₦airaland Forum

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied claims that its investigations into financial crimes in Benue state is a stunt allegedly scripted by Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren in a statement on Sunday said its attention has been drawn to a syndicated article by Senator Babafemi Ojudu, special adviser to the President on Political Matters entitled, “Fifth Columnists in Our Recent History.”

Uwujaren noted that the EFCC took exception in the article where Ojudu portrayed the Commission as a conscript in the plots by Senator Bukola Saraki to undermine the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ojudu stated in his article that, "From the shenanigans at the Benue House of Assembly, to the siege on National Assembly, the attack on judge’s home in the night, the so called barricade of the Senate President’s house.

“The laughable kidnap of Boy Dino and “his eleven hours on a tree’, the freezing of Benue and Akwa Ibom accounts all are scripted, produced and acted by Oloye Productions,” he added.

Uwujaren, however, noted that, “the Commission takes exception at the attempt to impute false motive to its investigative activities.”

He said “The recent placement of a 'Post No Debit Order' on some accounts in Benue and Akwa Ibom States were the culmination of many months of painstaking investigation activities.”

“To reduce such activities to the level of a stunt in a real or imaginary script by any politician is outrageous,” he added.

He said, “It is important to state that the EFCC is not a party to the so-called script by Saraki. Members of the public should disregard the innuendo in Ojudu's article as it is unfounded.”

“The Commission calls for circumspection on the part of political leaders, while urging them to seek clarification before making comments on matters they do not know about,” the EFCC stated.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/efcc-not-part-of-any-saraki-script.html?m=1

House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, is biding his time to switch from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) because his future party does not currently enjoy a comfortable majority in the chamber, The Nation gathered yesterday.

It was also learnt that the Speaker and PDP lawmakers are considering the adoption of the method used by Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal when he was the Speaker ahead of the 2015 elections.

During that period, Tambuwal covertly romanced with the opposition while clinging to his leadership position nominally on the ticket of the PDP.

Sources said Dogara has already accepted the terms offered him by the PDP, including a return ticket to the House in 2019 and retention as Speaker if he is re-elected.

It is understood that Dogara has completed 95 per cent of the defection formalities.

“I can tell you that Dogara has not defected because he is trying to adopt the tactical style of ex-Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. He is waiting till the last minutes before defecting,” a source familiar with his plan said yesterday.

“The Speaker is being diplomatic in his approach because he does not enjoy a comfortable majority in the House, and with the way the APC is going about its desperation to sack the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Dogara, he has to manage the House terrain very well.

“Even the Deputy Speaker, Lasun Yusuf, is not yet with Dogara on the defection. The situation in the Senate is not the same as the House.

“Dogara is already using this period of recession to reach out to members and build consensus.

“So far, the Speaker has completed all the defection processes which can be put at about 95 per cent. All his followers in Bauchi State have defected to PDP. They are only waiting for their leader.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “The PDP has accepted all the terms of Dogara bordering on a return to the House and the retention of the office of the Speaker if he wins his re-election.

“It is left to him to decide on when he will formally join the party. What I am sure of is the fact that he might defect on or before the PDP primaries of which date has not been fixed.”

When contacted, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Mallam Hassan Turaki, was not forthcoming on the fate of his boss.

The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) stipulates that party primaries be held between August 18, 2018 and October 7.

Apparently to beat the INEC timetable and accommodate prospective defectors, the leadership of the PDP has relaxed the time frame for new members to contest elective positions in the general elections.

The opposition party, in anticipation of high profile defectors into its fold, had scaled down the deadline from 180 days to 30 days. Even at that, the party has also made provisions for waivers to allow members contest elections in less than 30 days of joining the party.

Expectations about the Speaker’s imminent defection have reached a feverish pitch at the national headquarters of the PDP, even though none of its top officials was ready to comment on the matter yesterday.

A member of the House of Representatives from the Southeast said yesterday that “the transfer widow in the Nigerian political league season is gradually drawing to a close and every player, including Dogara, is fully aware of this fact. He is only tidying up the loose ends.

