President Muhammadu Buhari felicitates with the Muslim Ummah, Nigerians of all faiths and the followers of Islam all over the world on the occasion of the Maulud-Un-Nabiyy, the birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him.
In a message to mark the occasion, Tuesday, 19th October, a public holiday throughout the Federation, President Buhari says, “I am delighted to send greetings of peace, unity and goodwill to the Muslim Ummah, fellow citizens and Muslims all over the world as they observe and celebrate Eid-ul- Maulud.”
The President urges Muslims to strive for “forgiveness and closeness to the noble life and teachings of the Prophet (SAW) whose birthday is being marked on this blessed day. On this auspicious occasion, I wish you all the blessings of today.”
The President uses the occasion to give a snapshot of the increased activities the Armed Forces, Police Force, and intelligence agencies have embarked upon to effectively respond to the security challenges in the nation.
He says the government fully expects and intends for these trends to continue, and calls on the media to address the tone, content, and standards of reporting into security and safety measures. Time has come to revise the prefixes “rising insecurity” with “declining insecurity.”
The President adds that increased cooperation and collaboration from the citizenry, coupled with reinvigorated, dynamic, and energized police, security and military leadership is helping the administration score more victories against terror, criminality, and economic sabotage. The reality of declining insecurity should replace the inaccurate narrative of rising insecurity in the country.
“While there is work to do, the men and women in uniform who are helping the nation to achieve this goal, desire our collective appreciation and encouragement to do even more. The whole country and its mass communications systems have a duty in this regard,” the President adds.
President Buhari concludes his message by appealing to road users to drive with care and avoid needless accidents.
For the umpteenth time, the leading civil rights advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the law enforcement agencies in the Country to obey the constitution and put a permanent stop to their practice of pre-trial media parade of accused persons.
In a media statement issued to mark the one year anniversary of the nationwide #ENDSARS PROTESTS, the civil rights advocacy group through the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said the continuous parade of suspects increasingly portrays Nigeria as a Banana Republic whereby the Constitution is defecated upon by the same publicly paid employees who should enforce the law just as the Rights group said in developed societies, identity of crime suspects are revealed after they are convicted by competent courts of law.
HURIWA said it is in discussion with stakeholders on what legal steps to take to compel law enforcement agencies to follow the law and stop media parade of accused persons in Nigeria.
The following are our determination regarding media persecution of suspects:
What is Parade?
The word ‘parade’ means to display (someone or something) while marching or moving around a place. Synonyms include, procession, march, display, spectacle, escort, etc. The word “suspect” in legal parlance means a person thought to be guilty of a crime or offence, but who has not yet been proven to be so.
What is Media Parade?
Media consists of means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the internet) regarded collectively. The term “parade” is a noun and a verb. As a noun, it means a public procession. When used as a verb, it means to display. Regardless of the form in which it is used, a parade is an over act.
Media parade is therefore, a practice of displaying or communicating to the public about an incident or development. In the case of people arrested for certain crimes, it is a means of informing the public, usually through publishing on the internet, the identities of these suspects.
The practice has become notorious in Nigeria, that once security agencies arrest anyone suspected to have committed an offence, such suspects are immediately paraded before the public, in the full glare of cameras.A clear case is the case of chidimma ojukwu a 21 years old undergraduate of Lagos state university mass communication who was alleged to have killed the CEO of super TV ,Usifo Ataga ,in Lagos recently. But in another trending follow – up video,the young lady made a dramatic U- turn , curiously recanting her earlier “confession” before the media during her initial parade in the police premises.she denied ever killing Ataga.
Media parade is therefore, a practice of displaying or communicating to the public about an incident or development. In the case of people arrested for certain crimes, it is a means of informing the public, usually through publishing on the internet, the identities of these suspects.
The practice has become notorious in Nigeria, that once security agencies arrest anyone suspected to have committed an offence, such suspects are immediately paraded before the public, in the full glare of cameras.
such crude practice undermines the investigation process. Worse still, it defames the suspect’s reputation in an irreversible manner, where such a suspect is eventually proven innocent.
