₦airaland Forum

Two suspected ritualists have been set ablaze after being caught with a human head at Oja-Odan, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The suspects, identified as Idowu Afolabi and Johnson Adebiyi, had earlier been arrested and detained at Oja Odan police station on Saturday.

But irate youths reportedly broke into the police cell to drag out the two suspected ritualists.

One of the youths simply identified as Adeyemi, said that the youths who were in a large number dragged the suspects to an open space in front of the police station and set them ablaze.

“The youths caught the two men with a fresh human head. The police came to take the suspects away. But about an hour later, the youths, said the killers must be dealt with immediately. That was why they mobilised themselves in their hundreds to the police station in Oja Odan.

“The youths forced themselves into the police cell, dragged the suspects to an open space in front of the police station and set them on fire,” the source said.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi when contacted, said he would issue a statement about the incident later.

Earlier on Saturday, a couple were arrested with fresh human parts at the Leme area of Abeokuta, the state capital.

And barely two weeks ago four young boys were arrested for cutting off the head of a girl for money ritual.

Odetokun3:
Allahu Akbar

The presidency has accused some Nigerian Governors of deliberately attacking President Muhammadu Buhari to distract employees of their government from monthly remuneration and pension.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who made the accusations in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, said the governors blame every bad thing in their State on President Buhari.

According to him, some of the governors, who are known for antagonizing Mr President, have no single kilometer of road in their States constructed by their administration.

Adesina opined that despite their moves to cover their failures in paying salaries and putting up infrastructures, the people of their States still hold them responsible, stressing that the citizens know where their problems are coming from.

He said, “Some Governors think they can be heroes by antagonizing the President. If they owe salaries and pensions, once the month is ending, they begin to abuse the President, thinking their people would forget the outstanding salaries and pensions. When they have not built a single kilometer of road, it is Buhari.

“When infrastructure has decayed under them, it is Buhari. When they can’t secure the lives and property of the people they govern, it is Buhari.

“They play to the gallery, thinking they will receive applause from their people. No, the only sound the people hear is the rumbling from their bellies, due to hunger. And they know where their problems come from”.

Neither the executive nor the legislature has the right to initiate amendments to Electoral Act, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof Yakubu Mamood said yesterday.

He said the slow pace of work on the reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill is beginning to take a toll on the commission’s preparation for the general election in February next year.

Yakubu spoke yesterday in Abuja at a one-day Policy Dialogue organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in collaboration with Westminister Foundation for Democracy (WFD).

He was represented by his Chief Technical Adviser, Prof Bolade Eyinla.

The INEC boss said with the new Electoral law still being awaited, the commission has not been able to come up with clear-cut guidelines for the conduct of the 2023 polls.

On who should initiate amendments to Electoral Act, he said the INEC, and neither the executive, nor the National Assembly, should initiate proposed amendments to the Electoral Act as it is being practiced in neighbouring Ghana.

“The situation at hand now is that roughly a year to general election, the anticipated laws are not yet approved, meaning that the extant one will be used aside the fact that the process has not enable INEC to come up with clear cut guidelines for the conduct of the elections,” Prof Eyinla said.

Yakubu’s predecessor Prof Attahiru Jega also expressed reservations on the delay in assenting to the reworked bill by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He flayed what he described as a growing lack of sense of urgency on the executive and the legislature to complete work on the Electoral Bill.

Warning against foot-dragging on the all-important bill, Jega said the country cannot afford to go into fresh elections next year with the same old laws.

But a Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) Babajide Omoworare told participants that President Muhammadu Buhari is desirous of signing the bill transmitted to him 11 days ago by the National Assembly.

According to Senator Omoworare, the President was in crucial consultations with the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and other stakeholders for a guide on the document.

He spoke on a day the House of Representatives said it was not the business of the National Assembly to the lobby the presidency over bills.

Omoworare said: “A very crucial consultation is going on between Mr. President, the Attorney-General of the Federation and other critical stakeholders on the content of the bill for the required assent.

“If not for this programme, I am supposed to be at that the very important meeting,” Omoworare said.

The Presidential aide noted that Buhari is inclined to sign the reworked document this time around, especially as all the grey areas raised by him in the rejected Electoral Act Amendment Bill (2021) have been attended to by the National Assembly.

“Personally, I think in few days’ time, Mr. President will do the needful since the contentious aspect of the bill, had been addressed in the reworked version transmitted to him on Monday, January 31, 2022.

