FRSC, NUJ To Partner On ‘Ember’ Months Sensitization Campaign



The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have decided to partner in order to ensure a sustained sensitization campaign on safe roads particularly during the ‘ember’ months.

The Sector Commander of the FRSC in Cross River state, Cyprian Ikechukwu Ofordu, who expressed readiness of the Commission to work with Journalists, during a courtesy visit to the NUJ Press Centre in Calabar, Tuesday, said such partnership would bring mutual benefits to road users, the NUJ and the Commission.




“The Federal Road Commission cannot do the work alone without the involvement of the media. We are carrying sensitization programmes across the State, starting with a motorcade rally from Calabar metropolis to Odukpani. We call on the media to be part of these activities.

“The truth is that there is nothing special and evil about ‘ember’ months as they are just like any other month. We are kick-starting sensitization rally from the 26th of this month, that is from Monday next week. Many, if not all of the road mishaps during this period are caused by human errors. Our partnership will help in reducing these crashes and it will also be beneficial to all of us,” Mr Ofordu said.

Responding, the Chairman of NUJ, Cross River state Council, Mr Victor Udu, said the visit of the FRSC leadership in the state was a statement on the readiness of the Commission to reduce incidence of road crashes.

“NUJ has been working with the FRSC but this time around, we will double that collaboration. We will strengthen the partnership to make it more robust. I hope and believe that this partnership will be sustained by both the FRSC officers and our members,” Udu stated, and called on Journalists to reciprocate FRSC goodwill by being safety conscious.

#orientdailynews

EFCC Tenders Irresistible Evidences Against Shehu Sani


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) on Wednesday tendered 25,000 dollars, two Samsung phones and two audio recordings in a Federal High Court Abuja as evidence in the ongoing trial of Sen. Shehu Sani.

The EFCC counsel, Mr Ekele Iheanacho, tendered the exhibits through the 10th prosecution witness, Mr Bako Aliyu at the continued hearing of the matter.

Iheanacho also tendered two newspaper publications, an extra judicial statement made by the ex-senator and a letter from the Chief Judge of Nigeria as well as the petition written by the complainant in evidence.




The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, however, observed that the petition had already been tendered in court as an exhibit.Justice Inyang, having marked and admitted the exhibits in evidence, ordered that the cash and the phones be returned and kept in the custody of the EFCC.

“Upon consensus of counsel, I make an order returning the 25,000 and the handsets to the prosecution for safe keeping.

“The exhibits shall be made available to the court when so ordered,” the judge said.Sani is being prosecuted on two-count charge bordering on name dropping, influence-peddling and obtaining the sum of 25,000 dollars from the Chairman of ASD Motors Mr Sani Dauda under false pretence. (NAN)


#orientdailynews

#endsars: Umahi Raises Alarm Says Protest Hijacked By Hoodlums In Ebonyi


Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi Wednesday said imported hoodlums and cultists have taken over the peaceful #endsars protest in the State and therefore declears 24 curfew.


Umahi in a public broadcast said that Government vehicles and infrastructure of government are under severe destruction, and therefore imposed a 24 hours curfew from 70 pm today, the 21st of October, 2020 till further notice.



He further call on Ebonyi people not to allow hoodlums who have invaded the peaceful state to cause mayhem and go back to their different states even as he warned the hoodlums to leave the state with immediate effect.
He expressed his sympathy with all those who lost their lives in the cause of this agitation tagged #endsars protest.


He said, “We leaders did not see anything wrong in the demands of our young children, however, it is very unfortunate that these wonderful young children have been infiltrated by hoodlums who now started to burn properties of innocent citizens.


“I therefore appeal to my colleagues to do everything possible to protect the lives of these peaceful protesters as they have been doing.
” In my state, Ebonyi, I have noticed with sadness, how peaceful protest in Ebonyi State has been hijacked by hoodlums and cultists who were shifted from outside the state into our very peaceful state.


“On Monday, I had addressed the peaceful protesters and went ahead and met all their demands in line with the directives of the federal government.
“These hoodlums and cultists have burnt many police stations, moving to prison to set prisoners free and there are attacking security agencies including shooting at them.


“These hoodlums and cultists are not Ebonyians but they came from outside because they do not wish us well.
“Security agencies in our state have sustained injuries from the attacks of these hoodlums and the provocation. These Security agencies have exercised great patients and wisdom in handling the issue at stake and I urge them to continue doing just that.




” Government vehicles and infrastructure of government have come under severe destruction and this is regrettable.
” I will continue to say that the peaceful protesters have their legitimate demands and I offer my apologies for many areas we leaders have failed our young children. We believe that the success of the peaceful #endsars protest will make we leaders make amends where necessary.


” I appeal to our people not to allow outsiders to destroy the modest improvements of our state which may not have gone down well to some people outside our state who do not wish us well and who imported these hoodlums to our state.
” I therefore, call on security agencies to block all our borders from 70 pm today, the 21st October, 2020 and to protect all lives and property.
“Furthermore, I, the Governor of the state, by the powers conferred on me by the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, I hereby impose a 24 hours curfew from 70 pm today, the 21st of October, 2020.


