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14 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020 Alleged fraud: Court orders arrest of ex-Customs CG, Dikko By Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA—THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a former Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Abdullahi Inde Dikko, following his repeated failure to appear for his arraignment. Trial Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu noted that the erstwhile Customs boss had on various occasions, refused to appear before the court to answer to a fraud charge the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, preferred against him and two others. She recalled that Dikko’s lawyer, Solomon Akuma, SAN, had at the last adjourned date, undertook to ensure his availability for trial. However, Justice Ojukwu observed that rather than appearing before the court as slated, the ex-Customs boss, filed a medical report claiming to be critically ill and on admission in London. Besides, the trial Judge noted Dikko’s address given as No: N6 Amhed Musa Crescent Jabi, Abuja, in the medical report, contradicted his lawyer’s claim that he was hospitalised in London. Consequently, she ordered that the defendant should be arrested and produced before the court to stand trial. Justice Ojukwu however held that execution of the bench warrant should be suspended in the event that the prosecution confirmed that Dikko was ill and on admission in a London hospital as he claimed. The court subsequently adjourned the matter till March 16 for arraignment of the defendants. Other defendants in the charge marked: FHC/ ABJ/CR/21/2019, are a former Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Garba Makarfi and a lawyer, Umar Hussaini. ICPC had among other things, alleged that Dikko and his codefendants, induced the Managing Director of Cambial Limited, Yemi Obadeyi, to pay over N1.1 billion into the account of Capital Law Office owned by the 3rd defendant, as a refundable “completion security deposit” for the purchase of 120 units of duplexes as residential accommodation for officers of the Nigeria Customs Service. It alleged that Hussaini subsequently distributed the money into various other. YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP: From left—Head, SME Funds, Bank of Industry, Michael Oye; Group Head, Creative Industry, Bank of Industry, Mrs. Uche C. Nwuka; Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya; MD/CEO, Crown Natures Nig. Plc, Mrs. Omolara O. Aromolaran; Group Head, SME Credit, Bank of Industry, Festus Taiwo Oyenola and Senior Manager, Program Implementation, MTN Foundation, Abasi-Ekong Udobang during the first day of the pitch for MTN Foundation's Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme, YEDP, in Ikoyi, Lagos. Photo: AKEEM SALAU. Kano CJ recommends stiff f penalty for sexual offender enders By Abdulmumin Murtala KANO—KANO State Chief Judge, Justice :Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 Umar Sagir, yesterday recommended stiff penalty for sexual offenders while decrying the alarming rate of cases of sexual and genderbased Violence, SGBV, ravaging the country. Sagir stated this in a goodwill message at the flag-off of the sitting of the special investigation panel on SGBV North West zone, in Kano. He said reported cases of SGBV were growing at alarming rate, noting that there was immediate need for judicial action to stem the tide. According to him, in the year 2018, a total of 1,142 reported SGBV cases were recorded in Kano and 741 in 2019. The Chief Judge, represented at the occasion by Chief Magistrate, Mariam Ahmed declared that the judiciary would continue to expedite action on cases of gender based violence. He stated “stiffer punishments would be meted out on those found guilty and such measures would serve as deterrent to those nursing similar evil intent. A special medical facility has been established at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital to cater for the medical needs of SGBV victims” In his goodwill message, the chairman, Kano State Public Complaint and Anti Corruption, Muhyi Magaji dis- closed that reported cases of SGBV in North West Nigeria has a distinct dimension from those recorded in other parts of the country. He appealed to the panel to note that most victims in the North- West not only suffered from physical violations, they also suffered psychological trauma, urging the panel to recommend solutions that would check the rampant genderbased violence, describing the situation as “disturbing and alarming. Reported cases of SGBV are growing at alarming rate and there is immediate need for judicial action to stem the tide” he said. Ganduje appoints 3 special assistants on streetlights K ANO—GOVER NOR Umar Ganduje of Kano State, has appointed three senior special assistants to handle issues on streetlights in the state. In a letter dated February 13, the secretary to the state government informed Anwalu Salihu of his appointment as the senior special assistant, streetlights III. According to the letter, the appointment was based on his “dedication to duty, patriotic disposition and loyalty. This is to formally convey to you that His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kano State Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has approved your appointment as Senior Special Assistant, Street Lights III with effect from 10th February, 2020,” it read. “Your appointment into L AGOS—EMERGING Markets Telecommunication Services Limited, EMTS, trading as 9mobile, has announced the appointment of SBI Media Limited as its official media agency. SBI Media, whose appointment starts with immediate effect, emerged as a result of its vibrancy, creativity, teamwork and resilience. With this appointment, SBI Media now takes responsibility for charting all media-related this position of trust and confidence was made upon careful assessment of your credentials, competence, tracks record of performance, dedication to duty, vast experience, patriotic disposition and expressed loyalty. It is hoped that you will employ these qualities to bear towards ensuring effective discharge of your assigned duties. “As we move the state to the Next Level of development, it is my sincere hope that you will live above board and justify the confidence reposed in you by the Government. I pray God in his infinite mercy accord you the wisdom and determination to execute the assignment diligently and to the expectation of the administration. Accept my congratulations, please.” Diezani stole not less than $2.5bn—Magu •Says generation of lookers backing her