Tanzania has signalled that it is not intending to use any Covid-19 vaccine but instead will settle on local herbs for protection against the disease.

Speaking to the EastAfrican Gerald Chamii, a spokesman at the Ministry of Health said, “There are no plans in place yet of importing vaccine for Covid-19, our health experts and scientists are still researching and undergoing clinical trials for the local herbs for covid-19.”

Chemii put doubt on the efficacy levels of the current global vaccines claiming the production duration was not efficient enough to warrant a maximum protection.

“It takes not less than six months to find a vaccine or cure for a certain disease. We have fared on our own since the pandemic spread, I am not sure if it is wise to have a vaccine imported and distributed to the citizens without undertaking clinical testing to approve if it is safe for our people,” added Mr Chami.

Tanzania is among the first countries in Africa to order for the touted Madagascar Covid herb in the fights against the virus.

Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina is the promoter-in-chief of the substance, marketed as Covid-Organics and sold in the form of a herbal infusion.

Artemisia annua has a long history in its native China, where scientists discovered an active ingredient that made the plant a front-line weapon in the fight against malaria.

The substance has proven effectiveness against malaria, but no clinical trials have tested it against COVID-19, either as a cure or as a preventative.

Little is known in Tanzania on the number of positive cases due to the government’s stun position on the virus.

Tanzania’s President John Pombe Magufuli had declare the East African country as Covid-free and did not place any curfew or confinement to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

Countries like the United State have warned its citizens from traveling to Tanzania to avoid risks of contracting the virus.

In its update, the U.S. cautioned its citizen against traveling to East Africa, assigning Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi Level 4 alert.

africanews

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is to approach the Supreme Court to set aside the Wednesday decision of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, quashing the conviction of Olisa Metuh, former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, and his company, Destra Investment Limited.

Mr Metuh was prosecuted by the EFCC before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja on a seven count charge of illegally receiving monies to the tune of N400million from the Office of the National Security Adviser, under sambo Dasuki.

On February 25, 2020, Justice Abang convicted and sentenced him to 7 years imprisonment.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the court, Mr Metah approached the appellate court with an application to side aside the ruling of the lower court, alleging among others, that the trial Judge was biased and failed to accord him fair hearing.

Delivering judgment on the appeal on December 17, Justice Stephen Adah, who led a panel of three justices, agreed with the appellant that the trial judge was biased and nullified the judgment.

The appellate court then ordered a retrial of the substantive case.

However, the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement on Friday, said after a review of the ruling, the EFCC has decided to approach the apex court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

According to the statement, the appellate court erred by restricting itself to only two grounds ( 12 and 14) of the appeal that dwell on the alleged bias of the trial judge but failed to examine the merit of the judgment of Justice Abang.

The anti-graft agency believes that the alleged remarks by the trial judge were not sufficient to nullify the judgment which was based on material evidence and submissions of witnesses called by the prosecution.

The EFCC believes that, as an intermediate Court, the Court of Appeal erred in ordering a retrial without considering the merit of the judgment of the lower court.

*Blame inadequate security for their abduction

Some of the abducted 344 students of Government Science Secondary School who regained freedom on Thursday night from their abductors, have vowed not to return to school until adequate security measures are put in place by the state government.

The students, who spoke in an exclusive interview with THISDAY in Government House on Friday, also urged Governor Aminu Bello Masari to relocate the school to Kankara town.

The schoolboys who were freed from captivity arrived Katsina State Government House Friday morning.

They were driven into the Government House in a convoy escorted by the 17 Brigade Commander, Brig-General WB Idris and other top security operatives.

One of the students, Yusuf Suleiman, SS1, said lack of adequate security in the school was responsible for their abduction by the bandits.

He said: “We suffered in the hand of the bandits and for me, I will not return to the school again because it has no security and it is located at the outskirt of Kankara town”.

Another student, Abdulmajid Umar, called on the state government as a matter of urgency to relocate the all-boys secondary to Kankara town to avoid reccurrence of the incident.

Umar, a JSS3 student, said: “It will be difficult for us to return to the school. Most of us have agreed not to go back to the school again. We will seek for transfer to other schools within Katsina metropolis”.

Earlier, the Commander of the 17 Brigade, WB Idris, who handed over the students to Governor Masari, said the schoolboys were rescued by the combined team of security operatives in the state.

