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The State Security Services detained and remanded in jail Tukur Mamu, who is accused of being a terrorist negotiator, and Tukur Mamu’s bail application was denied by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Department of State Services’ counter-affidavit, which was submitted in opposition to Mamu’s bail plea, convinced the court, according to a judgement by trial Justice Inyang Ekwo.

Mamu’s motion lacked merit, according to Justice Ekwo, and the applicant did not present enough evidence to persuade the court to exercise its discretion in his favor.

He observed that the defendant had not refuted the claims made by the Federal Government that he presented a flight risk and that further crimes were likely to be committed by him.

He said, “Generally, the law is that where averments in a counter affidavit are not countered, they are accepted to be true and correct and they require no further elaboration. This is because facts admitted need no further proof.”

Although the defendant argued that the SSS custody, where he was being held, could not address his medical issues, the judge held that other factors would need to be taken into account before making a decision.

“Again, the court will weigh the evidence to see whether the custodians allow the applicant requisite access to medical treatment peculiar to his medical condition.

“The court will also take into account the attitude of the defendant/applicant to the medical facility provided to him by his custodian.

“Where there is a medical facility by the custodian of the defendant which can adequately take care of the medical condition of the defendant, then the application for bail on medical grounds will not be countenanced by the court,” he said.

“Now, where the defendant willfully rejects the medical facility given to him by his custodian merely for the fact that such facility is not up to the standard that he expects, then, he has no good medical grounds for bail application.

“A defendant who is in the custody of the state or agency of the state like the complainant/respondent must understand that his medical care is at the expense of the state and must be reasonable in his demands,” he said.

The judge noted that evidence before the court revealed that it was after the defendant declined the DSS medical services that he was taken to Arewa Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Center, Jabi by the security outfit.

“There adequate tests and treatments were administered at the expense of the complainant/applicant and he was diagnosed with Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure was recommended, among other options, at the hospital, ” the judge said.

However, he claimed that the DSS had asserted that the hospital was both able and willing to assume responsibility for Mamu’s care and was adequately equipped to handle the defendant’s medical condition.

“A defendant who is in the custody of the state or agency of the state like the complainant/respondent must understand that his medical care is at the expense of the state and must be reasonable in his demands,” Justice Ekwo added.

The trial judge also ruled that Mamu failed to refute the claim that he had previously broken the terms of an administrative release that the DSS had granted him.

He claimed that the DSS’s arguments convinced him that the court should not use its discretion to accept Mamu’s request for bail.

According to the judge, “the discretion of the court to grant bail will not be exercised in favor of the defendant where any of the conditions in Section 162 of the ACJA 2015 Is established” when deciding whether to grant bail based on allegations in a charge sheet that are punishable by imprisonment for a term longer than three years.

“With this undertaking, this application for bail on medical grounds does not hold water.

“This application is consequently refused and Is hereby struck out. This is the order of this court.”

The Federal Government charged Mamu with ten counts, including financing terrorism and supporting terrorist activities in the nation, on March 21.

The Islamic scholar from Kaduna was also charged with soliciting money from the families of the victims of the train bombing on behalf of the Boko Haram terrorist group.

Investigations, according to FG’s testimony in court, showed that the defendant received a total of $420,000 from the relatives of the victims and another N21,000,000 from a different group of train attack victims’ families.

The Federal Government (FG) claimed that the defendant had voice note conversations with one Baba Adamu, who was named as the spokesperson for Boko Haram, in the charge that was signed by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, DPPF, Mr. M.B. Abubakar.

Recall that on September 6, 2022, Mamu was detained in Cairo, Egypt, while en route to Saudi Arabia with his family to do the smaller Hajj.

After being transported back into the nation, the DSS quickly took him into prison and sought a detention order against him.

According to allegations made against him, he persuaded the terrorists to negotiate ransom payments with specific families of the victims of the train attack rather than the Chief of Defense Staff Committee, which the Federal Government had established for his own financial gain.

