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NSCDC lauds conduct of Enugu electorate during elections
Th.e Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has commended the Enugu State electorate and residents for their “peaceful and obedient disposition” during Saturday’s elections in the state.
The Commandant of NSCDC, Enugu State Command, Mr Mohammed Dada, gave the commendation in Enugu on Sunday.
He spoke with journalists after monitoring the elections with other security service commanders in the three senatorial districts of the state.
Dada said that the state was generally peaceful during the elections, saying that all stakeholders and the people worked and persevered to have violent-free elections.
According to him, “I commend all the security agencies, INEC, media, electorate, both foreign and local observers as well as other agencies and organisations that provided one service or the other that saw to the smooth conduct of the elections.”
The commandant said that apart from some reported cases of late arrival of INEC staff and electoral materials which led to the late commencement of voting processes in some areas, the election was generally rancour-free.
He said this could be attributed to the collective resolve of all in the state toward nation building and having a progressive country.
“The NSCDC Command in the state contributed not less than 2,307 personnel to the pool of security operatives (both plain clothes and uniformed men) that took part in the elections in the state.
“This is apart from the very senior officers of the Corps who were led by Deputy Commandant-General Nnamdi Nwinyi from the national headquarters of the Corps.
“I thank the Commandant-General of the Corps, C-G Ahmed Audi, for his kind disposition toward NSCDC Enugu State Command in particular.
“Apart from sending the team of very senior officers to monitor the elections in the state, the C-G had earlier provided the command with some logistic support that made the national assignment much easier,” Dada said.
The commandant called on the people of the state to remain vigilant, security conscious and peaceful all through the upcoming elections.
He enjoined the residents to report any act of criminality or suspicious persons and movement to security agencies for prompt response.
The commandant said that there was no single arrest as the people conducted themselves in peaceful, matured and obedient manner.
“I must thank Almighty God that there was no bloodshed, violence, protest or major disagreement throughout the election period in the state.
“On behalf of my C-G, I must congratulate Nigerians especially the electorate and good people of Enugu State for successful elections,” Dada said.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and Nigeria Guild of Editors, NGE, have called on Nigerian authorities at all levels of government to stop using repressive and anti-media laws to target, intimidate and harass journalists, critics and media houses.
The groups made the demand after an interactive session on ‘the state of press freedom in Nigeria’ held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja.
In a joint statement, SERAP and NGE said that, “the government of President Bola Tinubu, the country’s 36 governors and FCT minister must now genuinely uphold press freedom, ensure access to information to all Nigerians, obey court judgments, and respect the rule of law”.
They expressed concerns about the escalating crackdown on the right to freedom of expression and media freedom and the flagrant disregard for the rule of law by authorities at all levels of government.
The groups note that the suppression of the press in recent times takes various forms ranging from extrajudicial to unlawful detentions, disappearances, malicious prosecutions and wrongful use of both legislation and law enforcement.
The statement read in part: “We would continue to speak truth to power and to hold authorities to account for their constitutional and international obligations including on freedom of expression and media freedom.
“Nigeria as a country has a long and unpleasant history of press gagging and clampdown on media freedom, which is evidence of extensive state censorship of media and in some cases, the utter control of state-owned media houses.
“This position has not changed considerably despite almost 25 years of unbroken democratic rule in the Fourth Republic.”
A Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) to seal off a company, Ifedi A.K. Nigeria Ltd, over allegations bordering on non-filing of annual returns.
The Magistrate, Janada Balami, gave the order after lawyer to FCT-IRS, Michael Towolawi, moved the application to the effect.
Towolawi told the court that the company had failed to file its annual returns from 2019 to 2023 in breach of Section 81 of the Personal Income Tax Act, LFN, 2004, and amended in 2011.
He said all efforts to make the company comply with the law proved abortive.
The lawyer, therefore, applied that the company be compel to appear before the court to explain why it acted in breach of the law.
Balami, who held that the application by the agency against the company had merit, accordingly granted same to seal the No 6, Rudolph Close, Off Katsina-Ala Street, Maitama, Abuja.
She, consequently, ordered the company, the sole defendant in the matter, to appear before the court on May 16.
The Director, Legal Services of the FCT-IRS, Festus Tsavar, told journalists after the proceeding that the service would move against companies that do not file their annual returns as provided by law.
“You know that we have a new minister in FCT that is doing a lot of projects and that hinges on money.
“And of course, you are aware that FCT has come out of TSA.
“So it is the internally generated revenue that will make the government of FCT to be able to do those projects completely within required time,” he said.
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