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Federal EXCO Okay N965.9m for NCoS to purchase 49 vehicles

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Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at Abolongo correctional center, after it was attacked by Gunmen on Friday Night 22nd October, 2021
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at Abolongo correctional center, after it was attacked by Gunmen on Friday Night 22nd October, 2021
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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of N965.9 million for the purchase of 49 operational vehicles to enhance the services of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, stated this when he briefed State House correspondents at the end of the Council meeting presided over by President Muhammad Buhari by  on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, the vehicles to be sourced locally will complement the ones already in use by the Correctional Service.

He said: “The Nigerian Correctional Service through the Ministry of Interior presented a memo to council and obtained approval to spend the sum of N965, 902, 524.58 to procure 49 operational and Green Maria vehicles.

“These 49 vehicles will complement the 513 operational and Green Maria vehicles already purchased between 2016 and 2020.

“This does not in any way mean that we have met the vehicle needs of the Nigerian Correctional Service.’’

The minister noted that since the advent of the Buhari administration, concerted effort and commitment had been made to ensure that the Correctional Service was provided with operational tools to meet its mandate of keeping the facilities safe.

He added that necessary logistic support meant to move inmates from the facilities to the over 5022 courts scattered all over Nigeria were also being provided by the government.

Commenting on the recent calls for his resignation as a result of the frequent attack on correctional facilities across the country, the minister dismissed the call, saying there was no need for such calls.

He said: “Our facility in Imo was attacked in April, Kabba was in September, Abulungu was in October and Jos was in November; just to capture the attacks. As painful as those attacks were, nobody will really want the end of justice to be so vulnerable.

“The custodial facilities are the final end of criminal justice system because such facilities are the ultimate end of the administration of justice.

“So, morally, the State owes itself the responsibility of safe custody that must not be violated.

“So, on that account alone, we must appreciate the enormity of any successful attack on our custodial facility and I so do.

“But I want us to put these things in the context of our security situation.

“In Jos, our men died, meaning that the best we could put there was there and when your best could not suffice, it means that it is no longer a question of inability to make preparation or failure for preparedness it is just that at that instance we could not just hold the defence as expected,” he said.

According to Aregbesola, the authorities concerned are upping their game, to ensure that such attacks do not happen again.

“We are upping our game and we will prevent any such opportunistic attack and even make it impossible.

“We are working with all arms of government particularly security to make our custodial facilities impregnable and we will not rest until that is achieved; that is the assurance I want to give Nigerians.

“As to whether it calls for my resignation, I still don’t see any need for that because it is not for lack of preparedness that the attacks were successful,” he stated.

Femi Adesina, special adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who also spoke on the outcome of the meeting, said the council approved N145 million for the procurement of an office accommodation for the Federal Character Commission in Bayelsa State.

He also announced the approval of N136.2 million by the Council for the procurement of operational vehicles for the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, also disclosed that the Council ratified the Finance Bill 2021 for 2022 fiscal year.

She stated that already the bill had been transmitted to both Houses of the National Assembly by the president for their approval.

“Today, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning presented to Council for Council’s ratification the Finance Bill 2021 for the 2022 fiscal year.

“I’m sure you would have all noted that this bill has already been transmitted by the president to the National Assembly and both houses have already started working on the bill.

“So, this draft bill was prepared by the Fiscal Policy Committee and it focused on tax and reviewing some fiscal laws and also amending some, and these laws are about 11 in number,’’ she said.

 

 

NAN

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Military Rescues Six Students After Bandits’ Invasion Of Zamfara Community

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Six of the 24 students of the Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State kidnapped in the early hours of Friday (today) have been rescued, Channels Television reports.

A top military source close to the Commander of 1 Brigade Nigerian Army, Gusau, confirmed this to our correspondent, following the bandits’ invasion of the Sabon-Gida community of Bungudu Local Government Area.

He said the Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Sani Ahmed is currently leading the operation with other security agencies in the forest along Tsafe Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

The source also confirmed that several bandits were neutralised during the ongoing operation with some weapons recovered.