The courts have consistently cautioned the law enforcement agencies, to desist from parading criminal suspects before the media.
It is more worrisome that these parades and media trials by the Police, of people who are at best suspects, usually take place even before investigations begin, or are concluded. This act is patently unconstitutional and unlawful. It is curious that such practice has since been accepted as normal, by individuals and the society. For the avoidance of doubt, every suspect enjoys the constitutional protection of ‘presumption of innocence’ until proven guilty under Section 36(5) CFRN 1999. The suspect is also entitled to dignity of his human person, by virtue of Section 34(1)(a) of the CFRN 1999.
Right of Suspects to Presumption of Innocence
The presumption of innocence inures in favour of criminal suspects by virtue of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Act. Even the ACJA makes ample provisions for dignity of human treatment of suspects, in addition to Section 34 CFRN1999, which provides for the right to dignity of the human person. The Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria have, however, continued to expose accused persons to media trial before arraigning them in courts. Thus, the practice of subjecting suspects to media trial and parade before arraignment in a criminal court, is an infringement of their fundamental rights to fair hearing and dignity. To compound these human rights abuse inclination, such suspects are subjected to gruelling sessions of interviews and what appears to be “cross-examination” by law enforcement officials and the media crew at crowded press conferences, without being accorded human dignity and the services of a Lawyer as required by law.
Supreme Court expounded on them in the case of SAUDE v ABUDULLAH (1989) 4 NWLR Pt. 116 page 387 @419, as:
“Fundamental rights are important, and they are not just mere rights. They are fundamental. They belong to the citizen. These rights have always existed, even before orderliness prescribed rules for the manner they are to be sought….”
It is a right which stands above the ordinary laws of the land, and which in fact is antecedent to the political society itself. As Kayode Eso, J.S.C of blessed memory succinctly stated, “[i]t is a primary condition to a civilised existence”. (RANSOME KUTI & ORS v A.G. OF FEDERATION & ORS (1985) 2 NWLR P. 211 at 230). He further pronounced that “[i]t is a right which stands above the ordinary laws of the land and which in fact, is antecedent to the political society itself.”
Some Judicial Decisions on Media Parade of Criminal Suspects
The Judiciary has always risen to the occasion, castigating suspects’ parade. It has, in a plethora of cases, serially condemned the illegal practice of parading mere criminal suspects before the media. The “jungle justice” inherent in it, is that it adjudges them already as guilty convicts even without any trial. In NDUKWEM CHIZIRI NICE v AGF & ANOR (2007) CHR 218 at 232, Banjoko J. (as she then was) (then of Federal High Court, Abuja), tongue-lashed the Police, holding that:
“The act of parading him (the suspect) before the press as evidenced by the Exhibits annexed to the affidavit was uncalled for, and a callous disregard for his person. He was shown up to the public the next day of his arrest, even without any investigation conducted in the matter. He was already prejudged by the Police who are incompetent, so to have such function, it is the duty of the court to pass a verdict of guilt, and this constitutes a clear breach of Section 36(4) and (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 on the doctrine of fair hearing
Further, the courts have in several decisions condemned such public parade of criminal suspects as an illegal practice. For example, in Ndukwem Chiziri Nice v. AG, Federation & Anor. (2007) CHR 218 at 232 Justice Banjoko held that ‘The act of parading him (the suspect) before the press as evidenced by the Exhibits annexed to the affidavit was uncalled for and a callous disregard for his person.’
“Similarly, Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human Rights Activist in a 2017 article,gave an example of one of such court cases: the Ecowas Community Court of Justice sitting in Abuja in Dyot Bayi & 14 Ors. v. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004-2009) CCJLER 245 at 265 the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS Court condemned what it called ‘media trial’ of the Applicants in the following words: ‘The Court is of the opinion that for the fact that the Defendants presented the Applicants before the press when no judge or court has found them guilty, certainly constitute a violation of the principle of presumption of innocent.the court proceeded to award damages of US $42,750.00 to each of the 10 Applicants and the US $10,000.00 as costs payable by the Federal Government for the illegal actions of the Naval personnel who carried out the illegal parade of the applicants.”
