₦airaland Forum

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to explain to Nigerians what Mujaheed Asari Dokubo, was doing on the plane that illegally ferried US$9.3 million to South Africa, where Asari Dokubo, another Nigerian and an Israeli were arrested, according to a published report.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said since the federal government has taken ownership of the funds by saying the National Security Adviser (NSA) issued the end-user certificate for the arms purchase, it stands to reason that the same government will know the involvement of all those aboard the plane.

It said, therefore, that the federal government has a lot of questions to answer on the whole deal, including whether Asari Dokubo is the contractor or the end user, who he was procuring arms for and for what purpose.

APC said the questions become pertinent because even the NSA, who issued the end-user agreement for the purchase, does not and cannot purchase arms for any of the armed services. The Service Chiefs have separate budgets from the NSA for arms purchase.

”Under our Constitution, the NSA is an adviser and has no executive powers to deploy troops from any of the services or purchase arms for them. That the arms purported to be purchased from South Africa were ordered from the office of the NSA is nothing but a mere fabrication, and raises serious questions about the motive for the purchase.

”Nigerians will therefore like to know on whose behalf Asari Dokubo was purchasing arms.

This is very crucial because Asari Dokubo has been threatening that Nigeria will not know peace if his benefactor, President Jonathan, is not re-elected.

Therefore, Nigerians will like to know whether he has started stockpiling arms to make his threat a reality, since elections are due in a few months’ time.

”If these arms are meant to fight insurgency, as the government has claimed, what is Asari Dokubo’s business purchasing arms for the Nigerian military, if indeed they were for the military?

Does it not occur to the Nigerian government that this man who once took arms against the state may not have jettisoned his sinister plan against the same state?

Which country will ever allow a man who once carried arms against the state to now be purchasing arms for the same state?

Even if it is true that he is purchasing the arms for the state, what prevents him from also using the opportunity to purchase arms for his own sinister motive?

Could this be why Asari Dokubo has been talking publicly and confidently, without official censure, that President Jonathan must be re-elected or Nigeria will not know peace again?” the party queried.

”In our Press Release on Tuesday, we again asked President Jonathan to come clean on the US$9.3 million and US$5.7 million deals. We also asked him to tell Nigerians the identity of the two Nigerians who were on the plane that illegally ferried money to South Africa. Now that the Nigerians are known, and they are the President’s men, the story has taken a new dimension,” it said.

APC said since those who claim to be fighting for Nigeria’s unity may actually be the ones working against it, since those who lay claim to patriotism may actually be any but patriotic, it is more urgent now, than ever, for the National Assembly to take these cash-for-arms deals seriously, instead of dismissing the concerns of Nigerians on the basis of some rules as the House of Representatives has glibly done.

The party commended the media for keeping the story alive and for working hard to unearth the identity of the Nigerians aboard the ill-fated plane that illegally flew money into another country in violation of that country’s laws and all known tenets of decency.

It called on the media, in pursuance of its constitutional role of a watchdog, not to relent in exposing the circumstances surrounding the cash-for-arms deals, which have seriously embarrassed Nigeria in the comity of nations and which have the potential to threaten Nigeria’s unity, going by the latest revelations.

agabusta:
Are you sure about that? Nyako played a key role in the case that enabled the deputy to win as someone stated earlier.

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
Anxiety last night gripped political stakeholders in Adamawa State ahead of today’s judgment in the suit instituted by the former deputy governor of the state, Mr. Bala Ngilari challenging his removal from office.
The judgment in the suit is to be delivered by Justice Ademola Adeniyi today a development that was last night causing quivers in the state given the demand by Ngilari that he should be installed as governor, given his claim that he was improperly passed over for the position.
In his claim articulated before Justice Adeniyi by his lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, Ngilari had submitted that by virtue of section 191 (1) of the 1999 Constitution that after the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako, that he, Ngilari being the next in the line of succession should have been inaugurated as governor.
The former deputy governor further deposed that the assertion that he resigned his position as deputy governor was untenable given the claim by the House of Assembly that he, Ngilari resigned in a letter addressed to the speaker of the House of Assembly.
Ngilari had relied on section 306 (1), (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), that his resignation from office as deputy governor could only be addressed to the substantive governor at that time who he claimed was Nyako.
Nyako, in his submission to the court had also claimed that he did not accept the purported resignation of Ngilari as deputy governor.
The development was yesterday causing apprehension in some quarters in the state.

