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Canada Grants Asylum To IPOB Lawyer, Children After Husband Allegedly Bribed SSS To Regain Freedom

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A lawyer of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Promise Nosiri, has been temporarily relieved of immigration concerns after the Canadian federal court in Toronto, Ontario, agreed to review an earlier decision denying her asylum application.

Documents seen showed that Madam Justice Go on April 3 set aside an earlier decision rejecting the asylum request of Mrs Nosiri, who claimed Nigeria’s secret police, State Security Service, persecuted her family due to her alleged ties with the proscribed separatist group.

According to Mrs Nosiri, a colleague —with whom she shared an office — in her law firm, was an active IPOB member who sometimes held “IPOB meetings in his office under the guise of community events.”

She explained that she was under intense scrutiny by the SSS agents who went after her husband and detained him for days when they were unable to track her location and arrest her.

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The lawyer told the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD), the Canadian department responsible for granting or denying asylum status to immigrants, that her husband was picked up presumably for interrogation about her whereabouts and detained in their facility until he bribed the SSS officials to negotiate his release.

But the RAD had found Ms Nosiri’s claim of alleged persecution and land dispute “unreasonable,” asserting that it could not be fathomed why the asylum applicant never approached a Nigerian court to lodge her complaints, given her professional background in law.

But Mrs Nosiri was able to tender new evidence showing the text messages of her husband, “stating that he was arrested by the DSS supposedly for interrogation but was instead detained for being a spouse of a wanted suspect.”

“The spouse was released only after he bribed a DSS officer, who is a friend, and was advised to disappear as he would be re-arrested,” court documents showed.

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Ms Nosiri also submitted group photos that she supposedly took with her colleague—the IPOB member — which security operatives may use in implicating her and linking her to the outlawed IPOB.

Ms Go of the federal court in Toronto said that the new evidence — found to be credible and relevant — provided a unique angle to Mrs Nosiri’s asylum application and thereby ordered a review of the matter by a different panel.

“The application for judicial review is granted,” Ms Go said on April 3. “The decision under review is set aside and the matter referred back for redetermination by a different decision‐maker.”

Ms Nosiri and her two children will continue to reside in Canada until the matter is re-assessed and determined.

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Anna Davtyan of Dov Maierovitz EME Professional Corp represented Mrs Nosiri while Brad Gotkin stood in for the respondent, Attorney General of Canada.

Peoples gazette

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Shettima becomes 1st VP to lead Nigeria’s delegation to UN Assembly in 25 yrs

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decided not to attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York this year.

The president has thus directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation.

President Tinubu, who returned to the country last Sunday after his trip to China and the United Kingdom, according to a statement yesterday by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding.

“At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings.”

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“The high-level General Debate, with the theme ‘Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations,’ will run from Tuesday, September 24, through Saturday, September 28, 2024,” the statement added.

Since return to democratic governance in 199, Shettima will be the first Vice President to Nigeria’s delegation to UNGA.

Only Goodluck Jonathan represented Nigeria as Acting president in September 2010 at the 65th UNGA, while late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was away in Saudi Arabia due to his ill health.

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Plateau Assembly approves N5.8bn for LG election

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The Plateau State House of Assembly, on Thursday, approved N5.8bn for the conduct of the local government election in the state slated for October 9, 2024.

The approval by the House followed a communication from Governor Caleb Mutfwang, which was read at plenary by the Assembly Speaker, Gabriel Dewan.

The Speaker stated that the request was necessary as there was no budgetary allocation for the LG elections in the 2024 budget.

A member of the State Assembly, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak for the Assembly, confirmed the development to The PUNCH in Jos on Thursday.

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The lawmaker said, “Governor Mutfwang, at Tuesday’s plenary, sought the House’s approval for N5.7bn as the 2024 supplementary, which was increased after upward review by the legislators.”

He continued, “The House leader, Joseph Bukar, presented the bill during our plenary. While soliciting the support of members for speedy passage, he said PLASIEC was running out of time in preparation for the election.”

“In their individual contributions, Hon. Kalamu Dal suggested a downward review of the budget size, while Hon. Daniel Nanbol urged for a critical review and deliberations. Afterwards, members approved a revised sum of N5.8bn, as opposed to the N5.7bn requested.”

The increase, as explained by Bukar, was due to an increase in security allocation for the election, from N2.7m to N4.2m. “So, that is what happened, and that is where we are at the moment regarding the forthcoming LG election,” the lawmaker concluded.

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Enugu, Kwara tighten security ahead of LG polls

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Security measures have been intensified in Enugu and Kwara states ahead of their Local Government elections scheduled for Saturday, September 21, 2024.

In Enugu State, the Police Command has pledged to ensure the safety of lives and properties during the elections.

However, the peace accord signing for the elections was marred by the absence of major parties like the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, and Labour Party.

Only representatives from the All Progressives Grand Alliance and Accord attended but chose not to sign the accord, citing the lack of participation from the leading parties.

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Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, said all wards and flashpoints had been identified, and security personnel would be on high alert to prevent any disruptions.

The Chairman of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. Chris Ngwu, said the commission was fully prepared for the elections with the support of the state government in procuring necessary materials.

In Kwara State, security agencies have been actively coordinating to ensure a smooth electoral process.

Over 3,000 personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have been deployed across the state.

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The Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission has completed arrangements for a trouble-free election.

Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, reported that a strategic meeting with heads of various security agencies, including the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, and others, had been held to ensure coordinated efforts for maintaining law and order.

The Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, guaranteed maximum security for the election period.

The NSCDC Commandant, Dr. Umar Mohammed, announced the deployment of 3,000 personnel to various polling units and emphasised their role in preventing violence, ballot snatching, and other disruptions.

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Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, Telumun Tombowua, announced on Thursday that eight political parties will participate in the upcoming LG elections in the state, scheduled for October 5, 2024.

Addressing journalists in Makurdi, Tombowua said the election would be conducted fairly and transparently.

He emphasised that the law establishing the BSIEC does not permit the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation Machines for this election.

Regarding the APC, Tombowua confirmed that the National Working Committee of the party had requested the commission to work with the seven-man caretaker committee appointed to oversee party affairs in the state.

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He noted that while 14 parties had initially shown interest, only eight completed the necessary processes and submitted their candidates.

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