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Group gives IGP ultimatum to arrest APC governorship candidate

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BY: Ikenna Oluka

The Registrar, International Humanitarian and Environmental Law Institute, Professor Cyprian Edward-Ekpo, has called on the Acting Inspector of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to arrest the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Akwa Ibom State, Nsima Ekere, as ordered by the court.

Edward-Ekpo also called on the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC) to act accordingly by disqualifying Ekere from participating in Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

Worried that days after the warrant of arrest was issued, it was yet to be complied with. He, therefore, cautioned that no institution or body should threat court orders with levity.

Edward-Ekpo, a counsel to Multi-Intelligence Development Limited, the complainant in the suit, who spoke Friday in Abuja, was reacting to the judgment delivered March 5 by the Magistrate Court, Port Harcourt Division.

The court had in its judgment, ordered arrest of former Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), now APC governorship candidate for Akwa Ibom State, Ekere as well as Director of Legal services of the Commission, Mr Kaltungo Moljengo over a N2.4 billion fraud.

Accordingly, Edward-Ekpo called on the current management of NNDC to comply with the October 28, 2015 judgment of the Federal High Court.

“We demand that the Acting Inspector General of Police should not threaten the order of a court with levity but effect the warrant order immediately.

“We are also calling on INEC, following the proceedings of the Federal High Court, Friday, to comply with the warrant of arrest.

“We also urge the people of Akwa Ibom not to vote Ekere as he is not fit to stand election in the country”, he stated.

The Chief Magistrate, Andrew-Jaja, had issued the warrant of arrest with charge number PMC/MSC/15/2019 on March 5 against Ekere and Moljengo.

However, following the Warrant of Arrest and Order of committal for the offence for Criminal Conspiracy to Defeat or Prevent Execution of Court Judgement placed on the two, the Federal High Court, Abuja, Friday, disqualified the candidacy of Mr Ekere as the APC governorship candidate for Akwa Ibom State.

Edward-Ekpo noted that as it stands, the status of Ekere as a candidate for Saturday’s election has been affected under Section 182 (1c) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that when an offence is imposed on a person, he is not qualified to contest the election as a governor of a state.

“Based on this offence having been imposed on him by the Chief Magistrate Court, which is a court of competent jurisdiction recognized under Section Five of the 1999 Constitution, he is not qualified to stand election on Saturday.

“Following the judgment, a suit was filed by a citizen of the state, asking the Federal High Court to disqualify or void the candidacy of APC in Akwa Ibom State, and Friday, motion Ex-parte was moved and the court has granted order of subservient service on all the parties, and also, cautioned INEC to apply restraints on the matter”, he said.

Meanwhile, the matter has been adjourned till April 8, for hearing on the substantive suit.

Source: The Guardian report

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“80% Of Buildings In Lekki Have No Approval” – Lagos State Commissioner For Physical Planning & Urban Development Reveals

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The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, has stated that 80 per cent of buildings in Ibeju Lekki have no approval.

Olumide disclosed this while speaking to newsmen recently.

In his words; “Just last week Thursday and Friday, myself and the team were in the Ibeju Lekki and Epe axis and you would agree with me that anybody passing through that corridor would see a lot of estates marked. We went there, and I can tell you that from what we saw, over 80 per cent of them do not have approval.

The procedure to get approval is first to get the planning information, as to what those areas have been zoned for. In this case, what we have is agricultural land, and people now go to their families to buy agricultural land. Of course, those lands would be sold because those families do not know the use such land would be put to.

The next thing to do is the fence permit. If you missed the earlier information on not knowing the area zoning, at the point of getting the fence permit, you would be able to detect what the area is zoned for. After that, the layout permits a large expense of land follows.”’

Olumide noted that a layout permit cannot be obtained if it is not zoned for the purpose it was designed for or for the purpose it was being requested.

“So, you can see all these layers, but people still go ahead to start advertising. Some have even gone to the extent of displaying the sizes they want to sell. Imagine someone in the diaspora who wants to send money without any knowledge. Then, no approval is eventually gotten. Even if they pass the assignment and the survey to them, we would not grant the individual permit, because that area is not zoned for that purpose’’ Olumide said

This partly explains why some of the houses are being turn down currently in the state.

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Lady Dies After Friends Pushed Her Into Boiling Pot Of Fresh Pepper In Delta State

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A Nigerian man identified as Israel Joe, has revealed how his friend, Roseline, died after she was pushed into a boiling pot of fresh pepper and tomatoes by her two female friends in Sapele, Delta State.

Joe stated that Roseline, a caterer, went on a trip with her friends to Sapele for a catering job where the bitter ordeal occured.

She tragically passed away on Saturday, April 13 after spending two weeks at the hospital in a very horrible state.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Joe said that before her untimely death, Roseline confided in him about two of her friends who were treating her coldly.
And he has vowed to bring them to justice.

This is such a heartbreaking event.

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IPOB Declares May 30th As Sit-at-home Day Across The Southern East States To Honour Biafran Fallen Heroes

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The Indigenous People of Biafra has declared May 30, 2024, as a sit-at-home day across the South-East to celebrate Biafran soldiers.

The pro-Biafran group said that day is set aside annually to celebrate the men and women who died in the Biafran war between 1967 and 1970 and beyond and even until now.

This was made known in a press statement by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Thursday, adding that every Biafran in the South-East is expected to sit at home and reflect on the war.

He cautioned South-East residents to avoid loitering about on this day, adding that those who intend to travel to and fro Biafra land must do so before the evening of May 29.

The IPOB statement also directed that all the residents of “Biafra Land” are to stay indoors from 6 am to 6 pm on May 30, 2024.

He also called on christians and traditionalists to pray to Chukwu okike abiama for the fallen heroes, And also for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria.

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