COMRADE EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO:
NATIONAL COORDINATOR:
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA).
At least 49 persons have been killed after gunmen invaded a market at Goronyo town in the Goronyo local government area of Sokoto State.
One of the villagers told SaharaReporters that residents have fled the community following the insecurity in the area. He noted that gunmen rounded up villagers in the market and opened fire on them.
He said: “Gunmen on Sunday evening killed at least 49 at Goronyo town of Sokoto State.
“The incident happened yesterday evening on the market day of the town. The gunmen rounded up people in the market while it was full of activities and started opening fire randomly. The town is now deserted.”
SaharaReporters had reported that the assailants attacked the market in large numbers on Sunday night, shooting sporadically and killing several persons.
In the past two weeks, bandits have launched attacks on a village market in Sokoto.
Earlier this month, at least 19 traders were killed by bandits who raided a weekly market at Unguwan Lalle in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The attack also left several others injured, the majority of whom were taken for treatment at the General Hospital, Sabon Birni.
Unguwan Lalle, a community located along Goronyo-Sabon Birni Road, has suffered a series of bandits’ attacks in recent months.
Five soldiers who were on a rescue mission in the area were ambushed and killed by bandits a few months ago. A resident had said the attack happened during market hours.
For several weeks, troops have been conducting air and ground operations on bandit camps in neighbouring Zamfara state where authorities have shut down telecom services to disrupt communication between the gangs.
Bandits fleeing the military operation in Zamfara have set up camps in the Sabon Birni district from where they raid villages.
The influx of bandits from neighbouring Zamfara state prompted authorities in Sokoto to suspend weekly markets and shut down telecom towers in areas on the border with Zamfara, including Sabon Birni.
Last week, some youths of Goronyo town in the Goronyo local government area of Sokoto State flooded the streets to protest against the abysmal level of insecurity in the area.
A source said the youths were demonstrating against the insecurity in the area, which had forced many residents to flee the town.
He said, “Protest is going on at Goronyo town in Sokoto State. The youths took to the streets protesting rampant insecurity that is forcing people to flee the town. The protest is currently ongoing.”
Photos obtained by SaharaReporters show roadblocks and burning tyres as the youths expressed their displeasure with killings and kidnappings going on unchecked in their area.
Sokoto is one of the states ravaged by insecurity in the North, a situation that has worsened under President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. Just recently, the state government ordered the shutdown of telecommunications services in some parts of the state to curb the prevailing banditry in the state.
The ban on mobile phone services is effective in Dange Shuni, Tambuwal, Sabon Birni, Raba, Tureta, Goronyo, Tangaza and Isa local government areas amongst others.
Meanwhile, some bandits operating in the Eastern Senatorial District of the state recently resorted to writing letters to reach out to families of their victims to demand ransoms.
A source, who was privy to the bandits’ new antics in Sokoto, said a letter was written to a traditional ruler in Burkusuma, demanding a ransom to secure the release of 20 persons kidnapped from two communities in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area.
Attacks on police stations in the South-East region of Nigeria continued on Monday as unknown gunmen attacked the Divisional Police Headquarters situated in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
SaharaReporters gathered that the gunmen “stormed the station around 2 am, releasing all the suspects in custody in the police facility”.
Some operational vehicles were also set ablaze by the hoodlums while some officers escaped with bullet wounds.
Other circumstances surrounding the attack, including the identities of the attackers could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report.
Loveth Odah, Ebonyi State Police Command spokesperson confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters, saying the police commissioner was on his way to the scene to ascertain the level of damage.
The incident is the latest in what appears to be a growing trend of attacks on police stations and security personnel in the South-East region of the country.
The governors in the region recently announced the establishment of a joint security outfit, codenamed ‘Ebube Agu’ to “battle rising insecurity”.
Gunmen have invaded the Mararaba Akunza community area of the Federal University of Lafia in the Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State and abducted four people believed to be students of the institution.
Daily Trust learnt that the incident occurred between 7-8pm when it was raining heavily on Saturday night.
An eyewitness, who spoke to our reporter in confidence, said the gunmen came in their large number and started shooting sporadically into the air before abducting their victims to an unknown destination.
