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Court Dismisses Delta Govt’s Suit To Stop EFCC, ICPC From Probing State Spending
The Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, has upheld the powers of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and that of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and prosecute officials of the Delta State Government who allegedly engage in corrupt acts.
Justice Folasade Olubanjo held that the sister organisations whose core mandates are basically the same do not in any way violate the principle of federalism and separation of powers embodied in the Constitution.
The court gave the judgment in the suit filed by the Attorney General of Delta State challenging the powers of the two anti-corruption agencies to investigate the state government’s finances and invite Delta State officials for interviews in the course of investigations.
The State Government had asked the court to among other things declare that by virtue of the provisions of Section 120, 121, 122, 123 & 125 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), no authority or person other than the state government, the state house of assembly, and the auditor-general of the state has the constitutional mandate to exercise power or control over the funds standing to the credit of Delta State in the Consolidated Revenue Fund or any other state public funds.
The state also asked the court to make a declaration that the provisions of Section 128 of the Constitution empowers only the state house of assembly to the exclusion of the defendants to conduct or direct investigation into the disbursement of public funds for the purpose of exposing corruption, inefficiency or waste of public funds.
The state also insisted that by virtue of the provisions of Section 125 of the constitution, only the auditor-general of Delta State has the power to receive financial statements and annual accounts from the accountant general of the state.
In her judgment, Justice Olubanjo disagreed with the plaintiff and held that Nigeria practices cooperative federalism; and as such the fight against corruption is a function of both the states and the Federal Government.
The judge also noted that the issues before the court had been settled in a plethora of appellate decisions, among which is the Supreme Court judgment in AG Ondo State vs AG Federation & 36 others.
She accordingly dismissed the suit for lack of merit.
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Senator Abaribe welcomes arrest of Simon Ekpa
The lawmaker representing Abia South, Senator Abaribe, said the arrest of separatist agitator Simon Ekpa in Finland is a welcome development.
The lawmaker stated that the arrest would deter purveyors of violence in the southeast region from continuing the mayhem being unleashed in the region.
According to him, Ekpa and his supporters are hiding behind the Biafra agitation to perpetrate crimes in the region.
In an interview with Channels TV, Abaribe said: “The arrest of Simon Ekpa is something that is very very welcome because this will tell all those people at home, who are purveyors of violence and instigated by Simon Ekpa that he actually said that he is just a content creator and not a serious person.
“We have always said that his activities in South East are totally wrong and not what Ndigbo stands for.
“The quest by the IPOB seeking non-violence referendum was turned by all these criminals. They are using IPOB to cause mayhem in the South-East.”
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Nigerian military kills several IPOB members, recovers bombs, pump-action guns
The Nigerian military said its troops of Operation Udo Ka have neutralised several suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and its security wing, the Eastern Security Network, ESN, in Imo State.
The Nigerian Army Headquarters stated this in a post on its official Facebook page on Monday.
The post said the operation was carried out along the Ekeututu–Ihiteunansa Road in Orsu Local Government Area of the state.
According to the post: “During the operation, the troops encountered suspected IPOB/ESN members. In the ensuing engagement, several of the suspected criminals were neutralized.
“Captured items included pump-action guns, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and IED-making materials, as well as charms.
“The Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General OO Oluyede, commended the troops for their gallantry and urged them to sustain their efforts in eliminating criminal elements from their hideouts.
“He also reassured the peace-loving people of the South East to carry on with their daily activities without fear.”
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Few Months After Retirement From Winners Chapel, Bishop David Abioye Launches New Ministry, Gives Reasons
Bishop David Abioye has explained why he’s setting up his own ministry after leaving the Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel.
This is coming just after retirement from office as Vice President of Living Faith Church worldwide.
The revered cleric unveiled plans for a new spiritual platform titled Hour of Revival. The maiden edition of the Hour of Revival took place on Saturday at the Velodrome of the National Stadium in Abuja, drawing a large crowd of participants from diverse backgrounds.
Addressing the attendees, Bishop Abioye emphasized that the initiative was a divine directive.
Bishop Abioye further clarified that the revival platform is not his personal project but an ordained mission by God.
He called on participants to embrace personal revival as a pathway to corporate revival, expressing his hope that everyone in attendance would be transformed into fire-catchers and fire-spreaders.
The Hour of Revival, which is open to both saved and unsaved individuals, serves as an interdenominational prayer platform to rekindle spiritual fire and inspire personal and collective renewal.
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