₦airaland Forum

The Anambra State Police Command says it has neutralised a suspected gunman during a gun battle with miscreants in the Igbo Ukwu/ Ezinifite Uga area of the state.

The command’s spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement released on Monday, disclosed that the police encountered the armed men at about 11:30 pm on Sunday during a routine patrol of the area.

According to Ikenga, the men engaged in a gun duel with the police but were unlucky as the police killed one while others fled the scene.

He said, “On 29/9/2024 by 11:30 pm, the police-led security force, while on patrol within the Aguata LGA, got information of suspected armed men sighted in a black-coloured Prado Jeep along the Igbo Ukwu/Ezinifite Uga axis.

“The operatives, on an offensive approach to the scene, engaged the armed men in a gun battle and demobilised one of the miscreants while others escaped.”

Ikenga added that exhibits such as AK 57 rifles, armoured vests and criminal charms, among others, were recovered, adding that a clearance operation had commenced in the area.

“Also, the security forces recovered two AK 47 rifles, one pump action gun, two magazines loaded with live ammunition, 15 live cartridges, one black Prado jeep with two different plate numbers, two police body armoured vests, three face caps, one black handbag and different types of criminal charms.

“Meanwhile, clearance operations are still ongoing, further details shall be communicated,” the statement read.

On September 7, the Regent of Oba community in Idemili South LG of the state, Noel Ezenwa, and residents have condemned the attack on the Oba Police Divisional headquarters and the Oba Civic Centre.

Recalled that some yet-to-be-identified gunmen, in large numbers, attacked the Oba Police Divisional headquarters and also the Oba Civic Centre, killing a police corporal and injuring others.

Iruis:
This will go a long way to strengthen the Nairaland

The Technical Sub-Committee on Domestic Sales of Crude Oil in Local Currency, on Sunday, confirmed that the supply of crude in naira by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is to begin on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.

On September 13, 2024, the committee announced that the Federal Executive Council under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu approved the sale of crude to local refineries in naira and the corresponding purchase of petroleum products in naira.

“From October 1, NNPC will commence the supply of about 385kbpd (385,000 barrels per day) of crude oil to the Dangote refinery to be paid for in naira,” the committee had declared.

The Chairman of the Technical Sub-Committee is Zacch Adedeji, who doubles as Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

When contacted on Sunday and asked if the plan for the crude oil supply to the $20bn Lekki-based plant is still intact, the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, Mr Dare Adekanmbi, responded in the affirmative.

He said, “I can confirm to you that the Chairman, Sub-Technical Committee, Zacch Adedeji, is working day and night to ensure that things go according to plans. He knows how important it is to have the agreement implemented as has been planned for the benefit of Nigerians.”

This implies that NNPC is to supply about 11.5 million barrels of crude oil to the Dantote refinery monthly, and based on the deal, the plant will release equivalent volumes of refined diesel and petrol to the domestic market also in naira.

The panel explained in September that this initiative would help reduce pressure on the naira, eliminate unnecessary transaction costs, and improve the availability of petroleum products across the country.

“Since then, the implementation committee chaired by the Minister of Finance and we, the technical committee, have worked intensely with NNPC and Dangote refinery to fashion out the details of the modalities for the implementation of the FEC approval,” Adedeji had stated.

While stating that crude would be sold to Dangote in naira from October 1, the committee chairman and FIRS boss said, “In return, the Dangote refinery will supply PMS (petrol) and diesel of equivalent value to the domestic market to be paid in naira.

“Diesel will be sold in naira by the Dangote refinery to any interested off-taker. PMS will only be sold to NNPC. NNPC will then sell to various marketers for now. All associated regulatory costs (NPA, NIMASA, etc.) will also be paid in naira. We are also setting up a one-stop shop that will coordinate service provision from all regulatory agencies, security agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth implementation of this initiative.”

Adedeji explained that the technical committee that worked to flesh out the initiative would transition to an implementation execution and monitoring committee that would be working out of Lagos for the next three to six months.

The committee, which includes the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs Lydia Jafiya; the FIRS boss, as well as representatives from NNPC, Central Bank of Nigeria, AfreximBank, and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, was set up to craft a robust template that will ensure the successful implementation of the initiative.

Meanwhile, modular refineries have called on the government to work out modalities for the supply of crude to their plants as well.

About 24 hours before the commencement deal, the modular refiners told one of our correspondents that they were not involved in the scheme of things.

