Police in Zone 11, which comprises Ondo, Oyo and Osun states have said that they arrested over 1,202 suspects in March.
An authoritative police source disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria in Osogbo on Monday.
The source said that Oyo State recorded the highest number of arrests with 896 suspects, followed by Osun with 183, while Ondo State recorded 123.
A breakdown of the figure showed that more than 34 persons were arrested for armed robbery, while 216 suspects were arrested for stealing during the period.
The source also said that 131 suspects were held for burglary-related offences.
It was gathered that seven persons were arrested for murder cases, eight suspects were arrested for arson, while 16 suspected rapists were also arrested.
According to the source, police arrested 143 suspects for alleged fraud-related offences, 73 persons for breach of the peace, while 276 persons were picked up for assault-related cases.
“The remaining suspects were arrested for other offences,‘‘ the source said.
The Zone 11 Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Babatunde Olorunbunmi, comfirmed the figures and said that there was a reduction in crime rate in the zone when compared with previous months.
He attributed the reduction to hard work on the part of the Commissioners of Police in the three states that made up the zone.
According to the spokesman, the Assistant Inspected-General of Police in the zone, Mr. Tunji Alapini, aided the success of the commissioners.
He said that most of the suspects arrested in March were now facing trial in various courts of law, while the remaining ones were under investigations.
“They will be charged to court as soon as police conclude their investigations
“We appeal to members of the public to give useful information that can lead to the arrest of criminals to the police,‘‘ the PPRO said.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
‘Adrian Forty’s death won’t stall AC’s evidence’
The Action Congress has said that the death of a British forensic expert, Mr. Adrian Forty, will not stop it from presenting the forensic report which the deceased conducted on electoral materials as evidence before a new election tribunal in Osun State.
Spokesperson of the party, Mr. Gbenga Fayemiwo, in a statement on Monday, said the death of Forty notwithstanding, the forensic examination he conducted on various electoral materials was tenable under the law.
Forty reportedly died in the United Kingdom in January and was buried in February.
He said, “The law cannot stop death, which is a natural phenomenon. Forty did not conduct the investigation alone, he worked with 63 other experts who are capable of handling scientific investigation.”
“Already, Forty’s report has revealed that there are 113,311 ballot papers that are completely alien to Osun State, but were used by the Independent National Electoral Commission to fraudulently declare Oyinlola winner.”
He added that several thousands of ballot papers were also discovered to have been unlawfully used by INEC to announce Oyinlola as the winner in clear violation of the Electoral Law, 2006.
He said, “As we await the arrival of the new tribunal, we are sure that under the heavy weight of indubitable evidence, the temple of justice will do the right thing by exposing the felons in the electoral heist which took place in Osun State on April 14, 2007.”
He noted that the happiness in the PDP over the death of Forty would be short-lived as nothing could change the evidence his group had against the collusion between INEC, police, tribunal members on one hand and the Oyinlola administration on the other hand to impose Oyinlola on the masses.
He said, “The Osun AC was vindicated when the Justice Victor Omage Appeal court described the judgement of Justice Thomas Naron Tribunal as perverse and a miscarriage of justice.”
Spokesperson of the party, Mr. Gbenga Fayemiwo, in a statement on Monday, said the death of Forty notwithstanding, the forensic examination he conducted on various electoral materials was tenable under the law.
Forty reportedly died in the United Kingdom in January and was buried in February.
He said, “The law cannot stop death, which is a natural phenomenon. Forty did not conduct the investigation alone, he worked with 63 other experts who are capable of handling scientific investigation.”
“Already, Forty’s report has revealed that there are 113,311 ballot papers that are completely alien to Osun State, but were used by the Independent National Electoral Commission to fraudulently declare Oyinlola winner.”
He added that several thousands of ballot papers were also discovered to have been unlawfully used by INEC to announce Oyinlola as the winner in clear violation of the Electoral Law, 2006.
He said, “As we await the arrival of the new tribunal, we are sure that under the heavy weight of indubitable evidence, the temple of justice will do the right thing by exposing the felons in the electoral heist which took place in Osun State on April 14, 2007.”
He noted that the happiness in the PDP over the death of Forty would be short-lived as nothing could change the evidence his group had against the collusion between INEC, police, tribunal members on one hand and the Oyinlola administration on the other hand to impose Oyinlola on the masses.
He said, “The Osun AC was vindicated when the Justice Victor Omage Appeal court described the judgement of Justice Thomas Naron Tribunal as perverse and a miscarriage of justice.”
Militants kill five naval officers, injure others in Bayelsa
Five naval officers were feared killed while others were alleged to have been abducted as armed militants in speedboats attacked a facility of the Shell Petroleum Development Company in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Monday.
Sources from the creeks told one of our correspondents that several others were also injured in the attack which took place during a heavy rain.
A source said that the militants took the operatives of the Joint Task Force unawares.
Another source, however, told one of our correspondents that three naval ratings attached to the JTF were killed, while four speedboats used by the militants were sunk in the gun duel.
He added that a military helicopter had evacuated the casualties and the wounded at dawn.
Tension has, however, mounted in the volatile Nembe area of the state, spoiling the people’s Easter celebrations.
Several indigenes who had travelled to the area for the Easter were stranded as the build-up of arms between the militants and the JTF mounted.
The JTF has, however, responded, saying the militants will pay dearly for the attack.
The Coordinator of the JTF Joint Media Campaign Centre, Lt.Col. Rabe Abubakar, said it was bad Easter for the militants.
Confirming the attack, Abubakar said it was in retaliation for the sinking of four militants’ speedboats in a previous encounter on Sunday.
The JTF spokesman said, “Militants numbering 20 who were conveyed in six speedboats caught in the crossfire with the JTF troops on April 12, 2009 at Okilo Creek, near Igbomotoru River, Tebideba Route, Bayelsa State.”
He said the encounter led to the sinking of four of the armed militants’ speedboats with all the occupants, while two of them managed to escape with gunshot wounds.
Abubakar said only one soldier was injured in the encounter.
He stressed that the attack was masterminded by a militant leader, known as Ogunbos.
Abubakar added, “The same militant leader, Ogunbos, was responsible for attacks and destruction of houseboats belonging to Daewoo Nigeria Limited stationed at Igbomotoru area of Southern Ijaw, working for an Italian oil giant, AGIP Nigeria Limited recently.
He said, “This and other heinous crimes committed by this militant leader and his unpatriotic men made the JTF to trail him and apprehend him for the criminality he has committed to serve as a deterrent to others.”
Abubakar confirmed that there had been another unprovoked attack on the JTF troops at Nembe Shell location in Bayelsa State on Monday at about 1.45am.
The JTF spokesman identified the brains behind the attack as Kitikata and Fara Dagogo.
According to him, one naval rating was killed while two sustained minor injuries.
“In the process of defending the facility, one naval rating was killed, two sustained minor injuries and four Shell speedboats were taken away by the miscreants,” Abubakar said.
The attack had demonstrated the fragility of the amnesty offered to militants in the Niger Delta by the Federal Government.
But a militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, on Monday dissociated itself from the attack.
The group, however, said in a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, that it was not too late for the Federal Government to begin a genuine peace process to avoid a civil war that could start from the Niger Delta.
MEND added that it would assist the JTF to rescue the naval ratings that were captured as prisoners of war.
Meanwhile, indications have emerged that the Rivers State Police Command has deployed gunboats in some of the flashpoints in the state in its effort to check piracy and militancy in the area.
Hitherto, waterways in the state were mainly patrolled by naval operatives from the NNS Pathfinder, with gunboats that could withstand the firepower from sophisticated arms used by militants and pirates.
But two weeks ago, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, officially inaugurated six new gunboats and handed them over to the state police command.
Investigations by our correspondents, however, revealed that the Commissioner in charge of the command, Mr. Bala Hassan, had deployed the gunboats to escape routes used by kidnappers and militants.
A source said the boats had been sent to Bonny Waterfront, Opobo Waterfront, Iwofe Waterfront, Port Harcourt Waterfront and Rumuolumini, while one was on stand-by for emergency duties.
When contacted on the telephone, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs. Rita Inoma-Abbey, confirmed the deployment of the gunboats to our correspondent.
In another development, the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Niger Delta is set to meet with over 500 militant groups.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Abdul Ningi, told the News Agency of Nigeria correspondent in Abuja on Monday that the committee would, in the first week of May, meet with the militant groups and other stakeholders in the region.
“In our schedule, we have over 1,000 militant groups in the region, but we plan to visit at least half of them as well as other stakeholders during our meeting with people of the area soon,’’ he said.
Ningi (PDP-Bauchi) said the committee at its meeting had agreed to spend 27 working days in the region with the hope of seeing the problems in the area themselves.
He added, “Our duty there is to look at PTDF, onshore and offshore fields, NDDC, various multinationals operating in the Niger Delta and take a look at their Memorandum of Understanding.
“We are also going to look at environmental degradation, poverty level and ecological funds.’’
He said the intervention of the House was to complement the efforts of the executive in the region and see how legislation would be used to solve the problems of the area.
Ningi, who is also the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs, said the committee had made necessary security arrangements for their visit to the region.
He said the committee had received memoranda from members of the public and would analyse them along with what it would find on the ground.
Ningi said that the President was right in granting the amnesty and should, therefore, be encouraged in the overall interest of peace and stability.
The Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, in October 2008, had set up a 25-member ad hoc committee on Niger Delta to find a lasting solution to problems in the area.
Sources from the creeks told one of our correspondents that several others were also injured in the attack which took place during a heavy rain.
A source said that the militants took the operatives of the Joint Task Force unawares.
Another source, however, told one of our correspondents that three naval ratings attached to the JTF were killed, while four speedboats used by the militants were sunk in the gun duel.
He added that a military helicopter had evacuated the casualties and the wounded at dawn.
Tension has, however, mounted in the volatile Nembe area of the state, spoiling the people’s Easter celebrations.
Several indigenes who had travelled to the area for the Easter were stranded as the build-up of arms between the militants and the JTF mounted.
The JTF has, however, responded, saying the militants will pay dearly for the attack.
The Coordinator of the JTF Joint Media Campaign Centre, Lt.Col. Rabe Abubakar, said it was bad Easter for the militants.
Confirming the attack, Abubakar said it was in retaliation for the sinking of four militants’ speedboats in a previous encounter on Sunday.
The JTF spokesman said, “Militants numbering 20 who were conveyed in six speedboats caught in the crossfire with the JTF troops on April 12, 2009 at Okilo Creek, near Igbomotoru River, Tebideba Route, Bayelsa State.”
He said the encounter led to the sinking of four of the armed militants’ speedboats with all the occupants, while two of them managed to escape with gunshot wounds.
Abubakar said only one soldier was injured in the encounter.
He stressed that the attack was masterminded by a militant leader, known as Ogunbos.
Abubakar added, “The same militant leader, Ogunbos, was responsible for attacks and destruction of houseboats belonging to Daewoo Nigeria Limited stationed at Igbomotoru area of Southern Ijaw, working for an Italian oil giant, AGIP Nigeria Limited recently.
He said, “This and other heinous crimes committed by this militant leader and his unpatriotic men made the JTF to trail him and apprehend him for the criminality he has committed to serve as a deterrent to others.”
Abubakar confirmed that there had been another unprovoked attack on the JTF troops at Nembe Shell location in Bayelsa State on Monday at about 1.45am.
The JTF spokesman identified the brains behind the attack as Kitikata and Fara Dagogo.
According to him, one naval rating was killed while two sustained minor injuries.
“In the process of defending the facility, one naval rating was killed, two sustained minor injuries and four Shell speedboats were taken away by the miscreants,” Abubakar said.
The attack had demonstrated the fragility of the amnesty offered to militants in the Niger Delta by the Federal Government.
But a militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, on Monday dissociated itself from the attack.
The group, however, said in a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, that it was not too late for the Federal Government to begin a genuine peace process to avoid a civil war that could start from the Niger Delta.
MEND added that it would assist the JTF to rescue the naval ratings that were captured as prisoners of war.
Meanwhile, indications have emerged that the Rivers State Police Command has deployed gunboats in some of the flashpoints in the state in its effort to check piracy and militancy in the area.
Hitherto, waterways in the state were mainly patrolled by naval operatives from the NNS Pathfinder, with gunboats that could withstand the firepower from sophisticated arms used by militants and pirates.
But two weeks ago, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, officially inaugurated six new gunboats and handed them over to the state police command.
Investigations by our correspondents, however, revealed that the Commissioner in charge of the command, Mr. Bala Hassan, had deployed the gunboats to escape routes used by kidnappers and militants.
A source said the boats had been sent to Bonny Waterfront, Opobo Waterfront, Iwofe Waterfront, Port Harcourt Waterfront and Rumuolumini, while one was on stand-by for emergency duties.
When contacted on the telephone, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs. Rita Inoma-Abbey, confirmed the deployment of the gunboats to our correspondent.
In another development, the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Niger Delta is set to meet with over 500 militant groups.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Abdul Ningi, told the News Agency of Nigeria correspondent in Abuja on Monday that the committee would, in the first week of May, meet with the militant groups and other stakeholders in the region.
“In our schedule, we have over 1,000 militant groups in the region, but we plan to visit at least half of them as well as other stakeholders during our meeting with people of the area soon,’’ he said.
Ningi (PDP-Bauchi) said the committee at its meeting had agreed to spend 27 working days in the region with the hope of seeing the problems in the area themselves.
He added, “Our duty there is to look at PTDF, onshore and offshore fields, NDDC, various multinationals operating in the Niger Delta and take a look at their Memorandum of Understanding.
“We are also going to look at environmental degradation, poverty level and ecological funds.’’
He said the intervention of the House was to complement the efforts of the executive in the region and see how legislation would be used to solve the problems of the area.
Ningi, who is also the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs, said the committee had made necessary security arrangements for their visit to the region.
He said the committee had received memoranda from members of the public and would analyse them along with what it would find on the ground.
Ningi said that the President was right in granting the amnesty and should, therefore, be encouraged in the overall interest of peace and stability.
The Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, in October 2008, had set up a 25-member ad hoc committee on Niger Delta to find a lasting solution to problems in the area.
Churches burnt, scores injured in Niger violence
The Easter celebration on Monday turned sour in Minna, the Niger State capital, and Gwada town as people suspected to be Muslim fundamentalists stormed some churches, causing bodily harm and destroying properties worth several millions of naira. Christians all over the world earlier in the day had assembled at churches for the symbolic Galilee picnic, an event to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But the day turned bloody in Gwada, where three churches were burnt while about 26 Christians were injured. In Minna, the Niger Baptist Church was the target of the fanatics who injured five Christian youths and damaged more than five cars.
Our correspondents gathered that the incident in Gwada happened as Christian youths from all churches marched round the town, drumming and rejoicing over their ability to see another resurrection day of Jesus Christ.
It was learnt that as the procession continued, some Muslim youths, who apparently had pre-planned their action, appeared and started attacking the Christian youths, injuring some of them.
The attackers reportedly turned their attention to churches where special services and picnics were being held to commemorate the Easter.
They disrupted their activities and burnt three of the churches.
In Minna, the incident at the Baptist Church, our correspondents gathered, happened in a similar way, but the combined efforts of the Christian youths saved the churches in the town from being set ablaze.
It was learnt that two Muslim fanatics, who had hidden in a provisions shop near the church, had first come to spy on the building but they were spotted by the Christian youths who had come out of the church.
The youths, according to one of the victims, Mr. Olajide Oke, informed the church leadership, who intimated the church members.
The youths, on getting wind of the development, vowed to protect the church.
According to Oke, the two Muslim fundamentalists earlier found lurking around the church premises left and came back a few minutes later with about 60 others and they immediately sprayed the cars parked outside the bookshop with petrol, “but the efforts of the Christian youths prevented the hoodlums from setting them ablaze.”
However, three vehicles AH817SUL, EQ939ABC and AH690MNA were badly damaged as the Muslim youths threw stones and other weapons at the vehicles and the Christian youths.
Those injured were either stabbed or hit by stones, the victim said.
An elder of the church, Dr. James Ojebode, described the incident as sad.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Richard Oguche, said three assistant commissioners of police and a detachment of riot policemen were immediately sent to Gwada to put the situation under control.
Oguche confirmed the arrest of 88 Muslim fanatics, adding that they had been taken to the Criminal Investigations Department and would be charged to court soon.
The police spokesman said 20 suspects were arrested in Minna while all the injured were taken to the General Hospital where they had been receiving treatment. No life was lost.
The Superintendent of Police, David Abuo, who is also the head of the mobile police in Minna, led the operation to flush out the fanatics.
Our correspondent observed at the Baptist Church in Minna that the Easter programme abruptly came to an end when the attack happened.
The floor was also stained with blood of the wounded.
Meanwhile, a total of 43 persons were reportedly killed in separate auto accidents in Katsina and Kwara states on Saturday and Sunday.
Twenty four persons died on Sunday night while 10 others were injured at Kanbi on Bode Saa’adu-Jebba road in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Another tragedy in Katsina on Sunday claimed the lives of 13 members of a family on Funtua road, while six others were said to have died on Saturday in Malumfashi, also in Katsina State.
