Judiciary

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has rejected the request by the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to halt trial in the hearing of the N80.2bn fraud charges brought against him.

Bello asked the court to stay execution in his trial before Justice Emeka Nwite, on the grounds that there is an appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before the Court of Appeal, against the contempt application filed by the defendant against the Commission Chairman, Ola Olukayode.

Justice Nwite, in his ruling on Friday, however, rejected the application made by Bello through his lawyer Abdulwahab Mohammed.

Nwite held that “The application cannot be entertained unless the defendant is present in the court. In the absence of the defendant in court, the motion on notice filed by the complainant can only be conducted if the defendant is in court”.

Justice Nwite held that Bello was trying to make rubbish out of a criminal case by choosing to stay in his house and not respect the court orders.

Punch/Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

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Politics

Over 241, 715 Permanent Voter Cards, PVC, have yet to be collected by the voters in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa States two weeks to the October 9, 2023 deadline issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the collection of the cards ahead of the November 11 off-cycle governorship polls in the three States.

While 107,715 voter cards were awaiting collection in Kogi, no fewer than 134,000 had yet to be claimed by prospective voters in Imo State. However, the figure of unclaimed PVCs cards in Bayelsa State was unavailable.

The electoral commission has, however, said it will not extend the PVCs collection in the States and admonished registered voters not to delay in picking up their cards.

The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi and the Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Gabriel Longpet, both affirmed in separate interviews that there was no going back on the October 9 d deadline.

They cautioned the concerned electorate against waiting till the last minute to collect their PVCs.

The INEC had fixed the governorship elections in the three States to November 11 in which 18 parties are fielding candidates.

At its regular meeting held on June 6, the commission approved the final list of candidates for the three off-cycle governorship elections and also uploaded it to its website and social media platforms.

The Kogi State REC, Longpet, also echoed Oyekanmi, stating that there would not be an extension of the time earlier scheduled for the collection of the voter cards.

There will not be any extension of time as we had said that the collection is for four weeks since it is not a nationwide exercise and these are remnants of the cards previously provided for collection,’’ he explained.

On the number of the PVCs collected so far collected, the REC said, “From the daily reports sent to me, so far, 11,307 PVCs have been collected up to the 21st September, out of a total number of 119,022.We have two weeks to go.

“We have been broadcasting and urging people in the various local languages to go out and collect their PVCs. We have translated the jingles in Ebira, Igala, Okun, Nupe, and Hausa, in addition to English.”

Speaking on the situation in Imo State, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Sylvia Agu, disclosed that INEC resumed the issuance of PVCs for the election on September 11 and that the exercise would continue till October 9.

INEC still has about 134,000 uncollected PVCs in Imo piled in the 27 local government council secretariats of the State.

“I urge Imo residents to collect their PVCs at the INEC offices in their council areas, while those in Orlu Local Government Area should collect theirs at the State office in Owerri.

Apart from the 27 local government area offices, INEC has also created some centres for PVC collection for Registration Areas that have more than 1,000 uncollected PVCs. Remember that PVCs cannot be collected by proxy and they must be exchanged with the Temporary Voter Cards,’’ she stated.

INEC has gone a step further to gather the phone numbers of owners of uncollected PVCs in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi to send bulk SMS to them,’’ Agu added, assuring that the commission was fully prepared for the election.

She revealed that all non-sensitive materials had been received and would be distributed to the various Local Government areas appropriately. The commission’s Head of Department, Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Inclusivity in Bayelsa, Mr Wilfred Ifogah, said the uncollected PVCs in its Yenagoa office were from the previous exercise.

He said people currently collecting their PVCs included those who registered newly, those who could not pick up their PVCs after they transferred their PVCs, and those who lost their voter cards.

Ifogah said, “When you talk about collected and uncollected PVCs in the State, why I don’t want to give those figures is that it won’t add up to anything because what we have are uncollected PVCs from the previous exercise. It’s not like they brought anything new.

‘’Moreso, the PVCs are not just for people who registered newly but it has to do with both those who registered newly and unable to pick them and those who requested for a reprint of their PVCs, and those who did transfer whose cards have come in.

So, from the overall statistics, if we really want to know those who have collected, we have to wait for the end of the exercise to know those that have collected, who registered newly.

“’But right now, everyone picking involves those who registered newly, those who were unable to pick up their own when they did transfer and those who lost their PVCs. Right now, I don’t have an idea of the total uncollected PVCs.”

He, however, added that the commission would not extend the October 9 deadline for registration and collection of PVCs.

Punch /Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

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Crime

The three indigenes of Ikaram Akoko in Ondo State abducted last week along Ayere-Kabba Axis, Kogi State have regained freedom.

The three men were said to be travelling from Abuja to attend a birthday ceremony in their hometown, Ikaram Akoko when the unfortunate incident occurred.

A family member of one of the victims, who preferred to be anonymous said a sum of 12 million naira, was paid as ransom to secure the release of the abductees after series of negotiations as the initial ransom demanded was N40Million. 

The source disclosed that the victims had been taken to hospital for medical assessment and treatment.

Meanwhile, the chairmen of the three local governments which share boundaries with Kogi, of Ijumu, Akokonorth and Northeast of Ondo State have met and discussed strategies to reduce incessant kidnapping along Ajowa Akunu Ayere kabba roads which has now become notorious for all sorts of crime.

