(Reuters) – A man from Ivory Coast doused himself with fuel and set himself on fire at Rome's Fiumicino airport on Thursday after showing officials a deportation order, police said.
The incident occurred in a customs police office in Terminal 3 of the airport, Italy's largest. Police said the man had poured a canister of fuel over himself and ignited it with a lighter. The man was taken to hospital in serious condition while a policeman who put out the flames sustained a burn to his arm.
The smoke caused alarm among travellers and a small part of the airport was briefly closed off. No other injuries or disruption were reported. (Reporting by Naomi O'Leary; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Five people set themselves on fire in Gujarat, leaving one man dead as they protested against official plans to raze their home in a drive to remove illegal structures, police said yesterday.
According to GulfTimesThe five people, including three women, belonged to the same family and turned up at a city government office in Rajkot carrying kerosene-filled containers around noon yesterday, the police said.
Ram Sinh, a police official based in Rajkot said the group came to request the officials to stop demolition of illegal encroachments.
But when their request was not granted they poured kerosene on themselves and set themselves on fire,Sinh said.
Municipal officials in Rajkot, located 200km from the states main city Ahmedabad had declared the familys home illegal and issued an order to tear down the structure, leaving them in a desperate state, Sinh said. The five have been identified as Rekha, Asha, Vasumati, Bharat and Girish …. Out of which Girish, who was 35-years-old succumbed to injuries in hospital,he said.
The burn victims sustained severe injuries and have been admitted to a local government hospital, where their condition is said to be stable, he added.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Edo state capital, Benin is currently on Fire. Ring Road /Kings Square areas have been taken over by rioters and demonstrators who are condemning the April 20 polls.
Gunshot sounds are heard around Ring Road axis. The people are asking for the cancellation of the entire April L.G Polls in the state.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
A young mother has been sentenced to home detention after admitting seriously harming her newborn baby by suffocating her while breastfeeding.
Shayna-Lee Broadbent, 20, was sentenced in the Auckland High Court today to 11 months' home detention.
In November she admitted a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with reckless disregard to safety.
During sentencing, Justice John Priestley said Broadbent, who was 18 at the time, had told her midwife that she was struggling to cope following the birth of her child.
One incident occurred while Broadbent was breastfeeding her baby, who was six or seven weeks old, in hospital.
The baby required urgent medical intervention after she was found to be floppy, unresponsive and without a pulse.
That child, who appears to have suffered no permanent damage, and another child born after Broadbent was charged by police, are now in the care of their paternal grandmother.
Justice Priestley said Broadbent's offending was "almost certainly" the product of the complex mental health issues affecting her at the time. SOURCE: 3news
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Conservative Party leader Colin Craig has threatened a satirical news website with defamation after claiming it published a story designed "to make him look ridiculous".
The Civilian yesterday uploaded a story about Maurice Williamson's "big gay rainbow" speech, in which the Pakuranga MP admitted "he looks pretty stupid this morning after a series of floods in the Nelson, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions appeared to contradict his assertion that nothing bad would come of the passing of gay marriage legislation".
It also featured fake quotes from Mr Craig, having him say “God painted a giant rainbow across the sky, which was a message that he would never again flood the world, unless we made him very angry. And we have."
Mr Craig hasn't seen the funny side however, and today through his lawyers at Chapman Tripp threatened editor Ben Uffindell with defamation unless he removed the quote, posted a retraction and paid him – a millionaire businessman – $500 for his legal troubles.
"The statement cannot be dismissed as satire in the circumstances, particularly when it is published alongside quotes from Maurice Williamson, which we understand may largely be accurate," the letter reads.
In a post on Facebook, The Civilian acknowledged the "inaccuracy" and said they have taken steps to remedy the problem by "re-featuring the article at the top of our front page" with the retraction.
"We would like to note that we have also taken the additional measure of bolding the statement in question so that everybody knows which thing it was that Mr Craig did not say," The Civilian notes.
The Civilian, which has more than 6000 "likes" on Facebook, has published other satirical stories about New Zealand politicians, including "John Banks can’t wait to get gay married" and "Government to sell Peter Dunne".
This evening Mr Uffindell posted a message on The Civilian, which he said was his official email response to Chapman Tripp and Mr Craig.
In it, Mr Uffindel said he would "dream of making Mr. Craig look ridiculous. Indeed, we’re quite content to leave that up to him."
Mr Uffindell also said he hoped Mr Craig would take action on behalf of other politicians the site had "misquoted", including David Shearer and Russel Norman.
