₦airaland Forum

New state: Yar’Adua backs Ndigbo

EMMA OGU, Owerri



PRESIDENT Umaru Musa Yar’Adua yesterday said the clamour by Ndigbo for additional state was justifiable, while maintaining that the onus lies with the National Assembly to expedite action on the matter.



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Speaking at a parley with Imo State leaders of thought in Owerri, Imo State during his official visit to the state, Yar’Adua assured that the legitimate demand of Ndigbo would be adequately addressed by his administration as soon as the National Assembly concludes its work on state creation.


This is as President Yar’Adua at the commissioning of the Okigwe Regional water scheme in Amuro Okigwe lamented the spate of abandonment of projects nationwide.


He, assured that with adequate planning and timely execution of projects, the menace would be curbed by his administration which he said would be a responsible one.


The President, who commissioned the rehabilitated water scheme at Amuro Okigwe, Imo State lamented the abandonment of project which has gulped N6 billion since its conception by late Sam Mbakwe administration.
http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/22/807.html

On top of private sector participation, a deliberate effort should be made to distribute development a bit more evenly. I recently read that China is doing that to decongest some of its cities that are 20 million plus people. If not for the FGN, when Lagos was the capital, the development of Lagos would have been stunted, like those of other states around it. Now, Abuja is being developed at break-neck speed. This will predictably attract more migrants to it, and within a few years, it would be crowded (and hence filthy and crime-ridden) as Lagos. This does not mean that state govts should not try and develop their states, but Lagos was not solely developed by the state governors. The FGN has a lead role to play here.

The names have now been released

He gave the names of the deportees as Elabor Francis, 68, from Edo State, Nwachia Hypolitus, 48, from Imo State, Innocent Omorogie, 35, from Lagos, Omozua Emmanuel Omoruyi, 26, from Edo State, Tommiwa Kolly Jas, 40, from Ogun State, Ogunsanwo Ogunniran, 29, from Lagos State, Ani Humphrey Chiedozi, 50, from Enugu State, Lawal Shamsudeen, 49, Lagos, Akinsola Rashida Olayinka, 46, Lagos State, and Adebayo Emmanuel, 46, Kwara,

Others are: Amadi Okechukwu Mummee, 55, Imo State, Aduleja Anthony, 53, Ekiti State, Ojomu Babatunde, 29, Lagos State, Oyetunji Oyediran, 47, Oyo State, Anyaegbu Chukwubuike, 45, Anambra State, Ezebuike Princewill, 46, Imo State, Sofunwa Albert Olatunji, 54, Ogun State, Shennaike Adegoke Adebayo, 48, Lagos State and Oragbon Michael Osai, 43, Edo State.

Six of the deportees are from Lagos State. Three each are from Edo and Imo States.

Two are from Ogun State while Anambra, Enugu, Ekiti, Kwara and Oyo States have one each.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/19/19.html

More reason why development should be evenly spread throught Nigeria, and not concentrated in one place. By so doing, unemployed (and therefore potentially bad), bad Igbos, bad Edos, bad Hausas, bad Tivs bad Niger Deltans, and of course, bad Yorubas) from states other than Lagos will remain in their states with some measure of gainfull employment. Nigerian leaders (actually misleaders) never learn anything. What dafts in power.

Lagos is an evil state — Kanu Agabi
By Kemi Obasola and Mudiaga Affe
Published: Monday, 21 Jan 2008
A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Kanu Agabi, on Saturday said that Lagos State was an evil state as a result of high level ritual and criminal activities in the metropolis.

He added that urgent steps needed to be put in place to address the ever-increasing number of jobless immigrants to the state, whom he labelled perpetrators of these crimes.

Agabi said this in Ota, Ogun State at the 17th Founders’ Day Anniversary of The Bells Comprehensive Secondary Schools, where he was a guest speaker.

He said, “All the evils that take place there, all the ritual killings, the robberies, peoples leaving on the street without jobs.

“Whatever needs to be done to change the ever increasing population of people in Lagos should be done.”

According to him, the population of people in Lagos was equal to that of five other states in the country hence the state had a burden of the highest number of jobless youths in the country.