donphilopus:
Are you aware that the former Dep. Governor who has been ordered to be sworn in now is a PDP member?! Meanwhile, I believe this Fintiri of a guy who wants to become the Governor of Adamawa by all means may have died of HBP now!

Kudos, to the Judge!

A regional force put in place to counter the Boko Haram jihadist group in Nigeria will start operations in November, West African leaders decided after a summit in Niger on Tuesday.

The leaders agreed to speed up the creation of a headquarters for the force and have military battalions deployed "to our respective borders" by November 1, the heads of state said in a joint statement.

The new headquarters for the force is now due to be completed by November 20, the leaders added.

The announcement followed a day of talks between the leaders of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Benin, and the foreign minister of Cameroon.

"After gaining independence, the survival of our countries has never been so threatened by the menace of terrorism, by the forces of division and by organised crime," said Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou who hosted the summit.

In July, Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon had each pledged 700 soldiers to create a multi-national force to fight the Nigeria-based group, which has killed more than 10,000 people since 2009.

The militants are thought to be in control of more than two dozen towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria. Nigeria's military has struggled to meet a vow to retake all lost ground as part of an offensive launched in May 2013.

In May, African leaders agreed at a Paris summit called by French President Francois Hollande to cooperate against the group through a slew of measures including joint border patrols and intelligence sharing.

egbaguy:
this fulan guy,ahmad salkida and @MrAyeDee ought to av been arrested. I cant remember any person talking to osama bin laden as a neutral during usa's hunt for him. In a war situation,u are either on d side of d govt or against them. How these guys talk to insurgents baffle me

It has just reached me that the merger talks holding between the three factions of Sheikh Bukar Al-Barnawi, Sheikh Abu Usamah Al-Ansori and Khalid Al-Barnawi has broken down completely. My sources tell me that the three groups have reached an agreement to continuing working together as before while maintaining their independence of each other..

A side note attached to this agreement is that Khalid Al-Barnawi aka Amirul-Muhajiriin aka Soifun Min Suufil-Islam and his Harakatul-Muhajiriina wal-Mujahidiin have obtained full independence from Abu Usamah Al-Ansori’s Ansorul-Muslimiina Fii Bilaadis-Sudaan, under which they had existed hitherto as an affiliated subgroup.

Also a new Council Of Scholarly Research, Judgements and Fataawaa by the agreement of all the three groups operating in the southern theatre will be formed to provide rulings based on scholarly religious research to justify their battlefield actions, to adjudicate between the three groups in matters of dispute and to try erring fighters under the Shari’ah. This new council is said to also train the Shari’ah judges which will be dispatched to establish courts of justice across the territory they have conquered so far.

Note: It remains to be seen where they will get the needed scholars to run this council from. If there is one thing the Yusufiyya lack, it is people of knowledge. Their scholars of reference are people like Sayyid Qutb, Maududi and Muhammad Yusuf. Sayyid Qutb was to put it mildly a theological illiterate. Muhammad Yusuf was worse than Qutb.

For a scholar in Islam (except among the Sufis ad the Ismaili Shias) to be able to pass judgement or give rulings in an issue, he must be grounded in a variety of disciplines that complement one another.
Some of the conditions of scholarship are:

1. He must be knowledgeable in Arabic Grammar(Nahw), Morphology(Sorf), Pronunciation and History of the language including particular words. Having command of speech and writing is not a qualification of knowledge of Arabic.