It was gathered that the kidnappers have made contact with the family of the victims around 11.30pm last night, demanding N25 million ransom.
The source said: “The gunmen came in their large number and started shooting sporadically into the air, scaring residents of Mararaba Akunza community, before abducting four students.
“But nobody knows whether they are students of Federal University of Lafia.”
“It was raining heavily on Saturday night when the suspected kidnappers came in with their AK 47 riffles and carried out their operation successfully that lasted for several hours and succeeded in kidnapping some students, but no one knows whether they are students of Federal University of Lafia.”
Our correspondent learnt that one of the victims is Zafir Yahaya, the first son of a prominent politician in the state, Mr Yahaya Adams, popularly called Majo.
When our correspondent visited the Anti-Kidnapping Unity, Police Area Command in Lafia at exactly 11:am on Sunday, he saw the Chief Security (CSO) of the Federal University of Lafia, Wing commander Umar Mohammed (rtd) alongside some students of the institution making a complaint before the OC anti-Kidnapping, Mr Eyoh Anette.
While confirming the incident to our correspondent in an interview on Sunday, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Abubakar Ibrahim, denied that those victims were students of the Federal University of Lafia.
He said: “None of our students was kidnapped by suspected kidnappers. The incident happened outside the university.
“No report from any parent regarding the abduction of their children schooling in our institution,” he stated.
The Police Public Relation Officer in the state, ASP Nansel Ramhan, said the command only had about the incident on social media, but immediately drafted men to the scene of the incident to investigate how it happened.
He said no official complaint has been made yet to the command, assuring that an investigation was ongoing to unravel the rationale behind the invasion of the area.
He said no arrest has been made to that effect.He said: H“The command is yet to receive an official complaint from the institution.”
The Nasarawa state police command has confirmed the invasion of suspected gunmen into Mararaba community shooting sporadically between the hour of 7pm and 8 pm, kidnapping two students of the Institution.
Confirming the invasion via a telephone conversation on Sunday to reporters is the Public Relations Officer of Nasarawa State command, ASP Ramhan Nansel who said the anti-kidnapping squad has been dispatched to commence investigation.
“We have just met as I speak with you at 12.30 pm in the Anti-kidnapping office with the institution’s PRO (public relations officer), CSO (chief security officer) on the issue, Nansel stated.”
According to a source who disclosed to Daily Sun reporter said the first son of Hon. Yahaya Adams (Major), by name Zafir Yahaya Adams, was kidnapped last night with one other student.
The source added that the kidnappers had demanded the sum of N25 million after contacting the family at about 11.30 pm on Saturday night.
The Nigerian Air Force coordinated ransom payments to armed bandits in exchange for an anti-aircraft gun seized from the Nigerian Army, The Wall Street Journal said, in a desperate deal that was brokered as President Muhammadu Buhari was planning a trip to Katsina.
The U.S. outlet said N20 million was delivered to the bandits in Rugu Forest by a Nigerian Air Force official, who leaked details of the operation under anonymity, because the military realised that it would be too risky to leave the weapon in the hands of violent criminals operating in an area the presidential jet would fly over.
The rugged, lawless jungle that covers parts of Kaduna, Zamfara and the president’s home state of Katsina has served as a vast haven for bandits terrorising Nigeria’s northwestern communities. A large portion of kidnapping plots emanates or terminates in or around the forest, security agencies have previously warned.
“The mission to buy back the antiaircraft gun began with a handoff from a high-ranking air force intelligence officer in the capital Abuja: a black zip-up bag he said was full of 20 million Nigerian naira,” the paper reported, after stating that such military hardware in the hands of bandits “posed a threat to President Muhammadu Buhari, who had been planning to fly to his hometown about 80 miles away.”
The gun truck with 12.7 caliber anti-aircraft fire was reportedly disassembled and transported back to the military on motorbikes after the deal was concluded.
The Journal did not specify when the deal was brokered or the presidential trip that was planned. The president has been in his hometown at least twice this year that his office disclosed to the public. The first trip was in late January and another in July.