KChairman ADUNA—ACTING of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, yesterday reiterated his plea to the United Kingdom to extradite former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison- Madueke. EFCC has filed charges of alleged money laundering against the former minister who left the country for the UK shortly before the inception of the President Muhammad Buhari’s administration. The anti-graft agency began a process to extradite the former minister in November 2018 but Magu later said the agency had been having challenges effecting the former minister’s extradition. Speaking at a briefing in Kaduna, Magu alleged that Alison-Madueke stole not less than $2.5 billion. According to him “I was in London this year, we did investigation together with the UK team, and anywhere I go I always call for extradition of corrupt Nigerians to return back the money. This woman has stolen so much, not less than 2.5 billion dollars, but unfortunately she has generation of looters who are supporting her. This is not good. “We are in touch with the international community, she is under protective custody, otherwise, we would have arrested her, return her to Nigeria. We will not allow corruption to work here in Nigeria because it is destructive and disastrous. We blocked several accounts.” In 2017, a federal high court in Lagos ordered the forfeiture of N7.6 billion allegedly linked to her to the federal government. A federal high court in Abuja had later threatened to strike out fraud charges brought against Alison- Madueke over the continued absence of the accused. SBI Media emerges 9Mobile’s Media—gency creative of planning, buying and other relevant activities for 9mobile. •Bankole
Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020—15 By Clifford Ndujihe & Dirisu Yakubu WITH the Supreme Court set to begin hearing of the appeal filed by former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, challenging the nullification of his election, today, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, charged the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Mohammed Tanko, to constitute a new panel in the spirit of fairness and justice. In a letter jointly signed by the national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, and national secretary, Senator Ibrahim Tsauri, PDP said only a new panel would guarantee non-partisanship in the matter at hand. This came as fresh facts showed that Governor Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress, APC, did not score 25 per cent of votes cast in at least 18 of the 27 local councils (two-third) required to be declared governor contrary to the ruling of the Supreme Court. Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, who ran on the card of the PDP was declared winner of the governorship election. In the result first announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Ihedioha polled 273,404 ahead of his closest rival and candidate of the Action Alliance, Uche Nwosu, who polled 190,364 votes. The candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Ifeanyi Ararume, came third with 114,676 votes ahead of Hope Uzondinma, who came fourth with 96,458 votes. No fewer than 70 candidates took part in the election. Announcing the results, the state’s returning officer and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Francis Otunta, gave the total registered voters across the state as 2,221,008 and the total accredited voters as 823,743. He said 25,130 votes were cancelled across the state with total valid votes as 714,355 while the total votes cast were 739,485. However, Uzodinma challenged the declaration of Ihedioha as winner, arguing that INEC excluded results from 388 polling units, which, if added, he would be the winner. He lost at the tribunal and Court of Appeal but had the upper hand at the apex court. The Supreme Court, in the unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, held that the case of the appellants had merit and consequently, granted the reliefs as prayed by Uzodinma and APC. According to the apex court, the concurrent judgment of the lower court erred in law when it excluded votes totalling 213,295 from DONATION: From left, Grace Udu, Public Relations Officer, Passport Office, Ikoyi; Mac Atom, Group Head, Enterprise Business Resources, Access Bank Plc; Manir Yari, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration and Passport Control Officer, Passport Office, Ikoyi; Adaeze Okonkwo, Head, Travels and Protocol, Access Bank Plc; and Yahaya Momodu, Assistant Comptroller, Passport Office, Ikoyi at the presentation of equipment donated by Access Bank Plc to the Nigerian Immigration Service, Ikoyi Office, Lagos. Replace panel on Ihedioha/ Uzodinma’s case, PDP tells CJN •As fresh issues before apex court emerge 388 polling units from the total scores at the election. ‘’It is hereby declared that the first appellant, Senator Hope Uzodinma, polled a majority of lawful votes cast at the governorship held in Imo State on March 9, 2019 and satisfied the mandatory constitutional threshold and spread across the state,’’ the apex ruled. Fresh issues before apex court However, Vanguard checks yesterday, showed that from the results Uzodinma tendered, he did not meet the 25 per cent score in 18 local councils, which is two-third of 27 local councils in Imo. In the first result, he scored 25 per cent and above in two LGAs (Oru West, Oru East). In the second result, which did not have scores for the other 68 parties, Uzodinma had 25 per cent and above in 17 councils, one shy of the required 18. If the scores of the other parties were added, it would be less than 17. The 17 councils are Obowo, Ehime Mbano, Ngor Okpala, Isiala Mbano, Owerri West, Njaba, Oru East, Oru West, Orlu, Oguta, Ohaji-Egbema, Mbaitoli, Orsu, Ikeduru, Nkwere, Ideato North and Isu. CSOs urge S- Court to reverse itself Indeed, a group, National Leaders of Thoughts in the Nigerian Civil Society and Third Force Movement have picked holes in the judgment and urged the apex court to reverse itself. In a joint statement issued following consultative meetings held in Abuja, Imo and Lagos respectively, and signed by their spokesperson, Dr. Olusegun Awe Obe, the leaders said the errors of the lordships at the apex court were capable of throwing the state into major political upheaval and anarchy. The group said the contradictions inherent in the judgment were very glaring, making it clearly erroneous and faulty in foisting a candidate that came fourth in an election on the people of the state. The civil society leaders argued that the apex court jettisoned the precedence it set