₦airaland Forum

[size=15pt]Igbo community crisis in Kano threatens security[/size]
National News Sep 1, 2009 By AbdulSalam Muhammad

KANO - The Kano Police Command has declared that the festering crisis among the various factions of Igbos residents in Kano posed serious security challenges to the peace and stability of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Baba Muhammad told newsmen in Kano, against the backdrop of accusation of partisanship leveled against the security agents by factional leaders of Igbos, that the steps taken so far was in the interest of all.

Igbos in Kano have been enmeshed in bitter intra-political struggle between various elements of Igbo extraction resident in the commercial city culminating in the coronation and counter-coronation of two indigenes of Anambra State as the Eze Igbo in the state.

Vanguard recall that the feuding group had, two months ago, engaged themselves in free-for-all in Sabon Gari area of the city. Scores of peiople were injured during the fracas forcing the Police to shut down the community secretariat.

Muhammad dismissed as baseless, callous and frivolous allegation of police partisanship in the crisis, stressing that the outburst by Leonard Nwosu’s group was ‘reckless’ and ‘provocating’.

He, however, stated that the police command is conscious of the cosmopolitan nature of Kano, stressing that they will not compromise anything in the cause of maintaining law and order.

He warned that the police will apply the necessary measures to forestall the crisis from degenerating further. He asked the Igbo leaders to live in peace and adopt dialogue in resolving the crisis that is threatening the peace of the state.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/09/01/igbo-community-crisis-in-kano-threatens-security/

[size=15pt]Man of God ‘desecrates’ Ogboni shrine
[/size]
By Ben Ezeamalu

August 31, 2009 11:13AMT


A mild drama ensued on Sunday afternoon at Orile Bus stop on the Lagos-Badagry expressway, after Ezinwanne Samuel Nwafor, who claimed to be sent by God, tore a red and white cloth used to decorate a tree alleged to be the shrine of the Ogboni cult and set it ablaze.

“Last week I heard the tree can speak, that it cannot allow the people building the road to work. So I said OK. I didn’t come here out of my own power because with my own power, I cannot do anything,” said Mr. Nwafor.

When he arrived at the tree site around midday, he meticulously stripped the tree of the cloth and used a match stick to set it on fire, to the shock of the gathered onlookers.

He then proceeded to preach the word of God to the crowd, who were still coming to terms with what he’d just done, on the need to repent from idol worship.

“It is the God in heaven who created the tree, even though there are people worshipping it,” he said.

A shocked crowd

The crowd that gathered at the expressway and on the Orile bridge could not believe what they were seeing.

“This is unbelievable! For this man to actually burn this thing, he must truly be a man of God,” said Paschal Nwoke, an onlooker.

He said for the past few weeks, the tree had been affecting business activities in the area as most people closed their businesses before 8pm to avoid being used as a sacrifice for the tree.

In a previous NEXT report about the mysterious tree, residents alleged that about 25 persons will be needed as sacrifice before the tree can be pulled down and while one sacrifice had already been provided, the search for the remaining 24 was still ongoing.

While other structures and buildings surrounding the tree have been demolished, the tree had remained standing.

And then came the tree worshippers

Mr. Nwafor was in the middle of his sermon to the bewildered crowd when a group of young men stormed the scene of the incident and were preparing to lynch him.

One of the men began asking him who sent him and why he was trying to pull down their god, but Mr. Nwafor quickly cut him short.

“My brother, there is no other god apart from the Almighty God. If not that the people refused to give me cutlass, I would have cut this thing down. The tree has no power.”

That was the last thing he said.

Blows began to descend on him as the young men proceeded to tear his clothes.

“How can he come and destroy our place of worship? He must not go scot free,” said one of the men, his eyes already spitting fire.

The preacher was, however, saved by the timely intervention of police officers from the nearby Orile Police Station.

A police officer from the station, Audu Anthony, refused to say what will become of the man of God.

“The DPO (Divisional Police Officer) is not around and so we will wait until he comes,” said Mr. Anthony.

“There is no need to touch the man,” said an elderly worshipper of the tree, “he will die within seven days.”


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5451017-147/Man_of_God_%E2%80%98desecrates%E2%80%99_Ogboni_shrine.csp

[size=17pt]EFCC: Gani Appeals Waziri’s Appointment[/size]
By Davidson Iriekpen, 08.31.2009