Although the Nigerian government claimed combat victories against armed bandits, several military bases have been sacked by the violent criminals dreaded largely for their abduction of schoolchildren and prominent personalities, including politicians and emirs.
Last month, a forward operating base crucial to the military campaign against banditry was raided in Zamfara, leaving at least 12 officers killed. The bandits also seized military equipment when they captured the base in Dansadau, about 80 kilometres south of the capital Gusau, in the September 11 operation.
It was not immediately clear why service chiefs opted for ransom payment in the operation described by The Journal. Military weapons that fell into the hands of Boko Haram insurgents and bandits were usually destroyed by air strikes.
The Gazette has yet to hear back from the Nigerian Air Force about the reported N20 million ransom to bandits.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime has announced that Nigeria’s Excess Crude Account (ECA) balance as of October stands at $60, 857,773.43, a drastic depletion from the $2.1 billion left by Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Clem Agba, the minister of state for budget and national planning gave the update during the national economic council meeting at the State House in Abuja on Friday, according to a statement by Laolu Akande, spokesperson to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
“Excess Crude Account (ECA) balance as at 13th October 2021 stands at $60, 857,773.43; Stabilisation Account, balance as at 13th October stands at N25,009,892,511.55; Development of Natural Resources Account balance as at 13th October 2021 stands at N56,144,024,000.71,” the statement said.
As of July 13, NEC announced that the excess account balance stood at $60.8 million while stabilisation account was N26.3 billion with the natural resources account balance standing at N23.5 billion.
The ECA, created in 2004 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the sole aim of saving oil revenue in excess of the budgeted benchmark, stood at $3.6 billion in February 2014, one of the highest balances on record.
In 2015, the former minister of finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala disclosed that the country earned $61.7 billion (about N12.3 trillion) as excess crude oil money between 2011 and 2015.
The minister said Nigeria earned about $18.14 billion in 2011; $18.16 billion in 2012; $15.19 billion in 2013; $8.01 billion in 2014, and $2.17 billion in 2015.
As of August 2015, after Mr Buhari assumed office, it stood at $2.2 billion but it gradually depleted.
The Central Bank of Nigeria in its 2018 report said that the country’s excess crude account fell from $2.45 billion in 2017 to $480 million as of December 2018.
Statistics from the ministry of finance had also revealed that the Buhari regime withdrew N1.5 trillion (about $4.92bn) between 2015 and 2019 from the account. $1 billion was withdrawn in 2017 on basis that it will be used to procure arms and train personnel in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
A 2020 analysis by BudgIT, a civic organisation had indicated that Nigeria’s excess crude oil under Mr Buhari stood at $631 million in December 2018, $324 million in October 2019, and fell to $70 million in February 2020.
The Kaduna State Government on Friday, inaugurated the preaching regulatory council with the aim of stemming any act of religion that will trigger conflict in the state.
Governor Nasir El-rufai, who inaugurated the council at the Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna on Friday, said, religion must not be used for economic and political exploitation.
According to El-rufai, a religious preaching edict has been in place in the state since 1984, but his administration failed to implement it after reviewing the laws in 2016.
The governor said it is now the responsibility of the council to ensure that religion in the state is practiced in a manner that will not inconvenience others.
He said his administration is ready to tackle any negative religious practice in the state.
The regulatory preaching council is comprised of senior religious leaders from the Christian and Islamic faiths as well as traditional leader and public office holders.
No fewer than 12 villagers have been reported killed as group of bandits attacked people of Sakajiki village in Kaura Namoda Emirate in Zamfara State.
According to Channels Tv, the Zamfara State Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Shehu confirmed the incident on Friday. Saying, casualties recorded in the incident would have been more if not for the response if the police operatives deployed to the area.
Report reveals that the bandits arrived at the village at about 9pm on Thursday and left the following morning around 4am on Friday, in the process, a dozen persons were killed.
Several shops and houses were razed, the police outpost in the area was also set ablaze as well as several other vehicles, one of which belonged to the police.
Meanwhile, search for more dead bodies are still going.
The team of police mobile force operatives tried their best to repel the attack, but they were purportedly overpowered by the bandits.
