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IIP SARS Rejects DNA Test Conducted by Nigerian Police.

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IIP SARS Rejects DNA Test Conducted by Nigerian Police.

IIP SARS Rejects DNA Test Conducted by Nigerian Police.

The Independent Investigative Panel, IIP on allegations of human rights violations by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other units of the Nigerian Police has rejected the DNA result presented before it by the Nigerian Police concerning the maternity of a minor, Elijah Tanko, who was allegedly abducted by child traffickers, insisting on an independent test by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

 The Chairman of the 11-man panel, Rtd Justice Suleiman Galadima at a resumed sitting on Monday, disclosed that the panel is not satisfied with the DNA result which was conducted and presented on 2nd March 2021 by a consultant pathologist at Asokoro District Hospital, Dr. Kelvin Nwabueze on the request of the Nigeria Police.

 Justice Galadima (Rtd) said “ On March 2nd, 2021 the panel resolved to  conduct another DNA test in view of the various contending maternity over Elijah and went further to instruct the National Human Rights Commission to conduct another independent  DNA test to unravel the issues surrounding the maternity of Elijah”

 It will be recalled that Dr Kelvin Nwabueze stated before the panel that the police presented the following women Tanko Esther, Ike Ifeyinwa, Opara Rosemary Chidiebere, Jamiu Muyinat, all laying claim to be the biological mother of Elijah. 

In his testimony, Nwabueze stated that the samples of the child and respective women were captured and sent to Lagos for analysis. He added that the maternity investigation revealed that Rosemary Chidiebere was the biological mother of the said child.

 In November 2020, Esther Tanko came before the Justice Galadima led panel to allege the abduction and enforced disappearance of the child against one Chioma on October 9, 2019.

According to Esther, she noticed her missing son was among photos that went viral on social media and this led her to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to lay a complaint in order to get her son back.

Also Read: Gombe Govt Set to Construct 1000 Affordable Housing Units 

 Following her complaint, the Inspector –General of Police Intelligence Response Team called for a DNA test to ascertain the maternity of the child, the result of the test was later presented to the panel during one of its sittings but was subsequently rejected by the panel which today directed the NHRC to conduct and present another report within a month.

Similarly, Chairman has charged the Nigeria Police Force to file their final written address on 20th October, 2021 in defence of a petition of an alleged extra-judicial killing of one Mr. Festus Idehen before taking decision on the matter. The Chairman noted that the police had been served with the written address by the complainant’s counsel, Kuyik Usoro, and they were expected to have responded accordingly and filed the same before the panel.

 Counsel to the Nigerian Police Umoh Inah had earlier urged the panel to give them more time within which to look at the complainant’s written address and respond. He noted that the complainant’s written address was served on him late and that he has not been able to study it to enable him take necessary steps to respond to it.

 On the other hand, lead counsel to the panel Chino Obiagwu (SAN) called the attention of the panel to the fact that the police was properly served with the written address of the complainant first in March and subsequently on the 13th of October 2021, meaning he was properly given opportunity to respond to the said address as required by the law.

 It will be recalled that on the 18th of November 2020, Doris Idedia, sister to the deceased testified before the IIP that one Insp Kingsley arrested her brother in Kaduna over an allegation of car theft.

 In her narration, Doris had alleged that Inspector Kingsley incited mob action against her brother who according to her was seriously beaten. Thereafter, he Insp. Kingsley allegedly brought the victim from Kaduna to Abuja in a cruel, inhuman degrading manner where he was continuously tortured to death.

IIP SARS Rejects DNA Test Conducted by Nigerian Police.

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

By: Michael Mike

Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.

The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.

In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.

“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.

“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.

The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.

Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.

Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

By: Michael Mike

The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.

A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.

“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”

According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.

The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.

Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People


…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp

By: Michael Mike

Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.

Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.

“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.

“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”

Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.

“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”

She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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