"We also hope you will seek legal action against us with regards to [an] opinion piece, which we erroneously claimed was written by Jim Hickey."
It is believed this is the first time the site has been issued with a legal notice.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Funke Aboyade who was in Cape Town for the Commonwealth Law Conference, reports on a challenge thrown to the Commonwealth’s lawyers, judges and academics by Plenary Keynote Speaker, Navi Pillay…
Justice Navanethem Pillay, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights since 2008, gave the Keynote Address at the first plenary session of last week’s Commonwealth Law Conference in Cape Town.
Justice Pillay who was the first woman to start her own law practice in Kwa Zulu Natal in 1967 did not hold any punches in her views about corruption in the Judiciary.
‘As many of you know, in many countries the independence of the Judiciary has been compromised. The Judiciary is no longer seen as fair and transparent but as dishonest and biased and the population loses faith in the courts and the rule of law’ she said. In a first class presentation, she also spoke about the nature of human rights and how we should think of them conceptually and in practice.
Her presentation also discussed the relationship between the rule of law and human rights and how this affects the administration of justice at the national level, as well as how international human rights standards have been invoked before national courts on a number of different subjects, ‘with the hope that this may inspire you to draw on international human rights provisions and their interpretation when you are practicing before your national courts’.
‘Human rights are to be applied on the basis of non-discrimination and equality’, she said.
Tellingly, she went on, ‘This can be an important stumbling block if a country is multi-ethnic in character and some ethnic groups are consistently marginalised and do not have their human rights fully respected. Marginalisation and discrimination can also take place on the grounds of gender, religion, language or national origin. Poverty in particular can be an important source of marginalisation, dividing society into “haves”, and “have nots”. Poverty can particularly affect access to the courts, unless there is a culture of human rights education in which all people are educated about their rights and learn how to ensure their rights are respected, including how to get legal aid’.
It was great food for thought as well as a message that resonated with delegates, particularly those from the developing or emerging nations of the Commonwealth, including Nigeria.
Ms Pillay slammed development models by States that ‘appear to accept violations of civil and political rights as the so-called “price to pay” for rapid economic development’, pointing out that these models had been adopted by some of the States that had ultimately experienced the Arab Spring.
‘The focus on economic growth alone often ignored whether the gains of economic growth were distributed evenly, accentuating social tensions and misery’, she said.
Arguing that the rule of law does not mean simply that the laws governing society should be passed by democratically elected parliament and interpreted by independent and impartial courts, she drew examples from South Africa Apartheid past, as well as the segregation policy in the United States in the 1950 and Australia’s former Immigration policy that restricted the immigration of non-whites. Hitler’s Nazi Germany was also a prime example of her thesis.
Ms Pillay ended her presentation with a powerful and most thought provoking conclusion by urging the Commonwealth’s lawyers ‘to think afresh about the possibility of invoking a wide variety of international human rights provisions and their interpretation, before your domestic courts.
‘In some cases you may wish to directly invoke a provision of an international human rights treaty. In other cases reference to international human rights standards may serve for you in interpreting provisions in your national constitutions, given that the constitutions of a considerable number of Commonwealth countries contain a bill of rights or a chapter on human rights. Some courts, she said, have already relied on such arguments.
‘For example, the Indian Supreme Court in 1995 interpreted the right to life to include the “right to health, medical aid to protect the health and vigour of a worker while in service or post-retirement”. In addition to relying on provisions of the Indian Constitution, the Court cited the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Charter of the United Nations’.
‘The Constitutional Court of South Africa in 2000 applied the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in a case involving the right to adequate housing. Although the South African Constitution contains a right to housing, the Court also made reference to article 2 of the Covenant in its decision, as well as to General Comment No. 3 adopted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Some courts, she said, have also accepted arguments for environmental protection based on the right to the right to life or the right to health.
‘In Bangladesh, for example, a court found that the right to life “encompasses within its ambit, the protection and preservation of environmental and, ecological balance free from pollution of air and water.” In a case in Argentina concerning environmental harm to fisheries and wildlife in a lagoon, the court concluded that, “The right to live in a healthy and balanced environment is a fundamental attribute of people.”