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Human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, has appealed the suit he instituted at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the appointment of Mrs Farida Waziri, as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdullahi Mustapha, had in May this year, dismissed Gani’s application challenging President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s appointment of Waziri to head EFCC on the ground that he lacked the locus standi to do same.
But Gani, in his grounds of appeal filed at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, said Justice Mustapha erred in law when he held that he did not have the locus standi to maintain the action.
He said the cause of action in the case deals with violation and interpretation of provision of Section 3(2) of the EFCC Act No1 of 2004 and that he, contrary to the holding of the judge, showed sufficient interest in instituting the suit, because the cause of actions centred on violation of the EFCC Act which is an Act of the National Assembly.
The human rights lawyer said as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, it was his duty to defend the Constitution of the country and all other laws enacted based on the oath of office he took. He also argued that he is a citizen who pays his tax, a registered voter, founder and former national chairman and presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP).
Gani further argued that before he instituted the suit, he had written a letter dated Monday, June 2, 2008, on the third Respondent (the Senate), protesting against the violation of the EFCC Act, adding that by the doctrine stare decisis, the judge was bound by the decision in Gani Fawehinmi vs President (2007) FGN 14 NWLR (Pt 1054) 274 cited to him and ought to have ruled in his favour than shutting him out.Among other grounds which Gani faulted the judge was that there was evidence that the former chairman of the commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, had not been removed as required by the EFCC Act at the time of the appointment of Waziri.
He also argued that there was evidence that Ribadu’s re-appointment was at any time terminated by the president, adding that at the time of the appointment of Waziri as tenure as chairman of the commission, Ribadu had not expired and therefore, no vacancy existed.He therefore asked the appellate court to set aside the judgment and grant him the reliefs sought.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=153137

wonder shall never end

[size=20pt]United Nations honours for Nigeria Police
[/size]

Monday, August 31, 2009


IN a country suffused with bad news most of the time, it is a breath of fresh air to learn that our police have performed excellently in Liberia. At a well-attended ceremony in that war-torn country, the United Nations decorated 120 Nigerian policemen and women serving in peace-keeping roles in that country. They were awarded medals for their 'meritorous' service in international peace-keeping.

Noting that Nigeria has a heavy and important footprint in the Liberian peace process, the Head of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, Ellen Margrethe Loj, extolled the high performance of Nigeria police officers in complex tasks, including anti-crime patrols, cordon and search, stop and search, rescue operations, crowd control and riot dispersal operations. She pointed out that the widely accepted view in UN diplomatic circles is that in the area of peace-keeping Nigeria stands 'head above shoulders' in promoting peace and conflict resolution in Africa and in the global arena. The 18 female officers among them were especially commended for their tenacity, hard work and resilience. They were told that their exemplary behaviour has served as an inspiration for young Liberian women to take up a career in policing.

Both the Nigerian military and the Nigeria police have been noted for their abilities in bringing peace to war-stricken parts of the world. The Nigeria police have participated in about 20 peacekeeping roles since 1960. Between the two forces Nigeria ranks fourth or fifth in the world among the 130 UN contributing countries for peacekeeping. Although our forces were often not well provided for in terms of equipment, transport and logistics, accommodation, proper recreational facilities, and allowances, they nevertheless carried out their duties with remarkable determination and resourcefulness.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/editorial_opinion/article01//indexn2_html?pdate=310809&ptitle=United%20Nations%20honours%20for%20Nigeria%20Police

This is what u get when u bring in a Sudanesse trainned banker to come head the country's Apex bank at a critical time such as this.

boko haram

Does it matters to Nigerians if man landed on the moon and drink coffee in the solar mantle of the sun.

This is politics section, we are talking about 70% of Nigerians living below the poverty line on less than $1 a day, who cares if they landed outside the milky way

[size=20pt]nobody cares if Idiadgon is a red indian[/size]

Nawoa , so bro micheal dey smoke igbo

[size=15pt]THOSE WHO DESTROYED NIGERIA[/size]