The Publicity Secretary of the Crude Oil Refinery-owners Association of Nigeria, Eche Idoko, said, “The committee is only discussing with Dangote at the moment.”

According to Idoko, the committee, at its inaugural meeting, said it would start the naira sale of crude with refineries producing petrol, noting that at the moment, only the Dangote refinery is producing the commodity.

He said the association made a case that the committee should extend the sale to other refineries to avoid discrimination, “but they haven’t given us any feedback”.

Idoko stated, “Perhaps, during the October date, they will disclose more in terms of the modus they want to adopt. But at the moment, we have not received any clear communications as to how the naira sale will be administered other than the fact that they said they will start with PMS-producing refineries.”

The CORAN spokesman disclosed that many of the modular refineries have been facing serious crude challenges, preventing them from producing fuel.

He noted that some refineries with 10,000 capacity currently produce a little above 3,000 barrels per day due to the unavailability of crude oil.

“A 6,000-capacity refinery now produces 1,000 barrels, but productions are off and on because of erratic crude supply,” he stated.

He added, “Our modular refineries are facing a serious crude crisis. Nothing has changed for modular refineries. There are talks with the government but there hasn’t been any definite arrangement for supplies.”

Nigerians are hopeful that the naira crude sale scheduled to start on October 1 will bring down the price of petrol.

Since it commenced the sale of petroleum on September 15, the Dangote refinery has refused to announce the price of the product.

The company denied selling at N898 per litre to the NNPC, saying the claim by the NNPC was misleading and mischievous, deliberately aimed at undermining the milestone achievement recorded.

The Dangote refinery urged Nigerians to await a formal announcement from the presidential committee.

“We urge Nigerians to disregard this malicious statement and await a formal announcement on the pricing, by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by President Bola Tinubu, which will commence on October 1, 2024, bearing in mind that our current stock of crude was procured in dollars,” the Dangote Group stated.

However, the Federal Government has said it would not interfere in the price controversy between the NNPC and Dangote, saying the petroleum sector had been deregulated.

Air strikes from the air component of Operation Whirl Punch have destroyed a terrorist logistics base located at the Yadi Forest in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The base was said to be owned by a terrorist kingpin known as Kadade Gurgu, a close ally of the popular terrorist leader, Dogo Guide.

In a statement on Sunday, the Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Group Captain Kabiru Ali, noted that the operation conducted on Friday was done after intelligence revealed a high presence of terrorists in the area.

He said, “In continuation of its sustained intensive air operations against armed terrorists’ hideouts in Kaduna State and its environs, the Nigerian Air Force under the aegis of Operation Whirl Punch has destroyed the terrorist logistics base at Yadi Forest in Giwa LGA of Kaduna State. The operation was executed on Friday, September 27, 2024, following credible intelligence reports indicating a huge presence of terrorists and their weapons cache in the Yadi Forest.


“Intensive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance confirmed the consistent presence of terrorists and their motorcycles at the location. Additional intelligence revealed that the logistics base belonged to the notorious terrorist kingpin Kadade Gurgu, a close ally of Digo Gide.

Ali said the aircraft recorded a successful hit on the logistics of the terrorists which was engulfed in flames.

He said, “Accordingly, the Air Component dispatched an aircraft, supported by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platform, to attack the target. The target area initially appeared uninhabited. However, as the aircraft approached, some of the terrorists were seen emerging from under the shrubbery and running away from the area.

“Subsequently, the targets were engaged in recording successful hits on the logistics facility, which was engulfed in flames with thick black smoke. Reports from independent sources, including local informants around the general area, later confirmed that the logistics base was destroyed and scores of terrorists were killed as a result of the attack.”

More details emerged on Friday on what transpired during the six-month jail term of popular cross dresser, Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky.

Investigations by Saturday PUNCH revealed that the controversial social media influencer after being sentenced for spraying the naira, was taken to the Ikoyi Custodial Centre on April 12, 2024.

Sources confided in our correspondents that the convict, who had prison number S682/2024, was taken to the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri, as his presence began to attract attention and generate publicity.

A highly credible source said, “He was first moved to the Ikoyi prison where he spent a few days before the controller, Ben-Rabbi Freedman, moved him to the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri.”

Another top source confirmed Bobrisky’s movement from the Ikoyi facility to the Medium Security Custodial Centre, adding that he spent some days there before he was again moved to the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri.