It will be recalled of course, that the vexed and unresolved issue of environmental pollution, especially in the Niger Delta of Nigeria which gave rise to armed militancy in the region, paved the way to negotiations by the Federal Government which then resulted in the Amnesty programme.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Commonwealth Lawyers Association went a step further and made an unprecedented call for Sri Lanka’s suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations. Funke Aboyade who in Cape Town, explains why…
The ‘Bad’ Member States… Recent developments in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe took centre stage at last week’s Commonwealth Law Conference in Cape Town, South Africa with the General Assembly of members giving unanimous acclaim to the Resolution by their Association, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), calling for the suspension of Sri Lanka from the 54 member state Commonwealth of Nations. Sri Lanka’s Chief Justice, Shirani Bandaranayake, was removed from office in January this year in what is generally regarded as a flawed impeachment process and in defiance of court judgments by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. About 60 judges and magistrates were subsequently arbitrarily relocated around the country. In Zimbabwe too, the Mugabe government stands accused of continued violation of her citizens’ human rights. The arrest and incarceration last month of prominent Zimbabwean Human Rights lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, on spurious charges which were largely based on barely veiled political reasons also took centre stage at the CLC. Mtetwa was arrested during a raid on the party office of Mugabe opponent, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. She spent eight days in Police custody before being released on bail upon appeal to the High Court after an initial denial of bail by the Magistrate’s Court. Her arrest which prompted intense public and international outcry was seen as a thinly disguised ploy to prevent her from defending some members of Tsvangirai’s party. The impeachment of the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, as well as the arbitrary transfer of judges, has raised grave concerns about the independence of the country’s judiciary.
Upping the Ante… Previously, the CLA had called on member states to boycott the CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) meeting scheduled to hold in Sri Lanka later this year, but had stopped short of calling for a suspension of the country. Last week’s resolution upped the ante in high wire diplomatic and political stakes as the CLA showed it was determined to fight this cause and see it through to a logical conclusion.
CLA President, Mrs. Boma Ozobia, read out the Resolution to the house. It was unanimously carried and not a single hand was raised against.
CLA said that the Commonwealth Latimer House Principles on the proper relationship between the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, as well as the Commonwealth Declarations of Principles and Values as embodied in the Commonwealth Charter must be upheld by all member states, including Sri Lanka. ‘Membership of the Commonwealth is seen as a badge of respectability but that badge is being tarnished by repressive actions in Sri Lanka’ she said.
The Association frowned on the continued erosion of the independence of the judiciary, the Executive's failure to abide by court orders and the gross and persistent harassment of members of the legal profession and others who are seeking to defend these values in Sri Lanka.
The Resolution stated that the CLA, CLEA (Commonwealth Legal Education Association) and CMJA (Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association), representing three branches of the profession, having assembled at the 18th Commonwealth Law Conference, in Cape Town, South Africa now called upon the Members of the Commonwealth, through the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group ‘to place Sri Lanka on the agenda of its next meeting on 26 April 2013 and suspend it from the Councils of the Commonwealth for serious and persistent violations of the Commonwealth fundamental values’.
It also urged member states to ‘reconsider the holding of the next Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka as to do so will tarnish the reputation of the Commonwealth especially given that the Sri Lankan Head of State will thereby assume the role of Chair- in-Office; call into grave question the value, credibility and future of the Commonwealth; be seen as condoning the action of governments who violate its principles and by its silence will undermine the moral authority it purports to have in protecting and promoting fundamental values of the rule of law and human rights’. The Commonwealth Lawyers Association was founded in 1982 with the aim of promoting and maintaining the rule of law throughout the Commonwealth.
The Sri Lanka Bar Speaks Out… Earlier, the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Mr. Upul Jayasuriya, had in an impassioned address raised an alarm over judges who were acting in accordance with political leanings rather than their judicial conscience and called on judges to adhere to the Beijing Statement of Principles of the Independence of the Judiciary. ‘The doomsday of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary was not too long ago in Sri Lanka’ he declared. Tracing the history of Chief Justice Bandaranayake’s travails, he described the Sri Lankan government’s actions as ‘a comedy of errors’, saying that even the Chief Justice’s husband had not been spared with government-sponsored labour unions picketing banks of which he was chairman.
‘This’ he said ‘is the plight of the rule of law and justice in Sri Lanka’. ‘If we cannot defend our right to practice our profession with dignity, then everybody will be at risk’ he warned. ‘In many countries where the rule of law has been undermined, litigation has been reduced to bargaining. ‘We must remedy this crisis of confidence’ he said.
The Fallacy of the Sri Lanka Government’s Arguments… Lord Lester QC who chaired the session pointed out the fallacies in the Sri Lankan government’s attempts to justify their actions by comparing it with the practice in the UK. In the UK, he clarified, a senior judge could in theory be impeached, but before his removal he must be given a fair hearing by a quasi-judicial body. Further, he said, the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty which the Sri Lankan government relied on would not avail them in this instance.
