₦airaland Forum

Otosirieze Obi-Young, now a former Deputy Editor of Brittle Paper, a literary magazine, was fired on Wednesday after he wrote a scathing piece on the first lady of Kaduna, Hadiza El-Rufai, over a controversial tweet she issued a few days ago.

He made this known in a lengthy statement, having worked with the company for about four years. This was also confirmed by the paper’s Publisher, Ainehi Edoro.

The misunderstanding leading to his dismissal was sequel to an article he wrote about Mrs El-Rufai, defending a pro-rape tweet by her son, Bello El-Rufai.

In the article, which has since been removed by the publisher, Mr Obi-Young called out the Kaduna State First Lady for describing as ‘fair’, her son’s threat to organise the gang rape of the mother of a twitter follower, who differed with him.


Background

PREMIUM TIMES reported the outrage that followed after the young El-Rufai issued the threat in a private message to a Twitter user following arguments about politics.

“Tell your mother I’m passing her to my friends tonight,” Mr El-Rufai said to his detractor, before adding an ethnic diatribe: “No Igbo sounds please!”

Calls from many concerned Nigerians, including former presidential candidate, Oby Ezekwesili, asking the young El-Rufai to apologise were unsuccessful. This is even as anti-rape activists demanded a thorough investigation for probable violation of the Cybercrime Act.

When tagged to the tweet, Mrs El-Rufai failed to denounce her son’s vulgar statements.

In a series of tweets, she deemed all the vile statements credited to her son as fair when “directed towards those who had insulted him” while she warned twitter users against tagging her.

Although, Mrs El-Rufai later bowed to to public pressure and apologised for her failure to immediately denounce her son’s threats, Mr El-Rufai showed no remorse and even threatened to sue PREMIUM TIMES’ journalist for the report.


How Otosirieze was sacked

Announcing his exit from Brittle Papers, he explained that it started when he published a report on Ms El-Rufai’s ‘supportive’ comments on a gang-rape threat issued by her son, coated in ethnic diatribe.

Although the report (titled: Novelist, Feminist & Kaduna First Lady, Hadiza El-Rufai, says all is fair in love and war after son’s gang-rape threat draws backlash) has been retracted, the link can still be found online.

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai and his son, Bello El-Rufai. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Twitter handle of Bello El-Rufai]
That she is a novelist, places it in the area of Brittle Paper’s focus, he noted.

“The Founder called me and expressed concerns about my criticism of a Nigerian newspaper in it and the informal and strongly worded tone addressing said novelist. I edited the post, removing the relevant sections.

“The Founder called back a few minutes later and said she wanted to take down the report. That was unacceptable to me. I saw no reason why my post-publication edits, which removed my opinion and restricted it to reportage, were not enough.

“I saw no reason why her concern about my lack of objectivity was not something that could be fixed by her own edits or rewriting. So I cut short the conversation: I said I no longer wished to discuss this report, that she should take it down if she wanted,” he said.

While the report was retracted, Mr Obi-Young said he woke up Wednesday to discover that he had been logged out of Brittle Paper, its social media accounts, and its WhatsApp group – the primary work communication space. He was not informed why the actions were taken.


‘Editorial guidelines defied’

When contacted, Ms Edoro told PREMIUM TIMES that the ex-official flouted editorial guidelines of the company “and was unwilling to make changes in the report.”

She said the report seemed fine “until she got to the last paragraph which did not only sound strong but also criticised other Nigerian papers.”

“Interestingly, four hours after backlash began to her response, an article appeared on ThisDay titled “Endearing Qualities of Kaduna First Lady, Hadiza El Rufai.” It is exactly as shabbily-written as you would expect of a hastily assembled, face-washing gimmick. But it is not as unintelligent as the one on OperaNews.

“There must be a name for this feminism whose reply to “Tell your mother I’m passing her to my friends tonight” is “I didn’t see any threats of rape.” A feminism that agrees to raise men to be better but says “All is fair in love and war” when their ethnic-bigoted men-children threaten violence on women’s bodies.

“Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame. Do better,” the portion of the report read.

She also faulted the use of ‘gang rape’ in the title where she said, something like “lewd comments” would have sufficed.

Although Mr Obi-Young agreed to delete the last paragraph, “he refused to change the headline – which led to the misunderstanding,” she explained.

“Unfortunately, this all occurred at a time I had to prepare time sensitive lectures for my students, and without sufficient time to edit the post. The time difference between Nigeria and the U.S. also left me with little time to act quickly, so I pulled the post down as the exigent thing to do.”

She added that “the ex-Deputy Editor hung up the phone when she attempted to have a conversation.”

When asked if the editor had a pattern of flouting editorial rules, she answered in the negative but explained that Mr Obi-Young is one “who puts in so much emotions to work.”

In a statement later released by her, she said the company has never been funded by the Kaduna State Government.


Ripples

Amidst the controversies generated, many Nigerians have launched verbal attacks and counter-attacks on both parties.

While some have called out Mr Obi-Young for putting out a statement to ridicule the company, others have blamed the publisher for pulling down the report.

A few have also questioned why the report was not re-edited to suit the house style of the company

Already, some writers who have scheduled programmes with the paper, have backed out.

A 2017 awardee of the company, Chibuihe Obi Achimba, took to his Facebook page to rescind the award and cash prize given to him. He also asked that all his works be pulled down from the website.

A 27-year-old man, Adeniyi Akinde, has reportedly bathed his wife, Deborah, with hot water laced with pepper, while she was sleeping over suspicion of infidelity.

The incident happened on Tuesday around 12.30am in the Oke-Owu area of Modakeke, Osun State, where the couple resides.

The victim was said to have been rushed to hospital after the attack, having sustained severe injuries in her face and body.

It was learnt that Deborah was visited on her hospital bed at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, by police personnel after the matter was reported at the Modakeke Police Division.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Yemisi Opatola, confirmed the incident.

Opatola said a suspect had been arrested in connection with the crime, adding that the state Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo, had ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.

She stated, “We actually had a report from Oke-Owu, Modakeke, that one Adeniyi Akinde bathed a woman, Deborah Akinde, with hot water, while she was sleeping around 12.30am.

“Operatives have visited the victim in the hospital and the Commissioner of Police has directed a thorough investigation into the matter.”

https://guardian.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hot-640x480.jpg

A mother of four, Mrs. Mary Joseph, was yesterday taken into custody at the Akinpelu police station after she bathed her neighbour, Jumoke Gbadebo, with hot water at Oshodi area of Lagos State.

Trouble started when the attacker alleged that the victim, whose turn it was to clean the drainage and surrounding of their house, spilled filthy water and dirt into the water she was going to use to bathe her children.

An eyewitness who doesn’t want her name in print, narrated what happened: “I was here bathing my daughter and I heard the woman (Mrs. Joseph) shouting. She said the other woman (Jumoke) poured dirty water inside her water and I told her it was impossible for her to pour dirt into her water knowingly, and that if it happened it must have been a mistake.

“She then confronted me, saying it is a lie, that she did it and it was intentional. She added that the woman used the broom she was using to wash the gutter to splash more dirt in her water. She started cursing Jumoke, calling her a fool and other unprintable names.

“While Jumoke was trying to explain herself, Mary started pushing her, asking if she wanted to beat her; to the shock of everyone, Mary entered her room, brought out hot water from the fire and poured it on Jumoke. While Jumoke was running due to the pain, Mary still went after her and beat her with a broom, which led to a further peeling of Jumoke’s skin.”

When asked why she attacked her co-tenant with boiling water, Mary blamed the devil for her action. On his part, husband of the attacker, Mr. Joseph, who was not at home when the incident happened, said: “I am struggling to feed four children and her, but now, I have been told to bring N200,000 for bill at a private hospital when I don’t even have N5,000 in my account. My wife has finished me. Where will I run to in this coronavirus lockdown?”

THE Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has described news making the rounds, claiming that one of the Chinese doctors recently brought into Nigeria had tested positive for the COVID-19.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is also a member of the PTF, debunked this claim during Wednesday’s daily media briefing by the task force in Abuja.

The Minister, who observed that the task force had been having to devote as much energy devoted to the fight against COVID-19 to dispelling fake news, being regularly spun against the efforts of government in fighting the pandemic.

The Minister, who had in the past few days devoted most of his time during the daily briefings to debunk fake news and explain developments to the general public, however advised Nigerians to discard reports about the government’s efforts to beat back COVID-19, which did not emanate from the daily briefings or the website of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

He also took time to deflate reports claiming that members of the National Assembly had shared a N700 million fund, describing it as fake news.

Read Also: ‘How I survived COVID-19’
“Whether members of the National Assembly are sharing N700 million, like I said, just as we are trying to fight and contain Coronavirus, a lot of energy is also being expended in fighting fake news.

“To the best of my knowledge, I’m not aware that any such money has been given to members of the National Assembly, but I know that fake news is not abating.

“This morning, there was a message that went viral, to the effect that one of the Chinese doctors tested positive and that news was supposed to have emanated from the Twitter handle of the federal government. I want to say, to the best of our knowledge here, there’s no such thing.

“I’ve also just received two hate dramas and other fake news while I was sitting here, which I’ve been unable to open. But we will continue always to debunk fake news and we’ll try our best to timely give you information about the COVID-19, either through our daily press briefings or through the website of the NCDC and the task force”, he said.

