Senate approves 112 as nationwide emergency number
Senate Southern senators back governors on prohibition of open grazing Institute for Border Studies 112
The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill seeking to establish the Nationwide Emergency Communications Service.
This was just as the upper chamber approved 112 as the toll-free number for emergencies.
The passage of the Nationwide Toll-Free Emergency Number (Establishment) Bill, 2021, followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Communications.
The report was presented by Senator Biodun Olujimi on behalf of the chairman of the Committee, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
In her presentation, Olujimi explained that Clause 2 of the bill seeks to establish the Nationwide Emergency Communications Service.
According to the lawmaker, the agency when established, would be charged with the responsibility of deployment and coordination of a seamless and reliable end-to-end infrastructure for emergency needs throughout Nigeria.
She added that Clause 5 of the bill was amended to vest the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) with the responsibility of formulating regulations and guidelines for the workings of the Nationwide Emergency Communications Service.
Olujimi explained that Clause 11 of the bill prohibits the use of telephone and mobile telecommunications services to place a false, frivolous or vexatious call to the emergency number 112.
Clause 12 of the bill provides that, “a person who violates any of the provisions of this bill or the regulations is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a penalty of not more than fifty thousand naira or in default to a term imprisonment not exceeding six months, and for each subsequent offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than two hundred and fifty thousand naira or, in default, to a term of imprisonment not exceeding one year.”
In addition, new sub clauses (2), (3) and (4) were introduced in the bill to provide for the blacklisting of any person who violates Clause 11 for a period not more than eight weeks.
Femi Adesina Afraid Of Fani-Kayode Replacing Him – Omokri
Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has claimed that the spokesman to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina is afraid that former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode will take over his position.
This is coming after Fani-Kayode dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.
Omokri stated this in his reaction to the statement of the presidential aide that Buhari would teach world leaders how to manage their economy during a pandemic.
Adesina during an interview on Channels TV on Monday said his principal would teach world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, how to overcome economic recession during a pandemic.
He further stated that Buhari “would talk about security. He would talk about the girl child, SDGs, and so many things.”
Omokri in a post on his Twitter account wrote, “Femi Adesina, Buhari’s in-house clown, is afraid he is about to be replaced by Femi Fani-Kayode, hence he has stepped up his sycophancy, claiming ‘Buhari Will Teach World Leaders How To Manage Economy During Pandemic’. Is it before or after begging them for loans?”
It will be recalled that Buhari who departed the shores of Nigeria on Sunday, to participate in the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which opened on September 14 will address other world leaders on Friday, 24th September.
Apart from the UN meeting, the President will also hold some high-level meetings and interactions while in the United States.
Police arrest 5 persons in Katsina suspected of supplying bandits with Breads, petrol
No fewer than six persons including a Nigerien who supply fuel and breads to bandits have been arrested by operatives of police in Katsina state.
Confirming the development, Spokesman, Katsina State Police Command, SP Gambo Isah said the persons were arrested at various points while on their way conveying the products to the bandits in the forest.
SP Isah said, “Based on credible intelligence, the command on the 18/9/2021 succeeded in arresting one Lawal Shu’aibu (32-year-old) of Maradi, Niger Republic, Sani Lawal (28-year-old), Abdulrashid Garba (50-year-old) and Tigal Haruna (57-year-old) all from Katsina State conveying fuel in their vehicles.
“Nemesis caught up with the suspects when they were arrested long Katsina – Jibia road while on their way into the forest.
“In the course of investigation suspects confessed to be selling the fuel at fringes of the forest, contrary to Executive order and other extant laws of the Federation.
“On same day, the command also succeeded in arresting one Shafi’u Haruna (25-year-old), a suspected supplier of fuel to bandits in the forest.
“The suspect was observed to have been frequently coming to buy fuel at a filling station in Dandume and after a while he will come back to buy again in his motorcycle Jincheng rubber, white in colour.
“Consequently, Police Detectives on surveillance patrol at the said filling station secretly followed after him which led them into an uncompleted building where he was arrested while transferring the fuel into a Jerrican in an uncompleted building.
