Tag Archives: Recommends

Kaduna Judicial Panel Recommends Prosecution Of Soldiers, El-Zakzaky

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The Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State Government to investigate the December 12-14, 2015 clash between the Nigerian Army and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiite or Shia sect, has indicted the leader of the group, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, for alleged acts of lawlessness by his members.

The 13-member panel headed by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, in its reported submitted recently to Governor Nasir el-Rufai which was made public in Kaduna Sunday night, said El-Zakzaky and his members should be held responsible for the bloody clash with the Nigerian Army last December, which led to the deaths of 349 people, including one soldier.

The report also accused the Nigerian Army of “disproportionate use of force contrary to its rules of engagement”, declaring that soldiers and officers of the Nigerian Army who were involved in the killing of 348 members of the Shiite sect should be prosecuted.

The panel’s findings contained in the report said 349 people – including one soldier – were killed. “Out of the said 349 dead persons, 347 (excluding the soldier) were buried in a mass grave,” said the report.

The commission said it had received 3,578 memoranda – 132 letters and 3,446 emails – along with 39 exhibits and 87 witnesses’ testimonies in the course of the inquiry and the writing of the 193-page report.

“Members of the IMN owe absolute loyalty to Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky. He therefore bears responsibility for all acts of lawlessness committed by the organisation and should therefore be held responsible, fully investigated and prosecuted,” the panel said in its report.

Members of the sect and the army clashed in the Zaria when the latter blocked a major highway during one of its religious processions, in the process blocking access to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, who was attending the passing out parade of the army depot in the area on December 12, 2015.

The commission noted that “the number of casualities recorded during the incident was too high and cannot be justified”, stressing that “members of the Nigerian Army found to have been involved in the killings should be brought to trial before a court of competent jurisdiction”.

The panel also recommended that members of the IMN found to have been involved in the killing of one army corporal, Dan Kaduna Yakubu, during the incident should also be prosecuted.
It also advised the Nigerian Army to “intensify efforts in ensuring compliance with the rules of engagement and other legal standards” at all times during operations.

The panel in the report also challenged the government and law enforcement agencies to be alive to their responsibilities by investigating all persons allegedly breaking the law, even when such persons belong to powerful religious groups.

Credit: Punch

Northern Lawmaker Recommends Amputation, Hanging For Corrupt Government Officials

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Member, House of Representatives, Chikun/Kajuru federal constituency of Kaduna State, under Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Yakubu Barde, has advocated for the amputation of the hands of those who have looted public funds in the country.

He said those who stole millions of naira should have their hands amputated, while those who have looted in the billions of naira should be hanged to death.

Speaking yesterday at a press conference with Kaduna State chapter of correspondents chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Barde said some members of the lower chamber who are of like mind are already looking at the possibility of putting such a law in place to make it legal.

To this end, the lawmaker called for a special court rather than the conventional court to try and sentence looters of public monies to the prescribed capital punishment.

He said “I am a believer in the fact that people should be punished for whatever offence they commit. And I am also of the belief that punishment should also be segregated according to the offence. At least your punishment should be commensurate with what you have done.

“For me, if someone steals from N1 million to N100 million, they should cut his hands. There is nothing wrong with that, so that when we see him, we will know yes, he stole. And those that steal billions upward should be hanged and their property confiscated.

“You can imagine this issue of arms deal. If you knew this money was meant for the procurement of arms, weapons, (consider) if you have a brother in the Army, he is sent to the war front and because his weapons are archaic and he is killed. Do you now want to have sympathy for someone who knows that the money was meant for arms and he pocketed it? It is so painful, we have lost loved ones.

“If I am a judge and such a person is brought before me, I will confisticate his property and make sure he is killed also. Because he bears fault in the blood of the people killed in the war front.

“We are living in a very funny country where people steal N1,000 and they are put in jail for years. And where some people will steal billions and use that same billion to escape justice. That is not good enough.

“If you look at the quantum of corruption in the country today, we are just talking about Dasukigate, and look at the quantum of money and the number of people that are involved. You have not gone to the ministries yet. You have not even gone to the states and it is only ICPC and EFCC that are to do all these jobs.

“If we are fair to ourselves, the work is overwhelming. And you know, people will want to use the legal system to delay Justice, and that is what is happening today. So, why don’t we have dedicated courts to handle all these corruption cases, so that justice could be dispensed quickly?

“I am aware of former Governors who have cases with the EFCC and they have not gone to court for the past eight years. So, this does not encourage the young people. It rather encourages them to steal.

“So, I think we need to put our heads together because corruption, like hunger, does not know party, it does not know tribe of religion. We must as Nigerians take a very bold stand.”

Credit: Sun

Return Toll Gates, Senate Urges Buhari

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The Senate has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately reverse the toll gate policy by ensuring that every federal road has a toll gate.

The Obasanjo administration had scrapped toll gates across the country.

However, the Senate? adopted the recommendation on the reversal of the toll gate policy contained in the report of the Ad-hoc Committee on Works, which investigated the total collapse of federal roads in Nigeria.

The Senate also mandated its Committee on Works to meet with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission to look for new methods of funding federal road projects.

In his presentation, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Barnabas Gemade, recommended the rebuilding and constant maintenance of existing road infrastructure as well as introduction of weigh bridges to protect roads.

Credit: ChannelsTV

Buhari’s Cabinet: Joda Committee Recommends 19 Senior Ministers, 17 Ministers Of State

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Amid growing public concern over the structure and membership of the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari, indications have emerged that the President may operate with just 19 ministries.

The Ahmed Joda-led Transition Committee has recommended a “small government” which entails pruning the number of ministers from 42 to 19, The Cable newspaper reported Friday, quoting the 800-page document submitted by the committee.

Mr. Joda submitted the report to Mr. Buhari last Friday.

The president is expected to implement key recommendations of the report, especially those proposing lean cabinet structure as a way of cutting recurrent expenditure and freeing up funds for capital projects.

According to The Cable, the committee recommended that Mr. Buhari should have only 19 senior ministers, while 17 (junior) ministers of state should be appointed, bringing the total to 36 in line with constitutional provision of one minister per state.

Most of the existing ministries are to be merged, while only nine are not recommended for pruning, the report said.

The nine ministries unaffected by the recommendation of the committee are: industry, trade and investment; education, defence, FCT, finance, labour and productivity, justice, foreign affairs and national planning.

The Joda committee recommended that ministries of mines and steel development, petroleum resources and power should become one ministry to be named “ministry of energy”, while environment, land and urban development as well as works and housing should be merged and known as works, housing and environment instead of being three separate ministries.

Also the ministries of aviation and transport are to become ministry of transport taking charge of aviation, rail, water and transport systems.

“There is no direct relationship between the number of ministries and efficacy of service delivery. The US with a population of 316 million and with GDP of $17,328 trillion (30 times Nigeria’s GDP) has 15 ministries. India has 24 ministries, while the UK has 17,” the committee was quoted as saying.

“The current structure of the FGN with 28 ministries and 542 agencies (50 of which have no enabling laws) [results in] very high cost of governance. The portfolios of ministries are not responsive to all the major critical national challenges such as family and child affairs; religious affairs; vulnerable and elderly group affairs as well as the North-eastern crisis.

“[There is an] apparent conflict between the desire of reducing the cost of governance through cabinet downsize and the constitutional requirement of a cabinet-level ministerial appointment from each of the 36 states of the federation,” the newspaper quoted the committee’s report as saying.

Credit: premiumtimesng