₦airaland Forum

BY GBEMISOLA AJIBOYE


Power Generation Companies (Gencos) under the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC) on Sunday, said that the power supply situation in the country was worsening because they were owed over N1.6 trillion since 2013.

APGC’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Joy Ogaji, in a briefing in Abuja, argued that a situation where the energy dispatched by the power generators was used as an index for power generation capacity was detrimental to their survival.

In the past couple of weeks, the already bad power supply situation in the country had worsened as players in the sector continued to trade blames as to whose table the buck stops.

“We are currently owed N1.644 trillion. One of the reasons that the power plants are down is due to inefficient management of the grid,” Ogaji said.

According to her, the Gencos have exhausted all their borrowing sources, as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had reportedly warned the banks to desist from lending money to them.

She stated, “If you give us gas, provide forex to carry out maintenance. I have told you most of the units are down and they need money to fix them.

“Give us enough money to pay our gas suppliers because it is pre-payment. But for power, it is take and pay later. There is no way that this misalignment will help us.”

But Ogaji stated admitted that at the moment, the Gencos were generating an average of 4,000MW.

However, the debt claim by the Gencos was immediately refuted by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET). NBET disputed the figures quoted by the power generators, saying only companies with active gas supply and transportation contracts are paid for unutilised capacity.

The Head, Corporate Communication, NBET, Henrietta Ighomrore, explained that in the country, only five power generation companies with active Gas Purchase Agreement (GPA) were entitled to be paid for unused capacity.

According to her, claims that the Gencos have the capacity to generate 9,000MW are not accurate, as inspections by NBET had shown that the so-called capacity does not exist.

Earlier, Ighomrore argued that the Gencos had always been paid as and when due, explaining that in the last payment cycle alone, the Gencos were paid N38 billion for electricity distributed on the grid.

According to her, NBET has paid the Gencos over 90 per cent of their invoices. She noted that the company paid the generators almost immediately remittances from the Discos were received.

However, Ogaji noted that the illiquidity caused by the huge sums owed the Gencos by NBET had continued to frustrate them and render them incapable of meeting their obligations.

Such obligations, she said, included Operations and Maintenance (O&M) as and when due, procurement of critical capital, spare parts and accessories, payment, and servicing of existing loans from lenders and financiers and employee- obligations.

Ogaji listed foreign exchange as another challenge faced by the hydroelectric power plants, whose concession fees, she maintained were “dollarised.”

She said most of the electricity generated in Nigeria came from gas-fired turbines, explaining that Gencos have consistently been dealing with unending gas-related challenges, which inhibit optimal generation.

According to her, issues of gas volume, gas quality, gas pressure and gas transportation have consistently curtailed capacity utilisation by Gencos thereby affecting generation.
Ogaji stated, “Unfortunately, the unenforceable state of the contracts in the NESI and the broken cycle of payment assurance has made the enforcement of what would ordinarily be basic obligations of parties to the industry agreements, impossible.

“Since 2013 when the power sector was partially privatised till date, weak and inadequate infrastructure (transmission and distribution) have continued to render inconsequential, a significant portion of the generation capacities recovered or added by Gencos through huge investments done by them to increase their respective generation capacities.”

According to her, while the owners of the Gencos invested and increased generation capacity up to 13,000MW across the country, no corresponding investment and improvement was made at the transmission and distribution ends. The result, she said, was the significant stranded capacity of Gencos.

Ogaji added, “The persistence of this anomaly over these years, compelled Gencos to begin to question the commercial reasonability of continued investment in recovery or expansion of generation capacity that would end up being stranded and not utilised to transmit and distribute electricity to end users who are yearning for same.”

She said the foundational agreements, which Gencos were told existed before, no longer exists, after they had commenced performance, with dire implication for power generators.

Ogaji stated, “We should address the root cause and not the symptoms, for sustainability of the NESI and the power sector.

“The current state of the national grid must be addressed, otherwise we will continue to always deny Nigerians their legitimate expectation of unhindered rights to reliable supply of electricity.

Wale Odunsi


The Police in Lagos State have arrested Pearl Chidinma Ogbolu, a.k.a. Erelu Okin for the controversial Lagos party.

The organizer distributed kegs of petrol as souvenir at Havilah Events Centre in Oniru, Victoria Island, on March 4.

A statement on Tuesday by the Police spokesman, Adekunle Ajisebutu said Ogbolu was charged to court on Monday.

She was arraigned on a four-count charge of conduct likely to cause breach of peace, endangering human life by distributing combustible matter in a public gathering.

Others are intent to do harm to another, unlawful storage and containerising petroleum product without permit.

Ogbolu appeared before the Special Offences (Mobile) Court of Lagos State at Oshodi under Ikeja Magisterial District.

Ajisebutu didn’t disclose if the defendant pleaded guilty or not guilty when the charges were read.

Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi had ordered her arrest after the event centre was sealed.

Alabi reiterated the command’s commitment to protect lives and property and warned citizens against acts capable of endangering human lives.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has ordered Google LLC (Play Store) and Apple Inc. (Apple Store) to deactivate unathorised online banks and loan applications.

The Federal Government agency asked Google and Apple to delete the applications where evidence has established inappropriate conduct or use of the application in violation of the rights of consumers.

The agency also banned the acceptance and presentation of new online banking and loan applications without regulatory assessment and approval.

This is coming two days after FCCPC, in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, National Information Technology Development Agency, and the Nigerian Police Force shut down some illegal financial institutions operating on Opebi Road, Ikeja, Lagos.

The decision was contained in a statement on Monday by Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, for the Joint Regulatory and Enforcement Task Force.

He said the order is in furtherance of the action taken by the Inter-Agency Joint Regulatory and Enforcement Task Force last Friday, which led to the shutdown of some online banks.

The statement read, “In furtherance, and pursuant to an Order of the Federal High Court procured by and granted to the FCCPC, the JRETF executed a search and seizure Order on certain digital money lenders.

“As part of the operation, the JRETF together with the Nigeria Police Force and bailiff of the Federal High Court searched locations of the money lenders, extracted valuable evidence and in some circumstances prohibited or restricted continuing operations.

“In addition to the physical operation noted above, the Commission entered and served Orders on multiple financial institutions freezing or suspending operations of certain accounts which some of the money lenders have used to conduct implicated business or transactions subject of investigation.

“Further, the Commission also entered and served wide-ranging orders on Google LLC (Play Store) and Apple Inc. (App Store) to enforce the withdrawal of certain applications where evidence has established inappropriate conduct or use of the application in violation of the rights of consumers.

“The Order of the Commission also prohibits acceptance and presentation of new applications for the same purpose without regulatory assessment and approval.

“In the interim, the Commission admonishes all the businesses that were subject of regulatory intervention on Friday, March 11, 2022, to cease and desist the interest compounding and loan repayment/collection practices that are the objects of this investigation.

“In the event that any of these businesses continue in any of this conduct, or the Commission receives credible evidence of such, violators will be subjected to the full extent of the law including prosecution without option of administrative regulatory resolution.

“The Orders of the Commission are without prejudice to existing borrowers repaying any legitimate loans pursuant to fair and acceptable terms and conditions; or any modifications to previous terms and conditions that are considered onerous, inconsistent with prevailing law or general principles of transparency and fairness.

“The obligation to comply with the above extends to all operatives, employees or agents of the affected businesses.

“The JRETF welcomes any useful information that may assist this investigation. The Commission/JRETF will continue to provide updates to the public, and invites consumers to support the investigation by continuing to provide actionable intelligence about persons associated with the businesses or practices, their telephone numbers and any other pertinent information.”

Nigerians have reacted to the new of the wife of the incarcerated Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari, fainting at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.

According to reports gathered, she slumped as National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives were leading Kyari and the other drug deal suspects away from the court premises.

According to the comments gathered via Twitter, most Nigerians were not surprised at her action as they believe it to be the usual norm whenever a prominent person is caught in criminal activities in Nigeria.

Here are some of the comments gathered:

@PabloPatooo wrote, “I got it wrong this time!! I actually predicted Abba Kyari will slump in court, his wife just cut my ticket.”

@Lad0ski wrote, “Nigerians couldn’t care less if Abba Kyari’s wife slumps in court, that’s their family business. This willn’t stop her criminal husband from facing the full wrath of the law. It’s a good thing the case has been made public otherwise the govt would’ve tried to bury the case.”

@stoopid_thinkin wrote, “If you like slump one million times, we nor send your papa, Your husband go answer to the law.”

@OG_tem3rd wrote, “Bring the whole family to be slumping everyday in court, he must answer for his crimes. Nonsense.”

@JEXXIQAR wrote, “This same tactics. That’s how someone in an Abuja org stole 500M when new board found out and interrogated him he slumped all efforts to resuscitate him was abortive. Took him to hospital he ran away from there. Till date he’s still on the run.”

@RayoKasali wrote, “Good, we now have a sport we can dominate at the oympics – Slumpathon.”

@AyoSofela wrote, “When the husband was enjoying and bringing home illegally gotten money she didn’t slump. She dey mad.”

@NelsonHope10 wrote, “When the husband was enjoying and bringing home illegally gotten money she didn’t slump. She dey mad.”

@olamiweb wrote, “But she has been receiving various alerts before now na. Even if she pretends not to know her husband’s other source of income, she must have been eating the dangerous cake. When she wakes up, they should tell her to try another method.”

Recall that Kyari facing fresh drug trafficking charges brought against him by the NDLEA, pleaded not guilty before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday.

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 14-year-old nanny, Chiamaka Odo, for strangling her mistress’ six-month-old baby to death to please the Ogoloma cult group in Enugu State.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Abiodun Alabi, disclosed this on Monday at a press briefing held at the Command Headquarters in the Ikeja area of the state.

Represented by the spokesman for the police in the state, Adekunle Ajisebutu, the CP said Odo confessed to being a member of the cult.

He said, “On 6/2/2022, a 14-year-old female nanny strangled her mistress’ son, Jayden Osokolo, kept in her custody to death. The suspect, Chiamaka Odo, confessed to be a member of the Ogoloma cult group in Enugu, Enugu State.

“During interrogation, she disclosed that members of the cult group requested her to bring the blood of the deceased to the spiritual world hence she carried out the dastardly act.”

The CP also detectives attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Command on February 26, 2022 arrested a 26-year-old suspect simply identified as Oluwatoyin Joshua for murder.

“The suspect on the said day, stabbed the deceased, Olayinka Adebayo ‘m’ aged 27, to death with a kitchen knife while fighting over the sharing of three thousand naira given to them by a Good Samaritan.