in Abubakar Atiku vs Muhammadu Buhari that the petitioner ought to call witnesses in all the polling units he claimed he was rigged out to prove his case. The body also averred that apart from the fact that the total valid votes, which the Supreme Court based its ruling on erroneously exceeded the total accredited voters by INEC for the elections, Uzodinma also did not fulfill the constitutional requirements for a validly elected governor of having to score at least one-quarter of all the votes cast in each of at least two-thirds of all the local government areas in the state. The group also faulted the PW54, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Hussein, whose subpoena was lodged with the Inspector General of Police and kept secret from the respondent. PDP’s letter The PDP letter dated February 14, 2020, and entitled: “Demand for recusal of justices that heard the earlier case and request for a different panel to hear the application to set aside the judgement,” noted that having earlier made same demand in the past, the PDP was constrained to repeat its demand given the significance of the case. The party, which had earlier asked the seven learned jurists to recuse themselves, stated in the letter: “As a follow up to our earlier call on all members of the panel to recuse themselves, we have now sought to formalise that request or demand. We, hereby, request that the seven persons that heard the case earlier recuse themselves from participating in the consideration of this new application. "We are not unmindful of the fact that a litigant cannot dictate to the court the panel that should hear its case. However, due to the extraordinary circumstances and the nature of this case, we think that our request is a fair one that meets the justice of the case. “Consequently, we feel it as our patriotic duty to hereby humbly request that your Lordship constitute a different panel of this great court (other than the one that delivered the judgment) for the purpose of hearing this application.” Members of the panel the PDP does to want to hear the case are Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, CJN; the Hon. Justice Nwah Sylvester Ngwuta JSC; the Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwola, JSC; the Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, JSC; the Hon Justice Amina Adamu Augie, JSC and the Hon Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji, JSC. The letter obtained by our correspondent read in part: “Your Lordship, would recall that a panel of Hon. Justices of the Supreme Court presided by your good self on Tuesday the 14th day of January 2020 delivered judgment on the above appeal. Your Lordship may further recall that on February 5, 2020 the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, filed an application praying that the judgment of 14th January 2020 be set aside on grounds of nullity of the judgment, among other grounds. “The judgment sought to be set aside has generated so much misgiving not only among lawyers but in the general polity as a whole because of the uncertainty it has introduced into our electoral jurisprudence, its potential for crisis in our democracy, the irreconcilability of the calculations contained therein and their resultant effect. “My Lord, our request is founded on Section 36(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which guarantees fair hearing to every citizen or entity in the determination of his rights or obligations. Furthermore, the time honoured and tested principles of natural justice, particularly that no man shall be a judge in his own cause is particularly relevant to this solemn request.” The place of fear hearing “Allegation of bias or likelihood of bias goes to the root of fair hearing. Denial of right to fair hearing is a logical consequence of bias in any proceeding before a court or a tribunal. The constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended guarantees the right of an individual to fair hearing. An individual’s right to fair hearing includes the right to have his/her rights and obligations determined by an independent and impartial tribunal. The above is clearly enshrined in Section 36 (1) of the Constitution, which provides as follows: “In the determination of his civil rights and obligations, including any question or determination by or against any government or authority, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in such manner as to secure its independence and impartiality… “The right to an independent and impartial tribunal is a major factor in determining if fair hearing has been observed by a Court.” Herdsmen are terrorists —IPOB By Chimaobi Nwaiwu N NEWI—The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, condemned the alleged killings of innocent people in Delta State by Miyetti Alllah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, saying the only thriving and booming industry in the present administration is terrorism industry by herdsmen. IPOB also said with what the MACBAN is currently doing in Delta State, only the actions of IPOB and its leader's counsel will save the people from being slaughtered like fowls in the state. In a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group, while commending the bravery of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, in condemning the alleged Nigerian Army involvement in the killing, asked him not to relent in saving his people by encouraging them on the need for self defence. IPOB said: “What is unfolding before our very eyes today in Nigeria, with soldiers working hand in hand with known terrorists and Miyetti Allah bandits to broaden the theatre of endless cycle of slaughter and mayhem especially in Biafraland, particularly with recent killings in Delta State is confirmation that only the action of IPOB and the divine words of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu can save the people. “Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s brave condemnation of Nigerian Army’s involvement in the orgy of violence unleashed by five different terror groups against innocent populations, should drive home the importance of survivors of these premeditated slaughter of the defenseless to coalesce around IPOB’s message of freedom as the only way out of the present trouble in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. “It is now as clear as broad daylight that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been right all along and those that mischievously accused him of hate speech are themselves the beneficiaries of the booming terror industry in Nigeria.”
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