Recently two prominent sons of Ajowa Akoko were killed by bandits within the same axis.

Ibrahim Kilani

News

Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has approved the appointment of Mrs. Hannah Onyinoyi Odiyo as the state’s new Head of Civil Service.

In a letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of Kogi State, Dr. Folashade Arike Ayoade, the new HoS until her appointment was the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Kogi State. 

Governor Bello thanked Elder (Mrs.) Deborah Ogunmola, the outgoing  Head of Civil Service for her forthrightness and contributions to the Civil Service Reforms in the State while in office.

He congratulated the New Head of Civil Service and wished her well in her new assignment.

PR/Olaolu Fawole

Sport

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has described the Captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Ahmed Musa as a footballer who has never disappointed football loving people within and outside the country.

Governor Bello made this known when the Super Eagles captain paid him a courtesy visit.

The governor who is a staunch fan of the Super Eagles said Musa is an excellent and clinical attacker who with the entire Super Eagles team has brought so much pride to football fans both within and outside the country. 

Earlier, the Super Eagles striker had described Governor Bello as a bridge builder who dedicated himself to the welfare of the youths and the elderly.

Ahmed Musa also presented a Super Eagles jersey to the Governor.

Olaolu Fawole

Health

Doctors at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, in Lokoja, Kogi State have embarked on an indefinite strike.

This follows an attack yesterday morning by unknown armed men who stormed the hospital, vandalizing property and carting away valuables.

In a communique signed by Nnanna Agwu, Chairman, Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, Samuel Obajemu, chairman, Joint Health Workers Union ,JOHESU; Abdulmalik Idris, chairman, National Association of Nurses and Midwives ,NANNM,and John Omoche, chairman, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria ,MHWUN, the health workers alleged that their lives were being threatened because of the state’s poor management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The health workers stated that they are totally withdrawing services across the board.

Furthermore, they listed some conditions that must be met before returning to work which include adequate security of lives and properties, validation of COVID-19 status of some staff of the hospital that have been in isolation, provision of COVID-19 testing facilities and maximum of twenty patients being attended to daily.

Culled

Lifestyle

The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Nasiru Ajanah, is dead, aged 64.

Justice Ajanah died in Abuja on Sunday, 28th, June 2020 during a brief illness.

The justice’s death came exactly a week after the state lost the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Ibrahim Shaibu Atadoga, also during a brief illness.

The Kogi State Government on its website said Ajanah was born in 1956 to the family of MJ Fari Ajanah in Okene local government area.

The remains of Justice Ajanah would be buried in Abuja.

Culled/Positive FM

Economy

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has directed civil servants on Salary Grade Levels 01-10 to return to work on June 15. 

The directive is contained in a statement issued in Lokoja by the state Head of Service, Mrs Deborah Ogunmola. 

With this directive, the workers will be joining their counterparts on Grade Levels 12-16 who had resumed duties since May. 

According to the statement, all ministries, departments and agencies are to provide facilities for washing of hands or sanitisers at the entrances of their offices. 

It also directs all officers to adhere to the guidelines of the National Centre for Disease Control to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 to the state.

It would be recalled that all the workers were asked to stay off work at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

Adewumi Faniran 

News

Kogi State has recorded its first two cases of coronavirus as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirms 389 new cases of the pandemic virus, bringing the total number of confirmed infections cases in the country to 8,733 with 254 death in total.

The new cases were confirmed by the agency, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Twitter via is official handle.

Data from the NCDC proved that the cases were spread across 22 states and with Lagos accounting for the highest number of infections for the day with 256 cases.

As of 7:00 pm on Wednesday, COVID-19 has killed at least 352,494 people globally since the outbreak first emerged in China last December.

NEW CASES IN THE FOLLOWING STATES ARE:

LAGOS-256
KATSINA-23
EDO-22
RIVERS-14
KANO-13
ADAMAWA-11
AKWA IBOM-11
KADUNA-7
KWARA-6
NASARAWA-6
GOMBE-2
PLATEAU-2
ABIA-2
DELTA-2
BENUE-2
NIGER-2
OYO-2
IMO-1
BORNO-1
OGUN-1
ANAMBRA-1

THERE ARE NOW 8, 733 CASES OF #COVID19NIGERIA
DISCHARGED: 2501
DEATHS: 254

Politics

Oyo state governor and the Kogi State Chairman Campaign Council for the November 16 governorship election, Engineer Seyi Makinde says votes for Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the coming poll will translate to good governance for people of the state.

He stated this when he received Kogi PDP governorship candidate, Engineer Musa Wada on courtesy call in his office, Ibadan.

Governor Makinde while stressing that the electorate are the sole determinant of the fate of politicians urged people in the state to join the PDP and good governance vehicle in Nigeria.

Governor Makinde was optimistic that PDP would record success in the November 16 governorship election in Kogi state.

Earlier, the Kogi PDP governoship candidate, Engineer Musa Wada said the visit was part of the party’s culture to interact with the chairman of the campaign council who will lead PDP to success.

On the entourage of Engineer Musa Wada were the PDP deputy governorship candidate, Mr. Samuel Aro, and Director General Engineer Wada Campaign Organization, Mr. Tijani Yusuf.

Iyabo Adebisi