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COVID-19: SSS Shuts School, Sacks Teachers

*We Do Not Own Schools Where 100 Teachers Were Purportedly Sacked ― SSS

Following what it described as the effect of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy, particularly its crippling financial situation on the school, the Department of State Services (DSS) has sacked the teachers and other staff members of its Community Staff Schools, Asokoro (CSSA), Abuja.

The secret police has also shut down the institution and directed the pupils in the nursery, primary and secondary classes to stay at home for two weeks.

The primary school commenced in 1992/93, while the secondary classes took off in 1998.

It was gathered that the fee for the nursery and primary classes was increased from N25,000 to N35,000 for children and wards of the rank and file, while children of senior DSS officers were required to pay N45,000 up from N35,000 per term.

However, for children of civilians, the tuition was increased from N45,000 to N60,000.

The tuition for secondary school classes was increased from 35,000 to 45,000 for children and wards of the rank and file, while officers’ children were asked to pay N60,000 up from 40,000.

But students who did not fall in either of the categories will pay N90,000 from N70,000.

In the letter of disengagement dated November 2, 2020, signed by the Executive Secretary, CSSA, M. Onyilo, the DSS hinged its decision to sack the school staff on poor financial situation brought about by the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation’s economy.

The letter was titled: ‘Disengagement from the service of Community Staff Schools, Asokoro.”

It reads partly: “Due to the effect of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy vis-a-vis the crippling financial situation of the school, I am directed to convey the Director-General, State Services/Proprietor’s approval to disengage you from the services of the school with effect from 3rd November 2020.”

It was however learnt that the workers had in 2018 dragged the school management to the National Industrial Court (NIC) demanding better conditions of service, which the court okayed but the DSS failed to obey the court judgment.

We Do Not Own Schools Where 100 Teachers Were Purportedly Sacked ― SSS

The Department of Security Services (DSS) on Tuesday distanced itself from the ownership of the primary and secondary schools, Community Staff Schools, Asokoro, Abuja, where 100 teachers were reportedly sacked on Monday by its management.

Reacting to some online publications on the purported sack in Abuja on Tuesday, the spokesperson of the service, Dr Peter Afunanya to the Tribune Online that “the school is autonomous and not run by the service as being alleged.”

According to him, the school has an “independent board that takes decisions for it. It has no link with the service.”

Afunaya said: “Though I may not be speaking for the school, I, however, learnt that no single staff was dismissed. I was also told that the school will be cutting short its earlier two weeks break to resume on Thursday, November 5, 2020, that’s all that I can say for now.”

When the Tribune Online visited the school on Tuesday for further investigation, it was discovered that the school was on a two-week break.

A staff who identified herself as a senior administrative officer told our reporter that she was not aware of the sack and that the school would resume from its short break on Thursday.

The online reports had claimed that the staff were laid off for allegedly joining the Nigeran Union of Teachers (NUT).

SAN, group ask panel to stop Lekki tollgate shooting probe

Oladimeji Ramon

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Babatunde Fashanu, and a group headed by him, Lagos Emancipation Project, have asked the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS and  related abuses and Other Matters to stop probing the October 20 Lekki tollgate shootings.

The SAN and the group said they will be going to court restrain the panel.

They stated this in a November 3, 2020 pre-action notice addressed to the chairman of the panel, retired Justice Doris Okuwobi.

It was titled, “Prohibition Against Sitting of the #EndSARS Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Lekki Tollgate Incident.”

Fashanu and his group contended that since it had been established that the soldiers who allegedly opened fire on #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate were invited by the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, it would be unfair for the same governor to set up a panel to probe the incident and then take action on the panel’s report.

“It is our belief that the person or authority who invited the military to the scene to take action against peaceful protesters is neck-deep in whatever transpired there and its aftermath and is, at least, one of the dramatis personae to answer for it.

“By our reckoning, the panel is to sit and submit its report to the Governor of Lagos State, who is empowered to act on it by virtue of the provisions of the Tribunals of Inquiry Law of Lagos State. Having regard to the fact that the governor to be reported to and who is to take action on the report seems to have a case to answer in the matter and he is not allowed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to act in his own cause, we hereby request that you avoid sitting or hearing any matter on the Lekki Tollgate incident in the proceedings of the judicial panel so that it can be looked at by some other authority who would not have to report to the governor,” the notice read in part.

The panel was given seven days to comply or face litigation.

PUNCH.

Man Who Fled Ibadan After Killing 12-Year Old Boy Arrested In A Hideout In Ogun

No hiding place for a criminal. Such was the fate that befell a 20-year old suspected ritual killer, Festus Simon, accused of killing a 12-year old boy in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, recently.

The criminal act was allegedly executed by the suspect over one month ago on October 1, 2020 and he immediately fled the city of Ibadan in order to evade justice.

But, the long arm of the law caught up with him on Wednesday November 4, 2020, over a month after.

The suspect, Festus reportedly changed location, fleeing to Simawa town in Ogun State.

It was in this new abode that operatives of the State Police Command apprehended him, following an information received by the police at Sotubo Divisional Headquarters, Shagamu, that the suspect fled his resident at Iyana church area of Iwo road, Ibadan,.to Simawa, under the pretence of looking for job.

Information further revealed that the suspect has been on the wanted list of Oyo State Police Command in connection with the killing of the innocent 12-year old boy and that his accomplice has since been arrested.

Upon the information, the Divisional Police Officer, Sotubo, SP Samuel Adefolalu, quickly led his detectives to his hiding place where he was promptly arrested.

The suspect was said to have made useful statement, while the Oyo Police Command has already been contacted for onwards transfer of the suspect.

Contacted, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the story.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun, has warned that Ogun state will never be a safe haven to any criminal, advising them to steer clear of the state.

According to him, “because the best form of community policing is what we practice here thereby making it difficult for any criminal to hibernate anywhere in the state”.

EndSARS: Police, Other Security Chiefs Jittery As Fears Of Renewed Violence In Lagos Heightens

Fears of renewed spate of violence in the country aftermath of the recent EndSARS Protests, have thrown security chiefs manning the different security apparatuses into a fresh panic.

As the security top echelon put heads together on how to avert another massacre, Police authorities in Lagos have vowed to stop any form of protest, peaceful or otherwise, from any quarters.

This is seen by the security top brass as the most pragmatic preventive measures to repel the EndSARS agitators who are suspected to be currently regrouping for another showdown with government.

The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu, in a press statement on Thursday, raised alarm that intelligence reports have revealed that some unscrupulous individuals were planning to foment trouble capable of plunging the country in another spate of chaos and mayhem. 

The press statement was signed by Lagos Police Spokesman, SP Olumyiwa Adejobi.

The statement read: “The Lagos State Police Command has vowed to resist any form of planned protest, procession or gathering under any guise or nomenclature in Lagos State as the government and people of Lagos still nurture the wounds of the recent Endsars violence that wrecked havoc across the state.

Lagos CP, Hakeem Odumosu

“The command wishes to inform the general public that based on intelligence gathering from relevant intelligence agencies, some unpatriotic elements or group of people have concluded plans to orchestrate another set of violence in the state in furtherance to the recent Endsars violence, which has been analysed as dangerous and counter-productive.

“Premised on this, the Command, therefore, wishes to warn any individuals, group of students or any groups who might want to stage any form of protest, either “peaceful” or violent, or gathering whatsoever, to desist as the police and other security agencies will collectively and tactically resist any security threats or threats to public peace which might be triggered by protest or protesters in Lagos State.

“The Police Command, emphatically, warns parents and guardians to discourage their children or wards from embarking on any protest in the state as the possibility of hijacking it by armed hoodlums to cause grieve and pains like the recent past is evident. 

Lagos PPRO Olumuyiwa Odejobi

“We encourage the general public to ignore any call for protest and go about their lawful businesses as all hands are on deck to maintain law and order and public safety across the length and breadth of the state.”

More women and more Black women than ever ran for Congress in 2020, but they still lost ground

By Sharon Austin

In 2020, Black women set a new record – 117 entered primaries for the House and 13 for the U.S. Senate, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.

In total, 643 women were candidates in congressional primary and general elections, including a record number of Asian or Pacific Islander, Latina, Middle Eastern or North African and Native American women.

Still, women ended up losing eight seats in Congress. In 2018, the nation elected 127 women – and 48 women of color – to the House and Senate. This year, that dropped to 117 women and 45 women of color.

Throughout my career as a political science professor, I’ve studied women’s representation in mayoral, congressional, gubernatorial and presidential elections.

Here’s my look at the female demographics of Congress following the 2020 elections.

Many of the women first elected to Congress in 2018 retained their seats.