Agabi said, “The state is habouring the highest number of unemployed youths in the country. Idle mind breeds evil, which is why you see a lot of ritual killings in the state; people disappear without trace.

“Some people cannot be linked to any venture that generates money, but they live in the best of houses and drive luxury cars.”

The former AGF also recommended the prohibition of idle immigrants to the state.

He added that a lot of people needed to be removed from the state and sent back to their respective states to decongest the city of criminally jobless people.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the state.

He said, “I agree that there is a real need to assist the state mightily. I believe the present leadership of the state would have drawn a development plan for the state, the Federal Government should step in and partner in this direction.”

When asked on the neglect of the strategic development of Lagos State during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo of which he was part, Agabi declined to make a categorical statement.

Meanwhile, Agabi has also said that the integrity of today’s youths can be upheld with a strong doctrine that will instill the culture of discipline and honesty.

Agabi said that the measures should be taken to ensure that youths were made to cultivate the habit of accountability and respect for the constitution and the rule of law.

He added that the vision of the founders of The Bells schools was the product of determination and sacrifice aimed at bringing back standard in the educational sector.

Responding to Agabi‘s statement, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, said it was an irony the statement came form Agabi who, he said served as the AGF in the Obasanjo administration which flouted court orders on the seized council funds belonging to the state.

He said, ”Agabi can now turn around to say Lagos is an evil state. But investors know better and they are coming because a new Lagos is emerging. Compare Lagos population of 18 million people with that of South Africa where one person is raped in every three minutes.

“Yet, investors are going to South Africa; tourists are going to South Africa. So, if you look at the statistics of crime in Lagos, you will agree that we are winning the battle.

“And concerning unemployment, Agabi is from the Niger Delta from where unemployed youths come to Lagos on a daily basis. And those from his area form part of the unemployed youths which he refers to. He should be told that he is moving against the tide.”

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2008012115285529

That was in Katsina state. This pciture had been posted here on nairaland before.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-95268.0.html

A northern Nigerian, who was the ambassador to Ireland once told the Irish government that all of the Nigerian rogues (bad guys) operating outside of the country were southerners.

EmekaNaija:
The Ojukwu i know does not need the pensions and would most likely donate it to the ex-Biafran soldiers at Oji river.

I believe that is what he will do. He is bigger than the so-called pension given to him.

NDLEA Chief Releases Names Of Drug Deportees
BY WOLE SHADARE

NATIONAL Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), chairman, Ahmadu Giade has warned Nigerians deported from the United States on drug related offences not to bring the image of the country into disrepute.



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Giade gave the warning when 19 drug deportees intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command of the Agency were transferred to the Agency's headquarters at Ikoyi last Thursday.

According to the NDLEA boss "there are Nigerians that have made the country proud in the United States; we will therefore resist any attempt by a few to indulge in ignoble acts such as drug trafficking."

He gave the names of the deportees as Elabor Francis, 68, from Edo State, Nwachia Hypolitus, 48, from Imo State, Innocent Omorogie, 35, from Lagos, Omozua Emmanuel Omoruyi, 26, from Edo State, Tommiwa Kolly Jas, 40, from Ogun State, Ogunsanwo Ogunniran, 29, from Lagos State, Ani Humphrey Chiedozi, 50, from Enugu State, Lawal Shamsudeen, 49, Lagos, Akinsola Rashida Olayinka, 46, Lagos State, and Adebayo Emmanuel, 46, Kwara,

Others are: Amadi Okechukwu Mummee, 55, Imo State, Aduleja Anthony, 53, Ekiti State, Ojomu Babatunde, 29, Lagos State, Oyetunji Oyediran, 47, Oyo State, Anyaegbu Chukwubuike, 45, Anambra State, Ezebuike Princewill, 46, Imo State, Sofunwa Albert Olatunji, 54, Ogun State, Shennaike Adegoke Adebayo, 48, Lagos State and Oragbon Michael Osai, 43, Edo State.

Preliminary investigation report conducted by the Agency shows that the deportees have served various jail terms ranging from five months to 16 years.

Six of the deportees are from Lagos State. Three each are from Edo and Imo States.