Our correspondent in Ilorin gathered that the accident on Jebba road occurred when a motorcycle suddenly crossed the busy main road without looking sideways.
It was learnt that in a bid to avoid the motorcyclist, two oncoming commercial buses had a head-on collision.
Though the cyclist escaped unhurt, the accident claimed the lives of 24 of the passengers in the commercial vehicles. Ten others sustained serious injuries.
As at press time, efforts were being made by the officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Jebba Unit Command, to free some passengers trapped in both vehicles.
The remains of the dead passengers have been deposited at mortuaries of some hospitals in Jebba, while those that sustained injuries were receiving treatments.
Though journalists could not confirm the report from the Kwara State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr. Yusuf Salami, but a senior officer who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the development.
In Katsina, the News Agency of Nigeria gathered that the victims were returning home after attending a wedding in Minna.
Eyewitnesses told NAN that the vehicle conveying the victims had a burst tyre and the driver lost control and crashed, resulting in the deaths of the 13 occupants, including women and children.
Only the driver and his conductor were said to have survived.
Speaking to journalists, Mallam Abdulbashir Kafinta, who lost a wife and daughter, described the incident as an act of God.
Efforts to get the reactions of both the police and the FRSC failed as at press time.
The victims who lost their lives in Malumfashi were travelling in a truck loaded with wheat flour when the driver lost control ran into a bush.
More than 60 persons were said to be in the truck coming to the North from Lagos, and some of the injured were now on admission at the General Hospital, Malumfashi.
But the day turned bloody in Gwada, where three churches were burnt while about 26 Christians were injured. In Minna, the Niger Baptist Church was the target of the fanatics who injured five Christian youths and damaged more than five cars.
Our correspondents gathered that the incident in Gwada happened as Christian youths from all churches marched round the town, drumming and rejoicing over their ability to see another resurrection day of Jesus Christ.
It was learnt that as the procession continued, some Muslim youths, who apparently had pre-planned their action, appeared and started attacking the Christian youths, injuring some of them.
The attackers reportedly turned their attention to churches where special services and picnics were being held to commemorate the Easter.
They disrupted their activities and burnt three of the churches.
In Minna, the incident at the Baptist Church, our correspondents gathered, happened in a similar way, but the combined efforts of the Christian youths saved the churches in the town from being set ablaze.
It was learnt that two Muslim fanatics, who had hidden in a provisions shop near the church, had first come to spy on the building but they were spotted by the Christian youths who had come out of the church.
The youths, according to one of the victims, Mr. Olajide Oke, informed the church leadership, who intimated the church members.
The youths, on getting wind of the development, vowed to protect the church.
According to Oke, the two Muslim fundamentalists earlier found lurking around the church premises left and came back a few minutes later with about 60 others and they immediately sprayed the cars parked outside the bookshop with petrol, “but the efforts of the Christian youths prevented the hoodlums from setting them ablaze.”
However, three vehicles AH817SUL, EQ939ABC and AH690MNA were badly damaged as the Muslim youths threw stones and other weapons at the vehicles and the Christian youths.
Those injured were either stabbed or hit by stones, the victim said.
An elder of the church, Dr. James Ojebode, described the incident as sad.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Richard Oguche, said three assistant commissioners of police and a detachment of riot policemen were immediately sent to Gwada to put the situation under control.
Oguche confirmed the arrest of 88 Muslim fanatics, adding that they had been taken to the Criminal Investigations Department and would be charged to court soon.
The police spokesman said 20 suspects were arrested in Minna while all the injured were taken to the General Hospital where they had been receiving treatment. No life was lost.
The Superintendent of Police, David Abuo, who is also the head of the mobile police in Minna, led the operation to flush out the fanatics.
Our correspondent observed at the Baptist Church in Minna that the Easter programme abruptly came to an end when the attack happened.
The floor was also stained with blood of the wounded.
Meanwhile, a total of 43 persons were reportedly killed in separate auto accidents in Katsina and Kwara states on Saturday and Sunday.
Twenty four persons died on Sunday night while 10 others were injured at Kanbi on Bode Saa’adu-Jebba road in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Another tragedy in Katsina on Sunday claimed the lives of 13 members of a family on Funtua road, while six others were said to have died on Saturday in Malumfashi, also in Katsina State.
