Thursday, April 23, 2026
Home Blog Page 922

Abia State Limitation Law Not A Bar to Entitlement Claims—Industrial Court Rules

admin
-
0
Abia State Limitation Law Not A Bar to Entitlement Claims—Industrial Court Rules

Owerri—The Presiding Judge, Owerri Judicial division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, His Lordship, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Galadima has dismissed the preliminary objection filed by Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Ministry of Local Govt and Chieftaincy Matters, Abia State challenging the court jurisdiction to hear matter brought by 4 former Abia Councilors and former Deputy Chairman Aba South Local Government seeking a court order on purported entitlements and allowances.

The court held that the provision of Section 18 of the Limitation Law of Abia State has no application to entitlement claims between the parties that the matter is not statute-barred, ordered for immediate trial.

The claimants filed an amended writ of complaint dated the 3/06/2019, claiming jointly and severally against the Defendants for the sum of N33, 389, 148 (Thirty three Million, Three hundred and Eighty-Nine Thousand, One Hundred and Forty Eight Naira) Only being unpaid entitlements/allowances owed the Claimants as elected councilors in Aba South Local Government Council between 2008 – 2010 which the Defendants allegedly refused to pay despite repeated demand made to them.

The defendants on the 20/5/2019 filed a motion on notice pursuant to Section 18 of the Limitation Law, CAP 114, Laws of Abia State sought for an order to dismiss the suit on the ground that the alleged cause of action is more than five years as required by Section 18 of the Limitation Law of Abia State.

Argued that since the Complaint is centered on contract and debts allegedly owed the Claimants, and since the cause of action arose between 2008-2010 exceeded five years from the time the cause of action arose, they are barred from instituting the matter.

In opposition, the claimants maintained that the suit is properly constituted, and therefore not statute-barred or caught by Limitation Law of Abia State that they served in Aba South Local Government and are entitled to their statutory entitlements and Allowances.

Delivering the ruling, the presiding Judge, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Galadima held that matters in respect to Labour or incidental to Labour, work done or due wages of Employees cannot be vitiated by Statutes of Limitation.

“Ordinarily I would agree with the 2nd and 3rd Defendants/Applicants that the matter is time barred by virtue of Section 18 of the Limitation Law of Abia State if and only if the action were one for a contract, tort or debt owed simpliciter.” Justice Galadima Ruled.

In all, the court dismissed the preliminary objection and ordered that the matter proceed to hearing immediately.

Gunmen abduct Katsina Deputy Accountant General’s wife

admin
-
0
Gunmen abduct Katsina Deputy Accountant General’s wife

Wife of the Katsina State Deputy Accountant General, Hajiya Lubabatu, has been abducted by unknown gunmen.
A source close to the family said Lubabatu who returned from a lesser Hajj (Umrah) on Tuesday, was abducted on Wednesday night around 9pm.

It was learnt that the gunmen, numbering fifteen, gained access into the GRA residence of the Deputy Accountant General, using a Peugeot 206, which the private guards mistook for one of his cars.
The source added that after the gunmen had entered the compound, they manhandled those met in the house and demanded Lubabatu.

After finding her, they ordered her inside the car and then drove her out of the premises and reportedly out of Katsina.
The Deputy Accountant General was reportedly not in when the gunmen stormed the house.

Efforts to get his comments on the incident on Thursday were abortive as he was said not to be around.
Sympathisers who were mainly top civil servants were, however, seen trooping to the house to console him on the incident.

The abductors were yet to make contact with the family as of the time of putting this report together.
Spokesman for the Katsina Police Command, SP Gambo Isah, could not be reached for comments as his telephone lines rang out.

Nigerian widow arrested for ingesting 60 wraps of cocaine

admin
-
0
Nigerian widow arrested for ingesting 60 wraps of cocaine

A 54-year-old woman, Sulaimon Kudirat Aduni and 45-year-old Adindu Obinna Hycinth have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) on charges of drug trafficking.

Kudirat who was on her way to London when she was nabbed has excreted 28 out of the 60 wraps of cocaine she swallowed, while Adindu has excreted 93 wraps.