Two are from Ogun State while Anambra, Enugu, Ekiti, Kwara and Oyo States have one each.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/19/19.html

Who then can be trusted in Nigeria??

J. K. Randle, ex-ICAN president, in prison custody - Over N300m fraud
Oladipo Adelowo, Lagos
Friday, January 18, 2008

FORMER President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Chief J.K. Randle, was on Thursday remanded in Ikoyi Prisons by an Igboshere/Tapa Magistrates Court.

Chief Randle was arraigned at the court over allegation of N300 million fraud against one Kayode Sunmola, his business associate at J.K. Randle and Co., a firm of chartered accountants.



A five-count charge was preferred against the former ICAN president. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The case, which was investigated by the Police Special Fraud Unit, was heard by Chief Magistrate Paul A. Ojo.



The first count read, “that you, J.K. Randle International Limited,; Bashorun J.K Randle and Folashade Abimbola, on or about the 5th day of May 2006 at Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial district, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: false statement and officials of companies, forgery, altering and stealing and you have thereby committed an offence punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Cap 17, vol 11 law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.



The second count stated that Randle and his wife on same date, month and year did forge a document entitled “letter of appointment” which was addressed to the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue with intent that it might be acted upon as genuine, to the prejudice of the complainant Mr. Kayode Sunmola and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 467 of the criminal Code Cap. 17, vol 11, laws of Lagos State 2003.



According to count three, the accused also fraudulently altered one document entitled “letter of appointment” on the same date, month and year (May 5, 2006) to the state’s executive chairman, board of companies, with an intent that it might be acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of Kayode Sunmola and J. K. Randle and Company and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 468 of the Criminal Code Cap C17, Vol. 11, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.


Count 4, “That you, Bashroun J.K. Randle ‘M’ and Folashade Abimbola .F. on or about the 5th day of May 2006 at Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, as officials of J. K Randle & Company Limited, with intent to defraud Kayode Sunmola, one of the Directors in J. K. Randle & Co. made a written statement contained in a document entitled “Letter of Appointment” to the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue, knowing same to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 436 (a) of the Criminal Code Cap. C17, Vol 11, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.



Count 5: “That you, Bashorun J. K. Randle ‘M’ and Folashade Abimbola .’F’. on or about the 5th day of May 2006, at Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District , did steal the sum of N300 million( Three Hundred Million Naira) property of one Kayode Sunmola and J.K Randle and Company and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 390 (7) (9) of the criminal Code Cap. C17,; Vol.’ 11, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.



The accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges, as did his wife and J. K. Randle International. His counsel, Mr. Tony Amokeodo, described the offences for which his client was charged as bailable and a mere business disagreement between the couple and the complainant, and asked the court to grant him bail on self recognisance.



But the Magistrate, Mr. Ojo, admitted him to bail in the sum of N100,000 and a surety who must be a civil servant on at least Level 13 and adjourned the case till February 6.



However, Randle could not meet the bail conditions as at 5.30 p.m. on Thursday and was ordered to be remanded at Ikoyi Prisons, Lagos.


http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/18/600.html

bawomol:
he should donate some of his pension to the lives of non-igbo Midwesterners he ruined.

I can pass you his phone number so you ask that of him.

According to you, Ojukwu was at the centre of the war, yet you make to claim that others risked more than him.

Again, you have failed to answer the question. Was Ojukwu the only one paid? If not what is the fuss about? If other Biafran soldiers are still been unpaid, is that Ojukwu's fault? Yes, the money is Nigeria's money and Igbos are Nigerians who have contributed to the said money. Or are they not?

Doyin,

Why not let Biafrans (mainly Igbos) be the judge of that. How do you judge which Biafran risked more than the other? Besides, Ojukwu was not the only ex-Biafran soldier who received his pension. So what is the fuss about?

What makes you think that OPC and those Talibans up north will not do same? Besides, MEND should know that nuclear holocaust will not differentiate between MEND and non-MEND populations.

yemmight:
The most rituals in this country come from Iboland and you guys pretend as if u are not aware.