Our correspondent in Ilorin gathered that the accident on Jebba road occurred when a motorcycle suddenly crossed the busy main road without looking sideways.
It was learnt that in a bid to avoid the motorcyclist, two oncoming commercial buses had a head-on collision.
Though the cyclist escaped unhurt, the accident claimed the lives of 24 of the passengers in the commercial vehicles. Ten others sustained serious injuries.
As at press time, efforts were being made by the officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Jebba Unit Command, to free some passengers trapped in both vehicles.
The remains of the dead passengers have been deposited at mortuaries of some hospitals in Jebba, while those that sustained injuries were receiving treatments.
Though journalists could not confirm the report from the Kwara State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr. Yusuf Salami, but a senior officer who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the development.
In Katsina, the News Agency of Nigeria gathered that the victims were returning home after attending a wedding in Minna.
Eyewitnesses told NAN that the vehicle conveying the victims had a burst tyre and the driver lost control and crashed, resulting in the deaths of the 13 occupants, including women and children.
Only the driver and his conductor were said to have survived.
Speaking to journalists, Mallam Abdulbashir Kafinta, who lost a wife and daughter, described the incident as an act of God.
Efforts to get the reactions of both the police and the FRSC failed as at press time.
The victims who lost their lives in Malumfashi were travelling in a truck loaded with wheat flour when the driver lost control ran into a bush.
More than 60 persons were said to be in the truck coming to the North from Lagos, and some of the injured were now on admission at the General Hospital, Malumfashi.
Senate summons warring Ogun lawmakers
There are strong indications that the Senate may join the House of Representatives in declaring interest to take over the functions of Ogun State House of Assembly as it has summoned the warring lawmakers to Abuja. The divided Assembly is to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Petitions on Wednesday, a day after the April 14 ultimatum the House of Representatives had given it to hold its sessions or risk being taken over.
A protracted disagreement between the lawmakers and Governor Gbenga Daniel has grounded legislative activities in the state for over one month, raising the fears that the Senate may support the House if it fails to resolve the impasse.
The anti-Daniel lawmakers in the Assembly had, through Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, submitted a petition to the Senate, which referred the matter to its committee on ethics and petitions for investigation.
The Reps’ committee meeting is coming just as the House said that it would not go back on its resolution on the Ogun political crisis.
The senators’ position is contained in a statement by its Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Eseme Oyibo, on Monday.
When the petition was received, the Senate gave the committee two weeks from March 24 to complete investigations and submit its report.
The clerk of the committee, Mrs. Oyebola Olaoye, confirmed tomorrow’s meeting in a telephone interview.
She said that a letter of invitation had been sent to the Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun, for the parley.
She said, “We sent the letter to the Speaker since last week to meet with the committee on Wednesday.
“We expect that the letter would have reached them because we sent it through the Ogun State’s liaison office in Abuja.”
Speaking on the issue, the Senate spokesman, Senator Ayogu Eze, said the Senate was concerned about ensuring peace in the state.
He said, “The committee will be looking into it for peace to reign because the whole idea is to ensure good governance. Nobody is anxious to take over a state House of Assembly just for the sake of taking it over.
“The whole idea is for good governance to be enthroned and I am sure that everybody’s anxiety is to see that the state functions in such a manner that good governance is enthroned.
“And the committee’s first instinct will be to ensure that there is peace and there is order and there is normalcy in the place; I believe that is what they are aiming to achieve.”
The 1999 Constitution gives strength to the Reps’ threat under Section 11(4), which can only happen if a state legislature cannot perform its legislative functions.
Section 11 (4) states, ” At any time when any House of Assembly of a state is unable to perform its functions by reason of the situation prevailing in that state, the National Assembly may make such laws for the peace, order and good government of that state with respect to matters on which a House of Assembly may make laws as may appear to the National Assembly to be necessary or expedient until such time as the House of Assembly is able to resume its functions; and any such laws enacted by the National Assembly pursuant to this section shall have effect as if they were laws enacted by the House of Assembly of the state.
The takeover of the functions of a state assembly will only be complete if the two chambers of the National Assembly resolve to do so.
Though the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, did not chair the session when the House threatened on April 2 to take over the Ogun State Assembly, it is widely believed that he has a partisan interest in the matter as one of the key political figures from the state.
Similarly, Obasanjo-Bello, who submitted the petition of the anti-Daniel lawmakers to the Senate, is a known political foe of the governor.