“Time as it is, is of essence. But I believe that Mr. President will do the needful,” Omoworare said.

Organisers of the event corroborated Omoworare’s claim that Buhari has started consultation with relevant stakeholders. They said the AGF had excused himself from the public conversation because he was in talks with the President on the matter.

The Executive Director, YIAGA Africa and the proponent of Not-Too-Young-To-Run, Samson Itodo, who joined in the conversation virtually believed that the current document before President Buhari is good and has all the essential ingredients to enhance the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system.

He agreed with Omoworare that President Buhari will look favourably at the Electoral bill this time around and deliver it as a legacy to the Nigerian people.

In their opening remarks, NILDS Director-General Abubakar Sulaiman and Country Representatives, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), Adebowale Olorunmola, expressed confidence that the bill when signed into law, will help curb the observed anomalies in the nation’s electoral system.

Adewale1603:
people that eats snakes, you are going to hell. it is Satan, you are eating directly

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has asked Nigerians to embrace the right firefighting attitudes as there are going to be more incidents of man-made fire outbreaks as the dry season sets in.

He also advised that more rigorous awareness campaigns on fire safety and prevention should be embarked upon by the Federal Fire Service and its counterpart in the states to enhance the right firefighting attitudes in Nigerians.

Speaking on Thursday at the pulling out parade of the outgone Controller-General, (CG) of the Federal Fire Service, Dr. Ibrahim Liman, in Abuja, the minister said it is very critical for fire services across the nation to intensify advocacy campaign on fire prevention because this is the time of the year that fire accidents occur at a higher rate and most items are combustible due to the hot weather.

He noted that: “Although there are naturally occurring fire accidents, most accidents are man-made, accidentally, negligently or on purpose, (arson), and this can be prevented mostly if there is enough awareness. Nigerians should be made to know the various categories of fire and what the first responders should do before the arrival of the fire officers.”

Aregbesola recalled that the federal government has spent N10.4 billion on fire infrastructure upgrade in 2021 and some of the infrastructure includes 44 firefighting engines, 15 water tankers, 15 rapid intervention fire engines and 20 basic life support ambulances which were distributed across the states.

The minister, while extolling the virtue and legacy of the former CG, said Dr. Liman has brought about unprecedented growth and development as well as a much needed revolution in the service since he took over the mantle of leadership in 2019.

On Liman’s achievements while he was the CG, he said: “it will be on record that the expansion of the service which began in 2015 from the fitful presence in Lagos and Abuja since its inception in 1901 was brought to a head under his tenure, the FFS is proudly now in all the states of the federation.

“Under him, the service established six additional training schools totalling eight, one in each geopolitical zone. The FFS has also procured firefighting vehicles and materials at an unprecedented rate under him and commissioned aerial firefighting equipment which was the first of its kind in Nigeria and has also reduced the fire emergency response time to seven minutes.”

In his farewell speech, Liman said the successes achieved under his tenure were made possible by the support of President Muhammadu Buhari, the minister of interior, personnel of the service and the media.

Liman, who was the pioneer chief of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT) Fire Service, said his growth through the ranks in the fire service has been rewarding and worthwhile and he retires a fulfilled individual and confident that the officers he left behind are able to carry on and build more on his legacy.

He said: “I spent 17 years with the Niger State Fire Service before I was invited to start what is today known as the FCT Fire Service and I headed FCT Fire Service for 13 years. Then I was invited by the then minister of interior comrade Abba Moro, having heard of my work, to come over to the Federal Fire Service, this is how I found myself in the FFS.

“When I came on board, we had 23 trucks but as at the time I was handing over on the 30th of December 2021, I handed over 69 state of the art fire trucks. I took over 17 water tankers of 10,000 litres capacity, I handed over 32 of the same, from two ambulances to 20, 19 utility vehicles to 56 and increased our staff strength to more than 6, 000 among many other achievements such as the production of a national fire policy for the country which we never had, review of the national fire safety code, standard operating procedure and disciplinary code which are some of my last assignments.”

Meanwhile, the acting CG of the FFS, Samson Karebo, has said that it has been an honour working with the outgoing CG because he has brought to bear his wealth of knowledge on officers of the service and has trained firemen abroad in partnership with other government agencies.

