Fire Disaster: Peace Ambassador Mato expressed appreciation for support.

By: Yahaya Wakili

Alhaji Nasiru Mato, Peace Ambassador, has expressed his profound appreciation to all those who traveled from far and near distances to sympathize with him following the unfortunate fire incident that gutted his house last month.

“My singular and sincere appreciation goes to my leader, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, CON, COMN, Chiroman Gujba, for his support and sending a high-power delegation under the Honourable Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Bello Muhammed Kawuwa.”

According to Nasiru Mato, Peace Ambassador, my sincere appreciation also goes to my mentor, my boss, the President of the 9th Senate, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, PhD, GCON, Sardaunan Bade, Yobe North Senatorial District; Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka Madakin Gudi, Chairman APC Yobe State; Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri; Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai, Turakin Fika; and traditional rulers.

Others include the district heads, business moguls (men and women), religious leaders (both Muslim and Christian), members of the National and State Assemblies, union leaders, and members of the communities’ youth and student unions.

Alhaji Mato further said, A kindhearted gentleman like no other, for all the encouragement and showing their concern and sympathies extended to me, I am eternally appreciative and grateful to all, and also to those who called me and sympathized with me in prayers. I appreciate you.

“I thank everyone with the deepest appreciation and pray Allah reward you abundantly and grant you all your heart’s desires, and once again, I can’t thank you enough to those who travel far and near distances to show their concerns and sympathies with me over the incident.” Mate, pray.

Fire Disaster: Peace Ambassador Mato expressed appreciation for support.

ECOWAS Court Dismisses Shatta Wale’s Discrimination Claim Against Ghanaian Gaming Commission

The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has delivered its judgment in Case No. ECW/CCJ/APP/25/24, Charles Nii Armah Mensah v. Republic of Ghana and Gaming Commission, dismissing the discrimination claim brought by the award-winning Ghanaian musician known professionally as Shatta Wale.

The Court on Friday ruled against the Applicant, citing his failure to provide sufficient evidence of differential treatment, lack of proof regarding correspondence with the gaming company in question, and failure to disclose the identity of the gaming company central to the case.

Mr. Charles Nii Armah Mensah, an award-winning musician, recording artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist known professionally as Shatta Wale, alleged that his right to non-discrimination was violated when he was prevented from securing an endorsement deal with a gaming company in Ghana.

The Applicant claimed that his established social status and professional achievements had earned him recognition and endorsement opportunities for various products and services within and outside Ghana. However, he alleged that a potential endorsement deal was terminated because of Guideline VII of Ghana’s Advertising Guidelines, which prohibits gaming “operators from using celebrities in their advertisements to entice the general public to gamble.”

Mr. Mensah contended that this restriction based on his celebrity status constituted discrimination and violated his rights guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other international legal instruments.

The Respondent, the Republic of Ghana, denied the Applicant’s claims and challenged the Court’s competence to determine a case seeking to repeal or revoke national legislation. Ghana requested that the Applicant provide evidence of other celebrities engaged in similar advertisements who received different treatment. The Respondent maintained that no celebrities of the Applicant’s status were permitted to engage in such advertisements in Ghana, and examples cited by the Applicant involved celebrities engaged by other countries with different legal frameworks.

In its judgment, the Court observed that:
The Applicant failed to provide proof of any correspondence or oral evidence of interaction with the unidentified gaming company, or of any order from the Respondent to the gaming company to discontinue discussions with the Applicant.

The Applicant did not present credible evidence demonstrating different treatment of other celebrities engaged in similar advertisements that would amount to discrimination.

The Court was being asked to grant relief with implications for a critical but unidentified third party (the gaming company), which contradicts the rules of admissibility of the Court.

The Court, in its ruling, declared it has jurisdiction over the application and the application admissible but dismissed the case in its entirety as lacking merit.

The judgment was rendered by a panel comprising: Hon. Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves (Presiding Judge),
Hon. Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma (Member), Hon. Justice Dupe Atoki (Member and Judge Rapporteur)

ECOWAS Court Dismisses Shatta Wale’s Discrimination Claim Against Ghanaian Gaming Commission

Troops rescue 31 kidnapped passengers in Kogi, search ongoing for others

By; Zagazola Makama

The Nigerian Army troops in collaboration with police and local hunters rescued 31 kidnapped passengers along the Apata-Obajana road on Thursday night.

Zagazola Makama informed reliably that the incident occurred on May8, at about 11:50 p.m. when two Toyota Hiace buses travelling from Lagos to Kano and Katsina respectively were attacked by armed hoodlums.

The first bus with registration number DTF 773 XA driven by Saminu Yahaya was heading to Kano with 17 passengers, while the second, with registration number KNA 170 XA, driven by Bashir Dahiru, was en route to Katsina with another 17 passengers.

A distress alert was received from a local hunter, prompting a swift response by the troops who engaged the assailants in a fierce gun duel, which forced the attackers to abandon 31 of the 38 victims and flee into the forest.

Four of the rescued passengers sustained machete injuries, while one victim was hit by a bullet in the left thigh. All injured victims were immediately evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.

Efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining seven abducted persons have been intensified.

Troops rescue 31 kidnapped passengers in Kogi, search ongoing for others