Month: December 2023

WINDHOEK: Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) on Monday unveiled its comprehensive annual responsible consumption awareness initiative titled ‘Take a Second’ and pledged N.dollars 200 000 to support road safety initiatives countrywide.

NBL included an additional N.dollars 90 000 to the Namibian Police Force (NamPol) for refreshments at roadblocks and contributions to the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund’s (MVA) road safety awareness efforts.

In a statement availed here, NBL Corporate Affairs Manager, Surihe Gaomas-Guchu said the campaign aims to foster positive shifts in social attitudes towards alcohol consumption and instill a greater sense of accountability across Namibian communities.

‘Take a Second addresses the imperative need to normalise responsible alcohol consumption behaviours and eradicate anti-social actions associated with excessive drinking. The campaign strategical targets two key demographics; the vibrant youth embracing life to the fullest and more moderate, responsible consumers who participate i
n alcohol consumption during social occasions,’ she said.

Building upon the success of the NBL’s success of 2021 ‘Be the One’ campaign which celebrated responsible consumption choices, the ‘Take a Second’ campaign urges individuals to pause and make responsible decisions surrounding alcohol consumption.

Moreover, NBL Managing Director, Peter Simons said that in alignment with the NBL’s commitment to responsible consumption, NBL promotes moderation, and balanced lifestyles, and actively collaborates with partners to curb harmful drinking practices such as excessive consumption, drunk driving, drinking during pregnancy, and under-age drinking.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: The lifeless body of a seven-month baby girl was discovered in a dustbin at Hakahana open market in Katutura, on Saturday.

A weekend crime report issued by the Namibian Police Force on Monday indicated that the body was discovered by a passerby who was searching for food in the dustbin at about 16h59.

‘It is alleged that the male passerby informed a member of the public who then alerted the police,’ it read.

In a similar incident, the lifeless body of a 32-year-old Ndakondja Lukas was on Saturday discovered with stab wounds by a passerby at Swakopmund’s DRC location, in the Erongo region.

It is alleged that someone was heard screaming for help between 23h00 and 00h00 as well as at 02h00 and suddenly went quiet.

No arrest has been made and the deceased’s next of kin have been informed.

Meanwhile, a 38-year-old Namibian male was reportedly stabbed six times with an unknown object by an unknown suspect near Sundowner Bar at Uis in the Erongo region.

The incident happened at about 01h30 when the
victim was allegedly attacked with an unknown object on his back, head, face, and arms which as a result inflicted deep open wounds.

The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment and his condition is said to be serious, but stable, the report concluded.

Investigations in all matters continue.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has recorded a total of 18 pangolin skins, 12 live pangolins and 146 pangolin scales that were confiscated between September and November this year.

This is according to the ministry’s spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, who in a press statement on Monday said as a result 23 criminal cases have been registered and 38 suspects arrested.

These numbers, Muyunda said surpass that of elephant and rhino combined for this period and are predominantly from the northern regions with Kavango West having the most cases registered at six, followed by Kavango East, Ohangwena, Oshana, Zambezi regions with three cases registered each.

The central regions cumulatively registered four cases, while the Kunene region only registered one case.

‘Prior to September, there had only been a total of six live animals recovered and 19 skins confiscated from January – August 2023. In association with registered crimes, the total animals poached this year between live animals
, skins, and scales comes to 50, with an additional two fetuses miscarried by live confiscated female pangolins,’ Muyunda said.

He noted that although the ministry is pleased with the arrest of suspects, the arrests are indicative of an increase in crimes involving pangolins, which is a concern.

‘Pangolins are under serious threat and the Ministry would like to remind the public that the trafficking of wildlife is a serious offense, and you will be arrested and sentenced for this crime,’ he cautioned.

To date, the heaviest sentence for the trafficking of a pangolin or its parts was nine years direct imprisonment, and the heaviest fine was N.dollars 800 000.

Pangolins are protected under the Nature Conservation Ordinance 4 of 1975, as amended by Act 3 of 2017 and the Controlled Wildlife Trade and Products Act 9 of 2008 as amended by Act 6 of 2017.