Today, it is this burning desire to see Nigeria work again after 24 years of rudderless leadership that informed my decision to name those who were instrumental to this rot in the land. IBB started the mess in 1985 when he toppled the government of General Buhari, even though it was a military government. I decided to leave General Buhari out of it because of two reasons: His government was the most disciplined. He tried to change our bad habits by force. Two, since he left government in 1985, Buhari has demonstrated through actions and deeds that he has character, honour and integrity. The seizure of power in 1985 by IBB was unnecessary and uncalled for. His reasons for seizing power was personal and not progressive, it was bordered on greed and lust for power and not the desire to serve the fatherland. His eight years rule democratized corruption and corrupted our democracy. It was during his tenure that the term subversive generosity crept into our
> lexicon. It was during his eight years of misrule that the words ‘settlement culture’ crept into our political lexicon. IBB lied to Nigerians that he will hand over power in 1990 to civilians but failed. He lied again in 1991, 1992, and 1993 until he was disgraced out of office in 1993 without the grace to read his farewell address, after annulling a free and fair elections won by Chief Moshood Abiola. That singular incident took Nigeria back by 20 years and today 16 years after, the nation is still paying the prize of that criminal annulment.
>
> If Chief Abiola had ruled Nigeria, perhaps Nigeria would have been different today. But IBB was not alone. The Tony Aninihs, David Marks, Olusegun Obasanjos, Ojo Maduekwes, Orji Uzo Kalus, Babagana Kinjibes, Abdulsalami Abubakars, Ebenezar Babatopes, General Abachas, Olu Onagoruwas, Arthur Nzeribes, Abimbola Davis, Jerry Okoros, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwus, Ibrahim Mantus, Nduka Obaigbanas, Justice Ikpemes, Augustus Aikhomus, Tom Ikimis, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasukis, Ooni of Ifes, Sam Mbakwes and countless number of others of this world worked in tandem with him to destroy the genuine and free and fair democratic process that would have moved Nigeria to take her prestigious seat in the comity of nations.
>
> Today, if according to EFCC, Nigeria has been looted blind to the tune of 17 trillion Naira, it is because these men mentioned above living or dead compromised and sacrificed the future of Nigeria for a mere mess of porridge. One of them David Mark, one of the principal actors in the years of the locusts is the President of the Senate today. A man that said telephone is not for the poor could not have been rewarded with such exalted office.
>
> Former President Obasanjo who said Chief Abiola was not the Messiah became the greatest beneficiary of the criminal annulment. If Chief Abiola had not won the election, stood his ground until he was murdered Obasanjo would not have been President. The same annulers ganged up to make Chief Obasanjo president after killing Abiola for no just cause. These are people Dr Tunji Dare described as “ A long line of Nigerian rulers from Babangida, Abdsalami Abubakar, through Ernest Shonekan and Sani Abach who suborned the institutions and instrumentalities of the state to persecute and ultimately destroy citizen Abiola, his wife Kudirat not sparing his global business empire all because he won an election”
>
> For eight years Obasanjo was in power, he was at war with everybody. Anambra State, my own state was ruined for 8 years Obasanjo was in power. As I write this piece Chris Ubah and his brother Andy Ubah made by Obasanjo are still ravaging the State, sponsoring all kinds of atrocities to rubbish the government in power. Today you hear of kidnappings and armed robberies in Anambra State, and I say perish the thought, we have seen it before. It is all about 2010 guber elections. But the truth is that elections must be won and lost in a free and fair election. They tried to steal our mandate in 2003 and 2007 and we resisted it. In 2010, we will equally resist the predators and criminals come what may. Those who ruined our yesterday cannot be the ones to repair the damages. Those who ruined our yesterday cannot control tomorrow’s potentials. These are people who have eaten their own cake, ate the ones for their children and they are now eating their grand
> children own. Our country is what it is today because of what these people have made it. To them politics is not for development, it is for personal gains. The clueless gang sees themselves as the owners of Nigeria and they enjoy inflicting pains on all of us. The destroyers of our common patrimony are in government, they are in the banks, they are in oil industry, they are in the National Assembly and we know them. They are ones who refused to reform our electoral process.
>
> We have seen what leaders do in other climes and woe betides anybody who thinks we do not know those who put us in this mess. We are living witnesses to those who rigged themselves to power after killing and maiming innocent and hapless Nigerians. 80% of the sitting Governors in Nigeria today did not win the elections. 80% of people in National Assembly stole their way to the exalted positions. The Ohakims, Yagudus and others of this world who are moving to PDP, therefore inflicting pains and creating crisis within the Party that brought them to power should know that we are taking note of their activities. Only foolish leaders will ignore the sufferings of his people. If you are privileged to travel to other countries especially those of them that were in the same level with Nigeria in the 60s, 70s and 80s you will feel like gathering Nigerian leaders together and have them destroyed. Anger will choke you for our collective failure.
>
> For the avoidance of doubt, the purpose of this piece is to remind those who destroyed Nigeria that we know them very well. Former President Obasanjo forced contractors to abandon the Otta flyover in order to construct the roads leading to his Bells University. Now ask yourself: what type of leader will subject millions of his subjects to unwanton and untold hardship because of a private agenda? It is only a totally debased and deranged person that can do this. More than 5000 Nigerians died for this democracy, many of them lost their limbs for it, while some others lost their means of livelihood for it and yet our emergency leaders behave as if we know nothing. The day of judgment cometh!


Joe Igbokwe
Lagos

Igbokwe Joe <nationalvision@ yahoo.com>

Kidnapping in the east is the revolt of the oppressed
The Orbit Aug 30, 2009

By Obi Nwankanma
SOUTH-Eastern Nigeria has finally, fully collapsed under the weight of years of neglect and containment. It is now a no-go area for any one who treasures safety.

Increasing kidnappings and a high rate of other violent crimes reflect the terrible truth, that the East has become ungovernable.

There is in fact very little government in existence. We certainly have sitting authorities in place, but they are at best, symbolic and mostly engaged in a circus: the visual elements of power: sirens, billboards, the occasional empty speeches – just the circus.

The situation in Eastern Nigeria today is the most important signifier of the rapid siege of the civic space that will eventually envelope Nigeria if we fail to heed the signs and act urgently.

The South-East of Nigeria is an important flashpoint and an indicator of where we may eventually end up: the absolute collapse of the regulatory power of the state and the rise of the atomized spheres of influence and the dangerous, unmanageable frontier.

Any honest and courageous visitor to the East will certainly feel the skepticism among the population about the meaning and value of government in their lives. People are alienated and do not feel themselves part of a civic order.

There is a massive sense of insecurity. Marauders roam the night, and seize the day, kidnap people, and foment siege on the social landscape of the East. There is massive divestment. Increasingly folks are moving their families and businesses out of the East.

This human divestment impacts on new investments in the East. This is a dangerous situation, but it has its roots in the 1970s when the federal government of Nigeria, as part of its vicious post war policies against the Igbo squeezed the East of much needed economic development, containing its industrial capacities, and restraining its expansion in a move that led eventually to the collapse of its economy through capital flight.

Aba ’s industrial belt collapsed.
Onitsha’s commercial growth was repressed. As a result of the policies between 1983 and the end of the military regime in Nigeria, and particularly the regime that came to the fore from 1984 till it stepped aside, the East experienced the greatest moments of neglect, capital squeeze, and infrastructural decay.

Military governors sent to the East, including those who were Igbo military officers, often thought their assignments to the East was a continuation of the civil war by other means. Their mandates, it seemed, was not to develop the East, but to slow it down.

It was precisely the mindset that led then Brigadier Ike Nwachukwu who was appointed military governor of the old Imo State in 1984 to take one good look at the industrial projects and the development plan that the late Dr. Sam Mbakwe had embarked upon and declare them “white elephant projects,” and went into the business of dismantling them; in effect destroying the emergent base of the post-war economic resurgence that would have saved the East and expanded opportunities.

Those projects he could not dismantle, he privatized and sold off, like the Paint and Resin industry in Mbaise and which now equally lies prostate. What he did not complete by way of depredation others finished. For example, Captain Joe Aneke’s government dismantled the Izombe and Amaraku Power Projects, the first independent power project in Nigeria embarked upon by any state and established by the Mbakwe government through international loans.

Indeed by 1980, the South East of Nigeria had the vastest investment in local machine tools industry in West Africa and would have entered the phase of an industrial revolution by 1987, a fact noted by the research economist Tom Forrest, of St. Anthony’s College, Oxford, in his fascinating book, The Advance of Capital: The growth of Nigerian Private Enterprise in 1980.

The question that people ask is: what happened to all that industry and enterprise? We know its sum effect: economic and civic degradation, and a certain desperation that has led to terrible unemployment, cynicism, and crime. Citizens of the South Eastern Nigeria ignored military rule, hoping to wait it out, and restore a civic leadership that will revamp the East. That was not to be.

They have not been allowed, since the so-called return to democracy, to elect their true leaders, and they have lived under something of a Carthaginian mandate since 1983.

The result is that leadership remains lax, unresponsive, alienated, flatulent and unimaginative. Hear the current governor of Abia State, and I quote from a recent newspaper report: “It would be unfair for people to compare the level of development in the South-South states or Lagos with that of the state” he (T.A.Orji) said, adding that deductions were still being made at source from state’s monthly allocation.

“If I get half of what they get, you will see wonders. For instance, we received N2 billion last month. We spent N1.4 billion on workers’ salaries. How much development projects can the remaining N600 million execute?

“They gave me N205 million as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for last month, this money can’t even cover asphalt for a 12-kilometre road. Yet people expect me to do magic and unfortunately, people don’t pay tax here.”

This is, I’m sorry to say, the lamest gubernatorial excuse of all time. The governor infers that Abia is insolvent and incapable of generating self-sustaining revenue.

If that is so, let us then declare Abia bankrupt and dissolve the state, and cede it to a more solvent state, like Rivers State.

But of course this kind of leadership and its thought process that is full of impotent excuses has unraveled the beast in the East: an angry army of unemployed, unemployable, impoverished young men and women, who have seen that there is nowhere else to go, and nothing else to do but to live by their own wit.

These are easy recruits to crime. They have nothing to lose. This state of mind- the fatalism of discontent- is at the roots of the upsurge of kidnappings and other violent crimes in the East of Nigeria.

The rich and the powerful are now moving targets in the East. The scope and geography of these criminal operations will spread nationwide, inevitably. That is the nature of the beast.

We better be very wary because the revolt of the oppressed and the restless is terrifying and it’s well nigh by our doorsteps.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/08/30/kidnapping-in-the-east-is-the-revolt-of-the-oppressed/

"Saw the wealthy philanthropist in handcuffs and almost cried. He is a very popular man and fuji Musician Wasiu Ayinde once praise-sang his name. . I wont mention the name."

Instead of the police to properly investigate the matter tracing the source of the amala and the precessing process, they wont bother. Instead they would throw the man in cell, distort the case and suck him dry.

His faith depend on who he know or how rich he his. No justice

na wao

[size=17pt]Five Die, 20 Unconscious After Eating Amala[/size]
Olalekan Olabulo, Lagos - 29.08.2009

ABOUT five people were reported dead in Lagos on Friday morning after taken amala for sahur, while 20 people were unconscious. It was gathered that the people converged as early as 5.00 a.m. on the house of a philanthropist (name withheld) situated at Owode area, Ajah, Lagos State, to observe their mandated early morning breakfast known as saari.


Saturday Tribune gathered that other food consumed by the people who trooped to the place were semovita, rice and eba. According to a reliable source, those who took other food aside amala were hale and hearty.


The source also stated further that those affected most were motorcyclists, who besieged the resident on a daily basis to take their breakfast since the beginning of this year’s Ramadan.


It was gathered that the affected people started complaining of stomach pains when they were about to pray after the meal. But before they could be rushed to the nearby hospital, five of them had died, while others are still responding the treatment.


The source said further that a woman, her two children and an old woman were among the victims who are still receiving treatment in the hospital.


When contacted, the Lagos State Police Command image maker, Mr. Frank Mba, confirmed the incident, adding that investigation was going on to know the source of the incident

http://www.tribune.com.ng/29082009/news/news5.html

Nigger is dead

it would be a breath of fresh air

Nigeria is the hope of the hopeless
and the faith of the faithless

nigerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

"redeem church is an expression of Nigeria", poster

kidnappers can lay claim to a share of the national cake too

politicians get it by corruption
criminals get it by kidnapping

Welcome to the new Nigeria

[size=15pt]Kidnappings: How safe are Nigerians? [/size]

Before the forceful capture of foreign oil workers in Nigeria by the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) commenced in 2005, the act of kidnapping was an alien act. Not a few Nigerians thought that the illegal act would fizzle out as soon as government tackled the problems confronting the Niger Delta crisis. With the commitment by government to resolve issues that gave birth to the crisis in the oil-rich communities, kidnapping was soon to be a thing of the past. Over four years since the first case of kidnapping was reported, it has become a cherished act by criminals and is slowly being transformed into a cherished art for economic survival.

According to the Deputy Force public Relations Officer (DFPRO), Mr Yemi Ajayi, the police have recorded that between the years 2005-2008, over 1,756 cases of kidnapping recorded across the country. The breakdown of the total figure indicates that in year 2005, 798 cases were recorded, while in 2006, the figure dropped to 372. In 2007, the number of kidnap cases recorded dropped to 277 and rose to 309 in 2008. In the first seven months of 2009, according to police authorities, 512 Nigerians were kidnapped.

A leader of MEND, Prince Estela Harry, told Peoples Daily that the commencement of kidnapping in the country can be traced to the demand for justice by Niger Delta youths. Harry, who is popularly referred to as the ‘godfather,’ said that economic impoverishment and the despoliation of the environment were some of the reasons behind kidnappings in the Niger Delta. Blaming politicians for the saga, Harry said that politicians in the region should be held responsible for the act.Frontage of Optimum Pleasure Hotel: Where the council bosses were abducted.

"Before election, these politicians use these boys to scare their enemies and when they get into public offices, they simply change their numbers and refuse to pay the boys what they promised them. What do you expect the boys to do: They fight for survival and do anything to keep body and soul together," Harry said.

Four years after introducing kidnapping in the political lexicon of the nation’s history, other regions have come to embrace the concept. Addressing a press conference recently, Minister of Police Affairs, Dr. Ibrahim Lame said that about 512 Nigerians were kidnapped in the first seven months of 2009. These figures, the police minister lamented, represented a frightening rise in the cases of kidnappings and reiterated government’s commitment in tackling the problem.

From statistics made available, in 2008, the total number of persons kidnapped was less than 340 persons, with about 3 persons killed by the captors. The kidnapping of 512 and total deaths of about 30, according to Lame, indicate a rise in number of people engaged in perpetrating the criminal activities of kidnappings.

Though kidnapping was introduced by militant youths to demand a fair share in the region’s wealth, criminals have seized on the opportunity to kidnap prominent Nigerians and their relations for payment of large ransoms. Government sources revealed hat with government crackling down on the activities of oil bunkering which provide revenues to militants, armed gangs in the Niger Delta have resorted to kidnapping for ransom payments as their source of incomes. In the past seven months, several kidnappings in the oil-rich regions have taken place and they include , among others: the shooting to death on January 29 of an 11-year-old daughter of a Royal Dutch Shell worker and the abduction of his 9-year-old son. The militants later released the boy one week later; the kidnap of a Canadian woman on April 16 in Kaduna who spent two weeks with her captors; MEND kidnapped 15 crew members after hijacking tow cargo ships on May 14. In most of the kidnappings, ransoms were paid except the Kaduna saga where the security agents stormed the kidnappers’ hideout and rescued the victim.

The recent kidnapping of two local government chairmen in Kogi brought to the fore that the criminal abduction of persons for ransom payment is not an exercise exclusive to the Niger Delta. The chairman of Igalamela local council was forced to cough out N30 million to secure his release and that of his wife. The payment of N30 million as ransom, according to findings by our reporter who was on the trail of the council boss, is generating controversy among councilors of the local government.

The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji, told Peoples Daily in his office that the abductors came to the Kogi from a neighbouring state, adding that there had never been a case of kidnapping in the state.

"Before anything, you need to trace where the kidnappers were coming from and where they started their operation", he said. He said that from the police preliminary investigation, the kidnappers came from Ondo State, passing through Ado-Ekiti to Itakpe and Ibilo before arriving at Kabba.

The Kogi state Police commissioner has blamed the high rate of kidnapping in the country on youth restiveness, saying that there was need for rapid development of rural areas for the engagement of unemployed youths.

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), ACP Emmanuel Ojukwu, told Peoples Daily, that the former Inspector-General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro, before his retirement, had introduced a draft bill to criminalise the offence of kidnapping in the country.

The PPRO who said the intention of kidnappers is not to kill a human being, but extort money from them, advised Nigerians not to rush into paying ransom to them, but instead liaise with the police.

He stated that the police have been intervening in kidnap cases to rescue the victims, saying, "in concert with other security agents in the country, we have been rescuing kidnap victims without paying a kobo to these criminals and we’ve been arresting and prosecuting them. So why give your money to a band of criminals."

Nigeria’s Nollywood actor, Chief Pete Edochie, who was recently kidnapped at Onitsha but released by his abductors called on government officials to abstain from displaying obscene wealth.

Speaking on a Raypower interview last week, Edochie appealed to government "to listen to me now. Let them address the situation of things in the country. The young men who are not gainfully employed should be entitled to social security; at least, each week, let them be given some stipends to cater for basic fundamentals to sustain life."

As the spate of kidnappings continues to increase with the passing of each day, not a few Nigerians are looking up to the security agencies to step up efforts to curb the security threat posed by the kidnappers. More worrisome, incessant kidnappings by youths in various parts of the country prognosticate greater challenges on the part of the nation’s security.

With the Niger Delta militants engaged in seize fire, following the amnesty declared by President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, can the security agencies rise up to the challenge of confronting the criminal abduction of Nigerians for ransom payments? Only the passage of time can tell.

http://www.peoplesdaily-online.com/index.php/news/national-news/16-national-news/3736-kidnappings-how-safe-are-nigerians

[size=15pt]LGA pay N30 million to kidnappers[/size]

The rising wave of kidnappings, hitherto a Niger Delta phenomenon, has become a national problem defying a quick fix. Despite efforts by security agencies to battle criminal groups engaged in kidnappings, hardly a week passes without a news report of Nigerians being abducted by militant gangs. In this special report by Musa Simon Reef, Jamila Nuhu Musa, Martin Paul, Josephine Ellah and Esther Elegbe, the country's security comes under threat, as security agencies are caught napping in confronting the activities of criminal engaged in abductions for ransom payments.

When Mr. Ernest Abba, chairman of Igalamela local government, arrived the Optimum Pleasure Hotel, located among thick bushes along Obajana-Kabba road in Kogi State for a meeting with his colleagues, he never knew the dilemma that would confront him shortly. In a dare devil attempt, some youths with sophisticated weapons stormed the hotel and kidnapped him and Mr Ropo Asala, the chairman of Yagba West Local Government.

By the time the ordeal was over, Abba was forced to spend N30 million to secure his release and that of his wife. The dusk sparked off by Abba’s kidnapping is yet to settle, as councillors of the council are sharply divided over the legality of using council’s money to pay the ransom demanded by his kidnappers.

A source told our reporters that the decision to use council’s funds were arrived after the chairman agreed to the captors’ demand of N30 million for both the chairman and his wife. Political office holders in the local government, according to our sources, frown at the decision because the kidnap saga was politically motivated based on insincerity and unfulfilled political promises.

Following the kidnapping of Abba, councilors have deserted the secretariat, and most of the offices locked. A source at Igalamela secretariat said Abba has not shown up in his office since he was kidnapped.

