DAILY NEWSPAPERS REVIEW WEDNESDAY MAY 5, 2021

FG PLEDGES TO SAVE ABDUCTED KADUNA VARSITY STUDENTS FROM EXECUTION – THISDAY PG.1 & 11

The federal government yesterday expressed its commitment to do all it could to save the remaining 16 students

of Greenfield University, Kaduna, whose abductors have threatened to kill for the delay in ransoming them. At a press conference in Abuja where he faulted the recommendations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in resolving the growing insecurity in the country, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the federal government, in line with its constitutional responsibility of protecting all Nigerians, would not fold its arms and allow the bandits who kidnapped the students execute them. The bandits had on Monday threatened to kill the remaining ones still in captivity if their demand for ransom was not met by yesterday.

KIDNAPPING, BANDITRY NOT FEDERAL OFFENCES – FG REPLIES PDP – DAILY TRUST PG.4, DAILY SUN PG.6

The Federal Government on Tuesday berated the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for displaying crass ignorance that kidnapping and banditry are not federal offences. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed at a media briefing in Abuja, said it was shocking that PDP ruled the nation for 16 years, yet ignorant of the legal structure. Mohammed was responding to an allegation by the opposition party that kidnappers and bandits were not being brought to book by the Federal Government.

ALLEGED MOLESTATION: BABA IJESHA RISKS LIFE SENTENCE – DAILY TRUST PG.8

The Lagos State Ministry of Justice has counselled the police to charge Olanrewaju James, Nollywood actor, also known as Baba Ijesha, to court on allegations of sexual abuse. In a statement on Tuesday, Moyosore Onigbanjo, Commissioner for Justice, said the Directorate of Public Prosecutions has recommended five charges against the actor. “It would be recalled that the Nigeria Police Force arrested Mr. Olanrewaju James (also referred to as Baba Ijesha) on account of various sexual abuse allegations. On the 30th of April, 2021, the Police forwarded the case file of COP v Olanrewaju James to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.”

BLASPHEMY: POLICE ORDER ARREST OF 13 IN LAGOS – DAILY TRUST PG.8

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, on Tuesday ordered the arrest of 13 leaders of warring groups in Gengere Community, Mile 12 Area of Ketu for their alleged involvement in the crisis rocking the business community. The leaders were said to have set some youths against themselves over an alleged statement credited to one Alhaji Alidu Mohammed, which they claimed disrespected and blasphemed Prophet Mohammed. Following the directives of the 13 leaders, some hoodlums in the community on April 30, 2021, at about 3.30 pm went on the rampage in the area.

IBORI LOOT: BANK DOCUMENTATION SHOULDN’T TAKE YEARS – OGHARA UNION – DAILY TRUST PG.34, DAILY SUN PG.3, THISDAY PG.38

The Oghara Development Union (ODU), Lagos branch, has asked the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to tell Nigerians the truth about the delay in repatriating the proceeds of assets confiscated from the three ladies in the Ibori trials. Malami had, in a statement by his spokesman, Umar Gwandu, on Monday, said documentations with banks in different countries were delaying the repatriation of the £4.2m stashed away by a former governor of Delta State, James Ibori. But the ODU, in a statement yesterday by its General Secretary, Sunday Agbofodoh, described Malami’s claim of bank documentations as scandalous and far from reality.

ACF, OHANAEZE, PDP SLAM BUHARI AS PRESIDENCY ALLEGES COUP PLOT – PUNCH PG.2

 The Peoples Democratic Party, the Arewa Consultative Forum, the Pan- Niger Delta Forum and the Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, on Tuesday took a swipe at the Presidency over an allegation that some leaders were plotting to overthrow the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). The groups, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, cautioned the Presidency against misinterpreting well-intended criticism amid worsening insecurity in the country. The Presidency earlier on Tuesday claimed it had evidence to show that some elements were recruiting ethnic groups and politicians with the motive of convening conferences where a vote of no confidence would be passed in the President.

JUDICIARY AUTONOMY: GROUP DEMANDS VISA BAN ON 34 GOVS – PUNCH PG.8

A civil society organisation, the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network on Tuesday called on the United States, United Kingdom and Canadian to impose visa ban on 34 state governors, their families, and their Attorney-Generals over their refusal to observe the constitutional provision on the funding of the judiciary. The organisation in a letter to the US Ambassador, British and Canada Higher Commissioners in Nigeria, said the continued lockdown of courts as a result of the governors’ refusal to observe the financial autonomy of the judiciary had constituted a grave assault on the Nigerian Constitution. The letter titled ‘Appeal for your intervention and urgent need to impose visa ban on the 34 state governors, their families and the 34 Attorney-Generals of the respective states of Nigeria’, dated May 4, 2021, was signed by Olu Omotayo and Dr. Danjuma Gambo, President and member, National Advisory Council for the group.

REPS SET TO INCREASE APPEAL COURT JUSTICES TO 150 – PUNCH PG.8, THISDAY PG.5

The House of Representatives has approved a bill seeking each division of the Court of Appeal to have a minimum of six justices per time for effective justice delivery. The amendment will consequently raise the number of justices from the current 90 to a minimum of 150. At the plenary on Tuesday, the House passed for second reading the Court of Appeal Act 2004 (Amendment) Bill, sponsored by the Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Mr Onofiok Luke.

DDP INDICTS BABA IJESHA OF SEXUAL OFFENCES, RECOMMENDS PROSECUTION – PUNCH PG.26, THE NATION PG.3

The Directorate of Public Prosecutions has said a prima facie case has been established against Yoruba actor, Mr Olanrewaju James, aka Baba Ijesha. Recall that the police arrested Baba Ijesha for sexual assaulting a minor in the care of a comedienne, Adekola Adekanya, aka Princess. On Friday, April 30, 2021, the police forwarded the case file to DPP for legal advice. The DPP in a statement on Monday signed by the Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, concluded that a prima facie case had been established against James.

WE’RE READY TO MOVE AGAINST BUHARI – MINORITY CAUCUS – PUNCH PG.27

The Minority Caucus of the National Assembly on Tuesday, threatened to use its legislative powers to move against the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), should he continue to breach the constitution. To make good its threat, the caucus has listed the various constitutional breaches which it said it would rely upon to invoke its constitutional powers, should the breaches persist. Leader of the caucus and Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, made this position known at a media briefing in Abuja, on Tuesday.

FG TO ARRAIGN 400 SUSPECTS ARRESTED FOR FUNDING BOKO HARAM AND BANDITS – THE NATION PG.6

400 suspects arrested for funding Boko Haram insurgents and bandits will soon be arraigned in court by the Federal Government.  The suspects were arrested in Kano, Borno, Abuja, Lagos, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kaduna and Zamfara, following an operation coordinated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Spokesperson to the Attorney-General of the federation (AGF), Umar Gwandu told newsmen on Monday May 3 that criminal charges bordering on terrorism were already being prepared against the suspects whose prosecution “will commence as quickly as possible”.