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Southeast Bishops Urge New Enugu Governor to Resign
The Southeastern zone of the Network of Evangelical Bishops of Nigeria (NEBN) has once again asked Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, to resign for bringing what it called the unparalleled disgrace that the new helmsman has brought to the Enugu people in the last few months and for bringing the exalted office of the state governor to public ridicule.
This is the third time in as many months the NEBN has intervened in Enugu public affairs, advising Mbah to throw in the towel for both legal and moral reasons.
The religious leaders had in previous statements accused Mbah of forging his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate A808297 which the new governor claims to have been issued on March 6, 2002, as well as the March 18 governorship election result in his Nkanu East Local Government Area where he was awarded over 31,000 votes, though the national INEC headquarters on March 22 reduced the number of votes to a little over 16,000.
“It was truly disgusting to watch last weekend how the team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) hired by Mbah to defend his purported mandate tried in vain to stop the NYSC from testifying on the genuineness of the NYSC discharge certificate which Mbah presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)”, stated the bishops in a statement signed by the zonal chairman, Bishop Samuel Ani, and the acting publicity secretary, Bishop Emmanuel Eneh.
“They even went to the extent of asking the tribunal sitting in Enugu to abide by an incurably defective ex parte motion gagging the NYSC from disclosing the true status of the discharge certificate, an ex parte motion which is now expired and has never had validity in Enugu State because it was granted by an FCT High Court rather than a Federal High Court”.
The bishops ruefully observed that this is the first time in Nigeria’s history a candidate for public office has fought tooth and nail to stop an appropriate agency from speaking on the authenticity of the credentials he or she has presented to the electoral commission.
Alhaji Abubakar I. Muhammadu, the NYSC Director of Certificate, had in a letter written on February 1, 2023, declared that NYSC Discharge Certificate A808297 did not emanate from it, a position supported by the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed when he appeared on the Arise Television programme on Friday, May 17, 2023.
“Now, Enugu State has been in the news again in connection with its purported governor presenting forged documents, as the NYSC Assistant Director of Corps Certification, Mrs Rhoda Dawa, has just provided the Federal High Court in Abuja with comprehensive details of how NYSC Discharge Certificate Number A808297 did not come from the organisation”.
If Mbah had completed his national service, explained the NYSC, he would have done so on September 15, 2003, and not September 15, 2002, which the governor claims.
His discharge certificate would have been assigned the serial number 673517, and the calligraphy would have been the same as other certificates issued by the NYSC, according to Mrs Dawa.
“There are too many discrepancies in this fake certificate Mbah presented”, said the senior clergymen
If such a “ridiculous spectacle of forgery should happen in any part of Nigeria in the 21st century”, said the group of bishops, “it is certainly not a state as strategic as Enugu which is the headquarters of not just the Southeast but also the old Eastern Nigerian Region that has since been divided into nine states”.
The bishops noted that Mbah would leave office like other public officers found guilty of presenting forged credentials, citing the examples of Mrs Kemi Adeosun, who was ex-President Muhamadu Buhari’s first Minister of Finance; Alhaji Salisu Buhari, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives when democracy was restored in 1999; and Biobarakuma Degi-Eremioye of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who was prevented from being sworn in on February 14, 2020, as the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor by the Supreme Court for presenting a fake document to INEC.
Since Mbah, who has been in office since May 29, has achieved his life ambition of being addressed as “His Excellency, the Governor of Enugu State”, said the bishops, “he should resign now because it is better than having to wait to be booted out of office through a judicial process which will, ipso facto, deny him the status of ever being recognised as a former governor as far as the law is concerned”.
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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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Breaking: INEC postpones voter revalidation exercise till after 2027 elections
The decision was announced in a statement issued and signed by Mohammed Haruna, the commission’s national commissioner and chairman of its information and voter education committee.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday postponed its planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 general elections.
The decision was announced in a statement issued and signed by Mohammed Haruna, the commission’s national commissioner and chairman of its information and voter education committee.
Haruna said that the postponement followed deliberations at a meeting between the commission and resident electoral commissioners (RECs).
“Following deliberations, the commission resolved to postpone the exercise until after the 2027 General Election,” the statement read.
(VANGUARD)
News
Plateau Community Laments ‘ No Security To Repel Attackers’
Those confirmed dead include Elder Iliya Mangut Dakus, Mr. Luck Titus Dakus, Mr. Habila Istifanu Dakus, Mr. Hassan Istifanus Dakus, Mrs. Hassan Moses Dakus, Biggie Lucky Dakus, Sunday Gideon Dakus, and Mr. Innocent Barnabas Makwin.
People of Mbwelle village, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State lamented that the Thursday Late-night attack which left eight persons killed lasted for several hours with no visible security presence to repel the attackers.
The assailants reportedly stormed the community at about 11 p.m. on Thursday, and opened fire on residents in a sporadic shooting that lasted nearly an hour.
Seven of the victims were members of the same family, while at least three others sustained injuries and several persons are missing.
Those confirmed dead include Elder Iliya Mangut Dakus, Mr. Luck Titus Dakus, Mr. Habila Istifanu Dakus, Mr. Hassan Istifanus Dakus, Mrs. Hassan Moses Dakus, Biggie Lucky Dakus, Sunday Gideon Dakus, and Mr. Innocent Barnabas Makwin.
The Chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area, Samuel Amalau, confirmed the incident to Arise news during a phone interview, expressing concern over the recurring violence in the area.
The Chairman condemned what he described as a resurgence of unprovoked attacks in Bokkos, particularly the incident in Mbwelle community of Kwatas Ward.
The Chairman of the Community Peace Observers in Bokkos, Kefas Mallai, added that the attack has heightened tension in the area.
He extended condolences to the bereaved families, noting that the killings were “a direct assault on our collective humanity and peaceful coexistence,” while also wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
He also appealed to youths to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could escalate tensions, even as he reaffirmed the right to lawful self-defense.
Also confirming the attack, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Alfred Alabo, said investigations are ongoing and assured that further details would be made available.
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