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Husband-Killer, Maryam Sanda Appeals Death Sentence

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Maryam Sanda, a woman found guilty of stabbing her husband to death, has asked the Court of Appeal in Abuja to set aside the death sentence pronounced on her.

On January 27, Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court found Sanda guilty of killing her husband.

Sanda stabbed her husband with a kitchen knife with a clear intent to kill, Mr Halilu concluded in the judgment, after a two-count homicide charge was brought by the Nigerian police against Ms Sanda in November 2017.

The victim, Bilyaminu Bello, was the son of a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Haliru Bello.

The prosecuting counsel had urged the court to pronounce a death penalty on Ms Sanda. The judge obliged by sentencing the convict to death by hanging.

While many perceived the judgment of Justice Halilu as ‘harsh’, others believe it is well deserved.

Maryam’s appeal

In her appeal against the death sentence, Ms Sanda claimed that Mr Halilu was biased and he denied her fair hearing.

She contended that the conviction was based on circumstantial evidence, without evidence of witnesses, lack of confessional statement, absence of murder weapon, lack of corroboration of evidence by two witnesses and lack of autopsy report to determine the true cause of her husband’s death.

In the notice of appeal predicated on 20 grounds and filed by her lawyer, Rickey Tarfa, the convict said the judgment of the trial court was a complete “a miscarriage of justice.”

According to Ms Sanda, “the trial judge erred in law when having taken arguments on her preliminary objection to the validity of the charge on the 19th of March, 2018 failed to rule on it at the conclusion of the trial or at any other time.

She said that “the trial judge exhibited bias against the defendant in not ruling one way or the other on the said motion challenging his jurisdiction to entertain the charge” and “therefore fundamentally breached the right to a fair hearing of the defendant.”

The appellant also contended that the trial judge erred and misdirected himself by usurping the role of the police when he assumed the duty of an Investigating Police Officer (IPO).

The appellant was referring to a statement made by the judge in his ruling.

Justice Halilu had said that, “I wish to state that I have a duty thrust upon me to investigate and discover what will satisfy the interest and demands of justice.”

The appellant submitted that the wrongful assumption of the role of an IPO made “the trial judge fail to restrict himself to the evidence adduced before the court” and instead went fishing for evidence outside those that were brought before the court.

“The duty of investigation is the constitutional preserve of the police, the constitutional duty of a trial court is to assess the credible evidence before it and reach a decision based on its assessment,” the convict argued.

Ms Sanda argued that “the court’s usurpation of the duty of the police by taking it upon itself to investigate and discover, negatively coloured its assessment of the available evidence and resulted in it reaching an unjust decision contrary to the evidence before it.”

The appellant also argued that “the trial judge erred in law and misdirected himself on the facts when he applied the doctrine of last seen and held that the appellant was the person last seen with the deceased and thus bears the full responsibility for the death of the deceased, and thereby occasioned a miscarriage of justice.”

“There is no evidence before the trial judge that the defendant was the last person who saw the deceased alive since prosecution witness in his evidence before the trial judge stated that he was called by the deceased, he saw the deceased and asked the deceased what was the problem,” she said.

She added that the statement of Sadiya Aminu, tendered before the trial court (who was initially charged as the fourth defendant in the amended charge), also confirmed that the deceased was alive though injured when she saw him.

“The circumstantial evidence which the trial court relied upon in its application of the last seen doctrine does not lead to the conclusion that the defendant is responsible for the death of the deceased,” she argued.

Consequently, she asked the appellate court to allow her appeal, set aside her conviction and the sentence imposed by the high court judge and acquit her.

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Niger Govt Launches Climate Change Policy Document and Action Plan

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Niger State under the leadership of His Excellency the Farmer Governor, Muhammadu Umaru Bago will today launch its Climate Change Policy Document and Action Plan (CCP&AP).

The CCP&AP with support from the Africa Climate Foundation (ACF), technical assistance from the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) and LQY SPV Ltd represents the progressing impact of the Farmer Governors launch of the states blue print for a green economy in 2023. The policy document represents the states efforts to deepen the nations commitment to the goals of the Paris agreement.

On the platform of NDC 3.0 and the blueprint the CCP&AP was developed and will be the launched. This launch will be used to actualize the states’ CIDP, a platform to nurture the implementation of the CCP&AP. The CIDP will work with key line ministries such as the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change, the Ministry of Budget and Planning and the Ministry of Finance as well as key sectoral Ministries such as Agriculture and Energy to develop a pipeline of projects that will have climate benefits and be bankable. The CIDP is part of a three state initiative to develop bankable climate projects at state level. The other participating states are Enugu and Delta States.

Participants at the workshop, post the launch, will break into three technical working groups – Financial Management and Climate Investment, Climate Smart Agriculture and Renewable Energy and the state electricity act. The CCP&AP is the latest in the states efforts from a policy and regulatory level to expand the platform for mobilization of climate resources to the state. Projects identified will be subjected to tests for bankability as well as relevance to policy and be presented at a workshop in the first quarter of 2027 to be attended by bilateral investors, multilateral investors, non state actors as well as domestic development banks. The workshop will be used to obtain commitments for funding to enable implementation.

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Food for Living: You are a Star

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By Henry Ukazu

Dear Destiny Friends,

We are all stars, but sometimes we act like the moon and sun. Don’t get me wrong, the moon and sun are all God’s creatures, but in this context, I’m referring to the star as it relates to being a standard, an exceptional being and a leader that will set the pace for others to follow.