2. He must have memorized the entire Qur’aan and the Tafsirs(Commentaries) of it and must have studied these under a scholar. Such intensive study involves also studying numerous volumes that explain the books that explain the commentaries of the Qur’aan.

3. He must have memorized a large amount of ahadith (narrations of the Prophet’s, ‘Alaihis-Solaatu was-Salaam, life). Including their grading, and Isnads(Chains of narrations), the explanations of these narrations and the histories/biographies of the narrators in the chain of narrators of these ahadith.
Imaam Ahmad Bin Hanbal (Rahimahullah) the founder of the Hanbali Madhab(School Of Jurisprudence) said a Faqih(one who gives rulings under Islamic law) must memorize at least 100,000 ahadith. Graduates of Islamic University of Madiinah in Saudi Arabia are expected to memorize at least 1,000 ahadith on completing their 4years of study.

3. He must have in depth knowledge of Seerah (Islamic History), Fiqh (Jurisprudence), Aqeedah (Creed) and Manhaj (Methodology). At Darul-‘Uluum Deoband in India run by the Deobandis it takes eight years to acquire knowledge of Fiqh and the basics of the Science of Ahadith.

Add to all these requirements the core ingredient of knowledge of Tauhiid (Monotheism) which is the foundation of the Islamic Religion itself, and others requirements you see that scholarship in Islam especially to the level of Faqih is not a child’s play. You study till you drop dead literarily.

In Nigeria today and in most of West Africa you can count on one hand the number of people qualified to be called scholars fit to issue Fataawaa or pass rulings.

None of them is a Yusufiyya. The highest level of knowledge of most of the Yusufiyya scholars we the people of the Salafiyyah Call have met and debated with on the legality of some their actions has been that they memorized Fii Dilaalil-Qur’aan (In The Shades Of The Qur’aan by Sayyid Qutb), Ma’alim (Milestones by Qutb also) and maybe some chapters of Sahihul-Bukhari and Kitaabut-Tauhiid by Muhammad Ibn Abdil-Wahab (Rahimahumaallah), and they are acclaimed by their fellow Yusufiyya as scholars. To illustrate the level of their ignorance, Sahiihul-Bukhari is a compilation of 9 volumes and about 10,000 ahadith of which they memorized maybe 200-250 ahadith, it is explained in turn by Fathaanil-Barr (The Two Fathul-Barr) of Ibn Rajab and Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalaani each having about ten volumes(total of twenty volumes) none of which the Yusufiya have bothered to study well or memorize.

Sayyid Qutb was a Muslim Brotherhood ideologist who had studied nothing of the religion’s disciplines and only knew what he read from the books of Hassan Al-Banna the founder of the Ikhwan and another religious ignoramus(though not completely illiterate Al-Banna was nonetheless a layman).
One is left to wonder at what sort of rulings the new Yusufiyya council will produce.

GenBuhari:
First sign of a lie is inconsistencies;

How many girls kidnapped - nobody seems to agree on the exact number anything from 100 to 300 are reported.

Where are the girls names, photos etc? - Not published only handfulof random names mainly without photos have been supplied.

In my book if you are seaching for missing people the first thing you do is publicise the names and photo's of the missing people

Where are the concern from families of the missing girls? This is oddly absent only a handful of of people have been seen in the media claiming to be parents of a few girls, other than that there seems to be no agitation by the parents of the 300 girls.

berem:
57 innocent Nigerians who traveled to their state for the sallah celebration have been falsely declared as Boko haram suspects. Tell me,where they caught with arms or bombs?

The NA can never be trusted.

Many Nigerians expect the US and Britain to be more committed to their country’s fight against these Islamist militants, but what they have seen so far does not meet their expectation. Do you also think these two countries should do more and, if so, in what areas?

I believe the United States will do all it can to help in training and logistics but it is up to Nigeria, which has the largest army in Africa, to instill in its troops the morale and will that can lead them to be more effective than they have been in the past. Outsiders can only do so much.