In Namibia, the possession of a pangolin or its parts carries the same maximum sentence as for rhino horn, up to 15 years imprisonment and up to N.dollars 15 00
0 000 fine. The trafficking or sale of pangolins carries a sentence of up to 25 years imprisonment and N.dollars 25 000 000 fine, Muyunda said.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: A 29-year-old Tanzanian woman is set to appear in the Opuwo Magistrate’s court on Thursday for a bail application, in connection with the alleged trafficking of protected plant species.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) spokesperson Romeo Muyunda in a media statement on Monday said Diana Mashiku was arrested alongside Namibians, Veisiruaije Tjavara (25), Jennifer Simataa (37) and Tjivinda Unatavi (31) for being in possession of 46 Adenia pechuelii plants, which they allegedly harvested from the wild without a permit.

The alleged plant trafficking occurred between 21 October and 10 November 2023 at Okandombo, in the Kunene region.

‘This case is one of many where international poaching syndicates use Namibian enablers to persuade local community members to find and harvest Namibia’s unique plant species for a small fee. The plants are then smuggled across international borders to be sold to plant collectors for substantial sums of money,’ he said.

Muyunda further said in the
last two years, authorities have seized 666 indigenous plants, excluding illegal timber. A staggering 430 of the confiscated specimens were Adenia pechuelii, known as the ‘Elephant’s Foot’, involving 16 criminal cases and the arrest of 37 suspects.