The terrorists who attacked the train traveling from Abuja to Kaduna and kidnapped numerous people were believed to have nominated him.

Mamu was accused of obtaining ransom payments from hostage families on behalf of the Boko Haram militants, verifying the sum, and facilitating its transfer to the insurgents.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), claims that more than 60,000 soldiers were hired under his administration. He claims that this was done to strengthen the fighting capacity of the Nigerian Army.

This was said by Buhari on Thursday at Eagles Square in Abuja during the Nigerian Army Trooping and Presentation of Colors Parade 2023.

Other dignitaries in attendance were the Inspector-General of Police, Gen. Usman Baba, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor.

Other attendees included the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, and members of the National Executive Council.

The trooping and presentation of colors parade is held when a regiment or unit retires its previous colors and receives a set of new ones, according to reports.

According to the country’s armed forces, it is typically held once every 15 to 20 years, although the last time such a parade was held in Nigeria was in 2007 when 32 units/regiments received new colors.

The regimental colors of 53 troops were replaced on Thursday, and 28 new ones were given to newly formed units.

Speaking at the event, Buhari said, “Our interventions and budgetary allocation to the army between 2020 and 2022 alone has been able to procure hundreds of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, troops carrying vehicles, utility vehicles, tanks and armoured personnel carriers to augment those earlier procured from 2017 to 2022.

“Significant numbers of new fighting and utility vehicles, along with artillery guns, machine guns, rifles and correspondent ammunition were acquired and inducted into various theatres of operations.

“This will lead to significant increment in the animal equipment holding since 2015 with a significant improvement in the fighting power as a result of the procurement of equipment and mission specific training.”

The President also mentioned how the army had changed how it conducted its operations to better suit the times. He claimed that since 2015, the army had implemented a number of platforms that had allowed soldiers to wage war against terrorists and criminals, especially in the North-East.

He added, “As an administration, we have demonstrated commitment to increase the strength of the armed forces in my resolve to secure the country against all challenges.

“It is instructive to state that from 2015, when I was sworn in as the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, I facilitated the recruitment of over 60,000 soldiers for the Nigerian army aside thousands of commissioned officers from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.

“In the area of troops welfare, this administration has facilitated the approval of the Manual for Financial Administration which has greatly enhanced the pay and allowances of troops. This has no doubt boosted the troops morale and enhanced the deal. To discharge their constitutional mandate.

“Furthermore, in my resolve to cater for the families of disease personnel, over 50,000 children and wards of personnel who died in active service on the Nigerian Army Scholarship from 2015 to date.

“In terms of infrastructural development, this administration has made determined efforts to surmount the deficit in accommodation and other amenities.”

Buhari continued, “Considering the establishment and operationalization of new units in line with the army’s increasing operational commitments, the trooping and presentation of colors parade was significant.”

“Today’s ceremony is a continuation of our efforts to reinvigorate the fighting secret of our troops through the inculcation of greater pride in their units.

“Let me use this medium to sincerely recommend the officers and men of the army, all members of the Armed Forces and other security agencies for their exceptional performance in various operations across the country. Since the inception of this administration, the nation’s security situation was greatly challenged by the activities of violent non-state actors.

“Today, I am pleased to specifically note that the situation has tremendously improved and I wish to also proudly highlight that we have made remarkable progress in the fight against insurgents, militants, oil bunkers, kidnappers and other criminal elements in the country.”

Gloria Izonfuo, a Federal Commissioner with the National Population Commission in Bayelsa State who was kidnapped by gunmen on the Ogbakiri axis of the East-West Road in Rivers State, has escaped captivity after five days.

Mrs. Izonfuo, a former Head of Service in Bayelsa State, was kidnapped last Sunday while returning from a trip to Brass, Bayelsa State, at the Ogbakiri intersection in Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers State.

