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Alleged Illegal Detention: Court adjourns hearing on N9b suit against Agip by activist
Justice Iniekinimi Abraham Uzaka of the Bayelsa State High Court in Yenagoa, on Wednesday, frowned at the absence of the counsel to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC, in the suit filed by an Ijaw Rights Activist, Collins Opumie, over his alleged illegal detention for two years in a secret centre of the Department of State Security (DSS).
The plaintiff, Collins Opumie alleged that the security department of the NOAC falsely accused him of being a threat to the company, prompting the alleged arrest and detention in an underground facility owned by the DSS in Abuja for two years without access to medical facilities and family.
Opumie, in the suit numbered YC/324/2022, is demanding the sum of N9 billion in damages and praying the court to declare that his arrest, torture and subsequent detention without proper food, medical attention and access to family members for two years is a gross violation of his fundamental right and his dignity as a person.
Justice Iniekinimi Abraham Uzaka, at the hearing of the substantive suit, was informed by the Counsels of the Nigeria Police Force and the Plaintiff, Ebipreye Sese, that the Counsels to the DSS and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) were absent.
While the Counsel to the DSS informed the Court that their absence was due to urgent national engagement in Abuja, the Counsel to the NAOC did not tender any explanation to the Court.
Justice Uzaka, however, adjourned the suit till May 4th for a hearing.
Speaking to journalists after the court proceedings, counsel to the claimant, Ebipreye Sese, noted that inspite of the adjournment, justice will be dispensed by the court.
He said, “Ordinarily, today was for mention and this is the very first time the matter has come before the court for proceedings to commence but it was quite unfortunate that the DSS advanced a letter for adjournment requesting that the counsel to DSS has a national assignment and by virtue of that, proceedings could not commence. So the matter has been adjourned to the fourth day of May for proceedings to commence.”
“As a matter of fact, the 1st defendant is Agip and they have not made any attempt to respond and have not even appeared in Court. They have been duly served and I believe in the next adjourned date they will be in Court for justice to be done.”
The Counsel to the 3rd defendant, the Nigeria Police, SP C.S.E Ebete said he was comfortable with the next adjourned date.
Also speaking the National Spokesman of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Ebilade Ekerefe, expressed dismay at how oil companies deliberately undermine the people of the Niger Delta in carrying out their activities.
Ekerefe said the Ijaw Youth Council will continue to fight against injustice meted out on any Ijaw sons and daughters, adding that the Opumie case is one amongst so many cases of Ijaw youths that have been illegally arrested and detained and nothing has been done.
He expressed dissatisfaction that Agip is handling the matter with levity, stressing that they have been served with the Court proceedings and expressed the hope that by the next adjourned date Agip will appear in Court.
The management of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has described reports that the student loan programme is exclusive to federal institutions as false and misleading.
NELFUND clarified in a Tuesday statement titled, “Clarification: State Institutions Included in Student Loan Programme” that the narrative pushed across social media is incorrect.
PUNCH Online reports that this new position corroborated what the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Fund, Akintinde Sawyerr, said on Monday at a Pre-Application Sensitisation Press Conference in Abuja.
He noted that the first batch will be for students in federal schools and the next for state schools.
“The loan application process has been streamlined to ensure easy access for all eligible students in federal tertiary institutions,” he had said.
However, in the new statement, signed by the Media and Public Relations Lead for Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Nasir Ayitogo, NELFUND confirmed clearly that state schools’ students would also benefit.
“State institutions are unequivocally by law included in our student loan programme. The programme is designed to roll out in phases to ensure effective and efficient management of the process.
“The first phase for a start will focus on students attending federal institutions.
“The second phase, which will be launched shortly after the initial rollout, will extend the programme to students at state institutions.
“NELFUND is fully committed to providing financial support to all eligible students, regardless of whether they attend Federal or State tertiary public institutions,” the statement read.
The mission of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is to ensure that all desirous students have access to the financial resources necessary to pursue their educational goals and aspirations, NELFUND posited.
PUNCH Online reports that NELFUND is a pivotal financial institution established under the Student Loans Act, 2024.
Members of the House of Representatives have called on the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to waive tollgate fees in all Nigerian airports for members of the nation’s armed forces.
Keyamo, on May 14, 2024, announced the cancellation of exemptions on all airport access payments for VIPs due to the huge revenue losses they cause to the Federal Government.
Speaking on the motion, Dasuki noted, “Men and women of the armed forces honour our nation with the highest form of service and without reservation; keeping us safe from harm, protecting our wealth and territorial integrity, ensuring safe navigation on our territorial waters, protecting our borders including the Gulf of Guinea, creeks, Sahara Desert and forests, and fighting armed bandits who invade our communities.
