IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, reserved its judgement on an appeal the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, filed to quash the terrorism and treasonable felony charge the Federal Government preferred against him.

The IPOB leader, who is currently facing trial before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had through his team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, approached the appellate court to query the legal competence of the charge pending against him.

He specifically prayed the appellate court to review the April 8 ruling of the trial court which struck out only eight out of the 15-count charge.

Insisting that the charge FG entered against him had no basis in law, Kanu, in his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, applied to be discharged and acquitted.

Kanu equally urged the appellate court to order his release on bail, pending the determination of his appeal.

Though the appeal was initially fixed for October 11, however, following an application the embattled IPOB leader filed for abridgement of time, the appellate court brought the matter forward for hearing.

When the matter was called up on Tuesday, a three-man panel led by Justice Jummai Hanatu, said it had no need to delve into the issue of bail since the substantive appeal was ripe for hearing.

Arguing the appeal, Chief Ozekhome, SAN, alleged that his client was forcefully abducted from Kenya and illegally renditioned back to the country.

He told the court that his client was first arraigned on December 23, 2015 and was later granted bail on April 25, 2017.

“My lords, he was enjoying this bail without breaching the terms. However, he was in his ancestral home when agents of the Respondent invaded his home in September 2017. He barely escaped alive by sheer providence and found himself first in Isreal and later in London.

“When the Appellant travelled from London to Kenya, agents of the Respondents, on June 27, 2021, forcefully abducted the Appellant, tortured and renditioned him back to the country without following any extradition process”, Ozekhome submitted.

He argued that under the Doctrine of Speciality as provided for in section 15 of the Extradition Act, FG, ought to have proceeded to try Kanu on the five-count charge he was initially facing before he escaped from the country.

He argued that Kenya, being the country from where Kanu was arrested and extraordinarily renditioned back to Nigeria, ought to have authorised his extradition.

“This allegation of his forceful abduction and rendition was never denied by the Respondent.

“More so my lords, the charge appears to give the lower court a global jurisdiction over offences that were allegedly committed by the Appellant, without specifying the location or date the said offences were committed

There was no need for the lower court to have retained the remaining seven-count charge.

“We are therefore urging my lords to strike out the remaining counts and hold that the Respondent has not established any prima-facie case against the Appellant for which he could be tried”, Ozekhome added.

Meanwhile, FG, through its lawyer, Mr. David Kaswe, urged the court to dismiss the appeal for want of merit.

He maintained that the IPOB leader was brought back to the country by due process of the law.

He argued that the charge has been amended seven times owing to the conduct of the Appellant.

“My lords, it took four years and huge resources to get the Respondent arrested and brought back to face the charges against him.

“The Prosecution is ever willing and eager to proceed with trial of the Appellant.

We are saying that the trial court was even wrong to have struck out the eight counts as it did.

“It is only after FG has produced all its witnesses and tendered its evidence that the Appellant could claim that no prima-facie case was established.

“Finally, we urge this court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit”, Kaswe added.

After it had listened to both sides, the panel said it would communicate a date for the judgment.

Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri

The Imo State government and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party have clashed over the visit of the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to the state on Tuesday.

Buhari, during his visit, will inaugurate the rebuilt State House of Assembly complex, the first phase of the Owerri- Okigwe Road, and the Owerri- Orlu Road, according to an update given by the state’s Commissioner for information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba.

PDP, in a statement on Monday issued by its spokesperson, Collins Opurozor, alleged that state governor, Hope Uzodimma, was luring Buhari to the state to inaugurate uncompleted projects.

The main opposition, which stated that the governor had ditched the state into a financial mess, contended that the Assembly complex was built over 30 years ago by a former state governor, Sam Mbakwe.

PDP’s statement partly read, “Our party, therefore, condemns the move to bring President Buhari to Imo State to re-commission a 30-year-old repainted complex and the uncompleted Owerri-Okigwe Road. The President should not bow to self-serving pressures from Uzodinma to lend his exalted office for such caricature. We challenge Uzodinma to take President Buhari through the road set for commissioning to prove that it is truly in existence.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Imo State House of Assembly Complex, the best in Nigeria, was built and commissioned by Chief Sam Mbakwe in 1983. The project was handled by an indigenous firm, Okigwe Construction Company, owned by Chief John Enyogasi.

“For Imo PDP, therefore, Uzodinma’s attempt to take credit for Mbakwe’s landmark project is an intolerable dimension to his insult and disrespect to Mbakwe, and it is the most audacious attack on the memory of the late respected leader.

