News

Dino Melaye: Senate Orders IGP to Appear on Wednesday

Published

6 years ago

April 27, 2018

Eric

The Senate has ordered the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to appear before it at 11 am on Wednesday, to answer questions on why Senator Dino Melaye was handcuffed by policemen, who arrested him on Tuesday.

Idris was also expected to answer questions on the spate of insecurity and its attendant killings in different locations across the federation.

The police boss, who was summoned to appear before the lawmakers yesterday, failed to show up, as he was said to have accompanied President Muhammadu Buhari to Bauchi State on official engagement.

Announcing the inability of the IGP Ibrahim to honour the summons, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Abu Ibrahim, said the IG had mandated Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Operations to stand in for him.

But the senators were piqued by Senator Ibrahim’s statement, with many of them accusing the IG of being disrespectful of the Senate.

Senate President Bukola Saraki reminded Ibrahim that it was the IGP that the Senate summoned through a resolution and not the DIG.

Deputy Senate Leader Bala Ibn Na ‘Allah urged members not to listen to any other person other than the IGP.

“This Senate consists of elected representatives of over 180 million Nigerians. So, the invitation to the IGP is from over 180 million Nigerians.

“I am not comfortable with the way democratic institutions are being treated in this country. It is in the interest of the President that his appointees respond to invitations from the legislature.

“I don’t want my grandchildren to look into my legislative record at the National Assembly in the future and say that ‘our grandfather was stupid.”

A suggestion by one of the senators that the IGP should inform the Senate about a convenient date to honour the summon was dismissed by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa.

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha said the Parliament has suffered untold humiliation in the hands of officials of the present administration, regretting that some officials believe that the legislature should be treated as an appendage of the executive arm.

The senator representing Taraba South noted that some of the President’s appointees were responsible for the strained relationship between the executive and the legislature with habitual disrespect for the institution of parliament.

According to him, many of these appointees have the erroneous impression that it is disrespectful of the legislature to invite the President’s appointees, particularly security chiefs.

Senator Sam Egwu (Ebonyi North) blamed Senator Abu Ibrahim and the President’s liaison officer at the Senate, Ita Enag, for the lapses.

In his own contribution, Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio said he was of the conviction that the IG would be glad to honour the invitation to address the Senate on issues of security.

Senator Isa Misau wondered why the IGP could mobilise over 100 armed policemen within a short notice to arrest Senator Melaye, whereas the police were yet to arrest the thugs that invaded the Senate chambers and made away with the mace.

Closing the debate, Saraki said the dignity and integrity of democratic institutions should be respected, saying that he had been trying to reach the IGP in the last 72 hours without any response from the police boss.

He stated that if the IG had informed President Buhari that he had a date with the Senate, the President would have given him leave to honour the invitation, adding that it was disrespectful of the IGP to send his DIG.

The Nation

News

National Grid Collapses Again, Nigeria in Total Blackout

Published

24 hours ago

April 15, 2024

Eric

The electricity national grid has collapsed again throwing the entire country into total blackout.

Some electricity distribution companies (DisCos), on Monday, confirmed the fresh collapse of the national grid, resulting in loss of power supply to their customers.

The grid experienced a fresh shutdown, and generation fell to 64.70 megawatts at 2:42 am on Monday, which was confirmed by officials of some of the DisCos.

According to an earlier report, the latest data from the Independent System Operator showed that the grid was generating 266.50mw of electricity from Okpai, Geregu and Ibom power.

Confirming the collapse in a statement, Jos DisCo said: “The current outage being experienced within our franchise States is a result of loss of power supply from the national grid. The loss of power supply from the national grid occurred in the early hours at about 0242 hours today, Monday, 15th April 2024, hence the loss of power supply on all our feeders.”

The company’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Dr Friday Adakole Elijah, expressed hope that the grid will be restored for normal power supply to its esteemed customers.

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), also confirmed the collapse in a statement titled “NOTICE OF TOTAL SYSTEM COLLAPSE”.

“The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) wishes to inform her esteemed customers of a total system collapse which occurred at 2:41 am today, 15th April 2024.

“This resulted in the loss of supply to all our interface TCN stations. Consequently, we were unable to provide service to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States.

“However, the situation is gradually being resolved as we received the supply at Awada TCN station, Onitsha, at 7:30 am.

“We are in constant communication with the relevant authorities awaiting the full restoration of supply by the National Control Centre, NCC, Oshogbo. Thank you for your usual understanding and cooperation,”

A statement by Head, of Corporate Communications, EEDC, Emeka Ezeh said.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is yet to confirm the collapse as of press time.

News

Gunmen Abduct Channels TV Reporter in Rivers, Demand N30m

Published

4 days ago

April 12, 2024

Eric

Gunmen have kidnapped a journalist and reporter with Channels Television, Mr Joshua Rogers, at his residence in Rumuosi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday night.

Rogers, who covers the Rivers State Government House for his organisation, was reportedly trailed after he closed from work to his residence.

The miscreants accosted him before he alighted from his car, pointed a gun at him and whisked him along with his vehicle off to an unknown destination at about 9 pm.

A source who said he doesn’t want his name mentioned said the reporter had earlier covered an event in Ndoni in the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the state where Governor Siminalayi Fubara, inaugurated a Primary Healthcare Centre.

The facility was built and donated to the state by the PAMO Educational Foundation, founded by former Rivers governor, Dr Peter Odili, on Thursday.

The source said, “Yes, he was kidnapped last night at his residence in Rumuosi and taken away in his car by some unknown gunmen.

“We are appealing to the kidnappers to release him immediately and unhurt. He is just a journalist doing his job and not a moneybags. So I don’t know the purpose of his kidnap.”

It was also gathered that the hoodlums had contacted his wife and demanded N30m as ransom before releasing him.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, for confirmation, were unsuccessful as she did not pick up several calls put across to her by The Punch.

Iringe-Koko has also yet to reply to a text message sent to her as of publication on Friday morning.

The Punch

News

Bobrisky Goes to Jail! Sentenced to Six months Term, with No Fine Option

Published

4 days ago

April 12, 2024

Eric

Cross-dresser, Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment without any option fine for abusing the Nigeria currency – naira.

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in her sentence, said the judgment will serve as a deterrent to others who are fond of abusing and mutilating the naira.