21022018 - APC CRISIS LATEST :Governor demolishes senator's house

8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018
:Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
HERDSMEN/FARMERS CLASHES: Benue, Nasarawa
leaders meet with IGP, preach peace
•Security situation has returned to normal—IGP
•We're 100% for peace— Benue dep gov
By Kingsley
Omonobi, &
Joseph Erunke
A BUJA—POLITICAL
and traditional leaders
from Benue and Nasarawa
states, yesterday, met with
Inspector-General of Police,
Ibrahim Idris, at Force
Headquarters, Abuja, with
a pledge to co-exist in
peace.
At the meeting, the IGP
disclosed that after the
period of skirmishes and
confrontation between
herdsmen and farmers over
grazing activities as well as
that of border communities
in Nasarawa and Benue
states, the security situation
has returned to normalcy.
Speaking at the
reconciliation meeting, the
IGP said information
reaching him from the
Deputy Inspector General
of Police in charge of
Operations, DIG Habila,
who is currently in Benue
State, showed that the
security situation had
normalised.
While praying that the
security challenges that
resulted in the crisis never
occur again, the IGP
commended political and
traditional rulers of both
states for their contributions
towards the existing peace.
He said: “This meeting
should be conducted as a
kind of reconciliation
meeting. We are not here
to apportion blame. We are
out here for peace within
the border communities of
Benue and Nasarawa
states. We must have peace
and sanity in these areas
that we are experiencing
crisis."
We are 100% for
peace
—Benue dep gov
In his address, leader of
Benue State delegation
and Deputy Governor,
Benson Abonu, said: “We,
from Benue State, are here
for a meeting of brothers
aimed at bringing peace to
the ordinary people of
Benue and Nasarawa
states.
“Both states were created
from the Benue-Plateau
State. We have lived
together as brothers and
sisters from time
immemorial. The best is to
maintain peace so that
cordiality reigns and for the
sake of our children.
“We cannot afford
anything less than peace.
But the peace must be
founded on justice, equity,
equality. Benue State is 100
per cent for peace. We will
do everything to ensure
peace.
Ripple effect of
open grazing law
On his part, Special
Adviser to Nasarawa State
Governor on Security,
Brigadier-General
Muhammad Umar Adeika
(retd), disclosed that the
people of Benue and
Nasarawa states were not at
war.
“Nasarawa State and its
people do not have any
problem with Benue State.
We have conflict resolution
mechanisms, which we
employ in time of crisis. We
can share it with our
brothers from Benue State.
“The problem we are
having is the ripple effects
of the open grazing law of
Benue State. We don’t
have anything against the
law because it is Benue
State legitimate law. But the
effect has affected us
seriously.
“All those running away
from Benue State are
running to Nasarawa.
Though it is tough but we
are trying as much as
possible to accommodate
them to the best of our
ability
“So regarding this
meeting, we are here with
all sincerity. I am happy that
our Benue State
counterparts have
expressed the same feeling
for peace and we are in total
support.’’
The meeting later went
into closed-door with the
Commissioners of Police for
Benue and Nasarawa
states in attendance.
CONFERENCE: Mr. Jean-Michel Dumond, French Ambassador
to Nigeria; Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant on
Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora; Archbishop John Onaiyekan of
Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, and Sebastian Tupkop of Nigerian
Air Force Holding Company, during Ufuk Dialogue at 4th
International Conference on Love & Tolerance, with theme:
"Countering Violence and Extremism," in Abuja, yesterday.
Senate probes amended 2019
elections timetable
THE Senate has
mandated its
committee on ethics to
probe the amended
timetable for 2019 elections.
The resolution of the
upper legislative chamber
was sequel to a motion
sponsored by Dino
Melaye, senator
representing Kogi West.
While moving the motion
on the floor of the Senate,
yesterday, Melaye said he
did not want to be part of
any move targeted at
President Muhammadu
Buhari, adding that Buhari
was not only a party man
but also someone he
laboured for.
He said: “I rise this
morning, heavily disturbed
that we took a resolution in
this house last week and the
aftermath of the resolution
had a very serious effect on
me as a politician.
“The president of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria
is not only my partyman,
but is also a man we all
laboured and voted for.
“My brother and
colleague, Senator Ovie
Omo-Agege addressed the
media, and I saw it on
Channels and NTA last
week, where he said the
decision taken by this
Senate is targeted at Mr.
President.
“If decisions in this
Senate are now being
teleguided and targeted at
any particular person, then
that is no longer
democracy. That statement
to me is weighty"
The motion was referred
to the committee on ethics
after it was put to a voice
vote by Ike Ekeweremadu,
Deputy Senate President,
who presided.
