Ike Ekweremadu, Wife Arrested In UK.
Ekweremadu
Metropolitan police says they have arrested Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu aged 55 and Ike Ekweremadu aged 60 over plan to harvest the organs of a child.
According to Sky News, the two people have been charged for conspiracy to bring a child to the UK in order to harvest organs.
The newspaper said the two Ekweremadus have been remanded in custody and will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court today.
Charges were brought against the pair, who are from Nigeria, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime team.
A child has now been safeguarded.
The investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022, the force said.
A police statement said: “A woman and a man were charged today with conspiring to arrange the travel of a child into the UK in order to harvest organs.
“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime team.
“Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55 (10.9.66) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (12.05.62) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“They have both been remanded in custody and will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court later today.
“The investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022.
“A child has been safeguarded and we are working closely with partners on continued support.
“As criminal proceedings are now under way we will be providing further details.”
Leadership Crisis Jits Bauchi APC, As Groups Call For Sack Of State Chairman
A leadership crisis has hit the Bauchi State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a coalition of 46 different pressure groups under the party has called on the National leadership of the party to as a matter of urgency, sack the chairman of the part in the state, Babayo Aliyu Misau.
The groups also called on the chairman of APC stakeholders in the state, Malam Adamu Adamu as well as the former Speaker of the House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara to within 48 hours suspend the Chairman of the party for failure to address the internal crisis rocking the party which had led to mass defection of members.
The call was contained in a statement signed by Hon. Sallau Kafi on behalf of the 46 different groups and made available to newsmen in Bauchi on Wednesday.
The statement contained an allegation that the Chairman was taking the affairs of the party as his personal property by sidelining other Executive members in decision making.
The coalition also alleged that the chairman does not follow financial regulations in spending funds received monthly as contributions from major stakeholders.
The group equally accused the party Chairman of siding with aspirants before the just concluded party primaries while adopting ‘I don’t care attitude’ with the candidature of the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the state.
According to the statement, This act was capable of jeopardizing the chances of the APC ahead of the 2023 general elections.
They attributed the mass defection of members from the party to the bad leadership style of the chairman hence the need for him to step aside for his deputy to lead the party to victory.
2023: Why I Visited Wike – Peter Obi Opens Up
The former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has revealed the reason for his visit to the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike.
It was earlier reported that Peter Obi, met with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Wednesday in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
Speaking about the visit, Peter Obi via his verified Twitter page on Wednesday disclosed that he visited Port Harcourt to confer with the Rivers state, Governor, Wike about vital issues of national interest.
Sharing the photos, he tweeted; ”Earlier today, I visited Port-Harcourt, to confer with H.E. @GovWike on vital issues of national interest. -PO”
Meanwhile, Doyin Okupe, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has denied claims that the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, and the former Emir of Kano State, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had endorsed the party’s presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi.
A viral post credited to Sanusi had described Obi as a contented man, who has volunteered to save Nigeria from impending dangers by contesting the presidency.
Also, posts attributed to the Sultan of Sokoto that had endorsed Obi recently surfaced online.
One of the post claimed that the monarch promised to mobilise five million votes for the LP candidate.
RMAFC: President Buhari Tables Requests Before Senate
President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Senate to confirm the appointment of Mohammed Bello Shehu as Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
The request for confirmation was made known in a letter to the upper legislative chambers on Wednesday.
The letter to the red chambers was read to lawmakers by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
The letter reads, “In accordance with the provision of Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I am pleased to forward for confirmation by the Senate, the appointment of Mohammed Bello Shehu, as the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
“His CV is attached herewith.
“It is my hope that the Senate will consider and confirm the nominee in the usual expeditious manner.”
In a related news, Buhari also sought the confirmation of Joe Aniku Michael Ohiani as the Substantive Director-General/CEO for the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to the Committee on Works.
Also forwarded was the President’s request for the confirmation of Umar Yahaya as Co-Chairman of the Governing Council of Unclaimed Funds to the Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions.
Michael Ohiani, Bello Shehu and Yahaya are expected to appear before the relevant Committees for screening.
Presidency 2023: ‘Voting For Peter Obi Is Like Throwing Away Votes’ – Ike Ekweremadu
Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu has said that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi cannot become the president of Nigeria.
Ekweremadu also revealed the political party the Igbos would vote for in the 2023 election.
Speaking with newsmen on Wednesday, the lawmaker who hails from Enugu acknowledged that Peter Obi is a credible candidate and their son but they need to be dynamic in the election.
According to Ike Ekweremadu, the former Anambra State Governor cannot win the presidential election and the east cannot afford to throw away their votes.