While Nigerian troops appear battered by the terrorist group, its public image hasn’t fared better either, as Amnesty International accuses the soldiers of committing human rights violations in states worst hit by the insurgency. What is your advise to the military hierarchy?

These allegations are extremely serious ones. To the extent that if they are believed to be true by the US government, they limit, under our laws, the assistance that can be provided. A recent documentary has just been shown on one of the United States’ most respected television programmes displaying graphic images of atrocities committed, not only by Boko Haram, but also by the military and local militias. These atrocities appear to be carried out against large numbers of people who are falsely accused of being either members or supporters of Boko Haram. I fear that this film will tarnish even further the reputation of the Nigerian military among the American public. I believe that fighting terror with terror is counter-productive if there will inevitably be a lot of so-called collateral damage resulting in the killing of many innocents. Such tactics will only end up alienating communities you need to have on your side. The government must do all it can to avoid actions that result in people fearing their forces as much as they fear Boko Haram. According to the documentary evidence provided in the film, the government is not doing nearly enough.

The rescuing of the more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls held hostage by the insurgents since April this year doesn’t seem to be a matter of time again; haven’t we lost these girls with more than 170 days gone by?

I would hope not. Arese and I remain active in the ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ campaign in the US. I am not privy to what behind-the-scenes action the Nigerian government is engaged in. But I have been discouraged by the actions publicly taken. The children’s rescue does not appear ever to have had the priority it should have had. Nor does it seem that their families have been given the support and comfort they need and deserve.

Talking about the girls’ families; the President has been repeatedly accused of being unsympathetic for failing to visit the area where these female pupils were abducted. Does he have to visit the area?

I think he should have.

Why?

I think it would have been a great morale booster and portrayed him around the world as a compassionate and fearless leader.

Some have also argued, ‘Let’s do this once and for all; Boko Haram can’t continue to hold a nation to ransom. Let’s storm its stronghold, smoke the insurgents out and save as many girls as possible.’ Will you not say that’s the most pragmatic step to take at this point?

I doubt if that approach would save any of the girls. I would not want to risk the girls’ lives by such a move. However, this cannot be an excuse for doing nothing. A much more sophisticated strategy must be developed with the help of outside experts who have experience in carrying out such rescues. At the same time, the government must demonstrate its capacity to prevent Boko Haram from continuing to take ground and oust them from areas they have already overrun. It must seize the offensive and prevent the terrorists from occupying any more towns on the roads to Maiduguri and Yola.

Would you suggest that the Nigerian government swap Boko Haram detainees for the release of the schoolgirls?

If such a swap would work, it ought to be considered. Nothing should be automatically ruled out on behalf of getting the girls back safely to their grieving families. However, this would take very skillful negotiations. The government would be in more of a position of strength to negotiate the terms if it could be more successful on the battlefield than it has so far been.
2015 seems to be a landmark year for the country for many reasons. Do you see Nigeria conducting violent-free elections and/or free and fair elections?

As I said earlier, it is essential that this be done for the future well-being of Nigeria. There are persisting problems of corruption, security and poverty that must be dealt with by a united country willing to support the leader that the majority has freely and fairly chosen.

Some people have argued that unless the Nigerian masses rise up against mediocre leadership, the Nigerian story will remain the same. Where actually does the buck stop — with the people or their leaders?


With the overthrow of the last of its military dictators, Nigeria was bequeathed civilian rule. How much of a democracy it becomes depends on how insistently the people, who have the right to determine by whom and how they will be ruled, exercise their franchise at the polls. Under civilian rule, the power is with the people. They must be organised to use it wisely.


Let’s look at what’s arguably the biggest issue in Nigeria: Boko Haram. Many people have said the Federal Government isn’t doing enough. What’s your position as regards President Goodluck Jonathan’s response to the extremist Islamist sect’s insurgency?