“It is important to show gratitude by honouring our brothers and sisters who are voluntarily serving under our flag, putting in their active years to keep our nation safe with some losing their lives, and some becoming disabled from the battlefield amidst other effects.
“Honouring these men and women in uniform, and also encouraging fellow citizens to acknowledge their service to the nation is the right step to take as a way to appreciate the immeasurable sacrifices they make.”
He further justified his call for the exemption of airport tollgate fees for the armed forces on the premise that it is capable of inspiring young ones to enrol in the military to serve the nation.
“Honouring those who fight for our survival, will also inspire our youths to enrol in the military not as a means of escaping the web of unemployment, but as a valuable call to higher service to the nation.
“Members of the armed forces are subjected to paying for access to our airports where they are also expected to protect citizens and foreigners alike whether or not they are on duty and even while they are passengers themselves.
“Their services though remunerated cannot be quantified especially when the risks to them and their dependents are considered, we should not be hesitant to show them in our little way that we see them and we acknowledge their sacrifices,” he added.
He stressed that “Unless we are intentional in showing our appreciation to them by extending privileges like the proposed exemption, our nation would appear to underrate their services and lack knowledge of the value that they bring.”
Before putting the prayers to vote, the motion was amended to include exemptions of payment of toll gates at train stations and seaports.
Following its adoption, the motion was referred to the House Committee on Aviation to ensure compliance.
The staff of Dana Air expression of grievances over alleged non-payment of salaries and undue sack of large numbers of workers, over 500 staff members of Dana Air on Tuesday trooped to the streets, blockinh the entrance of the aviation company in the Oshodi area of Lagos State.
The workers matched in protest against their sacking as well as the refusal of the airlines to pay their April salary.
Dana aircraft was involved in a runway skidding incident last month, a development that prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to withdraw its operation licence.
NCAA said it had initiated an in-house compliance assessment of the occurrence taking into account Dana’s track records in related occurrences.
The regulator added that it would ensure a safety audit that will entail a re-inspection of the organisation, procedures, personnel, and aircraft as specified by Part 1.3.3.3 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, while the economic audit will critically examine the financial health of the airline to guarantee its capability to sustain safe flight operations.
Barely two weeks after the suspension of Dana Air operations, the aviation company laid off its staff based on claims that their disengagement was in respect of the ongoing audit, by the aviation regulators.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the staff, during a protest in front of the company, threatened to explore every mechanism to fight what they called “an injustice.”
The staff members who were armed with placards with inscriptions such as; ‘Give us our money’, ‘A airline owing it staff can’t be safe’, and ‘Systematic thieving’, among others, stated that aside from being unjustly sacked, the airline has refused to pay workers contributory pension as well as their April salary among other entitlements.
Speaking with journalists at the protest ground, the Training Manager of the airline, Magdalene Onyeukwu, noted that the staff members will not relent until the management pays all that is owed.
Onyeukwe, who claimed to have worked with Dana for 15 years, stated that she got her sack letter through a WhatsApp message.
She added that all their access, including official lines, have been deactivated.
She said, “I have been with Dana since 2008; I was part of those who participated in the demo flight that gave Dana its licence; even when there were challenges when salaries were not paid, we remained committed until this issue of runway incursions, which is normal.
“But before we knew it, they started sending us WhatsApp messages saying our services are no longer needed. Who does that? What about our gratuity, pension and even our April salary? This is not possible after 15 years of service?”
Also speaking at the protest ground, an Aviation security supervisor, Eze Chidibere, also complained about the refusal of the company to pay its sacked staff, stressing that this development has started affecting the well-being of staff families, appealing to the management of Dana to urgently pay what is due “even if they won’t be reabsorbed.”
Chidibere further accused Dana of fraudulently deducting staffers’ contributing pensions but refusing to pay the same into their pension accounts.
He said, “We are here to demand our rights, after serving Dana Airlines for several years, they suddenly sacked us all saying that our services are no longer required. But it is on record that Dana airline flew till April before it had an incursion and as I am talking to you, April’s salary has not been paid and my children are at home because I have not been able to pay their fees.
“So many people are in our outstation and couldn’t make it here today because of logistics. If not, this place would have been physically filled by our over 500 staff members because our people are seriously angry.
“Also, if an organisation is sacking its staff, it should pay a one-month salary in lieu because it is also expected that staff should give a one-month notice to the organisation before leaving, but they refused to honour the same rule.
“Dana Airlines has been deducting our money but hasn’t remitted the same to our pension account. This, among others, is our reason for begging Dana to immediately pay us to avert a legal battle.”
The airline is yet to officially respond to the claims of the protesters as at the time of filing this report.
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