He said the Federal Fire Service has received 2,845 fire calls in 2021 and has rescued 260 emergencies, saving 587 lives while 136 were lost.

He added that: “The estimated property saved is worth N18, 996. 47 trillion and the estimated property lost is N3, 045.27 trillion and the major cause of the fire in 2021 is electrical equipment related.”

Anieke77:
Zulum is an intelligent nama

Borno Governor Babagana Zulum has expressed confidence the menace of Boko Haram terrorism will vanish before President Muhammadu Buhari hands over in 2023.

He spoke with State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The Governor also disclosed no fewer than 30,000 repentant terrorists from the Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West African Province (ISWAP) groups have surrendered to the government so far.

He however clarified that the Borno Government does not offer any incentive to the terrorists to come out of the forests, stating they surrendered on their own.

Zulum disclosed that he discussed the continuing surrender of the insurgents and the case of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with the President.

He assured the security situation in Borno State has improved considerably, hoping that things will continue in that direction.


Zulum reiterated that kinetic measures alone will not end the war and therefore advised that political solution be applied.

Details Shortly…

Eminent Nigerian leaders including prominent business, political, civil society, and thought leaders have met in Lagos to address key issues towards ‘saving’ the country ahead of 2023.

The meeting witnessed the attendance of 14 current governors, 13 former governors, three former Senate Presidents, renowned administrators, captains of industries among others, to map a new consensus for national rebirth.

Under the title of “2022 Committee,” the leaders expressed that Nigeria had to be secured and united enough to confront the challenges of choosing the right candidates for the 2023 general elections.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the leaders worked in three sub-committees of National Security, The economy and Nigeria in Transition.

The statement was titled, ‘Eminent Business, Political, Society and Thought Leaders Meet in Lagos to Build Consensus for National Rebirth’.

The statement partly read: “The meetings will continue, as we work with Federal and State Governments, current and future political leaders of all political persuasions, as well as other eminent patriotic citizens, for the greater good of the Nigerian people.

“Whilst The 2022 Committee is interested in the quality of leadership that will emerge in Nigeria at all levels, we consider attempts to link the Committee with candidates or political parties for the 2023 elections as an unwarranted and unnecessary distraction – candidates are only chosen by political parties and we are not a political party.

“All the 100 leading lights of the 2022 Committee have the capacity for national leadership; indeed, amongst the very active participants in the work of the Committee are over 7 persons, from 3 or more political parties, who have already publicly declared their aspiration to lead the country but are desirous of working with other patriots for non-partisan greater national goals. We must have a secure, peaceful and united nation before we can have candidates for political offices.

“The Committee believes that what Nigeria needs today is for all patriots to come together to rescue our nation from all political, economic and security threats, and promote the unity of Nigeria. We call on all patriotic volunteers, who are willing and able, to join this collective effort to stabilise the system so we can all build a new Nigeria we can all be proud of.”

Serving governors who attended the meeting include Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Jigawa), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti).

Daily Trust gathered that former governors who were part of the meeting were Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Peter Obi (Anambra), Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto), Otunba Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Ikedi Ohakim (Imo), Donald Duke (Cross River), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun).

Two former Senate Presidents, Anyim Pius Anyim and Bukola Saraki, were part of the meeting.

From the business community, Chairman/President of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman of BUA Group, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu; Mr Femi Otedola, Mike Adenuga, Jim Ovia, Atedo Peterside, Fola Adeola and Tony Elumelu, were on the ground during the meeting.

Rugaria:
Honestly, this cold Hero enter wella..
The thing looks adorable. Straight from mortuary..
Chei

Rugaria:
Finally, a thinking head..
Once I saw that vehicle, I thought as much. It looks like they drove into a mine or ambush. But something certainly blew them off course and that was why they recorded that relative high number of deaths.

You also have to note that steadily, as a result of increased federal government militarization of the conflict in the East, the weapons being used by both parties are getting more sophisticated. The other day I saw a video of The ESN boys with what looked like machine guns. We always saw them with just AK 47 and pump action guns.. Having been subjected to intense heat by the FG, it seems they have elected to "upgrade"..

Which brings me to the issue of bad management of the crises in the east by The FG. It seems like the government simply wants to show force. There's a strong belief within the government circle that any war in the East will be dealt with violently... After all, the FG believes they won the war over there in the past. Problem with this kind of analogy is that it discountenances two important points:

1) The international and Local collaborators and allies that helped truncate Biafra are no more there. There are no more desperate and overzealous groups in the South South and middle belt eager to go and fight in the East for the fulani. Not even the British or Russia will openly join in the killing expedition as was the case in the 60s..

