Hi,
Remember the Polaris Bank customer who sued the bank for not reversing a POS transaction of N61,000 within 72 hours? The court ordered the bank to pay them N500,000 as compensation.
Why? In 2020, CBN sent timelines for failed e-transactions and instructed that any bank that fails to meet the parameters would be liable. One of the rules was that failed POS transactions should be reversed within 3 days. Now you know you, too can sue your bank. You’re welcome 😉
In this edition:
UK and Nigeria sign deal to deport “foreign criminals”.
Zamfara government wants to give everyone a gun.
el-Rufai fires more teachers
Tinubu vs the world
Ike & Beatrice Ekweremadu summon NIMC to prove their innocence
Foreign criminals
Nigeria just signed an agreement with the UK to “increase the deportation” of people considered to be “dangerous criminals”, as part of the new British immigration plan.
On the day the British Home Secretary Priti Patel announced the deal, 13 Nigerians were deported from the UK— 8 people convicted of crimes and 5 who were in the UK illegally. 8 Ghanaians were reportedly also deported the same day. Patel said the deal will help both countries fight people smugglers and their many criminal activities.
Domestic criminals
Nigeria is ranking 143 out of 163 countries on the “level of peacefulness scale. Another report found that the rate of deaths by mass killings has increased by 116% between 2019.
Zamfara’s solution? guns for everyone
The Zamfara State government says it encourages residents, especially farmers, to get weapons to defend themselves from terrorists— to show the extent of their seriousness, they are ready to facilitate the purchase of these weapons.
A statement from the state commissioner for information, Ibrahim Magajo Dosara, said the commissioner of police has been directed to issue gun licences to “those who apply and are eligible to bear arms”.
The government said that following the increase in bandit activities (over 40 people died in terrorist raids last month and many more kidnapped) despite their dedication to resolving it, they have “no option” than to provide weapons to citizens to defend themselves.
In addition to the weapons, the government will also be deploying more security personnel to the communities.
This is in a country where people get burnt alive for “religious differences” and where men pluck out a children’s eyes for “committing a crime”.
Naturally, not everyone is with the Zamfara government’s plan.
Lawyers around the country noted that citizens owning firearms is against the country’s firearms laws, so it’s a bit odd to singlehandedly decide to change it. “Before the people will resort to self-help, the government should wake up and live up to their responsibility”
Katsina: Schools on pause
Increasing cases of terrorist violence in Katsina have forced 19 public schools in the state to close down. Leadership Newspaper estimates that this puts 9,113 students at risk of pausing or ending their education. Katsina State Education Secretary of the council, Kabir Alim, however, says some of the students have moved to Kankara, a neighbouring town, to continue their education which has resulted in congested classrooms and a worrisome teacher-to-student ratio.
Borno: Terrorists surrender
The Nigerian army reports that about 314 Boko Haram Terrorists surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OHK) in Borno. OHK: a military initiative where the Army stakes terrorist hideouts and ambushes them at a strategically optimal time. The Army said they also rescued 12 farmers during this operation.
Attacking security
Kogi: Bandits kill police. On Sunday, unidentified attackers ambushed the Police Area Command office at Eika-Ohizenyi in Okehi Local government Area of Kogi State with explosives. The attackers also killed a police officer on duty, Mr. Jibril- GuardianNG.
The Army confirmed that troops were ambushed in Niger. According to the Army’s statement, they were on their way to respond to a distress call when they were ambushed by criminals who fatally shot members of the team. They believe the criminals staged the distress call.
Politically-motivated attacks?
Dr Samuel Chukwuemeka Uche, the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria who was kidnapped 3 weeks ago during a criminal attack in Abia says somebody is lying.
Reporters indicated that it had been confirmed that the person who kidnapped him was from his hometown. Uche says it’s a lie: abductors were actually a group who claimed to be from Sudan, Mali and Niger.
Uche’s estate had to pay N100 million for his release.
Church attacks & everyday attacks are different, according to Buhari
Buhari, who said last week that Nigeria is doing just fine on the security front, claims that the recent increase in attacks on churches is “politically motivated”.
Last month, attackers with explosives stormed a church in Owo in southwestern Ondo. They killed 40 people and wounded at least 60 others.
Days after this attack, bandits in northwestern Kaduna raided churches in several villages. They killed 3 people and kidnapped 36 others.
Responding to these attacks (and obviously choosing to forget the decade-long terrorism), Buhari said this is obviously the handwork of “enemies who are against the country’s unity”.
He does not have an opinion on the N40 million farmers in Kaduna have to pay terrorists for monitored freedom.
The orders and the orderers
CJN fired to pacify disgruntled judges (but heavens forbid doctors or teachers ask for their complete income to be paid)
Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Ibrahim Muhammad, has resigned and will be replaced by Olukayode Ariwoola. Initial reports were that he is ill, but news since then tells us otherwise.
A letter from the Supreme Court judges alleges that the CJN was forced to resign for abandoning his responsibilities as the leader of the court.
The letter signed by 14 judges also accused the CJN of going on foreign trips while denying them the right to go for international training.
They also accused him of dropping the ball on providing adequate accommodation, vehicles, electricity tariff, supply of diesel, internet services to justices’ residences, training for justices and sporadic electricity supply to the court.
The justice was supposedly removed because the judges sent this memo to the presidency and said they will stop sitting if the CJN is not replaced.
Interesting that the presidency can spring into action like this for judges while leaving teachers and doctors protesting for months without pay. They’ve even threatened to sack them for demanding to be paid months of actual income— not even benefits.
Kaduna keeps firing teachers
On the 19th of June, the Kaduna state government sacked 2,357 primary school teachers, including the Nigeria Union of Teachers national president, Audu Amba.
The Kaduna government says all who were let go failed the competency test all teachers in the state were asked to take.
In response, the Nigeria Union of Teachers said if the dismissals are not reversed, they will start a nationwide strike.
But Kaduna’s governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai is not the one— shortly after the protest strike threat, the government said it is looking to sack more unqualified teachers.
The state government had in 2018 sacked 21,780, for failing a similar test while 233 others were sacked in December 2021 for allegedly presenting fake certificates.
The government says they are recruiting 10,000 teachers to replace those let go.
There is however no discussion about compensation for those who are considered qualified, who undoubtedly now have more students to tend to.
Announcement: Anambra is not outsourcing tax collection
Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Charles Soludo has banned all markets and parks executives from collecting revenue in the state for the government. He said henceforth the new tax regime will be vigorously pursued to ensure that all revenue goes to the government and self-assigned tax collectors can stop pocketing the money. The new policy takes effect starting yesterday, July 1st - Daily Trust
Politics and elections
Yobe Senatorial wahala
How it started: The Electoral Act that the National Assembly is STILL working on declares that every party member in a political position must resign before contesting in anything else. This is in addition to the restriction from voting in primaries.
The gist is that some aspiring presidential candidates had a party member temporarily hold on form for their current position, while they try their luck with the presidency. If they didn’t win primaries, the placeholder would suddenly “decide” to step down for them.
The sitting Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, allegedly attempted to use this scope. Lawan got the APC presidency form, while Bashir Machina — rumoured to be his placeholder, declared his desire to be APC’s Yobe North Senatorial candidate.
When Lawan did not win, he attempted to get the Senate ticket back but Machina had no intention to let go. (Oops)
For some reason it was left to INEC to decide— after weeks of back and forth, INEC decided to stick with Bashir Machina.
Both have been in the National Assembly for over 20 years.
APC’s retention rate is dropping
About 22 APC Senators have threatened to leave the party allegedly because they have not been handed the ticket to return to the Senate (you know, their birthright). So far, about 8 Senators from various states have gone through with it.
We reported a few weeks ago that the National Assembly was planning to go over Buhari’s head to amend the clause in the Electoral Act [Section 84 (12)] that doesn’t allow party delegates to vote.
When the act was presented President and Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, attempted to have this clause overturned at the supreme court for fear that the likelihood of losing would be discouraging for serving political officials.
