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Despite huge security, burglars break into N’Assembly, vandalise Reps’ Spokesman’s office, see what happened…

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Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Spokesperson House of Reps.
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By Yemi Itodo

In spite of the arrays of security personnel manning the offices and premises of National Assembly, suspected hoodlums have broken into the office suites of Rep. Benjamin Kalu, Spokesman of the House Of Representatives.

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The office is located at suite 1.53, House of Representatives (New Wing), National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.

Aside Sergeant-At-Arm which forms the internal security architecture of the National Assembly; there are over 300 other personnel, comprising of the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Department of State Service (DSS); with the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, Immigration and Fire Service having Liaison Offices within the Complex. push({});

Yet, insecurity, robbery, theft, burglary, oil bunkering, impersonation, extortions and other crimes have continued unabated.

It would be recalled that, in 2016, a syndicate involved in oil bunkering within the National Assembly Complex was reportedly bursted and arrested.

There have also been reported cases of car thefts, vandalization, thefts of car batteries and looting of some commercial shops within the Complex.

Since the National Assembly resumed partial plenary on Tuesday, 28th April, 2020, after a 6-week shutdown; the joint security of the National Assembly has made the entrance into the complex a watertight scenario, with even Journalists barred from accessing the premises, except the Lawmakers who only report for plenaries Tuesdays.

Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs and Spokesman of the Green Chamber, Rep Kalu, while narrating how his office was burgled, said the doors to his office suites were all properly locked by his Aides last Tuesday, the 5th of May, 2020, when the Parliament last sat.

He said, “upon resumption of work at the above mentioned office on the morning of Tuesday, 12th May 2020, my aide observed that electrical power in the entire suite had been turned off.

“Upon further investigation, we were shocked to find that the corridor entrance into my main office was
mysteriously unlocked, having been used to gain entrance into the suite.

“We also observed that a wooden cabinet previously used to barricade the entrance from inside had been forced aside and that several of the items hitherto occupying the top of the cabinet Jay strewn across the floor, indicating signs of an unauthorised entry”.

Kalu, who provided picture and video exhibits of his vandalised office, insisted that his offices were “meticulously locked” last Tuesday and nobody was permitted to have access into the suite until this morning.

The Lawmaker said his office was “currently taking inventory of all items and documents in the office to ascertain which items are missing”, while calling on the security agencies to conduct “a swift and thorough investigation” into the matter.

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Organ Trafficking: Ekweremadu, Wife, Doctor Sentenced To Various Prison Terms

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The duo of Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and Doctor Obinna Obeta has been senenced to various jail terms for bringing a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney.

A judge at The Central Criminal Court, [ Old Bailey], announced the sentence friday.

At a sentencing hearing on Friday, Ekweremadu was jailed for nine years and eight months, his wife Beatrice was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment while Obeta received a 10-year prison term.

The sentencing follows their conviction in March for organ trafficking, The Ekweremadus’sick daughter, Sonia was cleared of any wrongdoing.

1rem;">The three were found guilty after arranging or facilitating a young Nigerian man’s travel into the United Kingdom in a bid to obtain his kidney on behalf of Sonia.
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The jury said Ekweremadu, his wife and their doctor criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney.

The conviction is the first under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The sentencing comes after pleas from multiple prominent personalities and institutions, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

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Other petitioners included both chambers of the National Assembly, the Chairman/CEO, Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Erewa Dabiri, and the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC).

The charges were preferred on the Ekweremadus on June 23, 2022, when their arrest was announced. Obeta was later arraigned on July 13, 2022. While his wife was granted bail, the senator was refused.

After months of a pre-trial, the trial commenced on January 31, 2023 and lasted about six weeks, culminating in a guilty verdict against Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta.

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Reps Seek UK Government Clemency for Ekweremadu

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Tension in Debt Management Office as DG allegedly schemes for third
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The House of Representatives  has write to the government of the United Kingdom seeking mercy in sentencing the embattled Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice.

This is contained in a resolution reached following a motion moved by Toby Okechukwu, a lawmaker from Enugu State.

A UK court found the duo guilty of conspiracy of organ harvesting of another Nigerian. The Ekweremadu couple will be sentenced in the coming days.

Moving the motion, Okechukwu said diplomatic intervention in this kind of case is normal.

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“It is a common practice in international relations for nations, including the UK, to seek relief for their citizens involved in situations such as that of the Ekweremadus,” he said.

Speaking on the motion, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House, said intervention by the House is not a justification for the charges against the Ekweremadus. He urged the UK government to consider Ekweremadu’s years of public service.

Consequently, the House resolved to urge the UK government and the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing Ekweremadu, his wife and the doctor.

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Also, they urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to take all diplomatic steps and other necessary interventions regarding the travails of the Ekweremadu family.

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Abdulrahman Obaje
Abdulrahman Obaje
Prince Abdulrahman Obaje is a Media and ICT Consultant, Journalist, online marketer, social media strategist, Mathematician and Computer Scientist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the Founder and the Publisher of The Informavores!. You can reach me on +234 805 939 5252 or send i-witness report directly to me on news@informavores.com.ng.
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HYPPDEC Donates Food Stuff, Clothing to Locals in Kogi to Tackle Cashless Policy Effect

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By Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPDEC), on Tuesday, donated 400 bags of rice, 250 gallons of vegetable oil and some packaged women rappers to ten Local Government Areas in Kogi State under the agency to cushion the effect associated with the new cashless policy.

Making the presentation to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State at the Lugard House, Lokoja on Tuesday, a Board Member of HYPPDEC, Alhaji Isah Ozi Salami, said that the gesture is part of the agency’s intervention in times of natural disaster or any hardship situation on citizens.

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Salami expressed the commitment of HYPPDEC in tackling the prevailing economic hardship on Nigerians as a result of the Cashless Policy.

“We owe it as a duty to take adquate care of the people in the 10 Local Government Areas belonging to HYPPDEC communities in Kogi

“Our concern under the present economic hardship is to alleviate the sufferings of the people within HYPPDEC communities in Kogi” Ozi Salami told Governor Bello.

He commended Governor Yahaya Bello for the provision of logistic supports that have facilitated smooth operation of the agency in Kogi.

He also told the Governor that HYPPDEC will soon begin the construction of 50 housing units in Kogi for resettlement of last year’s flood victims in riverine communities.

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“I appreciate Governor Bello’s magnanimity in providing land for the housing project. The Governor is expected to perform the foundation laying ceremony of the project” Ozi Salami disclosed.

The Chief of Staff to Governor Bello, Jamiu Asuku who received the food stuff on behalf of his boss, hinted that Kogi will key into HYPPDEC’s intervention initiative in the areas of provision of food and security of lives and property for citizens.

Governor Yahaya Bello appealed to HYPPDEC to focus more on Ibaji Local Government Area in its intervention programme as a result of the bad terrain of the area.

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