Earlier, a student of the school, who asked to be anonymous for security reasons, told Channels Television that over 24 schoolmates, mostly ladies, were abducted during the attack.

A resident of Sabon-Gida identified as Nazeer Sabon-Gida also confirmed that the gunmen invaded the community around 3 am and started shooting indiscriminately.

According to him, three students’ hostels were attacked and all the students in the hostels were taken away by the bandits.

In a related development, the Zamfara State Police Command confirmed the abduction of the students.

The spokesperson for the command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, in a telephone conversation on Friday said the command has yet to confirm the number of the students abducted.

He also confirmed that the rescue operation was ongoing.

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Atiku explains to Supreme Court why PEPC judgement is flawed

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Atiku Abubakar
Atiku Abubakar
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The former Vice President insisted that the February 25 poll was “conducted based on very grave and gross misrepresentation” and was, therefore, oppressive to the appellants, thus not free and fair, and not in accordance with the principles of the Electoral Act 2022

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, is seeking an overturn of the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Court due to its failure to take into cognisance the “Doctrine of Legitimate Expectation” regarding the failure of INEC to conduct the election in accordance with its own guidelines and the Electoral Act 2022.

Atiku, in his Notice of Appeal, dated September 18, filed by his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, submitted that the failure of the tribunal to apply the said doctrine was enough ground for the apex court to set aside the entire decision of the lower court.

Specifically in ground seven of his notice, Atiku maintained that the lower court erred in law when it failed to nullify the presidential election held on February 25, 2023, on the ground of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.

Atiku submitted that INEC conducted the presidential election based on gross misrepresentation to the appellants and the general voting public that the presiding officers were going to electronically transmit the results of the election directly from the polling units to the 1st Respondent’s Collation System.

He said: “Contrary to the above unambiguous representations, undertakings, and guarantees, the 1st Respondent neither deployed the electronic transmission of election results nor the electronic collation system in the said election, sabotaging the raison d’etre for the enactment of the new Electoral Act 2022 and the introduction of the technological innovations.

“Rather than hold the 1st Respondent (INEC) as a public institution accountable to the representations that it made pursuant to its statutory and constitutional duties, which created legitimate expectations on the part of the Appellant, the lower court wrongly exonerated the 1st Respondent of any responsibility by holding that the use of the technological innovations to guarantee transparency was not mandatory.”

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Please Forgive Me,’ Shaibu Begs Obaseki

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Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu and Governor Godwin Obaseki
Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu and Governor Godwin Obaseki
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The embattled Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has begged his principal, Governor Godwin Obakeki, for forgiveness over their political differences.

Addressing journalists on Thursday in Benin City, Shaibu appealed to Governor Obaseki to forgive and forget.

“I use this medium to appeal to Mr Governor, if there is anything that I don’t know that I have done, please forgive me so that we can develop our state together,” he said.

“We have just one year to go. We have been the envy of the entire country. So Mr Governor, if there is anything you feel that I have done, please I am sorry. I need us to work together to finish well and strong.”

When asked if he had resumed at his new office, Shaibu said, “We have resumed but there is still a lot of work to be done there.

“There is no problem about it. The governor has asked us to go there. Like I have always tried to prove, I am a loyal servant and nothing has changed.

“I took a personal vow to support my governor and you can see my Catholic people are here. When I took a vow with God, nothing can change it and I wish that the relationship that we had will come back in the next few days and weeks.

“I am missing my governor and by the grace of God, He will touch the governor’s heart and touch all of us and even those that are between us.

“I mean well. If there is any mistake I have made as a human, it is not out of wickedness because I know I’m not wicked. I have a very clean heart.”

Recently, Obaseki and Shaibu have been at loggerheads over issues relating to the alleged plots to impeach the deputy governor.

Last month, the governor accused his deputy of attempting to overthrow him, a claim Shaibu denied.

In early September, Shaibu was barred from gaining access to an event organised by the state where the governor and other top leaders were present.

Not long after, the deputy governor’s office was moved to a building outside the Edo State Government House.

 

 

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