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Appeal Court Reinstates Col Danladi Hassan who Killed Several Boko Haram Fighters in 2014

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The Nigerian Army (NA) has lost its bid to upturn a judgment compelling them to reinstate Colonel Danladi Ribah Hassan who was wrongly retired compulsorily retired in 2016.

A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, in a judgment on Friday, dismissed the appeal by the Nigerian Army, former Chief of Army Staff, and others for lacking in merit.

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PRNigeria in October reported that (https://prnigeria.com/2021/10/24/injustice-nigerian-army/)the Nigerian Army had refused to obey an order of Industrial court for reinstatement of Colonel Danladi Ribah Hassan, a military Commander who led troops in recapturing Bulabulin and Damboa from Boko Haram in August 2014.

The National Industrial Court in Abuja had in January 2019 ordered the immediate reinstatement of Colonel Hassan, one of the 38 officers compulsorily retired in 2016 by the Nigerian Army for no obvious reasons. The trial judge, Justice Sanusi Kado, had held that with the failure of the Nigerian Army to convince the court of the disciplinary ground for compulsorily retiring the claimant, the said letter of compulsory retirement was null and void and of no effect.

A series of reminders and correspondence for the reinstatement of the officer were rebuffed by the Army authority who appealed the judgement.

Meanwhile, the appellate court, in a unanimous judgment today (Friday December 31, 2021), read by Justice Stephen Adah, resolved the two issues, raised for determination, against the appellants and upheld the judgment of the National Industrial Court (NIC), delivered in favour of Col. Hassan on January 8, 2019.

The judgment was on the appeal marked: CA/A/299/2019, filed by the NA, the Nigerian Army Council, the COAS, the Armed Forces Council; the Chief of Defence Staff, the Minister of Defence, Brig. Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd); Lt. Gen. Tukru Buratai (ex-COAS) and Maj. Gen. Mohammed Hong Garba.

Listed as respondents were Hassan and the Attorney General of the Federation.

The Appeal Court, in dismissing the appeal by the Nigerian Army and others on Friday, held that, as against the claim by the appellants, Hassan complied with the condition precedent, as required under Section 178 of the Armed Forces Act, before approaching the court.

It further held that the appellant’s claim that the decision of the lower court was a perversity could not be sustained, because it was based on the evidence presented before it by parties.

“The lower court had elaborate consideration of all the facts, both from the accusers, the accused person and their witnesses before coming to the conclusion that the exercise of compulsory retirement was done in error.

“It was in that respect that the court now held that the compulsory retirement of the claimant was declared null and void; letter of compulsory retirement also set aside and he was ordered to be reinstated and a letter issued to that effect, reinstating him into the Nigerian Army with all rights and privileges.

“There is no piece of evidence that is contrary to what the court has said. So, there is nothing that is perverse by the findings of the lower court.

“The law is that where the lower court makes any finding of facts and there is nothing that is adverse, that is contrary to justice, or any thing that orchestrated injustice on the line of the consideration of the lower court; where the court has made correct and straightforward findings of facts, this court has no business interfering with it.

“The trial court did excellently well in this case, and we have no need to interfere with the findings of the court.

“It is in this respect that we come to the conclusion that this appeal is lacking in merit. It is grossly lacking in merit, and it is hereby dismissed.

“The decision of the lower court is upheld and all the decisions made therein, are also sustained,” Justice Adah said.

PRNigeria reported that on August 6 August 2014, the 25 Task Force Brigade led by Colonel Danladi Ribah Hassan carried out a special operation and recaptured the earlier seized towns of Bulabulin and Damboa from the Boko Haram terrorists.

One of his troops, still in the army told PRNigeria that Colonel Danladi Ribah Hassan was the Commander of the 7 Division Garrison responsible for the security of Maiduguri and its environs before he was directed to lead the operation.

He led the Brigade in preventing Boko Haram from gaining a foothold in Maiduguri and environs. During the Bulabulin and Damboa operations were successfully executed resulting in

He also led a one-day fierce counter-terrorism battle in Bulabulin and Damboa where his troops killed several Boko Haram militants and recaptured the seized towns.

As the Garrison Commander, he was pivotal to the reorganization of the Civilian Joint Task Force for effectiveness and set the stage for their subsequent involvement in selected security operations.

Colonel Hassan, a member of NDA 41 Regular Combatant Course, was commissioned in September 1994 and served as instructor, staff officer and field commander in his 21-year career. As a young officer, Mr Hassan took part in ECOMOG operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and later in the United Nations Mission in Sudan. He was appointed Chief Security Officer to the Sierra Leonean chief of defence staff for his exceptional performance.

The gallant officer hailed from Danko Wasagu Local Government of Kebbi State.

By PRNigeria

 

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NUC hikes private university application fees

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The Federal Government has hiked the application fees for new private universities to N25m, a memo issued by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu said on Monday.

The previous processing fee was N5m.