All four members of “the Squad” were reelected. These women – Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib – are Democratic women of color known for their progressive policies, including the Green New Deal.

A woman gestures from behind a podium.

Also reelected were Illinois Democrat Lauren Underwood, winner of a predominantly white and Republican district in 2018; Jahana Hayes, the first Black woman to represent Connecticut; and Georgia’s Lucy McBath, winner in a district that had been held by Republicans for almost four decades.

These reelections prove that their victories in 2018’s “pink wave” weren’t a fluke and that they have real staying power in Congress.

In some of the 2020 congressional races, Black women ran against each other – a sign of their strong participation. For example, Florida’s Val Demings, Florida’s Frederica Wilson and Georgia’s Nikema Williams – who will succeed the late civil rights icon John Lewis – won their congressional races after defeating other Black females.Notable newcomers

Some women will be joining Congress for the first time in January.Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist, became Missouri’s first Black female congresswoman and represents a district that includes the cities of St. Louis and Ferguson, the site of the police killing of African American teenager Michael Brown in 2014. Ferguson also elected its first Black female mayor this year.Bush defeated African American Congressman William Lacy Clay Jr.. Clay, Jr. and his father represented the district for over 50 years. Other women of color joining Congress for the first time include Telemundo journalist Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican who unseated Donna Shalala in Florida, and attorney Teresa Fernandez, a Democrat from New Mexico.

Some underdogs didn’t make it

So who lost?

Arkansas’s Joyce Elliott, a teacher and veteran state legislator, came up short in her bid to become the first African American congressional member from Arkansas. Florida’s Pam Keith, a military veteran and attorney, lost by a wide margin to her Republican opponent. Patricia Timmons-Goodson, the first African American member of the North Carolina Supreme Court whose federal judicial nomination by Barack Obama was blocked by Republicans, failed to win a seat in Congress.Also coming up short was Tennessee’s Marquita Bradshaw, a single mother and environmental activist who would have been Tennessee’s first Black female congressional member if she had won.California’s Tamika Hamilton, Georgia’s Vivian Childs, Maryland’s Kimberly Klacik and Ohio’s Lavern Gore are all Republicans who ran in mostly urban Democratic districts, but none won on election night.

All Black female congresswomen – with the exception of Utah’s Mia Love, who served one term in the House – have been Democrats, suggesting that the path to victory is especially steep for Black Republican women.

A white man’s government?

Three white men with their feet on an African American soldier lying on the groundFor most of its history, the members of both Houses of Congress have been white men. The monotony began to break in 1917 when Montana’s Jeannette Rankin became the first female congresswoman. In 1964, Hawaii’s Patsy Mink became the first Asian American congresswoman. The first Latina, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, was elected in 1989. In 1968, the late Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman to serve in Congress. Four years later, two more Black women arrived in Congress, Barbara Jordan of Texas and Yvonne Braithwaite-Burke of California.Chisholm called Black women “catalysts for change” in politics. U.S. Rep Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, once tweeted, “I cannot be intimidated and I’m not going anywhere.”

Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality suggests Black women are disadvantaged because of the “intersection” of their racial, gender and class identities. One result is that they encounter disadvantages when running for office. Some of these women were disadvantaged by their race, gender or class when running against well-funded incumbents. Yet, my work in the field of women and politics also suggests that the long tradition of Black female political leadership in America is gaining momentum.

•Sharon Austin is Professor of Political Science, University of Florida

US Elections: Violence erupts in Oregon, as protesters chant ‘We want Trump out of office’

Hundreds of state police and left-wing protesters were locked in a tense standoff in downtown Portland late Wednesday after rampaging anti-Trump groups smashed shop windows a day after the election, prompting the state governor to activate the National Guard.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s office declared a riot and made at least nine arrests, citing “widespread violence” in the city’s downtown area and repeatedly warning it could deploy munitions and tear gas.

Armed police advanced on demonstrators in unison but there were no clashes, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

The protesters had earlier attended a peaceful rally in a downtown park hosted by a coalition of far-left, anti-capitalist groups featuring lectures and music.

“The mass gathering in downtown Portland is still declared a riot. Leave the area now,” the sheriff’s office posted on Twitter just before 8:30 pm ( 0430 GMT). It earlier said officers were being targeted with projectiles, such as glass bottles.

