News
MRA Calls on Lagos State Government to Obey Court’s Order
MRA Calls on Lagos State Government to Obey Court’s Order
…Investigate Reporter’s Death and Prosecute Killers
By: Our Reporter
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on the Lagos State Government to comply with the order of a Federal High Court in Lagos directing it to ensure an investigation into the death of Mr. Pelumi Onifade, a 20-year reporter with Gboah TV, who was reportedly arrested by the Police while covering the #EndSARS protests in 2020 and later found dead, and to identify and prosecute those responsible.
In a letter written on the organization’s behalf by its lawyer, Mr. Kingsley Kenechukwu, of the law firm of Charles Musa and Co., dated August 22, 2024 and addressed to the State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, MRA urged the Government to “comply with the directives of the honorable court so that justice would be seen to be done and hope given to the common man that there is still justice in the judicial system.”
Mr. Kenechukwu reminded the Attorney-General of the July 19, 2024 decision by Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji, citing page 15 of the judgment where the court directed him to take “all necessary steps to see to the investigation of the circumstances of the death of Pelumi Onifade and to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of the death.”
The lawyer also referred to paragraph 14 of a counter-affidavit dated March 20, 2023 filed in the suit by the Attorney-General in which he stated that he would prosecute anyone found to have a prima facie case established against him in relation to the death of Mr. Onifade.
Mr. Kenechukwu recalled in the letter that during oral arguments which took place on May 13, 2024 in the suit instituted by MRA against the Police and the Lagos State Government over the death of the journalist, Mr. A. Amu, who represented the Attorney-General, also indicated willingness and readiness of the Attorney-General to conduct an inquest into the death.
He said in the light of these, MRA is praying the Government to comply with the court’s directives in the interest of justice.
MRA filed the suit against the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of Lagos State, asking the Court, among other things, to declare that Mr. Onifade’s shooting in Oko Oba in Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State, by policemen on October 24, 2020 in the course of his journalistic work is unconstitutional and a gross violation of his fundamental rights while his arrest and subsequent restriction on his liberty by the Police were unlawful.
Although Justice Faji held in his judgment that there was no evidence before the court to support MRA’s claim that the late journalist died in the custody of the Police after which his body was deposited at the Ikorodu Mortuary in Lagos, he however granted the organization’s request to order an investigation and directed the Attorney-General to take all necessary steps to see to the investigation of the circumstances of Mr. Onifade’s death; conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of the death; and identify and prosecute those responsible for his death.
MRA Calls on Lagos State Government to Obey Court’s Order
ISWAP evacuates 15 bodies, abandons VBIED after failed attack on New Marte
By: Zagazola Makama
At least 15 dead bodies of suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters were hastily evacuated by their comrades after a failed midnight assault on New Marte in Borno State.
Zagazola Makama gathered from impeccable sources that the insurgents, on about 20 motorcycles had launched a coordinated attack on troops in New Marte at about 1:35 a.m. on Tuesday. They arrived on motorcycles and with a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), apparently aimed at breaching the battalion’s defences.
However, the combined firepower of Nigerian troops under Operation Hadin Kai, supported by the Nigerian Air Force Air Component, overwhelmed the attackers. The VBIED, meant to cause maximum damage, was abandoned by the terrorists as they fled under sustained fire and aerial bombardment.
According to intelligence sources, the retreating insurgents made desperate efforts to evacuate their dead and wounded, managing to flee with at least 15 corpses of their fighters while leaving behind several destroyed motorcycles and heavy blood trails at the New Marte airstrip.
“They came in like a swarm, heavily armed, and used a VBIED to lead the charge. But once our troops responded and the air component came in, they were completely overwhelmed. They abandoned the VBIED and began dragging their casualties into the bush. From what we tracked, at least 15 bodies were evacuated. It was a major blow to them.”the sources said.
The source added that aerial surveillance and ground exploitation confirmed that several motorcycles used for the assault were destroyed in the process, while others were left behind due to the rapid counter-offensive.
Two Nigerian soldiers lost their lives during the encounter, while one Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle sustained tyre damage and a gun truck was partially hit.
In a related incident, troops also foiled an attempted incursion by ISWAP fighters on the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Kumshe, where the terrorists were again repelled after a fierce exchange of fire. Some terrorists were believed to have been neutralised during the encounter.
ISWAP evacuates 15 bodies, abandons VBIED after failed attack on New Marte
FRSC staff kidnapped in Jos
By: Zagazola Makama
Security forces say it has launched a search-and-rescue operation to free a kidnapped female staff of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Jos South Local Government Area of the state.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that on May 26 at about 5:30 a.m., armed hoodlums invaded the resident in Rantya community and abducted one Kate Jonathan Akpabio, who is a staff member of the FRSC in Jos.
Army troops and other security agencies were mobilised to the scene upon receiving the distress call. A preliminary investigation confirmed that the assailants took the victim to an unknown destination before security forces arrived.
FRSC staff kidnapped in Jos
Gunmen kill two, injure three in fresh Bokkos attack
By: Zagazola Makama
Atleast two persons killed while three others injured during an attack on Mbor village, Mushere District, Bokkos Local Government Area of the state.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred in the early hours of May 26, when gunmen stormed the village at about 12:50 a.m. and opened fire indiscriminately.
The sources said as a result of the attack, two persons Jephthah Gretchen, and Juliet Jephthah, were shot and killed on the spot,” he said.
“Three others, identified as Mary Ishaku, Ishaku Ngumut and Nanbam Sunday, sustained varying degrees of injuries.” he added.
The injured victims were rushed to Luna Hospital for medical attention.
The corpses of the deceased were released to their families for burial after relatives declined a request for post-mortem examination.
The sources said reinforcement has been deployed to the community to restore calm and track down the perpetrators.
Gunmen kill two, injure three in fresh Bokkos attack
ISWAP evacuates 15 bodies, abandons VBIED after failed attack on New Marte
FRSC staff kidnapped in Jos
Gunmen kill two, injure three in fresh Bokkos attack
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News1 year agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions3 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
Opinions3 years ago
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News1 year agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Columns1 year agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
ACADEMICS1 year agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Opinions1 year agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
Politics9 months agoKashim Shettima: Of Sentiments, Their Opinions, and the 21 billion Naira VP’s Official Resident