“The incident happened at Ogunnaike Street, Shangisha, Lagos. The suspect is in police custody while awaiting legal advice from the DPP,” Alabi said.

The CP said since his assumption of duty on January 24, 2022, the Command foiled 16 armed robbery incidents and arrested 62 armed robbery suspects.

“After diligent investigation carried out, 50 armed robbery suspects were charged to court. Similarly, the command’s efforts in curbing cultism in the state also yielded tremendous results as no fewer than 104 suspected cultists were arrested. Of this number, 98 suspected cultists were charged to court while others are currently under close watch.

“A total of 15 vehicles stolen at different locations in the state mostly those removed from parks were recovered through painstaking and coordinated investigations carried out by our crack detectives. 60 murder suspects were arraigned in court during the period covered by this brief. 12 suspects were arraigned for rape/defilement. 27 arms, 83 ammunition and 10 other dangerous weapons were recovered.

“While 436 vehicles were contravened for plying BRT lanes, 316 motorcycles were impounded for contravening restriction order. This order restricts the areas motorcycle riders are authorized to ply.”

Security agents, on Monday morning, returned to the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and condone off the entire Blantyre Street where the party’s headquarters is located.

Curiously, none of the gladiators laying claims to the leadership of the ruling party was on ground despite the seize fire appeals from stakeholders and President Muhammadu Buhari during the weekend.

Although the security agents were very civic in handling proceedings, allowing free flow of vehicular and human movement, along the street, inside the secretariat was however a ghost town as activities were at low ebb due to the absence of the gladiators.
The security agents, numbering over 80 personnel, had arrived the secretariat in no fewer that 11 patrol vehicles, occupying strategic positions outside the secretariat.

Interestingly, the secretariat staff were equally very apprehensive over the situation, wondering who, among Yobe Governor, Mai Mala Buni and his Niger counterpart, Sani Bello, is actually in charge of the party.

“Yes we have passed through this road previously but the situation we found ourselves presently is so confusing. You can see how the secretariat is looking deserted. Governor Bello is not here and Governor Buni they touted will return to the secretariat is still at large. We are helpless and can only wait to see events unfold,” he said.

Meanwhile, former Director-General APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Moh Lukman, has come down hard on his party, claiming that there is nothing fundamentally different between APC and the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“As a party envisioned to facilitate the process of changing Nigerian politics, APC leaders and members must be reminded that the most important determinant for political change at this crucial point in the nation’s political development is initiatives to change the orientation of political leadership recruitment.

“The reality is that leadership recruitment in APC, as it is today, is not fundamentally different from what exists in PDP. Partly because it is not different, we have produced leaders, both in government and in the party, APC, who at best, are typical PDP leaders. These are leaders who only succeed in reducing government and party management to a Bureau De Change.

“However, unlike PDP, in our case in APC, internal contest in the party is effectively mobilising opposition against such leaders. The current contest going on in APC is a typical example. Although the contest is partly to ensure that the March 26, 2022 APC National Convention hold and produce new leaders, it must be stressed that the quality of the new leaders of the party being expected to emerge from the Convention should begin to change, if APC is to meet public expectations,” he said.

Speaking further, he said: “every step must be taken to ensure that APC emerges as a distinctively different party from PDP and other parties especially on the question of leadership recruitment.

While in the case of PDP and other parties, issues of leadership recruitment are considered as given based on the received wisdoms of political leaders, in APC these issues are being debated and contested, which explains all the dynamics around the March 26, 2022 APC National Convention.

“If anything, the contest for the emergence of trustworthy political leaders in APC is a contest for the unfettered development of Nigerian democracy. Nigerian democracy cannot develop unless the right conditions within parties are created for the emergence of trustworthy leaders both as party leaders and candidates for election,” he said.

By: Kazeem Ugbodaga

Bishop David Oyedepo, founder, Living Faith Church Worldwide has said there are many stupid wealthy people whose net worth is N1bn but owing banks N10 billion.

Oyedepo, speaking at a mid-week communion service at Canaanland, Ogun State said there is a kind of wisdom that made one looked like they are not of this world.

“It is not found in the land of the living, there is no point going around looking for it, it can not be found in the land of the living. It is not in the philosophers, it is not with the rich, no matter how much money you amass, it is not equal to wealth.

“There are many stupid wealthy people who are owing more than they own. Your net worth is 1 billion and you are owing 10 billion. That is – 9 billion, is that wisdom? And you will be doing big boy around town but the banks know you are a small boy.

“The day they die, they may sell their wives.
Wisdom gives peace so when you say you are at peace they don’t believe you because of the pressure they are under from living above their means, buying a big car on loan. Is that life? People just do some funny things in the name of trying to be big. Such people are not in this Church,” Oyedepo said.

He added that when he is going to heaven at his old age, if Jesus tarries, there would be a curse on anyone who borrowed on behalf of this Church until Jesus returns.

“You don’t have to if we got to where we are without borrowing. How dare you, where did you get it from? I am not owing any man living or dead, I am going to heaven smiling. I have not cheated anyone. Wisdom is not available in the knowledge market.

“It is like going to Ile-Epo Market looking for aircraft to buy. It’s not available. You will walk around till day break; it’s not found there, stop wasting energy. Anything you can get in this world is not in the class of divine wisdom,” he stated.

Ritual killing, a national concern

Worried by the ugly trend and the uproar that surrounded Bamise’s death, the House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

The Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, moved the motion titled ‘Rampant Cases of Violence, Incessant Rape and Ritual Killing of our Women Folks: A Call for Urgent Intervention.’ He noted that the trend was becoming alarming and worrisome as he called for urgent response to address the menace.

Elumelu said, “The House notes with serious concerns the rising cases of violence, incessant rape and ritual killing of female Nigerians by criminally-minded persons in various parts of the country.

“The House is further disturbed that many of these cases are under-reported because of the stigma attached to such incidents and the molestation attached to it by security agents when such reports are made.

“The House is worried that according to the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme, approximately 80 million Nigerian women and girls are victims of gender-based violence, which in turn fosters the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, lack of self-confidence of victims and in most recent cases, death.”

The lawmakers urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the issue.

Also, the Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Toby Okechukwu, lamented that ritual killings had taken a new dimension in recent times.

He said, “There’s an upsurge of reported ritual killings with increasing cases of abductions and missing persons in different parts of the country, which in most cases, the culprits also rape, maim, kill and obtain sensitive body parts of unsuspecting victims for rituals.”

He lamented that despite the rising number of churches and mosques, ritual killing seems to be on the increase given the way the quest for wealth pervade the society.

“Youths in other climes are embracing science and technology as a way of maintaining pace with our dynamic world while some of our youths seem stuck in the mistaken belief that sacrificing human blood is the surest route to wealth, safety and protection.

“Such cruel and barbaric acts should no longer be promoted in our society given the demands of today’s world.”

It is noteworthy that beyond being killed for money ritual, women have also been victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East and the banditry-turned-terrorism in the North-West And some parts of North-Central.

Many women and girls, including schoolchildren, have been serially kidnapped by the insurgents, and some of them have been converted as sex slaves while some were forcefully taken as wives.

Since 2014 when 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Chibok, Borno State, no fewer than 100 of them are still in captivity. In 2018, 110 schoolgirls were also kidnapped from Dapchi in Yobe State, with one girl, Leah Sharibu, still in captivity. After these, many more have been abducted.

Even though men and boys have also been victims of killings and kidnappings, women and girls seem to be more endangered.

In search of lasting solutions

A security expert, John Eweliku, said the government needed to do more and that people should also use the technology at their disposal to ensure their safety.

He said, “The BRT bus used to be the best choice for those living in Lagos and I believe that must have been the reason why the late Bamise boarded it instead of jumping from one bus to the other.

“Also, people need to be very conscious and not be secretive about their movement.”

People should also learn to make use of social media when in danger. The government should also enact strict punitive legislation, like death penalty for ritual killers to dissuade others from doing same.”

Another security expert, Mr Pedro Ayandokun, advised that women travelling alone should take greater precautions and ask questions about the area they want to visit.

Supporting Ayandokun’s view, another security expert, Mr Patrick Agbamu, said people need to be more security conscious.

A psychologist, Charles Ojiakor, said there was no reason why a woman’s body would be the target of ritual killings other than the fact that she could be more vulnerable.

He said, “There is no reason for you to take anybody’s part for money rituals, it does not make sense. Perhaps, women are targeted because they are more vulnerable and do not have the physical strength to resist their oppressors, so it is easy to overpower them.

“Also, it seems the perpetrators often get requests for specific body parts from their Babalawo or whatever it is they call the people that aid them in the money ritual process.”

Meanwhile, a renowned economist, Prof Akpan Ekpo, said there was a strong link between the economic hardship in the country and the spike in ritual killings.

He said, “People have no jobs which is a sad reality and therefore, some are forced into crimes, like ritual killing. There is this belief that there is money ritual and people who do it believe that human parts help.

When asked for solutions, Ekpo said the unemployment crisis must be addressed so people could be meaningfully engaged.

He added, “The way to stop it is to increase the employment rate and one of the ways to do that is by tackling the issue of power so that micro and small businesses can survive. Some of these people have been heard saying they considered money rituals when their business ventures failed.”

A traditional religious worshipper and Jagunmolu Awo Agbaye, Chief Fayemi Fakayose, said Yoruba spiritualists believe there is nothing like killing for money ritual.

He said, “The concept of ritual killing is just like a fabrication that people are trying to practicalise, like what Nollywood actors and actresses showcase and the fallacious story about Yoruba spirituality promoted all over the place.

“Most of the people that were arrested have never been to a Babalawo before.”

Some teenagers arrested for ritual in Ogun
“He said, “A Babalawo is a traditional worshipper, a religious leader, a Yoruba spiritualist like when you say a pastor or an Imam.”

When asked why women were becoming victims, he said, “I don’t believe it is only females because they have been killing males too. They have killed many men.

“I believe they are killing women because women won’t be able to struggle with them to the extent of overpowering them, so they are taking advantage of them.”

“There is nothing that relates to traditional worshippers that requires bringing body parts of a woman for money ritual,” he stressed.

A women’s rights and gender advocate, Dorothy Njemaze, said it was important to highlight the fact that when women are not safe, it means the country is not safe, which also means the economy would be affected.

She said, “Beyond rolling out buses with fanfare and press coverage, the conversations are gravitating towards how safe it is for people.”

She asked government at all levels to take a stand with the law in the interest of the people they govern, while stressing the need for an active and reliable emergency response service.

“We deceive ourselves a lot and there is hypocrisy at the different levels of leadership and women bear the consequences,” she added.

Njemaze said it was time people were aware of the link between their permanent voter cards, voting and their well-being. She also advocated for free medical service for survivors of gender-based violence.

