Author: Lawbreed Limited

President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his opposition to state governments having their own police. Mr Buhari said this in an interview with Channels Television aired on Wednesday. ‘State police is not an option,’ Mr Buhari said in response to the question on the topic. Proponents of federalism have argued that in a true federal structure, states should control their own security agencies to complement that of the federal government. Details later…

The police superintendent openly told the governor that he and his colleagues were at the estate on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba; as well as the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN). A Chief Superintendent of Police openly defied the order of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to vacate the Magodo Phase 2 Estate area of the state. According to a report by PUNCH, the police superintendent openly told the governor that he and his colleagues were at the estate on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba; as well as…

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has asked Usman Baba, inspector-general of police (IGP), to probe Hakeem Odumosu, Lagos commissioner of police, over “misuse of privilege”. On Saturday, the police commissioner, who was attending a social event at Magodo Brooks Estate in Lagos, ordered the arrest of four security guards over their “refusal to allow” him entry into the estate. Odumosu also ordered the arrest of one Adebola Fatiregun, a female resident who is a widow, and her three children for intervening in the matter. Explaining the commissioner’s action, Adekunle Ajisebutu, Lagos police spokesman, said the CP visited the…

Two members of the house of representatives have called for the investigation of Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), over his alleged involvement in the planned demolition of Magodo estate phase two. There had been an earlier threat of demolition of houses in the estate, with police and bulldozers moved to the area on December 21. Residents of the area had protested the move, and the police had withdrawn from the estate after the state intervened. According to the Lagos government, the case dates back to the demolition of properties at Shangisha village between 1984 and 1985, after which…

Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has the power to regulate electoral processes. The national assembly had transmitted the electoral amendment bill to President Muhammadu Buhari on November 19, with recommendations on the electronic transmission of results and direct primaries for political parties. But in a letter addressed to the upper and lower legislative chambers, Buhari kicked against the recommendation of direct primaries for political parties on the grounds that it “violates the spirit of democracy”. The decision of the president generated mixed reactions from Nigerians, while some civil society organisations…

Barely 17 months to the end of his tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Doyin Salami as his chief economic adviser. Femi Adesina, special adviser on media and publicity to Buhari, announced Salami’s appointment in a statement on Tuesday. Currently, 58-year-old Salami is the chairperson of the presidential economic advisory council (PEAC). In the last six years, the country’s economy has always been a major challenge. The administration has witnessed two recessions. From high debt profile to double-digit inflation, troubled naira, what wonder will Salami perform? In his new role, Adesina said Salami will address all issues on the domestic economy and present views…

The federal government has introduced an excise duty of N10/litre on all non-alcoholic, carbonated and sweetened beverages. Excise duty is a form of tax imposed on the production, licensing and sale of goods. Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, said this during the public presentation of the 2022 Appropriation Act on Wednesday in Abuja. According to her, the new policy introduced is in the Finance Act signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 31, 2021. With the policy, the prices of carbonated drinks may spike across the country. In 2019, Zainab Ahmed, the minister of…

The panel set up to investigate the Ikoyi building collapse has submitted its report to the Lagos government. On November 1, 2021, the 21-storey structure, which was being developed by Fourscore Homes, caved in. Femi Osibona, owner of Fourscore Homes, was one of the 43 persons who died in the collapse. Following the incident, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, had set up the panel to investigate the circumstances that led to the building collapse. Submitting the report on Wednesday, Toyin Ayinde, a town planner who chaired the panel, urged governments at all levels to ensure that ethics and due diligence…

Nigerians may have to pay more for digital services as the Federal Government has introduced a policy requiring foreign companies that provide digital services in the country to collect and remit Value Added Tax to the Federal Inland Revenue Service. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said this during the public presentation of the 2022 budget in Abuja on Wednesday. She said that the new policy is contained in Section 30 of the Finance Act which amended the provisions of Section 10, 31 and 14 on VAT obligations for non-resident digital companies. The Minister said, “Section…

82-year-old billionaire businessman, and former Chairman of First Bank PLC and UBA, Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab, says he hopes to see his son, Farouk Abdul Mutallab, who is serving a life sentence in a United States prison over terrorism act, one day before his death. At age 23, Farouk fondly referred to as the “underwear bomber”, attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while aboard a Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day, 2009. Mutallab while speaking in an interview on Trust TV, monitored in Kaduna on Wednesday, said he was…