However, the Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, called for caution in dealing with the Ogun State political imbroglio.
He said, “As far as I am concerned, I think it is an issue that has to be handled very, very carefully. Because we should not be seen (the National Assembly) to be engaged in what might be interpreted as meddlesomeness.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is forging ahead in its planned take-over of the state Assembly which expires on Tuesday (today).
This is contained in a statement on Monday by Eyibo.
Eyibo’s statement reads in part, “Let me say that the House of Representatives stands by its resolution warning feuding parties in the Ogun State House of Assembly and the Government of Ogun State that the House of Representatives will be compelled to invoke the powers granted it by Section 11, sub-section 4 of the constitution if the Assembly fails to reconvene on or before April 14, 2009.
“The stand of the House is in line with the provisions of the constitution and several precedents set by the House in its 10 years of existence.
“You will recall that the House did a similar thing in the case of Anambra State during the crisis that engulfed the state following attempts to remove Chris Ngige as governor.
“Similarly, a resolution was taken in Oyo State during a similar crisis. The House also recently passed a similar resolution in the case of looming crisis in Ondo State which yielded positive results of all the parties following due process and legal means in resolving their dispute.
“Indeed, the House usually responds to such crisis within a week or two along the line of constitutional stipulations but had to wait for almost two months of the lingering crisis in Ogun State in deference to the position of the Speaker, Bankole, who is from the state and the mediatory efforts of the other well-meaning stakeholders in Nigeria.
“You will also recall that Governor Gbenga Daniel, members of the state Assembly and Ogun State Elders like Senator Jubril Martin-Kuye, Alhaji Sule Onabiyi, Dr. Doyin Okupe and others were invited to Abuja to find ways of resolving the crisis to no avail.”
Eyiboh stressed that the House took the decision after all efforts to resolve the crisis, including the intervention of traditional rulers, had failed.
Meanwhile, the state Elders Consultative Forum has succeeded in bringing the warring factions to a discussion table on Monday.
Our correspondent learnt that the peace meeting, held at the Governor’s Office, Abeokuta, was at the instance of the conflict mediation committee of the forum.
The meeting, which lasted for about two hours, was attended by the Speaker of the state Assembly, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun; his deputy, Pastor Remmy Hazzan, representing the Group of 15 allegedly planning the impeachment of Daniel.
The former Speaker, Chief Titi Oseni, who is leading the Group of 11, said to be loyal to Daniel, also attended.
Daniel was the last to arrive for the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, ending about 4.30pm.
Our correspondent learnt that the members of the conflict mediation committee which attended the meeting included a former Managing Director of Daily Times Plc, Chief Tola Adeniyi; a former President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi; and Chief Adedeji Olugbenle.
Adeniyi, who spoke with journalists after the meeting, said it was aimed at finding a lasting solution to the lingering political impasse in the state.
Adeniyi said, “We realise that the problems essentially revolve around three areas. There is the disagreement over the 2011 governorship race in the state. The members of the House of Assembly are divided and there are many litigations over a lot of issues.
He did not, however, confirm if the meeting addressed the accusation of the G-15 over that the allocations of the House had not been released to it since January.
A protracted disagreement between the lawmakers and Governor Gbenga Daniel has grounded legislative activities in the state for over one month, raising the fears that the Senate may support the House if it fails to resolve the impasse.
The anti-Daniel lawmakers in the Assembly had, through Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, submitted a petition to the Senate, which referred the matter to its committee on ethics and petitions for investigation.
The Reps’ committee meeting is coming just as the House said that it would not go back on its resolution on the Ogun political crisis.
The senators’ position is contained in a statement by its Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Eseme Oyibo, on Monday.
When the petition was received, the Senate gave the committee two weeks from March 24 to complete investigations and submit its report.
The clerk of the committee, Mrs. Oyebola Olaoye, confirmed tomorrow’s meeting in a telephone interview.
She said that a letter of invitation had been sent to the Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun, for the parley.
She said, “We sent the letter to the Speaker since last week to meet with the committee on Wednesday.
“We expect that the letter would have reached them because we sent it through the Ogun State’s liaison office in Abuja.”
Speaking on the issue, the Senate spokesman, Senator Ayogu Eze, said the Senate was concerned about ensuring peace in the state.
He said, “The committee will be looking into it for peace to reign because the whole idea is to ensure good governance. Nobody is anxious to take over a state House of Assembly just for the sake of taking it over.