Last Wednesday, nine
senators opposed the
amended timetable, saying
it might be targeted at the
President.
Assets falsification charge:
Why NJC can’t interfere in
Ngwuta’s trial —FG
By Ikechukwu
Nnochiri
ABUJA — THE Federal
Government, yesterday,
challenged the powers of
National Judicial Council,
NJC, to interfere in the
ongoing criminal
proceeding it initiated
against Justice Sylvester
Ngwuta of the Supreme
Court, before the Code of
Conduct Tribunal, CCT, in
Abuja.
Federal Government had
in a 10-count charge marked
CCT/ABJ/01/17, alleged that
apex court jurist had
between June 2, 2011 and
July 19, 2016, refused to
declare his ownership of 28
plots of land to the Code of
Conduct Bureau, CCB.
It accused Justice Ngwuta
who is also facing another 18-
count criminal charge before
the Federal High Court in
Abuja, of engaging in private
business as a public officer,
contrary to Section 6(b) of the
Code of Conduct Bureau
and Tribunal Act.
At the resumed
proceeding on the matter,
yesterday, government
lawyer, Mr. Abey
Mohammed, SAN, urged
the tribunal to dismiss a
motion the embattled jurist
filed to oppose his trial.
Ngwuta had in his motion
Buhari in Yola, pledges FG's resolve to fight
corruption
By Umar Yusuf
YOLA — PRESIDENT
Muhammadu Buhari,
yesterday, in Adamawa State
restated the resolve of his
administration to fight
corruption until all the facets
of government in the country
were cleansed of the
cankerworm.
The President, who
declared open a summit on
anti-corruption, stated that
his pledge when he
assumed office on May 29,
2015, to the effect that he will
fight corruption and
insurgency has achieved a
significant landmark.
“We, as government, are
happy that what we
envisaged about two and a
half years ago on the
teething problems facing the
country has recorded
enough progress,“ he stated.
He reminded the
Executive and Legislative
Houses at both tiers of
government that teamwork
and cordial relationship
between them were the
bedrock of the development
the country was yearning for.
Earlier at the Yola
International Airport, Buhari,
in company of the governors
of Kaduna and Bauchi states,
Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and
Abubakar Mohammed;
Secretary to the Government
of the Federation, Boss
Mustapha, as well as acting
chairman of Economic and
Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC,Ibrahim
Magu were received by
Governor Mohammed
Jibrilla and other top
government officials.
dated January 9, queried the
jurisdiction of the tribunal to
try him over charges he said
was grossly incompetent.
The embattled jurist,
through his team of lawyers
led by a former Attorney
General of the Federation
and Minister of Justice,
Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN,
argued that by virtue of
sections 318, 158(1) and
Paragraph 21 (B) of the 3rd
Schedule to the 1999
Constitution, the CCT,
lacked the requisite
jurisdiction to hear and
determine the case against
him.
However, Federal
Government, in a written
address it filed in opposition
to Ngwuta’s motion,
maintained that the tribunal
had powers and jurisdiction
to try the case before it.
Federal Government
stressed that powers the
constitution conferred on the
CCT made the Court of
Appeal judgement in
Nganjiwa’s case
inapplicable to the charge
against Ngwuta
After they had listened to
both sides, the Mr. Danladi
Umar-led two-man tribunal,
which initially stood-down
the case for 30 minutes to
deliver its verdict,
subsequently deferred
ruling till March 21.
Herdsmen attacks: FG
reorganises army
command, control structure
in Benue, others — Osinbajo
By Emmanuel
Aziken, Political
Editor
ABUJA— THE Federal
Government has
reorganised the command
and control structure of army
formations in areas around
Benue State as part of the
administration’s response to
herdsmen attacks in the
region, Vice-President Yemi
Osinbajo disclosed,
yesterday.
In a special statement explaining
the government’s
response to the spate of
conflict instigated by
herdsmen attacks, the vicepresident
further disclosed
that the army will next week
launch a special exercise to
checkmate the activities of the
herdsmen, bandits and
militias in areas around
Benue, Taraba, and
Nasarawa states.
In the statement issued on
his behalf by Mr. Laolu
Akande, Senior Special
Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity) said the
approach of the government
has been to deploy the
security forces in the troubled
areas.
He said: “The approach of
the government has been to
deploy mobile police forces to
troubled areas and also both
the army and Air Force, the
Nigerian Army formations
and units in Benue State for
example, especially 72
Special Forces Battalion,
have consistently maintained
Forward Operating Bases at
the flash areas covering
Guma, Logo, Katsina-Ala and
Agatu Local Government
Areas."