ABUJA—The Federal Government’s quest to contain the coronavirus pandemic through a 14 – day lockdown of Lagos, Ogun State and Abuja appears to be taking its toll on the nation’s revenue as banks’ closure continue to hamper ports operations.

Expressing his displeasure at the non operation of banks, Dr. Ola Olugbese, Chairman, Ogbese Marine Services Limited, a licensed Customs agent, stated that the federal government may have lost not less than N20 billion in the last seven days due to non operation of the banks in the ports. “Due to the lockdown caused by Covid-19 pandemic, banks were closed. Government needs revenue. That is why Customs was mandated to work as the ports remain open. Unfortunately, government forgot that Customs work hand in hand with banks. Customs does not accept cash from importers or agents except bank draft. If banks are not working, how can government generate revenue?”, he asked.

Olugbese called on the federal government to mandate banks to offer at least skeletal services so as ease the difficulty being encountered by importers and agents.

According to Olugbese, importers and agents are stranded, just as government is losing billions of Naira as a result of non operation of banks. “No new Form M can be opened. Form M is part of the documents needed to import goods into the country. It is generated from the banks. Only those who paid before the lockdown are the ones taking possession of their goods. Every other person is stuck. Banks should be allowed to operate”, he said. He also urged the government not to prolong the lockdown as been speculated. “If the lockdown is prolonged, the maritime sector will be the worst hit.

The government revenue will be diminished drastically. Lockdown has affected negatively operations in the ports. We all know that apart from oil, Customs is the second revenue earner for government. We urge the government to mandate the banks to operate so as to ease the difficulty being experienced by importers and agents at the ports,” he added.

By Abankula



Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed President Buhari’s cabinet as incompetent, “lacking in qualified hands”.

In a language that betrays a deep contempt, Atiku dismissed the team for its inability to “think outside the box”.

Atiku passed the verdict in a long essay circulated today on how Nigeria and Africa can surmount the effects of the coronavirus.

He said the oil crisis being faced by the Buhari administration was also faced by the Obasanjo administration.

Atiku argued that the oil price crash should not be enough to trigger an economic crisis.

Nigeria’s 2020 budget was predicated on $57, but oil prices are now in the $30s range after falling into the 20s.

Atiku argued said the situation does not call for panic.

“After all, the current price of oil was lower than it is today when President Obasanjo and I assumed office on May 29, 1999. Yet we paid off Nigeria’s entire foreign debt.

“However, there are two remarkable differences. The first is that we had a stellar cabinet between 1999-2007.

“We had the right people manning our economy.

“We certainly would not have proposed to take out a $500 million loan to digitalise the Nigerian Television Authority, or devote ₦37 billion to renovating the National Assembly complex (which was built from the scratch at less than 20% of that amount)”, he said.

Atiku pummelled the Buhari government further:

“Today’s Nigerian government is severely lacking in qualified hands. And nothing proves this than the state of the Presidency itself.

“To think that after devoting ₦13 billion to the State House Clinic in the last five years, it is virtually useless as we face the most significant public health challenge of our national life. That is a pointer to the state of our federal government”.

Atiku wondered why the Buhari administration is always quick to seek foreign loans to solve domestic economic problems.

“Why is it that the Nigerian government is always quick to want to borrow at every instance?

“It shows a lazy mindset and an inability to take those sacrifices necessary to get the economy into shape.

” Worse still it proves that we do not, as of yet, have the ability to think outside the box for genuine solutions.


” We cannot be looking to borrow huge sums at the same time our officials are taking delivery of foreign made luxury cars.

“We cannot be considered a serious country when we refuse to cut down on profligacy and instead seek outside help to fund our inefficiencies.

“Even in our own individual houses, when things get tight, the first thing we should do is cut down on unnecessary expenditure and then you look for creative ways to generate funds and develop our household economy, before we even seek outside funding.

” A situation where the Nigerian government always seeks outside funding, which, by the way has to be repaid if ever granted, displays an inadequacy in the thinking process of our leaders at the moment.

He advised the Buhari government to wade into the Saudi-Russia price war that is one of the reasons for the crash in oil prices.

“Nigeria must bring her weight (like we had done in the past) to bear to force an early cessation of hostilities so that oil prices could start looking up.

“And secondly, we must insist that the Abacha loots held back by various Western governments must be immediately and unconditionally returned to Nigeria.

“We have a humanitarian crisis on our hands. I believe that President Trump is a reasonable man.

“He knows that if nothing is done to avoid the foreseeable dislocation of African economies, the next wave of mass migration to the United States would not be from Mexico.

“The worst thing we can do now is to wring our hands and look to outsiders. Not now.

“The leadership in Abuja and the rest of Africa cannot afford to be lethargic while the rest of the world is scrambling to save what they can of their economies.

“In Nigeria, it is already clear that we must abandon the 2020 budget and come up with a more realistic budget.

“Our oil benchmark is way off the mark. And we are certainly no longer in a position to budget ₦100 billion plus for our legislatures and almost ₦50 billion for the Presidency (in truth, we were never in a position to do that)”.

A developer has been caught damaging the Ilubirin exit of the 3rd mainland bridge, Lagos, TheCable understands.

Sources at the federal ministry of works and housing informed TheCable that the developer’s workers have been arrested and will be prosecuted.

The developer, whose identity was not revealed, was trying to create illegal entry and exit points to the estate at Ilubirin by destroying parts of the longest bridge in Nigeria.

The workers had broken the parapet of the bridge before they were apprehended over the weekend by officials of the ministry.

Describing as embarrassing the developer’s action of “willful damage” to the all-important bridge, the source said: “The estate at Ilubirin, as designed, is not meant to open to the expressway. The interchange at Dolphin is the legal access created for estates and other developments in that axis. And so it was quite alarming and embarrassing that a developer can choose to start damaging a major infrastructure like the 3rd mainland bridge just for his own selfish purpose.”

This is coming amid efforts by the federal government to fix the Kara, Dormalong and Independence Bridges, among others in Lagos state, under the national bridge maintenance programme.

The Presidency has commenced screening of visitors and staff to the State House, Abuja, following the confirmation of the first case of coronavirus called COVID-19 last Friday in the country.

The medical personnel posted at the last entry point to various offices in the Presidential Villa were working to ensure that the guests and staff complied with the use of hand sanitizers to disinfect their hands.

The officials also used digital thermometers to check body temperatures of visitors at the Main Reception in the presence of security personnel. Among the high profile visitors who passed through the screening on Tuesday around 4:50pm was the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.

Hand sanitizers and digital thermometers had equally been provided at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NFG) in Abuja as of last Friday when our reporter visited the place.

The Federal Ministry of Health, through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), had activated a national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at the highest level and was leading the national response.

The National Christian Elders Forum says it is aware that the insecurity in Nigeria has its root in foreign nations, stressing that the international community’s intervention will be required to resolve it.

The forum expressed hope that Europe would be willing and free to intervene following the exit of Britain from the European Union, saying this opportunity should be explored by all lovers of democracy and western way of life.

This was contained in a communique after a meeting of the forum, signed by its chairman, Solomon Asemota.

The forum appealed to former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and General Theophilus Danjuma to help Nigeria overcome the insecurity.

It urged the trio, “as the most prominent Christian leaders in the country’s military history, to put aside personal differences and jointly intervene on the current security challenges. The forum said the security threats became worse because Christians had not properly synergized in recent years.

It called on the traditional rulers of the indigenous tribes to rally round and defend their people and ancestral lands, saying “The real owners of Nigeria are the indigenous ethnic nationalities represented by the traditional rulers and leaders.

The traditional rulers of the indigenous tribes of the north and the south should unite to ward off  Boko Haram.”

A 32-year-old virgin has described her wedding night as a nightmare due to the size of her husband’s manhood.

Ama [pseudo name], who hails from Sefwi Bekwai in the Western North region, is said to have rushed from their room in tears when her husband attempted to consummate the marriage.

The young lady is said to have been traumatised after the first unsuccessful romp.

Mother of the lady in an interview on Adom News said she sympathises with her daughter.

She claimed per the description given, it was obvious her husband’s manhood is big both in depth and size.

“My virgin daughter is traumatised; she wants a divorce and as I mother; I feel her pain,” she bemoaned.

When reached for comments, the well-endowed husband did not deny the accusation.

He is, however, ready to grant the divorce if his dowry and money spent during the wedding are paid back.

South Africa slipped into recession in the final three months of 2019, the country’s statistics bureau said on Tuesday, the third contraction to hit the economy since the end of apartheid in 1994.

The weak performance adds pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration which has been struggling to keep his election pledge to revive economic activity. Instead, South Africa remains dogged by high and rising debt, low growth and soaring unemployment. Gross domestic product fell by 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter, after dropping by 0.8 percent in the previous three months, Statistics South Africa said.

This took growth in Africa’s most industrialised country for all of 2019 to just 0.2 percent, its lowest reading since the global financial crisis in 2009. Weak agriculture output and transport were the main drags on growth, StatsSA said, followed by construction, mining and manufacturing, which outweighed positive contributions from finance and government spending.