“In the course of investigation, suspect confessed to the commission of the offense and further stated that he came all the way from Sabuwa Local Govt Area to buy the fuel and take to the forest.
“Similarly and on same day, the Command succeeded in arresting one Hamisu Sani (30-year-old), a notorious informer who specializes in supplying bread to bandits in the forest.
“After several warning by both community leaders and security agencies to stop supplying bread to bandits in the forest, nemesis caught up with the suspect when he was arrested with some quantity of bread concealed inside a sack while trying to enter into the forest and take it to bandits.
“In the course of investigation, suspect confessed to the commission of the offense,” the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Isah however stated.
Tragedy In Oyo As Cows Kill Father Of Newborn Baby, Herders Flee
A30-year-old man and father of a newborn baby, Benjamin Oyelade, has been killed by cows, which ran into him in Atapa area in the Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According To Sahara Reporters, the deceased was enroute Atapa/Iresa Adu Road on Sunday evening when a suspected herdsman bumped into the road with his cows and the victim was knocked off his motorcycle.
It was learnt that the cows’ horns hit him on the head and broke his skull.
The deceased sister who identified herself as Olawunmi said his child christening ceremony and house warming were slated for Monday, September 20, 2021.
She added that the herders fled the scene immediately after the incident.
“Today (Monday) ought to be his day, he is meant to name his child and dedicate his new house, but instead of these we are mourning him. We have buried him.
“He saw his child but didn’t wait to name the child,” Olawunmi said.
She expressed regret that security agencies including the Amotekun Corps could not apprehend the herdsman or impound any of the cows.
Olawunmi added that some youths traced the herd to a herders’ settlement in annoyance and destroyed part of the settlement by burning down a hut.
The Oyo Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, promised to get back to SaharaReporters with full details when contacted but he failed to pick his calls hours after.
Breaking: king Sunny Ade’s Wife And Ex-Lagos Lawmaker Risikat Adegeye Is Dead
One of the wives of King Sunny Ade and ex-member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable (Mrs) Risikat Adegeye is dead.
Society gazette understands that the ex-lawmaker died early today, Tuesday, 21 September, 2021. Although, circumstances surrounding her death were still sketchy. But Rumour has it that she died of Cancer.
She was a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly and was a two time member of the Assembly Service Commission.
Kano govt bans Sales Of movies featuring kidnapping, stealing, drug abuse
The Kano Film Censorship Board, has banned the sale of movies that depict kidnappings, drug abuse and snatching of mobile phones in the State.
Defending the prohibition by the board, the executive secretary, Ismaila Naaba Afakallah, explained that the ban was necessitated by the notoriety of such activities amongst Kano state citizens.
“Henceforth, we will not allow films displaying Kidnappings, drug addiction and GSM phones snatching which has now taken toll on Kano residents”.
Afakallah stated that the ban was to ensure that young people do not engage in criminal activities, adding that they are most likely to adopt the mannerisms of actors in movies.
“Not every young man has the tenacity of understanding fictitious films actions. Somebody might mistaken it as a reality and may go ahead to practice it, therefore, we must act now before it is too late,” he added.
Why Hushpuppi’s Account Is Still Active – Instagram Reveals
The social media platform, Instagram has revealed why the account of confessed internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi is still active.
The platform noted that Hushpuppi is free to use his account in as much he does not represent dangerous organizations or individuals.
Hushpuppi is currently in detention in the United States for financial offences bordering on wire fraud, to which he has pleaded guilty.
The Instagram celebrity if found guilty may face a 20-year jail term.
The United States Attorney’s Office at the Central District of California disclosed that the confessed fraudster will be sentenced in late October 2021.
The court also disclosed that it directed the FBI to arrest the suspended deputy commissioner of police, Abba Kyari following his alleged role in a $1m scam allegedly perpetrated by Hushpuppi and five others.
The court said, “A U.S. Magistrate Judge has issued arrest warrants for the defendants in the case, including Mr Kyari. This is a standard operating procedure in nearly all of the criminal cases filed by this office.”
The social media platform disclosed that it has an established process with law enforcement and a policy on “inmate takedown requests” in place for prisoners active on the platform.
Meanwhile, Abbas has not posted on Instagram which had 2.5 million followers since June 2020, however, his followers marked his 39th birthday on September 4.
Instagram added that Hushpuppi would be free to continue to use his account, “unless directed otherwise from law enforcement in the US, where he is awaiting sentencing.”
The platform noted that Hushpuppi does not fall under the categories which would validate account removal.
Instagram said accounts are only usually closed if they represent dangerous organizations or individuals.
The Instagram celebrity is known for using his account to share photos of extravagant shopping trips, luxury cars, clothes and watches.
BREAKING: Lagos Gov Sanwo-Olu signs anti-open grazing bill into law
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the bill which will outlaw open-grazing in the state.
The bill was signed on Monday following its passage by the Lagos State House of Assembly on September 9, 2021.
Lagos state is the latest of the growing number of southern states that have incriminated the archaic practice of open-grazing which has caused untold hardship for indigenous farmers and residents.
The speaker of the Lagos state House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, lauded his comrades for their zeal towards the actualization of the bill.
The call for the ban on open-grazing came as a result of the wanton killings and kidnappings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen who use their cattle as an excuse to wreak havoc on innocent citizens and their property.
Akwa Ibom Gov Emmanuel signs anti-open grazing bill into law
As part of their plans to end the menace of the herdsmen, the southern governors met in Lagos on July 5 and had far-reaching conclusions on open grazing, restructuring Nigeria, and calls for state policing.
After the meeting, the Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, announced that the governors have agreed on a deadline for the establishment of the anti-open grazing law in the region.
To this effect, four southern states have signed the bill into law.
The states include: Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Ondo states.
Fani-Kayode Handed 12 Conditions By APC Governors Before Being Integrated Into Party
The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Dr Salihu Moh Lukman, has listed tough conditions former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, must meet to be fully accepted and integrated into the ruling party.
Some of the conditions, according to him, include registration from his ward, identifying with the party chieftains in his state and more importantly demonstration of tolerance and respect for opinions of leaders and members of the party.
The PGF DG, in a statement he issued in Abuja, equally revealed that party members are genuinely and understandably angry with the red-carpet reception President Muhammadu Buhari gave to him last week Thursday.
The statement titled: ‘APC’s high-profile membership recruitment and issues for 2023’, read: “A major challenge of high-profile political party membership recruitment, like that of Fani-Kayode, is the issue of getting those recruited to be accountable. How can the party ensure that newly recruited high-profile members moderate themselves such that it is the party that control them and not the other way round?
“While it is easy to control people that are already constraint by legal provisions on account of statutory responsibilities such as governors and legislators, individuals like Fani-Kayode, who are only responsible to themselves, would be difficult to manage. It is therefore important that APC members prepare to engage Fani-Kayode to ensure that he is accountable to our leaders, our party organs and by extension, Nigerians.
“A reformed Fani-Kayode should be an accountable personality, both to the party and to Nigerians. On no account should Fani-Kayode ever imagine that he has come to APC to conduct himself uncontrollably. He must be accountable to our leadership and all our party structures.
“He must respect himself and abide by the provisions of the party constitution and its manifesto. To support him, copies of the APC constitution and manifesto must be made available to him immediately.
“There are also issues related to getting him to work with other party members especially in relation to addressing national challenges. The problem of managing Nigeria’s diversity, for instance, require respect and tolerance. That Fani-Kayode has joined APC and has made statements to the effect that he is committed to a united Nigeria must be demonstrated based on respect for all Nigerians irrespective of differences.
“A major test will be the extent to which Fani-Kayode is able to demonstrate tolerance and respect for opinions of leaders and members of the party. This doesn’t mean he shouldn’t disagree. But he must express his disagreement with utmost respect. On no account must he promote divisive campaigns, in whatever forms or manner. Doing so will suggest that he is still the old venomous Fani-Kayode.
“Once that become the case, party members must be ready to engage him including campaigns to discipline him as provided in the constitution of the APC. Therefore, his membership of the party must take root in his Ward in Osun State, and he must subordinate himself to his Ward leadership,” he noted in the statement.