She had been taken away by the gunmen along with her driver and maid.

Grace Iringe-Koko, a representative of the Rivers State Police Command, verified her release to our correspondent on Friday morning.

“Yes, she was released this morning (Friday). An investigation is still ongoing to apprehend the kidnappers and make them face justice,” Iringe-Koko stated.

RnB singer, Robert Sylvester Kelly, popularly known as R. Kelly, has been moved to a correctional centre located in North Carolina, the United States of America, where he is expected to serve his 30-year prison sentence in connection with multiple sexual offences.

He was moved to the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Caroline Wednesday last week from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, the US Federal Bureau of Prisons announced.

R. Kelly, in February 2023, was sentenced to one additional year in prison for his Chicago conviction of federal child pornography and child enticement charges.

This is in addition to the 30 years he’s already serving for a separate conviction out of New York.

In September, a federal jury in Chicago had convicted the singer of six-count charges of sexual abuse against three women.

The women had testified under the pseudonyms names Jane, Pauline, and Nia on video.

He was also acquitted by the jury of enticement charges involving two other accusers – Tracy and Brittany.

The singer was also acquitted of seven other charges, including obstruction of justice, accusing him and two associates of rigging his 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County.

Mallam Salihu Lukman, national vice chairman of the All Progressives Congress for the North-West, followed through on his promise to file a lawsuit against Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman, and Iyiola Omisore, national secretary, for allegedly violating the party’s constitution.

After giving Adamu and Omisore a one-week deadline to call an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council to discuss the problems in the party, Lukman announced the latest development.

Lukman issued a warning that failure to call the NEC meeting will lead him to seek a court injunction to enforce compliance with the APC constitution’s stipulations.

In the past year, there have been numerous instances of conflict between the lawmaker from Kaduna State and the national head of the APC.

The APC national vice chairman for the North West bemoaned that in addition to frequently criticizing Adamu of being a one-man show, Adamu had also reduced the members of the National Working Committee to serving as merely rubber stamps to endorse significant decisions he made alone.

However, the situation changed on Thursday when Adamu and Omisore received official notice of the court summons.

“They were officially served this afternoon. In fact, I can even say confidently that members of the NWC are equally aware that Lukman has matched his threat with action,” a source at the APC secretariat told our correspondent.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit brought by Lukman’s attorney, Mohammed Abdullahi of Lexhill City Attorneys, gave the party’s secretary 30 days to answer to the summons.

The National Economic Council said on Thursday in Abuja that it has decided that the gasoline subsidy should “not be removed” as originally anticipated for June 2023.

This was revealed to State House reporters by Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, just after the final Council meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and held in the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The Council, according to Ahmed, agreed that further debate of the matter was necessary, and he added that the FG, as well as the states and representatives of the new administration, need more preparation.

She said, “Council agreed that the timing of the removal of fuel subsidy should not be now. But that we should continue with all of the preparatory works that need to be done and that this preparatory has to be done in consultation with the states and other key stakeholders including representatives of the incoming administration.

“Council agreed that the fuel subsidy must be removed earlier rather than later because it is not sustainable. We cannot afford it anymore. But we have to do it in such a way that the impact of the subsidy is as much as possible, mitigated on the lives of ordinary Nigerians. 

“So, this will require looking at alternatives to the fuel subsidy that needs to be planned for and subsequently put in place. But also what needs to be done to support the people that will be most affected as a result of the removal.” 

In addition, Ahmed said that between now and June 2023, the FG will collaborate with state officials.

“We have a plan that we will start working on, putting the building blocks towards the eventual removal of the first subsidy. 

“And if I may remind this forum that the budget for 2023 has a provision for fuel subsidy only up to June 2023 and also the Petroleum Industry Act has a provision that requires that all petroleum products must be deregulated 18 months after the effective date of the PMS removal and that that period is also up to June 2020,” the minister explained.

Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s nominee for president, claims that since he started running for office in 1993, he has done so without encountering any problem, in contrast to Bola Tinubu, the APC nominee, who is dealing with alleged drug and identity crises.

This was said by Atiku in response to Tinubu and the APC’s preliminary opposition to Atiku’s petition disputing Tinubu’s declaration as the victor of the February 25 presidential election.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Tinubu received 8,794,726 votes to win the election.

The commission announced that Peter Obi of the Labour Party received 6,101,533 votes, placing him second behind Atiku, who received 6,984,520 votes.

However, Atiku, Obi, and a few other parties disapproved of the INEC’s results and petitioned the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja to declare the election invalid.

Atiku’s plea had prompted Tinubu to call the former vice president of Nigeria a “serial loser,” saying that he had been attempting unsuccessfully to win the presidency since 1993.

But Atiku said that there was no basis for comparison in his response to Tinubu, which was submitted to the tribunal.

“The comparison of the second respondent (Tinubu) with the first petitioner ( Atiku) who had attained the eminent position of Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for eight years is unfounded,” Atiku said.

The former VP said unlike him, Tinubu is being  dogged by many “controversies such as age, state of origin, identity, educational qualifications represented by certificates obtained from universities and colleges, forfeiture in drug-related offences and failure to disclose dual nationality to the 1st respondent (INEC), among others.”

Atiku argued that rather than respond to the issues he raised in his petition, Tinubu went on to dwell on “extraneous facts, contradictory, evasive, speculative and vague assertions.”

Through his primary attorney, Chris Uche (SAN), Atiku, among others, claimed that Tinubu was unqualified to lead Nigeria because he reportedly forfeited $460,000 to the US government in a drug-related court case.

The VP added that: “Tinubu holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea.”

He maintained that the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the elections should be annulled, because he did not secure 25 per cent of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory.

Defending the President-elect, however, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, berated Atiku raising the drugs allegation, adding that “I am happy that he admitted that he is a perpetual loser. If you know that you are proud loser, why stand for an election that you know the outcome even from where you stand? What’s the point?”

In the meantime, the Labour Party candidate, Obi, accused INEC of bias in his own statement, calling the electoral umpire’s determination that Tinubu won the poll and that the petitions contesting the declaration should be dismissed embarrassing.

The fact that INEC, which ought to be impartial, filed a preliminary objection to the petitions contesting Tinubu’s victory, according to Obi, is bizarre.

 “The first respondent, forgetting its role as an electoral umpire, gave a Notice of Preliminary Objection to challenge the alleged incompetence of the petition.

“The global best practice for electoral umpires in national elections is that an electoral body must avoid creating the impression that it has no respect for neutrality in an electoral contest between candidates.

“The appellate courts have repeatedly admonished the first respondent of its need to remain neutral in election proceedings. However, the first respondent, hereof, has remained impervious to change.

“Therefore, it is not only an embarrassment but a repudiation of the duty of the first respondent when it adorns the garb of a contestant in an election it conducted as an umpire to raise preliminary objection against an election petition as in the case hereof.”

Tuesday, a few Americans with ties to the Kingdom of Ile-Ife were guests of Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ile-Ife.

Ambassador Dotun Taylor, the Asoju Asa of Ile Oodua, led the Americans to the Ooni.

The Ooni emphasized the thrill that comes from identifying with one’s origins.

“If you take a closer look at yourselves in comparison to your kinsmen and women here, you will agree with me that there is no difference between us.

“The only difference is that my own forefathers missed the boat that yours caught up with.

“So, my dear children, you are welcome home and I pray that the meaningful names you are being bestowed with today will manifest in all your endeavours.

“Luckily for you, your source (Ile-Ife) which is within the Federal Republic of Nigeria is filled with lovely people and it’s a very safe environment,” Ogunwusi said.

He advised them to expand their business operations in Ile-Ife and take advantage of the numerous investment prospects.

