IGP redeploys Kano CP to Ebonyi over allegations of corruption

ByNews Desk

November 4, 2022

The Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman, has redeployed the Kano State Commissioner of Police Abubakar Lawal to Ebonyi State, following allegations of corruption against him by senior police officers in the state.

In a signal with reference number: TH.5361/FS/FHQ/ABJ/V.T3/87 released Friday evening, the IGP posted the Ebonyi State Police Commissioner Aliyu Garba to replace Mr Usman with immediate effect.

SOLID UPDATES gathered that senior police officers in the Kano State Police Command had cried out over the CP’s alleged corrupt practices, a situation that prompted the IGP to order discreet investigation into the allegations.

Sources familiar with the situation also said the IGP also personally asked some officers in the command, who confirmed the allegations against the CP.

According inside sources, the CP, upon posting to Kano in August, reviewed all the “lucrative cases” in the command and transferred them to his office and also “taxed” strategic departments and divisions under the command on “huge weekly returns”.

New Kano CP Aliyu Garba

The new Kano commissioner of police is a graduate of BA History from University of Sokoto, and holds Masters of Art in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Science and Technology, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

He was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force in the year 1990 as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police, Cadet ASP, at Police Academy (Annex) Kaduna State, trained for 18 months and was posted to Oyo State Command as Admin Officer.

He was later transferred to Niger State Command in 1992 where he became the ADC to the then governor of Niger State, Musa Inuwa.

Mr Garba served in various capacities of the force and attended several professional courses in law enforcement, crime prevention/control and management within and outside the country.

He was one-time Deputy Commissioner of Police Welfare, Department of Finance and Administration, Force Headquarters, Abuja, DCP Research and Planning Force Headquarters, Abuja, the Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone 2 Headquarters, Lagos.

 

2023: 60 Nollywood stars declare support for Tinubu

By Harun Babaizhi On Nov 5, 2022

Popular Nollywood actors, producers and entertainers under the auspices of Progressive Coalition of Entertainers have declared total support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2023 general elections. The group, led by popular actor, Saheed Balogun, announced this during a courtesy visit to the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa on Friday at the assembly’s complex in Lagos.

Obasa who received the group, urged them not to relent in their effort to ensure victory for the APC presidential candidate in the election. He said: “Our task is to involve people, enlighten them and make them see reasons why they should continue to support APC. We know the group has always supported the party and we want them to continue. To us, every vote is an investment because every single vote counts.”

Speaking on the visit, Balogun said the group of over 60 celebrities had come to endorse Tinubu because of his impact on the development of Lagos. He said: “Since the campaign has commenced, the artists, having large followers on social media, see it as an opportunity to reach out and engage prospective voters. This is because we see Tinubu as one who had done a lot to qualify as the next president of Nigeria and we hope to continue to release the presidential candidate’s achievements.

“Asiwaju has done well and it is time to pay back. Every successive government continues to build on his foundation.”

 

Court dismisses case seeking disqualification of Rivers PDP governorship candidate

By Harun Babaizhi On Nov 5, 2022

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has dismissed a suit seeking to disqualify the 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Siminalaye Fubara. A PDP governorship aspirant, Chief Morgan West, had claimed Fubara was not a member of the PDP and did not have a valid party membership card, among other allegations.

But the presiding judge, Justice Adamu T. Mohammed, in his ruling on Friday, threw out the suit for incompetence and lack of jurisdiction. The court averred that the originating summons was incompetent because it was not signed by a legal practitioner known to law. Justice Mohammed ruled that the defendants were able to prove their case that the plaintiff did not exhaust the internal remedial procedures as provided in the PDP’s constitution before going to court.

The court said that the plaintiff had signed an undertaken to abide by the outcome of the primary election without resorting to any litigation and should be bound by it. Mohammed said: “The plaintiff is hereby bound by the undertaken he made,” in addition to his failure to exhaust the internal dispute mechanisms as provided in the constitution of the party, as an aggrieved aspirant. Justice Mohammed added that the matter was incompetent because proper parties mentioned in his affidavit were not before the court.

The court said the plaintiff in his affidavit in support of his originating summons made allegations of fact against the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Onueze Okocha and a former governor of the state (now derecognized) Sir Celestine Omehia, whereas the parties were not joined as parties before the court. Speaking outside the court, the lawyer to Fubara and the PDP, Okechukwu Umodu, expressed happiness over the judgement in favour of his client.

 

Sperm count drops by 30 per cent in 10 years — Report

By Harun Babaizhi On Nov 5, 2022

sperm

In the last 10 years, the sperm count of men across the country has dropped by 30 per cent, according to a report from the Nordica Fertility and Fibroid Care Centre.

The Centre noted that while male infertility is on the rise globally, in Nigeria, its data showed that the region most hit by this condition are states in the oil producing region of the country.

It further revealed that the primary cause of this alarming rate of infertility among men is majorly due to unhealthy lifestyle choices, especially excessive drinking, smoking, use of sex enhancing drugs, sedentary lifestyle and stress, among others.

The Chief Medical Director of Nordica Fertility and Fibroid Care Centre, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, who made this known during a briefing to commemorate its 10 years anniversary in Abuja, also called for legislation on assisted conception to reduce quackery in the country.

He said: “Men now are probably the greater culprit in infertility. What we say normally is that it is between 30 to 40 per cent for men and 30 to 40 per cent for women. But we know now that all over the world and in Nigeria, the male factor is increasing. 

“We analysed data from all our centres. One thing we saw was that when we looked at sperm count 10 years apart, we saw that there was a decline of 30 per cent in the sperm count of the men we are treating 10 years after.