Let me also suggest another — Ebola. Nigeria has got high marks around the world for the fact that it has handled the outbreak better than any country in the region. The Ministry of Health and the Governor of Lagos State have, thus far, done a commendable job of containment the disease but the battle has just begun. Awareness seems to be improving among the people of the dangers of this scourge and how to prevent being contaminated. It would have turned out to be the greatest danger the country has ever faced if it wasn’t under control, quickly. The government must be open and transparent in its reporting to international health bodies of all cases that develop. The international community, in turn, must give Nigeria all the help it needs. Otherwise, the chances of Ebola crossing the Atlantic will be far greater than from any other country in West Africa. If the current Ebola outbreak is not controlled, it will have grave rippling effects on the health care system, the economy and Nigeria’s ability to conduct robust elections in 2015. My wife, Arese, who is a medical doctor, has been on television in the US talking about the issue and advocating for support from the West to help in controlling it and preventing its spread.
Unlike its initial handling of Ebola, Nigeria has not received high marks for its efforts to defeat Boko Haram. I am puzzled as to why the Nigerian army, which has been widely praised in the past as one of the most effective of the United Nations’ peacekeeping forces, has been so ineffectual against Boko Haram. Something is terribly wrong.

We’ve heard about pockets of complaints coming from troops ranging from poor welfare, lack of equipment and poor leadership. How much impact can all these have on the troops fighting against terrorists?

I served two years in the United States Army at a time when it was mandatory for all able-bodied young men to do so. One of the lessons I never forgot was the truth of the old adage that when you are going to war or facing the threat of insurrection, the first thing you do is make sure that your troops are well fed, properly paid and equipped. Without inculcating high morale, the battle is lost, no matter how much larger your forces are than theirs.

In an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell insisted that Nigeria is moving toward a breaking point unless its citizens take a drastic step to halt its descent into disintegration. What’s your view?


Much will depend on next year’s elections and whether they are free and fair and whether their outcome represents the true will of the Nigerian people. If not, then I think the country is in for a period of serious instability. Whichever party wins must be dedicated in deeds, not merely in words, to cure the corruption which has infected much of the polity. Only then will Nigeria be able to realise its vast potential. It is crucial that those on the periphery believe that those in power at the centre have the well-being of all Nigerians at heart, not just their own financial enrichment. A concerned centre can hold the country together. Things need not fall apart.

Looking at the corruption level attributed to Abacha’s regime, compared with what we see today in the country, will you say there’s been some improvement?

It is obvious that much still remains to be done. There is, however, more transparency and freedom for the press and civil society organisations to call those who misbehave to task. The problem is that there is still too much impunity enjoyed by those with favoured political connections.

A lot of people and governments see Nigeria as an extraordinary country with great potentials but beset by unending, debilitating crises. Where would you say things went wrong?

It began a hundred years ago (1914) when Lord Lugard, with no regard for the different cultural traditions of the people who inhabited the territories, amalgamated the North and South into one administrative unit to which his wife gave the name, Nigeria. What is remarkable, however, is how well this country, made up of over 250 different ethnic groups, speaking around 500 separate languages, has held together for a century, despite a bloody civil war and a half-dozen successful military coups. Nigeria is the largest and one of the very few countries of any size whose population is nearly evenly divided between Christians and Muslims. Yet, in spite of provocations by groups like Boko Haram and local bloody conflicts in Plateau State, the country has done much better in accommodating religious differences than any other sharing many descendants of the two Abrahamic faiths.
During turbulent times, many of your best and brightest left for foreign shores where they have excelled and have been admired as among the most accomplished of émigrés. Yet their opportunities to replicate their successes back home have been severely constricted. They, along with highly educated Nigerians who remained home, have found their chances to succeed in business or politics greatly compromised by their reluctance to go along with a corrupt system. Merit needs to be seen to be more rewarded than it is today. All capable hands must feel welcome on deck.

http://www.punchng.com/news/nigerias-problems-started-in-1914-walter-carrington/
A former United States of America ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, in this interview withBAYO AKINLOYE,says Nigeria will face major instability if it fails to conduct free and fair elections in 2015 and that President Goodluck Jonathan should have visited Chibok to show the world that he is a fearless leader

Doyou think Nigeria is practising true democracy at the moment?