“He may be worried about other consequences of his eventual defection or a backlash from the APC,but certainly not about the security of his position of as Speaker.

“Let me make it clear to you that any call for Dogara’s impeachment after his defection would be overwhelmingly defeated because a good number of members among our colleagues in the APC will vote against it.”

Another Rep who requested anonymity said Dogara’s loyalists in the APC and PDP will ensure that he remains Speaker after his defection.

“These days, both PDP and APC supporters are having regular consultations and Speaker Dogara’s base has widened beyond what it was when he won the speakership election.

“There is no unusual delay in his plan to leave the APC; it is just that consultations have to be done at different levels of the PDP, including discussions with members of PDP National Working Committee , National Executive Council and various intra-PDP structures.

“He (Dogara) may not be in a hurry until after the resumption of plenary in September.

“While it may be confirmed that Dogara is leaving for the PDP, his deputy, Honourable Lasun who lost his governorship bid as a result of intra-party conspiracy in Osun state has opted to remain in the APC.”

Asked about the likely consequences of Dogara’s defection in his Bogoro/ Dass /Tafawa Balewa constituency in Bauchi State,a source close to him said his popularity remains very strong, adding that no matter what platform he chooses to contest, he stands a good chance to win.

The source said:”his constituency of Bogoro/ Dass /Tafawa Balewa comprises a Christian majority but they are a minority within the predominantly Muslim Bauchi state.

“The traditional rulers in the three local government areas have emphatically told other politicians in the area that no other aspirant will get support to contest for Speaker Dogara’s seat except he decides not to return to the Green chamber.

“Thirdly, his senatorial district comprises six local government areas and even the state governor may need Honourable Dogara’s support for his candidate to succeed.

At present, the APC still holds a majority of 192 members in the House of Reps, closely followed by the PDP with 156.

APGA has five; ADC -four; Accord Party -one; SDP -one.

There is one vacant seat.

To remove Dogara as Speaker,240 members which is two-thirds of the members of the House must be in support of any such move.

APC has confidence in him, says Oshiomhole

However, APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said yesterday that he and the party have confidence in Dogara.

“The APC as a party and myself as Chairman, we have confidence in Hon. Dogara. I have had very useful interactions with him,” he said at a press conference in Abuja.

He added:”we have had a couple of meetings. He has shared with me in trust, his concerns that have to do with issues in Bauchi state and I have taken steps to address those issues to the best of my ability and I have shared with him that I am excited that we are getting very positive results. So, Hon. Dogara has no problem whatsoever with the APC and he did not do anything similar to what Senator Saraki did.

“He emerged as Speaker and he also ensured as a patriot that an APC member emerged as Deputy Speaker. He was not so desperate as to mortgage that position to PDP in order to cling on to his speakership. He knew the difference between personal interests and his party interests.”
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/defection-dogaras-dilemma.html

File Photo

Members of the Kwankwasiyya group in Plateau State on Friday, trooped to the secretariat of the People’s Democratic Party in Jos where they declared support to the party and vowed to work for the success of the PDP in the 2019 general election.

Members of the group, draped in the symbolic white attire and red cap were led by the Kwankwasiyya State Coordinator, Tokji John.

John told Daily Trust that, “we visited the State Party Chairman, Hon. Damishi Sango to declare our support to the PDP in Plateau State. We were received warmly and we have assured the party that we will go to the various local governments and wards to start mobilisation because we would give our massive votes to the PDP.”

He said it took the group this long to declare its support to the PDP because most of the group’s state exco were members of the All Progressives Congress and therefore, they needed to make consultations before taking a stand.

He said “43 out of the 45 members of the state exco are now fully with us in the PDP, except for two persons who are yet to join to us."
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/plateau-kwankwasiyya-group-declare.html

Diplomats from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) marked its 51st anniversary and the 3rd ASEAN Film Festival at the Philippines embassy on Wednesday in Abuja with native cuisines and film show.
ASEAN comprises 10 countries in the Southeast Asian region, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The event was graced by Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, government officials, diplomats, and members of the media, among others.