“What makes the issue more outrageous is that President Mohammadu Buhari, who Uzodinma has concluded plans to bring for the festival of shame, has always been known for his abiding disdain for the progress and development of Imo State. Recall that in 1983, the military regime of Buhari put our hero, Dee Sam Mbakwe, in prison for daring to develop Imo.

“In 2020, the regime of President Buhari again stopped the progress of Imo State by terminating the tenure of the duly elected Governor, the Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and installing the unelected and unelectable Hope Uzodinma. Now in 2022, he is being invited to re-commission one of the signature projects of Chief Mbakwe so as to fully participate in the ridiculing of the late quintessential leader. The spirit of Dee Sam will rise to fight these unrepentant enemies.”

But in a statement, the state government said that the PDP in the state was suffering from political frustration.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Print Media, Modestus Nwamkpa, said that PDP was crying because Uzodimma was building projects the PDP’s past administrations in the state abandoned for over a decade.

Responding, the governor’s aide said, “There is nothing political frustration cannot cause the fast decaying Imo PDP. In the first place, the projects the president is coming to commission like the completely dualized 35km Owerri to Orlu road with street lights, the first phase of the 48 km Owerri to Okigwe road, and the remodeled ultra modern Imo House of Assembly complex which was abandoned to rot away for so many years throughout the PDP era already generating global commendation, and that is why Imo PDP is urinating in their pants.

“They are panicking because they know Uzodimma has opened Imo people’s eyes to what real good governance is. They are now afraid that with what Uzodimma has achieved in under two years, they might be stoned if they ever come out tomorrow to ask for votes again from the Imo people.

“It is shameful for Imo PDP to agree that a complex that was built 40 years ago by Sam Mbakwe was allowed to collapse completely until Uzodimma came to completely remodel, rehabilitate and reconstruct the complex with the latest state of the Art gadgets, the best currently in not Nigeria but arguably the best in Africa. The question is: What did they (PDP) do when they were in office except expanding the personal village and Owerri houses of their Governor?

“By the way, PDP did not tell the world that the same Governor Uzodimma is today equally renovating the village House of the former Sam Mbakwe.

Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri

The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, on Sunday asked Catholic bishops and archbishops to order priests converting pulpits to campaign grounds to stop.

The governor also urged the clerics to caution priests who make inciting statements on the pulpits to refrain from doing so.

The governor who spoke in his address at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria held in Orlu asked the prelates to use the opportunity of the conference to reaffirm the neutrality of the Church.

Uzodiinma said while he was not against the members of the clergy speaking against social ills and criticising the governments, clerics shouldn’t dabble in politics.

The governor said, “Your Graces and Lordships, permit me to also point out, with every sense of responsibility, that I do not think it is right for some members of the clergy to convert God’s house and the pulpit to the soap box for campaigns for their preferred candidates or parties in an election season or anytime in the election cycle.

“Sadly, this has become the norm in many of our churches. My worry is that if the church drags itself into partisan politics, then it would have lost its moral authority to pontificate because it has made itself an interested party.

“Indeed, the church cannot be in the moral pedestal to preach against certain conducts of the society if it has not gone through purification by purging itself of those who are diminishing its authority. I believe that true sanctification can only come when the church presents itself as a living testament of good, impartial and temperate conduct. It is my sincere hope that one of your resolutions from this conference will be to condemn members of the clergy who use their positions and the church for political ends.

“In the same vein, some priests under your watch have through inciting sermons also taken it upon themselves to inflame passions, instead of abating them. In addition, I have noticed with dismay that some members of the clergy have also become open canvassers for separatism and secession. Sadly, they also use the sacred pulpit to do this. This should not be the case. The need for the church to remain on high moral standards includes abstaining from fiery comments that seem to highlight and promote our differences rather than on the things that unite us.

“This conference is holding today because Nigeria, though beset by insecurity in some parts, is not in a state of war. No matter the imperfections of our republic and democracy, we are still better off in a united country.

“To the glory of God, we have an increasing number of political leaders who are committed to addressing these imperfections, especially as it concerns equity and justice, so we can build the perfect nation we all desire. And I can assure you that it is only a matter of time before this is achieved, On their part, Church leaders should continue to promote the unity of the country and not its division.

“I wholly understand that priests have the right and duty to hold our leaders and governments accountable, and nobody will ever stop a priest from condemning the ills in the society, including bad governance and corruption. My position should not be misinterpreted as an attempt to rob them of this moral authority that they have enjoyed since the beginning of time.

“I, therefore, appeal to your Graces and Lordships to bring up these concerns of mine in the course of your deliberations during the conference. It is important that you reaffirm the church’s neutrality on political matters and, thereafter, caution the priests not to dabble into partisan politics. Above all, they should also desist from fanning the embers of disunity in the country.