Taylor began by stating that the guests are certain that they are of African descent since a scientific test, generally known as “Ancestral DNA,” revealed that they contain a significant amount of the African gene.

“Kabiyesi Alase, this is the product of your consistent investment in the promotion of our prestigious culture and preservation of the Yoruba history.

“This is the commencement of a process that will lead to the naturalisation of foreigners who are of black origin to becoming Nigerians and particularly Yoruba sons and daughters.

“We are working with all needed authorities in this regard including the Ministry of Interior and the traditional institution under the leadership of our father, the Ooni,” Taylor said.

Mrs. Delzora Dotson, who is now to be addressed as Mrs. Delzora Omotilewa Dotson, spoke on behalf of the Americans and praised the experience.

Dotson said she is eager to share her findings with her friends and family.

“Right now, I am feeling the connection of origination and I am happy to be back home,” she said.

The 37 authorized centers for the state’s ongoing University Tertiary Matriculation Examination have been staffed by 422 members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Kano State.

This was said by the state commandant, Mr. Adamu Salihu, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Kano.

He clarified that the cops were stationed at the testing locations to keep an eye on the exercise and to ensure that the specified locations were secure.

He claimed that the leadership sent two officers to each of the 37 centers spread throughout the state to ensure a smooth exercise.

“There will be three sessions of exams for three days and for each session we deployed two officers to monitor the exercise.’’

Salihu said the command had not received any negative report so far.

He claims that the exercise has gone off without a hitch so far; there have been no instances of examination fraud, no arrests, and the environment is favorable.

A NAN correspondent who visited some centers noticed that candidate registration began early and that various experiences were documented throughout the process.

Some of the problems were resolved right away, according to a supervisor at the center who asked to remain anonymous.

He said that the practice had gone smoothly up to this point.

According to NAN, 740 centers will serve the entire country’s 1.5 million candidates who will be taking the computer-based tests.

Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, remembered how Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, anointed him back in 2018 and foretold his rise to power.

Adeleke also said that even though the prophecy did not immediately come to pass, he was not discouraged. Adeleke made these remarks on Wednesday at the opening of the Jennifer Etuh Medical Centre and Skills Acquisition Centre, both of which were built by the Jennifer Etuh Foundation in memory of the late Jennifer Etuh. Ifewara, Osun State.

The governor, who pledged to lead the state in fear of God, noted that the foundation’s supply of the health facility was in line with his administration’s free medical and surgical effort, which saw the treatment of various illnesses in over 20,000 disadvantaged inhabitants.

He said, “Pastor Adeboye anointed me in 2018, and said that I would be the next governor of Osun State. I have faith in his declaration. After I was cheated in 2018, I went back to school to prepare. I returned in 2022. The prophecy of Baba Adeboye started manifesting.

“Since I took over as the governor of the state, I have rolled out several initiatives. Part of it is Imole Medical Outreach. A leader must have the fear of God; I have the fear of God; that is why I am paying backlog of salaries that they owe pensioners and workers. A leader must do what is right for the people.”

In his remarks, Pastor Adeboye referred to the late Jennifer Etuh as “one of my favorite daughters,” noting that before her passing, she requested the construction of six hospitals, one of which would be located in Ifewara, where he was born and raised.

The clergyman claimed that, prior to the health center being donated by the foundation, he had tried to create a similar facility for the community but had been unable to do so due to the expense.

The late Jennifer Etuh given instructions on what should be done with her investments before her passing, according to Mr. Thomas Etuh, chairman of the Jennifer Etuh Foundation and the late Jennifer’s husband.

“To the glory of God, and because of the untiring commitment of of the Jennifer Etuh Foundation, this is the third hospital being commissioned. We commissioned the first on her second year remembrance in January 2022 in Odu in Kogi State.

“It was one of the locations she had specified, which is my hometown. We commissioned the second one in Kagoro, Kaduna State, which is her own hometown.