Seven of the nation’s 10 economic sectors contracted in the fourth quarter, Stats SA said. “Finance, mining and personal services managed to keep their heads above water, but this was not enough to prevent the economy from sliding into its third recession since 1994,” it remarked.

Drought in parts of the country and floods in others hurt agriculture and power station output, leading to disruptions in electricity, gas and water supplies. Recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. South Africa previously went into recession in 2008/2009 and then again in 2018.

The International Monetary Fund last year urged more “decisive” reforms to boost private investment in South Africa, forecasting economic growth to remain sluggish for a sixth consecutive year in 2020. (AFP)

All Progressives Congress’ (APC) Stakeholders Forum yesterday blasted Governor Godwin Obaseki over an alleged attempt to recruit former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to fight the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole as he jostled to pick the ticket of the APC.

Conveners of the Forum, Chief Francis Inegbeneki and Suleiman Bagudu, in a statement in Benin, alleged that Obaseki had been recruiting thugs and APC leaders to fight Oshiomhole.

Inegbeneki said: “We have it on good authority that Obaseki who recently has been informing some of his aides of his decision not to seek a second term in office, met with the former President last week Monday and solicited his assistance in the war he waged against the National Chairman of the APC.

“The former President was said to have expressed his helplessness in assisting Obaseki who is in the APC but assured that his assistance would be given if the outgoing governor pitch his tenth with the PDP. But we are also glad that the former President was able to berate Obaseki for declaring war against Oshiomhole whom Obasanjo described as a “hard nut to crack.

“As stakeholders, we find it ridiculous that a governor finds it easier to be recruiting thugs and leaders to fight Oshiomhole but have been unable to put his house in order due to his arrogance and wickedness against APC leaders.

“We are aware he has also recruited former President Jonathan who was at Government House to appease Obaseki by saying that Edo people are happy. Does Jonathan know what happiness is? Apart from the fact that Obaseki knew that Edo people have rejected him that he decided to be attending one burial ceremony or the other, birthday parties, does Edo people even know or see their governor?

“This is a man who undermined the electorate in Edo State only to dine and wine with only the affluent without providing the basic amenities for them. He only signs fictitious MOUs; how can such a man be trusted? Oshiomhole is not Obaseki ‘s problem, his problem is with Edo APC leaders who he jettisoned after he became governor.

“Despite the mistake made by our leader Oshiomhole in bringing Obaseki, we still believe in him and we will fight anyone who tries to undermine his authority in Edo APC. He is the father of the modern day Edo State, so Obaseki and his recruits must know that.

“We want to inform former Presidents Obasanjo, Jonathan and others Obaseki is recruiting to stay away from the politics of APC in Edo State. Obaseki is a complete failure and cannot be marketed anymore.”

“If he says he is popular as he claims he should be ready for primaries. Intimidating APC members by destroying their houses, revoking their properties including lands, will not give him APC ticket. We can assure you that after your tenure, you will suffer a hundred folds the pains you meted to APC leaders just because they gave you their support. November is near, we shall know who owns Papa’s land.”

Efforts to get the comments of the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie and the state Publicity Secretary of the APC Pastor Joseph Osagiede were not successful as they could not respond to SMS and calls to their respective telephones.

Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja



The Department of State Services has said the Presidency ordered the investigation of a trader, Anthony Okolie, who was using a telephone line previously owned by the President’s daughter, Hanan Buhari.

The DSS said this in a counter-affidavit in response to the originating motion filed by Okolie.

The DSS position seems to be at variance with that of Hanan who had said in her own counter-affidavit that she never reported any case to the agency.

Okolie, who was detained for 10 weeks by the DSS, dragged the DSS and the President’s daughter as well as MTN Nigeria before a Federal High Court in Asaba, Delta State.

The applicant is seeking N500m in damages for his ordeal.

In a counter-affidavit deposed to by one S.M Kayode on behalf of the DSS, the agency said it had the right to detain Okolie.

It read in part “Sometime in July 2019, the first respondent (DSS) received a letter dated July 5, 2019, from the Presidency informing the first respondent’s service of a recurring case of impersonation of the first family by an unidentified individual using GSM number 09035666662 and directed the first respondent to investigate the matter.

“According to the letter, the individual was impersonating a member of the first family to defraud unsuspecting members of the public and specifically made contact with one Ahmed Halidu to whom he made monetary demands.

“Consequently, the first respondent’s service located the applicant (Okolie), who was the user of the line in Asaba and arrested him and transferred him immediately to the nearest locus of complaint for easy investigation.”

The DSS said upon his arrest, Okolie immediately confessed to using Hanan’s former line to demand money.

The agency admitted that it detained Okolie for longer than the period permitted by law.

It said the prolonged detention was caused by the thorough investigation it had to do.

The DSS added, “My lord, we hasten to state that from the averments before this court, the seeming circumvention of the requirement of the law in detaining the applicant was not deliberate but was necessitated by the overriding need to preserve classified issues that arise from the investigation.

“These issues, if divulged, could further fortify the criminal intelligence of the applicant and other criminal-minded persons and therefore compel the expedience of the action taken by the DSS.”

Okolie had deposed in his affidavit in support of the originating motion that he was denied access to a lawyer.

The DSS, however, attached a confessional statement of the applicant as an exhibit.

In the statement, Okolie said he bought the SIM card without knowing that it was previously owned by the President’s daughter.

He further stated that in a chat on WhatsApp, he asked someone to please give him N5,000.

The statement further read, “I was arrested on July 31, 2019, for communicating with the first family, which is the President’s family but I never did except when I had a chat with an unknown number asking me how I was and my family and then I asked for assistance of N5,000 which the person promised to give me but never talked to me again.

“I didn’t disturb him or her because I didn’t know the person just wanted to play along.”

The matter has been adjourned till March 3, 2020, for hearing

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, has advised the leadership of Miyetti Allah to use the opportunity of Nigerian Army recruitment exercise to enlist its members in the army instead of threating to establish their own security outfit across the country.

In a statement signed by the national president and the  general secretary, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, respectively, the group said: “The OYC calls on the leadership of Miyetti Allah, threating to establish their own security outfit across the country, to use the opportunity of Nigerian Army Recruitment exercise to relocate all their herdsmen to the North East and defeat Boko Haram with Nigerian Army. Their charity should begin at home not abroad.

“The  OYC will dismantle any Miyetti Allah security outfit in Igbo land, as the South East governors’ ban on conveyance of cattle by foot is still effective and any herdsmen seen with any sophisticated weapon will be dealt with.

“We received the recent pronouncement by Brig Gen Emmanuel Akpan, Director of Army Recruitment Resettlement and Reserves of Nigerian army, that the army is willing to recruit Nigerian youths for the only purpose of defeating Boko Haram insurgents in the North East, as a good development but such recruitment should be reserved only for Northern youths as Igbo youths are not comfortable with such recruitment. Such recruitment is a death verdict and penalty for any intending youth waiting to be recruited solely for North East insurgents.

“OYC insists that Operations Shege Ka Fassa, Civil JTF, repented Boko Haram insurgents,Meyatti Allah and Arewa Youths should be recruited massively. If the intention was targeted on Igbo youths, by choosing South East as the venue to announce the recruitment exercise, such agenda is dead on arrival, as Igbo youths are only available for agricultural and economic recruitment.

“The OYC wants Igbo youths to be engaged in community policing or regional arrangements.  There are various recruitment exercises going on in various states in the South East regarding  to engaging youths to tackle insecurity challenges in the South East. OYC will discourage any Igbo youth from  going to sacrifice his or her life in the North East. , South East lacks the manpower, for the recruitment exercise into Nigerian Army, because of other meaningful and significant programmes Youths are about to be engaged in the South East.”

Two South West governors have been fingered in an alleged plot by anti Oshiomhole campaigners to sponsor a phony survey that will establish false information accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the primary cause of the ongoing crisis in Edo State.

Former speaker of the state house of assembly, Thomas Okosun and former spokesman to Governor Godwin Obaseki, John Maiyaki said in a statement in Abuja that the two South West governors are working with Governor Obaseki to the plot targeted at gathering alleged false information that will be used to plot the removal of Oshiomhole as the party’s National Chairman.

They alleged that the two governors, working with Obaseki have provided funds to a group of pseudo-researchers whose assignment was to doctor a survey with a predetermined result.

“These researchers have been instructed to find ways to establish the lie, through their fake survey, that Obaseki is the only viable candidate who can win the coming election in Edo State. Besides this, the survey is to accuse Adams Oshiomhole as the primary cause of the conflict ongoing in Edo State.

“The survey is to go ahead and claim that responders have called for the immediate resignation or outright removal of the party’s National Chairman.

“Having cooked up these academic lies, the sponsors of this false information plan to go ahead, using the resources at their disposal, to first send the fake reports to the presidency, before starting an aggressive campaign in the media.

“The whole purpose of first targeting the presidency is to falsely convince the President and other national leaders, that Oshiomhole is the cause of the crises within the party in Edo State.

“Although the truth proves otherwise, the colluding governors and their paid army of quack researchers are determined in pushing this false narrative, backing it up with the treachery of doctored research presenting invented charts, demographics, and questionnaires.