ASEAN was established in 1967 as a platform to reduce regional hostilities, has grown into a community that mutually seeks to accelerate regional economic growth, said a statement issued to commemorate the anniversary.

The group also seeks to promote socio-cultural cooperation and harmony, protect and maintain regional peace and stability, and encourage the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts.

“Through initiatives undertaken by ASEAN and its partners, the southeast Asian region has overcome conflicts and tensions and, despite the ethnic and religious diversity of the region, has embraced moderation, tolerance and understanding.

“ASEAN has also transformed southeast Asia into a region of resilient economic growth and sustainable development and may perhaps eventually help shape the political, economic and security architecture in the broader Asia Pacific region,” the statement added.

“We need to expand the joint commission to include the representatives of culture industry. That will be a bridging block for greater cultural engagement.”

The four-day festival featured screening of films comprising Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia.

The film festival seeks to promote greater awareness about the peoples and cultures within ASEAN as well as to strengthen bridges of friendship and understanding between the peoples of the region and Nigeria.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/asean-marks-51st-anniversary-film.html

Mynd44 lalasticlala

The Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria will represent Nigeria at the Entrepreneurship Action and Us (ENACTUS) World Competition in the United State in October following the emergence of its team as the overall winner of this year’s national competition in Lagos last Thursday.

A statement in Zaria yesterday by Director, Public Affairs Directorate of the institution, Dr Ismaila Shehu, said over 36 countries were expected to participate at the tournament to take place at Silicon Valley, San Jose, California.

The ABU team that participated in the Lagos tournament, according to him, was led by Usman Suleiman Waziri and Paul Onaji under the supervision of ABU ENACTUS Faculty Adviser, Professor M K Aliyu.

The ABU team won the Lagos tournament on account of its project on an artisanal mining community in Bagega village in Zamfara State where several children and adults lost their lives due to lead poisoning as a result of the gold mining activities around the area.

The team intervened by developing a water filtration mechanism which provides clean water to the community as well as evolving a Jathropha Integrated Energy Scheme through the planting of jathropha trees for remediation of the contaminated soil.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/abu-to-represent-nigeria-at-enactus.html?m=1

Lalasticlala mynd44

The national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olu Falae, on Thursday blasted the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) for its penchant for illegality and urged Nigerians to boot out the party come 2019.

Falae stated this during the grand finale rally of the candidate of the SDP for the Lokoja/Kogi by-election, Ahmed Imam, held in Lokoja, the state capital.

Falae also condemned the declaration of the seat of the former speaker of the Kogi state House of Assembly vacant by the APC-controlled assembly for dumping the APC for SDP.

The former speaker recently defected to the SDP to contest the bye-election occasioned by the death of the former majority leader of the House of Representatives, Buba Jubril.

He urged the people of Lokoja in particular and Kogi, in general, to demonstrate their support for the former speaker by voting against the APC on Saturday.

Falae noted that Imam fulfilled the prescribed conditions that are spelt out in the constitution before defecting to another party.

“That is another evidence of illegality, arbitrariness and malice. The law says you can change party if your party is in crisis and factions have developed within the party.

"His party was APC but today we have APC and R-APC, two factions, the conditions for defection legitimately have been fulfilled.

"He exercised his right to leave a party in factions and joined SDP, so it is illegal, criminal and unconstitutional for the house of assembly to declare the seat vacant, we shall take them to court and the court will deal with them.

“I want to urge the people to turn to the SDP; that is the new party that all Nigerians are looking up to save them from corruption, incompetence and anarchy.

"A government ruled for 15 years, they messed up and we all clamoured for change in APC and they are far worse than PDP. So, we urge Nigerians to turn to SDP, a party that has a wonderful manifesto and leaders who are unimpeachable, so the people of Kogi should start on Saturday and the whole Nigerians will follow", he said.

Addressing the crowd after receiving the SDP flag, Ahmed Imam urged the electorate to give their supports to him and the SDP, promising not to let them down.

He advised the electorate not to allow anybody buy their conscience with money but should exercise their franchise freely.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/apc-thriving-on-illegality-falae.html?m=1

Max Air has resumed the airlifting of pilgrims from Katsina state after it replaced a faulty plane.

The airliner's 5N-DBK aircraft developed a fault after it failed to airlift the fourth flight of intending pilgrims from the state.



The pilgrims had to disembark from the faulty plane and a new plane was brought in after 2 hours delay.

The arrival of the plane with registration 5N-ADM was greeted with joy after pilgrims had waited for over 8 hours waiting.



Details later...
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/hajj-2018-airlift-resumes-in-katsina-as.html

Mynd44 lalasticlala

Nigeria international, Ahmed Musa is expected in Saudi Arabia in the early hours of Friday for his unveiling by Al Nassr.

Musa who became the toast of several clubs all over the World after doing well after the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia ended his two-year reign with Leicester City to join Al Nassr for a fee of £14 million.



“#ALNASSR new Nigerian player Ahmed Musa @Ahmedmusa718 will arrive at King Khaled Int’l Airport, Riyadh on Friday 2:20 am, welcome to Saudi Arabia,” read a club statement on its website.

Musa who scored two goals in Russia became the first Nigerian to score more than once in a FIFA World Cup match, after scoring twice against Argentina at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

While on loan with CSKA Moscow last season, Musa scored six goals in 10 appearances
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/al-nassr-to-unveil-musa-on-friday.html?m=1

Lalasticlala mynd44

The Boko Haram insurgents yesterday, killed a staff of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) John Iliya in Damasak, Borno state.

Sani Datti, NEMA's Head of Media and Public relations said in a statement on Thursday that the late Iliya was an excavator operator attached to the military.

According to him, the Director General of NEMA, Engr. Mustapha Maihaja and the management staff have been thrown into mourning following the staff's death.

Though, he did not state how the staff was killed, he said the DG has dispatched a team to Maiduguri to facilitate the return of his remains to the family.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/boko-haram-kills-nema-staff.html

Chris Giwa at the NFF secretariat in Abuja today.

Chris Giwa and his executive committee have retaken the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) office in Abuja after the Department for State Security (DSS) withdrew its operatives from the premises.

It will be recalled that the Giwa group is locked in a power tussle with the Amaju Pinnick-led faction.

An official of the Giwa group said: “We are back in control of the secretariat.

“The acting general secretary, Emmanuel Ikpeme, is here and so are the other board members.”

It was learnt that Pinnick and Mohammed Sanusi are away in France at the 2018 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/chris-giwa-retakes-nff-office-as-dss.html

Former Senate minority Leader, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday pledged to take the people of Akwa Ibom state and the South South to the centre for meaningful visibilty.

The 55-year-old former governor of Akwa Ibom formally defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) at a mega rally held at the Ikot Ekpene township stadium.

He told the huge crowd that he decided to join APC because he discovered that President Muhammadu Buhari “is a man of integrity and a nationalist’’.

Akpabio said that he decided to join a party that would sweep away poverty and impunity.

He said that he joined APC to help salvage the country.

“The country is at war and all the hands must be on deck to salvage the situation and not to aggravate it.

“As keepers of national emergency, everyone should put heads together. I decided to join to emancipate the people and provide succour for the people.’’

He said that the PDP of today has no vision and the leadership is replete with arrogance.

Earlier, the Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC), Mr. Nsima Ekere, said that change had come to Akwa Ibom and SouthSouth.


He said that Akwa Ibom has joined the progressive states because the people were dissatisfied with the long misrule of the PDP.


He said that Akpabio built the people and provided them with infrastructure but the present PDP government was a failure.


Ekere said that the people have agreed to re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

http://surecontents..com/2018/08/why-i-dumped-pdp-for-apc-akpabio.html?m=1

Senator Godswill Akpabio



Senator Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday revealed that he has no intention to be the Senate President but he has the intention of becoming what God wants him to be.