The source explained that he was visited by some relatives in the prison, adding that there was a record of all his activities.

“Many people visited him in the place, including three family members. Those people followed due process and that was why they were able to see and visit him. I also saw him in the prison. He looked gentle and sober,” the source added.

The special ‘cell’

Saturday PUNCH gathered that there was usually provision for some inmates considered to be “Very Important Persons” who might be at risk if allowed to mingle with other inmates.

“The place is like a back cell or a single cell originally reserved for well-behaved inmates. This is in accordance with prison rules. They are put there to compensate for their good behaviour.

“However, when warders bring in certain people, they are taken there. They live whichever way they want. Some of the inmates furnish the place to their taste,” the source stated.

Asked the cost of using the room, the source noted that such was usually determined by the officer in charge of the centre.

“They collect huge sums of money from them, depending on the kind of inmates they have. When you saw the fight between operatives of the DSS and prison service for (Godwin) Emefiele on the court premises, what did you think was the reason? It’s because of the benefits that come with having such a person in custody,” the source added.

The source noted that Bobrisky might have been put in the “special cell” during his time in the Kirikiri prison.

Another source, who confirmed the existence of such an arrangement, said negotiations usually start from the court between inmates and prison officials.

The source said the correctional service knew what it wanted to do, hence Bobrisky was allegedly shielded from inmates when he was admitted.

He said, “Inmates who saw him at the medium prison before he was moved to maximum prison were not many. It was all planned.”

But the spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service, Abubakar Umar, denied the report that there was preferential treatment for VIP convicts.

“We are not aware of such. They are alien to us. However, that information will be investigated. All inmates are given the same treatment. We don’t have any preferential treatment for anybody,” he insisted.

Efforts to get Bobrisky’s reactions proved abortive, as he did not respond to calls to his telephone line and messages sent to his official Facebook handle and WhatsApp on Friday night.

Controversial cross-dresser


Bobrisky has been in the eye of the storm since Wednesday, April 3, 2024, when operatives of the Lagos command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested and detained him over allegations of mutilating naira notes worth N490,000 and money laundering.

The arrest followed a viral video that showed him spraying naira notes at the premiere of the movie Ajakaju at Film One Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos, on March 24, 2024.

He was subsequently arraigned at the Federal High Court in Lagos on six counts. The first four counts involved the abuse of the Nigerian currency, while the last two were on money laundering.

However, before the charges were read, the EFCC prosecutor, Mr Sulaiman Sulaiman, requested the court to strike out counts five and six.

“We have an agreement with the defendant to withdraw counts five and six. Therefore, we humbly urge the court to strike them out, leaving counts one to four,” [/b]he said.

The court then dismissed the two counts, and scheduled April 9, 2024, for judgement.

[b]Bobrisky pleaded guilty to the remaining charges, and on Friday, April 12, 2024, Justice Abimbola Awogboro sentenced him to six months in prison without the option of a fine for abusing the naira.

While many Nigerians expected Bobrisky’s appearance to change following his time in prison, the controversial social media personality hosted a celebratory party just hours after his release on Monday, August 5, 2024.

Appearing more radiant than before, Bobrisky, in a viral video, boasted, “I came back from jail with a nice body,” prompting doubts about whether he truly served his sentence at a custodial centre or not.

The cross-dresser landed in fresh trouble on Tuesday when a social media activist, Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, called him out over an unpaid debt.

In a trending video, VDM said a creditor approached him, pleading for help in recovering N4m that Bobrisky borrowed.

The creditor reportedly sent Bobrisky the sum when the latter was desperate to raise money for a private apartment in prison. He, however, allegedly refused to repay the loan after his release.

VDM subsequently played an audio clip in which the ex-convict purportedly admitted to paying unnamed EFCC operatives N15m for dropping the money laundering charges against him.

Bobrisky also allegedly claimed in the audio that he served his six-month jail term in a private flat near the prison after a “mentor” spoke to the prison authorities in Abuja.

After the tape went viral, Bobrisky took to his Instagram page to deny making such claims, saying that the audio was fake.

He said, “I didn’t pay any EFCC official N15m, and I served my jail term in full. Disregard any false information being spread.”

Suspension without due process

As the scandal gained momentum, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Wednesday, initiated a probe into the allegations.