“The two-legged falsehood is aimed at confusing the presidency and to astonish the public with contrived research analysis. All these are geared towards perfecting the mission Obaseki set out for long, but has failed to achieve.

“The two other governors who are now in bed with Obaseki, have been previously silent and indifferent to the crisis, until recently when the strange and unholy alliance began their ’behind-the-scene’ works.

“The motivation for this new and surprising alliance with Governor Obaseki, is an subject of curiosity and has left conspiracy theorists pointing at the possibilities of exchange of state funds to earn their support.

“Yet, while this theory muddles between truth and myth, one is left to wonder what is there to gain, for the two governors in tarnishing and persecuting a man who has brought massive success and popularity to the APC.”

The world’s five richest people finished their worst week ever in terms of dollars lost on Friday, hemorrhaging a combined $36.5 billion as the spread of the epidemic punished stocks and stoked worries about a global recession.

That’s a sum that dwarfs the market capitalization of any number of US corporate giants, including Ford Motor Co., Clorox and Snap Inc.

The week’s biggest loser was Amazon chief Jeff Bezos, who lost $11.7 billion during five blistering days of stock trading, leaving him with a fortune of $116 billion that nevertheless remained the world’s biggest, according to Forbes.

Bezos — who earlier this month shelled out $165 million for a Beverly Hills mansion — was seconded by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the world’s No. 2 tycoon, who is down $5.7 billion with an end-of-week net worth of $112.6 billion.

“I hope it’s not that bad, but we should assume it will be until we know otherwise,” Gates wrote about the coronavirus in a Friday article in the New England Journal of Medicine, calling it potentially the “once-in-a-century pathogen we’ve been worried about.”

The uncertainty pummeled US stocks, which weathered their worst drop since the 2008 financial crisis with the Dow Jones industrial average losing more than 3,500 points. The S&P 500, meanwhile, tumbled more than 10 percent into correction territory just a week after it hit a record high.

In all, the market turmoil cost the world’s 500 richest people a collective $444 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and the world’s fourth-richest person, got slammed with $6.1 billion in losses this week, including a $919 million paper loss on Friday alone.

Nevertheless, the folksy billionaire chose to take the long view in an interview with CNBC earlier this week.

“The real question is: ‘Has the 10-year or 20-year outlook for American businesses changed in the last 24 or 48 hours?’” Buffett said. “If it gives you a chance to buy something you like and you can buy it even cheaper then it’s your good luck.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk ranks only at No. 27 among the world’s wealthiest, according to Forbes, but he ranked No. 2 in terms of losses this week, losing $6.8 billion amid headlines that the electric-car maker’s factory in China had been temporarily shut down by the coronavirus.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg suffered the indignity of dropping from the No. 5 spot in the global wealth rankings to No. 6, and has seen his fortune shrink this week by $6.4 billion, to $71.4 billion.

Luxury goods billionaire Bernard Arnault, who was previously the only other person in the world besides Gates and Bezos to have a 12-digit net worth, saw his fortune dip below the $100 billion threshold, losing $6.6 billion this week to leave him at $97.8 billion.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Igbo National Council (INC), an Igbo socio-cultural group has issued a 90 days ultimatum to the governors of the southeast zone to inaugurate their own regional outfit.

Reading a communiqué after a meeting well attended by members from 20 states, the National President of INC, Chilos Godsent said that the group also condemned what it described as the “naked cowardice exhibited by the governors of the South-East geopolitical zone on the failures to establish and officially inaugurate the highly-demanded South-East regional security outfit like their contemporaries in the North-West and South-West geopolitical zones.

Also, Godsent disclosed that INC rejects the view of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP)’s proposal for community policing for South-East geopolitical zone.

“We wish to inform the people of the Igbo race that the proposed community policing by the IGP is meant to officially aid the framework for intelligence gathering and invasion of Igbo communities by the jihadist.

“On the foregoing, the Igbo National Council requests the governors of the South-East, South-South and North-Central geopolitical zones respectively as a matter of urgent necessity to establish and officially inaugurate their regional security outfits like the South-West (AMOTEKUN) and North-West (SEGE KA FASA) within 90 days from 29th February 2020 as a sign of patriotism and commitment to the security and welfare of their citizens, part of the communiqué reads.

“We note that failure for the governors of the aforementioned geopolitical zones to adhere to this call, the self-determination groups in those geopolitical zones maybe compelled to take their destiny into their own hands in other to protect their citizens from the rampaging Fulani jihadist.

However, Godsent pointed out that INC supports in its totality the call by the National Assembly, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to sack all the service chiefs with immediate effect.

He averred that the reality on the ground has clearly shown that the present crops of service chiefs in the country can no longer protect the lives and properties of Nigerians who he claimed are daily slaughtered “like cows and chickens by Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, and Fulani jihadists.”

The group also condemned the wanton arrest and arbitrary detention of the elders and people of Ifite-Ogwari community in Anyamelum Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State.

“We condemn this arrest; they are simply defending their community from Fulani herdsmen who has continued to attack and kill members of the Ifite-Ogwari community in their ancestral land.”

On the foregoing, INC urge the Government of Anambra State to rise up to the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the people of Anambra State.

It also urged the Federal Government to be very sensitive of the untold hardship the people of southern Nigeria are passing through because of the border closure.

“On the above, INC, therefore, requests the Federal Government to reopen the southern border or otherwise close the porous northern borders where too many smuggling activities have been taking place since the politically-motivated closure of the southern borders.

“Finally, the Igbo National Council wishes to advise the leadership of Miyetti Allah in Nigeria to urge its members who now camp in many forests in South-East and South-South geopolitical zone to immediately vacate those forests or regret their deviancy,” Godsent stated.

By Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

Residents of Bayelsa State are anxiously waiting for the outcome of the review of the Supreme Court’s judgement that sacked Chief David Lyon and Senator Degi Erimienyo as Governor-Elect and Deputy Governor-Elect, investigations have revealed.

The review, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday at the apex court, was the single most important discussion among residents including non-politicians such as bankers, artisans and traders.

The review was the leading subject in beer parlors, pubs and most places where people gathered for engagements in Yenagoa.

The court on February 13, a day to Lyon’s inauguration as the governor of the state, delivered a controversial judgement that returned Senator Douye Diri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor of the state.

Thousands of residents including members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took to the streets of Yenagoa, the state capital, to protest the judgement, which they said was against their collective interests.

But others especially members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) trooped to the Government House in wild jubilation to celebrate the verdict.

The tension generated by the shocking judgement subsided following the decision of the top hierarchy of the APC to approach the apex court for a review.

As the court fixed February 26th to begin the review, uneasy calm hit the state as all eyes were reportedly fixed at the apex court.

It was observed that most people invested their hope and expectations at the likely outcome of the review.

Investigations revealed that most politicians across party lines relocated to Abuja ahead of the scheduled review.

Governor Douye Diri and his team had been in Abuja, though a member of the team, who spoke in confidence, said his principal was in Abuja to also attend a valedictory session organised for him by the Senate.

Most PDP leaders in Bayelsa were also said to be in Abuja to monitor proceedings leading to the judgement review.

In the camp of PDP, expectations were high that Diri would remain the governor as opinion leaders in the party and pro-PDP lawyers described the review as an academic exercise.

Other residents, however, believed that the review would either restore the mandate of David Lyon or make a fresh consequential order for a new election, which would involve Lyon and the APC.

The camp of APC was said to be seriously undertaking activities to seek divine intervention ahead of the review.

It was found that APC members organised a special prayer session at the party secretariat in Yenagoa to seek a positive outcome.

Lyon, his associates, friends and brothers were said to have relocated to Abuja to monitor events leading to the review, which some people described as make or mar.

The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide earlier raised the alarm over what they described as a plot to visit Bayelsa with violence ahead of the exercise.

The IYC said desperate politicians were bent in causing chaos including a coordinated attack on oil installations in the state against the overall interest of the Ijaw nation.

The IYC in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Alfred Kemepado, warned against the plot and urged persons involved in it to sheathe their swords and give peace a chance.

Kemepado asked persons angry at the twist in the state to explore legal or political means to address their grievances.

He said instead of planning violence, aggrieved persons should follow democratic procedures to ensure peace and stability in the interest of the Ijaw nation.

Kemepado also called on security agencies to be at alert to nip any signs of violence in the bud before they loom large to avoid loss of lives and properties.

He appealed to the incumbent governor to accommodate all Ijaw people in and outside Bayelsa state irrespective of their political persuasions.

Kemepado further called on all Ijaw people especially in Bayelsa to join the new government in the task of building the state, which is the only homogeneous Ijaw state in the country.

He condemned in strong terms the persons, who turned a peaceful protest in Yenagoa to a violent rampage that led to the destruction and looting of properties in the capital city.

He insisted that nobody’s ambition was worth the blood of any Ijaw person.

He said: “If any person or party feels aggrieved by the Supreme court judgments that consequentially made Sen. Douye Diri Governor, such persons should approach the courts for redress or seek political solutions rather than indulge in any unlawful activity that could endanger life and property in any part of Ijaw land.

“All Ijaws are equal and have right to aspire to become anything in Ijaw land. The IYC warns against incitement of the state and the region to violence because of politics, stressing that politicians are less than one percent of the population of Ijaws who go about their lawful businesses daily.