The former Senate Minority Leader in an interview on Channels Television’s political programme, Politics Today, explained further the reasons behind his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I don’t have any intention of becoming Senate President today. But I have the intention of becoming whatever God wants me to be. My name is Godswill and I believe in the will of God.

“During my campaign, consistently, I told the good people of Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria, ‘Let God’s will be done.’ I believe so much in the will of God and the will of man.

Akpabio, who was a former governor of Akwa-Ibom State under the PDP, said some of the reasons behind his defection to the APC was that the PDP had no ‘reward system for members who toiled for the party.’

“The Chairman of PDP is shocked, he thinks I am moving against the tide but I am not. The problem with my erstwhile party, the PDP, is that they didn’t have a reward system.

“For some of us that have stayed with the party and toiled with the party, there was no reward system at all. I can’t imagine people who destroyed the party in 2015 just merely signifying their intention to return to the party and then we roll out the drums and with so much pomp and pageantry we now celebrate them as heroes of democracy and not destroyers of democracy. They say they are back, I wonder what they are coming to do in the party.”



Akpabio, earlier on Wednesday, announced his defection from the PDP to APC. This was at a rally organised by the APC to welcome him into the ruling party in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed; National Leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu; National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole were among those present at the rally.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/i-have-no-intention-to-be-senate.html?m=1

A founding member of the Kano State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Builder Abdulkadir Yusuf, has urged the people of the state to bear with the current ‘unacceptable situation’.

Yusuf, a PDP governorship aspirant, claimed that the state which was the industrial and commercial hub of the nation is now a shadow of itself.

He said the state is in need of an urgent rescue operation to put it at par with its contemporaries in Nigeria, promising to pursue the mission immediately if he becomes governor in 2019 on the platform of the PDP.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/2019-kano-people-should-exercise-little.html?m=1

Lalasticlala mynd44

The pungent compound 6-gingerol, a constituent of ginger, stimulates an enzyme contained in saliva -- an enzyme which breaks down foul-smelling substances. It thus ensures fresh breath and a better aftertaste. Citric acid, on the other hand, increases the sodium ion content of saliva, making salty foods taste less salty. To find out more about food components, a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Leibniz- Institute for Food Systems Biology investigated the effects of food components on the molecules dissolved in saliva.

Many food components contribute directly to the characteristic taste of food and beverages by means of contributing their own particular taste, scent or spiciness. However, they also indirectly influence our sense of taste via other, still largely unknown biochemical mechanisms. A team led by Professor Thomas Hofmann from the Chair of Food Chemistry and Molecular Sensory Science has now investigated this phenomenon in greater detail.

6-Gingerol ensures fresh breath

As the results of this study show, the pungent principle of ginger, the so-called 6-gingerol, makes the level of the enzyme sulfhydryl oxidase 1 in saliva increase 16-fold within a few seconds. The saliva and breath analyses carried out on human volunteers show that the enzyme breaks down malodorous sulfur-containing compounds. In this way, it is able to reduce the long-lasting aftertaste of many foods such as coffee. “As a result, our breath also smells better,” explains Prof. Hofmann, who headed the study. The mechanism discovered could contribute to the future development of new oral hygiene products, says the head of the Leibniz- Institute for Food Systems Biology at the TUM.

Citric acid reduces our perception of saltiness

According to the study, citric acid influences our perception of taste through a completely different mechanism. As everyone knows from personal experience, sour foods such as lemon juice stimulate salivation. The amount of minerals dissolved in saliva also increases in proportion to the amount of saliva.

According to Prof. Hofmann, the sodium ion level in saliva rises rapidly by approximately a factor of eleven after stimulation with citric acid. This effect makes us less sensitive to table salt. The food chemist explains: “Table salt is nothing other than sodium chloride, and sodium ions play a key role in the taste of salt. If saliva already contains higher concentrations of sodium ions, samples tasted must have a significantly higher salt content in order to taste comparatively salty.”

Hofmann believes that a great deal of research still needs to be done in order to understand the complex interaction between the molecules in food that create taste, the biochemical processes that take place in saliva and our sense of taste. Using a systems biology approach, Hofmann aims to develop a new scientific basis for the production of food with component and functional profiles that satisfy the health and sensory needs of consumers. To this end, he and his team are combining biomolecular research methods with high-performance analytical technologies and bioinformatics methods.

Source:www.sciencedaily.com
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/ginger-reduces-bad-breath-study.html

As Amina Dahiru, 19, cuddles her new born and heaves a sigh of relief, it is the first time in close to a fortnight that she would display such emotion.

Amina had been shattered since Monday 9th July, 2018 when her husband Isuhu was killed during the bandits’ onslaught on Tabanni Village, where 38 others were also killed in the attack that forced thousands of residents to flee their abode..



It was Amina’s first pregnancy and she was very close to delivery of their baby when she lost her spouse and companion.

Amina is one of the 32 women who had put to bed as at August 2, 2018 when Daily Trust Saturday paid a visit to the Gandi IDP camp, which is providing shelter for over 4,000 displaced persons from Tabanni and other villages affected by the bandits’ attack.

Saratu Murtala, 25, also put to bed after the horrendous attack.

A heavily pregnant Saratu, with her two children, was among throngs that fled the village and trekked several kilometres to safety.

Saratu gave birth in the early hours of Wednesday 18th July 2018, nine days after the bandits’ assault.

Her husband says they will celebrate the birth of their child when they return to the village after normalcy is restored.

The arrival of the new babies has brought a sort of sparkle to the camp where many only had gory tales to share on how family members were mercilessly killed.

For Baliru Shuaibu, a housewife from Kursar Gabirawa, it is her third child. Though her face lit up as she spoke about the birth of her baby, she lamented: “My new baby gives me joy but I feel unhappy that I delivered in a crowded environment instead of the usual calm setting of my home. Look at where I am lying down with people - both male and female, passing by every now and again. I am supposed to be confined to my room where even my husband cannot disturb me.”

She misses the comfort she enjoyed at home after childbirth: “I have this nagging abdominal pain which I never experienced during my previous child birth at home, I need my constant hot bath and spiced kumu which is necessary for the baby to have regular flow of breast milk.”

At the camp clinic situated opposite the Model Primary School Gandi, medical personnel were placed on 24-hour service, and any case which proved difficult was referred to Primary Health Care Centre in Gandi, and in rare cases, to Sokoto.

The Deputy Director, Health of Rabah Local government who is in charge of the clinic, Sani Shehu Gandi, said that all the 32 women were successfully delivered of their babies. “We are still expecting more,” he added. Fifty-four pregnancies have been recorded in the camp.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/32-newborn-babies-bring-smiles-to.html

NPF: We’re not partisan

A common perception among Nigerians is that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is often used by the government as a tool to intimidate political opposition elements. Many believe that the force appears to be entangled in the political contest for power between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

First established in 1820, the NPF was set up to protect officials of government. During the colonial period, the police was working mainly to protect officials of the native authority. Initially regional, it transformed into a centralized force, and has evolved into the primary law enforcement agency in the country.

The NPF became embroiled in the recent political battle in Benue State, shortly after Governor Samuel Ortom defected from the ruling APC, to the opposition PDP. The state government on Wednesday 1st August 2018 submitted a petition to the Police Service Commission (PSC) over alleged bias in the crises over the leadership of the State House of Assembly and the defection of the governor from APC to PDP.

Daily Trust Saturday gathered that the letter written by the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Michael Gusa, asked the PSC to call the police to order. Dated 31st July, 2018, the letter demanded that the PSC intervene and direct the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Benue State, to withdraw officers and men from the illegal invasion and sealing up of the assembly complex.

Gusa explained: “The affected lawmakers took out an action in the High Court of Benue State and secured an order of interim injunction restraining the police from sealing the complex or interfering with the functions of the new leadership of the House.” He said the Police have disobeyed the Court order hence the need to seek the intervention of the Commission.