“In the interest of public safety, Governor Kate Brown, under advice of the Unified Command, has activated the use of the Oregon National Guard to assist local law enforcement,” it said.

Portland has been the scene of months of clashes between police and protesters, angered at the repeated killings of Black Americans by law enforcement officers across the country.

Protesters who had gathered by Portland’s river vowed to “protect the results” of Tuesday’s close-run election and held banners proclaiming “Count Every Vote” and “The Vote is Over. The Fight Goes On.”

“We want Trump out of office, that’s the main focus,” one protest leader told the crowd, to loud cheers.

But several of the demonstrators were openly carrying firearms, including rifles, and one anti-racism and anti-imperialism banner showed an image of an assault rifle, with the slogan “We Don’t Want Biden. We Want Revenge.”

[AFP]

MAKE A CHOICE. TAKE A STAND.

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi

I just got off the phone from talking to a good friend, and she told me that for the past one week she has felt numb and listless. She spoke about a sense of loss and despair. She described her feeling in one word – depressed. I listened, encouraged her and we both prayed for peace and an end to the storms raging around us. When she had finished telling me about all the things she has been concerned about, I told her I have been feeling exactly the same way. She said, “But you are always the optimistic and strong one”. I told her, these times does not distinguish the optimists from the pessimists nor the weak from the strong. We all have cause to be worried, anxious and deeply concerned.

The events of the past one week in Nigeria have resulted in so much loss and devastation, and just like almost everything else in our country, what could have been resolved peacefully became a bewilderingly complex issue. It should be hard to find anyone who would say that the thousands of Nigerian youth who took to the streets to protest police brutality and an end to the dreaded SARS were wrong. Even for the cynical, or those directly unaffected by the antics of this disbanded force, by the time we heard all the stories of abuse, harassment, intimidation, sexual assault, extortion and the like, committed in the name of this rogue group, there was broad-based consensus that the young people were right. They needed to go. No parent wants to receive the dead body of a child. No tax payer should be interested in sustaining a system that legitimizes violence and impunity in the name of law and order. The demands of the #EndSars protesters were specific and actionable. A lot has been said about how well organised and peaceful the protests were, so I will not dwell on that.

Then October 20th 2020 happened at the Lekki Tollgate, followed by an orgy of looting and violence that spread all over the country. Everyone is entitled to their own truths and opinions but not their own facts. It is ungodly for anyone to engage in a debate of who or how many people died at the Lekki Toll Gate when what is simply needed is an official inquiry into what happened. It does not matter if it was one person or fifty. No one should be intimidated into silence. Let the eye-witnesses come forward at such an inquiry, with witness protection if necessary and state what they observed and experienced. Blood was shed, whose was it? People died, how many? Shots were fired, on whose orders? These questions cannot be answered by emergency analysts on social media or the pages of newspapers, only an official investigation can unearth the whole truth. The torrent of grainy videos circulating online and the various accounts of the scared and injured youth who were actually present (and not tweeting feverishly from Canada, London or France) should be channeled into this independent investigation. Everyone deserves the truth. If my generation had all been gunned down during our years of protesting against military dictatorship, we would not be here, we should all be outraged when guns are pointed and fired at our children.

Now, I will move on to another issue that emerged off the back of the crisis in Lagos last week, the discovery of warehouses in various States containing CACOVID food palliatives. The narrative that emerged about this was a terrible one, that State governments have been hoarding foodstuff meant for the poor, while people starved during the Covid19 lockdowns. I do not know exactly what happened at the Lekki Tollgate. However, I know about the CACOVID palliatives. In the aftermath of the #EndSars crisis, trust and truth have become major casualties. It is not true that State governments deliberately hoarded CACOVID palliatives. It is CACOVID (the corporate alliance that came together in Nigeria to support the Federal and State governments to tackle Covid19) who were trying to ensure that their donated items were procured and distributed according to an agreed format with the States. Many States had not received all the donated items, and under the CACOVID terms, they could not distribute, if this was the case. Even States who had received all their items had to wait for clearance and an official handover from CACOVID. A lot of abuse and curses have been rained on State Governors because of this. Lives have been lost as people have gone on rampage looting warehouses, including private ones. CACOVID issued an official statement explaining what happened and confirming that the delays were not the fault of the State governments. The Nigerian Governors Forum has also issued a statement to this effect. No one is listening, no one cares. No one is interested in a narrative that states exactly what happened, only the illogical conclusion that governments deliberately starved their citizens. The handful of people I spoke to about this expressed surprise when I narrated what happened based on my experience with the process, but they did not bother to correct strident assertions they had made on their social media handles.

