Policemen At Makoko Demolition Were On Illegal Duty

                                                                             Picture. SaharaReporters

So it appears that the policeman who shot chief, Timothy Hunpoyanwa on the day of the Makoko demolition process was not meant to be on duty. Infact, the Lagos police command spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, said she could not put a figure, of those who were on illegal duty.

The visibly angry CP Umar Manko during a condolence visit to the Makoko Community, appealed for calm, he explained that the procedure for the policemen to accompany taskforce officials were not met.

He said there ought to have been a written application to the command requesting for the services of the policemen, after which the command would detail the Marine Police to deploy some of its men.

He, therefore, assured that the command would not leave any stone unturned in ensuring that justice was done, informing that the corporal who allegedly fired the fatal shot was already in detention, stressing that the command would not condone any act of indiscriminate killing from its men.

"We condone with you concerning the death of the chief. We will ensure that justice takes place. The Nigerian Police is undergoing transformation. The era where people shoot anyhow has ended. Therefore, anybody who does such will face the consequences."

Responding, one of the traditional chiefs, Balee Jeje Ayinde, lamented what he described as untold pains fishermen in the area faced in the hands of policemen, appealing to the CP to ensure that such stopped.

He also appealed to the CP to plead with the Lagos State Government on their behalf, to allow them remain in Makoko, adding that they had no other place to go to.

The President of the Fishermen Association, Mr. Emmanuel Agbe, described the area as their ancestral home, adding, "our forefathers came here in 1890 about 120 years ago. This is the only place we have come to recognize as home. Please, beg Fashola to leave us alone."

I have questions regarding this officer on" illegal duty". At what point did the Police come together to be briefed regarding their mission? Was there not a head count (or something)? Who supervised this? Is it normal for an overworked police officer to tag along because he has nothing better to do on a Monday? With this statement claiming the officer was off duty or on illegal duty, is the Government still vicariously liable for the actions of the policeman?

I think so! Although the policeman was off duty. The moment he set foot in that community, in uniform, working alongside his colleges, the officer invoked his official authority. Vicarious liability has been established, because he was purporting to act in his official capacity at the time.

People Of Makoko Protest Outside Gov. Fashola’s Office

                                                   All Pictures from Sahara Reporters

After the Lagos State Government gave residents of Makoko, 72 hours notice to quit their homes amidst much public criticism, The Egun Community decided to show Governor Fashola just how displeased they were, by holding a protest today, outside his office at Alausa.

Addressing the protesting community, Governor Babatunde Fashola said that some individuals, whom he did not identify, are benefiting from the sufferings of the residents as they live on the water, and are receiving grants from international charities and funding bodies.

He told the residents that occupants of the demolished areas, were largely people from Cameroun, Republic of Benin and Togo.
 
In the course of forcefully evicting the residents on Monday, the Baale of Makokos assistant was shot and killed by a policeman during a peaceful protest by residents and supporters.

The Governor, after condoling with the Baale, Steven Ajih, over the killing of his Assistant Timothy Azinpono, did not say what his administration would do to bring the killer to book, but he opened his doors to a conversation with the Baale on the boundaries of the demolition exercise on the waterfront.
 
Well known lawyer, Femi Falana, reacted to the news of the eviction by lashing out at the Fashola administration saying it is “promoting murder, orchestrating a massive internal displacement of citizens through forceful eviction, and waging a war of impunity against poor people”..... “Lagos State Government should be held vicariously liable in the circumstance” which he described as a “willful destruction of properties… that is illegal and unconstitutional.”

Arsenal Stars To Visit Nigeria Next Week

So it seems like the presence of Arsenal will be felt in Nigeria after all, in the form of Tomas Rosicky, Bacary Sagna, Per Mertesacker, and new signing, Lukas Podolski.
The quartet will travel to Lagos in the company of Gunners' officials on the weekend starting July 27, confirmed Arsenal’s Head of Global Partnerships, Vinai Venkatesham on the club's official website.

The players will take part in activities with partners and supporters of the club following their disappointing postponement of a friendly game against the Nigerian men's national team, the Super Eagles, set for August 5th.
“We were disappointed to have postponed the game and intend to visit Nigeria next summer, but we are delighted to be bringing this group of players to Nigeria.“It will give us a chance to engage with local supporters and reinforce our commitment to the market,” said Venkatesham.
The four players will also take part in promotional events for Malta Guinness and Airtel.

Dame Patience Jonathan Has Road Named After Her

Congratulations are in order for the wife of the president, Dame Patience Jonathan, as a refurbished road has just been renamed after the endearing personality. 

The road links the Defence Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA), who were responsible for its construction, with Shehu Musa YarAdua Barracks.

Dame Patience Jonathan was unable to attend the ceremony as she had already left for the capital of Bayelsa, Yenagoa where she is to be sworn in by Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson as a Permanent Secretary amidst controversy over her suitability.

Obasanjo To Lose 2,500 hectares Of Land Gift By Gbenga Daniel; Daniel To Lose 100 Hectares Allocated To Himself

A commission set up by the Ogun State government has revealed that former President, Olusegun Obasanjo
was fraudulently allocated 2,250 hectares of land by the immediate past Governor of the state, Mr. Gbenga Daniel.
That allocation will now be cancelled.