Trouble started when some members of House of Assembly, following Ortom’s defection, impeached Speaker Terkimbi Ikyange.

The police were said to have aided eight members of the House, led by the impeached Speaker, access the assembly chambers where they kickstarted the process of impeaching Ortom.

The police are also accused of bias in the alleged blockade of the Maitama residence of Senate President Bukola Saraki, following an invitation to appear before investigators over alleged involvement in the now-infamous Offa bank robbery, in Kwara State. Media, traditional and social, became awash with reports of the incident.

Shortly after the invitation, Saraki it was gathered went off the radar, instead of appearing before police interrogators. Through a statement, Saraki accused the APC of being behind the police invitation. He stated that the invitation to report to a station in Guzape, Abuja, over the Offa robbery investigation was an afterthought designed to achieve political purpose.

“The police have obviously corrupted and politicized their investigations into the Offa robbery incident. They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents,” Saraki said.

Police spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood said, “We are not partisan, we are not a political party, we are just doing our job. People should differentiate between politics and criminal matters.”

Moshood explained that suspects arrested over the crime indicted Saraki. “He wrote a letter, and later made statement under caution, and investigation is ongoing, so we are not political.”

The police spokesman added: “We did not blockade his house; the vehicles there were not police vehicles.”

On Benue State, Moshood said there is heightened tension there because one group impeached the Speaker and another issued impeachment notice to the governor, so the police had to seal up the assembly complex to maintain law and order.

Andrew Braimoh, the Media Commissioner on the Board of the PSC, noted that occasionally there are complaints about the political bias of the police. He said the PSC received a petition from the Benue State Attorney-General over police conduct. He said the Commission is going to invite all persons and authorities involved in the matter.

Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), said police over the years have been accused of being partisan. “Professionalism, ethics, and code of conduct of security agents have been substituted to loyalty to individuals that control this sector. Today it may be APC being accused of doing that, before it was PDP, it has become the character of politicians to use the security sector to achieve their own interest,” he added.

But Rafsanjani noted that the police should not spare people because of their status, as that would make their actions look like witch-hunts.

Retired Air Commodore Yusuf Anas is the Executive Secretary Centre for Crisis Management. He said over the years, police delve into issues bordering on political interest, and serving some interests directly or indirectly. “I think in the interest of democracy, there is need to allow institutions to function according to the laws establishing them,” he said.

Isa Sanusi, Spokesman of Amnesty International Nigeria, said: “In 2014 and 2016, Amnesty International released reports on state of policing in Nigeria, focusing attention on brutality and other forms of ill-treatment of suspects.” He said AI’s priority has always been asking the NPF to abide by laws in carrying out its responsibilities.

“Nigerians have freedom of association, which guarantees that no one shall be intimidated for his or her choice of political party, or whatever,” Sanusi added.

Okechukwu Nwanguma, National Coordinator the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN) said there is serious cause for concern about the survival of democracy when security forces are manipulated. He noted that the police are used to frame allegations against the heads of other arms of government in a bid to harass, blackmail, and attempt to whip them into line in political interest.

Nwanguma said there is every indication, from the actions of security agencies, that institutions of state are being used to pursue blatant partisan political objectives in ways that undermine their credibility and neutrality, which will foster long-term damage to these institutions.

From all indications, Nigerians remain divided on whether the NPF is a political force, or an apolitical one.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/police-neck-deep-in-politics.html

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday said his health made the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to postpone his planned interrogation over allegations of financial misdeed.

Ekweremadu said no interrogation took place Wednesday, neither did he have high blood pressure as reported by some section of the media.

He said after reporting at the commission on Wednesday, he told them that he was not feeling well, and after a confirmation by the EFCC doctor, he was allowed to go and attend to his health until a new date was fixed for the interrogation.

A statement by Ekweremadu’s Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, in Abuja yesterday described the reports as “mischief and orchestrated media trial”.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/ekweremadu-no-high-blood-pressure-over.html