He said that people from the Southeast region should not make decisions they will regret later or will affect their future.
Ekweremadu expressed confidence that the Southeast would vote for the opposition People’s Democratic Party as he likened voting for Peter Obi as ‘throwing away votes’.
14 Aggrieved Supreme Court Judges ‘Battle’ CJN Tanko
The Chief Judge of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad has been locked in a feud with some judges of the Supreme Court over his running of the apex court.
The rift between the top judges came to limelight after letters sent to CJN Tanko Muhammad was leaked to the press.
The judges had accused Justice Tanko of “Absence of probity and moral rectitude” in the management of the court.
The judges, who are fourteen in number, slammed the CJN for neglecting their welfare, not carrying them along in managing the affairs of the court, the deteriorating condition of services generally, and the state of the litigations department.
The 14 aggrieved justices listed their names as; Olukayode Ariwoola, Musa Dattijo Mohammed, Kudirat Motonmori O. Kekere-Ekun, John Inyang Okoro, Chima Centus Nweze, Amina Adamu Augie, Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, Mohammed Lawal Garba, Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju, Abdu Aboki, Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Tijjani Abubakar, and Emmanuel Akomaye Agim.
Meanwhile, Senate has decided the settle the rift between Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, and the Supreme Court justices.
Speaking at a plenary on Wednesday, Senate President Ahmad Lawan said the National Assembly must find a solution to the rift.
Lawan asked the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters led by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti) to settle the issue.
He said: “We must have interest in what is happening in the judicial arm of government with a view to bringing solution to the issue.
“Our Standing Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters should get involved and find out what the real issue is so that the National Assembly can help out.”
We’re Not Responsible For Pipeline Vandalism, Oil Theft – IPOB Replies Buhari
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has denied the allegation made by President Muhammadu Buhari that the group is responsible for pipeline vandalism and oil theft in the country.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Buhari had said that the vandalism and oil theft carried out by IPOB were responsible for the shortfall of the daily production quota in the country.
President Buhari accused the international communities of funding the separatist group and also advised foreign countries to designate IPOB as a terrorist organization.
He had said: “Criminality and terrorism in oil-producing regions hamper production, and it would help if our western allies designated IPOB as a terrorist group, given their complicity in damage to pipelines and infrastructure.
“We urge those same international partners to take additional steps costing them nothing, by proscribing another group – IPOB – as a terrorist organization.”
Reacting to the allegation, IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, stated that the President was wrong for linking the group to the vandalisation of oil pipelines and other infrastructure.
Powerful described the claim as funny and laughable, adding that the directive to foreign countries to designate IPOB as a terrorist organization is uncalled for.
The IPOB spokesman said the group’s only interest was the actualisation of the “Biafra freedom struggle” and nothing else. He added that the leadership of the group was studying Buhari’s comments and would respond to him appropriately.
FG Speaks On ASUU Strike
The Federal Government has revealed that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will end its ongoing strike soon.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, made this known in an interview with the State House correspondents on Wednesday.
Ngige assured that the strike will end soon and academic activities will resume in earnest because of its commitment to resolve contending issues with ASUU.
According to the minister, the government was interested in seeing the students go back to school and continue with their school activities.
He stated these after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The minister also denied the allegation that the Federal Government was planning to create a different payment table for the unions.
He said the government had summoned all the relevant agencies, including the National Information Development Agency (NITDA), to brief it on the success so far recorded in resolving the contentious issues that led to the ongoing strike by the unions on Thursday.
He said the meeting is expected to look at the progress report by the relevant bodies handling the crisis including NITDA on how far it has gone with the integrity test on the University Transparency and Accountability System (UTAS) which was proposed as an alternative platform by ASUU and the University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System (U3PS) proposed by SSANU and NASU.
The minister said he was waiting for the report of the Tripartite Plus Committee comprising the Ministry of Education, the Chief of Staff, Salaries and Wages Income Commission, the National University Commission (NUC) as well as the striking unions.
Police Rescues 7 Kidnapped Persons In Enugu
Police operatives in Enugu State on Tuesday rescued seven abducted persons in Udi Local Government Area of the state.
The spokesman for the state police command, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu, said the victims were rescued from a forest at Okpatu community in the area.
Ndukwe said the Forest Guard and Neighborhood Watch personnel assisted the police in the rescue operation.
He said: “The seven persons included a couple, alleged to have been abducted by unidentified armed men while they went to pray at one ‘Mount Calvary’ located in a forest at Awhum community of the same Udi LGA.
