News

Declare Omo-Agege’s Suspension Unlawful, FG Tells Court

Published

6 years ago

May 1, 2018

Eric

The Federal Government has described as unlawful the processes that resulted in the Senate’s suspension of Delta State senator, Ovie Omo-Agege.

Mr Omo-Agege was suspended for describing the Senate’s decision to amend the Electoral Act as a plot against President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Omo-Agege apologised for his comments, but was suspended anyway for 90 legislative days for taking the matter to court.

Speaking during Monday’s court proceedings on the application filed by Mr Omo-Agege, Nigeria’s solicitor-general, Dayo Apata, asked the court to regard the processes preceding the suspension as unlawful.

“The action of the Senate leading to the suspension of the senator are unlawful. The court should hold so,” said Mr Apata.

Speaking earlier, the counsel representing Mr Omo-Agege, Alex Izinyon, said the senator sought to challenge the abuse of his fundamental rights.

Mr Izinyon said the procedure adopted by the Senate committee in enforcing the suspension violates Mr Omo-Agege’s rights.

“It is a violation of order 2 rule (2) (3) of the fundamental rights enforcements procedure rule 2009,” Mr. Izinyon said.

Responding, the counsel for the Senate, Mahmud Magaji, said Mr Omo-Agege had been a member of the same committee and participated actively during the suspension of other members, including former majority leader, Ali Ndume.

Mr Magaji therefore described as surprising the reaction of Mr Omo-Agege to his own suspension.

“He who lives by the sword should die by the sword,” said Mr Magaji.

The court adjourned May 10 for a ruling.

Earlier, the judge, Nnamdi Dimgba, dismissed an application by a counsel representing the Senate committee on ethics and privileges, seeking to be joined in the matter.

The counsel, Paul Erokoro, asked the court to allow his application on the grounds that whatever decision is reached on the matter, ‘will affect his client’.

The application to join was objected by Messrs Apata and Izinyon. Both lawyers said the inclusion of the Senate in the application had rendered unnecessary the addition of any committee under the Senate.

They submitted that documents before the court already showed that the Senate was in charge of every committee or agency under it, so the presence of a committee under the senate was no longer necessary.

The court dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

“I am of the strong and unambiguous view that this application deserves to fail,” Mr Dimgba ruled.

Premium Times

News

National Grid Collapses Again, Nigeria in Total Blackout

Published

21 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.