“We also warn some persons to desist from activities that could put the state and the region in a bad light. Any person or group of persons, who make themselves available for paid violence in the Niger Delta, is totally on the wrong side of history.

“We want to also caution the political class and paymasters of instability to desist forthwith as their selfish plots and activities are known to all.

“We stress that instead of plotting instability for the state because of self-serving political ambitions, everybody should come together to build a more peaceful and prosperous Bayelsa State”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBuy58EeR0I

In a rare interview, power minister Saleh Mamman says the Mambilla power project might as well be fiction. Until now, there is no land earmarked for the project.

The Presidency, in a reaction to the report on an alleged attempt by the federal government to hand over about $100 million United States authorities say was stolen by a former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, to Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Bagudu, advised against any action that would complicate ongoing efforts to recover more money from abroad.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, when contacted yesterday, said the Embassy of the United States might be approached for any clarification on the agreement already reached by the three parties.

Shehu, in a text message to our correspondent, said: “We have a lot more money to recover oversees and no one has the right to complicate things for the government of our country. “The U.S. and the British crown dependency of Jersey have agreed with the president and government of Nigeria to repatriate $308m connected to General Sani Abacha, the three governments said.

“By a decision of this government, the entire sum will be paid to the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), and will be used in expediting the construction of the three major infrastructure projects across Nigeria – namely Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Abuja – Kano Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge.

“The position of the Buhari administration is still the same on this. The Embassy of the U.S. may be approached for any clarification on the agreement already reached by the three parties.”

The report said that the Buhari administration says a 17-year-old agreement entitles Bagudu to the funds and prevents Nigeria from assisting the U.S., according to recent filings from the District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington. The disagreement, according to Bloomberg, may hamper future cooperation between Nigeria and the U.S. to recover money moved abroad by Abacha.

“This case illustrates how complex and contentious repatriating stolen assets to Nigeria can be,” Bloomberg quoted Matthew Page, an associate fellow at London-based Chatham House and former Nigeria expert for U.S.

Intelligence agencies, as saying. “Instead of welcoming U.S. efforts, Nigeria’s lawyers appear to be supporting the interests of one of the country’s most powerful families,” he added.

One Jessica Obinomeh and her mother, Sandra, have drawn a battle line at an Ogba magistrates’ court, Lagos State, over lingering family issues.

Obinomeh alleged that her mother and siblings tortured her with a hot iron, compelling her to lie that her father raped her.

The plot, according to the 20-year-old woman, was meant to shame her father who is based abroad, and his extended family.

But the mother debunked her claim, saying that she was tortured for stealing N345,000 from her (Sandra’s) account.

Obinomeh said her mother wanted to get back at her husband for allegedly marrying another woman abroad.

In a petition dated January 27, 2020 and addressed to the Divisional Police Officer, Man Centre Police Station, Ikeja, Obinomeh stated that her mother in connivance with her (Obinomeh’s) brothers, held her in a room for days and declared her missing.

She stated, “Sometime in 2016, my mother and two brothers came to pick me from my school (a private varsity) under false pretences that my father was seriously sick and flown home from abroad. I was shocked but on getting home, I discovered it was a lie.

“The next day, my mother summoned all of us (her children) to the living room and announced to us that my dad was having some issues abroad with his wife and he would not be able to come to Nigeria for now. She said she was afraid that our stepmother might come to Nigeria and fight for our father’s property.

“She said our father’s family would support her (the stepmother) and they would throw us to the street. My mother said it’s me that can help the family and she told me to say my dad sexually abused me so that it will be a big shame on him and his family. I said I can never say such against my dad. My bothers supported my mother and they started forcing me and beating me while they tried to make a voice record of me. I was locked up in a room for almost a week and declared missing.”

Obinomeh explained that when her mother and siblings noticed she would not dance to their tune, they resorted to assaulting her. She said she surrendered because they threatened to kill her.

“My mother dragged me to herself, put my head in between her legs and held my hands. One of my brothers held my legs firmly why the other brought a hot iron and placed it on my back. The torture was too much that I agreed to do what they wanted.

“My mother told me what I must say so, so that nobody would know it was planned. They took me into the car in the compound and they started the recording. I lied to save my life,” she revealed.

She said after the recording, the family members refused to set her free because the injury on her back was fresh, adding that she eventually managed to sneak out and reported the case to her uncle. She stated that the uncle confronted her mother but she denied beating me.

“Two months after I ran away from home, my mother and brothers started calling me to console me over the death of my father. I was shocked because I wasn’t aware of my father’s death. My mother has already identified herself as a widow on Facebook but I later found out that my dad is alive.

“My mother and brothers are trailing me. I walk around in shame because my mother is spoiling my name. I want the government to bring my mother to book,” she added.

Following the petition, Sandra was arrested by the police, but she denied her daughter’s allegations, stating that the complainant was punished by her brother for stealing.

She explained that sometime in 2016, Obinomeh confessed to her that her father had been having sex with her. She said she was shocked, but she “didn’t react because the matter was really huge.”

Sandra said she had gone to the bank one day to withdraw money and was told her account was empty.

She said, “The bank printed a paper for me. In that paper, I saw transfers from my account to Jessica’s account to the tune of N345,000. It was then it dawned on me that all the while she came to my shop, she had taken my phone and transferred money from account to hers and then deleted the alerts.

“I was wondering if she was giving the money to men or using it to take drugs and I told my first son. I called her home and her brother gave her serious beating. She was not beating on the day she confessed to me her father was sleeping (having sex) with her.”

A police prosecutor, ASP Benson Emuerhi, consequently brought Sandra before the Ogba Magistrates’ Court on three counts bordering on assault and false accusation.

Emuerhi told the court that the offences contravened sections 168(D), 245 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.

The charges read in part, “That you, Sandra Obinomeh and others now at large, on September 2, 2016 and January 14, 2020, at Ikeja Magisterial District, did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace, by falsely accusing one Miss Jessica Obinomeh of having carnal knowledge with her biological father.

“That you, Sandra Obinomeh, and others now at large, on the same date, time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit, assault by placing a hot iron on one Miss Jessica Obinomeh.”

Sandra, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The presiding magistrate, Mrs O. Sule-Amzat, granted her bail in the sum of N20,000 with one surety in the like sum. The case was adjourned till March 4, 2020.

Two housewives, whose husband, Samaila Musa, allegedly locked up, chained and subjected to inhuman treatment for 10 months in the Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina State, recently urged a Katsina Upper Sharia Court to dissolve their marriage to the man. Fatimah Salisu, 25, and Hadiza Musa, 20, are currently seeking to divorce Musa for alleged cruelty and maltreatment. The Katsina Police Command had in January arrested Musa, 30, over allegations that he locked up the two women in a room where he chained them and meted out all sorts of maltreatment on them for 10 months. The two wives tell OLAIDE OYELUDE about the alleged ordeal in 10 months. Their counsel, Kabir Nelule of Hamisu Lawal Malumfashi Chambers, Katsina interpreted the interview done in Hausa

Tell me about your family background.

Hadiza: I’m from Kanyan Ubandaba village in the Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina State. I’m the fifth and last daughter of my parents. We (children) are one man and four women. All the women are married.

Fatimah: I’m from Marke in Mani Local Government Area of the state. I’m the fifth child of my parents.

What do you do?

Hadiza: I’m a trader; I’m into petty trading.

Fatimah: I’m a tailor.

How did you meet your husband, Samaila Musa?

Hadiza: We met while I was hawking my goods. Later, he came to our house but my parents initially rejected him. My uncle, Isia, told my parents he investigated him (Samaila) and found out that he was not a good man.

But he kept coming to our house, promising that he would take care of my parents and me. So, my parents eventually agreed and consented to the marriage.

Fatimah: Samaila was introduced to me by a man who claimed to be his friend, Alhaji Garba. He had told Allahji Garba that he needed a wife, so he was brought to our house where I was staying with my three-year-old son that I had from my previous marriage.

How long was your courtship before marriage?

Hadiza: A week. He came and paid N20,000 as bride price to my parents and we got married few days later.

Fatimah: A week. He paid N20,000 as bride price and we married nine days after.

How long have you been with him?

Hadiza: It is getting to two years now.

Fatimah: I’ve been with him for 10 months.

What attracted you to Samaila?

Hadiza: When we met, he was generous to me and promised to take care of me and my parents.

Fatimah: Whenever he came to our house, he always gave me money and he promised to do more if I married him.

When did he start to maltreat you?

Hadiza: Two weeks after we got married, he started restricting my movements in the house. Later, he locked me up in a room and chained me up.

Fatimah: He started beating me four days after we got married. He also started calling my parents names. Later, he locked me up and chained me up in the same room with Hadiza.

What did he do to you after chaining you up?

Hadiza: He shaved off my hair and pubic hair. He also cut my fingernails and ground them together. He mixed them up with my food and ordered me to eat it. He also put pepper in my eyes and private parts. And whenever he wanted to have sex with me, he would do it in the presence of Fatimah in the room where we were being locked up. (Fatimah tries to remove her clothes to show the wounds on her back before she was prevailed upon not to do so). My back is full of scars from the wounds I sustained from the beatings he always gave me. He would also not allow us to go out. We were doing everything inside that room. We bathed, defecated, and slept in the same room. He would have sex with us there.