(SaharaReporters) ....Obasanjo, who already owns thousands of hectares of land throughout the state, both developed and undeveloped, was allocated the land by Mr. Daniel in Soseri village.
Mr. Daniel, no slouch in the greed department, helped himself to the spoils of office by awarding 100 hectares to a privately owned company, K&F Daniels Ltd, at Oke Odan.
He will also lose that allocation, among others.
These decisions follow the state government’s acceptance of the recommendation of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Land Allocations, Acquisitions, Sales and Concessions of Government Properties and Administration of Land Policies, Rules and Regulations Between January 2004 and May 29, 2011 and Other Matters Connected.
The commission recommended that all the agricultural land allocations of state property made in Ogun State between January 2004 and May 29, 2011 be cancelled.
Following the recommendation, the government has also revoked the allocation of land to Compass Newspaper, which is owned by Mr. Daniel.
The panel held that “the allocation made to this company at such gross under-value and the issuance of Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to it before it paid any money for the land, were wrongful acts done contrary to established procedure and not in the public interest, and should therefore not be allowed to stand.”
It was also discovered that Daniel’s company, Western Publishing Company, got its C of O before it even paid for the land upon which its headquarters was built.
The C of O, numbered 025305 and registered as 12/12/676, was issued to the company on the 10th of March, 2008, when it had not paid for the land.
“It was stated that the price of the land as at the time it was bought was N24m, whereas Mr. Daniel merely paid N4m after he had signed the C of O for his company,” and the commission recommended that both the allocation and the Certificate of Occupancy be cancelled.
Among those who benefited from the last-minute gift-giving of land by Daniel were some of his former commissioners like Mrs. Folake Marcus-Bello (20 hectares), Lekan Bello (20 hectares) and Kehinde Sogunle (15 hectares).

Nigeria demands return of stolen artifacts

Officials of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments have demanded that United States Museum of Fine Arts in Boston return 32 artifacts looted in 1897.

According to Yusuf Usman, the Director-General of the Commission, the said items were looted as spoils of war during the Benin Massacre of 1897 by a British expedition.

"Without mincing words, these artworks are heirloom of the great people of the Benin Kingdom and Nigeria generally," Usman said. "They form part of the history of the people. The gap created by this senseless exploitation is causing our people, untold anguish, discomfort and disillusionment."

The sculptures are comprised of 28 bronze pieces and six ivory.

"It is very saddening that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, [which] now claim[s] to be the new beneficiary of these works, indicate[s] that the donation met all legal standards," Usman said. "One wonders what they mean by this. Are they working out of the UNESCO Conventions and other standard setting instruments?"

Source

Plateau - 5,500 Displaced in Barkin Ladi, Riyom Councils, Says Red Cross

The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and Nigeria Red Cross (NRC) yesterday has said that about 5,500 persons were displaced, during the recent attacks on villages in Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau State.

A joint statement issued by ICRC and NRC and signed by the Head of the ICRC's office in Jos, Julia Unger, said: 

 "The armed violence and clashes that took place on the July 7 and 8 between the mainly livestock-herding Fulani and the farming Berom communities in Riyom and Barkin Ladi, near Jos (Plateau State) caused dozens of casualties and forced more than 5,500 people to flee their homes."

"This is the fourth of such intervention for victims of inter-community violence in Plateau State since the ICRC opened its new office in Jos in February, this year in collaboration with NRC. People left their homes and ran to safety with only the clothes they were wearing. They need everything to survive in this kind of situation. So far, ICRC had delivered one month's food rations (including rice, beans and cooking oil) along with blankets, buckets, soap and other essential items to over 2,800 displaced people
It has also installed 10 temporary sanitary facilities in places where the displaced persons are hosted, and it is in the process of installing two hand pumps to improve their access to water." he went on to say "They have urgent needs in terms of food, water and basic household items. A curfew has been imposed in the affected areas to quell any further violence, and the security situation remains unpredictable," 


On the other hand the CNPP Chairman, Alhaji Abba Sididescribed the ejection of the herdsmen as inhuman and a violation of their human rights, stated that the Fulani herdsmen had been living in such settlements for over a century ago and wondered why government would embark on such obnoxious policy.
He lamented that the Fulani herdsmen were relocated to a place that was not conducive for them without any relief material from the government.
The ejection of the herdsmen would worsen the security situation in the state, adding that the policy was ill-conceived and an indication of federal government's failure to tackle the security challenge in the country.
The CNPP chairman attributed the recurring violence and bloodshed in Plateau state to injustice and failure of the leadership in the state to be fair to all.
He also attributed the problem to Governor Jonah Jang's incompetence and failure to unite all ethnic groups in the state.
"As far as we are concerned, Jang is incompetent to run the affairs of Plateau State and had shown discrimination against other ethnic groups that are not Beroms in the state."
Thus, he should realise that power is transient and will account for his deeds before God in the hereafter," Sidi stressed.
The CNPP chairman appealed to Fulani herdsmen in Plateau state to be patient and law abiding and should not take law into their hands.
He also called on the leadership in the state to strive to unite all warring groups for peace to reign.


Source Thisday Newspaper