The former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives,Honourable Babangida Nguroje has called on all parties in the unrest at Sardauna local Government of Taraba State exercise restraint and allow appropriate law enforcement agencies to restore peace and order .

The Garkuwan Sardauna also commended the traditional institution in the affected areas for their efforts all these years in ensuring peace reigns in the and encouraged them to continue to play such roles as custodians of tradition and cultural norms for a better society .

He emphasized that the peace and unity in Sardauna and Taraba in general should not be allowed to be compromised at all times .

In a statement ,Honourable Nguroje commended the leadership of the Sardauna Local Government for it’s prompt action ,stressing that violence can only create disunity and affect the development of the areas in dispute and urged all parties to embrace peace ,dialogue and tolerance .

Honourable Nguroje described the unrest as unfortunate and called on every member of the society to abide by the laid down procedures to restore peace in the affected areas .

He maintained that the unity that has existed hitherto the unrest must be sustained by all parties,stressing that waste of lives and destruction of properties will only take the area backwards .

He said Taraba state in general has been known for peaceful co-existence and that any act that portrays any part of the state in a negative manner must be avoided at all cost .

He expressed sadness that disagreements could not be settled through dialogue and urged all parties to ensure that peace returns in the local government .

He pleaded with the people of Mbamnga, Mbara and Geroji to take urgent steps in embracing peace and genuine reconciliation for the good and progress of the area .

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the request in an ex-parte motion moved by Atiku Abubajar’s counsel, O.T. Omotayo-Ojo, seeking an order of substituted service of processes on President Bola Tinubu.

The Federal High Court Wednesday granted the application by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to serve court documents on President Bola Tinubu through the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former Vice President, and his party, ADC, had filed the suit praying Justice Inyang Ekwo to disqualify President Tinubu and APC from contesting in the 2027 presidential election.

The plaintiffs alleged that APC submitted a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate of Tinubu to INEC.

The plaintiffs, in the originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, sued the President, APC and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

They prayed the court to compel INEC to remove Tinubu and APC’s names from the list of candidates and parties for the presidential poll.

Moving the motion, Omotayo-Ojo informed the court that the motion ex-parte was filed following inability to effect the service on the 1st defendant.

The lawyer, through the application, therefore prayed the court for an order effecting the service of the court documents through the 2nd defendant (APC)

Justice Ekwo granted the prayer after the application was moved.

Following information by Omotayo-Ojo, who held the brief of Silas Onu, that the plaintiffs could effect service within seven days, the judge ordered that service should be done within seven days.

He subsequently adjourned the matter untill Sept. 28 for mention.

NAN reports that Onu had, on Sept. 1, told the court that his client was yet to serve the originating summons on President Tinubu personally.

Silas said he requires an order of the court to serve the documents through substituted means.

Meanwhile, Tinubu, APC and INEC had since responded to the suit by filing counter-affidavits and preliminary objections, querying the competence of the suit and praying the court to dismiss it.

In a joint counter affidavit filed on September 9, the president and APC prayed the court to dismiss the suit in its entirty for being incompetent and that the plaintiffs lacked the legal right to Institute the case.

The 1st and 2nd defendants denied submitting any forged certificate to the commission either for the 2023 or 2027 presidential elections.

The duo, through the APC Director of Legal Services, Mr Sanusi Samaila, averred that his clients did not submit Form CF001 to INEC for the 2023 or the 2027 poll as claimed by the plaintiffs.

They stated that the NYSC has never denied issuing National Youth service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate to the 1st defendant at the end of his service year.

They argued that contrary to Paragraph 27 of the affidavit in support of the originating summons, no constitutional provision had been breached nor had any injustice been done to the plaintiffs by the 1st and 2nd defendant’s action of submission of the president’s personal particulars to INEC.

Tinubu and APC, also in a written address attached to the application and filed by Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, the senior lawyer raised a number of objections to the suit.

Olujinmi observed that though the plaintiffs’ complaint is an allegation of forgery which is no doubt a crime, he said such allegation must be proved beyond reasonable doubt, citing Section 135(1) of the Evidence Act, among others.

He said it is a settled law that the evidence required to prove that a certificate is forged is a disclaimer from the institution that is said to have issued the certificate, citing a previous Supreme Court decision to back his argument.