Nothing can be more ritualistic than people (LISA, Ogun state, 2005) scavenging through victims of a plane crash (Belview Airline) for the purpose of harvesting human parts. Oh my gosh. It sucks

Plus, what we read everyday in Nigeria's newspapers suggests that there are far more ritualism in Yorubaland than elsewhere in Nigeria. Have you not observed that or you want to play the ostrich?

Nigeria one,

Could you adduce convincing reasons why all four nuclear stations allocated to the south should be sited in Yorubaland at the expense of other known energy consuming cities such as Port Harcourt, Aba and Onitsha? Plus, in which part of the country do we have the raw material (mainly uranium) to kickstart the plants?

But, I like your style sha. Unlike Fasehun, you do not mind for only the Yoruba population to receive the sure-to-come death knell (holocaust)  which a nuclear project represents, at least by Nigeria's infrastructural history and standards.

Others:

Uranium is a non-renewable energy source. If you think coal, gas, petrol will exhaust, then so will uranium. Talking about sustainable power source, solar, wind and hydro power sources remain the best options for resource-poor countries.

There is a ''prologue'' to the post. Last week, it was reported in the news that Nigeria and the IAEA have agreed on establishing 7 (yes 7) nuclear stations for beneficial purposes such as electricity generation. Four of these are to be tentatively sited in Yorubaland and three in the North. Non in Igboland, (not even one). For once I was happy that the perceived Igbo marginalisation is positive for the Igbo this time, given that Igbos will be spared the negative aftermath of a nuclear burst. Many Nigerians (especially those in power) are mediocre people who always like to copy the so-called developed nations. Fasehun is a smart guy with enough foresight or hindsight (make your pick). He knows how hardly well we can manage small things, not to talk of potential deathly ventures such as nuclear stations. So he wants to spread the destruction and death when it does come, to all parts of Nigeria


That was the basis for the title I chose for my post.

To help Fasehun, my own proposal will be:

Yoruba=2 nuclear stations (because of Lagos and its high population density)
Igbo =1 nuclear station
Niger Delta=1 nuclear station
North 3 nuclear stations

OPC rejects nuclear power stations in S/west

BISIRIYU OLAOYE



FOUNDER of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun, has condemned federal government’s plan to have four of the seven nuclear power plants sited in the South West, saying the people of the zone will resist it.


The OPC founder, who described the distribution of nuclear power plants as lopsided, warned the federal government about the prevailing inadequacies of the nuclear option.


He urged the government to abandon the nuclear option and invest heavily in less dangerous sources of energy.


"The Federal Government recently announced plans to build nuclear power plants in the country and proposed to have four of the seven stations sited in the South-West. Have we so easily forgotten the bomb blast that ravaged Lagos, leaving unquantifiable casualties in its trail? Have we forgotten Chernobyl and the price the people still pay today for the nuclear leakage that occurred two decades ago? Have we forgotten the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan?


"Building four nuclear plants in the west smacks of a plan to annihilate this zone and we shall do everything in our powers to resist it. If Nigeria is bent on acquiring nuclear technology, the stations should be evenly distributed so that an equal number would be located in each of the regions," Fasehun said.


He pointed out that even in countries with less controversial arrangements, adoption of nuclear technology sparks of heated debates, multi-disciplinary analysis and geo-political considerations. He said having mismanaged the primary energy source so far, "what guarantees do we have that we can handle nuclear power generation as alternative? What about our emergency control that has consistently lost the fight against common hazards like oil spillage, fire incidents and gas flaring? Can we contemplate fighting radiation?


Against the background of our prevailing inadequacies, Nigeria should abandon the nuclear option and instead make heavy investment in less dangerous sources of energy such as solar, fuel cell, gas, hydro, wind, etc."


http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/16/803.html

Max Siollun, the Ogoni man. At last your true self is revealed. You went about at the Nigeria village square (NVS) writing on the civil war and trying to be dispassionate; and here you show whom you really are. Do you think some of us at the NVS don't come to nairaland? Never mind, we shall meet again at the NVS.

I thought Obasanjo once swore that no Owu man is a thief. Now we see that Obasanjo himself (an Owu chief) his daughter Iyabo, and his first son (Gbenga, whose wife's congo was shined by his father and father inlaw) are Owu thieves.