I am not sure what you mean by ‘true’ democracy. Democracy is dependent on regular free and fair elections which reflect the will of the people. It is those who are elected and not the people themselves who vote on the laws by which the citizens will be governed. If the people are dissatisfied with the actions of their elected representatives, they can remove them at the next election. A representative democracy requires that the government respects freedom of speech, a free press and an independent judiciary.

Nonetheless, would you agree that the current democratic government is better than military rule?

Civilian rule, no matter its flaws, is always superior to the iron-fisted rule of the military in which the citizens have no voice. The people will get a chance to render a verdict as to how satisfied they are with the current government in next year’s elections. These must be seen to be transparent and honest.

You were part of the struggle against General Sani Abacha’s rule. What many found curious is the fact that you were an American ambassador to the country and weren’t expected to be partisan in the political affairs of Nigeria. Why was your case different?

I would agree that an ambassador serving in a country where there is a functioning political system ought not to take sides between political parties. However, during my four years in Nigeria, there was no such system. Abacha had banned political parties. There was no legislature to reflect the will of the people. Several newspapers were closed and journalists were harassed and imprisoned. The country was under military dictatorship. Human rights were regularly trampled upon. I have since my student days been active in promoting human rights. I first came to Africa in 1952 as an American delegate to an international youth conference in Senegal. I was representing America’s leading civil rights organisation, The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People. I met many young Africans and Asians who would become active in their countries’ struggles for independence. I joined them in supporting resolutions calling for the ending of colonial rule. I spent ten years working in African countries directing programmes for the Peace Corps. I was dismayed at how detached many diplomats from a lot of countries were from the people of the nations in which they served. I was inspired by a speech by Robert F. Kennedy in which he argued that ambassadors are not only the representatives of the President of the United States to the governments to which they are accredited but that they also are the representatives of the people of the United States to the people of the country in which they serve. When I observed the human rights of the citizens of Nigeria being abridged in circumstances where, if they raised their voice in protest, they risked being imprisoned or killed, I simply could not remain silent. I felt that I had a moral duty to speak out.

Truth234: You don't understand do you? Baba no dey go anywhere, he had meeting with GEJ few weeks ago and he has repeatedly said he is not leaving PDP, the party he co-founded. Baba is the only person in PDP that can call Tinubu to order and that is what baba is doing.

codedguy1: I don't know how healthy obasanjo and Buhari's relationship is, but I know obasanjo will not want Atiku to be president. I also don't think Tinubu will trust Atiku. Buhari will be irritated with Atiku now.

The convention where APC's presidential candidate will emerge will be quite interesting.

GEJ just dey laff. Obasanjo will rather have Jonathan there than Atiku who seem to be more audible in the APC presidential race than Buhari.

Mark is there to tell Obasanjo to support the lesser evil which is Jonathan.

Tinubu go just collect money and sell the APC presidential slot regardless of who becomes their presidential candidate.

All these are my personal permutations anyways.

“As a good merger, we need to talk. Because the merger will serve various branches. It is a very big tree. So, we need to talk, to find out his thinking about Nigeria and the future.

Kelly32: The answer is simple. APC is a child born out of the influence of the North over the south with the sole aim of bringing the North to power. Any thing other than this, APC would not have been born. So if Fashiola gets the presidential ticket the north (being the influencing power over the south) will benefit nothing from this. Hence fashiola (at least for now) cannot be presented as the APC presidential flag bearer.

Articul8: I dnt c Fashol deputizing anybdoy.A man with such great ideas would b a shadow of himslf if such move is made. I even prefer him as a Minister than a deputy to anytin or anybody

InyinyaAgbaOku: That means APC is an ethnic party.