The widow disclosed that she joined the drug trafficking gang after facing a hard time in her clothing business. She further revealed that she was contacted by one of her friends Bunmi who stays in London. Bunmi reportedly sent over one Mukaila to help her swallow the drugs.

The NDLEA Airport Commander MMIA, Garba Ahmadu said Aduni was apprehended after she developed complications and vomited two wraps resulting from irritation and stomach discomfort.

Ahmadu said: “She was arrested on October 26, 2019, during outward clearance of passengers. She was to board Virgin Atlantic flight to London.

On October 27, 2019, she developed some complications and vomited two wraps resulting from irritation and stomach discomfort. .

During preliminary interview, she admitted that she ingested a total of 60 wraps of cocaine. She has so far excreted 28 wraps. She coughed intermittently before vomiting and fainted in the process. .

She was promptly rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). After she was certified stable, the suspect was taken back to custody. .

She is being kept under strict observation for possible excretion of the remaining 32 wraps.”

Hycinth on the other hand said he got into the crime because someone stole his N6 million and he was desperate for cash. He further revealed that he was promised €3,000 if the trip to Frankfurt was successful.

Ahmadu said: “In the process of excretion, the suspect made the first excretion of 35 wraps of suspected hard drugs and it was observed that one of the wraps excreted was almost unwrapped. After taking medication, he excreted a total of 93 wraps of suspected hard drugs with a total weight of 1.620kg.”

New minimum wage: Nasarawa to commence implementation

admin
-
0
New minimum wage: Nasarawa to commence implementation

Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has promised to commence the process for the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage in the state.

The governor gave the promise at a two-day retreat for political appointees in the state on Wednesday in Akwanga, Akwanga Local Government Area of the state.

According to him, now that agreement has been reached on the consequential adjustment for workers on grade levels 7 to 17, the state will soon commence the process for the implementation.
Sule said he had sworn to obey law as a governor, adding that the ‘N30,000 minimum wage is a law in the country that must be obeyed.

“We will engage the organised labour in the state on the consequential adjustment for levels 7 to 17 civil servants as soon as we get the temple from the relevant organs of the Federal Government.
“But the adjustment will be determined by our allocation from the Federation Account and accrual from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

“We would be very open to the unions and the public in our transaction so that together we would agree on the adjustment base on our financial capacity,’’ Sule stated.

The governor also promised to be transparent in running the state and assured that he would deliver on his campaign promises. (NAN)

BREAKING: Supreme Court dismisses Atiku’s appeal, affirms Buhari’s election

admin
-
0
BREAKING: Supreme Court dismisses Atiku’s appeal, affirms Buhari’s election

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 23, 2019 presidential election.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, who led six other members of the apex court’s panel, delivered a three-sentence judgment which put paid to the legal dispute over the poll.

The CJN, who said the reasons for the decision of the court would be made known on a date to be announced, disclosed that he and members of the panel had read all the documents and exhibits filed in the case for two weeks and found the appeal to be lacking in merit.

The judgement which was unanimously consented to by the other six members of the panel came less than an hour after the court took arguments on the appeal.

Strange Disease Kills 50 in Katsina Communities

admin
-
0
Strange Disease Kills 50 in Katsina Communities

A strange disease has reportedly killed no fewer than 50 people in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State in the last 21 days.

The disease, which is yet to be known, broke out in Kogware and Ungwan Sarka communities when five victims suddenly lost consciousness before they were rushed to the council’s General Hospital.
According to residents, on arrival at the hospital, one of the victims who was among the first to be rushed to the hospital, gave up the ghost.

The residents also told EQUITY NEWS.NG, which visited the affected communities on Tuesday, that the remaining 49 persons died in their various houses while receiving traditional medicine from herbalists.
The village head of Kogware community, Shu’aibu Iliyasu, who also confirmed the development, said 50 persons had so far died as a result of the strange disease within the community.

But the state government said 45 cases of the strange illness were recorded with 18 dead.
Iliyasu said: “We are still shocked over this unforseen circumstances that led to the death of our people. In this community alone, 50 people including children have died of this strange disease.

“There are reported cases of death also in Ungwan Sarka but I don’t know the exact figure because the place is not under my jurisdiction,” the traditional ruler said.

