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Court dismisses suit seeking to stop conduct of exams, polls on Saturdays
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By Francesca Hangeior
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed as frivolous, a suit that sought to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from conducting elections on Saturdays.
The suit was brought before the court by a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Mr Ugochukwu Uchenwa.
Uchenwa, who is an elder of the church, equally prayed the court to stop the conduct of examinations on Saturdays.
According to the plaintiff, fixing elections and examinations on Saturdays violates his right and that of other members of the church, to freedom of worship.
He prayed the court to declare that the fixing of elections and examinations on Saturdays was unconstitutional.
In the alternative, the plaintiff urged the court to order the defendants to allow him and other church members to vote or write examinations on any other day of the week, including Sundays.
Cited as defendants in the suit were the President, the Attorney-General of the Federation, INEC, and the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Others, were; the Joint Admission and Matriculation Examinations (JAMB), the National Examination Council (NECO), the West African Examination Council (WAEC), and the National Business and Technical Examination Board.
In his judgement on Wednesday, Justice James Omotosho held that the suit was frivolous, adding that the plaintiff failed to establish why any of the reliefs he sought from the court should be granted.
According to the court, the plaintiff failed to establish any reasonable cause of action in the matter.
Specifically, the plaintiff, in his originating summons, urged the court to declare that the scheduling of elections in Nigeria on Saturdays, the “sabbath day,” was a violation of his fundamental rights to freedom of worship.
“It is also a violation of conscience, profession, free practice of faith, and the right to participate freely in the government of the applicant and that of all members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Nigeria,” he argued.
He wanted “a declaration that the actions of the 5th to 8th respondents fixing examinations on Saturdays, a “Sabbath day of the Lord,” is a violation of the fundamental rights of freedom of conscience, profession, and free practice of faith of the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Nigeria.”
He maintained that fixing exams on “Sabbath Day of the Lord ” was equally a violation of right to freedom of education of the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Nigeria.
He prayed the court for an order to restrain INEC from further violating the rights of member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church by holding elections on Saturdays.
Or, in the alternative, to “order INEC to mark out a different day for the members of the church to participate in their own election if the INEC cannot schedule and hold the elections on a day other than on Saturdays.”.
Among reliefs the court declined to grant to the plaintiff on Wednesday, included an order “restraining the 5th to 8th respondents from scheduling and conducting compulsory public examinations on Saturdays, without making an option for the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to write their exams on days other than Saturdays.”
Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday said it was not currently involved in negotiations with the United States, despite a halt in recent fighting between the two sides.
“Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press briefing.
“Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are fabrications that the other side circulates from time to time,” he added.
Hostilities resumed between Iran and the United States earlier this month after diplomatic efforts collapsed amid an impasse regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
Fighting has nonetheless paused since early Saturday, following 13 days of exchanges of fire between the two sides.
Baqaei criticised the United States, saying its conduct in recent years has “resembled that of a mafia gang that adheres to no rules or laws”.
“So long as such behaviour by the United States continues, we cannot be hopeful about the emergence of a reasonable process,” he added.
Iran insists on retaining control over the management of the Strait of Hormuz, including the collection of service fees, while keeping Oman involved as a coastal state.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have turned back multiple vessels in recent days, including six earlier on Monday, that attempted to transit the strait outside the route designated by the Islamic republic.
On Monday, Baqaei reiterated that Washington had nothing to do with recent talks with Oman over the administration of the Strait of Hormuz.
“These talks have no connection with the United States. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman, and they are continuing,” Baqaei said, adding that the waterway “remains closed”.
The Kebbi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of
a Kebbi State High Court judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza after suspected Bandits invaded his residence in Bunza Local Government Area.
Confirming the abduction, the State Police spokesperson, SP Bashir Usman, said the judge was taken from his residence around midnight.
“I can confirm that Hon. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza was abducted from his residence in Bunza around midnight,” Usman said.
He disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, had immediately deployed tactical and intelligence teams to track the abductors and rescue the judge.
“Our personnel are combing identified locations, including forest hideouts, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed,” the police spokesperson said.
NATIONAL WAVES learnt that the gunmen stormed the judge’s home along Zogirma Road at about 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, shortly after he returned from a trip to Sokoto State.
The attackers fired sporadically into the air before whisking the judge away. No member of his household was kidnapped or molested during the operation. He had just returned from Sokoto when the gunmen invaded his residence and abducted him,” a source squealed
A family member who craved for anonymity said “Immediately the incident happened, we alerted the relevant authorities, including the leadership of the High Court,”
News
Confusion in Anambra as students feared trapped in private hostel near Oko Polytechnic collapses
A three-storey private hostel warehousing students of Federal Polytechnic Oko has collapsed in Amokpala, Oko, in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, leaving a yet-to-be-identified number of occupants trapped beneath the rubble.
The building, identified as Elite Five Star Lodge, reportedly caved in late Sunday night.
The collapse of the hostel located near Tonimas Filling Station in the Oko Polytechnic community sparked panic among residents and students as cries for help were reportedly heard from beneath the debris.
Emergency responders launched rescue operations, with personnel from the Anambra State Police Command, the Anambra State Fire Service, the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and other security and emergency agencies deployed to the scene.
Several injured victims have so far been rescued from the collapsed structure and taken to a hospital in Oko for medical treatment.
Search-and-rescue teams, however, continue efforts to reach other occupants believed to be trapped under the debris.
Authorities said the exact number of casualties and those trapped could not be immediately confirmed, as rescue operations were still ongoing at the time of filing this report.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said a police-led joint security team swiftly secured the area and coordinated emergency response efforts to prevent further loss of life.
Ikenga urged residents to remain calm, refrain from spreading unverified information, and stay away from the scene to allow rescue workers unhindered access to carry out their operations.
He added that the police command would provide further updates as more verified information becomes available.
We don’t have current negotiations with US — Iran
Police Finally Confirm Abduction Of Kebbi High Court Judge By Bandits
Confusion in Anambra as students feared trapped in private hostel near Oko Polytechnic collapses
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