Sep 29, 2014 18:43:00
As uncertainty continues to linger over Stephen Keshi’s reign as Eagles boss, the former national team coach has declared his readiness to handle the African side if called upon
Former Nigeriahead coach Samson Siasia has expressed his readiness to manage the Super Eagles if approached by the nation's football federation.
Siasia was relieved of his job after the country's failure to qualify for the 2012 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations staged in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
The former Eagles coach said he learned from his past errors and would be willing to prove his doubters wrong if given a second chance.
"I have been there before and I did my best. Yes, I am always ready to come back and continue from where I stopped," Siasia was quoted byDailyNewsWatch.
"Honestly, I will be delighted to come back if the Nigeria football authorities need my services.
"I have learnt my lessons and this time round I am ready to shame my critics. I had no time to prove myself with the team.
"I was there for only 10 months, which was not enough. It takes time to build a good team. Of course it is a thing of pride to be the coach once again," he continued.
"I have always felt I’ve an unfinished business with the Super Eagles considering the way I left. We had a great team that I could have built on for the future, but I was denied the opportunity and I really felt bad about it."
Meanwhile, the ex-international has strongly denied holding any pre-contract talks with officials of the Nigeria Football Federation as a potential replacement for out-of-contract Stephen Keshi.
"Which NFF are you talking about? This is news to me. Nobody has discussed anything like that with me. May be they are talking about the NFF getting a new coach after its Congress.
"If they want me, fine. If they don’t want me, fine. I wish Keshi well and I have no grudges against him. He has done well for the country."

There was a mild drama at the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday when two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba and Wale Babalakin, traded words after the hearing of a debt recovery suit between Bi-Courtney Ltd and the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

The two senior lawyers, who were coming out from the court where Justice Ibrahim Buba had vacated an order empowering AMCON to take over the operations of Bi-Courtney and three other companies owned by Babalakin, almost exchanged blows but for the prompt intervention of other lawyers, including Wale Akoni (SAN) and Abiodun Layonu (SAN) .

Apart from vacating the order, Justice Buba had also set aside the appointment former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Agbakoba (SAN) as the receiver manager for the company.

According to the judge the application and the subsequent order of Justice Okon Abang was an abuse of court process because it was obtained by Agbakoba through concealment of fact.

Justice Buba noted that the order was granted despite the pendency of the suit before him and an earlier order he gave in the matter.

The court also held that it was clear from the processes before the court that Justice Abang was misled by AMCON to grant the interim orders having failed to notify the court of the existing orders.

It will be recalled that Justice Okon on September 22, 2014 had appointed Agbakoba as the receiver/manager over all the companies of Babalakin including Bi-Courtney Limited, Chartered Investment Limited, Resort International Limited and Roygate Properties Limited.

The orders were based on a N50 billion debt, which Babalakin allegedly admitted owing AMCON.

However, after the court’s annual vacation, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Ibrahim Auta had re-assigned the case to Justice Buba, who was handling all previous cases between the parties.

When the case came up on yesterday, lawyer to Babalakin and his companies – Akoni and Layonu (SAN) prayed the court to suspend the interim orders made by Justice Abang empowering Agbakoba to act as the receiver/manager for the companies.

Akoni had submitted that the integrity of the court had been badly affected with the conflicting order, and that there was a serious need for the court to act fast to check the development.

Layonu, on his part, said the Federal High Court, as an institution, had been scandalised with the orders of Abang, because Justice Buba had made specific order restraining AMCON from appointing a receiver/manager and or taking over the companies.

Responding, Agbakoba said as far as he was concerned, there was no confusion with Abang’s orders.He said the suit before Abang was filed pursuant to the new cause of action that arose out of the admission by Babalakin that he was indebted to AMCON to the tune of N50 billion.