According to Olujinmi, without evidence from the institution or body that is purported to have issued the certificate or other document stating that it did not issue the certificate or document or that any part of the certificate or document is not made by it, it would be idle and useless to contend that it is forged.

He said the apex court had also held that “in order to prove forgery, or that a document is forged, two documents must be produced viz: the document from which the forgery was (a) made; and (b) the forgery or the forged document.”

The lawyer, however, submitted that in the instant case, Atiku and ADC had produced no evidence from NYSC Directorate, disclaiming issuance of discharge certificate to the 1st defendant.

He stated that the suit is hypothetical and academic in nature and devoid of real facts.

Olujinmi, who described the suit as “incompetent, being a pre-election matter, ” said the plaintiffs lacked the “locus standi” to challenge President Tinubu’s candidacy of APC.

He prayed the court to uphold their preliminary objection and dismiss the suit.

INEC, in its preliminary objection filed on Sept. 7 by its lawyer, Dr Alex Izinyon, SAN, challenged the competence of the suit on the grounds of statute-bar, want of locus standi, absence of a reasonable cause of action and abuse of court process.

The commission also argued that the plaintiffs failed to comply with the mandatory written deposition requirement under Paragraph 7(1) provision of the Federal High Court Pre-Election Practice Directions (Amendment) 2026.

The electoral umpire equally challenged the impropriety of Reliefs two and three in Atiku and ADC’s originating summons, urging the court to dismiss the suit.(NAN)

By Son Tertsegha, Abuja
 
The Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyode, has promised to collaborate with SMEDAN, in the attainment of its goals.

Mr Olukoyede made this commitment on Wednesday when he hosted a delegation on a courtesy visit to the EFCC corporate headquarters in Abuja led by the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Director-General of
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Charles Odii, who sought the support of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  in promoting made-in-Nigeria products and expanding opportunities for young Nigerians through skills development and entrepreneurship Olukoyode said:

“I have been following your activities. And I’m very proud of you. You are one of the young men that we look up to.”

Olukoyede expressed the EFCC’s readiness to collaborate with SMEDAN on promotion of Nigeria-made goods, youth empowerment, skills development and cybercrime prevention.

The EFCC Chairman added thatthe development of legitimate skills and economic opportunities for young people were important to tackling cybercrime.

Olukoyede commended the promotion of made -in Nigeria goods initiative and urged Nigerians members of the EFCC community, to patronise locally produced goods.

“Congrats for pushing all these. So, those of you buying things in my office, henceforth, patronize this. We need to support them, you know. Support these young people. It is when these businesses grow that’s we can grow our own nation, too. And develop our own system. As long as we can patronize what they do.”

Earlier, Odii commended the EFCC Chairman for what he described as his efforts that have contributed to rebuilding confidence in Nigeria, particularly internationally.

“Executive Chairman, I want to thank you. I want to start with gratitude. I want to thank you for the work that you have done in the last 34 months. You have tried to change the face of Nigeria outside Nigeria. So, with that, I want to thank you, and thank you for instituting confidence and trust again in Nigeria,” he said.

The SMEDAN DG further said that the Agency was implementing initiatives designed to equip young Nigerians with practical skills and transform them into entrepreneurs.
He disclosed that SMEDAN had secured approval from the Ministry of Education to establish the Inspire, Create, Start, and Scale (ICSS) Institute, which offers National Diploma programmes to young people while integrating entrepreneurship into their training. The aim, he said, is to work with relevant stakeholders to make sure that solid entrepreneurs are produced into the Nigerian ecosystem. He added:

“When we go into prisons, people that have six months to be released into society, we train them, and we give them skills. This project has been life-changing. We are at the point of sending the national MSME policy to Mr. President. That policy covers the ecosystem for five years.

“We have put in that policy that anyone who has gone to prison, who is apologetic, and lacks skills, small businesses in Nigeria should employ them.

“And so in our policy, we’re putting in that if these people are wrong, apologetic, they’ve learned their skills, we should be able to rehabilitate them to society”, he said.

He also proposed collaboration between SMEDAN and the EFCC’s Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre, saying the Agency could provide relevant curriculum and technical expertise. “I also know that you have started the Cybersecurity Research Center. We want to introduce this curriculum to you, so that our curriculum can be embedded into the research center,” he said.

Odii further sought collaboration on the rehabilitation of inmates and young people involved in cybercrime, through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship programmes designed to support their reintegration into society.