Thursday, November 21, 2024
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U.S Elections: Zero Chance Biden Will Withdraw – White House

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Despite his poor debate performance against Donald Trump, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre says Joe Biden is not withdrawing from the presidential race.

However, panic has spread among Democrats following the televised debate, with internal discussions about finding a replacement candidate before the November election fueled by polls showing Trump widening his lead.

Reports from The New York Times and CNN suggested that the 81-year-old Biden had confided to a key ally that his reelection bid was at risk if he didn’t quickly reassure the public of his capability.

But Jean-Pierre dismissed these reports, affirming that Biden has no plans to withdraw.

Dr Congo: Govt. Sentence 25 Soldiers To Death For ‘fleeing The Enemy’

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FARDC (Armed Forces of the DRC) soldiers ride in a vehicle in Mirangi, close to the frontline and the town of Kibirizi, controlled by the M23 rebellion, North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 14, 2024. - Since mid-May, fighting are raging in this area. The Congolese army, supported by hundreds of fighters from local armed groups, is attempting to reconquer areas under the control of the M23 rebels and Rwandan army (RDF) troops, where they have set up a parallel administration. Since late 2021, they have seized large swathes of North Kivu province and routed the Congolese army. The United States and France are urging Rwanda President Paul Kagame to withdraw his troops from Congolese soil, including the surface-to-air missile systems. (Photo by ALEXIS HUGUET / AFP)

In a swift one-day trial, a military court in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo, has sentenced 25 soldiers to death for allegedly fleeing the battlefield while fighting against the M23 rebel group.

The soldiers, including two captains, were accused of deserting their posts during the ongoing conflict in the mineral-rich eastern region.

The trial, which was widely criticized by human rights groups, was convened at the Butembo garrison military court and saw 31 defendants, including 27 soldiers and four civilian wives, face charges of “fleeing the enemy”, dissipating war munitions, violating orders, and theft.

According to defense lawyers, the accused were denied adequate representation and were subjected to a rushed trial with inadequate evidence.

Justice System: Stakeholders Advocate an Enhanced Criminal Justice Law In Nigeria

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Stakeholders in the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws (ACJL) have advocated for functional and deepened parole to enhance Administration of Justice in the country.

They noted that reforms, effective domestication of the nation’s justice laws and collaboration among stakeholders are key to enhancing the justice system and parole.

The submission was made at a 2-Day performance appraisal workshop on the legal framework on parole and the administration of criminal justice law in Nigeria.

The workshop, organized by CLEEN Foundation, with support from MacArthur Foundation which was held in Benin City, Edo State capital had in attendance, representatives of Edo State government, Civil Society Organisations, police, NBA, Nigerian Correctional Service (NSC) and human rights commission amongst others.

Edo Governorship: Federal High Court Nullifies Edo State PDP Primary Election of February 22

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A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared as invalid the Peoples Democratic Party’s primary election that produced Asue Ighodalo as its governorship candidate.

The primary election conducted on February 22, 2024, was voided on the ground that 378 delegates who were supposed to vote at the primary election were unlawfully excluded by PDP.

Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo invalidated the primary election while delivering judgment in a suit instituted by the aggrieved delegates.

The suit marked THC/ABJ/CS/165/2024 was instituted by one Hon Kelvin Mohammed in a representative capacity.

Justice Ekwo held that both the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the PDP Guidelines were grossly violated in the conduct of the primary election at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin.

Power Outages: UNIBEN Shuts Down Indefinitely After Students Protest

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The Senate of the University of Benin has shut down academic activities at the institution following Wednesday’s protests.

Disclosing this in a statement on Thursday, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Benedicta Ehanire, said the shutdown does not affect the non-academic staff.

The university also ordered students to vacate their hostels immediately.

UNIBEN students took to the streets on Wednesday, blocking the busy Benin-Ore Highway to protest weeks of power outages on their campus.

The prolonged power cut has severely impacted their preparation for the upcoming first-semester examinations which are just two weeks away.

The students are asking for a 24-hour electricity supply in the university, an agitation the management has tagged as unrealistic.

JAMB Uncovers 3,000 Fake Graduates

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In furtherance to its efforts at purging the Nigerian educational system, the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) has raised the alarm, saying it had uncovered 3,000 fake graduates in possession of illegal certificates across the country.

The Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, who made this known in a report published in the board’s bulletin, said those involved were discovered to have never set foot within the four walls of a classroom.

Oloyede during a meeting with the delegation of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State Universities in Nigeria (COPSUN) in his office, at the National Headquarters, Bwari, Abuja, also condemned the act of illegal admissions by some institutions.

According to him, illegal admissions have remained a source of embarrassment to the country.

The registrar, therefore, charged COPSUN to ensure that they clamp down on underhand admissions, which is detrimental to the system and disadvantageous to the image of the country.

The development comes on the heels of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education, in December 2023, ordering the Board to present a list of tertiary institutions that had conducted irregular and illegal admissions.

In the statement titled, “Cessation of illegal/irregular admission,” JAMB reiterated that all applications of admissions to first degree, national diploma, national innovation diploma, and the Nigeria certificate in education into full-time, distance learning, part-time, outreach, sandwich, etc, must be processed only through JAMB.

Police Storm Kidnappers’ Hideout, Arrest Five Suspects In Abuja

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Picture shows two Nigerian Policemen wielding their riflles

As part of efforts to rid the nation’s capital of criminality, operatives of the FCT Police Command from the Utako division, have trailed and arrested five notorious kidnappers at Gwagwa and Dei-Dei on the outskirts of Abuja.

This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh.

She identified the suspects as Umar Abdullahi also known as Auta, Likita Abubakar, Salisu Sani, Sabiu Mohammed and Aliyu Suleiman.

According to him, the suspects were nabbed in connection with the kidnapping incident in Gwagwa on June 12, 2024, where a victim was kidnapped and the sum of ₦12m was collected as ransom from the victim’s family, while two others were killed.

The command’s spokesperson said that the suspects were also responsible for several kidnappings and other heinous acts in the Capital Territory.

Security: Kidnapped Kaduna Judge Released, Three Children Still In Captivity

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A silhouette depicting gunmen holding guns

A judge of the Upper Customary Court in Kaduna State Janet Gimba who was kidnapped by bandits along with her four children has been released.

But three of her children are still in the custody of the abductors.

Her husband Musa Gimba confirmed the judge’s release but said that the woman was released without her three children.

He disclosed that the bandits are demanding N150 million ransom within three days, threatening to kill them if the money is not given to them.

The female judge who is attached to the Upper Customary Court, Sabon Tasha Division in Kaduna State was kidnapped along with her four children on June 24, 2024, at their residence in the Mahuta area of Chikun Local Government Area in the outskirts of Kaduna metropolis.

But the spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command Mansir Hassan said the assailants later killed the woman’s 14-year-old eldest son Victor Gimba.

Police operatives found his corpse at the Sabon Tasha Division, Ungwan Bayero of Dutse village near the toll gate, along the Kaduna- Abuja highway on Tuesday, July 2nd.

In the wake of the incident, the police spokesman said the Command’s anti-kidnapping squad collaboration with other sister security agencies was working tirelessly to rescue the victims and also apprehend the bandits.

Smuggling: E.F.C.C. Intercepts 21 Food Trucks Heading To Neighbouring Countries

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has intercepted 21 food trucks heading to neighbouring countries.

Announcing the seizure in a statement on its X handle on Tuesday, the anti-graft agency said the items were heading towards N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central African Republic, and Cameroon.

The seizure was made by operatives of the EFCC Maiduguri Zonal Command, it said.

The commission stated that the arrest of the trucks is expected to stem the tide of food insecurity occasioned by unscrupulous antics of smugglers across the country.

Noting that the arrested suspects are being profiled, the agency vowed to charge them in court as soon as investigations are concluded.

The seizure is coming on the heels of the rising cost of food items in Nigeria. With inflation reaching 29.90 percent, the cost of living has reached the rooftops, prompting pockets of protests in several parts of the country.

Nigerian Economy: We’re Only In Challenging Times, Not In Distress – Tinubu

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President Bola Tinubu has said the nation’s economy is not in distress as widely assumed by many in various quarters of the country.
Tinubu stated this at the Leadership Conference and Awards on Tuesday in Abuja.
The President, represented by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the country is only facing challenging times marked with “unprecedented opportunities to reset” the economy.
He said his administration has made some bold decisions to return Nigeria to the path of economic prosperity, stressing that the Federal Government has set aside N200 billion to support Nigerian businesses, in addition to the student loan scheme and the Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, vehicles initiative.