No one will believe how hard we fought in Ekiti State to make sure that we were one of the first to get approval from CACOVID for us to give out our food items because it was taking too long and we needed to attend to our people. No one will believe how many sleepless nights our team had working on this issue. Even when the distribution was done in broad daylight, with deliveries to local governments, the elderly, religious bodies, community leaders, associations, unions, widows, farmstead communities – a very long list, people were still incited online to go on a hunt for ‘hoarded palliatives’. We issued statements, provided video footage of the distribution, testimonies from recipients and photographs. We did ‘Salaye Olympics’ on radio, television and online. No palliatives warehouse was found in Ekiti State, but it did not prevent people from looting the Federal Government Food Reserve Silos and carting away agricultural products as well as inedible corn meant for planting. It did not deter them from looting and burning the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) office and depriving the State of emergency supplies such as mattresses, blankets, toiletries, buckets and so on.

We all need to do better. As leaders, we have to earn the trust of our people through transparency, listening, sensitivity and regular communication. Citizens have a right to know what is done in their name and with their resources. Governments and citizens also need to have a collective investment in the peace enterprise. Chaos and anarchy serve no purpose other than to make the vulnerable even more so, and set back hard-won gains by decades. The #EndSars protesters also put other issues on the table, all linked and contextual – accountability, good governance, constitutional reforms and the leadership of young people as solution providers. These demands are not only reasonable, they are imperative if we are serious about a transformative agenda for our country. We all need to own these roadmaps, and demonizing every political leader or elder is not a sustainable solution. Political, ethnic, religious or inter-generational divisions will lead to nowhere, only towards a steady path of mutually assured destruction. Do we want to live to fight another day, in a country that belongs to all of us and in which we are all stakeholders? Do we want to allow anger, resentment, lies and hatred to consume us till we and our children become beggars in foreign lands? Do we want to burn everything and everyone down and be Kings and Queens over the ashes? Do we want to take careful note of our history and those of other African countries and the generations it has taken for them to recover from wars? The choice lies with each and every one of us. I choose peace. I choose to engage. I choose to include. I choose to speak up. I choose to tell the truth to whoever needs to hear it, both old and young. I chose the kind of future I want my children to thrive in; a life of hope, not despair. Make a choice. Take a stand.

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Gender Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Writer. She is the Founder of Abovewhispers.com, an online community for women. She is the First Lady of Ekiti State, and she can be reached at [email protected]

Nigerian-American, Esther Agbaje wins Minnesota House of Reps ticket

▪︎becomes first Nigerian-American in the Minnesota Legislature

Ms Esther Agbaje, who contested to represent District 59B in the Minnesota House of Representatives on the platform of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the US Democratic Party, has won.

The 35-year-old daughter of an Episcopal priest and a librarian, both Nigerian immigrants, defeated Republican Alan Shilepsky and Green Party candidate Lisa Neal-Delgado to represent downtown and north Minneapolis in the state House.

At 35 years old, Agbaje has a law degree from Harvard, a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a stint in the U.S. State Department, experience working with city government, and accolades at a prestigious law firm. In many ways, her resume seems tailor-made for a run for public office.

The DFL newcomer has taken to her Twitter handle to announce her victory.

“I’m honored to have earned the support and trust of my neighbors to serve as their representative for #MN #HD59B. From North #MPLS to North Loop, Elliot Park to Bryn Mawr, I will work hard everyday to represent this entire district with empathy, compassion and pride”.#ThankYou

Agbaje’s victory makes her the first Nigerian-American in the Minnesota legislature. (TNG)

Riots, protests, tensions as America awaits presidential election results

Gov. Kate Brown activated the Oregon National Guard to help police protests in Portland early Wednesday evening after some demonstrators smashed windows of downtown businesses, officials said.

The damage by a small group of protesters also spurred the joint law enforcement command authorized by Brown to declare that gathering a riot. Dozens of state troopers responded and ordered people to leave. Officers said police arrested at least 10 people, including one person accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail toward police. Police said they also sized a rifle, ammunition, a knife, hammers and fireworks from some people arrested.

Yet as police and protesters clashed in one part of downtown, a peaceful protest for racial justice took place several blocks away. The demonstrations collectively attracted a few hundred people as the nation awaited the presidential election results.