She added, “We need to enlighten people how to better engage. People should know how to use their PVC to drive out public officers who are constantly driving Nigeria backward. We need to do much more sensitisation on these things.”

Tope Omogbolagun



TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN examines the recurring killing of women and girls for money rituals in different parts of the country, the panic it has created and the solutions to the menace

The atmosphere at the home of Bamise Ayanwole, the slain female passenger of a BRT bus in Lagos, has been engulfed in grief for the past few days. Her Ipaja–Ayobo home has received more sympathisers than imagined since the incident.

The 22-year old fashion designer got missing in transit after boarding a BRT bus with number 240257 from Chevron Bus Stop at Lekki en route to Oshodi. Time was about 7pm. She was heading to Idimu, but she never made it to her destination, only her remains were later found by the roadside.

Her family, especially her elderly parents, has since been thrown into mourning.

Her 70-year-old mother, Comfort, who had become inconsolable and thoroughly exhausted, said when she celebrated her birthday days ago, Bamise promised her a new dress as birthday gift but news of her death was what she got instead.

“She was taking some clothes to her elder sister who put to bed but she never got there,” she said. “The evidence which has gone viral should be enough to prosecute the suspect. The driver lied that kidnappers pointed a gun at him and dragged our daughter out of his BRT bus while he was in transit.

“Kidnappers pointed a gun at him, dragged his passenger out of a bus in transit and he did not go to the police station to report, it is a lie.”

The story of Bamise, the youngest of 10 children, went viral after her friends shared the voice notes she hurriedly recorded when she sensed danger in the BRT bus.

Bamise, whose courage and smartness eventually gave a clue about what happened, said in the voice note that the driver, now identified as Nice (Andrew) Omininikoron, switched off the inner light and refused to pick another passenger after he picked her at Chevron Bus Stop.

She also managed to make a short video showing the silhouette of the driver and what looked like the vehicle number. This turned out to be the last communication from her until her corpse was later found on the Carter Bridge by Ogogoro Community, Ebute Ero, Lagos Island.

Clearly, the father of the deceased, Joseph, an 84-year-old pastor, has also yet to recover from the shock. “It’s hard to believe my daughter is no more,” he mumbled to himself. “I want God to help me get justice.”

Amid the widespread incidence of ritual killings, with more females as victims, there were already unverified reports that her private parts were missing when her corpse was found.

The distraught father said, “The government says it will perform an autopsy on the body; we are still waiting for the result.”

Bamise’s sister, Oluwadamilola, told Sunday PUNCH, “The picture of her corpse was gory; it shouldn’t be shared. She was taken to the morgue on Sunday but the police found out about her death Saturday night.

“When the police got there, she was not on panties; she was naked. They left only her top. Some of her body parts were tampered with and were missing. They are still investigating; we believe the autopsy will soon be ready.”

Sadly, the way Bamise was killed and her body parts allegedly mutilated is no longer an isolated case in today’s Nigeria; ritual killing has become a commonplace, and from reports, women seem to have been the usual victims.

The social media has indeed witnessed several hashtags for women who have been so gruesomely murdered. From #JusticeforUmuoren to #JusticeforOchanya, #JusticeforUwa #JusticeforSofiat and most recently #JusticeforBamise.

As the world celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, 2022, women in Nigeria converged on different locations to demand justice for Bamise. It wasn’t the first of its kind; the number of women killed and mutilated has become a national concern, prompting the House of Representatives to also call for an end to the menace.

Meanwhile, according to the World Economic Forum, six women are killed every hour by men around the world.

To lend credence to the upsurge in killing of women for rituals, the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta said in February that findings showed that about 150 women and girls were killed for ritual purposes between January 2018 and December 2021. The foundation tied this to the rising demand for body parts for the purpose of making money.

Before the sad news of Bamise went viral, the family of Sofiat Kehinde was on January 29 thrown into mourning, one that they may not recover from quickly.

Kehinde, a 20-year-old lady, was said to have gone to see her boyfriend when she met her death. She had separated from her ex-boyfriend, Balogun Mustaqeem, after her family members told her to cut ties with him. Unknown to them, she had started dating a friend to her ex, identified as Soliu Majekodunmi.

Kehinde was killed and beheaded by four teenagers, including her boyfriend, Soliu, 18; and the ex, Mustaqeem, 20. The two others were Wariz Oladehinde, 18; and Abdulgafar Lukman, 19. They conspired to kill her and severed her head in Majekodunmi’s room and burnt it severely.

According to the data released by the United Nations, more than half of women and girls killed by men were murdered by their current or previous partners.

The sister of the deceased, Muinat Okeowo, said Kehinde had gone to see her lover after the close of work, but they never knew the evil that awaited her. She never returned.

Okeowo said, “Sofiat was cooking the beans we were to eat that night when she said she wanted to go out. Time was around 7pm. She always returned home early whenever she went out. Around 8:30pm, I called her on the phone and she said she was on her way. I observed that she spoke in a low voice and I even teased her that she was twisting her voice.”

Okeowo said when she called her mobile line again, it was switched off, and then she went to sleep only to wake up the the next day without seeing her in the house.

“I asked my mother for her whereabouts and she replied that she had not seen her,” she added.

The next news they got was that she was killed by the four teenagers, including her boyfriend and ex-boyfriend.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State police command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the teenagers were caught and arrested with the deceased’s severed, half-burnt skull in a mud pot and her remains already packed in a sack, ostensibly to be thrown away.

He added that the suspects upon interrogation confessed that the human skull they burnt belonged to Majekodunmi’s girlfriend, Kehinde.


Women as targets of ritual killers, others

According to the Co-founder of Femicide Census, Karen Smith, violence against women was a leading cause of women’s premature death globally.

Sadly, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime revealed that Africa has the highest rate of women and girls killed by an intimate partner or a family member.

It is noteworthy that as killings have been on the increase, both male and females have been victims. However, women seem to have become more victims, as ritual killers hunting for body parts and rapists seem to be on the prowl.

The report by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta noted, “Recent incidents also indicate an upsurge in targeted killings of women and girls for ritual purposes in the region, particularly in Cross River, Delta and Imo states.

“In January 2022, for example, more than 10 girls were reportedly killed for rituals in Ogoja town, Cross River state. The growing prevalence of targeted killings of women and girls for rituals is a serious threat to human security.

“The prevailing situation, which is seemingly driven by a growing demand for human body parts for money-making, occult rituals, has the potential to reinforce harmful cultural beliefs and practices that could endanger the safety and security of women and girls.”

It is however disturbing that rape and ritual killing have become a cycle, which explains why new reports emerge almost every day.

In Edo State for example, on Christmas Eve in 2021, a 29-year old teacher, Elohor Oniorosa, was murdered by her boyfriend, David Osaretin, a truck driver.

Oniorosa, according to her mother, Comfort, left the house immediately after receiving David’s call that he was sick. Not knowing it was a trap, she innocently walked into her death.

Comfort said, “My daughter left the house for her boyfriend’s place thinking his illness would have worsened. When he called, she didn’t even brush her teeth.”

The father of the deceased, Williams, said it was when they couldn’t reach her that they decided to visit Osaretin’s house.

He said, “When we got there, the landlord just pushed the door open and all we saw was my daughter lying in the pool of blood. She was found dead with deep machete cuts on some parts of her body. The bedspread, the walls and everywhere was stained with blood.”

Similarly, in September, the body of a yet-to-be-identified female teenager was found dismembered in Unuebu Aragba, Obiaruku community, Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State. It was another suspected case of killing for money ritual.

A community leader in the area, Dr Peter Esegbue, said, “The young girl was murdered, dismembered and possibly used for rituals by evil men who will never know peace. As I speak, this incident is causing tension and hostility in Ukwuani land between Amai and Obiaruku-Umuebu, as an Okada rider was reportedly abducted as well in the wake of the murder of this young girl.”

The list of women and girls killed for rituals seems to be endless.

The story of a 22-year-old student of the University of Benin, Uwa Omozuwa, equally killed in very disturbing circumstances is hard to forget. Before she was killed, her attackers raped her. The incident took place on May 27, 2020.

Uwa was killed while reading inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God church at Osa Amadasun Ikpoba Hill, Benin City. Her sister, Judith, said she had been reading there for more than two years before the incident.

Meanwhile, beside her corpse was a fire extinguisher with traces that she had been battered. Similarly, her books were scattered and her glasses were by the door.

The Edo State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Prof Yinka Omorogbe, affirmed that the autopsy revealed that Uwa was a virgin before she was raped and killed. She also dismissed false reports in the social media that Uwa was impregnated by her pastor.

“We were all terribly shocked to see what happened to Uwa. It was terrible; it was a brutal experience,” she said.

Omorogbe noted that rape could be totally eradicated from the society if the criminals are served with the judgement that is commensurate with the offence.

Like many before and after her, Toyin Adewale was in June 2021 killed for ritual purposes by her boyfriend, Kabiru Oyeduntan, alongside one Akin, a herbalist, in Osun State.

Toyin’s case was particularly disturbing. Oyeduntan, when paraded before journalists, explained that he was the one who held the victim’s legs while Akin strangled her and went ahead to dismember her and then parked the body parts in a box.

Beyond ritual killings, rapists also on the prowl

Beyond killing for rituals, however, many women and girls have also been raped and killed.

On April 13, 58-year-old Doris Inyang was raped and killed in her home by a four-man gang who connived with her househelp. The incident took place at the State Housing Estate in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

The popular story of how Iniubong Umoren, a job seeker, was allegedly raped and killed by one Uduak Akpan, has yet to disappear from the minds of those who were privy to the story. Although there was no link to ritual purpose, their death was linked to gender-based violence.

Also, 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbanje, a schoolgirl, was raped and later died from rape-related complications. Her uncle and nephew were fingered in the crime.


The escalating attacks against women

While many Nigerians and even foreigners who took interest in Bamise’s story have yet to overcome the grief that accompanied her death, a female victim has also accused Nice, the accused BRT bus driver, of raping her in his bus after threatening her with a knife if she didn’t cooperate.

She told The PUNCH in an exclusive interview on Thursday that he raped her around the first toll gate coming from Ajah, Lagos. She presented the evidence of the N3,000 Nice forcefully transferred to her account for violating her.

A few days ago, a former Big Brother Naija housemate, Khloe, narrated how she escaped being attacked by a driver with one of the popular ride-hailing service providers.

Many women who spoke to Sunday PUNCH over the alarming rate of rape, killings and kidnapping of women in the country called for a quick solution.

