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You are the grandfather of corruption- House of Reps members tell Olusegun Obasanjo

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Members
of the House of Representatives have blasted former President Olusegun
Obasanjo for referring to them as corrupt officials. Obasanjo at a
function in Lagos yesterday, said the National Assembly stinks to high
heavens and members of the National Assembly were very corrupt.

In a
swift reaction, the House of Representatives members today said the
former President is the grandfather of corruption in Nigeria and that
his main reason for speaking negatively of the house was because his
third term agenda was opposed by the house during his administration.
The position of the lawmakers was made known today at a press conference
by the Chairman, House committee on Media and Publicity, Abdulrazak
Namdas. His press statement reads…

“Our
attention has been drawn to a statement credited to former President
Olusegun Obasanjo at a lecture he delivered recently, wherein, in his
characteristic manner accused everybody but himself of corruption. He
ventured to accuse the National Assembly of Budget padding, accused the
House of criminal activities of threatening the life of a
“whistleblower”, lampooned constituency projects which he approved as
President, ventured to discuss the budget of National Assembly which is
highly underfunded?

In
the speech Namdas said the House would ordinarily not join issues with
the former President as he has held an office that deserves respect and
reverence. However,
because of the material misstatement of facts, outright lies and
falsehoods, and mischievous innuendo introduced in his statement, we are
left with no option but to correct him. We
have repeatedly maintained that there was no “padding” of the 2016
Appropriation Act, which is a legitimate document passed by the National
Assembly, authenticated by the Clerk to the National Assembly as
provided in the Acts Authentication Act and assented to by Mr.
President. It is most unfortunate that a former President of Chief
Obasanjo’s stature would allow himself to be hoodwinked and procured by a
renegade member of the House, who embarked on massive propaganda and
lies just because he was removed from office. For
the avoidance of doubt, there is no crime that was committed by the
National Assembly by exercising its constitutional function of
appropriation. If Chief Obasanjo has an issue with the execution of the
2016 Budget or indeed other Appropriation Acts, he should direct his
anger elsewhere. He
claimed that the National Assembly Budget is very high, when by all
standards, the National Assembly is grossly underfunded and is hampered
from effectively and legitimately carrying out its constitutionally
assigned functions. The National Assembly Budget funds a bureaucracy of
about 5,000 civil servants. It has some other agencies under its preview
such as the National Assembly Service Commission with its own staff of
about 500; even the Public Complaints Commission is now a parastatal of
the National Assembly. National
Assembly Budget also funds the National Institute for Legislative
Studies, which is a legislative think-tank and highly rated academic
institution that serves both National and State Houses of Assembly and
even international legislators. All these agencies also have their
capital budget including development of their headquarters, procurement
of office equipment, procurement of regular items for running their
offices; the National Assembly maintain legislative aides of about 3,000
in number, that aid the work of the Assembly; it also conducts regular
public hearings involving the media and stakeholders and oversight
activities, involving huge sums of money. The
cost implication of running the National Assembly is high because of
the nature of our Presidential democracy. Then of course, there are 109
Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives that require
proper equipment to function effectively. They require adequate travel
and transport support to carry out legislative functions. The National
Assembly also has buildings and offices to build and maintain. National
Assembly staff and members attend conferences, trainings, seminars to
keep abreast of legislative developments worldwide. The activities are
very encompassing and expensive. It
is also unbecoming of a former President to quote figures of sums of
money that are factually incorrect. No member of the House of
Representatives receives N10m every month. The salaries and allowances
of members of the House are as determined by the Revenue Mobilisation
Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). Of course further sums of
money are spent as running costs, that is, the cost of running the
office of a member. If
a Minister, Chief Executive or Director in a Ministry travels on
official duties, for instance, do you include the cost of his ticket and
accommodation as part of his salary or allowances? Does the cost of
stationeries and maintenance of equipment like computers used in their
offices, form part of their salaries and allowances? These
are some of the costs that must be taken care of by the National
Assembly and the media calls these costs “jumbo pay”. For goodness sake,
the National Assembly is an arm of government, not just an ordinary
agency of government. Examples
abound, CBN, NNPC, NCC etc. Allowances paid to even junior staff of
some of these government agencies cannot be compared to what members of
National Assembly enjoy. Undoubtedly,
the former President Obasanjo is understandably angry with the National
Assembly as an institution having foiled his ambition for a third-term
in office even after trying to corrupt the members with a bribe of at
least N50m each. Lest we forget, the person who introduced corruption to
the National Assembly is Chief Olesugn Obasanjo. He
birthed the 4th Republic National Assembly with corrupt practices from
day one; indeed the first day of the Republic. He bribed both PDP, ANPP
and AD legislators on their inauguration in 1999 to vote against the
majority candidate of PDP, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. That was how Senator Evan
Enwerem became Senate President. Have
we forgotten the sacks of money displayed on the floor of the House of
Representatives being bribe money paid by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to
some Honourable members to impeach Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ghali N’abba? Have
we forgotten that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo used his position as
President to extort money from businessmen and contractors with his
government to build his presidential library? The
list of his corrupt acts while in office is endless. Unquestionably, he
is the greatest corrupt person ever to hold office in Nigeria. He
remains the grandfather of corruption in Nigeria and lacks the moral
authority to discuss corruption or indeed abuse of office in Nigeria as
he remains the most corrupt Nigerian on record. It
is unfortunate that he has started his very familiar method of bringing
down governments. He did it to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, he did it to Gen.
Buhari, he did same to Gen. Babangida, he attempted to bring down Gen.
Abacha before he imprisoned him for treason; he made frantic efforts to
derail the government of President Ya’ardua when he couldn’t use him. He
supported President Goodluck Jonathan but when he refused to take
dictation, he turned against him. He supported President Buhari, but
since he has sensed that Nigeria is having economic difficulties under
him, he has pounced to derail his government. The
way Chief Obasanjo talks gives the impression that he is a lifetime
opposition leader who has never held any office. What did he do about
the issues he raised in his 8 years as President? This
is a man with unlimited access to President Buhari. Or is it because he
has not appointed all his cronies as requested? We may never know. His
stuck in trade is blackmail, subversion and treachery. We wish him
well.”