The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board also suspended the officers in charge of the Maximum and Minimum Custodial Centres.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the Secretary of CDCFIB, Ja’afaru Ahmed, said the suspension of the officers was to allow for further investigation into the various allegations, assuring that the outcome would be made public when concluded.

He said, “Following the viral video trending on social media on alleged infractions by officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service relating to Mr Idris Okuneye, widely known as Bobrisky, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board has suspended forthwith the following Senior Officers of the Service.

“Michael Anugwa, Deputy Controller of Corrections In-Charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri, Lagos State; and Sikiru Adekunle, Deputy Controller of Corrections, in-charge of Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri, Lagos State.

“Also, the Board has suspended ASC II Ogbule Samuel Obinna, serving at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Afikpo, Ebonyi State, for allegedly accompanying a convicted inmate out of the Custodial Centre to a location outside the facility.

“In another related development, the Board has equally suspended another Senior Officer of the Service, Iloafonsi Kevin Ikechukwu, Deputy Controller of Corrections, In-Charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje- Abuja, for allegedly receiving monies on behalf of an inmate”.

However, sources in the correctional service criticised the decision of the board to suspend the officers without due process

Saturday PUNCH learnt that Adekunle, who resumed at the maximum prison a few months ago, was not served a query like the rest of his colleagues.

“The action was a flagrant disregard for the civil service rules, which lays down the process for such a decision. None of the officers were served queries or allowed to defend themselves.

“Also, the board does not suspend directly. The queries are supposed to come from the correctional service, who will then make recommendations to the board.

In addition, if there should be a suspension, it should be announced by the controller general of the correctional service,” a source said.

The source also wondered why the officers were singled out for punishment if Bobrisky’s allegation was against the controller general.

He noted that the panel constituted against the officers did not include any official of the correctional service, saying nothing would come out of it.

“It appears a grand scheme to cover up things. There is more to it than meets the eye,” the source said.

A spokesperson for the minister refused to comment on the matter.

The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said the commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, had ordered an investigation into the matter.

Oyewale said the commission had also invited VDM and Bobrisky to its Lagos office to assist investigators into the alleged bribery.

“We have said we are investigating. The chairman has ordered that the matter be investigated,” he stated.

When pressed further on how many people were being investigated, he said, “I may not be able to tell you that because I don’t know. I will find out from the chairman.”

Activists demand justice

The President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Debo Adeniran, expressed concerns over the alleged corruption in Nigeria’s correctional facilities.

He said the practice raised serious questions about the integrity of prison officials accused of accepting bribes to allow inmates live in luxury behind bars.

Adeniran stated, “Bobrisky has denied that the voice is his, but we’ve been hearing rumors that such practices are common among our safety and security agencies. It’s not the first time we’ve heard of convicted individuals being allowed to leave prison—some are even escorted to nightclubs or taken to visit their spouses, only to be returned when senior ministry officials visit the correctional centres.”

He added, “There is every indication that this could be true. Those familiar with his voice might confirm it. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about prison officials accepting bribes to let inmates live as they please. Corruption like this is why the problem is so endemic in Nigeria. Similarly, there have been reports of anti-graft agents taking bribes to reduce charges or lighten sentences for suspects.”

Adeniran urged the EFCC chairman to identify staff involved in corrupt activities, stressing the need for accountability.

He also emphasised the need for transparency, warning that unchecked corruption in correctional centres and anti-corruption agencies undermined the entire justice system.

“If we don’t address these issues, it will lead to a vicious cycle, and the next victim could be anyone. Authorities must not let this matter slip away.”

Similarly, a lawyer and rights activist, Ridwan Abdulkareem, called for the law to take its course if the allegations turned out to be true.

He highlighted the scrutiny now surrounding the EFCC, an institution meant to uphold justice, for alleged bribery and corruption.

“If these allegations are true, the EFCC officers involved must be held accountable. The EFCC, as a symbol of justice, is now facing accusations of bribery. If the officers are found culpable, they should face the law so that others may learn from it,” Abdulkareem said.

He also pointed out that while Bobrisky had denied the allegations, the law must be allowed to run its course.

“Whether Bobrisky bribed officials with N15 million or not, and whether he served his jail term or not, are allegations. Section 36, Subsection 5 of the Nigerian Constitution is clear—he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. It’s up to those making the claims to prove them. The law doesn’t operate on sentiment, so let the facts be established, and let the law take its course,” he added.