He recalled that before now, the bundle of cases were basically on determining the actual debt owed by Babalakin and debt swap arising from the argument by the defendants that Federal Government was indebted to Babalakin to the tune of over N132 billion pursuant to a judgment.

He added that after series of meetings, Babalakin agreed that he was indebted to AMCON, and that all cases would be compromised and withdrawn.

The lawyer lamented that trouble however started when Babalakin failed to abide by the term of the agreements especially as regard transferring the Federal Secretariat in Ikoyi to AMCON as agreed.

After the ruling Babalakin, who was seated in his car within the court premises while the proceeding was on, had came out to meet with his lawyers.

This happened just as Agbakoba was coming out of the court.
When Agbakoba saw Babalakin, he said to him “Wale, give me my money. I will collect my money from you and that’s the final.

“Responding, Babalakin replied by threatening to come after Agbakoba.

Pointing at Agbakoba, Babalakin said: “Why do you want to ruin me. You want to kill my businesses, I will never allow you.

“To this Agbakoba responded angrily, saying “You this small lawyer, when did you start practicing self? I’m 40 years at the bar, and so you are too small to me.

“As the two lawyers were exchanging the hot words, Akoni and Layonu intervened and brought the situation under control.

kenbee: Get informed bro. the place is route for landing aircraft.

didadavid: Still trying to fool us abi, try harder abeg

The Synagogue Church Of All Nation says the collapsed building in the church premises was a controlled demolition, demanding for an investigation into the matter.

A spokesman for a media outfit of the church, Emmanuel Television, Mr Ken Emeakayi, said footages from the CCTV in the church premises showed that a strange aircraft hovered over the building four times before it collapsed.

He told Channels Television on Monday that the aircraft might have been there to detonate explosive devices that may have been planted in the building prior to the collapse.

“We are investigating the incident for the world to know what actually happened. When you look at the clip you will see that it was not just the aircraft hovering. At the point of the incident, there was explosion.

“It is possible they were either dropped or planted and the aircraft will have to come and detonate it.

“The persons in the building said that the noise they heard suggested that it was an explosion.

“Those involved in the act may not have been aware of the security cameras.
“With modern technologies explosive devices could be detonated without a loud noise.

“There were about four explosives that were detonated in the building from the much the CCTv could capture and because we know that there would be fragments from the explosive, we are calling for an investigation,” he said.

The Emmanuel Tv spokesman said that the presiding priest, Prophet TB Joshua, could have been the target, explaining that the incident occurred after the same strange aircraft had hovered around a prayer ground where the pastor usually holds prayer sessions in the morning.

“A strange helicopter was hovering around the prayer mountain when the man of God was there. It was the time he was supposed to be at the mountain but he had left. They thought he was still there but he has gone back to the church.

“After the man of God left the prayer mountain, this same aircraft came to the church premises. The first time it was sighted was at 11:30am local time at a very low altitude hovering over this story building and we have clips.

“It was about 40 feet from the building. The same aircraft hovered about four times. At an interval of nine minutes, five minutes,” he said.

Mr Emeakayi said that the church had submitted the video clips to security agencies for investigation but that they had not received any news about how far the investigation had gone.

He dismissed allegations that the construction of the building did not follow standard rules, stressing that the church had followed every requirement.
There have been rumours that the approval for the building was for a fewer number of floors, but Mr Emeakayi said that the church had approval to erect a 12-story building in the place but had only stopped at six floors.


Contrary to the claims of the spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency south-west region, Ibrahim Farinloye, that members of the church prevented the agency from gaining access into were the building was, Mr Emeakayi said that the persons referred to as members of the church must be sympathisers.

He further asked the agencies investigating the incident to focus on the whole issue and not on an isolated case of building structure standard, insisting that their story about the strange aircraft and the controlled demolition should equally be investigated.

President Goodluck Jonathan had visited the site of collapsed building, promising to ensure that the cause of the collapse was investigated.

omenka: Now some people are getting me irritated....