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Dabiri-Erewa visits stranded Nigerian girls in Ghana
The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has condemned human trafficking after intervening in the rescue of 10 Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana for prostitution under the guise of being “sales girls.”
This was contained in a statement signed by Gabriel Odu of the Public Relations Department of NiDCOM on Monday.
The girls, eight from Imo State and two from Plateau State were freed following the arrest of the suspect, who is currently in security custody.
In a series of videos that went viral on Twitter on Friday, the young girls, aged 15 to 18, were reported to have been lured into prostitution in Ghana.
The rescue of the 10 trafficked Nigerian teenagers was reportedly conducted by the Nigerians in the Diaspora Organisation in Ghana.
During her visit to Ghana, Dabiri-Erewa met with the rescued girls and commended the efforts of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in Ghana, Chief Calistus Elozieuwa, and his team.
The rescue operation was conducted with the cooperation of various stakeholders, including representatives from the Imo State Government, the Eze Igbo of Ghana, and the Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Amb. Adeoye Ifedayo, the statement noted.
Dabiri-Erewa stressed the need for a permanent solution to eradicate human trafficking in Nigeria, declaring, “We must declare a war against human traffickers.”
She urged parents to monitor the whereabouts of their children and encouraged collective efforts to ensure traffickers are identified and prosecuted.
The rescued girls will be handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for counselling and rehabilitation before being returned to their respective states.
Ifedayo praised NIDO in Ghana for their swift action and highlighted the importance of stopping human trafficking.
The Deputy Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Amara Iwuanyanwu and the Commissioner for Women Affairs of Imo State, Nkechinyere Ugwu, reiterated their government’s commitment to the welfare of the rescued girls.
The Plateau State Government also pledged full support for the girls’ rehabilitation.
The delegation held discussions with senior members of the Ghanaian Police, who assured their cooperation in the fight against human trafficking
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama, on Tuesday, fixed October 21 for the continuation of the trial of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele.
The trial judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, fixed the date on the agreement of the counsel after the close of the cross-examination of the ninth prosecution witness, Mrs Abibia Ockiya-Ogeleye.
Ockiya-Ogeleye, a lawyer, answering questions from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that she rendered some services to the company, Architekon Nigeria Limited.
She told the court that in 2021, she filed the company’s annual report and also changed the director and shareholders of the company.
She added that before the addition, Architekon had only two directors.
She said, “Sometime in 2021 one madam Esther called me to effect a change in the company by adding her as a director of the company.”
She tendered a CAC document, which contained the names of Margaret Omoyile, McCombo Omoyile and Esther Oyeladun Adeoun as shareholders.
She also tendered another document containing the record of transfer from McCombo to Margaret, dated March 4, 2021, as well as another document containing the resolution of the company on Esther’s admittance as a director of Architekon.
The witness also presented to the court a copy of an email she said Oyeladun sent her requesting that she be added as a director of the company.
Justice Muazu admitted all the documents as evidence.
The defence counsel, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), during cross-examination, asked the witness if she had a physical meeting with McCombo and she replied no.
He asked her about the signatures in the company documents she presented and if she saw McCombo sign on it.
She replied that she couldn’t tell whether they were at the meeting and signed the resolution since they were sent to her and she wasn’t physically there.
Earlier, the eight prosecution witnesses, a Zenith Bank Compliance Officer, Mr Umar Tilda, tendered three bank documents before the court which included a copy of Emefiele’s bank statement.
Tilda, citing a portion in Emefiele’s bank statement, informed the court that there was a N4 million transfer from Emefiele’s account with the bank to Architekon on January 13, 2015.
When Burkaa asked him if he knew what the transfer was meant for, he said he did not know.
Also when asked if he knew that the accounts he listed as belonging to Emefiele were salary accounts, investments, savings and dividends, he replied, “I wouldn’t know.”
He also confirmed that some of the accounts contained Capital Interest Credit.
He also confirmed that a transaction of N15 million debit, dated April 13, 2015, in count number 2020000064 was part of litigation.