2) The igbos, while not being a group known for wars are always good at starting off slowly but ending at the top in almost every endeavor. You can check every field of human endeavor where the igbos "dominate" in this country and you will notice they normally didn't start as the pioneers... But once they decided to follow through with such line of work/goal, they always end up doing very well at it.

BOTTOM LINE
If you teach them how to fight, the will fight better than you in deu time...
More reason a political solution might prove to be a stitch in time..

walozanga:
Lol.. the guy really intend to shake the table

The Nigerian government is locked in a court battle with Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) over control of €180 million (£150 million) that was stashed abroad by Nigeria’s former Head of State, late Gen. Sani Abacha.

By yesterday’s official exchange rate of the British Pounds Sterling at N563, as seen on the website of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the money in contention is about N84.5 billion.

The United Kingdom’s The Telegraph reported that the case was again poised to spark fresh questions about dirty money flowing through the City of London.

In the latest legal tussle over the money, generally known in Nigeria as “Abacha loot”, the report stated that Nigeria wanted the crime-fighting agency, NCA, to release funds that it froze at the request of US authorities.

In May 2020, the federal government confirmed the receipt of $311 million looted by a late dictator, Abacha, repatriated from the United States and Island of Jersey.

According to Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, “The amount increased significantly from over $308 million to over $311 million because of the interest that accrued from February 3, 2020, to 28th April, 2020, when the fund was transferred to the CBN.”

It came after the recovery of $322 million from Switzerland in 2018.

At the time, Malami noted that the government had committed that the asset would support and assist in expediting the construction of three major infrastructure projects across Nigeria, namely, Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Abuja – Kano Road, and Second Niger Bridge.

It was estimated that from 2007 to 2020, about $1.5 billion had been returned to Nigeria from different parts of the world.

According to the latest report, American prosecutors said the money could be traced back to a suspected $2.2 billion (£1.6 billion) or more that was plundered by Abacha and his associates during the dictator’s five-year reign.

In the complex issues surrounding the repatriation of the funds, the authorities in the US sought to return the money to “the people of Nigeria”, under the so-called Kleptocracy Initiative.

But the Nigerian government was said have sought to “sidestep” the process and obtain the funds directly through an application to the High Court, in a move opposed by UK and US authorities, documents seen by The Telegraph and SourceMaterial showed.

Although Abacha died more than 20 years ago, the piles of treasure he looted from Nigerian coffers have kept cropping up, with at least $2 billion being thought to have stolen during his five years in power.

The former dictator’s spoils have been linked to dozens of offshore bank accounts over the years, as investigators unravel the intricate web he and his associates spun across the globe.

British and American authorities have been locked in talks over tens of millions of pounds of cash that investigators say can be traced to Abacha’s plundering, the investigation found.

The case, which involves a serving Nigerian politician who was one of Abacha’s top henchmen, includes cash in British bank accounts that has been frozen by the National Crime Agency.

However, the Nigerian government has brought its own legal action against the NCA in a bid to end the tussle, it has emerged.

The report stated, “It is a complicated story with many twists and turns. But the on-going struggle for ‘Abacha’s loot’ reveals the difficulty in recovering stolen funds, the frustrations of law enforcement, and the way people accused of corruption have relied on respectable law firms to argue their cases in court.”

On the modus operandi used by Abachi to execute the looting, the report stated that after seizing power in a 1993 coup, Abacha set about using his position as Nigeria’s head of state to place himself above the law and skim vast sums of money from the oil-rich nation.

In perhaps the most brazen example, he would tell advisers to make spurious requests to him for money to deal with national “emergencies”, according to US court documents.

Signed letters would then be sent to the CBN, which would provide cash, travellers’ cheques or arrange a wire transfer.

The report added, “Money was stuffed into boxes or bags and transported to Abacha’s house, before associates arranged for it to be sent abroad.

“At least $2 billion is thought to have been stolen this way, using more than 60 letters to the central bank.

“Abacha also arranged for the government to sell bonds to a company controlled by his allies before buying them back at vastly inflated prices, generating an illicit windfall of $282 million.”

