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SouthEast Bishops Declare Enugu Governor-Elect Unfit, Ask Police to Arrest Him for Forgery
Three days after the Southeast Zone of the Network of Evangelical Bishops of Nigeria (NEBN) accused the Enugu state branch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being composed of “a tiny band of buccaneers” planning to “kidnap the finances of the state”, it has described the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the March 18 election, Peter Mbah, as unfit for public office.
“Mbah is fast gaining the reputation of a forger and blackmailer”, declared the bishops in a statement in Enugu today in reference to the National Youth Service Corps Discharge Certificate A808297 purportedly signed on January 6, 2003.
The NYSC director general, Brigadier General Yushau Dogara Ahmed, was on Arise Television on Friday morning to mark the organisation’s 50th anniversary and used the opportunity to refute the claim that the discharge certificate Mbah submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (NYSC) emanated from it.
The police should arrest Mbah immediately and prosecute him for forgery, according to the NEBN.
“He is not a fit and proper person to hold public office, let alone the exalted office of the Enugu State governor”, they stated.
“The NYSC DG has corroborated the statement by the NYSC Director of Certification, Alhaji Ibrahim A. Muhammadu, on February 1, 2023, that the certificate is false and forged”, said the bishops in the statement signed by their president, Bishop Samuel Ani, and the acting secretary, Bishop Emmanuel Eneh.
Mbah had on May 15 obtained an ex parte order from Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the NYSC from testifying on the authenticity of the discharge certificate and has even announced a N20bn libel suit against the NYSC for its position that the certificate is not genuine.
“Only a pathological liar, forger, and blackmailer would have the audacity to announce to sue the NYSC for N20b for telling the truth which everyone knows”, the religious leaders observed.
“Only a person with integrity can sue for libel where he or she will prove that his reputation has been tarnished by a publication.
“A forger has no reputation to protect and, therefore, does not have the grounds to sue for libel or slander”.
The bishops continued: “The PDP candidate is merely striking postures meant to cow the public institutions and our society at large, so that he can find himself into Government House on May 29 and begin to use the state resources and apparatus brazenly to barricade himself against the long arms of the law”.
On January 13, 2020, as David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was preparing to be sworn in the next day as the Bayelsa State governor, the Supreme Court passed a judgment shattering his ambition because it was discovered that his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremioye, had presented false documents to the INEC.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s first Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, was forced to resign on September 14, 2018, after it was reported that she presented a forged NYSC Discharge Certificate in her curriculum vitae (CV).
“Mbah can run, but can’t hide”, said the bishops who reiterated their position that “he is not the Enugu State governor-elect because he did not win.
“Hiring an almost countless number of the most paid Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) from different parts of the country with resources of the Enugu State people to intimidate the judiciary in the name of representing him at the Election Petitions tribunal can’t help him.
“The Enugu people voted overwhelmingly for the Labour Party, the party that defeated Mbah’s foremost backer, Governor Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi, in his polling booth, polling unit, and local government area when the outgoing governor sought to be voted into the Senate on February 25 on the PDP platform”.
The bishops also took a swipe at Justice Inyang Ekwo for granting Mbah the ex parte motion stopping the NYSC from testifying against the PDP candidate’s credentials and asked the National Judicial Council (NJC) to punish the judge.
“An ex parte order can be granted only in an emergency, but Nigerians are unable to see the emergency which prompted the order in this case”, they stated.
“For failing to heed the counsel by different Chief Justices in Nigeria over the years against granting frivolous injunctions, the National Judicial Council needs to remove people like Justice Inyang immediately from the Bench in the overriding national interest”.
News
NAF Jilli Airstrike: Bomb Don’t Know Who’re Terrorists
Multiple sources said that the fighter jet that carried out the operation was tracking a group of suspected insurgents believed to have visited the market to collect levies from traders and obtain supplies. However, the strike reportedly missed its intended target
No fewer than 56 people, mostly traders, are feared dead, while 14 others have been hospitalized following an airstrike on a weekly market along the Borno–Yobe border.
The incident occurred at Jilli Market, located between Gubio and Geidam Local Government Areas of Borno and Yobe states, on Saturday.
The airstrike was carried out during a military operation targeting suspected Boko Haram insurgents.