Fatimah: He shaved off my hair and pubic hair too. He also cut my fingernails as he did for Hadiza, and forced me to eat the food he mixed those items with. He also put pepper in my private parts and eyes. He also had sex with me in the presence of Hadiza. Everything he did to her, he did it to me.

But why was he doing those things to you? Was he on drugs?

Hadiza: We did not offend him and I can’t say whether he was on drugs or not. All I know is that he always went out in the night when he presumed we were asleep. He always locked the doors of the house whenever he was going out. Nobody visited him and since we were locked up, we did not have the opportunity to see our friends or relatives to tell them how we were being maltreated.

How did you gain your freedom?

Fatimah: Remember I said I have a three-year-old boy from my previous marriage. One day, Samaila returned the boy to my mother in our village without my knowledge. It was the boy who told my mother about our ordeal. So my mother came but she did not raise the issue. She asked me whether everything was alright and I said yes.

My mother visited again 21 days later. When she arrived, she told Samaila that the boy was sick and that she wanted to get my sewing machine so that she could sell it and raise money for his treatment. Samaila refused and manhandled my mother. My mother then went to Rimi Divisional Police Station to report the matter.

When the police came, he refused to open the door for them. Later, the divisional police officer led another team to the house, which forced the door open and found us where we were chained up. He was subsequently arrested.

Hadiza, is this true?

Yes.

Do you have children for him?

Hadiza: No. Fatimah also has no child for him.

What lessons have you learnt from your experience in Samaila’s house?

Hadiza: I thank Almighty Allah who helped me escape. I now know that appearance could be deceptive and one needs to investigate whoever one wants to marry before consenting to the marriage.

Fatimah: It was circumstances that put me there and I will only advise other women to face their jobs and have longer courtships before getting married. I will add that women should also seek the assistance of outsiders to help in investigating any man they want to marry so that they will know the kind of person he is.

Now that you both want to divorce your husband, what happens if your request is granted?

Hadiza: I will face trading and if any man comes my way and is ready to wait for me, life goes on. But what matters to me now is picking up the pieces of my life again and trading. I will welcome any assistance from the government, organisations and any kind-hearted individual who would not attach conditions to such assistance.

Fatimah: I will also welcome any assistance for me to pick up the pieces of my life again. You know I’m a tailor and if I get assistance, I will concentrate on my business to take care of my boy and myself.

Conversations and messages on mobile devices are no longer confidential . They have become tools in the hands of law enforcement agents in Nigeria for the purpose of apprehending journalists .

Investigation by the Committee To Protect Journalists , a non -profit organisation that promotes press freedom globally, shows that the growing trend of arrest , detention and prosecution of journalists across the country is being facilitated by information shared by telecommunications operators .

According to a report by Amnesty International titled , Indiscriminate Detention of Endangered Voices : Attack on Freedom of Expression in Nigeria , about 19 journalists , bloggers and media practitioners were attacked between January and September 2019 . They were reportedly subjected to physical and verbal assault , unlawfully detained, threatened and put under pressure to reveal their sources of information by security agencies.

These are some of the many tactics deployed by agents of the Federal Government to stifle dissenting voices and the freedom of expression in the country .

The Senate had also made several attempts to pass legislations that regulate online conversations on social media through a ‘Protection from Internet Falsehoods and Manipulations and Other related Matters Bill 2019 ’ , which recommended three years imprisonment and a maximum fine of N 10 million for offenders .

Investigation also showed that while some of the targeted media practitioners were arrested and physically abused in the course of their work , others were hunted down , using their friends and family members as baits .

The CPJ report highlighted more than three cases since 2017 , in which the police used call records obtained from telecoms operators to arrest innocent friends and relatives of their targets before luring the journalists out of hiding and arresting them . Some of the journalists are currently facing criminal charges for their published stories.

CPJ said the arrest of the publisher of online news magazine, Secre t Reporters , Tega Oghenedoro, who writes under the pseudonym , Fejiro Oliver ; Yushau , publisher of the News Digest ; and Olufemi , who is a freelance reporter , were facilitated by call records obtained from some major telecoms companies in the country .

In a publication on the arrest of Oliver in late 2019 , the P remium Times quoted Nigeria ’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy , Dr Isa Pantami , as saying , “ I will give you the number used to commit the crime and you have only 60 minutes to produce the details. ”
The government has reportedly threatened to sanction telecoms operators who fail to release data for the purpose of investigation .
Omoyele Sowore, Olawale Bakare and Agba Jalingo are other well -known media practitioners who were arrested and kept in detention for more than three months at a stretch for criticising the government .

The Nigerian Communications Act 2003 fully backs the use of call records during investigation as the Act mandates network providers to provide support to law enforcement agents in matters of national interest .

Section 146, subsection 2 of the Act states, “ A licensee shall , upon written request by the Commission or any other authority, assist the Commission or other authority as far as reasonably necessary in preventing the commission or attempted commission of an offence under any written law in operation in Nigeria or otherwise in enforcing the laws of Nigeria , including the protection of the public revenue and preservation of national security. ”

However, digital rights activists and telecom subscribers have condemned the practice of sharing the call records of users of telecoms services without following due process .

The Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative, Gbenga Sesan , said the act of obtaining call records of subscribers without consent was an infringement on their fundamental human rights.
Sesan argued that a warrant for collecting the call records must first be obtained from a court of law after presenting substantial evidence against the subscriber to the judge.

He said, “ There is already a process that requires security agencies to get an order from a court of competent jurisdiction so that this loophole is not abused , but, as usual , the security agencies ignore this .

“ A fundamental requirement in a democracy is the rule of law , which is blatantly disregarded by security agencies, who probably get away with it because the fish rots from the head . If the President disobeys court orders at will , why should those who report to him behave differently? This fish is rotten , from the head to its tail .”

Sesan lamented that the fundamental rights of Nigerians to privacy was trampled upon by those who shared an innocent person ’ s call information without providing convincing evidence .

He argued that the sanctity of journalism and the duty of journalists to hold people in public offices accountable were not being accorded the right respect .

“ Nigeria ’s constitution and other human rights instruments that Nigeria is a signatory to speak clearly about the right to privacy. It is even worse that the records being shared violate the sanctity of the fourth estate of the realm , that is accorded this right and respect because of their duty to hold society accountable , ” the digital rights activist said .

He added , “ Unfortunately , this tendency of the security agencies, such as the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services , to muscle their way through people ’ s private information will end up haunting even today’ s powerful men and women .”

“ Dasuki once held such powers that are now being used against him . So everyone who holds the trust of the citizens in a position of power must know that the evil they spread will haunt them soon .”

The Chairman , National Association of Telecoms Subscribers , Adeolu Ogunbanjo, affirmed that a court warrant was a basic requirement for obtaining call records .

He said, “ That is an infringement on privacy. They ( law enforcement agents ) need to go through a competent court of law and ensure they get a warrant , if there is evidence that this person has committed an offence . They must explain why they have to arrest the friend through the court process.

“ They can’ t take the law into their hands because they are not the law . They must approach the court and the court can grant them the leave to contact the telecom operator involved .”

He called on those who had been affected by such injustice to approach the court and defend their rights .

According to him , the victims have the locus standi because their privacy has been infringed upon .

Sesan also echoed Ogunbanjo’s views , warning that allowing the matter to be laid to rest would only embolden the security agencies to continue to trample on human rights .

“ The best form of defence is attack . So I urge all citizens whose rights have been violated to see redress in a court of law . Yes, they may not get favourable judgment , but keeping quiet will only lead to impunity and embolden these uniformed law breakers more , ” the rights activists added .

Sesan said his organisation would investigate the matter further , write a Freedom of Information letter and institute a lawsuit when the FoI response window expires .

Also, the Chairman , Association of Telephone , Cable TV and Internet Subscribers , Shina Bilesanmi, urged subscribers to know their rights . He pledged to protect the interests of all subscribers under the association.

“ Service providers don ’t need to release subscribers ’ information without receiving evidence that due process had been followed , ” Bilesanmi added .

He noted it was the duty of the security agencies to track suspected criminals , but they should do their due diligence without arresting the members of the suspect ’s family.

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

The federal government is considering a proposal to take over power supply from the distribution companies (Discos) and hand it over to a German firm, Siemens.

It warned wednesday that it could no longer tolerate the shoddy performance of the Discos, which has undermined its efforts at ensuring stable supply of electricity.

Should the proposal be approved, Siemens will fully take charge of power generation, transmission and distribution.

Briefing reporters after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in the State House thursday, the Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, said whereas Nigeria currently generates 13,000 megawatts of electricity, it transmits 7,000 to Discos while the distribution companies can only distribute 3,000 megawatts to end users.

According to him, the Discos have continued to demonstrate a show of incapacity, inefficiency and dishonesty in the distribution of power to consumers despite the huge investments made into the sector by the federal government since the privatisation of the power sector in 2013.

The minister regretted that even when the discos receive 3,000 megawatts, they shortchange the system by paying for only 1,000 megawatts, threatening that the federal government could no longer continue to subsidise their inefficiency.

“Government cannot continue subsidising. If they are ready to continue, fine. If not, give chance to those who are ready,” Mamman stated.