” I appeal to all these hoodlums and cultist to please use the time available today to leave the state very peacefully and I appeal to all the security agencies to continue to maintain calm even in the face of sever provocation and attack.
” Weather these people came from outside is a reality but they remain our children and so, I appeal to them, again and again to please, leave the state as all the demands of #endsars peaceful protesters in the state, I have met them.

I also intend to work with them on the affairs of the state so that the interest of the young children are being incorporated and I believe that in going forward, every state must dialogue with the young children and also take them into confidence in the affairs of their states because the future belongs to them and therefore, we cannot afford to mortgage their future.


Correspondent reports that the hoodlums burnt down some parts of Kpirikpiri police station, Abakaliki the Ebonyi state capital and destroyed other social amenities in the metropolis.

The youths who were wearing black atire, red clothes on the head with some of them appearing half naked had patrolled the capital city chanting war songs.

business transactions in commercial banks in the metropolis, hurriedly stopped while people scampered for safety including journalists who were monitoring the situation as the hoodlums shot into the air, block major roads.

Some men of the state police traffic team who were controlling traffic on the roads ran away for safety while a mobile policeman who was carrying a lady in his motorcycle was beating to a pulp with his uniform torn by the hoodlums along the road.

#orientdailynews

Will you help bring justice to those killed and make our leaders accountable?

Do sign the petition - https://www.change.org/p/inter....national-criminal-co

 

www.change.org

Petition · Petition for President Buhari to be charged before the ICC for crimes against humanity. · Change.org

Today in Lagos Nigeria, the Nigerian Army started shooting peaceful protesters at Lekki Toll Gate.   This is the latest in a long series of human rights abuses in Nigeria and as the Head of State of Nigeria President Mohammadu Buhari should be held d

#EndSARSprotest: Gov. Ugwuanyi Imposes 24-Hour Curfew In Enugu Metropolis

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has ordered the imposition of 24-hour curfew in Enugu East, Enugu North and Enugu South Local Government Areas, effective from 7pm today, Wednesday, October 21, 2020, until further notice.

The order was contained in a statement on Wednesday, signed by the Commissioner for Information, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh.

Aroh stated that the decision “followed the observed hijack of #EndSARS protests, which had been peaceful in the past days, by miscreants who plan to unleash mayhem”.

He added that “the Governor of Enugu State in fulfillment of his primary responsibility of protection of lives and property of all law-abiding residents in the state has therefore, ordered the imposition of the curfew in the above mentioned local governments, until further notice”.

According to the Information commissioner, “parents/guardians are enjoined to prevail on their wards to desist from any unlawful conduct while the youth in Enugu State are also urged to remain calm and law-abiding as Enugu State Government has taken steps to address the issues at stake, including the inauguration of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Police brutality and related extra-judicial killings earlier this afternoon”.

Lagos Policemen Torture PUNCH Journalists For Covering #endsars Protests

No fewer than 20 policemen guarding the Lagos State House of Assembly in the Alausa area of the state brutalised two PUNCH journalists, Femi Dawodu and Segun Odunayo, while covering the #endsars activities in the area on Wednesday.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday declared a 24-hour curfew to stem the tide of the growing violence in the state but allowed those on essential services such as health workers, security operatives, and pressmen to carry out their legitimate duties.

Dawodu and Odunayo had gone to cover events around the Alausa area, a major demonstration ground of the #endsars protesters calling for a total overhaul of the Nigeria Police Force.

The PUNCH gathered that the duo was recording a live video of the activities in the area when the policemen accosted them and ordered them to stop the recording.

After showing the policemen their identity cards, indicating that they are journalists covering #endsars protests and monitoring compliance with the government-imposed curfew, the policemen became annoyed and pounced on them.

Odunayo said the policemen tortured them for four hours, adding that they stripped them of their clothes, laid them on the floor, beat them with a stick and guns, and took a video recording of them while torturing them at the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Odunayo said, “Femi and I were at the Secretariat in Alausa around 7 am and were doing a live video of the activities going on in the area. We were heading back to the Expressway when a group of armed policemen accosted us at the Lagos State House of Assembly roundabout and immediately collected our phones. We showed them our ID cards but they refused to let us go.

“What got the policemen annoyed was that we saw them using a stick and a rubber to beat a young man and during the live video, they heard me saying that they were beating someone. So, after they arrested us, they tortured us and demanded that we should do another live video denying the statement but we refused.

“Each time we refused, they slapped us, used a stick to beat us, used the butt of their guns to hit our heads and bodies after stripping us of our clothes. All they want was for us to do another live broadcast to claim that we lied and we didn’t because we said the truth.”

Dawodu said it took the intervention of the state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, before they were released at the Alausa Police Station, adding that prior to their release, the policemen took their details, including their addresses, took a video record of them and threatened to go after them if any negative report was published about what happened.

He said, “The policemen were transferring the aggression of what is happening regarding the #endsars protest on us. They later took us to the Divisional Police Station in Alausa and if not for the DPO, the policemen guarding the LSHA that arrested us would have done more grievous things to us.

“The PPRO and the DPO later spoke with them and we were released.

“But despite his intervention, we were told to write statements. They collected our details, address, took video recordings of us making false statements during the torture, and threatened to use it to blackmail and go after us if we end up doing any bad report against them.”

#endsars #punchng