The weekly market usually attracts traders and buyers from surrounding communities, including Gubio, Chiweram, and Benisheikh in Borno State, as well as Gurokayeya and Geidam in Yobe State.
Multiple sources said that the fighter jet that carried out the operation was tracking a group of suspected insurgents believed to have visited the market to collect levies from traders and obtain supplies. However, the strike reportedly missed its intended target
.An eyewitness said at least 56 people have been confirmed dead, while 14 others are receiving treatment at the Specialist Hospital in Geidam, Yobe State.
“The incident happened around 2:46 p.m. while business activities were ongoing. Four fighter jets carried out the attack, though the fourth jet was not clearly visible. We only heard the sound of explosions.
“I counted 56 corpses myself and helped rescue two injured people, taking them to the hospital. I believe the number of casualties may be higher, as more bodies are still being recovered,” the source said.
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NUPENG Braces Up for Leaderships Change
Former National Chair of PTD-NUPENG and National Trustees of the union, Salimon Oladiti will be elected as president of NUPENG in Lagos.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) will, on April 24, elect a new president.
Incumbent President, Williams Akporeha, announced his exit date at the weekend during the Quarterly National Executive Council meeting of Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch, PTD-NUPENG in Warri, Delta State.
Former National Chair of PTD-NUPENG and National Trustees of the union, Salimon Oladiti will be elected as president of NUPENG in Lagos.
The election of Oladiti will mark the first time in NUPENG a member of the PTD branch will be president.
During the meeting, Zonal Chair of PTD-NUPENG in Port Harcourt, Joseph Okafor, moved the motion for unanimous ratification of Oladiti for president, seconded by Adekunle Akinlaja of Lagos zone.
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FG Unmasks 60 Persons and Corporates Behind Terrorism Financing, Order Banks To Freeze Their Accounts
The updated sanctions list is part of a crackdown on financial networks supporting extremist groups, particularly following investigations into Bureau De Change (BDC) operators and other entities.
The Federal Government on Saturday released a list of 48 individuals and 12 corporate entities allegedly linked to terrorism financing in Nigeria, as part of ongoing efforts to curb the funding of extremist activities.
The Federal Government also directed financial institutions to freeze all accounts and assets associated with these individuals and firms.
The list, published on the website of the Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NIGSAC), disclosed the nationalities of those named, their specific roles, and the terrorist groups they were allegedly connected to.
The Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NIGSAC) operates under the authority of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), which coordinates its activities within the national security framework.
Its core mandates include the implementation of United Nations sanctions—particularly those targeting terrorism financing—ensuring compliance with international obligations, and facilitating coordination among agencies such as financial intelligence, defense, and foreign affairs.
Those named in the latest released include Abdulsamat Ohida, Mohammed Sani, Abdurrahman Abdurrahman, Fatima Ishaq, Tukur Mamu, Yusuf Ghazali, Muhammad Sani, Abubakar Muhammad, Sallamudeen Hassan, Adamu Ishak, Hassana Isah, Abdulkarim Musa, Umar Abdullahi, Abdurrahman Ado, Bashir Yusuf, Ibrahim Alhassan, Muhammad Isah, Salihu Adamu, Surajo
Mohammad, Fannami Bukar, Muhammed Musa, Sahabi Ismail, Mohammed Buba, Jama’atu Wal-Jihad, Ansarul Sudan (ANSARU), Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Yan Group, Yan Group NLBDG, Adamu Hassan, Hassan Mohammed, Usman Abubakar, Kubara Salawu, Rabiu Suleiman, Simon Njoku, Godstime Iyare, Francis Mmadubuchi, John Onwumere, Chikwuka Eze, Edwin Chukwuedo, Chiwendu Owoh, Ginika Orji, Awo Uchechukwu, Mercy Ali, Ohagwu Juliana, Eze Okpoto, Nwaobi Chimezie, and Ogumu Kewe.
The entities listed include West and East Africa General Trading Co. Ltd, Settings Bureau De Change Ltd, G. Side General Enterprises, Desert Exchange Ventures Limited, Eagle Square General Trading Co. Ltd, Alfa Exchange BDC, Alin Yar Yaya General Enterprises, K. Are Nigeria Limited, Suhailah Bashir General Enterprises, Igwe Ka Ala Enterprises, Seficuvi Global Company, and Lakurawa Sect.
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