Edo Assembly To Probe Mother’s Petition Over Access To Son

Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Blessing Agbebaku, has directed the House Standing Committee on Public Petitions to investigate a petition by one Sandra Palmer Martins over alleged denial of access to her son, Johaness Martins Owen, in the custody of his estranged husband, Uyi Martins, a Nigerian naturalised Danish national.

Distraught Sandra had approached the lawmakers in a petition sent to the House on her behalf by her Counsels, A.I. Oviawe Legal Consult titled, ” A passionate Call for Intervention” which came up for hearing Monday during plenary at the Edo State House of Assembly.

Parts of petition reads, ” We are constrained to urgently and passionately your attention to the callous, inhuman and fraudulent acts of one Mr Kelvin Uyi Martins, (our client’s husband) who is a Nigerian and also a Danish citizen who last known address is Kongedybet 2, ST.TV 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark and with property in Benin City which property our client had hitherto lived until she was forcefully ejected from the house with thugs.”

The petition was read on the floor of the Assembly before the lawmakers, and thereafter, Agbebaku mandated the committee to within two weeks investigate the petition and report back to the House.

Also, the House passed a bill for a law to provide a legal framework for the establishment of the Edo State Oil Palm Programme to promote oil palm cultivation in Edo State.

The passage of the bill was sequel to the consideration of the report of the House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Food Security which was presented by the committee chairman, Hon Kaycee Osamwonyi, member representing Uhunmwode constituency.

The report which had four findings and one recommendation stated,  “that the Bill was timely and desirable considering the challenges facing the oil palm sector in Edo State.

“That the bill shall provide an institutional framework for the operation of the Edo State Oil Palm Programme through collaboration with the private sector; it will help the development of the oil palm sector and help create jobs for the youths as well as boost economic growth and contribute to our forest management and restoration.”