Islamic human rights group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has warned against the move by the Nigerian legislature to legalise cannabis in Nigeria.
According to the group, the legalization of cannabis will be the last nail in the coffin of morality in Nigeria.
Recall that Benjamin Kalu, a spokesman of the House of Representatives, had on Monday in Akure, Ondo State, said that cannabis would aid Nigeria’s industrial drive and boost her internally generated revenue (IGR).
But MURIC, reacting to this in a statement signed by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said it strongly condemned the attempt to compartmentalise Nigerians into vicious drug cartels.
The group accused Kalu of trying to turn Nigeria into another Mexico on the African continent, adding that the country already has serious security challenges which could be compounded by the legalisation of cannabis.
“The security challenges we are currently facing are punishments for our recklessness. Instead of thinking of making criminal elements in the country ‘turn back from their evil’, Kalu wants to cap the edifice with drug war,” the group said.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that the legalisation of cannabis will be the last straw that broke the camel’s back in terms of its impact on insecurity and the last nail in the coffin of morality in Nigeria in terms of the country’s descent into the abyss of moral debauchery which began a long time ago,” it said.
MURIC further made a connection between Kalu’s statement and an earlier position of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on the matter.
“This lawmaker spoke in Akure, the capital of Ondo State. Nigerians will recall that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has been advocating for the legalisation of cannabis since 2019,” MURIC said, adding that “There is no doubt that he has not given up. Kalu is his latest recruit into his cannabis promotion camp.
“The Akeredolu school of thought is only thinking of the material aspect and economic gains obtainable from the legalisation of cannabis sativa (also known as Indian hemp).
“Have they put in place the necessary precautions? Do Nigerians obey laws? Do they listen to simple instructions?”, MURIC added.
The group further attributed major road accidents to the use of cannabis by commercial drivers.
MURIC also believes that those who burned hundreds of luxurious buses of the Lagos State Government during the #EndSARS protests were under the influence of drugs.
“Nigeria is passing through unimaginable social trauma at this period. The crime rate is very high and it is mostly induced by drug.
The major point raised by Kalu and Akeredolu keredolu has been economic benefit but what have the politicians done with all the billions of dollars from oil all these years?
“Cannabis may have its benefits but the disadvantages outway the advantages,” MURIC said while call on the federal lawmakers to reject any attempt to smuggle the cannabis bill into the hallowed House.
Hunters Group of Nigeria (HGN) yesterday stormed the National Assembly complex in Abuja to seek the opportunity and recognition under the law to assist the federal government in tackling the ravaging insecurity in the land.
The Commandant of the Akwa Ibom State Command of the organisation, John Essien, who spoke with journalists, said they specifically needed the backing of the law to compliment the efforts of the relevant security agencies in apprehending bandits and the insurgents terrorising the country.
He also disclosed that they were at the National Assembly for a public hearing on a bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Hunters Council of Nigeria.
According to him, “The bill has gone through the first and second reading, and the reason we are here is for the public hearing. As you can see, we have members across the entire villages. When you talk about the security challenges, if the opportunity is given to us, we can perform very well because as community-based officers, we know all the strangers in our environment and can easily identify those that are not from there. Maybe from there, you can find out what the person’s mission is in the area.
“That is the reason we are here to tell the government that we can do the job. I want to tell us that if the opportunity is given to hunters, the security challenges in the country would be minimised. If you look at our Facebook and social media pages, you would see that we have been doing a lot of work in arresting kidnappers and other criminals. With our presence and other security agencies, when we come together, it would make the job easier, and that is why we here today. We believe the government would not hesitate to give us a try.”
Former Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed has said he was not invited by the the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged diversion of N9billion.
Recall that Ahmed was alleged to have been grilled at the headquarters of the EFCC in Jabi over fraud.
It was alleged that his invitation by the agency was connected to how funds to the tune of about N9billion were diverted from the coffers of Kwara State Government during his tenure as Governor of Kwara State, between 2011 and 2019.
But writing on his Twitter page, Ahmed said he was invited over a contract awarded by the State government when he was commissioner for Finance.
He further stated that he had been released on bail.
He wrote, “In response to an invitation by the commission via a letter dated 26th April 2021, I voluntarily visited the EFCC in Abuja yesterday with regard to a complaint about a contract awarded by Kwara State Government while I was State the Commissioner for Finance.
“I was not accused of any wrongdoing. Neither was I questioned about any N9b transaction. I have since been granted bail.”
President Emmanuel Macron of France has pledged to support Nigeria combat insecurity bedeviling the Lake Chad basin area and the entire stretch of the Sahel region.
Macron spoke at a bilateral meeting between him and President Muhammadu Buhari.
The meeting was hosted by the Nigerian leader on the sidelines of the Financing Africa Summit in Paris.
The French President pledged his steadfast support for the West African that is currently facing a number of security challenges.
In a statement signed by Garba Shehu, Buhari Spokesman, and made available to media houses, the French leader said that his country will “absolutely be there on the side of Nigeria and it is willing to support with everything to assist the country to overcome the security threats.”
Macron promised to help the most populous black nation in the world in confronting the challenges of COVID-19 vaccines.
He added in the statement that “President Buhari outlined the challenges all round facing the country as well as its neighbours and spoke about the steps he has taken to reignite response to the situation, which he said included the appointment of the new Service Chiefs.”
The Nigerian leader said his country was willing to work with France and all international partners to overcome the West African country’s security challenges.
In a petition dated May 10, 2021, the Ali Moibi-Balogun Family of Odo-Egiri Town in Eredo Local Council Development Area of Lagos seeks Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s intervention after armed herdsmen forcefully took over their land and erected structures on it. In this interview with VICTOR AYENI, the lawyer for the Ali Moibi-Balogun family, Adeyemi Adegbite, explains the ordeal of the family
How long has the family been living on the invaded land?
Their forefathers handed it to them. In our petition, we said they inherited it from time immemorial. So, it predates Nigeria’s independence. You know in Yoruba culture, when you own a land, it is your father’s land from ages. It was not a land they came about in 10 or 20 years; it has been their inherited land.
At what point did they begin to notice the invasion on their land?
It was on March 4, 2021. That was the first instance that they experienced the incursion on their land. And then, they came back sometime in April.
How did the family members protect themselves during these attacks?
It was not all members of the family that were on the ground; they had some members and workers living on the land. Suddenly, these people invaded the land and started shooting indiscriminately. Probably, there have been some land trespassers who had been trespassing on the land. So, when they came and started shooting, the family members and their servants that were on the land escaped. That was on March 4. They reported to the extended family and that was when the family had to present the matter at the Noforija Police Station.
What was the response of the personnel at the Noforija Police Station?
As our petition captured, the first time the invaders came, the police responded swiftly. The people that invaded the land came with three motorbikes, a Honda Accord and the others were on foot. So, they were shooting indiscriminately to take possession of the land; then, those who escaped reported to the police. And as we said, the police at Noforija responded swiftly such that they were able to recover the Honda Accord that the invaders brought. Those on motorbikes, the three of them, escaped. Since then, the Noforija Police Station has been investigating it.
But all of a sudden it is like they developed cold feet such that even our client, the complainant, was treated like a suspect. It was at that point that they now briefed us and said they couldn’t take this; they needed a lawyer who would write a petition. That was when we came in.
Aside from the petition, which was aimed at giving a voice to this family, what do they want the government or the authorities to do for them?
Precisely, what they want is to get their land back and also to alert the government that there is danger somewhere in the Epe area, so that the government can quickly come and curtail the activities of the Fulani herdsmen. That is what is written in the petition. How can some strangers from nowhere just come and take their land?
As lawyers, we have to tell the whole world that there is fire on the mountain. The rooftop has caught fire; we can no longer go to sleep. The government should drag these people away so that there can be peace in Lagos State. We do not want Fulani herdsmen coming from anywhere to come and disturb the peace that has been prevalent in Lagos State. That is why we had to petition everybody. We wrote petitions to the governor, the House of Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police, Commissioner of Police and all that this thing should be nipped in the bud.
You described these people as Fulani herdsmen, how are you sure? What is the level of ammunition they have?
These people came with guns and were shooting. They had knives and charms all over them. I was not there, so I would not know if it was an AK-47 or whatever. But they shot at people. So, if someone invades your land with a gun, you should know that it is not a mere threat. They did not even come as if they were passing by, they came to settle down. After they came and drove everyone away between their first and second attack, they already built huts. My clients were watching, wondering what happened on their land. They were taking pictures.
We went to the police; the police came initially and anytime there was an incident, they went back to the police. At a stage, it seemed that the police were helpless; there was nothing they could do. You know, maybe they were compromised or whatever and couldn’t take any further step until we decided to blow this open. But even before then, some people had been threatening them (the family members). They had percolators on their land and they knew their names. The community leader is of no assistance to them. Life has become unbearable for them; they cannot go to their farmland, and all of that. So, the reports that were supplied to us were included in our petition. Whatever the authorities can do to come to the aid of our clients, we will appreciate it. And that will even save us the rigours of going to court, suing the government or suing people. If the government can stem it now, we will not need to go to court and say we want to file criminal action anywhere. That is the essence of the petition.
The family said the police branded them as suspects when they complained. Can you shed more light on this?
You see when the first occurrence took place, we said the police responded swiftly and they recovered some things, which we stated in our petition. After the second occurrence, something happened. What they expected the police to do, the police started to drag their feet. Yesterday, we were at the police area command and we met two DPOs from Noforija and Epe.
They gave us different versions of events. They said an incident occurred in which somebody got injured and they were trying to treat the person, but when they invited our clients, they failed to turn up. But our clients were saying that this particular DPO was not very cooperative with them and wants to turn them into suspects. So, this was what they briefed us about at the area command after we filed our petition.
That’s the most I know about this. It is not as if I have been following this thing for a long time, you know I was just brought in. They used another lawyer before, who was not available, who should be abreast of the facts. But because of the urgency of the case with herdsmen everywhere, everyone was apprehensive. We just wanted to do something so that we would bring it to the attention of the authorities.
Which police division or command was involved in this investigation?
That area falls under Noforija, but then, Noforija falls within Epe. But both DPOs there are hardworking. They stepped up and took this case seriously. In fact, when I met them, they had not even had some rest. They have been going up and down, trying to unravel the situation.
Are the herdsmen still occupying the land as we speak?
I have not been to the site. We lawyers rely on information provided to us by our clients. We attached some photographic evidence to our petition, so you could see that they were present. Then again, like I said, yesterday we were at the area command and we tried to get our clients to come to the area command, but they could not come. But then, when I called them to ask about their position if they were coming for the meeting at the area command, they told me that they noticed some herdsmen still on the land and they were trying to video them. Even when we got to the residence of my client at Epe with the DPO, the wife of the Olori Ebi confirmed to me that the Fulani herdsmen were still on their land.
Have the police visited the expanse of land to invite or arrest the suspects?
At the first instance in March, the police went there and recovered a car. That was when the DPO at Noforija said he saw someone there who was injured. I think he was bleeding on his head kind of, so he paid attention to him. Probably they might have gone back, you know, on some other occasions that we were not aware of.
Do you suspect that some powerful people in Abuja are supporting these herdsmen in some way?
Abuja? That is beyond my brief. We wrote a petition to the Inspector-General of Police. You see, this insecurity is nationwide, that is why we want to alert everybody. I wouldn’t know if anybody is supporting them. Support is a big word. I would not know if anybody is sponsoring or backing them from Abuja. My own is that we saw these people on the land and we have to alert the authorities.
Have the state government and House of Assembly responded to your petition?
Nobody has responded to our petition now except that the police are working hard. They are working round the clock. We have not received any correspondence from any authority. But I was even surprised, you see we did not write to the Commissioner of Police, we only copied him, yet the police are working. They are on top of the matter. They want to be sure that if there is such a thing, they will nip it in the bud.
– Commends southern governors for banning open grazing
…Says restructuring of Nigeria long overdue
Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly resumed from the Sallah break on Tuesday with a call on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the nation over issues relating to insecurity and rising sectional agitations across the country.
The House also said it was standing by the decisions reached by the southern governors at their recent meeting in Asaba, Delta State.
Calling the attention of his colleagues to the communique released by the governors after the meeting, the Deputy Leader of the House, Hon. Noheem Adams, noted that the Lagos Assembly had always called for the establishment of state police.
Hon. Adams urged his colleagues to support the governors saying the latter had shown that they are alive to their responsibilities.
Adams, however, urged the governors to start restructuring in their states by implementing autonomy for state legislatures and judiciary.
He recalled how the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa, as chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, led his colleagues to the president to seek autonomy for state legislatures and judiciary. He lamented that the governors had yet to implement it.
Speaker Obasa, who presided over the sitting, commended the governors for coming out at a period when insecurity had taken the ‘front seat’ of discussions. He also commended some members of the National Assembly for supporting the governors.
Obasa lamented the rise in the number of groups agitating for secession adding that Nigeria can be restructured if there is the will power.
“People are getting tired of the call for constitutional conference because nothing had happened to previous ones,” he said adding that Nigeria needs true federalism at this stage.
The Speaker said it was disheartening to know that two neighbouring states like Ogun and Lagos cannot unite to meet some of the needs of the people simply because such could be on the exclusive list.