“They were abducted on June 19 at about 6:30 p.m. while praying.”
The spokesman said that security surveillance had been mounted in the area.
“The Command has launched a discreet investigation to fish out the perpetrators,” he added.
NAFDAC Begins Strike
The Workers of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have commenced nationwide strike over non-payment of their salaries.
The workers under the aegis of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) announced on Wednesday the industrial action following a meeting this morning.
The union had in 2021 embarked on a seven-day warning strike to demand the payment of promotion arrears for 2018 and 2019 promotions owed its members.
Adamu’s Meets With APC Senators
The details of the meeting between the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu and the Senators elected on the platform have emerged.
It was earlier reported that Adamu had arrived at the National Assembly complex some minutes past 2 pm for a crucial meeting with the lawmakers.
The APC national chairman then moved to the office of the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, for a brief meeting before the general meeting.
Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Lawan described the recent defection of lawmakers from the APC to other parties as unfortunate and worrisome.
Adamu said that defection is not only happening in the APC but the problems facing the ruling party are exaggerated before the public.
The APC chairman, however, expressed hope that the issue of defection would stop, adding that the issue will be tackled since he has met with the senators.
He said: “It is an unfortunate development when it happens but this is a season for all manner of behaviours in the political space in the country and Nigeria is not an exception.
“In every election year, this kind of thing gives cause for stakeholders to sneeze and Nigeria is not an exception so is the APC is not an exception. I don’t care about what is happening in other parties, my focus is on the APC.
“But we all know that the occurrence is not only happening in the APC. It’s happening across other political parties too. And because we are the ruling party, our problems are exaggerated before the public.”
Adamu stated that the APC leadership is worried about the defection of lawmakers elected on the platform to other leading parties, hence the meeting with the APC Senators.
He said: “There is no responsible leader that would not be worried when he loses one member not to talk of two. At the moment we are faced with the stark reality of our problems.
“My colleagues and I at the National Working Committee of the APC are committed to face the problem squarely and see the problem as solvable.
“We are in politics, I don’t know what would happen tomorrow, and nobody does.”
The APC national chairman stated that there is no guarantee that the issue of injustice being raised by some of the defectors would be addressed.
He said: “You have no guarantee, we are in politics for God’s sake.
“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. How can I foresee tomorrow? I am not the person who saw tomorrow.”
2023: 22 APC Senators About To Decamp To PDP – Fani-Kayode
An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Femi Fani-Kayode has claimed that some senators have resolved to dump the ruling party.
Fani-Kayode took to the microblogging platform, Twitter on Wednesday to raise the alarm that at least 22 lawmakers are threatening to withdraw from the APC to join the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former Aviation Minister said the lawmakers were bitter for losing in the party’s primary election and have threatened to move on with the opposition party.
Fani-Kayode expressed worries about the development and urged the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu to immediately reach out to them and resolve the issue.
He said the ruling party can’t afford to lose the 22 senators ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Fani-Kayode tweeted: “22 APC Senators are threatening to decamp to PDP because they have been denied the tickets to return to the Senate.
“This is serious and something must be done to prevent it. Many are concerned and we urge our able National Chairman National. Secretary to reach them. We cannot afford to lose them.”
Some lawmakers have recently defected from the APC to join other parties, including PDP.
Earlier yesterday, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Adamu Abdullahi, met with senators elected on the platform.
Adamu reportedly arrived at the National Assembly complex some minutes past 2 pm. He moved to the office of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, for a brief meeting before the general meeting.
Lawan had during plenary read a letter signed by the Senate Deputy Majority leader, Ajayi Borofice, announcing the meeting will take place by 2 pm at the premises.
INEC Extends Voter Registration
The Independent National Electoral Commission has agreed to extend the ongoing continuous voter registration exercises expected to end on the 30th of June, 2022.
The development was announced by the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aishatu Jibril Dukku while addressing lawmakers on Wednesday
Aishatu during the plenary said, “The Committee held a meeting with INEC yesterday (Tuesday) and they agreed to extend the CVR, all our resolutions were approved.”
The House of Representatives had last Wednesday urged INEC to extend the deadline for the continuous voter registration by an extra 60 days from June 30, 2022, to enable more Nigerians to register.
This is coming after the Federal High court on Monday stopped INEC from ending the voter registration on June 30 2022.
SERAP and 185 other concerned Nigerians had filed a lawsuit – FHC/L/CS/1034/2022 at the Federal High Court, Lagos and transferred to Abuja against INEC.
The suit followed the inability of INEC to extend the online pre-registration deadline, which ended May 30, 2022, and the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ending June 30 2022.