The paramount ruler added that he reported the scenario to the local government council and injections and drips were given to the victims by the medical personnel in the area but the situation persisted, hence the need for speedy action by the state government.

According to him, “We therefore, call on the state government as a matter of urgency to come to our aid by providing the needed medical attention and investigate the root cause of this strange disease and take precautionary measures to end the untimely death of my people.

Another resident, Kabir Garba Sarka, said many people died of the same illness at Ungwan Sarka and over 800 people were hospitalized in different hospitals in the area.
However, when contacted, the Executive Secretary of Katsina State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Shamsudeen Yahaya, said only 18 people died of the strange illness as investigation was ongoing to unravel the disease.

“We have 45 cases of that suspected illness. Out of it, we have 18 dead. And out of the 11 samples we collected, five are negative, while the remaining six we are waiting for the result because we have taken the samples to Lagos.
“People could have died of any other thing but for this one, that is the figure. It is a suspected case. We can only believe it when we have laboratory confirmation,” he said.

EQUITY NEWS.NG reports that the Katsina State government had of recent immunized over six million people against yellow fever when the deadly disease broke out in Dan-Musa Local Government area of the state.

“Fake” native doctor remanded in prison for “Juju scam”

admin
-
0
“Fake” native doctor remanded in prison for “Juju scam”

A Justice of the Federal High Court has ordered that a “fake” native doctor be remanded for “juju scam”.

Justice Patricia Ajoku of the Federal High Court 1, sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State ordered the remand of native doctor, Fatai Olalere Alli (a.k.a. Baba Abore, Baba Oshun), and two others


– Adigun Fatai Olusegun and Olufemi Kolawole – in prison custody pending the filing, hearing and determination of their bail applications, EFCC reports.

The accused persons were arraigned by the EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, on criminal charges bordering on conspiracy, money laundering and obtaining money by false pretense.

The court had earlier granted EFCC’s petition for an order of interim forfeiture of properties traced to Alli as well as freezing of accounts he allegedly used to receive proceeds of crime.

Police to enforce restrictions of vehicle order in Niger

admin
-
0
Police to enforce restrictions of vehicle order in Niger

The Police in Niger said that it would enforce executive order restricting the movement of articulated vehicles in the state from Nov. 1.

DSP Mohammed Abubakar, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Minna..

Abubakar said that the police would always support any lawful order aimed at bringing about the development of the state and improve the well being of the people.
“The police will definitely enforce all laws and orders that will guarantee the security and safety of the good people of Niger state,” he said.

Abubakar said that the state government order to allow for a free flow of traffic and to make rehabilitation of the roads easy.

NAN recalls that Mr Adamu Mohammed, Solicitor General of the state and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, had revealed on Saturday that the Gov. Abubakar Bello has signed an Executive Order restricting the movement of articulated vehicles plying major roads across the state.

Mohammed said that the order is known as trailers, tankers and other heavy motor vehicles order no. 2, 2019, would take effect from Nov. 1 this year.

He said that the new order has repealed the old one and seeks to regulate the movement of heavy-duty vehicles and trucks to between 10 pm and 6 am daily.

The Permanent Secretary said that no trailer, tanker or any other vehicle loaded with flammable products would be allowed to park within residential areas.

“Any person who drives a trailer or other heavy-duty vehicle and abandons or fails to remove the said vehicle within a reasonable time and obstruct the normal flow of traffic has committed an offence and shall be liable on conviction to serve a term of not less than six months imprisonment and a fine of N500,000.

“If the relevant state agencies have to tow the vehicle, the owner shall pay and defray all towing expenses and for each day that the vehicle remains unclaimed, he shall pay demurrage of N50,000 and if unclaimed for 30 days, the said vehicle will be forfeited to the government.

“Any person who harasses, threatens, insults, intimidates, obstructs, assaults, batters or disobeys any officer of the state or a security personnel in the course of enforcing this order, has committed an offence and shall upon conviction be liable to a term of imprisonment of not less than six months and a fine of N500,000,” he said.
Mohammed said that a Magistrate Court of any grade shall have the power to summarily try offenders.