“Your Excellencies, as a baptised Catholic, I have every respect not only for the Church but for the priests and the entire leadership. As my spiritual fathers, I draw a lot of inspiration from you, individually and collectively. Thus, I would be sad to witness anything that tends to weaken or erode your authority and reverence.

“I am sure that the current leadership of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria will work harder to strengthen its arms to make them responsive to the yearnings of the faithful. Going by your programmes, I am also hopeful that you will address some of the contending and contemporary issues in our country today. As always, I have no doubt that your goal is to make Nigeria a better place not only for Catholics but for every Nigerian.”

Copyright PUNCH

Princes William and Harry and their wives put on a rare united front Saturday to view tributes to Queen Elizabeth II, threatening to upstage their father Charles on the day he was officially proclaimed king. The impromptu walkabout by William and Kate with Harry and Meghan, their first joint public appearance since March 2020, came as royal officials unveiled plans for the run-up to the queen’s state funeral on September 19.

William, who has taken the title of Prince of Wales now his father is king Charles III, earlier broke his silence with an emotional tribute to his grandmother. “I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real,” said the 40-year-old, the eldest of Charles’ two sons with the late princess Diana. But it was his relationship with his brother Harry, who quit royal life in early 2020 and moved to the United States with his American wife, that looked set to dominate Sunday’s headlines.

The two couples, once dubbed “the fab four”, emerged from Windsor Castle together to inspect flowers and tributes left for the queen, who died on Thursday aged 96 after a record-breaking 70-year reign. They then went to talk to well-wishers on separate sides of the street. In his first speech as king on Friday, Charles had spoken of his love for his son Harry and daughter-in-law, in what was widely seen as an olive branch.

Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has mocked the ousted national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, who was said to have danced when the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party passed vote of confidence on Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the embattled PDP national chairman.

Governor Wike said decision by NEC will not dissuade him and others from insisting that the prevailing structural imbalance within party must be addressed. The governor spoke at the 11th Hour homecoming and reception organised for decampees from various political parties who have joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, which held at the Isaac Boro Park in Port Harcourt on Saturday.

“I was listening and watching, they said there is one man they call Secondus. They said he was dancing, celebrating that NEC gave their person vote of confidence. He forgets history. Ask him the same NEC through Aliyu Babangida moved a motion of vote of confidence supported by the same person, Ndudi Elumelu. They gave you (Secondus) a vote of confidence, what happened? You left office.

“We don’t fight and go back. If you like you can have as many 20 votes of confidence, it’s not my business. My business is to make sure the right thing is done, and the right thing must be done. Whether today or tomorrow.”

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has applauds the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the National Codex Committee (NCC) for critical role played in the elaboration of food Standards at the International level especially at the various committees of the Codex Alimentarius Commission where Standards are adopted at the National level.

The Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Mallam Farouk Salim made this known at the awareness and advocacy workshop organized by the National Codex Committee (NCC) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) for high level policy and decision makers and public presentation of the 4th Edition of the revised National Codex Committee Procedural Manual in Abuja said the review was apt in order to keep abreast with the growth of Codex activities.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Olobayo Kunle, SON Director General said NCC has also contributed to the review of the Food safety policy and Food safety Bill in Nigeria.“The National Codex Committee Procedural Manual was first prepared in line with CAC procedural manual published in 2002, with further revisions in 2007 and 2012 to guide the activities and improve functions of all the stakeholders involved for effective operations. “The review of the NCC Procedural Manual was necessary to keep abreast with the growth of Codex activities over time, incorporate major changes, improve and strengthen Codex structure in Nigeria.

“The National Codex Committee (NCC) Nigeria successfully applied for the Codex Trust Fund (CTF) 2 support to build strong, solid and sustainable national capacity to engage in Codex activities through the organization of annual awareness and advocacy workshops with political decision-makers, targeted competent authorities and other stakeholders to disseminate more information on Codex. “The overall objective of the activity is to sensitize public decision-makers and competent authorities on the need to engage more in the national codex and to regularly provide all the support to increase its actions in favour of food safety at national level” he said.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Representative to Nigeria, Fred Kafeero said since the inception of CAC, FAO has worked with World Health Organisation in the development of international food standards, guidelines, and codes of practices to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair trade practices in the food trade using the principles of risk analysis and scientific advice provided by joint FAO/WHO expert bodies and consultations.

Represented by the FAO Assistant Representative Administration, David Fehintola said its country office in Nigeria with support from the regional office for Africa has continued to partner the Government and the National Codex Committee towards creating effective and efficient policies and strategies to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in the country.