A civil servant, Miss Opeyemi Adeoye, said the abduction of Bamise reminded her of Umoren and how the country had betrayed its citizens, especially women and girls.

An Ibadan-based banker, Ifeoma Duru, also lamented that women were no longer safe. “We must commend her bravery, it’s becoming scary by the day,” she added.

An Ilorin-based entrepreneur, Toyosi Oyedun, also expressed her fears, saying no one seemed to be safe. “I pray the Lord will continue to protect us,” she added.

Similarly, a Sokoto-based teacher, Mrs Fausat Tukur, expressed her worries, saying, “It’s so sad that we are in such a terrible situation where women’s safety is threatened. We have heard of deaths in religious centres, schools, homes, commercial buses and now BRT. All of these make it so scary to move about as a woman.”

By Afeez Hanafi


Ike Ekweremadu

Former Deputy Senate President and lawmaker in the current 9th National Assembly, Ike Ekweremadu, on Friday, declared his intention to contest for the governorship in Enugu State in 2023. By then, the five-time senator would have spent 20 years at the red chamber.

More interestingly, during the next general elections, Ekweremadu would be marking 26 years in government at various levels and must have raked in millions of naira in salaries and allowances paid from public funds.

He began his political career in 1997 when he was appointed as the Executive Chairman of Aninri Local Government Council on the platform of the United Nigeria Congress Party. He was then appointed Chief of staff to then governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, from 1999 to 2001.

Ekweremadu was made Secretary to Enugu State Government in 2001 and served till 2002 when he began the race to the Senate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. He was first elected a senator in 2003 and remained there till date through re-elections.

Declaring his intention at a world press conference in Enugu, tagged, “media consultation,” Ekweremadu, a lawyer, said he was going into the governorship race to make a pathway for a new Enugu State.

However, Ekweremadu is not the only politician who has had a long career in politics other than practising their primary professions.


AHMAD LAWAN

The President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, is another long-serving political office holder. A lecturer turned politician, Lawan has been in the National Assembly since 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule after years of military incursions.

He started as a member of the House of Representatives in 1999 and served two terms until 2007 when he moved to the Senate. So far, the number three citizen of Nigeria has been at the federal parliament for 22 years, occupying different positions with commensurate salaries and allowances.


BABATUNDE FASHOLA

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Babatunde Fashola began his political career in 1999, serving as Secretary of the Lands Sub-Committee of the Transitional Work Groups in 1999; a member of the panel of Enquiry into allocation of houses on the Mobolaji Johnson Housing Scheme at Lekki in 2000; a member of the State Tenders Board, Lagos State Executive Council, State Security Council and State Treasury Board from 2002 to 2006. He was elected governor of the state for two terms from 2007 to 2015.

Fashola was made a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, manning three ministries – Works, Power and Housing. He is presently the Minister of Works and Housing.

As a former governor, Fashola benefited from ‘severance package’ and pension for ex-governors in the state. These include a house in any location in the state and a house in Abuja for a two-term governor, six new cars every three years, 100 per cent of the basic salary of the incumbent governor, free health care for himself and members of his family, furniture allowance, which is 300 per cent of their annual basic salary as well as house maintenance allowance and eight policemen and two officials of Department of State Services attached to him for life. However, the Lagos State House of Assembly announced in August 2021 that it had reduced the pension of former governors of the state by half.

David Mark

A former Senate President and retired Brigadier General, David Mark represented Benue South Senatorial District from 1999 to 2019. Prior to his senatorial career, he was the military Governor of Niger State from 1984 to 1986 and Minister of Communication.

He hoped to run for President in 2018 and appointed Zainab Abdulkadir Kure as his campaign manager and Abba Ejembi as his campaign’s spokesperson.

Rotimi Amaechi

A graduate of English, Rotimi Amaechi was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly for eight years, between 1999 and 2007. Afterwards, he was elected governor of the state for another eight years ending in 2015. Amaechi, who was the director-general of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, has since then been serving as Minister of Transportation under the current government.

Danjuma Goje

Former Gombe State governor, Danjuma Goje, started in 1999 as minister of state for power under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He then became governor of Gombe State in 2003 and served for eight years.

Not done, he immediately moved the National Assembly as senator, representing Gombe Central. It was reported that stakeholders from his senatorial district rejected his decision not to contest for an elective position in 2023.

By David Royal

The Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike on Saturday commissioned over 1o gunboats built by Abitto Global Services in Rivers State to tighten security on its waterways.

Abitto Global is an ingenious company that specializes in Fabrication, Marine Services, Oil & Gas Services, Dredging, Scaffolding and Project Management.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Abitto Global Services, Mr Richard Akinaka, who was present at the commissioning of the magnificent gunboats thanked the Governor of Rivers state for the opportunity.

The commissioning of the boats is part of efforts by the state government to rid the state’s creeks and coastal areas of all criminal activities, including piracy, oil bunkering, theft, illegal refining, armed robbery, and kidnapping, and also for easy movement of naval officers who travel to other parts of the state by water.

The parts of the boats are said to be armoured, which makes them bullet and shock-proof. They are also flat, which makes them able to access the creeks even when the water has receded to shallow levels.

The MD of Abitto Global who shared pictures of the event on his official Instagram page said “We are grateful to God for fulfilling His promise of perfection to me and Abitto global services. It has been a day with high sense of fulfillment and Joy.

“I thank the People Governor of Rivers state for the opportunity given us to be part of his unprecedented support to security agencies to ensure security in the state, I thank the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Flag Officer Commanding eastern Naval command.

“Rear Admiral I.A Dewu,The commander NNS pathfinder Rear Admiral. A. Ahmed and Rear Admiral Bura for all the support”

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REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

Britain is searching out the helicopters and jets belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarchs and has asked the Isle of Man to deregister Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich's personal helicopter, a transport ministry source said on Friday.

Abramovich was among seven more oligarchs put under British sanctions on Thursday, meaning his assets, mainly property, private jets and helicopters will be frozen, with no financial transaction being able to take place in relation to them.

The action also puts on ice Abramovich's plans to sell Premier League club Chelsea, effectively placing the current European champions under government control. The team can carry on playing but the government says it is open to selling the club so long as Abramovich himself did not benefit.

An ally of transport minister Grant Shapps said: "Grant has ordered his officials to gather intelligence on suspect aircraft, including their ownership and flight plans."

"If we find they belong to persons on the sanctions list or people resident in Russia they will be grounded. He's calling time on the oligarchs' flying gin palaces."

The source said the minister was asking the Isle of Man, a self-governing territory under British sovereignty, to deregister Abramovich's personal helicopter, which is currently carrying the registration M-HELI.

The Isle of Man has been a popular place for owners of private jets to register because, experts say, registration on the island allowed imports to avoid any sales tax.

The luxury Airbus Helicopter EC-155 flew out of Stansted bound for Cannes on March 3, following the departure of his customised Boeing 767, which the source said was nicknamed "The Bandit", from Stansted a few days earlier, en route for Switzerland.

It is not clear where Abramovich is.

The Isle of Man, which maintains its own aviation register, has already deregistered eight Russian-linked aircraft.

Britain said on Wednesday it had impounded a plane connected to a Russian billionaire close to Abramovich under the new aviation sanctions which give authorities the power to detain any Russian aircraft and to ban exports of aviation or space-related goods to Russia.

The source said that investigation was continuing.

By Bassey Willie


A Police Inspector, Michael Timitimi, who was attached to the Bayelsa State Police Command at the weekend slumped and died during the burial rites of his grandmother in Igbedi community in Kolokuma\Opokuma Local Government Area of the State.

The deceased inspector was attached to the State security outfit, the State Vigilante Service and Bayelsa Volunteer Force until his death.

Eyewitness reports said that he slumped and died shortly after dancing fitfully at the wake keep in honour of his grandmother.

A visit to the headquarters of the Bayelsa vigilante showed that the workers were shocked and left in tears after the news of the police inspector’s death was relayed.

Chairman of Bayelsa State Volunteers, Mr Oyinkuro Lucky Asanakpo, and the leadership of the agency had already paid an unscheduled condolence visit to the family of the inspector.

Speaking during the condolence visit, Asanakpo recounted how the deceased had visited him last Thursday to intimate him about the grandmother’s demise and to invite him for the burial rites.

He recalled how the officer would accompany him alongside other officers on midnight raids of red-light districts and criminal hideouts in Yenagoa.

He went further to console the wife and children of the late officer, promising that the agency would be with the family all through the burial arrangements.

Asanakpo prayed that God will grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

The elder brother of the deceased, Mr Enetimi Timitimi, thanked the visitors for the visit and promised to keep the chairman posted on further developments as regards the burial of the late officer.

The police spokesman in Bayelsa State, SP Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the cop’s death, said he had some health challenges and died in the hospital where he was taken to when he slumped.

The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, and his colleagues allegedly embezzled millions of naira belonging to the House, including forging the receipts of two filling stations, court documents filed before the Federal High Court in the state have shown.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is investigating the lawmakers over a N700 million alleged fraud.

The documents, obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, showed that the Assembly, under the leadership of Mr Oluomo, had claimed to have spent the money on training and other “miscellaneous expenses.”

Part of the money, it was gathered, was also expended on the purchase of fuel from two fueling stations in Abeokuta.

On request, the Assembly had submitted receipts to the EFCC as proof that the spending followed due process.

Yazid Bawa, an operative of the EFCC who deposed to the commission’s counter-affidavit, said after analysing the receipts, they invited the lawmakers to come and make clarifications on some discrepancies observed.

Despite several letters to the lawmakers, Mr Bawa said they refused to honour the invitation.


Fuel purchase

The EFCC said the Assembly submitted receipts of fuel purchases from NNPC mega station and Ashkash filling station, both in Abeokuta.

Our correspondent was told the franchise of the NNPC mega station in Abeokuta is owned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, while the immediate past Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi, owns Ashkash filling station.

Upon receipt of the documents from the Assembly, the anti-graft agency wrote both stations to confirm the veracity of the receipts, but both stations wrote EFCC confirming that the receipts presented to it by the Assembly are fake.

In their separate responses to the EFCC, it was seen that both companies clearly denied the receipts in question.

For the NNPC, through a letterhead by Obasanjo Holdings Limited (Mega station), the filing station responded saying, “Your letter dated January 24, 2022, on the above subject refers. We write to inform you that the receipts being investigated were not issued by our filling station.

“Please find attached copies of the receipt we issued in 2018,2019 and 2021 which differs from those in question. We hope this addresses your concern.”

Also, Ashkash on its letterhead, Ashkash Nigeria Limited, responded that, “Sequel to your letter with reference no CR: 3000/EFCC/LS/CMU/OG Vol 1/63. Dated January 24, 2022.

“We have painstakingly and extensively gone through our records, nothing of such exists in our transactions records. By this, we did not know anything about the receipts sent for investigation. Thanks for your usual cooperation.”


‘Financial records’

The EFCC said it had received intelligence that principal members of the House connived to divert for personal use N700 million allocated for the running of the House of Assembly.

The agency said preliminary investigation into the intelligence showed there are “criminal schemes perpetuated inside the Ogun State House of Assembly by its members and officials including but not limited to forgeries of documents, falsification of financial records and diversion of public funds by some elected members and civil servant.”

The agency further said the financial records of the House were falsified in order to retire public funds the lawmakers had diverted or wanted to divert for their personal use.

“Investigations have also revealed that some corporate entities that purportedly issued some invoices and receipts to the plaintiffs do not exist even though these receipts and invoices were used by the plaintiffs and their cohorts to justify the disbursement of funds.”

The EFCC accused the lawmakers and their agents of threatening some possible witnesses that would help the agency in its investigation.

The commission denied claims that it was being used by Oludare Kadiri, the impeached Deputy Speaker of the House, adding that it was not aware of the political differences between the House and Mr Kadiri.

The House had impeached Mr Kadiri last year over allegations of gross misconduct.

The lawmaker had also accused his colleagues of forging his signature to swindle the Assembly of about N50 million.

In its reaction to the EFCC, the Ogun Assembly approached a Federal High Court in Abeokuta seeking an order to stall the anti-graft agency’s investigation pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The lawmakers attributed their failure to honour the EFCC invitation to the pending suit.

JP Morgan Chase Bank (JP Morgan) says Abubakar Malami, Nigeria’s attorney general, is contradicting himself on the OPL 245-related case in the UK commercial court.

The bank, which made its opening submissions for trial at the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales Commercial Court, said the Malami position is contradictory to the case being presented by the claimant, which is the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN).

Nigeria is suing JP Morgan Chase for its involvement in the resolution agreement and subsequent payments made in relation to the award of OPL 245 to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd.

The country is seeking a compensation of $1.7 billion.

Federal government’s pleading, made before the UK court, claims that JP Morgan and Mohammed Bello Adoke, Nigeria’s minister of justice, were involved in a “fraudulent and corrupt scheme” which led to the resolution agreement and payments.

However, in its opening submission for trial, JP Morgan denied any wrongdoing on its part and said the claimant does not have substantial evidence to prove that Adoke was involved in a fraudulent scheme.

According to the 123-page opening submission seen by TheCable, JP Morgan said Nigeria “has no direct evidence in support of its case that there was a fraudulent and corrupt scheme as alleged” against Adoke and the bank.

‘Malami’s doublespeak’

One of the key anchors for Nigeria’s case is that Adoke took bribes to “cause” the consummation of the resolution agreement. But the bank argues that this is not the case, and the claimant does not have evidence to prove its claims.

The suit, which was authorised by Malami, claims that fraud and corrupt practices were involved in the consummation of the agreement between the parties involved.

However, in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, on the same matter, the attorney-general said there is insufficient evidence to prove fraud or corrupt practices.

The bank told the court that while Malami seemed to be pursuing the case at the UK court, he holds an entirely different position on the same case, back in Nigeria.

“Indeed, it seems that the current Attorney-General, Mr Malami (who has authorised the pursuit of the present proceedings), has doubts about the wisdom of seeking to pursue the criminal prosecutions,” JP Morgan told the court.

“He [Malami] wrote a letter to President Buhari dated 27 September 2017, stating that there is insufficient evidence to support allegations that the Resolution Agreements were part of a fraudulent and corrupt scheme. That, obviously, is the polar opposite of the case being run by the FRN in these proceedings.”

In a previously considered matter, Malami had written to Buhari that “the agreement” which he is now suing against “was executed by the highest authority in Nigeria and remains sacrosanct unless it is eventually set aside by the decision of a competent court of law… The above commitments are binding on the FGN.”

No competent court has overturned the agreement, JP Morgan argues.

‘Malami undermining Nigerian court in UK’

Malami’s decision to also pursue the case at a UK court despite a ruling by a Nigerian court in favour of Adoke is seen as undermining the Nigerian legal system by its own attorney general.

According to the documents before the court, Adoke launched legal proceedings challenging his prosecution, and on April 13, 2018, the Nigerian Federal High Court “granted declarations to the effect that Mr Adoke could not be held personally liable in respect of the payments to Malabu (and the giving of instructions to JPMC to make them) because he was merely carrying out the lawful directives and approvals of the President”.

Despite the ruling of the Nigerian Federal High Court to absolve Adoke, Malami and his team are praying the UK court to deliver a counter judgment.

Adoke has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has been vindicated by courts in Nigeria and Italy.

‘Tendered e-mail already a subject of criminal trial’

The e-mail tendered by the federal government purportedly sent to JP Morgan by Adoke from a private account is a subject of criminal forgery trial in Nigeria — authorised by the same Malami.

Adoke had petitioned the police after the e-mail surfaced in the media.

Police investigation narrowed down on Olanrewaju Suraju, the chairman of HEDA Resource Centre, the NGO that petitioned against Adoke and helped kickstart the OPL 245 trial in Italy in 2017 along with its foreign partners.

The Italian court dismissed all allegations of corruption and acquitted all the defendants.

The Italian prosecutors were also investigated for allegedly manipulating evidence in trying to secure a conviction by all means.

In its submission, JP Morgan argues: “There is also a separate point that in 2011 JPMC had received an e-mail from Mr Adoke from a personal e-mail address agroupproperties@yahoo.com. “A Group” is alleged to be associated with Mr Aliyu, and it is said that JPMC “ought to have known” that there was a connection between Adoke and Mr Aliyu as a result of the e-mail and that this “ought to have” constituted a further red flag (although it is not pleaded as one in Schedules 2 or 3).

“This point goes nowhere: It is not alleged that JPMC actually knew that there was a connection between Mr Adoke and A Group or Mr Aliyu, whether in 2011 or 2013. The argument appears to be that JPMC should, in 2013, when it became aware of the allegations about Mr Aliyu and A Group, have cast its collective mind back two years to recall an e-mail apparently sent by Mr Adoke from a Yahoo e-mail address which might have been associated with A Group. That is far-fetched.

“Anyway, Mr Adoke apparently denies sending the e-mail and has claimed it is a forgery. Curiously, this allegation has triggered a criminal prosecution in Nigeria against the director of HEDA Resource Centre, a Nigerian NGO, for allegedly circulating the A Group e-mail on Twitter and Facebook knowing it to be false. This prosecution has been specifically authorised by the department of Attorney-General Malami, who has also authorised the present proceedings in which the e-mail is positively relied on by the FRN.

“JPMC is not able to take a position on whether the e-mail is genuine, but the inconsistent positions adopted by the FRN call out for an explanation.”

TheCable previously reported that the charge of e-mail forgery against Suraju was withdrawn by the office of the attorney-general after Nigeria’s lawyers advised that it could jeopardise the case against JP Morgan.

A medical doctor, Mistura Shogunle, on Wednesday narrated before an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court how a 13-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by seven men in her neighbourhood.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Shogunle testified at the trial of a 20-year-old fashion designer, Rasheed Fashola, for conspiracy and defilement of a child.

Fashola had pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge.

Led in evidence by state counsel, Mrs Olasunbo Abiodun-Muniru, the doctor working at the Mirabel Centre (a sexual assault referral centre), said that the minor came to the centre to seek medical attention on Sept. 28, 2020, a day after she was allegedly defiled.

“The client said that on Sept. 27, 2020 which was a Sunday, her father sent her on an errand, and seven boys in the neighbourhood stopped her.

“They dragged her into an uncompleted building, her mouth was covered with a handkerchief and they took turns to rape her through unprotected penile intercourse into her vagina,” Shogunle said.

The doctor said that the survivor was calm and clinically stable during the medical examination and that she had no obvious physical injuries.

“There were, however, significant genital findings. The labia majora was normal while the labia minora (inner lips of the genital) had a bruise.

“The natural covering of the vagina, called the hymen, was absent. There were no significant anal findings.

“The general findings are in keeping with recent blunt force penetration into her vagina which could have been caused by penile vagina penetration as declared verbally by the client,” she said.

The doctor, also a certified forensic sexual assault examiner, testified that she asked the survivor’s father, who accompanied her, to throw more light on what happened to his daughter.

She said that the father informed her that he sent his daughter on an errand and expected her to return home early but instead, saw her with two men who came to his residence to tell him that his daughter had been defiled.

Shogunle said that the minor did not tell her the names of the men who allegedly defiled her.

During cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr O.O. Ogunjimi, the witness said that she did not find any semen when she examined the survivor.

“It was not the day the incident happened that the client visited the Mirabel Centre.

“The client did not tell me whether she had taken her bath or not,” Shogunle said.

According to prosecution, Fashola, alongside others at large, committed the offence at 8. 00 p.m. on Sept. 27, 2020, in an uncompleted building at Oluwashina Junction, Itire, Lagos State.

“The defendant and his accomplices had unlawful sexual intercourse with the 13-year-old in the uncompleted building.

“The offences contravene Sections 137 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015,” Abiodun-Muniru said.

Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case until May 6 for continuation of trial.

A 27-year-old man from Gweru was sentenced to 8 years in prison after he was convicted of beating his 16-year-old sister to death after accusing her of being promiscuous. This was after the brother discovered that the Form 3 teen was dating 6 boyfriends after going through her WhatsApp messages.

Terrence Tarisai of Clifton Park pleaded not guilty to the murder of his sister Tryphine when he appeared before Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Maxwell Takuva. Following a full trial, however, Justice Takuva dismissed the murder charge against Tarisai. He found him guilty of culpable homicide instead.

In passing sentence, the High Court judge lamented the increase in cases of excessive use of force against minors during disciplining. The Herald reports Justice Takuva as saying,

“There is need for parents and guardians to avoid excessive force when disciplining their children because it leads to unnecessary loss of life. A young life was lost unnecessarily. The accused is found guilty of culpable homicide and is sentenced to eight years in prison. A year of his sentence is suspended on condition of good behaviour.”

During the trial, the court heard that on July 22, 2020, Tarisai returned home and discovered that Tryphine was absent and had left her 10-year- old sister alone.

Tryphine who was a Form 3 student at Ascot High School in Gweru returned home at around 6 PM. She told her brother that she had been at the shops. However, Tarisai did not believe her. He grabbed her phone and went through her WhatsApp messages where he discovered that she was dating multipe boyfriends. He threatened to beat her up accusing her of being promiscuous.

Sensing danger, Tryphine fled home and sought refuge at her aunt’s place in Mtapa Section 7, Gweru. The next morning, the aunt accompanied Tryphine back home.

After talking through the matter, Tarisai said that he was going to discipline his sister for being promiscuous. He then proceeded to beat her up with a black cord. Tarisai then ordered his sister to call all 6 boyfriends to end the relationships, before continuing to assault her.

After the assault, Tryphine complained that she was feeling cold and was put in bed by her aunt. She died in her sleep a few hours later leading to the arrest of Tarisai.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in collaboration with the United States’ Department of Justice, has announced the arrest of 35 Nigerians residing mostly in North Texas over alleged $17million romance scam.

Officials with the US Attorney’s Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas and the FBI announced a multi-year investigation into a wide-ranging criminal enterprise operating out of North Texas.

FBI investigators announced indictments for criminal charges against 35 people accused of wire fraud and money laundering as part of a very sophisticated scheme that stole more than $17 million from more than 100 people nationwide.

Eleven of the arrests were made in the Northern District of Texas, while 24 arrests were made in the Eastern District of Texas.

Those charged in the Northern District of Texas are David Animashaun (38) – arrested in DFW, charge with wire fraud conspiracy; Oluwalobamise Michael Moses (40) – arrested in DFW, charged with wire fraud conspiracy; Irabor Fatarr Musa (51) – arrested in the Eastern District of Texas, charged by the Northern District of Texas wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy.

Ijeoma Okoro (31) – arrested in DFW for wire fraud conspiracy fraud, money laundering conspiracy; Chukwemeka Orji, (36) – arrested in DFW, charged with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy; Emanuel Stanley Orji (35) – arrested in DFW, charged with wire fraud conspiracy; Frederick Orji (37) – arrested in Dallas, charged with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy.

Others are Uwadiale Esezobor (36) – arrested in Lubbock, charged with mail and wire fraud conspiracy; Victor Idowu (36) – arrested in Los Angeles, charged with mail and wire fraud conspiracy; Afeez Abiola Alao (37) – wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and Ambrose Sunday Ohide (47) – wire fraud conspiracy.

According to court documents, the defendants allegedly preyed on older victims, many of whom were widowed or divorced. They assumed fake names and trolled dating sites like Match.com, ChistianMingle, JSwipe, and PlentyofFish, searching for targets.

Conspirators would pose as an interested partner and then build a level of trust with their target before eventually sharing a sob story that ended with them needing a large sum of money.

Amid a floundering financial status hinged on a loan spree, high unemployment rate and free-falling naira, President Muhammadu Buhari has claimed in faraway New York that Nigeria’s economy is booming because “people went back to farm.”

Mr Buhari made the claim while pleading for financial assistance from a foreign leader during a bilateral meeting on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in the U.S.

“People went back to the land, and this helped us tremendously. We made fertilizers available, resuscitated dams, and it all paid off handsomely,” Mr Buhari told the Queen of Netherlands, Maxima Zorreguieta.

The Nigerian president, whose administration relies on external funding to finance major projects, stressed that COVID-19 would have worsened the country’s economy if not for his efforts in developing the sector.

“With about 200 million people, we would have been in trouble when COVID-19 struck and affected the economy,” he told Ms Zorreguieta.

The president believed that the closure of land borders in 2019 helped the country, as it gave room for Nigerians to “eat what we grow.”

The Buhari regime had in 2019 shut land borders to curtail the import of arms and ammunition from neighbouring countries and reopened four of them in 2020.

In begging the Netherlands queen for funds to invest in the agricultural sector, he stated, “We have the land. We have the people. Capital input is what we need.”

On infrastructure, Mr Buhari asserted his regime was doing its best, maintaining it was pertinent to embark on major projects to aid the country’s development.

“Without infrastructure, development would be limited, so we put emphasis on building roads, rail, and power. We have a comprehensive plan, and we are doing our best,” the president explained.

According to him, inadequate resources have been a major setback in infrastructural development, despite Nigeria being an oil-exporting nation.

Having listened to Mr Buhari, Ms Zorreguieta commended the president for his “huge efforts” in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that “you spent a great part of your GDP.”

“You won’t be alone. We will be there along with other partners,” she told the president.

Over 300 suspects arrested by the Nigerian government for funding Boko Haram terrorists have been released, SaharaReporters has gathered.

SaharaReporters had in April reported how over 400 persons were arrested by security agencies during a nationwide crackdown on the suspected financiers of terror in Nigeria.

The operation was said to have been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.

Confirming the report a few days later, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) had said the Nigerian government embarked on “a wider and far-reaching investigation” into terrorism financing after the conviction of Boko Haram financiers in the United Arab Emirates.

But on Wednesday, Malami, who is in the United States as part of Buhari’s entourage to the United Nations General Assembly, said his office had reviewed over 1,000 case files out of which 285 had been filed before the Federal High Court.

Malami was reacting to public criticism over the secrecy surrounding the identities of the alleged financiers of Boko Haram as Buhari’s government has shunned all calls to name the terror sponsors.

The United Arab Emirates recently listed the names of 38 sponsors of terrorism, which include six Nigerians.

However, sources told SaharaReporters on Thursday that while Nigerians were clamouring for the identities of the terror sponsors to be released to the public, Malami had already facilitated the release of many of them after collecting bribes from the most powerful ones among them.

SaharaReporters earlier on Thursday published a list of 45 names out of the 400 suspects said to have been sponsoring terrorists.

But according to a source, the 45 suspects are the “insignificant foot soldiers of terror financiers” being detained by an ex parte order while others have been released.

SaharaReporters exclusively obtained documents including an affidavit in support of a motion filed by the prosecution (Nigerian government) to seek the continued detention of the suspects at “Wu Bassey Barracks, Asokoro, Abuja for 90 days pending the conclusion of investigations by the headquarters of the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps”.

The affidavit deposed to at the Federal High Court Registry by a litigation officer in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation says: “The suspects were arrested by troops of Operation Lafia Dole in Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Borno, Lagos and Zamfara states in relation to terrorism activities in the country.

“Ongoing investigation revealed that the suspects have links with the Boko Haram Terrorist Group. That the investigation is advancing and suspects have access to legal practitioners of their choice. That it is in the interest of justice that the suspects be remanded pending conclusion of investigation as there are chances that the investigation will be compromised if the suspects are released on bail. That the court has the power to grant the application.”

Those detained as earlier exclusively published by SaharaReporters include Saidu Ahmed, Ibrahim Sani Bello, Mustapha Musa Adamu, Abubakar Sadiq Garba, Hussein Adamu, Muhammed Sani Adam, Abdulrahman Ibrahim, Ghazali Yusuf, Yusuf Ali Yusuf, Abubakar Adamu Yellow, Zahuraddeen Bashir, Haruna Garba Garo, Ibrahim Aliyu Usman, Hassan Idris, Musa Emma, Alhashim Mohammed Almashim, Baba Samaila, Bulama Tahir, Abubakar Ali, Mohammed Ambare, Danlami Hassan Nadabo, Danladi Talle Inuwa, Bashir Ali, and Mansur Muhammad Usaman.

Others are Musa Tasiu Ya’u, Auwalu Ali Alhassan, Sadi Saidu Abdullahi, Suraj Adamu, Muhammed Auwalu, Ismaila Abdullaziz Mohammed, Munzali Ashiru Gambo, Yazid Muhammad Usman, Nabil Zakari, Gambo Auwalu, Muhammed Abba, Bashir Idris Shuaibu, Mohammed Yahaya, Auwalu Ibrahim, Abdullahi Umar Usman, Dahiru Umar Mohammed, Abdullahi Mohammed, Abubakar Yahaya, Hussaini Lawali Idrisu, Ladann Ibrahim, and Nurudeen Gani Aliyu.

A security source told SaharaReporters on Thursday that Malami ordered the release of the “big fish” or prominent and powerful ones among the 400 suspects initially arrested after collecting bribes from them.

The source added that those being detained are “insignificant foot soldiers”.

“We arrested about 400 of them but he collected bribes from the most powerful ones and they have since been released. Yesterday (Wednesday), he claimed there were 275 of them left, in an interview he had in New York. Most of the 275 he mentioned have also been freed.

“Some powerful Northern Emirs intervened on their behalf. Only an ex parte order to detain were filed against these 45 persons before Justice Anwulika Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Unfortunately, she was a vacation judge and has now travelled.

“She is retiring in about three months’ time. Only about 45 names were submitted to her instead of 275 the Minister claimed yesterday. These are all the strategies being used by Malami who has already left the big terror financiers off the hook.

“The 45 persons are insignificant foot soldiers of terror financiers. And if you check the documents very well, most of them have already filed fundamental rights challenge against the government and are billed to be granted bail anytime soon.

“That Honorable Justice Anwulika Chikere handling the case was born on 28th December 1956, so she is bound to take a bow on December 28, 2021, which is just three months from now.”

And going by documents exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, most of the suspects currently being detained have already filed Fundamental Rights challenges and are billed to be granted bail.

Though the documents also contain a list of the names of 45 suspected sponsors of terrorism, there is nothing to show that any charges have been filed against them since their arrest.

Confirming that even the suspects currently being held will also regain their freedom, another source said, “Don’t forget that no one has been charged according to the documents; the ex parte filed contained zero evidence they carried out anything. They are billed to be granted bail.”

There are fears that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, may be treated like Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, leader of the Ismalic Movement in Nigeria, IMN.

El-Zakzaky was arrested in December 2015 after his followers attacked the convoy of former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd) in Zaria, Kaduna State.

Following that attack, the Nigerian Army had accused members of IMN of attempting to assassinate the ex-COAS.

Against this backdrop, El-Zakzaky alongside hundreds of his followers were arrested after security forces stormed the group’s headquarters and killed about 350 people.

Since his arrest, the IMN leader has not been released despite rulings by several courts.

In December 2016, Justice Gabriel Kolawole-led Federal High Court, Abuja had granted El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenatudeen bail.

Justice Kolawole also fined the Federal Government N50 million for the incarceration of the duo.

In 2019, The Kaduna State High Court granted El-Zakzaky and his wife bail on health grounds.

The couple were expected to visit the Mandeta Hospital in New Delhi, India for treatment, but it never happened.

Despite the many bails granted to the IMN leader, he is yet to be released by the relevant authorities.

This fate, some residents of Abuja fear may befall Kanu, following his rearrest.

Kanu was first arrested in December 2015 and was charged with treasonable felony amongst others.

In 2017, Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court had granted Kanu bail. After effecting his bail, the IPOB leader had fled Nigeria.

He was, however, rearrested on Sunday and repatriated to Nigeria to continue his trial.