Effort to reach Abba was in vain when Peoples Daily visited his residence at 35 Odolu Road, Idah in Kogi State. Five men, including an armed mobile policeman, barricaded the entrance to his house. One of the men, who claimed to be the head of his personal security, told our reporters that the council boss had travelled out of town with his wife.

http://www.peoplesdaily-online.com/index.php/news/national-news/16-national-news/3736-kidnappings-how-safe-are-nigerians

the guy is sleeping

[size=18pt]Umaru and the well-digger [/size]
By Salisu Suleiman

Digging a well is a difficult and dangerous activity. By extension, professional well-digging is a hazardous profession. One has to dig a tubular canal straight into the earth. Air is scant, breathing difficult and sunlight dim.

Sometimes you have to dig through hard rocks. At other times, the soil is either too loose or too muddy. People on the surface cannot see what you are doing nor appreciate your difficulties. Yet in the midst of all these, you have to continue to dig down in the belief that you will strike water.

That is exactly the conundrum Umaru is caught in. He believes (or seems to think) that he is digging a well of development. But after two years of waiting, Nigerians are tired. When, in the aftermath of the most rigged election in the history of democracy, Umaru, the Recluse was sworn-in as President, it was a resigned nation that watched the charade as it unfolded.

Umaru promised to do away with the culture of impunity and to declare a state of emergency in the power sector. He promised to improve education, agriculture and transportation. He promised to tackle corruption. He publicly declared his assets. As politicians come, Nigerians believed he was a lesser evil. So against our better judgment, we gave him a chance.

Now, the cautious optimism has given way to despair, and a state of resignation. What Nigerians see today is the picture of a president that is shattered and defeated. His much taunted performance as governor has wilted in the face of real challenges. If he is a ‘performer', he is yet to get his acts together. If he is against corruption, he is yet to look in-house.

Today, the impression one gets is that this well-digger has been overwhelmed by the task at hand. Accepted, he came in with a deeply provincial outlook; his health is even at the best of times, fragile; he was staggered by the enormity of power at his disposal and he was haunted by the crises of legitimacy over his election. But these are no excuses.

After all, he was not forced to accept the job. Nigerians are yet to see water from the well he is digging. He has dug so deep that we cannot see him anymore, or even hear him. A huge quantity of debris has been thrown up. Billions of dollars have been thrown down. But we are yet to see a drop of water.

Despite his election pledge, the power situation is worse. Buying, selling and servicing of generators is big business. Today, the public university system has shut down and education is not better off, despite the hopes of many that the former teacher would understand the challenges of the sector.

There have been no meaningful developments in agriculture, except the N200 billion being ‘loaned' to ‘big time' farmers. In what ways would this create employment for the millions of jobless Nigerians? It does not require a genius to surmise that these so-called big farmers are politicians taking their share of the cake.

So it is business as usual in Nigeria. The hope and anticipation have faded. The Niger Delta issue is unresolved. The pogroms and subsequent cold blooded murder of Boko Haram members are indicative that human life is cheaper than ever. In the name of the rule of law, Nigerians are being slaughtered.

Hundreds of Nigerians die every day on our so-called highways; the same ‘fox' who refused to ‘fix' our roads has been sent to ‘fix' our ports. Our refineries are still comatose. NITEL is still a major public embarrassment. Is it to be sold or not? Even ‘go-slow' dey move!

President Obama's visit Ghana is indicative that no one takes us seriously. It has taken Hilary Clinton to tell some bitter truths. Ghana has had four presidential elections, with the party in office losing power twice without loss of lives and property. Conversely, elections in Ekiti, one of Nigeria's smallest states were an unmitigated disaster.

Every day in the news, it is the story of one corrupt practice or another. The economy is drifting without direction. The public sector is as usual clueless, except when it comes to devising novel ways of diverting public resources. The stock market has well and truly collapsed. The banking industry has been proven to be another fraternity of bandits. Moral authority is fundamentally fractured.

Despite all these, our Well-Digger in Chief wants us to believe that all is well. Mallam Umaru has been at this task for more than two years. But we are yet to see a drop of water; just junk and detritus. But it is not the amount of debris that a well-digger churns out that measure success. It is how quickly he strikes water.

Nigerians have been waiting for two years, but we are also beginning to get that sickening feeling again that in our country, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Maybe the man has fallen asleep in the well!

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/Blogs/5447167-182/Umaru_and_the_well-digger__.csp

[size=15pt]EFCC engaged in futile showmanship [/size]
By Ruona Agbroko

Lawyers across the country have described as ‘hasty’, ‘misdirected’ and ‘publicity-seeking’ moves by the chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Farida Waziri, to relocate to Lagos and unleash a debt recovery team on individuals and companies indebted to the five stressed banks whose management were recently sacked by the apex bank.

The EFCC had disclosed that, following the expiration of its ultimatum to the debtors yesterday, 100 operatives of the agency were being added to the 250 already in Lagos, while an extra 40 mobile police officers would join in the task of investigating and prosecuting debtors.

However, lawyers who spoke to NEXT yesterday unanimously said by acting as a debt recovery unit, the agency had derailed.