Most of these arrests were the result of intelligence-led investigations spearheaded by the Blue Rhino Task Team, which comprises several branches of the Namibian Police Force working alongside the MEFT Investigations Unit,’ he concluded.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Former House of Reps member, Alphonsus Komsol, has urged President Bola Tinubu to replace former Minister of Labour and Employment Simon Lalong with a new minister from the Plateau Central Senatorial Zone, for equity. The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, made the call in an open letter to the president on Sunday, following the resignation of Lalong on Wednesday. Recall that on Nov. 7, the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the judgment of the tribunal that recently sacked the elected members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Plateau State and Lalong was declared the winner of Plateau South Senatorial election that held in February 25, 2023. The Minister fortnight ago was issued with the Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the appeal court judgment. According to him, his suggestion is informed by the urgent need for the president to address diverse issues that bordered on inclusiveness, geopolitics, ethnic balance, equity and fairness on the Plateau. Komsol was the Secretary, Presidential Campaign Council’s Contact and Mobilisation Committee, North-Central Zone; Plateau Coordinator, Independent Campaign Council for Asiwaju, and Member, APC’s Election Planning and Strategic Committee. He said such a decision would determine APC’s success in Plateau. ‘The reason for my selfless suggestion is not far-fetched: It is noteworthy that Lalong is from Plateau South Senatorial Zone, which has produced six ministers since 1999’. He said those ministers were Pauline Tallen (twice), Fidelis Tapgun and his sister, Josephine Tapgun, Solomon Dalung and, lately, Lalong. ‘However, Plateau Central Senatorial Zone has produced just one minister (Bagudu Hirse) since 1999. ‘Paradoxically, this is a zone that usually returns some of the highest votes for the APC in virtually all elections since the formation of our party about 10 years ago.’ The former lawmaker said that the marginalised central zone had some of the major financiers and biggest founding fathers of the APC, who were also the president’s ‘die-hard’ political supporters and best hands, who the ministerial cap perfectly fit. Komsol also said that like Plateau South, Plateau North had produced five ministers since 1999: Damishi Sango, Mark Aku, Musa Izam, Dasuki Nakande and Sarah Ochekpe, who were picked from different ethnic groups within the senatorial zone. ‘I write to you with a deep sense of both passion and compassion, driven by pure patriotism, with a good intent for our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), your government, Plateau State and Nigeria at large. ‘This is especially against the backdrop of your glaring strong will in governance, which has so far in record time, engendered notable reforms across all sectors, including infrastructure and human resource development. ‘To this end, Mr President, I emphatically and unequivocally implore you to kindly do the needful, do your utmost and justice to the raging controversy over the next ministerial slot for Plateau State by giving it to Plateau Central Senatorial Zone.’ The former lawmaker added that giving the next Plateau ministerial slot to the marginalised central zone would go a long way to strengthen the party and avoid any likely political implosion that could arise, if it is done otherwise. Komsol lauded Tinubu for having an ingenuous way of identifying his die-hard political loyalists and rewarding them, as well as having an uncanny ability to mobilise the best minds and strengthen alliances across the country for the common good. ‘You will agree with me that being the president of a country like Nigeria takes a lot of courage and gut, which you must display by listening to the voice of the people. ‘How you deal with diverse issues that border on geopolitics, ethnic balance, equity, and fairness, by carrying everyone along will determine how far you, our party and your government can succeed, going forward,’ the APC chieftain added. It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal in a recent judgment, declared Lalong winner of Plateau South Senatorial Zone, culminating in his resignation on Wednesday to go to the Senate.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, has called for legislation against unexplained wealth, as a way of checking the criminal activities of treasury looters in the country. EFCC Spokesperson, Mr Dele Oyewale in a statement quoted Olukoyede as making the call at a two-day International Law Conference organised by Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State. The theme of the conference is ‘Unexplained Wealth in the Global South: Examining the Asset Recovery and Return Trajectory’. Olukoyede said several countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Mauritius, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Trinidad and Tobago, had embraced the Unexplained Wealth Orders, UWOs, since it came into force in 2018. He said the EFCC was still relying on the provisions of Section 7 of its Establishment Act to check the menace. ‘The issue of unexplained wealth is not a local issue. There are jurisdictional legislations across the world to tackle it. ‘Till date, countries of the world are faced with criminalities emanating from money laundering practices and illicit funds. This circumstance led to the promulgation of Unexplained Wealth Orders, UWOs that came into force in 2018. ‘Several countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Mauritius and African countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean have come up with UWO. Nigeria is yet to come up with a national legislation on it,’ he said. The EFCC boss, who was represented at the conference by the Abuja Zonal Commander, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1 Adebayo Adeniyi, emphasised that treasury looters would have little cover if the issue of unexplained wealth was tackled more seriously across the world. ‘In Nigeria today, unexplained wealth has become practical means of tracing, identifying, investigating and prosecuting corruption cases. ‘As an anti-graft agency, suspects of any economic and financial crimes are usually required to declare their assets in the course of investigation. ‘The basis for this is to properly establish their true asset base and their linkage or otherwise to any act of corruption. ‘Owing to the absence of legislation on the issue of unexplained wealth, the EFCC continues to rely on provisions of Section 7 of its Establishment Act to handle it,’ he said. Olukoyede said the concerns about unexplained wealth bordered more on asset tracing, investigation and recovery. ‘Nations are rapidly settling for non-conviction-based asset forfeiture. The reason for this is simple because unexplained wealth can only be beneficial to the state if they are forfeited. ‘Since inception, the EFCC has secured sizable assets from fraudsters. They range from houses, vehicles, barges, jewelry, money, furniture items, landed properties, among others,’ he said. Explaining further, the EFCC boss stated that, ‘procedures for asset forfeiture usually involve prosecution of the suspected fraudster, as assets may be forfeited on an interim basis or be forfeited permanently, depending on the position of the law and the court. ‘However, whether interim forfeiture or permanent forfeiture, what is important is for every ill-gotten wealth to be recovered and kept with the government,’ he said. He urged the public to be forthcoming with information about suspicious assets in their various communities, as the commission would work better only if intelligence and information were readily available. On the realities of countries in the global south concerning asset recovery, Olukoyede pointed out that countries in the global South were still far away from a culture of public accountability. ‘Ethnic and religious biases often stand in the way of full disclosure of information by people in third world countries. ‘The implication of this is that anti-corruption agencies can only operate based on the intelligence available to them.’ While talking about the hurdles in asset recovery in Nigeria, Olukoyede punctured the technicality of prosecution of looted assets that sometimes requires publication in major newspapers. ‘This takes time. Sometimes, delay may come from some fraudulent claims to frustrate the forfeiture proceedings. In all of these, what is paramount is the fact available to the court. ‘At the end of it all, assets are always recovered permanently for the benefits of all. ‘Also, recovery of stolen funds stashed in foreign jurisdictions is more complex. Institutions of state are usually involved in the recovery of such funds and this takes far more time and effort. ‘The return trajectory involved in this may even take years, and this can be really frustrating to anti- corruption agencies or government institutions involved in the recovery. ‘Nigeria is having such instances in the recovery of looted funds by many government officials,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria