News
Absence of judge stalls Governor-elect Mbah’s NYSC certificate forgery case
The absence of Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, on Monday, stalled the hearing of a suit filed by Enugu State Governor-elect, Mr Peter Mbah, against the National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC).
Justice Ekwo was said to be on official assignment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mbah had sued the NYSC and its Director, Corps Certification, Mr Ibrahim Muhammad, for publishing a disclaimer, denying the issuance of a discharge certificate issued to him on Jan.6, 2003.
Justice Ekwo had, on May 15, restrained the NYSC, Muhammad and any of their agents from, henceforth, engaging in such publication pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter.
The order followed an ex parte motion moved by Mbah’s counsel, Mr Emeka Ozoani, SAN.
The judge, however, did not grant prayer two of the motion on the ground that it was said to be far reaching.
He said that the second prayer was an issue to be adjudicated upon in the substantive suit.
Instead, Ekwo ordered that the defendants be put on notice.
The judge, who directed the plaintiff to serve the defendants with court processes within two days of the order, fixed today for hearing.
But the court did not sit on Monday and the matter, which was on number 14 on the cause list, was adjourned until May 31 for hearing of the motion on notice.
NAN report that Ozoani had brought the motion under Section 13(1) & (2) of the FHC Act Cap F12, Vol. 6, Law of Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Order 26 Rule 6(1) of the Federa High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019.
The motion ex parte was predicated on 10 grounds.
Mbah averred that after graduating in Law from the University of East London in 2000, retuned to Nigeria and as a pre-requisite to practice as barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, applied and was admitted into the Bar part 1 programme of the Nigerian Law School.
Mbah said upon completing the bar part I exam, he had to wait for the bar part 2 programme, and was advised that instead of spending time idling around, he should proceed to the mandatory one year NYSC programme.
He said he was called up for NYSC and was deployed initially to Nigerian Ports Authority Apapa for his primary assignment but was rejected by NPA, before securing the law firm of Ude & Associates.
“The plaintiff in the course of his service year and after six months of NYSC, applied and was granted approval to defer the NYSC in order to enable him complete the bar final exam.
“Thereafter, the plaintiff was remobilised to finish the NYSC programme, which he did complete.”
Mbah further averred that upon completion of the NYSC, he was issued the certificate of National Service No. A.808297 dated Jan.6 2003.
The NYSC had, on Feb. 1, written a letter signed by Mr Ibrahim Muhammed saying that the NYSC certificate belonging to Mbah was not issued by the corps.
Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner of the Enugu State governorship election held in March 18 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Credit: NAN
News
Police Debunk Viral “Terror Attack” Video in Abuja, Launch Investigation
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismissed as false and misleading a viral video claiming terrorists were advancing on Abuja with heavy gunfire.
In a statement on Thursday, the Command said there was no terrorist attack or security breach anywhere in the Federal Capital Territory.
Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, described the video as a deliberate attempt to incite panic and spread misinformation.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, preliminary investigations revealed that the gunshots in the footage were manipulated and edited from an unrelated source, then superimposed on visuals of buildings under construction at an unidentified location.
The Commissioner has ordered a full forensic analysis to trace the origin of the video and identify those responsible for prosecution.
The FCT Police warned content creators and social media users against spreading false information that could cause fear and public disorder.
Residents were urged to disregard the video and refrain from sharing unverified content.
The Command reassured residents of its commitment to maintaining safety and security in the FCT.
News
US Declares 23 Nigerian States High-Risk for Citizens
Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.
Photo: President Donald Trump; President Bola Tinubu
The United States Department of State has classified 23 Nigerian states “High Insecurity Risks” for its citizens to go , work and live.
In an updated travel advisory issued on Wednesday, the Embassy in Nigeria urged Americans to reconsider travel to Nigeria, with certain states classified under “Level 4: Do Not Travel” due to heightened security risks.
Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba were added to the list, bringing the total to 23 states where travel is strongly discouraged.
In Northern Nigeria, the advisory highlighted Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and northern Adamawa as particularly high-risk, citing terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crime.Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara were also flagged due to civil unrest, widespread crime, and kidnappings.
“The security situation in these states is unstable and uncertain due to civil unrest. Widespread violence between communities and armed crime, including kidnapping and roadside banditry.
“Security operations to counter these threats may occur without warning,” the advisory warned.
Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.
“Crime is widespread in Southern Nigeria. There is a high risk of kidnapping, violent protests, and armed gangs,” the advisory stated.
News
INEC releases updated voters registration figure nationwide
Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has recorded over 3.4 million new voters in the ongoing second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise nationwide.
The figure is disclosed by the Commission in its week 13 update released on Wednesday in Abuja.
” A total of 3,441,121 registrations have been completed as of April 3, covering both online pre-registrations and physical walk-ins,” said INEC .
Given the breakdown, INEC explained that 2,068,384 citizens completed their registration online, while 1,372,737 others registered physically at designated centres across the country.
State-by-state data showed that Jigawa recorded the highest number of registrants with 201,047, representing 5.84 percent of the total.
Lagos followed with 181,095, while Kano ranked third with 177,681 registrations.Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.
Gender distribution indicated a higher turnout among women, with females accounting for 1,922,143 registrations (55.86 percent), compared to 1,518,978 males (44.14 percent).
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