbosa, who gave graphic presentation of the attempt to overthrow the constitutional order in her country.

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Ayobami Adedeji News 2022-02-08

Former Oyo Governor Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala is dead.He was 71.

Alao-Akala died exactly one month after the demise of the Soun of Ogbomosho.

Unconfirmed source said the former Governor died on Wednesday morning in his sleep at his Ogbomosho home.

Another source said the convoy of the former Governor had already been rolled out for a trip to Ibadan before the incident.

The source said concern was raised when the former Governor, who was expected to join the convoy, didn’t come out, forcing some of the aides to rush into the house where he was confirmed dead.

The cause of his death could not be ascertained as at press time.

He served under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

He handed over power to late Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

He later decamped to the All Progressives Congress(APC) where he held sway as a chieftain, particularly in Ogbomoso until his death.Since the news of the his death broke out today,many in the socio-political landscape,especiallly in Oyo state,have been mourning including the current Governor of Oyo State,Engr Seyi Makinde,who wrote,

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Ayobami Adedeji News 2022-01-12