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IGP directs FCID to take over investigation of Jimoh Abdulqaudri’s death in Police custody

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The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, made an unscheduled visit to Ilorin, Kwara State, on Sunday and directed the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) to immediately take over the investigation into the death of Jimoh Abdulqaudri, who reportedly died in police detention on Friday, December 20, 2024.

Jimoh, who had been arrested over a debt of N220,000 owed to his employer, Mr. Peter, was allegedly tortured to death by some police officers at the Kwara State Command. The police initially informed the family that he had hung himself in the cell.

While addressing Balogun Fulani, the traditional ruler of the community, IGP Egbetokun urged the people, particularly the youth, not to take the law into their own hands. He assured the community that a thorough investigation would be conducted and that justice would be served.

“I have directed the Commissioner of Police to investigate this matter thoroughly. We will get to the root of this incident and make the findings public,” Egbetokun said. “I ask for calm and caution, as we await the outcome of the investigation. I am already forming my opinion, but I will not conclude until the investigation is complete.”

The IGP also stated that “very competent detectives” had taken over the investigation, expressing confidence that the truth about Jimoh’s death would be revealed.

In his comments, IGP Egbetokun assured the deceased’s family of the police’s support, saying, “We will support the family in any way we can. If there is anything we can do to ease their pain during this difficult time, they should reach out to us.”

Various community leaders, including Balogun Fulani, youth representatives, and the Ilorin Descendants Union, demanded justice for Jimoh’s death.

Jimoh’s family, including his elder brother Ismail and his mother, Mrs. Adijat Moriyike, told the IGP that the deceased had been tortured by the police. They claimed that police operatives had beaten him with a hard object, causing his nose to bleed, and later falsely reported that he had committed suicide.

“My brother was arrested over a debt of N220,000, and we were in the process of settling it,” his elder brother explained. “He was arrested with his phone and N350,000. We were called around midnight on December 20 to bail him, but when we arrived at the police headquarters, we were told he had been taken to the hospital. At the General Hospital mortuary, we saw his body covered in blood. They claimed he hanged himself, but my brother was tall and couldn’t have done that in the cell.”

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IGP Never Ordered Beating, Attacks On Policemen During Stop And Search. It Is A Lie – FPRO

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The Nigeria Police Force wishes to address a viral fake news story that has emerged, claiming that Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has instructed citizens to physically assault and throw stones at police officers who request to search their phones.

This claim is entirely false and has no basis in reality. The IGP has not issued any such directive encouraging violence against law enforcement officers. Instead, he has called on citizens to report instances of police misconduct through appropriate channels. This approach underscores the importance of accountability and maintaining the rule of law, rather than resorting to violent actions.