The minister said the proposal to hand over power distribution to Siemens was contained in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that he submitted to the council yesterday.

The minister’s memorandum, which FEC admitted yesterday, would be deliberated upon soon and if approved, the Discos will be out of business.

The minister only stopped short of saying that the privatisation arrangement embarked upon by the federal government in 2013 with the intention of ending the power supply crisis, has failed.

He said: “What I want to say is that most of the problems we are facing in this country is that we cannot get electricity supplied adequately and efficiently and this is because we have a problem in distribution. On generation, there is no more problem. We can generate up to 13,006 megawatts but the transmission, those who are taking the electricity supply can only take 7,000 megawatts; even at that, they are not taking the whole 7,000 megawatts but only 4,500 megawatts and then send for distribution. The distribution (Discos) in turn receives only 3,000 megawatts. Because of technical and commercial reasons, they cannot contain the whole power that has been generated.

“So, we have to correct the infrastructure. That is why I said that today (yesterday), I submitted my observation to council and I believe the government is on it. One of the things I will tell you is that government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the German company, Siemens.

“They are to align between distribution and transmission and also generation, so that at the end of the day, if we generate 13,000 megawatts, transmission will take the whole 13,000 and will distribute same. That way, Nigerians will be happy and everyone will have 24/7 electricity supply.”

On January 23, 2020, the federal government, at the end of the monthly National Economic Council (NEC), had said it had so far spent N1.7 trillion on the power sector without any commensurate output.

“That is what we are saying. Government cannot continue to subsidise because what they are doing is that they collect 3,000 megawatts and pay for only 1,000 megawatts. That is 15 per cent of what they are collecting. So, government is the one completing the payment.

“So, we cannot continue like that. If they are ready to continue, fine but if they are not ready to continue, maybe they should give way to whoever that is ready to come and invest. So, we are asking the government to review and see if they are capable, fine; but if they are not capable, they should give way,” he said.

In his own briefing, the Minister of State for Works, Abubakar Aliyu, said the council also approved a memorandum to increase the contract cost for the construction of Benin-Akure Road from the earlier N3.297 billion to N4,770,188,497 billion.

He said the contract, which was awarded in 2013 by the former administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was inherited by the current government.

“We presented a memo to the council today (yesterday), which is an augmentation of an ongoing project. It is a road project from Benin-Adumagbe-Igba-Akure Road in Edo and Ondo States.The contract was awarded in December 2013, meaning we have inherited the project, and as you all know, it’s the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to continue and complete all ongoing projects.

“This project was stopped for sometime for lack of funding. Now, that the contractor wants to continue, the bill has to be reviewed. We have reviewed the contract from the original sum of N3,297,221,221.90 to N4,770,188,497, inclusive of VAT and tax, an increase of about N1.48 billion.

“It was further reviewed down through the processes of going to BPP to the total sum of N4,770,189,493,” he said.

Also briefing, the Minister of Water Resources, Malam Suleiman Adamu, said the council approved a memorandum of understanding that he presented, seeking to raise an earlier contract sum of N3.263 billion for the execution of Shonga irritation project in Kwara State to N10.18 billion.

He said the project, located between River Niger and River Benue basins, could serve 1,500 to 2,300 hectares of irrigation project.

Eniola Akinkuotu and Olaleye Aluko

The European Union says it can impose restrictive visa implementation rules on Nigeria, if it fails to play its part in the return and readmission of its nationals staying illegally in the EU.

The EU, which comprises Germany, Italy, Spain, France and 23 other countries, further stated that although it would not place a visa ban on Nigeria, it could make its visas more difficult for Nigerian applicants if Nigeria failed to meet its standards.

The EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms Virginie Battu-Henriksson, said this in an email chat with The PUNCH on Tuesday.

Recall that the United States had last month imposed immigrant visa ban on Nigeria and five other countries.

Under the new policy, citizens of the affected countries would not be allowed to apply for visas to emigrate to the US under the policy aimed at tightening “security for countries that don’t comply with the US minimum security standards or cooperate to prevent illegal immigration.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Nigeria presents a high risk, relative to other countries in the world, of terrorist travel to the US.

The US further stated that Nigeria did not adequately share public-safety and terrorism-related information, which is necessary for the protection of the national security and public safety of the US.

Following the US action, the Federal Government set up a committee headed by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, to ensure that Nigeria meets requirements the US said were not in place.

On February 5, the committee met with the US Consular General in Abuja with a view to addressing issues raised in the visa ban.
On Tuesday, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Mary Lenoard, explained that the visa ban was not permanent, adding that it was subject to review if certain conditions were met.

But while Nigeria is struggling with the US visa ban, the EU said it could impose restrictive visa implementation rules on it.

Nigerians among top 10 nationals illegally staying in EU

When asked if the EU had challenges Nigeria was trying to resolve with the US, Battu-Henriksson said Nigerians still placed among the top 10 nationalities detected as staying irregularly in the EU even though the number of Nigerians travelling irregularly to the EU had dropped.

One good thing about Buhari’s regime she said Nigerian criminal networks remained active in the EU.


The EU spokesperson said, “Nigerians still place among the top 10 nationalities detected as staying irregularly on the EU territory, although the number of Nigerians entering the EU irregularly declined drastically last year.

Nigerian criminal networks remain active in EU
“Nigerian criminal networks remain active in Europe, and Nigeria remains the main non-EU country of origin for victims of trafficking (mainly women) registered in the EU.”

When asked if the EU would be giving Nigeria the “American treatment”, she said Nigeria could face a restriction if certain criteria were not met.
Battu-Henriksson stated that if Nigeria did not play its part in the readmission of its citizens living illegally in the EU, then strict measures could be put in place.

She said what the EU could do if Nigeria failed to meet its criteria was to adapt the rules on processing short-stay visa applications.

The EU spokesperson stated, “What the EU can do since new rules on short-stay visas to the EU became applicable on 2 February 2020, is to adapt the rules on processing short-stay visa applications, depending on whether a non-EU country cooperates satisfactorily on the return and readmission of their nationals staying irregularly in the EU.

“Under the new rules, the EU Commission will regularly assess the level of cooperation of non-EU countries on the readmission of irregular migrants. If the level of cooperation is insufficient, the commission, together with member states, can decide on a temporary more restrictive implementation of certain provisions of the visa code.

“This could have an impact on the processing time, the length of validity of the visa to be issued, the level of the visa fee to be charged and the fee waivers. It is important to note that this mechanism does not amount to a visa ban and does not call into question the right to submit an application for a visa or to be granted a visa. It only allows for a more restrictive implementation of some of the visa rules. This concerns short-stay visas to the Schengen area, covering stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.”

Battu-Henriksson recalled that in 2016, an EU Council decision authorised the opening of negotiations on readmission agreement with Nigeria – making it only the second country in West Africa with which the EU was negotiating such a formal agreement.

The readmission agreement seeks to ensure that Nigerians travelling to the EU take only the legal routes.

It also seeks to ensure that Nigeria is able to readmit its citizens living illegally in the EU.

“It is in our common interest to work on dissuading migrants to take dangerous irregular routes to Europe and risk exploitation. Returns and readmission are part of working on this common endeavour,” she said.

The EU spokesperson said Nigeria remained a partner in the fight against terrorism and human trafficking.

Battu-Henriksson said the EU was also supporting the multinational joint task force in its fight against Boko Haram and had donated 55 million euros to the African peace facility.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had not received any official notice from the EU that it was considering Nigeria for visa restriction rules.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Spokesperson, Ferdinand Nwonye, stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, while reacting to whether the EU was considering Nigeria for a visa restriction.

He said, “We had European Union-Nigeria dialogue on Tuesday and the matter was not brought up. It was not brought up at all.

“Be that as it may, it has not come to us officially. And you know definitely that anybody who has a visa and the visa expired based on the conditions of the issuance, the person is expected to come back or renew his stay there.”

Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri



The immediate past administration of Rochas Okorocha in Imo State, might have used nine commercial banks to defraud the state of a whooping sum of N112.8b. That is the finding of the committee investigating the finances of the administration’s eight years.

Although the committee headed by Abraham Nwankwo is yet to submit its report to the state government, our reporter was able to obtain some information on its findings from an insider.

It was gathered that the committee found out that the money owed by the banks were claims from various infractions, including unexplained debits and penalties arising from them, in their dealings with the Okorocha government.

According to the findings, some of the questionable debits from the state’s account were excess penal claim, excess COT charges, excess interest on authorised overdraft, excess interest collection on loans, wrong debit recovery, double reversals, inappropriate facility fees, excess advisory and processing fees, excess management fees collections on disbursement and net loss on investment of short term facility

It was gathered that the committee recommended that the banks are to refund to the state N74.6b as principal amount from alleged infractions and penalties; they are to pay another N38.b as principal sum and penalties.

Part of the N38.2b arose from various debits from the state accounts without proper narrations, the committee findings further revealed.

The committee is expected to submit its report to Governor Hope Uzodinma soon.

When contacted, Special Adviser on Media to Okorocha, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, said he could not comment on what he described as rumour by detractors of the former governor.