“We are here this morning (Friday) to formally hand over the 344 students of Government Science Secondary Kankara that were rescued from the bandits yesterday night (Thursday)”, he said.

While receiving the 344 students, Governor Masari, said they would be taken to hospital for examination to ascertain their health status before they will be reunited with their parents.

He assured that his administration would continue to give ultimate attention to security of lives and property of the citizenry, adding security is everyone’s responsibility.

The American Bar Association (ABA), a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, has said that the Nigerian government does not possess sufficient evidence to prosecute Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore.

The association has been monitoring the treason trial of Mr Sowore by the Nigerian government.

The group said this in its preliminary report on criminal proceedings against Mr Sowore.

The former presidential candidate was arrested alongside another activist, Olawale Bakare, on August 3 2019, for planning the #RevolutionNow protest.

The demonstrations were against bad governance and other issues.

They were charged with treasonable felony, fraud and insulting President Muhammadu Buhari.

The court granted the duo bail twice but the SSS refused to release them until December 5.

However, less than 24 hours after it finally obeyed the court order, the SSS rearrested the two men within the Federal High Court in Abuja, sparking national outrage.

Mr Sowore was finally released on December 24, 2019 but his movement has been restricted to Abuja as part of his bail conditions.

Justifying the action of the SSS, the presidency said Mr Sowore’s call for revolution was aimed at overthrowing the democratically elected president of Nigeria.

Several human rights activists, both in Nigeria and in diaspora, have repeatedly called on the Nigerian government to drop the charges against the journalist.

However, in a recent report by ABA, the group concluded that the prosecution never “possessed sufficient evidence on which to predicate a criminal case against Mr. Sowore.”

The group restated that calls for peaceful protest do not constitute treason and that the proceedings have violated Mr. Sowore’s right to freedom of expression, right to freedom of assembly, and “right to trial without undue delay, as well as best practices in prosecutorial ethics.”

“The AGF should withdraw the charges or, alternatively, the Federal High Court should dismiss the case. At the very least, the court should allow Mr. Sowore to return to the United States and reunite with his family pending resumption of his trial on January 25,” the group urged.

Citing the basis for its conclusion, ABA explained that Mr. Sowore had explicitly stated that his calls for revolution were non-violent and had created a code of conduct forbidding violence at the August 5 #RevolutionNow demonstrations.

“Indeed, the protest held on August 5 was entirely peaceful. Second, Mr. Sowore was not notified of the reasons for, or legal basis of, his arrest at the time it occurred. DSS’s statement to the press in the immediate aftermath of the arrest vaguely referenced threats of disorder but did not provide specifics as to Mr. Sowore’s allegedly criminal behavior.

“Third, following Mr. Sowore’s arrest the DSS sought an ex parte order – a decision made by a judge without requiring all of the parties to the dispute to be present – of detention on the basis of an anti-terrorism statute, arguing that Mr. Sowore should be detained so as to enable further investigation.

“When Mr. Sowore was charged 48 days later, the offenses alleged were unrelated to the anti-terrorism statute. This shift suggests that the statute was but a vehicle for the prosecution to continue detaining Mr. Sowore until it could figure out what charges to bring.”

Also, the group emphasised that eight months into the proceedings, the prosecution dropped five of the seven charges without explanation, adding that the repeated requests for adjournment and refusal to share key materials with the defense, is further indication that the state lacks evidence of anything against Mr. Sowore.

“Notably, the amended charge sheet, which contains the two remaining counts of treason and conspiracy to commit treason, does not set forth any facts to support the allegation that Mr. Sowore had sought to overthrow the government by unlawful means; it simply cites Mr. Sowore’s involvement in the #RevolutionNow demonstrations.”

“Fifth, the conduct of the trial, including the prosecution’s In light of the above, the DSS and AGF’s pursuit of the case against Mr. Sowore breaches prosecutorial ethics, which mandate that that the State drop charges once it becomes apparent that the evidence is insufficient.

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the rescued students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, not to be distracted from their studies following their experiences with bandits.

The president made the call when he addressed the affected students at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Katsina, on Friday.

The president, who narrated how he went through some difficulties early in life, said the situation did stop him from accomplishing his missions.

He said: ”You students are very lucky, concentrate on your studies, don’t allow your terrible experiences in the hands of those heartless bandits distract you from your studies.

”Put behind all the sufferings and concentrate on your studies.

