Connect with us

News

LG autonomy: Chairmen, councilors who embezzle funds risk jail – AGF

Published

on

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) warned yesterday that local government chairmen and councilors who embezzle council funds do so at the risk of going to jail.

Fagbemi, who spoke in Abuja at the opening session of the validation meeting of the National Anti-corruption Strategy (NACS) Action Plan 2022-2026, said the efforts that led to the recent judgment on financial autonomy to local governments were not a waste.

Fagbemi observed that some have continually argued that unless the task of conducting local government election is transferred to another body, the Supreme Court judgment may not have any meaningful impact.

The AGF said his view has always been that such issues would be addressed when they arise.

Advertisement

He tasked the various anti-corruption agencies to be up and doing because they are required to oversight the deployment of funds at the Local Government level.

“I told them that when we get to the bridge, we will cross it. But one thing I keep saying is that the governors have immunity, but local governments chairmen do not have. The counsellors don’t have. So, it will be very easy to put them where they belong.

In any event, we need activities at the local government level. They are not to be over-sighted by anybody, except by the critical anti-corruption agencies – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practice and other related offences Commission (ICPC), the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the police and others, when the need arises.

“And as often as the need arises, we will deal with that aspect.

Advertisement

“So, if a governor asks you to go and commit a crime and you accept, he will not follow you to Kuje or Kirikiri. No, you are on your own.

“So, this is a challenge to the anti-corruption agencies and I know that they are up to the task,” Fagbemi said.

He argued that it was not necessary to preach to those who will be at the helm of affairs at the local government level because they are expected to be able to read and write and differentiate right from wrong.

“You don’t have to preach to anybody. Those who would become Chairmen and Counsellors, at least they should be able read and write. They will know that it is a crime to steal and that if you steal, the penalty is there,” he added.

Advertisement

He said the vision of the NACS is to ensure “a Nigeria that is free of corruption for sustainable human development,” while the mission statement is “to provide a holistic national anti-corruption strategy for all sectors and stakeholders in the fight against corruption.”

The AGF recalled that the first NACS was for between 2017 and 2021, adding that the NACS Action Plan was developed, validated and adopted by relevant stakeholders on the 26th March, 2018.

He explained that at the expiration of the initial NACS, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) considered and approved the extension of the implementation of NACS 2017-2021 for another four years.

The AGF explained that the NACS Action Plan 2022 – 2026 is a product of series of consultation and collaboration between the 22 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government with anti-corruption and accountability mandates.

Advertisement

He added that the framework for the NACS Action Plan implementation is focused on five pillars which serve as the driving force for both the public and private sector and the national and sub-national levels of government.

Fagbemi identified the five pillars to include prevention of corruption, public engagement, campaign for ethical re-orientation, enforcement and sanction and recovery and management of proceeds crime.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Kenya: Lion kills 14-year-old girl, elephant kills man in separate incidents

Published

on

By

A lion killed a 14-year-old girl outside Kenya’s capital Nairobi while an elephant killed a 54-year-old man in the central part of the country, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said this weekend.

The attack on the girl occurred on Saturday in a ranch to the south of Nairobi National Park.

The attack was witnessed by another teenager, who raised the alarm, the KWS said in a statement.

“KWS rangers and response teams were swiftly mobilized and traced bloodstains leading to the Mbagathi River, where the girl’s body was recovered with injuries on the lower back,” the conservation agency said in a statement.

Advertisement

“The lion was not sighted at the scene,” it added.

It said a trap had been set for the lion and teams deployed to comb the area, along with additional safety measures.

The KWS said a 54-year-old man had also been killed by an elephant in Kenya’s Nyeri County on Friday. The agency gave no further details about that incident.

“KWS conveys its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and continues to work closely with local law enforcement and communities to enhance the safety of people living near protected wildlife areas,” it said in the statement.

Advertisement

It called for more investment in “human-wildlife conflict mitigation”, including early warning systems and greater collaboration with affected communities.

In a statement to the BBC Paula Kahumbu, head of the WildlifeDirect conservation group, urged Kenya Wildlife Service to improve “risk assessments and ensure accurate, real-time communication of wildlife movement and behavior, especially in known high-risk areas such as Savannah Ranch,” where the girl was killed.

Last year, police in Kenya recovered the body of a man believed to have been attacked by a lion while he was riding a motorcycle near a national reserve in the south of the country.

The lion population was declining in Kenya just over a decade ago, primarily due to human-wildlife conflict. The government listed lions as endangered, with an estimated population of 2,000 in 2010. A more recent survey put the number at 2,489.

Advertisement

In 2023, 11 lions were speared to death in just one week — including one of Kenya’s oldest wild lions — by herders after the big cats killed their livestock.

Last year, the BBC reported CCTV footage captured the moment a lion snatched a Rottweiler dog from another home near Nairobi National Park

Continue Reading

News

Celebrity boxing: Speed Darlington wants rematch after losing to Portable

Published

on

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Nigerian singer Speed Darlington is calling for a rematch against Portable after losing to him in a celebrity boxing match.

Speed Darlington was knocked out in the second round, and he’s unhappy about the outcome.

In a video, he claimed Portable didn’t deserve the win and the prize money, saying he had plans to use the money to build a swimming pool for his community in Imo State.

Advertisement

Portable, I want a rematch. E dey pain me say you dey carry all that money dey go. E dey break my heart.

” I want a rematch. It’s so unfair. You have up to two experience before me and you fight. I never enter ring before. I did not come from poverty,” he said.

“You don’t deserve that money. E dey pain me. I want to build swimming pool for my villagers. I need a rematch, Portable”, he said.

According to Speed Darlington, Portable had an unfair advantage due to his experience, accusing him of using supernatural means to win the fight.

Advertisement

He also claimed he suffered a shoulder injury during the match despite not feeling tired.

Speed Darlington, who wants a rematch, said he needs 30 days to prepare better

Continue Reading

News

Israel’s remote controlled bulldozers breaking ground in Gaza war

Published

on

By

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the bulky bulldozer turning up soil at a testing site in central Israel, but as it pulled closer it became clear: the driver’s cabin is eerily empty.

This is the Robdozer, a fortified engineering vehicle manned remotely, and in this case operated from a military expo halfway across the globe in Alabama.

Army engineers and military experts say that the Robdozer — the robotic version of Caterpillar’s D9 bulldozer — is the future of automated combat.

The Israeli military has used D9 for years to carry out frontline tasks like trowelling roads for advancing troops, removing rubble and flattening terrain.

Advertisement

But since war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 and later in Lebanon, the Israeli military has increasingly deployed this robotic version in a bid to enhance its field operations and reduce the risks to its troops.

“The idea is to eliminate the person from the cockpit of the dozer,” said Rani, whose team at the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries developed the Robdozer.

An unmanned D9 bulldozer digs up a field during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025. Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

During the Gaza war, the military has increasingly opted for the unmanned version, which can carry out a full range of tasks “even better than a human”, said Rani, using his first name only for security reasons.

Advertisement

While such vehicles and other systems are currently operated by humans, future versions could be autonomous, raising ethical and legal concerns over the unchartered future of warfare being shaped by the Israeli military in the Gaza war.

‘Changing the paradigm’
Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law.

Analysts say the growing Israeli deployment of the Robdozer reflects broader global trends towards automation in heavy combat vehicles, like remote-controlled personnel carriers that operate much like drones.

An Israeli military official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told AFP that the army has been using “robotic tools for over a decade, but in very small numbers. Now it is being used in large-scale warfare”.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Naija Blitz News