Separately, the report stated that Abacha and his associates extorted French engineering firm, Dumez Group, of $97 million and used his spoils to live a luxurious lifestyle.

“Inside his many sprawling homes, he kept piles of glittering jewellery, including gold necklaces and rings, and at one stage as much as $100 million in cash,” the report noted.

However, the money Abacha and his associates plundered became the subject of an international search after the dictator’s sudden death in 1998, aged 54.

The report stated that weeks after his death, Abacha’s widow was caught trying to flee the country with 38 suitcases packed with money and his family later forfeited nearly $1 billion.

“Yet the only clues hinting at where other stashes of money could be found were a few details of secret offshore bank accounts discovered by authorities,” it said.

“Since then, the Nigerians have sought foreign help to recover as much as possible, with more than $1 billion eventually returned from Switzerland alone,” it added.

The effort has been hampered by the sheer complexity of Abacha’s dealings as well as marathon legal battles that have dragged on for years, some involving former associates.

One of the remaining cases, brought by US prosecutors, aims to recover more than $480 million, the report stressed. In just one example of the web of transactions criss-crossing the globe, they outlined in court filings how money was laundered by Abacha and his associates through bank accounts in Lagos, London, New York, Paris, Zurich, and Geneva.

The assets were stashed in banks, including Deutsche Bank, HSBC, and Banque SBA, according to the lawsuit, although there was no suggestion that the banks were involved in any wrongdoing.

The Telegraph stated, “This legal action eventually resulted in a 2020 deal to repatriate about $321 million, which had been laundered through the US banking system and then held in accounts in Jersey under the name of Doraville Properties Corporation, a British Virgin Islands company, and Abacha’s son, Mohammed.”

Meanwhile, the new development comes as Britain fights claims that it has been very tolerant of dirty money flowing through the City of London.

US officials said last month that they were concerned that deep links between the UK and several Russian oligarchs meant that sanctions issued against Moscow if it invades Ukraine could be rendered ineffective.

Last Sunday, Briish Labour MP David Lammy accused ministers of doing too little to deal with corruption in Britain.

Lammy said, “We have to fix the dirty money problem we have, this huge problem of money laundering in London, of corruption and fraud.

“There’s so much that (ministers) are not doing. Joe Biden knows it and he’s concerned.”

But simultaneously, another court tussle in the UK is happening in parallel. At stake is more than €90 million, some of which came from Abacha’s security votes fraud, according to a High Court judgement issued in 2014.

The money is said to be controlled by a Singapore-based trust set up for the benefit of the family of Abubakar Bagudu, the serving governor of Kebbi State, who is accused of playing an “instrumental role” in many of Abacha’s corrupt schemes by US prosecutors.

Bagudu has always denied any wrongdoing. His office did not respond to a request for comment, the report said.

His brother, Ibrahim, is a director of two companies known as Blue Holdings that are owned by the Singapore trust.

According to the Pandora Papers, a leaked cache of documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists last year, the Bagudu brothers enlisted Farrer & Co, an elite London law firm that has advised the Queen, to help them set up these businesses.

They moved €98 million from a British Virgin Islands trust to a new structure spanning Singapore and the Cook Islands.

Farrer & Co said it carried out “extensive due diligence” on Bagudu and that it obtained approval from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), the precursor to the NCA, to move the funds.

According to sources familiar with the case, the amount controlled by the Singapore trust may now have grown to as much as €180 million. It is kept in accounts at Waverton Investment Management and James Hambro & Partners, both based in London.

The NCA has been working with American authorities in a bid to confiscate the funds and return them to “the people of Nigeria,” the report stated.

However, the Nigerian government wants them to be returned directly to the country and the parties, including lawyers for Bagudu, have been holding negotiations about a possible settlement, court filings in the US show.

Bagudu struck a deal with the Nigerian government in 2003, in which he agreed to return a sum of money but made no admission of wrongdoing, and the agreement was reaffirmed by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018. What this means, according to the report, is that almost 70 per cent of the UK money could be handed to Bagudu if returned.

Court filings showed the Nigerian government subsequently sought to unlock the funds and repatriate them in legal action against the NCA – a move that was opposed by the UK and US.

The country hired Kingsley Napley, the London law firm famed for representing a host of celebrities, including Rebekah Vardy, to represent it. The firm and the NCA both declined to comment, the report noted.