”The Federal Government will continue to strengthen security around all schools across the country.”

The president said the abduction of the students was a deliberate attempt to test the will of his administration, adding that government would continue to ensure the safety of lives and property of all citizens.

He also challenged security officials to always put in the the fear God while carrying out their responsibilities of protecting citizens.

Mr Buhari thanked Governor Aminu Masari for his efforts in ensuring the successful release of the abducted students.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Masari had earlier presented the rescued students to the president.

He also thanked the president for the roles he played in the rescue of the students.

According to him, there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from the incident. NAN

A woman whose Police Inspector husband, Ayodeji Erinfolam, died after being shot on the stomach on October 12 in the Surulere area of Lagos during the #EndSARS protest, Friday narrated her pain at the incident.

Mrs. Olamide Erinfolam told the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS related abuses and other matters that she waited for her husband to call her once he got to the office, as he promised, but he was killed before he could do so.

She said she believed that her husband was shot by one of his fellow policemen and pleaded with the tribunal to help avenge his death.

Led in evidence by her lawyer, Mr. Gbemiga Ogunleye, Olamide said although the Lagos State Government gave the family N10m compensation, “money cannot buy our joy.”

The widow stated that on the morning of October 12, her late husband phoned her that he was going to work. She told him to call her once he got to the office.

She, however, waited in vain for her husband’s phone call. Later that day, someone called her from Maiduguri and asked her if she had heard that her husband was shot during the protest.

The widow said she called each of her husband’s two phone lines twice and the lines rang out.

“About 45 minutes later, I called again and a girl picked and said my husband was shot. I asked her how, the lady said I should be praying, I should call a pastor,” Olamide said.

She expressed disappointment that the police did not officially call her to inform her about the incident.

The widow also noted that in the video footage of the incident that she saw, none of her husband’s colleague was seen rallying round to save his life after he was shot.

She said on getting to the mortuary where the remains of the late Inspector was deposited, she could not look at his corpse.

When asked if the remains had been buried, the widow answered in the negative.

Sobbing, she said: “They said they wanted to conduct an autopsy. I have been to the mortuary to tell them to release the corpse for burial because he has aged parents.”

At the instance of the petitioner’s counsel, the panel watched a video clip of the scene where the deceased was shot.

The footage as well as two photographs of the deceased were admitted as exhibits by the panel.

The petitioner’s counsel, Jonathan Ogunleye, prayed with the panel to order the police to immediately conduct an autopsy and release the remains of the deceased for burial so that the family could get a closure.

Asked what she wanted the panel to do for her, the widow said, “I need justice; I want justice to prevail. I want them to investigate what killed my husband.”

Under cross-examination, counsel for the police, Cyril Ejiafor, who said the late Inspector Erinfolami worked under him, challenged the widow’s claim that the deceased’s killing was premeditated.

Ejiafor told the panel the police would call at least one witness.

The Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Police brutality, on Thursday, struck out a petition by Oyigbo Indigenous Lawyers Association (OILA) seeking an end to the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Oyigbo Local Government Area.

The lawyers who claimed they were acting on behalf of the entire people of Oyigbo Local Government Area, also demanded that the Rivers State government should rebuild all the public infrastructure destroyed in the area when hoodlums hijacked the #EndSARS protest in the area.

But the Hon Justice Chukwunenye Uriri-led Commission dismissed the petition saying that the matter has nothing to do with the terms of reference of the Commission, which has to do with police brutality.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after, OILA’s counsel, O.C Higher-King, said the proscribed IPOB successfully hoisted its flag in Oyigbo because they felt that the area had been abandoned by the state government.

Higher-King said: “We came here basically to assist the Commission; we did our private findings and found out that there was actually police brutality and military brutality and other people during the mayhem in Oyigbo. We discovered that and we documented and brought to the Commission.

“Although we have several indigenes of Oyigbo we know that were brutalised by the police and military but we wanted to come as a neutral body, an association of eminent lawyers on Oyigbo to present to the panel.

“We recommend that the state government take over Oyigbo and own Oyigbo because a bride that is abandoned is public property. It is not just this government that abandoned us, previous governments. That is the problem we have, but they have stuck it out.

“We also demanded that they should rebuild all the damaged infrastructure in Oyigbo including police stations and all the courts. In fact, everything that was destroyed. You can see those recommendations were actually not supposed to be struck out but that is the law for now.