A 29-year-old mother of two, Familola Tomisin, has informed an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court in Osun State how her husband, Mr. Adetunji, defrauded some persons with her bank account number and fled Nigeria. Familola was arraigned before the court by the police for allegedly conspiring with her husband to defraud two persons to the tune of N1,182,000.

Adetunji was said to have been a fairly-used motor vendor and had obtained the amount from two men with a promise to get the cars. The fleeing Adetunji made use of Tomisin’s account for the transactions before leaving the country.

When Tomisin was arraigned on Monday, she explained to the court that her husband stole her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and withdrew the money that his victims sent to him without her consent.

Two cases were slammed on Tomisin by the victims. One of the two police prosecutors, Inspector Fagboyinbo Abiodun, alleged that Tomisin and her husband, now at large, sometime in the month of July and August 2019 at about 12noon at Halleluiah Estate, Osogbo conspired and obtained N777,000 from one Akinyemi Ayodeji Charles with intent to defraud him by promising to get him a Toyota Camry car.

In the other charge, police prosecutor, John Idoko accused Tomisin and Adedeji of defrauding one Ajiboye Tunmise of N405,000 after promising to sell one Acura car to him, of which they failed. The prosecutors argued that the offences committed by the accused person contravened section 383(1), 516, 418 and 419 of the Criminal Code Cap.34, Vol. I & II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.

She pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge slammed against her. The defense counsel, Muideen Adeoye, prayed the court to give bail to his client in the most liberal term.

Tomisin explained that her husband sponsored her through university and that she was ready to pay the money to the complainants if released on bail. She insisted that her husband had been looking for every means possible to survive after he was duped.

The magistrate, Modupe Awodele, admitted her to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in the first charge. For the second charge, the magistrate committed Tomisin to 500,000 with two sureties in the like amount.

Awodele ruled that one of the sureties should be a civil servant not below grade level 8. The bail conditions appeared stringent for Tomisin who was later taken to Ilesa Correctional Centre after failing to meet the bail conditions. The case was adjourned till March 23, for a report of settlement.

A 12-year old boy has committed suicide in Agboala Ishiala Umudi autonomous community in Nkwerre council area of Imo State following the death of his parents.

The boy, identified as Kasarachi Odurukwe, was until his death last Wednesday, a primary six pupil of Practicing School, Umudi.

He committed suicide by hanging himself on a rope on an Indian bamboo tree.

According to village sources, the boy and two younger siblings had lost his parents and had been living with their mother’s sister in that village.

It was gathered that the deceased had been complaining of how boring the world had been to him.

One of the villagers said the boy would “jokingly tell his mates that he wants to die and meet his mother in heaven”.

It was gathered that on that Wednesday, Kasarachi had led his two siblings and two other kids to a nearby stream to fetch water.

On arrival to the stream, Kasarachi was said to have assisted the other children to fill their cans while he used a long stick to check the dept of the stream.

One of the sources told The Nation, “Having not been satisfied with the shallow dept of the water, the deceased was said to have taken a rope and tied it up to a bamboo tree. But his first and second attempts to kill himself failed while the other kids were begging him to stop.

“It was the third attempt that on a stronger Indian bamboo tree that the rope strangled him to death.

“That action jolted the other kids, who ran back to the village to report the incident to the family and villagers elders”.

When the elders quickly thronged the scene, they called in the police who assisted in bringing down the corpse and deposited same to the morgue.

It further gathered that one of the things found on the deceased were four batteries, which some villagers said he might have intended to drink as poison.

If you found yourself ‘dating’ a woman who is only going out with you because of what she can get, what would you do?

A man recently found himself having to come up with the ultimate revenge when he found out that a girl he was dating didn’t exactly have pure intentions.

After meeting on a lifeguard certification course, the unidentified man thought he had met his dream gir after they ‘hit it off’ and exchanged numbers and social media details.

They chatted for a few weeks before he asked her out to see a movie, which she accepted, leading to a few more ‘casual dates’.

His hints to make things more serious were snubbed, but they continued to hang out for a while.

Things took a turn downhill when a mutual friend showed him messages which gave away her true intentions. He was told what she had said about him by a mutual friend.

The mutual friend shared text messages exposing the real reason a girl had agreed to a date. It turns out she was only interested in him because he pays for everything whenever they go out.

The friend said he felt bad as ‘she often does this to other dudes’, and passed on a screenshot of messages between them.

When asked if she was dating her latest ‘maga’, she replied:

“Not really but as long as he keeps paying for everything, I’ll let him take me out more,” with a laughing face, before adding: “Girl’s gotta eat.”

Armed with this new information from their mutual friend, he decided to serve her a taste of her medicine.

After posting about his master plan on Reddit, many were quick to applaud the revenge stunt and he was even said to have dodged a bullet.

He said:

“After seeing this, I asked her to go on a nice date with me to a hibachi grill restaurant. I got the most expensive thing they had and so did she. We both got fancy ice cream and multiple refills on drinks.

“I complimented her a lot and smiled consistently, before getting up to go to the bathroom and leaving. I was also her ride.

About 45 minutes after I get furious texts from her saying that she had to have her mum come down and pay for it because she didn’t have the money on her and that we were done.

I know it’s not a lot and it sucks because I thought she was actually into me but it felt pretty nice leaving her that way.”

Do you think he got a perfect revenge or he went too far?

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has given the condition under which drivers can make use of Google map.

Boboye Oyeyemi, FRSC corps marshal, gave the condition at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the only condition road users could use Google map is with the aid of car-holding phone devices, adding that anyone caught holding their phone while using the map will be arrested and prosecuted.

“The use of google map while driving is allowed, but hand-held driving and usage are offences associated with driving and anyone caught would face the law squarely,” Oyeyemi said.

“If you must use Google map while driving, you must get the car-holding phone devices which is both for your safety and for better usage of the device and the application.”

Oyeyemi also said the organisation would work with the Nigeria police force to ensure those abusing sirens and convoy are prosecuted accordingly, and their vehicles impounded.

He said most abusers of convoys and sirens are not government officials, but mainly private individuals who are unauthorised to use them.

“We have seen a lot of people abusing the use of convoys and we have taken it up to the appropriate authority. This year, we would take more drastic action,” he said.

“Abuse of convoys and sirens are an abuse of freedom of movement and intimidation to road users and citizens across the country and this act must stop.”

The corps marshal added that at least 690 offenders were prosecuted while 629 others were convicted by the FRSC mobile court during the end of the year patrol.

By Yusuf Alli,

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) has ordered Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) to admit a female candidate from Niger State, Thomas Goodness Shekwobyalo medicine instead of the Anatomy she was offered.

But it is left to Shekwobyalo to either accept or reject.

Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede gave the directive in Bwari, Abuja at a review meeting with the representative of the Commissioner for Education in Niger State, Bellu Attahiru, the Admission Officer of ABU, Haruna Ali Mohammed, representatives of the Civil Society Organisations and top officials of the agency.

Although the girl and her parents were invited, they refused to show up after reassurance that they will come.

Miss Shekwobyalo, who is not from Benue as being championed by Governor Samuel Ortom, had alleged that she was denied admission for medicine because she is a Christian.

She also claimed that she scored 309 to come top in Niger State but religious factor was used against him.

At the review session where all the facts were laid on the table, it was discovered that the girl is from Niger State and not Benue State.

It was also realised that by average score, she was not the best from the state despite her 309 score in UTME.

The breakdown of the three best candidates from Niger is as follows: Isah Mujahid(UTME,296; Post-UTME, 303; and Average Score, 299); Hassan Ruqayyat Ndaisa
(UTME,275; Post-UTME, 309; and Average Score, 292) and Thomas Goodness Shekwobyalo (UTME,309 ; Post-UTME, 274; and Average Score, 288).

But JAMB discovered that ABU decided to peg its Merit List at two candidates per state leaving out Shekwobyalo from those shortlisted for medicine.

Shekwobyalo also changed her course to Anatomy following a call/advisory she allegedly received from ABU.

She could not, however, present any evidence to JAMB or identify who advised her to change the course.

Notwithstanding, the JAMB Registrar, Oloyede said it was wrong for ABU to limit its Merit List to two per state.

He also said: “Contrary to insinuations, this meeting has shown that Shekwobyalo was not discriminated against on religious or ethnic basis.

“We discovered that she has changed her course from Medicine to Anatomy.

” I spoke with her but she said somebody called her to change to Anatomy. Up till now, she has not shown any evidence.

” We discovered that ABU did something wrong. They were distributing merit on state basis. They decided to offer Medicine to two candidates per state.

“One of the achievements of this meeting is how to legitimize her admission into Medicine( MBBS).

” We have decided to reverse her Anatomy admission. ABU should put her on notice that she has been offered to read Medicine. It is left to her to accept or reject.

“JAMB exists to ensure fairness and justice to all. I have addressed many similar cases in about seven universities without sensationalisation on the basis of religion or tribalism.”

The Director of Schools and Educational Services, Mr. Bellu Attahiru , who represented the Commissioner for Education, said: ” It is obvious she was not discriminated along based on religion. I will let the Niger State Government know the facts as laid down today. We thank JAMB for reversing her admission from Anatomy to Medicine.”

In the presence of all stakeholders, the Admission Officer of ABU, Haruna Ali, effected Shekwobyalo’s course to nedicine.