A High Court in Port Harcourt has convicted and sentenced two members of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad; SARS to death by hanging.
Shedrack Ibibo and Magus Awuri were members of a SARS team that were standing trial for killing Michael Akor and Michael Igwe, while in their custody for allegedly stealing recharge cards in Oyigbo, Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State in 2015.
The other officers include Samuel Chigbu, Ogoligo, and Olisa Emeka. While Chigbu and Ogoligo died in custody at the correctional centre in Port Harcourt, Ibibo, Awuri, and Emeka continued with the trial.
In her judgement, the trial judge, Justice Margaret Opara, found Shedrack Ibibo and Magus Awuri guilty of conspiracy to murder, while Emeka was acquitted.
A number of Akwa Ibom residents have expressed displeasure over their inability to get permanent voter cards, PVCs even as collection has been reverted to Local government areas by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
INEC in Uyo had in a former collection point which was the Traditional Rulers Council on Barracks road, pasted a note on the entrance wall re-directing citizens to its main office in Ikot Akpan Abia.
Inspiration FM correspondent UHUOTU OMILABU visited INEC office to monitor the distribution of PVCs to residents and observed that there were about 5 designated collection points around the building with each named after different wards in Uyo to make accessibility easier and collection much faster.
Despite these efforts, citizens complained of INEC’s inability to make PVCs available for them as some of them were told that their cards were not found, has already been collected or not yet printed by the commission.
Despite the disappointment faced by some, others expressed fulfillment in being able to get their PVC’s as they said their cards will enable them vote their desired leaders.
Inspiration FM tried to speak with the INEC officials present over the cases of missing or yet to be printed PVCs, but none obliged.
The distribution of PVC is still ongoing at the local government level and will last until Sunday, January 29th, 2023 as INEC has maintained that there will be no more extension.
The Election Petitions Tribunal hearing the All Progressives Congress’ Adegboyega Oyetola’s petition against the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Ademola Adeleke has annulled the result of the July 16 Osun governorship election.
Justice Tetsea Kume, while delivering a majority decision, declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission did not comply substantially with the constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act.
He pointed at over-voting observed from the votes scored by the candidates and declared after deductions that Oyetola won the election, having polled 314, 921, while Adeleke’s score came down to 290, 266.
INEC has since been directed to withdraw Adeleke’s certificate of return and issue another one to Oyetola as winner of the Election.
The Godwin Obaseki led administration had released over 1.5 billion Naira for the payment of outstanding pensions for the period between 1986-2021.
This was revealed in a Press release made by the the Chairman of the Local Government Pensions Bureau on Monday, January 23, 2023.
The release asked Pensioner to avail the bureau with a copy of their Pensioners Identification Cards, Photocopies of Biometrics and pay advice, as well as copies of bank statements from date of retirement.
