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The Oyo State
Police Command, on Tuesday, arraigned 25 persons before a Chief
Magistrate Court sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan , Oyo State, over their
alleged involvement in the violent crisis between two Islamic sects at
Sabo area of the state capital last Sunday.

The suspects, who
pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them, were each granted
bail in the sum of N100,000 and two sureties in like sum by the
magistrate, Sofiat Oyediran.

Cutting across the
two groups involved in the fracas – Izalat and Tijaniyah – the suspects
were alleged to be responsible for the infliction of injuries on
several victims and destruction of properties.

The police
prosecutor, A.O Ojeh, in the charge sheets read to the hearings of the
suspects, accused them of flouting the order of the court which
prohibited the two sects from using microphone and loud speakers to
preach inciting sermons and disturb public peace. The offence, he said,
contravenes the provision of the law and punishable under section 133
of the criminal code cap 38 laws of Oyo State.

The suspects were
also accused of acting against the provisions of section 451 of the
criminal code cap 38 law of the state by destroying valuables, which
included a jeep, valued at N1.3m; motorcycles, and many household items.

The 16th to the
25th accused persons, who are members of Izalat, were arraigned on
one-count charge of willfully disrespecting the ruling of the court in
Suit No: MISC/85/2010 by preaching inciting sermons among themselves
and disturbing the public peace, contrary to and punishable under
Section 133 of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Vol. II Laws of Oyo State
Nigeria 2000.

Fifteen others,
belonging to the Tijaniyah, were arraigned on a five-count charge. The
charge include preaching inciting sermon, willful and unlawful damage
of properties including a Land Rover Freelander Jeep, motorcycle,
roofing sheets, ceiling fans, and a generating set; as well as willful
and unlawful assault occasioned by bodily harm.

Leaders on trial

Messrs Waheed Olajide and Adebayo Shitu represented suspects from the Tijaniyah and Izalat groups respectively.

They both, in their
oral application, prayed the court to grant the suspects bail, arguing
that the offences preferred against them were bailable.

Mr Olajide told the
court that all the suspects were invited by the police as leaders of
their respective sects, adding that none was arrested at the scene of
the crisis. He said since they personally came to honour the police
invitation before they were detained, they would be ready to come back
to face trial and would not jeopardize investigation and the course of
justice.

Mr Shittu, in his application for bail for the suspects, urged the court to allow them bail in the most liberal terms.

While acceding to
their prayers and granting the bail, the chief magistrate ordered that
one of the sureties for the suspects must have landed property in the
state capital, while the other must present evidence of payment of tax
payment for three consecutive years and produce an identity card.

The case was then adjourned to September 16, 2010.

The Lagos State
government, yesterday, announced a law banning motorcyclists, popularly
known as okada, from carrying pregnant women and children.

Babatunde Fashola,
the state governor, at the Stakeholders Forum on Motorcycle (Okada)
operations, said the ban which also includes road safety measures and
restricts the movement of motorcyclists, especially from all Lagos
bridges, will take effect from September 1.

Mr Fashola said the
move was for “the preservation of human lives and the safety of
property, and called on government agencies including the police,
traffic management agencies and state task force agencies to enforce
the law.”

Case for the underage and unborn children

Speaking on the ban
on the carrying of pregnant women and underage children, the governor
said, “The child has no say but our government has the right to stand
up on behalf of that child.” He also reiterated the need for crash
helmets and other road safety measures, saying that his government had
decided against placing an outright ban on commercial motorcycling
because of the service it provides the public and “for those who
provide these services as a means of livelihood.”

‘The danger of okada’

Also speaking at
the forum, Marvel Akpoyibo, the state police commissioner, said
okada-related accidents accounted for an average of 70 per cent of road
accidents in the state, between January and May this year.

Mr Akpoyibo, in his
call for appropriate measures in curbing the spate of accidents, said
further analysis showed that 14 per cent of okada-related accidents in
the state within the five-month period were fatal.

“Although a large
section of Lagos populace have come to regard commercial motorcycles as
a necessary evil, it has become imperative for government to
intervene…. To this end, stringent measures must be taken to curtail
the excesses of commercial motorcycle operators,” he said.

He, however,
identified “corrupt practices on the part of law enforcement agents, in
the issuance of vehicle and drivers’ licences, and dearth of
infrastructure and road signs” as some of the factors also responsible
for carnage on the roads.

Some stakeholders’ grudges

However, not all
the stakeholders were fully satisfied with the government’s decision,
as evident in the grumbling by the crowd during the forum, especially
regarding restrictions of motorcycles in some parts of the state.

According to Dansu
Alphonsus, a commercial motorcyclist in Ikeja, the banning of
motorcycles in some parts of the capital city will ‘indirectly ban him
from working’.

“I ply Ikeja area,
so by banning okada along Obafemi Awolowo way, Alausa, and Mobolaji
Bank Anthony way (all in Ikeja) will affect me too much; it’s like not
working again.”

“We should be
allowed to carry pregnant women also; it will not be good if they are
stranded where they cannot easily get transport,” he said.