Lord Lester called on CHOGM not to hold their meeting in Sri Lanka. He also called for a travel ban on members of the Sri Lankan Parliament who had participated in the Chief Justice’s impeachment. ‘We must send a message that they cannot be rewarded.
‘The government must be isolated and not be allowed to participate in the Commonwealth’, he said. The Executive Director for the Foundation of Human Rights in South Africa, Ms Jasmin Sooka who also spoke declared that the rule of law was under siege in Sri Lanka, with anyone, including lawyers and judges, who voiced opposition being kidnapped and disappearing. Ms Sooka was appointed in 2010 a member of an expert advisory panel on Sri Lanka to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. The panel completed its report in 2011.
Lawyers: An Endangered Species in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe? The harsh realities of living in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe were underscored by Ms Mtewa’s absence from the CLC last week. She had been scheduled to speak at last week’s CLC but due to her recent troubles with the government had been unable to come. She sent these words instead: ‘I would have loved to be at the Conference in person but due to my recent arrest, my lawyers have recommended that I stay put due to fears it would not be prudent to publicly disclose at this stage.
‘As most of you will be aware, there has been a crackdown on civil society activists in recent months and I have been involved in the defence of most of these. Invariably, these activists are deemed to be involved in election related advocacy, which ZANU PF believes is their sole preserve’, she said.
She described her arrest in the course of the discharge of her mandate as a lawyer as being meant ‘to discourage human rights lawyers from representing their clients in so called political cases, particularly as we enter the election season’.
It was, she said, ‘a blatant and unashamed interference with my internationally recognised fundamental right to practise law without undue hindrances and interference’.
Unbowed, she concluded, ‘The observance and maintenance of the rule of law, is an international principle that lawyers the world over should fight together without apology’.
Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth in 2002 and withdrew from the body the following year before the issue of the renewal of its suspension could be considered.
A New Threat…’Come and Eat’ Ms Irene Petras, the Executive Director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, who made a presentation in Mtewa’s stead, pointed out a new, insidious threat.
‘A new challenge resulting from the Inclusive Government is reduced opposition to the status quo by the politicians, many of whom are benefitting from and enjoying the fruits of office’.
She explained that Zimbabwean Civil Society has ‘essentially had to become a form of "opposition" to keep the politicians in check and push for reforms. For such reasons, it has been targeted accordingly’.
‘Strategies used to clamp down on dissent and public critique of policies and governance have shifted since the extreme violence of 2008 to one of selective targeting of mobilisers, educators, human rights monitors and those providing support services (legal and medical).
‘Instead of beating or arresting hundreds, key individuals are now targeted to serve as a lesson and warning for others. This is mixed with high levels of intimidation of the national population as a reminder that what happened in 2008 can happen again’, she said. The work of Human Rights defenders and Civil Society Organisations was essentially being criminalised, she said. Recent months had witnessed ‘targeting of the last line of defense, being the lawyers and recently select members of the judiciary, whose support and presence ensures that civil society and HRDs have a safety net to continue their work. Attacks have been through arrests, vilification in judgments, attempts to force disciplinary proceedings for deregistration, amongst others’, she disclosed. ‘Arrests of lawyers and charging them with obstructing justice has been a psychological blow, the full effects of which still remain to be seen.
‘Coupled with this, is the lack of substantive reforms of the institutions highlighted by the targeting of independent-minded judges for removal. High Court judge, Hungwe J is currently waiting to face a tribunal which is expected to be established shortly to consider his removal after an intensive onslaught through the media and other unknown state personnel. She called for the involvement of local private and public lawyers in regional and international capacity-building efforts to get a head start on reforms.
She also called for support for the work of the regional bar association, SADC Lawyer's Association and to amplify messages and recommendations which will come from them relating to the rule of law issues ahead of, and after, the impending elections ‘Encourage members of your own judiciary and legal profession to talk to their peers in Zimbabwe and encourage increased professionalism and courage; assist in amplifying the exposure of those named and shamed, particularly those in the profession so that the professional cost of their actions is increased’, she urged.
Aluta Continua, Victoria Ascerta? She ended on a defiant note: ‘The message from lawyers back home is simple we have not given up, and we will continue to do what we can for as long as we must to push for rule of law, constitutionalism, and opening of space for HRDs ahead of elections’. Petras made the presentation in spite of the probable danger to her person upon her return to Zimbabwe.