Earlier in his contribution, Hon. Kehinde Joseph suggested that the National Assembly needed to amend the Act establishing the Nigeria Police Force for the creation of state police.
Speaking also, Hon. Jimi Mohammed, who supported the motion, said the decision of the southern governors boils down to insecurity adding: “We can’t clamour enough for the calls for state police.”
On his part, Hon. Sanni Okanlawon said the governors had made a statement by calling for the ban on open grazing which he described as archaic and has led to the death of many.
He said restructuring of the country is long overdue. He also commended the southern governors for their other decisions.
Hon. Ajani Owolabi supported the motion and opposed those arguing that the constitution makes provision for freedom of movement. According to him, people who move must be citizens and must not move with the aim to damage. He however lamented that the herdsmen had failed in these two areas.
Hon. Adedola Kasunmu, while supporting the motion, urged that some items such as power be moved from the exclusive list to concurrent.
“Our national grid is getting weak and if the opportunity is given to states, it would help. If you fix power, you have fixed everything,” he said.
For Hon. Sentonji David, the country urgently needs to act against insecurity. “This is the time for us to have a restructured country,” he said.
The leader of the House, Sanai Agunbiade added: “A country cannot be drifting this way and the President is quiet. The President must address this country and assuage nerves.
“The National Assembly should come up with a bill to address the issue of state police. The bandits are multiplying like amoeba.”
Hon. Adewale Temitope noted that the issue of insecurity had progressed rapidly and sent shivers down spines.
He commended the governors but urged them to also establish autonomy for state legislatures and judiciary.
He also lamented that most of the police officers in Lagos are from a particular region of the country and as such, they hardly understand the terrain and the people they are meant to protect.
Hon. Abiodun Tobun noted: “Cattle rearing is a private business. So it is supposed that you cannot use your business to stop my progress or movement.
“If truly we are practising true federalism, then each state should be allowed to secure its area.”
Others who contributed included the Deputy Speaker of House, Hon. Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni, Hon. Rasheed Makinde, and Hon. Bisi Yusuff
Gunmen have abducted a judge at a Shari’a Court located between Baure Zaka villages in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The judge, simply identified as Alhaji Husaini Sama’ila was, according to a resident (name withheld), kidnapped at about 3:00 pm today while on a personal visit to the court which was relocated to Safana for security purposes.
He said the judge was recently moved to Safana town to continue to deliver justice because of the worsening insecurity challenges bedeviling the two villages where the court was established earlier.
Meanwhile, the police authorities in the state are yet to confirm the incident as phone calls put through the spokesman, SP Gambo Isah were not responded to.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has flagged off a new Operation codenamed Operation Restore Peace in the Enugu State to contain the rising insecurity in the South-East region.
The event was held on Tuesday at Micheal Okpara Square in Enugu capital city and was attended by Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
This is coming barely two days after the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu State was attacked and properties set ablaze by yet-to-be-identified gunmen on Sunday night.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and other top officials at the event.
Six vehicles were razed with two others damaged following the attack INEC office in Enugu.
Also in April, two officers were killed in an attack on a police station in Adani, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, raising concerns over incessant assaults on security formations in the South-East region of Nigeria.
Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho has paid a courtesy visit to a popular spiritual leader in Nigeria and the founder of the One Love Family, Sat Guru Maharaj on Sunday at the spiritual leader’s residence in Maharaj ji village, along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.
Igboho’s visit to Maharaj ji is part of his efforts to seek the support of Yoruba political and religious leaders towards the actualization of the Yoruba Nation agenda.
During the visit, Maharaj ji noted that he fully supports Igboho and prayed for him.
Igboho came to national prominence after he asked Fulani herders to vacate Igangan town in the Ibarapa area of Oyo state.
Recall that Maharaj ji, originally known as Mohammed Ajirobatan Ibrahim, had in February admonished Southwest Governors to honour Igboho for confronting the crisis of insecurity in the region.
Maharaj ji also told the governors to appoint Igboho as the leader of Amotekun in the region.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) peaceful protest in Kaduna State has been interrupted by hired “thugs.”
During the rally, some alleged thugs arrived in two cars, including KEKE NAPEP, and began throwing stones at the demonstrators.
Some of the attackers covered their faces wielded knives and sticks.
“They came in car and started throwing stones on the workers protesting. People started running but the workers were able to chase them away,” an eye witness told Daily Times.
Journalists and some other persons around fled the area. It is not clear those who sent the thugs to disrupt the protest.
During the protest, the striking workers blocked the main road, forcing motorists to divert to other routes.