The judges affirmed their position, stating that the presidency can’t just decide to cancel a clause they already agreed to.
The good, the bad, the Tinubu
Asiwaju Tinubu won the APC ticket. But he still has haters everywhere— they’re challenging his health, his goodness and his honesty. The latest challenge: questions about his academic qualifications via a suit filed by The Action Peoples Party (APP).
It was recently discovered that Tinubu did not provide any information on a primary or secondary school he attended. However, he said he attended the University of Chicago between 1972 and 1976.
He claims that he doesn’t have any certificates from before because someone stole his things while he was “in self-exile” from 1994 to 1999.
++ Ahead of the INEC deadline to submit a VP name, Tinubu nominated Kabiru Ibrahim Masari as his running mate but the party members say both men being Muslim will cause religious friction in the country, so Tinubu has walked it back— says he is still looking for his running mate - Leadership
Senator goes from Lagos to Ogun senate
Senator Adeola Solomon who has been a Lagos West senator since 2015 has suddenly become the senatorial candidate for Ogun west. Solomon, who is also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance said his decision to switch to his native Ogun State is to “add value” to his senatorial district. - Vanguard
Civil society organisations say CBN is no longer a neutral ground for electoral material
70 civil service organisations have asked INEC to find another way to safeguard electoral materials as they don’t believe the CBN to be as apolitical as it claims. Ene Obi, an attending member wondered why INEC would keep such sensitive documents in the care of a company run by Godwin Emefiele, a member of APC. - Guardian NG
Money
No money, mo’ problems
The National Bureau of Statistics shared something anyone who lives in Nigeria knows: food prices are rising faster than a baby grows out of clothes. NBS stated that the average price of basic items like beans, yam, palm oil and groundnut oil increased by between 34-43% between May 2021 and May 2022. See the numbers here.
Education Bank
If you think education is the last thing on the House of Reps’ mind — considering how often teachers go on strike or how the government completely ignores the needs of students and school faculty— you’re wrong.
They care so much that they’re discussing re-starting Education Bank— an initiative established in 1993 to provide student loans.
This week, the HOR summoned the minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed; the minister of education, Adamu Adamu and the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele to discuss reviving the program.
A constituent from Imo State expressed concern that failure to establish the bank has cost students a trustworthy place to take loans to finance their education.
There is no mention of how they will maintain their education and the loans when 3-year degrees are extended by years as a result of strikes.
Ike & Beatrice Ekweremadu update
Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife Beatrice Ekweremadu have summoned the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to court.
The couple says that the person they are accused of trafficking— David Nwamini— who the Metropolitan Police said is 15, is a 21-year-old. They say he offered to give one of his kidneys to their daughter.
The couple’s lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo said the Royal Free Hospital in London didn’t go through with the operation not because he is underage, but because of a lack of compatibility.
They asked the court to order NIMC to present Nwamini’s NIN, which will be used to establish his client’s innocence.
Awomolo also asked banks Stanbic IBTC and UBA to provide the certification that Nwamini used to open his accounts.
The hearing for all the documents was fixed for yesterday, the 1st of July.
Meanwhile, the case in the UK was adjured to the 1st of July, but has been postponed to July 7 and transferred to the Westminster Magistrate Court to allow Suella Braverman, UK Attorney-General, to determine whether the case should be tried in Nigeria or UK.
Other news
Tontoh Dike is running for deputy Governor - Daily Post
The registration for the e-naira hackathon is now open. Closes July 21 - The Nation
Farmers in Kaduna communities pay terrorists N400m to access farmlands – Community leader- Daily Post
Police Sargent Arrested for Alleged Homicide in Benue - ThisDay
President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to international partners to declare the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a terrorist organisation - PM News
Blessing Okagbare: Nigerian sprinter's doping ban extended to 11 years - BBC
The train attack victims have now spent almost 100 days in captivity - Punch
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-South have “vowed” to “deliver “the zone to Bola TInubu, the party’s presidential candidate - ICIR Nigeria