Unenviable Company… If the Commonwealth goes ahead to suspend Sri Lanka, it will join the unenviable league of countries like Fiji and Pakistan (which have each been suspended twice) and Zimbabwe (which withdrew from the organisation before its initial suspension came up for review).
Nigeria was suspended in 1995 in the aftermath of the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa by the Abacha government and was fully restored with the advent of democracy in 1999.
Suspension is the highest punishment that can be administered by the organisation on erring or recalcitrant member nations.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Over 30 houses and shops were Monday razed in Omitowoju area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in a late afternoon inferno caused by a petrol-laden tanker which fell on a road side.
THISDAY learnt that the fully loaded tanker was trying to link Inalende road towards the Mokola round about area of the city when the driver lost control falling on its side while its 33,000 litres content which spilled on the gutter immediately sparked fire.
It was gathered that the driver of the tanker took the densely populated area due to the closure of the Dugbe/Mokola road as a result of the ongoing construction of an overhead bridge in Mokola by the state government.
While the fire was still burning as at the time of filling this report, the effect of the inferno led to traffic jam at the area by many sympathisers who with the men of the state fire service were trying to put out the fire.
According to an eye witness, when the tanker fell, people in the area rushed out of their houses and afterwards the entire area was enveloped in a thick smoke. He added that it will be difficult to determine whether any life was lost in the incident, stating that an old man whose where about could not be ascertained was in one of the affected buildings.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
APGA: Umeh petitions Jega over faction’s national convention
For the fifth time since Prof. Attahiru Jega’s assumed office as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a fire has again gutted some offices of the commission.
The last fire incident that engulfed the Voters Registration Office was on January 7 this year. In the fire incident at the commission Monday, the former Department of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) of the commission was also burnt.
This came as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) petitioned Jega, alleging that 21 out of the 29 persons listed as state chairmen of the party were impostors, who were not even members of the party. But Jega’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Kayode Idowu, described the fire incident as a minor one that was quickly put off by the Fire Service attached to the commission.
The fire incident affected the INEC security office at the gate, Jega visitors’ room, Voters’ Registration office, INEC Electoral Institute and the former department of ADR of the commission.
The ADR office is located at the INEC headquarters annex built by the administration of Dr. Abel Guobadia and inaugurated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005. The building also harbours other departments like Legal, Political Parties Monitoring and Liaison, among others.
At the INEC headquarters, some journalists were prevented from entering the building to assess the extent of the damage caused by the fire incident, while some photojournalists were prevented by security men from taking photographs of the building.
When asked why journalists were prevented from accessing the building, Idowu, explained that the commission had decided to lock up the office.
Idowu, in a statement tagged: 'Minor Fire Incident at INEC Headquarters', said: “There was a minor fire incident at about mid-day on April 22 at the headquarters of the INEC in Abuja. “The fire occurred in the office of former Director in charge of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), located in the ICT building and was restricted to that office when it was put out.
“Men of the Fire Service attached to the commission swiftly responded to put out the fire. There was no damage whatsoever to any vital facility of the commission. Formal investigation of the cause of the fire has commenced. Initial assessment, however, suggests that it might have resulted from an electrical fault.”
Meanwhile, APGA in a petition dated April 15, addressed to Jega and signed by its National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, and National Secretary, Alhjai Sani Shinkafi, alleged that 21 out of the 29 persons listed as state chairmen of the party were impostors, who were not even members of the party.
The letter read: “With shock, we write you this letter to protest the reported purported national convention of APGA on April 8, at Awka, Anmabra State, held between the unholy hours of 1a.m. and 5 a.m. of the said date with the other associated fraudulent manipulations. More shocking was the reported attendance of officials of INEC at the said event at the odd hours.
“Indications that something sinister was in the offing emerged in the afternoon of April 5, when a news flash was circulated by telephone that INEC has approved that the purported convention will go on. On inquiry, we were told that the commission took the decision on same April 5."
The letter further stated that “firstly we wish to state that we were surprised at the turn of events. You will recall that earlier, Mr. Peter Obi, had written the commission on February 25 giving the commission notice for the congresses and convention of APGA with a schedule of programmes based on the same lame grounds. On March 1, the commission rightly dismissed the request as lacking in credibility.
“The commission wrote that under the constitution of APGA, the power to convene a meeting of any organ of the Party is vested on the chairman of that organ. The National Chairman is, therefore, the one vested with the power to convene the national convention. In the absence of the national chairman, the National Executive Committee (NEC) in line with Article 22(C) of APGA constitution can summon an emergency meeting.