The report quoted Spotlight on Corruption, a non-profit campaign group, as saying that the case raises questions about whether, “law enforcement is being paid and resourced enough to get its act together”.

It accused the NCA of having effectively “cleaned” the money by approving the transfer to Singapore and warned against returning cash to Bagudu.

However, Jonathan Benton, a former NCA senior detective who now runs consultancy Intelligent Sanctuary, said the case also underlined the sheer complexity of efforts to reclaim Abacha’s loot.

Benton stated, “I care passionately about tackling corruption and it is important we hold people to account.

“But it can be a challenging and drawn-out process and sometimes you have to be pragmatic. In those situations, the law allows you to negotiate. It is repugnant. But Nigeria desperately needs the money that Abacha stole.”

Kyase:
before unko

Kyase:
I'm not in the mood

Anago55:
Only a party determined to lose will field Yoruba candidate

Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum and Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) on Tuesday warned that any party that fields a northern candidate in the 2023 Presidential election will lose.

Governor Akeredolu disclosed that governors in the southern part of the country under the auspices of the Southern Governors Forum are determined to ensure that the next president comes from the south.

The Governor spoke in his office during a courtesy visit by members of a group, Power Rotation Movement, led by its Chairman, Dr Pogu Bitrus, who also doubles as the Chairman, Middle Belt Forum.

Other members of the group include the Co-chair, Rtd. General Collins Ihekire, representing the Ohaneze Ndigbo; National Organising Secretary of Afenifere, Abagun Kole Omololu; representative of Yoruba Council of Elders, Hon. Ayodele Oni; National Publicity Secretary of Afenfere, Comrade Jaye Ajayi; National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Hon. Ken. Robinson; and Comrade Kennedy Iyere, National Coordinator of Power-shift Movement & Forty Million Ballots (a movement being driven by the Youth) among others.

Governor Akeredolu, who said those pushing against the power rotation in the country are tinkering with the existence of Nigeria, added that he believes in one fair and equitable Nigeria.

Governor Akeredolu said, “In about two or three meetings, we have come out and declared that power must move to the south. Only a party that is determined to lose will field a northern candidate. You are now a movement of members of political parties coming together. What we stand for is fair and equitable power rotation. The only thing fair is that after eight years in the north, it should come to the south.

“Some of us believe in one Nigeria that’s fair and equitable. We have a reason for it and it can be defended. Some people have argued that the presidency should be based on competence. Are they saying there are no competent ones in the south?

“My brother governors from the south, all of us are determined. Whosoever we pick, for as long as it is south, we will support him. We are saying the president must come from the south. There are people who merit it in the South-South, South-East, and the South-West.

“I also support your approach. If you are able to mobilize the youth and do not allow the election to be rigged, then we will win. You should also get our women to support us.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the movement, Dr Pogu Bitrus, explained to the governor that the movement is passionate about power rotation to the south.

“We are passionate believers that power should rotate in this country and should move from the north to the south. We launched the 40 million ballot movement. That’s the sensitization of the youth. We launched it for our youth to key in.

“Leaders in the south and middle belt met in Abuja and agreed that power should rotate to the south, that the middle belt and the south should move against any party that fields any candidate outside the southern part of the country,” he said.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, yesterday, disclosed that a prima facie case had been established against suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari over allegations levelled against him by the United States government in the fraud case involving an internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly called Hushpuppi.

Malami, who spoke during an interview on Channels Television, noted that multiple jurisdictions were involved in the matter, including the United Arab Emirates, America, and Nigeria. He added that though investigations were still on-going, the possibility of extraditing the officer was high.

The attorney general also claimed that the number of convictions the administration had so far secured in the fight against corruption clearly established that a recent report by Transparency International had no basis.

Malami explained, “There are lots of considerations that are on-going, including the possibility of extradition and that is why the collaboration element comes in. There could be a need for extradition.

“As far as I am concerned, parties are discussing; we are collaborating and there are exchanges of correspondence. Reasonable ground of suspicion has been established and that will eventually translate into prosecution and eventual conviction.

“The position now is that there are prima facie grounds, reasonable grounds for suspicion have been considered from the perspective of prosecution, from the perspective of extradition if the need for it arises.”

Malami also addressed the question of terrorism sponsorship and assured Nigerians that nothing would be hidden in terms of names, associated facts, and circumstances.

