The management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Keffi, Nasarawa state, has dismissed two officials of the hospital over the allegation of job racketeering.

Speaking with journalists on Friday, Yahaya Adamu, chief medical director (CMD) of the hospital, said some other officials were also suspended for similar offences.

Adamu said the management set up a committee to probe the allegation, noting that nine persons were placed under searchlight.

He said the committee, under his chairmanship, had a statutory representative of the federal ministry of health and members of relevant unions, who served as observers.

“The investigation was done in the open and having concluded our work, we forwarded our recommendations to the minister since the board of the hospital is yet to be constituted,” NAN quoted Adamu as saying.

“The recommendations were modified and a final position was taken over all those accused of job racketeering and others accused of committing other offences.

“Nine staff were affected and all of them were tried based on their levels of involvement. Only one of them was found not guilty.

“So, there was nobody who was guilty that was not punished and those who were suspected to be guilty but for one reason or the other, their cases have not been concluded and were asked to remain until we conclude their matter.

“For anybody to say we allowed some of the accused persons to resume work after these steps that have been taken is unfair.”

The chief medical director said Peter Dare, one of the dismissed officials was found to be the arrowhead of the job racketeering syndicate.

He said Dare was immediately sacked, while the appointment of the other official was terminated.

“When somebody is dismissed, it means he will never work for any government institution in Nigeria again and that’s what we did to the one who is the ring leader of this criminal syndicate,” he added.

“The second person was remorseful and considering her level of involvement, we terminated her appointment. In other words, she can still seek employment elsewhere but of course, she has left FMC Keffi forever.”

The CMD vowed to eliminate job racketeering in the hospital by ensuring proper checks and balances, adding that measures have been adopted to provide quality services in the facility.

The court of appeal in Abuja has ordered the stay of proceedings in the contempt charge instituted by Yahaya Bello, former Kogi governor, against Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

A Kogi state high court presided over by Isa Jamil Abdullahi, had ordered Olukoyede to appear before it on May 13 to show why he should not be committed to prison for allegedly disobeying its order restraining the EFCC from arresting or taking any action against Bello.

However, the EFCC chairman filed an appeal against the court summon.

Olukoyede filed two motions — one seeking a stay of execution of the summon — and another one asking to serve processes on Bello via substituted means by pasting the process at his Abuja residence on No 9 Bengazi Steet Wuse Zone 4.

In its ruling on Friday, a three-member panel of justices led by Joseph Oyewole granted the two motions.

The appellate court fixed May 20 for the hearing of the substantive appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/413/2024.

BACKGROUND

On February 8, Bello instituted a fundamental rights enforcement suit, asking the court to declare that “the incessant harassment, threats of arrest and detention, negative press releases, malicious prosecution” by the EFCC — “without any formal invitation — is politically motivated and interference with his right to liberty, freedom of movement, and fair hearing”.

The former governor also sought an order “restraining the respondent by themselves, their agents, servants or privies from continuing to harass, threaten to arrest or detain him”.

On February 9, the Kogi high court granted an interim injunction restraining the EFCC from “continuing to harass, threaten to arrest, detain, prosecute Bello, his former appointees, and his staff or family members, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive originating motion for the enforcement of his fundamental rights”.

On March 12, the EFCC filed an appeal against the interim injunction because the court could not stop the commission from carrying out its statutory responsibility.

The Kogi high court delivered judgment on the substantive motion on notice on April 17 wherein the presiding judge granted an order restraining the EFCC “from continuing to harass, threaten to arrest or detain Bello”.

However, the judge directed the commission to file a charge against Bello before an appropriate court if it had reasons to do so.

The judgment coincided with the recent “siege” laid on the Abuja residence of Bello by EFCC operatives seeking to arrest him.

The commission had also obtained a warrant of arrest against the former governor from the federal high court in Abuja.

The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.

At the scheduled arraignment on April 18, Bello was absent.

At the court session, Abdulwahab Mohammed, counsel to Bello, told Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, that the court lacked jurisdiction to grant the warrant of arrest in the first instance.

He referenced the February 9 interim injunction issued by the Kogi high court, adding that the appeal filed by the EFCC was still pending.

However, the EFCC has filed a notice to withdraw the appeal.

In the notice filed on April 22, the anti-graft agency said the withdrawal was predicated on the fact that events have overtaken the appeal.

The commission also admitted that the appeal was filed out of the time allowed by law.

CONTEMPT OF COURT

Bello approached the Kogi high court, seeking an order to issue and serve the respondent (EFCC chairman) with “form 49 notice” to show cause why an order of committal should not be made on him.

The judge, after listening to the arguments of the applicant’s counsel, the submission and the exhibits attached in the written address, granted Bello’s prayers and ordered Olukoyede to be summoned to appear before the court to answer the contempt charge.

Boris Johnson, former prime minister of the UK, was turned away from his local polling station after forgetting to bring the required photo identity.

Johnson had joined locals in South Oxfordshire on Thursday to vote in the police and crime commissioner election.

Polling officials however told him he would not be allowed to vote without providing his identity.

There are 22 acceptable forms of ID in the UK including passports, driving licences, blue badges, and certain local travel cards.

As prime minister in 2022, Johnson introduced the Elections Act which requires photo ID — a development that sparked intense criticisms from Britons.

Last year, the Electoral Commission warned that the new law could exclude hundreds of thousands of people, including minorities and those with disabilities.

A spokesperson for Johnson confirmed he had forgotten the photo ID, but that he was able to cast his ballot after he returned with a valid ID.

“Mr Johnson voted Conservative,” Sky News quoted the spokesperson as saying.

Downing Street said it would “look into” changing the controversial rules which require photo ID in order to vote, so that ID cards of veterans can be added to the list of valid identification.