Senate President assures speedy passage of Colleges of Education bills

admin
-
0
Senate President assures speedy passage of Colleges of Education bills

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday, gave an assurance that the upper chamber will accord the Colleges of Education Amendment Bills speedy consideration. Lawan gave this assurance when chairmen of councils of Colleges of Education paid him a courtesy visit at the National Assembly, Abuja.

The chairmen had appealed for the intervention of the Senate for a speedy passage of the amendment of the Colleges of Education Act of 1986 and a repeal of enabling law of the National Commission for Colleges of Education.
“We are going to give very expeditious consideration of these two bills,” Lawan said. “We will work on that. Let me assure you on behalf of my colleagues that the National Assembly is well positioned.

We are in this together to ensure that the Colleges of Education perform optimally,” Lawan said. The Senate President said the bills would raise the bar in the quality of teachers produced yearly by colleges of education across the country.

The Colleges of Education deserve the amendments to bring them at par with the universities and polytechnics, Lawan added.
According to him, the Colleges of Education, as a sub-sector in tertiary education in the country, occupy a very significant and important position in having to produce teachers for basic and secondary levels of education.

Lawan, therefore, assured the group of the willingness of the National Assembly to ensure that the Colleges of Education Amendment Bills are passed when re-introduced. Reacting on the issue of low funding for colleges of education across the country, Lawan explained that the problem was not peculiar to them and added that other sectors were also facing similar problem of inadequate funding.

He, however, assured them that the National Assembly is mindful of the needs of the colleges of education, and will do “everything possible, particularly for the 2020 Appropriation year to get as much revenue as possible to fund the budget.

Let me also take this opportunity to urge you as chairmen of councils of Colleges of Education to continue to pursue those policies that will make the colleges more productive and more functional.
We are facing serious challenges of shortage of qualified teachers. We need our colleges of education to produce teachers that are qualified.

We should work hard to ensure that the products that come out are those that can help in building the foundation of our education,” the Senate President added. Earlier, the Leader of the delegation of Chairmen of Councils of Colleges of Education, Alhaji Lawal Bukar, said the purpose of the visit was to seek the intervention of the National Assembly on the Colleges of Education amendment bills.
According to Bukar, the law regulating colleges of education in Nigeria, which was enacted in 1986, requires an amendment to address issues such as the age of retirement of the staff of the colleges of education, the tenure of principal officers, and tenure of council members.

The amendment for Vice Chancellors of Universities is five years. We demand that provosts should also be five years instead of four years as it is now. “The tenure of members of council in the universities is four years, but that of the colleges of education is three years.

We want a Repeal of the Act to have the National Commission for Colleges of Education. It is expected to be a body that will supervise the academic standards of Colleges of Education. “If it is repealed, it will be called the National Commission for Teacher Education, so that all the teachers can be under one umbrella,” Bukar said.

FIFA congratulates Golden Eaglets, others for reaching Brazil 2019 last-16

admin
-
0
FIFA congratulates Golden Eaglets, others for reaching Brazil 2019 last-16

World football governing body, FIFA has congratulated the Golden Eaglets and two other teams for reaching the round of 16 of the ongoing U-17 World Cup in Brazil.

Nigeria, Angola and hosts Brazil became the first three teams to reach the knockout round after a Tuesday night of thrilling football in all the venues.

The Eaglets scored two late goals to secure a hard fought 3-2 win against Ecuador in their second Group B game at the Estadio Olimpico, Giaonia, with Ibrahim Sai’d netting a hat-trick.

Brazil defeated New Zealand 3-0 to zeal their place in the Round of 16 from Group A.
In the same group, Angola edged out Canada 2-1 to also move into the second round. Both countries have six points each but Brazil have a superior goal difference.

Manu Garba’s boys top Group B with six points and will take on Australia in their final group match on Friday.

1...921922923...973Page 922 of 973

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

Equity News is for your timely news on Entertainment, Music, Education, Law and Fashion fashion website. We provide you with the latest breaking news and analysis from an equitable perspective.

Contact us: info@equitynews.ng --- 08142480272

FOLLOW US

Equity News © 2023