“We further demanded that the state government should do all it can to curtail the excesses of IPOB and all that because they have been alleged to be the people that destroyed those things and all that with the military and the police.”

Thenigerialawyer

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Pharmaceutical companies should sell COVID-19 vaccines to African countries at discounted rates and allow them to be produced locally to potentially cut costs, the head of the continent’s disease control body said on Thursday.

Africa is aiming to vaccinate up to 60% of its 1.3 billion people in the next two years, but may need several years of inoculations, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters.

How frequently people will need vaccinations against COVID-19 remains uncertain, he said.

“Because of this, local manufacturing becomes imperative so that we can meet our goals,” he said.

Many African states are relying on COVAX, a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working to lower prices for poor and middle income countries.

But the Africa CDC expects to receive only 20% of its vaccine needs through COVAX, and also needs money to distribute the vaccine.

“The COVAX facility does not take care of delivery, it takes care of the buying of the vaccines. But the greatest challenge for any vaccination programme is how do you deliver it to the needy in a timely fashion,” Nkengasong said,

He added the continent was working with Afreximbank and the World Bank to see how to raise funds to buy and deliver vaccines.

In November, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the chairperson of the African Union, said $12 billion was needed for the vaccination programme.

On Thursday, GAVI, a vaccines alliance that co-leads COVAX with the WHO, said COVAX was on track with its goal to secure 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of 2021.

“COVAX has met its initial fundraising target and is making excellent progress in negotiating deals with manufacturers,” said Thabani Maphosa, a managing director at GAVI.

By Ikechukwu Amaechi
17/12/2020

“For too long, the North has enabled Buhari in his transgressions. They share in his vision. They are his cheerleaders.

In September 2019, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, granted a most illuminating interview to Channels Television where he insisted that the federal government-promoted National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) must accommodate every Fulani herdsman including those from Chad, Niger, Mali and other neighbouring countries.

“I think there is a lot of mistrust and misconception as regards the Fulani man,” Mohammed said.

“The Fulani man is a global or African person. He moves from The Gambia to Senegal and his nationality is Fulani. As a person I may have my relations in Cameroon but they are also Fulani. I am a Fulani man from my maternal side.

“We will just have to take this as our own heritage, something that is African. So, we cannot just close our borders and say the Fulani man is just a Nigerian.”

As if that is not provocative enough, he added: “In most cases, the crisis is precipitated by those outside Nigeria. When there is a reprisal, it is not the Fulani man within Nigeria that causes it. It is that culture of getting revenge which is embedded in the traditional Fulani man that attracts reprisal.”

This is the crux of the matter. Nigeria cannot be Fulani heritage, particularly when the Fulani in question are not Nigerians. The insalubrious agenda of Buhari to make Nigeria home for every Fulani is the root cause of the crisis threatening not only to consume the North but the entire country. It is an agenda that is bound to fail. But it is an agenda that will wreak so much havoc before it fails.

The bandits that have taken over the forests in the Northwest and ancestral homes in the North Central are non-Nigerian Fulani who have abandoned animal husbandry for kidnapping for ransom and all manner of terrorist acts. The attempt to forcefully alter the country’s demographics with a population that is not indigenous is the reason why Nigeria is in a mess right now.

But it is an existential crisis which the Northern elite, particularly the indigenous Fulani population and their Hausa cousins, must lead the way in mitigating before it is too late.”

Please click on the link below to read the full article

The body of late soccer great Diego Maradona “must be conserved” in case his DNA is needed in a paternity case, an Argentine court ruled on Wednesday.

Maradona died of a heart attack last month and was buried on Nov. 26 in a cemetery just outside Buenos Aires.

While Maradona’s lawyer had previously told Reuters that DNA samples already exist, the court said the former Boca Juniors and Napoli player’s body must not be cremated at some later date.

Five recognised children and six with filiation requests are part of a complex inheritance process in Argentina.

One of the six, Magalí Gil, 25, says she found out two years ago that the soccer icon was her biological father.

The ruling from the National Court of First Instance in Civil Matters No. 56 also said: “Ms. Gil requests that a study be carried out … and that for this purpose the acting prosecutor’s office send a DNA sample.”

Maradona recognised four children in Argentina and one in Italy, which he had during his time as a player in the country.

TheNigeriaLawyer