The Commission said the move was part of its efforts at repositioning private universities in Nigeria to better meet the needs of the citizenry and for better coordination of the development of the Private University Education sub-sector of the Nigerian University System.

It also said it has identified the need to review the guidelines for the establishment of private universities.

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Atiku, Tambuwal, Imoke in Strategic Closed-Door Meeting with Obasanjo

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Monday led a delegation to meet with his former boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo at the hilltop residence of the former Nigerian leader in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

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The former vice president was accompanied by former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke and Senator Aminu Tambuwal who is a former governor of Sokoto State.

The agenda of the meeting was not known as of press time but it comes amid plans by opposition politicians to map out strategies to trounce the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and win the 2027 presidential election.

 

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Agitation For the Creation Of 31 More States: Politics Or Development?An Exercise in Futility Unless There Is Consensus – renowned Political Scientist.

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Abbas Yushau Yusuf

Last week the Nigerian House of Representatives during its plenary session told the nation that it received the proposal for the creation of more states numbering thirty-one.

Currently, Nigeria has a 36-state structure and if the proposed thirty-one are added the states will be 67. Nigeria started with three regions and has been restructured by the military and for over 64 years the agitation did not die down.

On February 5th, 2025 the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution announced on Thursday, that it has received 31 proposals for the creation of new states across the six geopolitical zones.

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu read a letter from the committee during plenary, outlining the conditions that must be met before any state creation requests can be approved.

According to the letter, the proposals include five from the North Central, four from the North East, five from the North West, five from the South East, four from the South-South, and seven from the South West.

Among the states being considered are Okun, Okura, and Confluence (Kogi); Benue Ala and Apa (Benue); FCT State; Amana (Adamawa); Katagum (Bauchi); Savannah (Borno); and Muri (Taraba).

The states also include New Kaduna state and Gujarat states from Kaduna state; Tiga and Ari from Kano, and Kainji from Kebbi state; Etiti and Orashi as the 6th state in the South East, Adada from Enugu, Orlu, and Aba from the South East.

They also include Ogoja from Cross River, Warri from Delta, Ori and Obolo from Rivers; Torumbe from Ondo, Ibadan from Oyo, Lagoon from Lagos, and Ogun, Ijebu from Ogun, Oke Ogun/Ijesha from Oyo/Ogun/Osun states.

According to the letter, Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution as amended outlines specific requirements that must be fulfilled to initiate the process of state creation.

The letter said “a request to the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state shall only be passed if a request supported by at least the third majority of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and the Local Government Council in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly.

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But in an exclusive interview with a renowned Nigerian Political Scientist with Kano state college of Arts and Science, CAS Kano
Dr. Kabiru Saidu Sufi and a traditional title holder of Marafan Dambatta said unless there is consensus it will be an exercise in futility.

“I think like you rightly said states have become a recurring issue in Nigerian politics overtime there have been this agitation, the more states you create the more agitation, you are likely going to have from all quarters and this one is not a new one, and there have been the debate of whether the creation of states will be beneficial or not. The proponents in practice and in theory believe if you create more states, you are creating more avenues to which you will bring government closer to the people, because as it is the size of some of the states is so large and they believe that if some of these states are broken down they will bring government closer to the people, and there is also the issue of administrative efficiency and you know some people that believe if you create more states these states are more viable and you will have more administrative efficiency and thirdly there are those who believe these states are serving as a future training ground for national leaders, so they will go to the federal level and they say most of them start from the states, so some people believe that the more states you have the more training ground you are creating, for future leaders so, then on the other hand there are those people who believe the creator of states is detrimental to political development, for example they believe you are further disuniting people than uniting them, the more states you have the more divided Nigerians are, so there are those who believe we should have few states and they say let’s even go back to the regions, so that Nigerians will have more sense of unity, and some see the states as an avenue where money is being spent, rather than saving which they say we are creating avenues for spending more money than saving, and when you spend more money is not, and there are those that see the more you create the states the more you are bringing further agitations, and there is even this debate whether it’s possible to even create states under civilian dispensation especially taking into consideration the fact that in the past all states were created during the military regime and so there is this issue of constitutional procedure of creating more states, which is not an easy exercise in which Section 19 has laid down procedures which you can amend the constitution for which you can create states and amend borders and this is a very conversant process ranging from getting the two third majority in the two federal chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives and then the two third majority of the 36 states houses of assembly and in some cases there are serious issues, and there is also involvement of getting the four fifth of the states Houses of Assembly and no matter one will look at it and see that it is not an easy exercise and is something that requires a very rigorous procedure and that may not necessarily be easy to satisfy and in that regard one can say is an exercise in futility and no matter the agitation at the end of the day it does not become a reality and the only way we can make it a reality is to have a lead consensus and when the leadership of the country agree to the desirability of the creation of the states then probably they will find a way of making it easier and when there is no lead consensus you find it to be an exercise in futility.”

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