According to him, “Work is in progress and nobody has been taken to custody arbitrarily. In a couple of weeks, these people will be charged to court. In a number of weeks, we will have something tangible. I am a man of honour, not out of pride, but when I make promises, I keep to them.”

Malami rejected the Corruption Perceptions Index 2021, which ranked Nigeria 154 out of 180 countries and territories, putting the country back five places from the rank of 149 in 2020. He said before the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, Nigeria had only about 103 convictions in corruption cases between 2013 and 2014. He said the number had moved to 2,000 convictions in 2021 alone in cases brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The attorney general stated, “Today, as of the end of 2021, EFCC has recorded over 2,000 convictions. So, if you are talking of the year in, year out empirical evidence as it relates to the performance of our institutions, one single institution (EFCC) has established the point that there is no basis by which Transparency International report can stand.

“When you juxtapose the report of the Transparency International with that of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which is more universal and are the best for assessment.

“As far as we are concerned, when you are talking of Transparency International compared with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), then, the answer as far as we are concerned is UNDOC stands clear.

“The fact that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has been commended and rated as the champion of anti-corruption established a point that there is no basis, no foundation, no justifiable ground and, indeed, to the standing platform upon which Transparency International could stand. We have been acknowledged to be doing very well by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).”

The minister insisted that the fight against corruption could only be assessed by the number of prosecutions and convictions, saying the fact that EFCC could records, over 2,000 convictions within a year showed that the present administration has done well in the fight against corruption.

Malami also dwelt on the alleged delay in the prosecution of high profile cases, saying, “As far as the present administration is concerned, delay of cases does not arise. If you are looking at it from the perspective of the legislative framework, we are enforcing provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, as in day-in-day-out prosecution of cases.”

Citing the the case of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, Malami stated that once the matter had been subjected to court, the delay in the prosecution could not be blamed on the presidency, adding that it is exclusively a judiciary affair.

“We have taken steps to provide the legislative framework; we have taken steps in due diligence of prosecution of cases, which as a result of multiple convictions within a span of a year, is a clear pointer that we have indeed promised and delivered,” he said.

However, on the case of former EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, the Malami said, “It’s a work-in-progress,” addeding, “The report of investigation, having been received, it is only logical to allow the agents of the government to do what they are supposed to do for the purpose of arriving at a certain position.

“The idea of political persecution does not arise but due process. We allow the institutions to do the needful with a view to arriving at a final decision.”

On money recovered at an Ikoyi building some years ago, Malami said, “I have to refer back to record,” stressing that, all the monies that had been forfeited to the federal government were part of the funds used to support the budget.

Malami stated, “In our budgets of 2020, 2021, and 2022, we have a component of budget servicing that relates to recovered assets. So, if there has been a final forfeiture order relating to that money, it may have been applied to service the budget.”

Speaking on the failure to disclose names of those allegedly sponsoring terrorism, he said, “Prima facie case or reasonable suspicion seems to have been established, eventually, prosecution will take place,” assuring that nothing would be hidden in terms of names, associated facts, and circumstances.

He said, ”Work is in progress and nobody has been taken to custody arbitrarily. In a couple of weeks, these people will be charged to court. In a number of weeks, we will have something tangible. I am a man of honour, not out of pride, but when I make promises, I keep to them.”

The issue of Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu also came up and the minister said, “We will allow the law of the country, where he (Igboho) is being detained to take its natural course. Perhaps, thereafter bring him back after the conclusion of his trial over there to face the Nigerian law that has been breached.

“We are not interfering with his on-going prosecution at the foreign land. A political solution can only be considered after the conclusion of his trial at the Benin Republic. We cannot rule out any possibility in terms of prosecution. In our laws, there are lots of possibilities.”

Malami refrained from debating the Electoral law, saying it would be premature for him to comment on it, as a copy of the Amended Electoral Bill only got to his office yesterday (Monday).

He explained, “I have not taken steps to review the content of what has been presented for consideration. So, it is premature and pre-emptive for me at this moment to arrive at any conclusion, taking into consideration that I have not seen what it contains and analysed it in accordance with the constitution.

“Certainly, if I am not satisfied and if I am of the opinion that it is against the public interest and against the dictates of the democratic process, I will advise accordingly. One thing I can tell you is that, we are all interested in leaving behind a legacy – a lasting democracy – a democracy that accommodates the collective interests of the Nigerian state and advances the national interest,” he said.