Justice Idris Kutigi while delievering judgment, said: “I have considered the plea in mitigation by the learned counsel to the convict”.
Browsing: Justice Idris Kutigi
As a custodian of peace and harmony, I tried within my capacity to detach myself from viz religion, creed or tradition discussion that will snowball into partiality. My solitude was taken for a cowardice, perhaps, a separatist
The late Alhaji Dambatta was also a Chief Information Officer in the Northern Region and Reporter and Editor of the Daily Comet in Kano between 1950 and 1953
In his closing ceremony address, Kutigi said that President Jonathan never influenced the outcome of resolutions of the conference, saying that the conference was independent in its resolutions
Media hypes regarding apprehensions arising from issues contained in the three volumes of the prepared reports melted into oblivion as delegates unanimously approved the reports
Conference delegates from the North had on Tuesday rejected the draft new constitution prepared by the Confab secretariat, saying it was part of a plot to give some elected public officers, including President Goodluck Jonathan, the legitimacy to stand for a third term
According to the Northern delegates, the draft Constitution as prepared by the Justice Idris Kutigi-led Secretariat of the National Conference was a third term agenda designed primarily to allow President Jonathan and other incumbent elective office holders, whom they alleged as not qualified, to run in 2015, even as they warned that if allowed to sail through, it has the potential of throwing the country into violence and anarchy
The leadership only distributed the final report for the members to study
The Council of Retired Federal Permanent Secretaries in a goodwill message on Monday, said it has watched with keen interest the proceedings and recommendations of the Conference and is impressed by the deep sense of patriotism displayed by both the leadership and the delegates
Speaking on the position of the Consensus Group, the Chairman of Conference, retired Justice Idris Kutigi, said President Jonathan should set up technical committee to decide on the appropriate percentage for oil producing states and areas destroyed by insurgency in the country
The issue, which had divided the Conference along the Northern and Southern lines, could not be resolved amicably on Monday and Tuesday
Immediately Kutigi gave the order, the security operatives started harassing journalists and sending them out of the gallery while all the cameras were disabled
The Conference also decided that government should make laws to regulate the operations of cyber cafes for the protection of children and under-aged users
Felicia Sani, who represents market women, also expressed dissatisfaction with non-payment of allowances to delegates, saying that the circumstance has forced her to accommodate other representatives of the market women at the conference
Kutigi, who gave the warning during plenary on Thursday in Abuja, said it came to his notice that the aides and drivers had written a petition planning to disrupt plenary
An initial report about two weeks ago that the conference had been extended was denied by the leadership of the confab
This was contained in a statement issued by the Assistant Secretary of the conference, Media and Communications, James Akpandem, in Abuja on Tuesday
Akpandem said some of the committees had already submitted signed copies of their reports, with agreed recommendations to the Conference Secretariat within the week for distribution to delegates
According to him, there is also no iota of truth in the accusation that he plans to undermine the interest of Christians at the conference
Kutigi, in the statement, while apologising for the sudden change in venue, enjoined delegates to go straight to their respective venues as they resume from the Easter break on Tuesday