Also on Wednesday evening, thousands of Joe Biden supporters marched in New York to demand every vote in the tight presidential election be counted, as some Donald Trump supporters protested in Detroit demanding a halt to ballot counting in the key state of Michigan.

New York demonstrators were peaceful and spanned generations, with marchers heading from Fifth Avenue towards Washington Square Park in the heart of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.

In New York’s Democratic stronghold demonstrators were hopeful but wary of calling it for their candidate Biden just yet.

“We need to count every vote in this election,” said Sarah Boyagian, part of the Protect The Results Coalition behind the demonstration organized under tight police supervision.

“Donald Trump has claimed the election before every vote is counted and we are sending the message that that is not acceptable,” the 29-year-old told AFP.

John Fraser, 47, said he’s “worried Trump is going to void the vote.”

“I am not sure Biden has won, we have to wait until all votes are counted,” said the software developer, adding: “I am worried that democracy is hanging by a thread right now.”

The Detroit protest outside a ballot processing center were far more tense, according to an AFP photographer and clips on social media.

Cries of “stop the count!” rang out in the city in Michigan – where US media declared Biden the victor – as Trump’s campaign announced a lawsuit to try and suspend the vote count, claiming its team was denied proper access to observe vote counting.

Social media clips showed protestors with fists raised prevented from entering the center by police.

With Michigan’s 16 electoral votes, Biden now has a total of 264 – six shy of the magic number of 270 needed to win the US presidency, according to US network projections.

AFP.

NBA Sets Up Facts Finding Committee Over The Alleged Killing Of IPOB Members In Rivers State By The Military

*Expresses Concerns Over The Reported Killings In Oyigbo LGA

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olumide Akpata, has set up a fact-finding Committee to investigate the alleged killings of members of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State

This is contained in a statement made available to TheNigeriaLawyer (TNL) signed by the Akpata himself.

Akpata emphasized that fundamental rights of the citizens are non-negotiable and can be derogated only in circumstances permitted by the Nigerian constitution

He called on Security Agencies and those in authority to avoid actions that are likely to undermine Nigeria’s democracy

Read the full statement below:

STATEMENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION ON THE REPORTED KILLINGS IN OYIGBO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVERS STATE

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has followed with concern, the reports of killing of persons alleged to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by officers of the Nigerian military, allegedly on the orders of the Governor of Rivers State.

In response to these reports that dominated the social media over the course of last weekend, I spoke separately with the Chairmen of the Ukwa and Port Harcourt Branches of the NBA (the two branches closest to Oyigbo) to ascertain the veracity of these reports of loss of lives and violation of fundamental rights of Nigerian citizens.

Whilst the Chairmen of the two branches expressed concern over the situation, they however informed me that they were yet to conduct an on-the-spot assessment owing to the curfew imposed on the area by the State Government to forestall breakdown of law and order.

In a separate telephone conversation with the Governor of Rivers State, H. E. Nyesom Wike, he categorically denied ordering any such shooting as rumoured, but acknowledged clashes between men of the Nigerian military and some suspected IPOB members in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the State.

The Governor further explained that the curfew imposed on the area was borne out of necessity and assured me that it would be lifted yesterday, 3rd November 2020. I have now confirmed that the curfew has indeed been lifted and that residents of the area are now able to go about their lawful activities.

With the curfew now lifted, the NBA has set up a fact-finding team comprising of: (i) John Aikpokpo-Martins (1st Vice President NBA); (ii) Victor Frank-Briggs (Past Chairman NBA PH Branch); (iii) Chimaroke Ejie (Past Chairman NBA Ukwa Branch); and (iv) Anthonia Osademe (Vice-Chairman NBA PH Brach). The 4-man team is to visit Oyigbo and conduct an inquiry into the events of the last few days in the area, after which the NBA will make its findings known and determine the next steps.

Ahead of the outcome of this exercise, the NBA reiterates its position that in a democratic nation like Nigeria, respect for the fundamental rights of citizens is non-negotiable and can only be derogated from in instances permitted by the Constitution or other laws. We therefore continue to call on all and sundry (including security agencies and those in authority) to respect the dignity of life and fundamental rights of every citizen and desist from conducts likely to undermine our democracy or indeed the unity of Nigeria.

OLUMIDE AKPATA
President
1st November 2020

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