Being a star gives you an identity and opportunity to showcase the world what you are made of. Your star will shine when you are working on purpose. At creation, we were all created with a unique purpose which will be manifested on earth. So, it’s fair to say our purpose was made in heaven, but our assignment is on earth.

It’s instructive to note that our start is the embodiment of what makes us to be identifiable, recognizable and traceable.  When our star is shining, the world stands still and observes. Isn’t it true that the world sets apart for the man who knows where he’s going.

Everyone loves a star. Imagine being the best in your class, team, or even in the family, you will be the envy of everyone. Stars attract jealousy.  To understand how a star works, imagine playing soccer, despite each team having captains and star players, it’s whoever that has the ball the attention of the players, spectators and the world will be focused on because at that moment, whoever has the ball is the star, hence the reason why the person is being tackled.

Stars attract favor, blessings, opportunities, and blessings just because they are fulfilling their purpose of manifestation. As a self-discovery coach, I propounded the concept of STAR. S stands for shining, T represents Target, the A represents Action and R represents Recognition.

A brief analysis of the concept of STAR will give a proper perspective. When one is a star, one will be a shining star, and when one is a shining star, they’ll definitely be a target because the sugar will always attract ants. Because one is a star, they’ll be action oriented. A star can’t be hidden. It is the work they do that makes them noticeable which ultimately gives them recognition.

If I may ask you, are you a star? If yes, what makes you a star? Stars are a unique set of people who excel more than their counterparts or contemporaries. Stars defy human logic and understanding, especially when there is a spiritual element attached to it. While humans go to school to acquire knowledge and information, stars have inherent and intuitive knowledge which is revealed to them from God.

A little insight into the inherent and intuitive knowledge of how stars work. One’s profession is what one is trained to do in school or even taught in practice, one’s vocation is what one is paid to do like skilled work or a regular 9-5 work, while one’s ministry is where one’s talent/gift manifests their God given potential. When one is a star, both their profession, vocation and ministry will be working in alignment. They won’t have to do much to excel. Their light will gradually shine effortlessly with little or no support. A little effort by them will magnify their work.

It’s unfortunate that many stars can’t shine because many people are afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone. Some of us are afraid of what the world will say, how their message will be received, and how one can overcome these challenges if their star is not shining as it ought to. This is one of the major challenges why most people fail to activate their star. Trust me, I get it. The fears and concerns are valid. As humans we are bound to have fears, however, our desire for success should outweigh our fear for failure.

Do you know that the grave is considered the richest place on planet earth? Yes, because many talents are buried inside the grave simply because some people failed to unleash their talents, gifts and God given potentials. Here is what I will say, may we not die with what God has given to us.

Do you want to be a star? If yes, ask yourself, what makes you unique? If you discover it, say to yourself, I am a star, I am blessed. I am a child of destiny. I will fulfill my purpose. I will not die with what God has given to me. I will shine and I will possess my possession because I am a star.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny- Actualizing Your Birthright to SuccessUnleash Your Destiny and The Six Pillars of Success . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

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Osogbo Shooting: Davido, Not Gov Adeleke Was the Target – Police

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Music star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, was the target of the attack on the convoy of Osun State governor, according to the police.

Daily Trust had reported how security escorts of the governor engaged some unidentified men in a gun duel during the governor’s visit to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, earlier on Wednesday.

The governor had visited the monarch shortly after receiving his certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

 

His nephew, Davido, who was actively involved in the election, alongside his children, accompanied the governor to INEC office and the palace.

Some residents of Oja Oba Osogbo said gunshots caused panic for over 15 minutes as the men kept shooting sporadically while the governor’s security detail returned fire.

Commenting on the incident, Police Public Relations Officer in Osun, Abiodun Ojelabi, said preliminary investigation revealed that members of Eye Confraternity were after Davido.

“One Adebayo Taoreed, popularly known as “Small Rugged”, an ex convict, a suspected notorious thug and a member of eye confraternity allegedly attempted to gain access to Davido but was resisted by members of his security Team.

“The ensuing confrontation reportedly attracted other suspected gang members in the vicinity, who temporarily blocked the entrance to the palace and obstructed the movement of the convoy of the Governor.”

Ojelabi said a 60-year-old man identified as Tajudeen Yusuf was shot dead during the gun duel.

“Shortly afterwards, the suspected gang members reportedly departed the vicinity and, however on their way, they allegedly shot Tajudeen Yusuf at Itaolokan area of Osogbo.

“Upon receiving the information, the police immediately mobilised a patrol team to the scene, where the victim was found lying in a pool of blood. He was promptly rushed to the University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, for medical attention. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead by the doctors on duty.”

“The Command has commenced a full-scale investigation into the incident and intensified efforts to identify, apprehend and bring the fleeing suspects to justice.

“The Commissioner of Police (Election), Osun State Command, CP Samuel Etaifo, strongly condemns the dastardly act and assures members of the public that the Command will deploy all available resources to apprehend those responsible.

“The Command therefore urges anyone with useful information that could assist the investigation to promptly approach the nearest police station or contact the Command through its official channels. Members of the public are also advised to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their own hands.”

The PPRO said the Police Command has commenced a full-scale investigation into the shooting incident.

Ojelabi said further updates on the incident would be provided as the investigation progresses.

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