Upon resumption of the case on Tuesday, Justice Nyako remanded Kanu in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, while adjourning the case till July.

However, some Abuja residents noted that Kanu may suffer the same fate as El-Zakzaky because he fled the country to London.

Speaking with DAILY POST, they said the decision to order his followers to attack government facilities and security operatives means he may be locked up for a very long time.

A lawyer, Enoch Onu said, “The matter is before the court so I would not like to sound preemptive but it is not looking good for Kanu. When a court grants you bail and you decide to jump bail, you may never get another. Even his lawyers know that.

“What I think his lawyers can do now is to pray the court to grant an accelerated hearing. Just like El-Zkzaky, He may remain in custody for a very long time.”

Mr Ebuka Tobichukwu, a teacher with Temple Academy in Lugbe said: “Nnamdi Kanu should just forget regaining his freedom. He was granted bail then he ran to London or Israel and starting trying to destroy Nigeria. He should forget about freedom. Trust Nigerian government, they will surely deal with him, see what they are doing to el-Zakzaky; since 2015 he has not tasted freedom, Nigerians should expect same for Kanu.”

A rights activist, Sunday Garba noted: “Kanu’s right should be respected and a fair trial should be carried out; that is the right thing to do. But the question is, will this government be fair? Considering the fact Kanu was seen as a threat to Nigeria’s unity. However, Kanu is innocent until proven guilty by the court.”

Kingsley Kanu, a sibling of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), says his brother was arrested in Kenya.

The Federal Government has been silent on the location where Kanu was arrest and this has fueled speculations.

But in a statement on Wednesday, Kingsley said Kenyan authorities detained his brother until he was extradited to Nigeria.

Daily Trust cannot independently verify his claim.

“My brother Nnamdi Kanu demands the right to self-determination for Biafra. Self-determination is the right to that underpins the United Nations. Because Biafrans support Nnamdi Kanu’s call for Biafran self-determination, my brother has now been subjected to the most serious violations of international law.”

“My brother has been subject to extraordinary rendition by Kenya and Nigeria. They have violated the most basic principles of the rule of law. Extraordinary rendition is one of the most serious crimes states can commit. Both Nigeria and Kenya must be held to account. I demand justice for my brother, Nnamdi Kanu.

“The British High Commission in Nigeria must insist upon my brother’s immediate release. They must guarantee his safety and security. Nnamdi Kanu must be returned home to the UK to his wife and his sons who live here. The Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, must make clear to the Nigerian authorities that they will not tolerate the unlawful detention of British citizens and that the UK Government condemns the Nigerians and Kenyans for undermining the rule of law.

“Foreign Secretary Raab must be clear. There will be consequences for those who resort to extraordinary rendition. The British Government must insist upon justice for Nnamdi Kanu.”

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, and the Department of State Services (DSS) worked with the Nigerian Intelligence Agency and the International Police for months to ensure the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, to look good in President Muhammadu Buhari’s eyes.

Military sources told SaharaReporters that the plan to arrest Kanu started in March 2021 as the attacks on police stations and killing of security personnel soared in the South-East and South-South states, with the IGP promising the President that Kanu would be arrested.

Baba was appointed by Buhari in February 2021, three months after Kanu had established the IPOB’s militant arm – the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

Sources told SaharaReporters that Kanu’s arrest was at the top of the agenda in the meeting President Buhari held with the IGP and service chiefs on the South-East situation in the first week of May.

“The IGP was asked to form a special tactical squad in the South-East. He was told he would be assisted by the Department of State Services and with the deployment of military personnel even from the North-East to the South-East and South-South to make arrests. The IGP and the military were asked to locate the ESN and IPOB camps and go after key commanders to extract top information,” one of the sources said.

“It was around that time that the security operatives recovered several mobile communication gadgets from both dead and arrested ESN commanders; they extracted information from them which was all in the build-up to arrest Kanu. They went after IPOB’s top lawyer, Ejiofor, in the first week of June, as part of the plan to extract top information about Kanu. It has always been about arresting Kanu all along,” another source added.

“You recall that the President commanded the security chiefs and IGP to adopt certain security measures in the South-East and the South-South zones. These were some of the measures. The IGP was to take the lead and the president directed that he should be given support by all other security arms,” another source volunteered.

“The Twitter ban was also to bring a large gap between Kanu, mostly active on Twitter, and his vast followers in Nigeria, especially in the South-East.”

SaharaReporters had on Tuesday reported that the IPOB leader was not picked up in the United Kingdom but at a location in Africa.

“He was not arrested in London or anywhere in the United Kingdom. Diplomats confirmed that Kanu was picked up somewhere in Africa. The family and IPOB are very unhappy. Apparently, they have known about the trailing an arrest for about some time,” a top source had stated.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the family of Nnamdi Kanu asked the Federal Government not to manhandle their son, who is currently in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Speaking in Umuahia, the Abia state capital, Nnamdi Kanu's younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu had said the IPOB leader stood on the path of truth and committed no crime to deserve any persecution.

According to him, Nnamdi was only asking for the freedom of Biafrans which is their fundamental human right hence, his rights should be respected.

He said the whole world is watching how the Nigerian Government will handle Kanu.

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A 400-level optometry student of Abia State University, Uturu, has been confirmed dead after jumping down from a three-storey building.

He was reported to be on drugs when he jumped from his lodge called Favour Lodge located off the campus on Saturday evening.

Reports by students revealed that the deceased, identified as Francis Chibuike, in the video recorded after he took a hard drug known as Colorado, was unable to contain its effect.

According to some students, his friends reportedly locked him in the room and went in search of cassava flakes known as garri to restore him back to consciousness, but the deceased went through the balcony and jumped down from the building with blood gushing out from his head before they returned.

A student from the school, Paul Udo, in his Facebook post, said the deceased jumped from the stairs with head shattered beyond medical help.

Another student, Nnadi Thyword, while commenting on the incident, said: “Come to think of it; he is a medical student and ought not to be told the dangers of these drugs. It is doubtful to say that those who take these drugs don’t know the negative effects. This is simply an addiction.”

In the video made available to The Guardian yesterday, the student recording the video, who appeared to own the apartment, where Francis had taken the substance, was heard saying: “I told you not to take it, but you did. I told you I don’t like it. ”

According to a news publication, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the institution, Navy Commander ThankGod Evulobi (retired), confirmed the incident, describing it as one of the consequences of hard drugs.

According to him, the deceased, who is from Imo State, drugged himself and told his friends that he was going out only for him to jump out from the window.

Power blocs within the All Progressives Congress have started the scramble for the control of the party’s structures, a few days after the approval and release of new dates for its ward, local government and state congresses.

The PUNCH gathered in Abuja, on Sunday that with Friday’s decision by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to approve the timetable for the party’s congresses, power blocs especially state governors and party leaders with 2023 presidential ambitions, had set in motion plans to ensure that loyalists emerge as leaders at the various levels.

According to the timetable released by the party’s National Secretary, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, on Friday, ward congresses will hold on July 24, 2021 followed by local government congresses on August 14, 2021 and state congresses on September 18, 2021.

At inception, the APC had four visible power blocs based on the influence of personalities who controlled the legacy parties which came together to form the party.

This played a key role in the formation of the first National Working Committee. The then interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, was a leading figure in the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, his successor Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, came from the All Nigeria Peoples Party.

Former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who is also of the ACN bloc, took over from Odigie-Oyegun, as national chairman. The current chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni, came from the ANPP. President Muhammadu Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change, became the main power bloc after the 2015 general election, which he won.

A member of the party caucus, who spoke in confidence, told our correspondent, “Our membership registration has thrown open the party to members.

“Like it or not, although our President Muhammadu Buhari will not be on the ballot in 2023, he will most likely be interested in who succeeds him.

“I say most likely, because his brand of politics before now is non-interference in party affairs. That has changed.

“The most visible of the power blocs now are those of Mr President and his key loyalists from his days in the CPC (Congress for Progressive Change). They include former and serving governors, ministers and powerful aides, who pull the strings from behind the scene.

“Our state governors and of course, our national leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, who like him or not, is a deal maker and still wields influence despite attempts to whittle it down.

“Now, each governor, some ministers and ambitious federal lawmakers, will be slugging it out during these congresses.

“But the way our system is wired, most governors will have their way at the end of the day. It is only logical; they control resources and they fund the party in their states.

“The party recognises them as leaders at the state level. having control of the structure strengthens their power base thus giving them leverage at the national stage.


“Delegates for the elective national convention will emerge from these congresses. In the event we decide to use the direct primary method used while Buhari as our candidate for his second term, governors hold the aces.”

Another party source said, “No governor will sit idly by and allow those who are not loyal to him to emerge as officials. That will be amount to digging his own political grave. That is what is informing the intrigues in the state chapters that you are witnessing.

“The National Chairman of the APC, Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, is the current face of governors who control the party at the national level.”

The CPC bloc is currently reaching out to others to allow it produce the next National Chairman.

The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, is currently leading the campaign for his predecessor, Senator Tanko Al-Almakura, who was the only governor on the CPC platform before it merged with it others to form the APC.

In one of his campaign stops in Nasarawa, Sule said, “Two of the legacy parties; the ACN and the ANPP each produced two national chairmen of the APC.

“The only legacy party that has yet to produce the national chairman is the CPC. Once the CPC is allowed to produce the next chairman of the APC during its forthcoming national convention, it’s only fair to consider Nasarawa State.”

Already the battle for the control of the structure is causing ripples in the South-West where Tinubu’s loyalists are battling those of Governor Kayode Fayemi, in Ekiti, and the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, in Osun, who are also believed to be nursing presidential ambitions.

In response to questions about the issue, the coordinator of a pro-Tinubu group, the South West Agenda, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, said, “I know that there is no much problem in Osun. What is happening there is just being exaggerated by people who think they can benefit from.

“The governor is in charge and he enjoys the support of the party and the people. Yes, there may be disagreements here and there, which is normal in human interactions but it is not something to worry about.

“In Ekiti where members of SWAGA are being persecuted, some as you must have heard have been illegally suspended and harassed here and there. Nevertheless, we are going to keep reaching out.

“This action against our members is very unfortunate because whatever we are doing, we are doing within the party. And our organisation is actually mobilising and winning new members for the APC and all is to the advantage of our party and I see no reason why this should be a problem.

“Well, this is a passing phase and it will go when people begin to appreciate what we are doing. In Ekiti State, we can only ask the authorities here to have great introspection, reexamine themselves and change their ways.”

A pressure group within the party, Concerned APC Members, is however opposed to what it claims is an attempt by the party’s governors to shut out all those who laboured to establish the APC.