“The whole idea is for good governance to be enthroned and I am sure that everybody’s anxiety is to see that the state functions in such a manner that good governance is enthroned.
“And the committee’s first instinct will be to ensure that there is peace and there is order and there is normalcy in the place; I believe that is what they are aiming to achieve.”
The 1999 Constitution gives strength to the Reps’ threat under Section 11(4), which can only happen if a state legislature cannot perform its legislative functions.
Section 11 (4) states, ” At any time when any House of Assembly of a state is unable to perform its functions by reason of the situation prevailing in that state, the National Assembly may make such laws for the peace, order and good government of that state with respect to matters on which a House of Assembly may make laws as may appear to the National Assembly to be necessary or expedient until such time as the House of Assembly is able to resume its functions; and any such laws enacted by the National Assembly pursuant to this section shall have effect as if they were laws enacted by the House of Assembly of the state.
The takeover of the functions of a state assembly will only be complete if the two chambers of the National Assembly resolve to do so.
Though the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, did not chair the session when the House threatened on April 2 to take over the Ogun State Assembly, it is widely believed that he has a partisan interest in the matter as one of the key political figures from the state.
Similarly, Obasanjo-Bello, who submitted the petition of the anti-Daniel lawmakers to the Senate, is a known political foe of the governor.
However, the Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, called for caution in dealing with the Ogun State political imbroglio.
He said, “As far as I am concerned, I think it is an issue that has to be handled very, very carefully. Because we should not be seen (the National Assembly) to be engaged in what might be interpreted as meddlesomeness.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is forging ahead in its planned take-over of the state Assembly which expires on Tuesday (today).
This is contained in a statement on Monday by Eyibo.
Eyibo’s statement reads in part, “Let me say that the House of Representatives stands by its resolution warning feuding parties in the Ogun State House of Assembly and the Government of Ogun State that the House of Representatives will be compelled to invoke the powers granted it by Section 11, sub-section 4 of the constitution if the Assembly fails to reconvene on or before April 14, 2009.
“The stand of the House is in line with the provisions of the constitution and several precedents set by the House in its 10 years of existence.
“You will recall that the House did a similar thing in the case of Anambra State during the crisis that engulfed the state following attempts to remove Chris Ngige as governor.
“Similarly, a resolution was taken in Oyo State during a similar crisis. The House also recently passed a similar resolution in the case of looming crisis in Ondo State which yielded positive results of all the parties following due process and legal means in resolving their dispute.
“Indeed, the House usually responds to such crisis within a week or two along the line of constitutional stipulations but had to wait for almost two months of the lingering crisis in Ogun State in deference to the position of the Speaker, Bankole, who is from the state and the mediatory efforts of the other well-meaning stakeholders in Nigeria.
“You will also recall that Governor Gbenga Daniel, members of the state Assembly and Ogun State Elders like Senator Jubril Martin-Kuye, Alhaji Sule Onabiyi, Dr. Doyin Okupe and others were invited to Abuja to find ways of resolving the crisis to no avail.”
Eyiboh stressed that the House took the decision after all efforts to resolve the crisis, including the intervention of traditional rulers, had failed.
Meanwhile, the state Elders Consultative Forum has succeeded in bringing the warring factions to a discussion table on Monday.
Our correspondent learnt that the peace meeting, held at the Governor’s Office, Abeokuta, was at the instance of the conflict mediation committee of the forum.
The meeting, which lasted for about two hours, was attended by the Speaker of the state Assembly, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun; his deputy, Pastor Remmy Hazzan, representing the Group of 15 allegedly planning the impeachment of Daniel.
The former Speaker, Chief Titi Oseni, who is leading the Group of 11, said to be loyal to Daniel, also attended.
Daniel was the last to arrive for the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, ending about 4.30pm.
Our correspondent learnt that the members of the conflict mediation committee which attended the meeting included a former Managing Director of Daily Times Plc, Chief Tola Adeniyi; a former President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi; and Chief Adedeji Olugbenle.
Adeniyi, who spoke with journalists after the meeting, said it was aimed at finding a lasting solution to the lingering political impasse in the state.
Adeniyi said, “We realise that the problems essentially revolve around three areas. There is the disagreement over the 2011 governorship race in the state. The members of the House of Assembly are divided and there are many litigations over a lot of issues.
He did not, however, confirm if the meeting addressed the accusation of the G-15 over that the allocations of the House had not been released to it since January.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)