Giving other conditions, he wrote: “For Fani-Kayode to talk of the unity of Nigeria at this time, shortly after he supported and promoted secessionist campaigns of Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho is a remarkable departure. However, recognising such a departure shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that we should blindly trust Fani-Kayode.
“What is required in the circumstance is that our leaders must test the commitment of Fani-Kayode to reform himself. The first test is that Fani-Kayode should be reminded that politics is local. Coming from Osun State, his commitment to reform himself should start with getting him to integrate himself with APC leaders back in Osun State.
“At this early stage of his membership of APC, beyond the photo show with our dear President Buhari and the Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, Fani-Kayode should have a photo gallery with images of him uniting with Chief Bisi Akande, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor Gboyega Oyetola and other party leaders in his home state, Osun. In fact, part of this test would have been met had Governor Oyetola and Ogbeni Aregbesola, at the minimum, been part of the welcome reception at the Presidential Villa last Thursday. Had that happened, the raging controversy following the admission of Fani-Kayode into the party would have been minimised.
“The photo gallery should also cover images with leaders from the South-West. Fani-Kayode should take every step to reciprocate the gesture of our leaders by demonstrating that he is ready to reform himself. Some of the controversy he has already created makes it doubtful whether he want to reform himself at all. For instance, when he claimed that he facilitated the defection of some Governors that joined the APC from PDP, suggests that he is still his old venomous self.
“Only people with very small minds could make such statement and only gullible people can believe them. The claim that three additional Governors – Bauchi, Oyo and Enugu – are on their way to join the APC, also falls in the same category of small mind talking to gullible people. If Fani-Kayode truly want the party to succeed in recruiting anybody, including governors, he should quietly support the leadership. We have a very competent leadership that can handle that responsibility, which is why his admission into the party succeeded in the first place,” he wrote.
While frowning at the red-carpet reception given to him, Lukman in the statement reflected: “Almost every member of APC is angry that our leaders have brought someone like Fani-Kayode into our party. This is made worse by the red-carpet reception given to him, which he doesn’t deserve.
“But since it has happened, there is no need to cry over spilled milk. What is very clear is that our leaders, especially President Buhari have forgiven Fani-Kayode and embrace him as one of us,” the statement read.
Rwandan court finds ‘Hotel Rwanda’ film hero Paul Rusesabagina guilty of terrorism
A Rwandan court on Monday found Paul Rusesabagina, a one-time hotel manager portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide, guilty of being part of a group responsible for terrorist attacks.
“They should be found guilty for being part of this terror group – MRCD-FLN,” judge Beatrice Mukamurenzi said of 20 defendants including Rusesabagina. “They attacked people in their homes, or even in their cars on the road traveling.”
The case has had a high profile since Rusesabagina, 67, was arrested last year on arrival from Dubai after what he described as a kidnapping by Rwandan authorities.
Since being portrayed by actor Don Cheadle as the hero of the 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda”, Rusesabagina emerged as a prominent critic of President Paul Kagame, based in the United States. He had denied all the charges against him, while his supporters called the trial a sham and proof of Kagame’s ruthless treatment of political opponents.
Prosecutors had sought a life sentence on nine charges, including terrorism, arson, taking hostages and forming an armed rebel group which he directed from abroad. After the announcement of the initial verdict, one of the defendants became ill, causing a short recess which delayed verdicts on other charges and sentencing.
Rusesabagina became a global celebrity after the film, which depicted him risking his life to shelter hundreds as the boss of a luxury hotel in the Rwandan capital Kigali during the 100-day genocide when Hutu ethnic extremists killed more than 800,000 people, mostly from the Tutsi minority.
Cheadle was nominated for an Oscar for the role. Rusesabagina used his fame to highlight what he described as rights violations by the government of Kagame, a Tutsi rebel commander who took power after his forces captured Kigali and halted the genocide.
Rusesabagina’s trial began in February, six months after he arrived in Kigali on a flight from Dubai. His supporters say he was kidnapped; the Rwandan government suggested he was tricked into boarding a private plane. Human Rights Watch said at the time that his arrest amounted to an enforced disappearance, which it called a serious violation of international law.