This Osu thing is a despicable custom. But I want to stress that it is not found in all Igboland, at least not in Abia state. I know it exists in parts and not all of Imo. Can't say for Anambra and Enugu. My own state of Abia is Osu-free  . The Osu caste system must be done away with and soon too.

@Poster

I wish you (by this I mean people who damn the culture and marry the so-called Osus) can be the guinea pig (experimental animal) as we say in biology, for the final extermination of this custom. Lets see who will query you for doing so.

Please keep us informed on this matter when the marriage is consumated

Ojukwu: ‘I’m a General,  Calling Me Lt Col is an Insult’
From Juliana Taiwo in Abuja, 01.15.2008

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Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, will always leave a mark wherever he goes. This time, the occasion was the presentation of cheques to military pensioners and their next-of-kin for the settlement of arrears of pension and gratuity.
Ojukwu, who led the failed secession bid of Eastern Nigeria which led to a civil war between 1967 and 1970, left the Nigerian Army as a Lt Colonel but was a General in the rebel army which governed the now defunct Republic of Biafra for over three years.
So is he a General or a Lt Colonel – especially since his contemporaries like Yakubu Gowon, Usman Katsina and David Ejoor all retired as Generals?
“It’s an insult for people to address me as a Lt Col,” he said yesterday after collecting his cheque. “I want everybody to remember that the leader of the Confederate Army in the United States that we always choose to copy, Gen. Robert Lee, was made a General on the Confederate side. Ever since then, he is referred to with honour for those of you in uniform as Gen. Robert Lee,” he said.
Talking more firmly, Ojukwu expressed his anger at being referred to as a Lt Colonel.
“It gets a bit annoying to see a little boy look up at you and call you Lt. Col. It is a pity. I am a General, four-star, in the Biafran Army. I agree it is not the Nigerian Army but the Biafran Army. Anybody who has worn that uniform knows what that means. There is no way you listen to certain things and you don’t feel that there are deliberate insults. And if deliberate insults continue to be heaped on you, reconciliation becomes very difficult,” he said.
Then, he became more reconciliatory, saying he was promising his “brother officers particularly the authorities here that you will always find in me not just a friend but a supporter because what you want for yourself I have wanted, I still want and I will always want. I thank you”.
He said: “This is one of the rear occasions but it is one of those occasions that make one really feel proud to be part of this country. We have come together again as a body and we can’t fail mentioning the singular honour that I have been made subject of throughout this morning here. The way everybody has spoken has given a lie to the whole concept that this is the public enemy number one. The way everyone has taken care of my movement up and down has indicated that once you put on that uniform you remain brothers forever. I want on my own part to assure all of you that despite the problems and pretence we remain brothers.”
The Military Pensions Board (MPB) had flagged off yesterday the first phase of the payment of over N2 billion pension arrears and gratuity to military pensioners and next-of-kin with the payment to Senate President, Senator David Mark, and Ojukwu.
Mark and Ojukwu were among the first batch of beneficiaries from the exercise. The payments were made to retired offices and men who have not been on the pension payroll; discharged soldiers, ratings and airmen who attended the NAFRC Course 1 of 2007; next-of-kin of deceased personnel, particularly the senior officers, and Aircrew who died in the NAF Dornier 228 air crash of September 17, 2007; the 64 pardoned ex-officers affected by the Nigerian Civil War, and all other military pensions with genuine outstanding pension.
The medically boarded ex-soldiers, who have been excluded from the military pension scheme for decades, will be included in the military pension’s payroll from February this year.
In his address at the event which had in attendance Minister of Defence, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, Minister of State for Defence, Mrs Fidelia Njeze, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Andrew Azazi, all the service chiefs, Senator Mark and Ojukwu, the Chairman of Military Pension Board, Brig. Gen Birtus Kwaji, said the payment was as a result of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s resolve to settle all pension arrears and ensure a stable and good quality of life for the retirees.
He stated that the process for the payment of retirees had been simplified by the Pension Board, urging all the beneficiaries to furnish the board with their respective bank details to enable the board service the accounts for their monthly entitlements.
Also in his remark, Senator Mark described the occasion as special and emotional, having been denied the right for the past 16 years. “It is a special occasion because when I retired about 16 years ago I immediately applied for my pension and I was promptly told that since I left and did an interview castigating the military government, I was not entitled to pension. I thought pension was a right and not a favour but, as it were, nobody allowed me to get that right. The point here today is that pensions for those of us who served and served meritoriously is a right. It is not a favour being done to anyone whether you are soilder or an officer, whether you are mere men or an officer, or a sailor or an officer it is your right and not a favour in any form,” he said.
And maybe it doesn’t matter too if you are a Lt Colonel in the Nigerian Army or General in the Biafran Army.

This man is too intelligent and intrepid. An exceptionally confident being

Duke, wife to face ICPC - Over N4.3bn loot; Ehindero may face anti-graft panel too
Lanre Adewole, Abuja
Monday, January 14, 2008
THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) will quiz the former Cross River State governor, Mr. Donald Duke, and his wife, Onari, tomorrow (Tuesday) over their alleged looting of about N4.3 billion belonging to the state while in office.

Duke ruled the state between 1999 and 2007. Highly placed sources disclosed that the former governor and his wife were summoned by the commission following statements made by former chairmen of local governments in the state, which allegedly indicted the duo on the handling of local government funds.



Duke was accused of compelling the 18 local governments in the state to be paying N1 million each every month into the bank account of his wife’s Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).



This was said to have been done all through the eight years that Duke led the state. Before Duke left office on May 29, 2007, a total of N1.728 billion had allegedly been paid into the said account domiciled with a new generation bank.



Apart from the council funds, Duke is also being accused of mismanaging about N2.5 billion belonging to the state government. The commission, according to the Nigerian Tribune sources, had summoned the affected council chairmen and useful statements had reportedly been made to the commission’s investigators.



The summons on Duke and his wife is reportedly to be on the strength of alleged indictment of the former governor and first lady by the council chairmen.



Also, the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, is billed to be questioned by the agency over the placement in two Nigerian banks of N930 million given the police by the Bayelsa State government.



The commission reportedly summoned the former police boss after erstwhile Commissioner of Police in charge of budget, John Obaniyi, allegedly indicted him while explaining his role in the handling of the controversial fund.



According to the source, Ehindero would be expected to explain how the money was expended, with particular emphasis on what happened to the over N40 million bank interest that accrued.



Ehindero had insisted that the money from the Bayelsa State government, which he was alleged to have mismanaged, was used in buying arms and ammunition for the Police.



Nigerian Tribune sources said that it became imperative for Ehindero to be questioned, given Obaniyi’s statement to the commission that all the transactions on the matter were at the instance of the former IGP.



The source revealed that Obaniyi in his statement when he appeared before a team of ICPC investigators a month ago, revealed that he placed the N930 million in an interest-yielding account for five months before the money was removed for the alleged purchase of the arms.



Obaniyi told detectives that he placed the money in two banks, Wema Bank and Intercontinental Bank, with the authority of Ehindero.



Nigerian Tribune gathered that the two banks had since submitted the statement of account on the transaction to the anti-corruption body.

Four Nigerians beheaded in Saudi Arabia

Four Nigerian drug traffickers fell on the wrong side of the law in Saudi Arabia days before the just concluded Hajj exercise and were not spared by the authority, who insisted that they must be beheaded.







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The punishment was carried out sources said, just before pilgrims started arriving in the kingdom for the 2007 Hajj.


Saturday Independent gathered that the Nigerians, three men and a woman, were arrested about six months ago at the King Abdul Azziz International Airport in possession of cocaine and heroin.


The Kingdom operates strict Islamic laws, which stipulates death penalty for anyone caught trafficking in hard drugs. And even though human right groups have mounted intense criticisms against it, dozens of offenders are said to have been beheaded in the past few years.


Top officials at the Nigerian embassy in Jeddah confirmed the development, saying that the embassy has warned Nigerians of the implications of engaging in what they described as something that is "inimical to the image of the country and could lead to their untimely death."