Jiti Ogunye, head of the Lawyers League for Human Rights, said “the recovery of money is secondary. That is not the primary reason why the EFCC should be interested in these cases. If a financial crime has been committed in getting these loans, if the debtors pay within a deadline, does that mean the person has not committed a crime? The EFCC is engaged in showmanship and an odious game of spontaneity.

It now has a penchant of just gate-crashing, arresting people and charging them to courts with no jurisdiction to hear these cases. They do not follow through on the cases. They are content to leave it at this stage so long as there are screaming headlines saying EFCC is working.”

Crying wolf

The EFCC’s recent press statements and news reports on the issue also received some flak.

Mr. Ogunye said the agency’s motives were less than honourable. “This is blue-collar crime, perpetuated over a period of time. By law, the EFCC is supposed to be getting reports from its financial intelligence unit on these banks. Where was EFCC when these people were going to the capital market, giving or taking these huge loans that created huge holes in the system? The questions Nigerians have to ask is: why did the EFCC have to wait for the CBN to uncover this before it jumped in the fray?

If the EFCC really wants to act, it should be more proactive and give up this showmanship.

Bamidele Aturu, a legal practitioner, said the EFCC would be better off showing more civility in its dealings. “The EFCC must not take the laws into its hands. The courts are there to resolve these matters. The courts themselves must not become instruments to avoid repayment of loans which people took from the banks.

Chinua Asuzu, an attorney and rights activist, said the frenzy by the EFCC would prove counter-productive. “The fact that one is not paying a loan to the bank is not a crime. It is only when there is deliberate collusion to avoid paying the loans and loans are distributed less than honourably, that there has been crime. In this respect, the EFCC is being very hasty in the arrests.

Some of the misconducts that have been committed by the banks are in the region of civil law. Though there are incidences of criminal behaviour, you don’t start with arrests. They have to start with finding out who are the culprits and determine the level of culpability. Their business is to determine and punish crime not enshrine banking ethics.” Mr. Asuzu added that in its haste, the EFCC had neglected to consider the costs of prosecuting these cases against the monies to be recovered, as the final implications of these investigations would still be borne by taxpayers.

Mr. Ogunye disclosed that the EFCC may have already begun to pay for its failure to adequately prove criminal intent in the disbursement of the bank loans, as senior lawyers were headed for the courts and obtaining orders against the EFCC on the grounds that individuals were being detained unlawfully, beyond 48 hours. “Waziri is saying they are looking for others so they can prosecute all these cases together. I forsee the EFCC being swamped by more of these orders”, he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5449947-146/EFCC_engaged_in_futile_showmanship_.csp

You are very funny.

Its not funny, its the reality. Anytime you hear about riot in the Muslim north, Almajiri are the foot soldiers who loot, burn , maim and kill innocent victim. They have no conscience, no care, no past , no future, nothing. Abandoned by their parents and family, abused by the scholarship system, they are angry and violent; and seek to destroy everything in their path.

[size=20pt]Almajiri[/size]

What does "almajiri" mean?

Almajiri - ( Hausa word) street urchins who beg for alms on the street. They are mostly children taking away from their parents in a different town under the guardianship of a cleric to study Quran in another town. Due to acute poverty, no provision is made for their welfare and they are exposed to elements and crime.This children spend most of their time begging on the street than learning the Quran. The money they make during begging is taking back to the cleric malam. Technically, they are slaves to the cleric. Due to lack of welfare and medical care, most of the children are abused, ended up with a lifelong ailment or death.

After learning the Quran - Islamic jurisprudence, history and culture, they graduated without learning any practical skill, therefore they ended up doing all sort of manual unskilled jobs like, shoe shiner, Guards, truck pusher petty traders. You hardly see them in skill jobs like carpenter, welder, mechanics.

This almajiri form the bulk of talakawa (poor people) in the far north making up more than 70% of the population. This phenomenon explain some of the acute poverty in the north. Attempt by the government to change the situation were met with stiff and brutal resistance from Muslim clerics. They form breeding ground and over supply for groups like boko haram.

Whenever there is riot in the north, the almajiris form the bulk of the urban guerrillas who unleashed senseless violence on innocent victims. They are poor, angry and have nothing to lose.

Beggers should come together and form a union so that their interest can be well protected

this is strictly an anti Hausa policy.
how can you ban begging when its obvious Hausa's has no other thriving industry except begging PLC.

What do you expect all the Director generals, high and middle ranking officers and almajiri of begging PLC to do.
hope they wont go and form another boko haram

we ve got no problem, its business as usual

Why does she want to be a Nigerian citizen? Even Nigerians don't want to be citizens. And you mean to tell me you couldn't bribe anybody at the NIGERIAN IMMIGRATION, to push her citizenship application through? LOL.

tire me o, see me see trouble.
trouble dey sleep yanga go wake am