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181 sacked workers floor NSCDC at Supreme Court

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BY: Oliseama Okwuchukwu

The Supreme Court has affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja that recalled 181 sacked personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Delivering judgment on Monday, the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Mahammad struck out the appeal filed by the corps challenging the decision of the lower court.

The acting CJN, who led four other justices, held that the apex court lacked that jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

He said that Section 248 (4) of the 1999 Constitution as amended placed all legal disputes which emanated from the National Industrial Court (NIC) to terminate at the court of appeal.

Mahammad further said that that apex court was therefore not vested with the jurisdiction to entertain such appeals.

“In the circumstance, the appellant applicant has reached its limit and the appeal is therefore struck out.

“The matter has come to its finality’’, he said.

The lost appeal was filed by NSCDC against the judgment by the National Industrial Court (NIC), reinstating 182 of its personnel who were wrongly dismissed.

NIC had, in a judgment on March 19, 2015, ordered the NSCDC to reinstate the sacked staff with their full emoluments from the time they were illegally dismissed.

The trial court also ordered NSCDC to return the employment letters to the affected personnel and pay all arrears of their salaries amounting to about N1.2 billion.

The court restrained the NSCDC from further tampering with the employment of the affected personnel.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, the NSCDC, and Immigration and Prisons Service Board (who were respondents at the NIC) appealed the judgment, but failed to diligently prosecute it.

A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Moore Adumein, in a ruling, on July 18, 2016, upheld the respondents’ request and dismissed the appeal for lack of diligent prosecution.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Obono Musa and 180 others had sued the then Commandant-General, NSCDC, alleging unlawful termination of their employments.

They prayed the court to declare that the verbal and oral suspension of the claimants by the NSCDC was null, void and of no effect.

The claimants also sought an order directing the defendants to recall all the claimants to work and to also release the original copies of their letters of employment to them.

They also asked for an order of the court directing the defendants to immediately pay them all arrears of salaries from 2007 till date.

Speaking to newsmen after the court session, Mr Ibrahim Bawa, Counsel to the respondents expressed delight on the outcome of the case, adding that his clients had been exposed to hardship since 2007 when they were unlawfully sacked.

He therefore urged President Muhammadu Buhari to impress it on the Commandant-General of the corps to without delay effect the decision of the apex court.

Bawa also said that the president might contemplate investigating the untidy manner the establishment was managed.

NAN further reports that the 181 personnel of the corps were seen dancing and thanking God for their legal victory in the premises of the court. (NAN)

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Fuel Price Skyrockets To ₦1000 Per Litre In Some States As Scarcity Sets In

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News reaching us is that fuel Prices have gone up ranging up to ₦800 to ₦1000 and above per litre in different states.

The price increase is also as a result of fuel scarcity which has set in. It is believed that some fuel stations are currently hoarding fuel.

Motorists are queuing up in large numbers at filling stations across Kano State struggling to buy petrol that is now selling at over N1,000 per litre.

One Mr Ibrahim said filling stations in the metropolis were charging as high as N1,000 as of Monday morning, adding that he bought the product over the weekend at prices ranging between N950 and N920 before the price skyrocketed on Monday.

The fuel scarcity has also touched Abuja and even Lagos.

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King Charles Reportedly “Really Unwell” And Funeral Plans Are Currently Being Reviewed

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King Charles III’s health is causing concern for friends and the palace as he continues to battle cancer.

“Speaking to friends of the king in recent weeks about his health, the most common response is … ‘It’s not good,’” Tom Sykes of the Daily Beast reported Thursday, April 25.

A friend of the monarch claimed Charles “is determined to beat it and they are throwing everything at it,” adding, “Everyone is staying optimistic, but he is really very unwell. More than they are letting on.”

Royal writer Tina Brown also hinted at the monarch’s health struggles, writing recently that Charles’ cancer has put Prince William and Kate Middleton “in frightening proximity to ascending the throne just when they had hoped for a span of years to parent their children out of the public eye.”

“The prospect of it, I am told, is causing them intense anxiety.”

Sykes also reported that the king’s funeral plans, codenamed “Operation Menai Bridge”, are currently being reviewed.

A separate document that states what went well at Queen Elizabeth’s September 2022 funeral and what could be done better the next time a monarch dies is also circulating, according to the Daily Beast.

All the sources emphasized that royal funeral plans are constantly in review. However, one former staffer in particular conceded that Charles’ health woes have given his plans a different urgency.

“The plans have been dusted off and are actively being kept up to date,” the former staffer explained.

“It’s no more than what you would expect given the king has been diagnosed with cancer. But the circulation of them has certainly focused minds.”

Buckingham Palace announced in February that after undergoing surgery for a benign prostate enlargement, it was discovered that the king has cancer.

We hope the king gets well soon.

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EFCC: New Documents Extracted Shows Yahaya Bello Allegedly Paid School Fees To The Tune Of $845,852,84 For His Family Members

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Still on the EFCC trailing on Ex Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, Documents serving as exhibits have shown how he allegedly paid school fees in advance for his family members already in the school and even those to be enrolled in future with hundreds of thousands of dollars withdrawn from the state coffers.

A letter from the American International School of Abuja to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has shown the school admitting that Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, paid $845,852,84 into their bank account since September 2021 as advance school fees for 4 family members from the present class until they graduate.

Payment was also made for any future student to be enrolled by the family.

The document alleges that the payment was made by Mr. Ali Bello, alleged to be the eldest son of Yahaya Bello.

In the document, the school stated that they have deducted the fees for the educational service already rendered to the Bello children in the institution and what is left is $760, 910, which would be refunded to an account provided by the EFCC as the commission continues investigation into alleged money laundering levelled against Yahaya Bello.

the school fees documented payment

The school also added that from the Bello family kids, “no further additional fees are expected in respect of tuition until they graduate from ASIA.”

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