Spokesman for the group, Abdullahi Dauda, said this in an interview with The PUNCH, in an interview, in Abuja.

He said, “First, let me say we are opposed to the tenure elongation given to Governor Buni and others. It is part of what we have campaigned against right from the beginning. Now, what they want to do is to install stooges from the ward, local government and state levels so that they can decide who becomes anything in the party in 2023. We will not take it because this party belongs to all of us.

“A political party is not a one man show. Without our constitution, the President has the powers to extend the tenure of anybody he wants in the APC but our party is built on its constitution, that constitution does not give the President the powers he has exercised on this issue.

“We believe that the President was misled by these ambitious governors and we hope he will see reason to reverse it. This is not a dictatorship; it is a democracy. We will write letters to party stakeholders and the president to reverse this unconstitutional decision and if that fails, we will tell you what we are doing next.”

When contacted, the National Secretary of the Party, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, said, “All that Mr President did was in line with our constitution. Like I said, on Friday, the last National Executive Committee meeting of our party conferred on the Caretaker Committee the power of the National Convention which is the highest decision-making body of the party in line with Article 13.3 of the APC Constitution.

“Under the leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni, a peacemaker and visionary, we intend to ensure that peace is restored to the party and that our congresses at the various levels are held successfully.”

Asked whether the party has concluded talks on the issue of zoning, he said, “We will cross the bridge when we get there.”

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has said the commission is investigating the withdrawal of over N5 billion from the treasury of one State in the country.

Bawa said this Thursday at the media briefing organised by the Presidential Communication Team at the State House, Abuja.

He said this was an immediate impact of the Department of Intelligence just created in the commission.

The EFCC boss, who declined to disclose the concerned state in order not to compromise its ongoing efforts to establish a prima facie case and to avoid media trial, said the investigation of the commission would be intelligence driven henceforth.

On his his statement that he had been receiving threat messages, Bawa said he had phoned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba over the matter.

He promised to write a formal letter to the IGP when asked if he had done so.

On Cyber crimes, he said the commission had arrested 1,502 internet fraudsters from January till date, stressing that the risingwa increase of the incidents was tarnishing the image of the country.

He said a Tactical Operation Center was being built to deal with the issues of cyber crimes.

The Federal Government on Wednesday said it was compiling a list of Nigerians lifted out of poverty by the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

The National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme, Umar Bindir, who gave this indication in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja, stated that the agency would soon begin an assessment of the programme to know those it had lifted out of poverty.

Bindir said this as economic experts, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, faulted government on the number of people it had lifted out of poverty.

They also warned that increasing poverty in the country would worsen insecurity.

In his speech on Saturday to mark the June 12 Democracy Day, Buhari said 10.5 million people, including farmers, small-scale traders, artisans and market women had been lifted out of poverty by his regime.

But three days after Buhari made the statement, the World Bank on Tuesday stated that rising prices of goods had pushed seven million Nigerians into poverty.

The World Bank made the statement as the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday said inflations dropped by 0.19 per cent in May, despite the public outcry about the high cost of basic items such as food and drugs.

But on Wednesday, the Federal Government said the NSIP had had positive impacts on its beneficiaries.

The National Coordinator of the NSIP, Bindir, told one of our correspondents that the agency had started compiling names of citizens lifted out of poverty through the scheme.

The NSIP, which was established by the Federal Government in 2016, is aimed at tackling poverty and hunger across the country.

Its components include the Conditional Cash Transfer which supports people within the lowest poverty bracket by improving nutrition, increasing household consumption and supporting the development of human capital.

Bindir told The PUNCH correspondent, “Your request has to do with the impact assessment reports. But first of all, we have to deliver. In the development work, you don’t just lift somebody out of poverty just because you have given him N30,000 monthly for six months or more.

“It depends on the person too. If somebody is not prepared, he goes to school and doesn’t read or ginger himself or spend time to upgrade himself, there’s no way you can lift that kind of person out of poverty. And there are many in this category. We just take our chances.

“But for the impact assessment report, as we speak, we are engaging independent monitors to actually go with tablets to capture exactly what you are asking for.

“Every single individual, who has benefitted from the NSIP, whether a child in the school down to the people who are attached to one form of work or the other (will be captured).

“We will find them, talk to them, get their opinions and see what they are doing and then provide a detailed report that will come out to say that yes, 10 out of 1,000, for instance, are out of poverty, or none is out of poverty, or all are out of poverty.”

Asked when the assessment report would be released, Bindir stated that the monitors were assigned the task this month and that their first report should be out in three months time.

He said, “The independent monitors are hired for one year, but every three months they will submit the report. So they are now going to start in June and by July, August, September we will expect a report in our office, to see exactly the impact of these programmes on Nigerians.

“But when you go to the school feeding programme, the objective is to attract children to come to schools and we call that increase in enrolments. And I can authoritatively tell you that enrolments since 2016 have actually increased in most of the schools.”



Nigeria’s rising poverty will worsen insecurity, economic instability – Experts

In separate interviews with The PUNCH, economic experts said the rising poverty level would have more adverse impacts on the economy and further worsen the security challenges in the country.

They said the Federal Government’s figure on people lifted out of poverty was not reliable.

An economist and former President of the National Accountants of Nigeria, Dr Sam Nzekwe, in a telephone interview, warned that the increase in the level of poverty would be followed by increased frustration, higher unemployment and criminal activities which would further worsen the state of insecurity in the country.

He said “Frustration will become the order of the day, when you don’t have money to feed your family, you will get frustrated. Social vices will increase. The poverty will make more people want to join armed robbery and all these criminal groups. As a result, the country will not have rest as we will keep on fighting social vices and other violent practices.

“So that will be the direct impact. It is going to create unemployment, we already have a very large army of young people who are unemployed, so with this, you bring more people into unemployment levels so that is what it is. So, it becomes very difficult to manage these social vices.”

Nzekwe explained that lack of funds might force many youths to drop out of school, adding that this and other highlighted factors will hamper economic growth.

He stated, “And then a lot of people will be forced to drop out of school and when they drop out, the teeming population of youths that we expect to be rulers of Nigeria tomorrow will be out of school. So when you don’t have youths in school, how do you move the economy to the next level?


“So the economy will not grow; it will become regressive; it goes one step forward and two steps backwards. And you can see what insecurity is doing. In the agricultural sector, you can’t go to farm. You can see the impacts. With poverty, the economy will be messed up,” he said.

A Professor of Economics and Chairman of the Foundation for Economic Research and Training, Prof Akpan Ekpo, in a separate interview, admitted that increasing poverty posed a significant number of dangers to Nigerians.

He noted that there would be greater hunger, with more people reluctant to work, which will lead to lessen production output.

Ekpo said, “Dangers are many if we have worsening poverty. It means the economy is unstable with a lot of crises. There will be hunger and anger in the land.

“Poverty in Nigeria is very high. It is not good for the economy. We are losing a lot of manpower, meaning that we producing below optimal output.”

Ekpo added that with increasing poverty and unemployment, people could be easily recruited into terrorist groups, which would further worsen security in the country.

He said “With high poverty, it is easy to recruit unemployed people into terrorist groups such as Boko Haram. Poverty is often linked to employment, and those unemployed become recruited into such groups, and that will worsen the insecurity crisis.”

He advised the government to work on implement existing policies to ensure poverty is reduced to its minimum.

“It is good for the country to reduce poverty to the barest minimum. For example, the government should implement the poverty initiatives put together by the president so that we can at least move close to Buhari’s target of lifting about 100 million Nigerians from poverty in 10 years,” Ekpo explained.

An economist at Lagos Business School, Prof Bongo Adi, faulted the Federal Government’s claim that it lifted 10 million Nigerians out of poverty.

He stated, “The Federal Government has no data. The only institution that gives data on poverty, livelihood, is the World Bank. If you are looking at data on poverty, the World Bank uses the living standard measurement survey. It does it for every developing country every two or three years.

“The National Bureau of Statistics does not have the capacity to conduct such large statistics or survey. Even if it does, we do not trust the reliability or validity of that survey.”

A professor of Economics at the University of Benin, Hassan Oaikhenan, said the government should address the problems facing Nigerians.

He stated, “What I do know from what we can see around us is that the claim by the Federal Government to have lifted 10 million Nigerians out of poverty is neither here nor there. I can sense a falsehood, something made to fulfil all political righteousness.

“I think there is a need for the government to honestly address and confront the problems facing Nigerians because that is why they were elected.”

Adi also warned that increasing poverty would worsen insecurity in the country.

A professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Sheriffdeen Tella, said the statistics stating that 10 million Nigerians were lifted out of poverty by the government was politicised.

He stated, “The economic situation does not indicate that poverty has reduced in the country. That statistics is more of a political thing than the reality on ground. If we say the economy is picking up, it is very slow. All the fundamentals are not indicating that poverty level has been reduced.

“I am expecting the National Bureau of Statistics to show the reality on ground in terms of the situation for this month. The international community has its own way of collating its statistics, and it is more realistic to what is on ground than what our government is saying. I think the international statistics of the World Bank is more realistic.

“Government has to show that it is doing well, but the reality on ground does not show that the economy is doing well. With the issue of the herdsmen sending people out of farms, you cannot say the country is doing well.”

Tella also said there several dangers concerning the increased poverty. He stated there would social unrest including insecurity with the high level of poverty.

“If people are engaged in one job or the other, they won’t be engaged in civil unrest. That is when you would say the economy level is going up. The government has to do something quickly to improve the level of employment. They should ask farmers to go back to their work by ending the excesses of bandits,” he added.

Social media platform, Crowwe, has applied for a licence from the National Broadcasting Commission in line with the Federal Government’s new drive to register all social media platforms in the country, The PUNCH has been informed.

This is just as the number of users has risen to 31,245.

The Chief Executive Officer of IPI, Mr. Adamu Garba, who created the social media app, said this during a chat with our correspondent on Thursday.

Garba said the Crowe app which was taken down by Google app store on Saturday, would return in a matter of days.

He added, “Crowwe now has 31,245 users with about 2, 270 business accounts. We have written a letter to the NBC applying for a licence in line with the Federal Government’s announcement but we have not yet received any response. If they don’t respond by Friday, we will send a second letter.”

On when Crowwe would return to the Google app store, Garba said, “There are some lapses. It consumes a lot of data based on user complaints so we decided to take up some opportunities to do that. We have edited. We will upload it by Saturday or so.”

Garba, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, also stated that his Instagram page which was suspended some days ago had been restored.

He said it was brought down because several people reported his page because they didn’t like him.

“So many people reported my Instagram page. It was disabled but it has been restored,” he said.