Another commercial
motorcyclist, Joseph Oladoja, said the implementation of the law will
largely depend on government’s resolution to curb corruption in
obtaining drivers’ licences and other road usage permits.

“For instance, the
rider’s card which is supposed to be N800, we pay about N1,600 to get
it; the number plate which is N4,000 normally, we spend N6,000 to get
it, and this discourages most okada riders. It will be easier to
sanitise our roads if we also curb corruption in those offices,” he
said.

Courier services,
along with the okada riders, also stand to face major challenges as a
result of the new law, starting from next month.

Oladipo Akinyele of
Xpress Partners Limited, who spoke for Courier services in the state,
said their services “will be greatly affected by the restrictions
placed on motorcycles.”

“Our business
services people in core areas where it is only easy for motorcycles to
reach,” he said, in his appeal for a review of the law.

Mr Fashola,
responding to requests from the motorcyclists and courier service
owners, said his administration will look into the issues.

The chief judge of
Niger State, Justice Jibrin Ndatsu-Ndajiwo, on Tuesday, granted amnesty
to 15 inmates of Bida Prison on grounds of ill-health and other sundry
considerations.

A News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) correspondent reports that the visiting chief judge
pardoned two prisoners because of deteriorating health condition.

He granted amnesty
to five prisoners due to old age and two for good behaviour, while six
others were about to finish their jail terms.

Speaking to NAN on the occasion, the officer-in-charge of the
prison, Babayo Maisanda, said the inmates’ release was part of efforts
by the Federal Government to decongest the country’s prisons and
commended the chief judge for releasing the prisoners, saying “the
gesture is appreciated.”

Samingo Etukakpan,
a community leader in Eket, Akwa-Ibom State, on Tuesday urged the state
government to either ensure the early completion of the public-private
partnership initiated refinery or recover state money. Mr Ekukakpan
told journalists in Eket that this was the only way to ensure that the
$10million (about N1.5billion) the state invested in the Eket Private
Refinery does not go down the drain.

He said the state Governor,
Godswill Akpabio, during his visit to Eket last weekend, said that the
$10 million state fund it invested in the project was trapped and that
the governor claimed that only $1 million (N150million) has so far been
recovered. The state government and Amakpe International Refineries are
collaborating on the refinery project. According to Mr Ekukakpan, the
governor said that the steps so far taken to recover the money from the
private investors have not yielded any good result.

The former governor
of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, yesterday said he has forgiven Nuhu
Ribadu, the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime
Commission (EFCC) for his investigation by the anti-corruption agency.

Speaking in Lagos
at the launch of ‘Diary of a Debacle: Tracking Nigeria’s failed
Democratic Transition (1989-94),’ written by Olatunji Dare, Mr. Tinubu
traced the forgiveness to the spirit of humility occasioned by the
Ramadan fasting.

“Your period was a
big challenge. Manipulators wanted to use it for politics, but you did
what you had to do to some of us and we challenged that. I believe in
what you believe: transparency, honesty and integrity, making the
people the cornerstone of every economy of a nation,” Mr Tinubu said.

“But, I must thank
you once again that no matter the level of things here and there, you
did not falsely paint a crime and charge me falsely. Thank you, and in
the spirit of this month of Ramadan, I have forgiven you everything and
it is the truth. Some could have created chronic charges, even if the
court will let you go, but you refused to use that office to abuse it,
you refused to allow that. Thank you very much. You believe in what we
believe, so we are expecting you to join the democratic struggles and
liberate this country,” he said.

He, however, asked
Mr Ribadu to make good all the opportunity he has now to benefit the
needs and yearnings of Nigerians, which he claimed had been deprived of
quality leadership.

“I have heard so many speculations in the papers. So make it real. We must take control of our future,” he said.

The former Lagos
State governor was accused of certificate forgery and shoddy dealings
in the sale of the state’s N4 billion shares in the telecommunications
outfit, Econet (now Zain) during his tenure, an allegation which he
then denied.

With his name still
listed as one of those under prosecution for one case or the other, he
said that the transaction was a “straightforward institutional
investment”, which earned the state over N15 billion profit.

Anti-democracy

Berating how bad
eggs that contributed to the annulment of June 12 are now also parading
themselves as presidential aspirants and politicians in the country,
Mr. Tinubu described them as dubious, saying “did they say they are
democrats and they want to contest the next election and annul June 12?
If they were, they would not have annulled June 12.”

He said Nigeria only honours fraudulent men and those that have no reason for receiving national honours.

“Look at the annual
list of our national honour award. Only those that are known for their
notoriety and contributions to economic instabilities are there,” he
said.

Sitting beside
Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu, Mr. Ribadu has also been linked to the
2011 presidential race and has promised that all Nigeria needs now is a
youthful leadership, which he is set to grant.

A delegate of the
National Association of Nigerian Students, led by Agbabiaka Ahmed, also
stormed the venue of the event at exactly 1:08pm to call for the
establishment of voters registration centres on university campuses.