Members of the public are urged to make use of the following Police helplines & contacts to lay complaints whenever necessary: +2347056792065, +2349133333785, +2349133333786, @PoliceNG on X, @ngpolice on Facebook, and @nigeriapoliceforce on Instagram. Citizens can also contact us by mail through; pressforabuja@police.gov.ng and reach us through the police website at npf.gov.ng

Members of the public are advised to remain vigilant against misinformation and verify information through credible sources. The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to fostering a cooperative and trustful relationship between the police and the communities they serve.

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI
FPRO, ABUJA.
22ND DECEMBER 2024.

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Court stops customs from seizing imported rice in markets, seaports

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A court of appeal in Kaduna has ruled that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) should not impound foreign rice in the open market or on highways.

In a judgment delivered on December 6, a three-member panel of justices led by Ntong Ntong held that existing laws restrict NCS’ enforcement to land borders only.

The judgment was delivered in an appeal filed by the NCS, against a decision of the federal high court that acquitted one Suleiman Mohammed, a businessman, of charges related to the importation of rice.

Customs had arrested Mohammed after seizing a truck carrying 613 bags of foreign rice and 80 bags of millet belonging to the businessman on June 14, 2019, along the Kaduna-Zaria expressway.

Mohammed was charged and arraigned on a two-count charge.

However, in a judgment delivered on November 10, 2021, Z. B. Abubakar, trial judge, acquitted the defendants of the charges.

Abubakar held that the plaintiffs (customs) failed to adduce enough evidence to prove that the defendant imported the goods.

The judge also held that there is no subsisting blanket ban on the importation of foreign rice as claimed by the plaintiffs.

“…the evidence led by the prosecution through PW1, PW2, PW3 and the Exhibits tendered has not established that the Defendant imported Exhibit ‘NCS B1-B612’. Even the investigation conducted by the complainant (Nigeria Customs Service Board) on Exhibit ‘NCS B1-B612,” the judge held.

“As a matter of fact, Exhibit ‘NCS D’ could not reveal who imported the said Exhibits or where they imported from.

“It should be borne in mind that importation of foreign rice is not absolutely or totally prohibited. It is only importation of the product through the land borders of this country that was proscribed by the Federal Government vide Circular No. NCS/TXT/1XE/045/S.416/VOL.1X of 18th March, 2016. The circular provided that foreign rice only be imported into the country through seaports.”

The trial judge held that the prosecution failed to show that the goods were imported through land borders, adding that “the said exhibits could have been imported through the seaport, and the court is entitled to presume so”.

Furthermore, the lower court held that “loading any foreign rice into a truck is not an offence under both Sections 46(b) and 47(1) (a) (ii) of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) (Supra)”.

“It is the landing or unloading of goods or foreign rice at designated customs port CA/K/33/C/2022 or wharf that is prohibited by the aforementioned provisions of the Act,” the judge ruled.

‘APPEAL IS A HOAX’

Aggrieved by the trial court’s judgment, NCS filed an appeal.

However, the appellate court commended the trial court judge for “doing justice in the evaluation of the law and evidence adduced before it”.

Ntong said he agreed with the arguments put forward by the respondent’s lawyer and the judgment of the trial court.

“Truly, I also agree with the learned trial judge, that Kaduna-Zaria expressway is not a “Land border” as stipulated by the law and Exhibit “NCS D,” the justice held.

“Importation of foreign rice in any wise is not generally prohibited. It is restricted to land borders alone.

“If I were in the shoes of the appellant (NCS), I would have honourably thrown in the towel as this appeal is simply a hoax, a fluke and unmeritorious whatsoever.

“From the evidence in the Record of Appeal, the Respondent was merely a purchaser for value and not an importer. The Appellant ought to have arrested the importer and not a mere purchaser from open market with a receipt of purchase Exhibit NCS D.

“How can a fowl leave to attack who killed it to pursue who is de-feathering it? This is an Annang-African Idiom that means the Appellant ought not to shut its eyes away from the importer and be chasing petty traders and consumers who buy from the open market. After all prohibited or contraband goods always pass through the borders which are the beats of the Appellant.”

Consequently, the court dismissed the appeal in favour of the respondents.

The court further ordered customs to return all the goods seized from the businessman in 2019 or pay him the money equivalent.

“Consequently, the Appellant is hereby ordered to release or cause the release of the 613 bags of foreign rice, 80 bags of millet, Exhibit “C” and DAF truck with Registration Number: 57 BS 45 impounded and confiscated from the Respondent on 14th June, 2019 to the said Respondent Suleiman Mohammed or his representative forthwith,” the judge ruled.

“Where it has become difficult or impossible to return the items aforesaid, the Appellant shall pay to the Respondent a sum of money equivalent to the current price or cost of the items aforementioned.”

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