“The commission’s overruling of Obi led them to attempt to activate the power of Article 22(C) of the APGA constitution. When we read that they purportedly held a meeting on March 9 at Awka where they claimed that 36 states chairmen of APGA were in attendance, we immediately applied for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the letter they sent to INEC for the congresses and convention as we knew same to be false, on the April 5, we obtained the CTC from the Commission.
“From a perusal of the list, we discovered that 21 names listed out of 29 were not state chairmen of APGA as recorded for their various states. We attach herewith, the CTC from INEC, the attendance list for the APGA NEC meeting held on December 1, 2010, at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja which was monitored by INEC. Going by APGA constitution, even if the 29 names were the authentic state chairman, they had no capacity to convene a NEC of APGA in line with Article 22(C) of the constitution and also the national convention.
“Another point that needed to be made apart from the fraudulent representation made to INEC is the fact there was no real congresses and convention held by the group. They purported to have held congresses on April 4 and 5, local government congresses on April 5, state congresses on April 6 and national convention by 1a.m. on April 8.
“Since the commission took the decision to monitor the exercise on April 5, 2013 it is obvious that at least the commission did not monitor the ward and local government congresses. This makes the exercise a charade. From the published outcome of the convention, 18 out of the 29 NWC members sacked by the judgment of the Enugu State High Court were returned at the convention. These were people who said they accepted the judgment, excluding Alhaji Habib Gajo, who was said to have been elected National Financial Secretary. He neither accepted the judgment nor attended the convention. How then did he win?”
Umeh, however, asked the commission to overrule the convention as according to them it was fraudulently convened and without capacity as enshrined in the party’s constitution, urging the commission to exercise its powers of monitoring as provided in the Electoral Act to overrule the illegality.
“The essence of monitoring is to ensure that the political party complies with its constitution in the conduct of its convention and all processes leading to it. In this case, the APGA Constitution was blatantly breached,” Umeh stated.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
President Goodluck Jonathan Monday decried the lack of modern and technically up-to-date forensic laboratories in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The absence of these facilities, he said, had hampered crime investigations by the police and relevant agencies across the country, adding that the country cannot continue to depend on other countries for quality and acceptable forensic services.
The president, who was represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd), at the official unveiling of this year’s Police Week Celebration and the inauguration of the Presidential Task Force in Abuja, said given the state of Forensic and Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) laboratories currently available for use by the police and other security agencies across the country, it was imperative for the laboratories to be set up in the country.
A statement made available to journalists, said this was line with the security component of the federal government’s transformation agenda and the need to curtail the rising crime wave. According to him, the setting up of the committee was a direct response to the security challenges facing the country.
The committee, he said, was also charged to adivse the federal government on the modalities for upgrading the available laboratories and the propriety, technical and financial implications of establishing new ones in line with technical and professional standards obtainable worldwide. Jonathan directed the committee to examine all laws relating to forensic services in the country, with a view to bringing them up-to-date with what obtains in other climes, especially as they concern the regulation of private forensic practices.
The President further expressed the readiness of government to invest in the establishment and equipment of forensic laboratories to keep up with rising crime rates occasioned by increasing population and urbanisation.
According to him, the establishment of modern forensic laboratories would greatly enhance the operations of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies especially in scene-of-crime, forgery, DNA and paternity investigations and also facilitate their prosecutions, while also assisting neighbouring countries with similar services.
He directed all data collection agencies such as the Nigeria Police Force, Immigration Services, the Nigeria Customs Services, the Prisons, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Identity Management Commission (MIMC), etc to be ready for data integration in order to facilitate crime detection and prosecution by the security agencies.
The committee which has about one month to submit its report, has its membership drawn from all the security services, the Presidency and the office of the Solicitor-General of the Federation. Speaking at the inauguration, the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Abubakar, said the long term objective of the police week celebrations is to bridge the increasingly widening gap between the public and the police and give positive connotation to the popular, saying, that the “Police is your friend.”
In his words: “We are determined to introduce projects that will correct all misconception and stereotypes attached to the police as an institution while re-assuring the public of our commitment to their security interests as well as our desire to remain accountable to them.
“In this regards, the 2013 Police Week Celebrations will engender improved consciousness on the part of the rank and file of the force on their responsibility for enhancing mutual trust and confidence in their operations and interaction with the public. It is for this reason that we chose ‘Connecting with the People for a more Effective Policing’ as the theme for the celebrations.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
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