The court adjourned till October 21, for the continuation of trial.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the setting up of a presidential committee to oversee the Cholera Emergency Operation Centre, operated by the National Centre For Disease Control.
The Minister of Health, Ali Pate, made this known on Tuesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
He added that the committee’s effort is in addition to state government support to ensure Nigeria makes progress in reducing open defecation.
“The Council then approved a cabinet committee comprising the federal ministries of Health, Finance,Water Resources, Environment, Youth, Aviation, Education because some of our children will be returning to school . In addition to this, the state government, we will co-opt, so that Nigeria makes progress in reducing open defecation because cholera is a developmental issue that requires a multi-sectoral approach.
“The President directed that a cabinet committee be set up to oversee what the emergency operation centre led by NCDC is doing and for the resources to be provided complemented by the state government,” he said.
Pate further disclosed: “At the moment about 31 states have recorded 1528 cases and 53 deaths in Nigeria. That is what we are working through the Emergency Operation Centre that was activated by NCDC on Monday.
“Now we have a cholera outbreak and we discussed extensively in the Council in addition to a new emergence of Yellow Fever specifically in Bayelsa State.
“On cholera we are in the middle of the 7th pandemic globally which is decades in the making. In 2022, the world had almost 500,000 cases of cholera so it is not only peculiar to Nigeria. In 2023 almost 700,000 cases of cholera were reported by the World Health Organization.
“This year more than 200,000 cases have occurred in five regions of the World.”
He emphasised that a multi sectoral approach is required to tackle the outbreak .
“Resources were deployed to 21 states to help them respond to cholera. We are improving awareness of population, handwashing, hygiene sanitation, in addition to treatment with drugs, and intravenous fluids,” he added.
The National Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday hinted the people of Kwara State of imminent high and moderate floodings in five of the state’s local government areas as the rainy season sets.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, gave the warning in Ilorin during the 2024 Downscaling of Flood Early Warnings Systems at state levels.
She listed the Local Government Areas, which are under high and moderate flood risk areas to include Pategi, Edu, Kaiama, Asa and Baruten.
The DG who was represented by the Director of Disaster Risk Reduction of NEMA, Mr Daniel Obot, however, called on the Kwara Government to take proactive measures to mitigate flooding in the state.
She underscored the importance of the programme for effective early actions to save lives and livelihoods during the rainy season.
According to her, the 2024 rainy season, indicates that some Local Government Areas of Kwara are still predicted to be affected by flooding.
Umar explained that this underscores the flag-off, and support in this initiative of downscaling flood early warning and risk mitigation messages to the grassroots.
Quoting the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency, 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, she said that 31 States with 148 LGAs have been predicted to be within the high flood-risk areas.
She also added that 35 States including FCT with 249 LGAs are considered to fall within the modern flood risk areas.
“The remaining 377 LGAs are forecasted for the low flood risk areas. These flood risk areas are presented with their degree of vulnerability to serve as a tool for governments at all levels to develop risk reduction measures to avert disaster losses during this rainy season.
“Similarly, sectors of agriculture and food security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), education, health, transportation, and persecution security amongst others are to set up mechanisms for disaster preparedness and risk reduction based on the early action strategies,” she said.
In his reaction, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Saba Mamman-Jubril, commended the Agency for their proactive measures.
Jubril who represented Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the event advised on the need for dyke or levee, an embankment constructed along a riverbank or coastal shoreline to prevent the flow of floodwaters onto land.
He observed the need for frequent dredging, building of more buffers and aforestation to stem the dangers of flooding in communities.
Alhaji Ibrahim Olatunji, the Personal Assistant and representative of Oba of Jebba, Abdulkadir Adebara, appealed to the state government to relocate people in riverine communities, to save their lives.
Also, Alhaji Gana Lukpadu, the Ciroma of Patigi lamented that the community is always worse hit by flooding every year.
He urges the government at all tiers to find lasting solutions to flooding in the state and across the nation.
Court adjourns Emefiele’s trial till October 21
Cholera outbreak: Tinubu constitutes presidential c’ttee to oversee emergency operations