One of the officials who craved anonymity said even though people are aware of the stiff penalty meted to drug carriers, they still indulge in the act. He said there are other vices, not acceptable to the Saudis which Nigerians engage in and which does not portray the image of the country in positive light.


"Even though our people know the consequence of perpetrating these illegal acts, they still do them. And you know, unlike some countries, the Saudis are not that flexible in looking at these offences. They will readily tell you that the law is very clear on what should be done to whoever engages in drug trafficking".


The diplomat, however, said several attempts were made at the highest level by Nigeria to see if the sentences could be commuted to life imprisonment.


Even so, the embassy has had to contend with the problem of Nigerians who come for either the Hajj or Umrah and refuse to go back home. Hundreds of Nigerians are said to reside in the country, particularly in Mecca illegally.


The Nigerian Charge D’affaires, Salman Shittu, reinforced this in his speech during the Hajj Pre-Arafat meeting with the Federal Government delegation led by Senator Teslim Folarin, when he said most of these people "engage in illegal activities and violate the laws of the host country with impunity thereby creating a bad image for Nigeria".

Full list

Date of execution Place of execution Name Nationality Gender Charge
1999
30.4.99 Mecca Al-Hassan Mussa Shahib Nigerian male drug smuggling
28.5.99 Riyadh Hawa Faruk Nigerian female drug smuggling
20.6.99 (not reported, possibly Riyadh or Mecca) Abdullah Ibrahim Muhammad Nigerian male armed robbery
2.7.99 (not reported) Ahmad Muhammad Kassem Nigerian male drug smuggling
16.7.99 Jeddah A'ishah Sa'adah Qasim Nigerian female drug smuggling
23.7.99 Mecca Idriss Aissa Muhammad Nigerian male drug smuggling
13.8.99 Jeddah Ibrahim Muhammad Ali Nigerian male drug smuggling
20.8.99 Jeddah (name not clear) Nigerian male drug trafficking
3.9.99 Jeddah Safira Ounbiyi Salami Nigerian female drug smuggling
10.9.99 Jeddah Juma'a Bin Salah El-Din Nigerian male drug smuggling
2000
13.5.00 Jeddah Sheik Lukman Muhammad Awl Nigerian male armed robbery
13.5.00 Jeddah Adishno Abd-al-Wasi Nigerian male armed robbery
13.5.00 Jeddah Taj-al-Din Adibayo Luwal Nigerian male armed robbery
13.5.00 Jeddah Bayu Ibrahim Bulhan Nigerian male armed robbery
13.5.00 Jeddah Niyar Mubarak Wayl Nigerian male armed robbery
13.5.00 Jeddah Abd-al-Fattah Ulsjin Amos Nigerian male armed robbery
13.5.00 Jeddah Uthman Muhammad Ibrahim Nigerian male armed robbery
--.5.00 Jeddah Al-Hajji bin Sataru bin Adimula bin Yusuf Nigerian male drugs offence

Abacha loot: Police discover house loaded with foreign currencies
Lanre Adewole, Abuja
Sunday, January 13, 2008

Commissioner of Police, three others quizzed
N30 million, cars seized; Presidency wades in
It is not our money – Abacha’s son
Another angle has crept into the alleged mind-boggling looting of the nation’s treasury by late Head of State,General Sani Abacha and his family, with the recent discovery by Police, of an apartment in a North-West state, loaded with foreign currencies, said to belong to the Abacha family.

The shocking discovery was reportedly made by operati ves of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) attached to a state in the North-Central region.



Already three suspects have been arrested, quizzed and detained over the discovery, with the fourth suspect said to be on the run. The handling of the case has also landed a Commissioner of Police in a North-Central state in trouble.



He was reportedly whisked to the Force Headquarters in Abuja about three weeks ago in handcuffs. Though he is back on his seat, officers privy to the scandal said that the senior officer himself knew he was on borrowed time on the job.



Apart from trying to take the case away from the officers from the Federal Unit in ways said to be very unprofessional, the Commissioner of Police is also accused of benefiting heavily from the suspects.



The police boss is also said to have landed himself in further trouble, when it was reportedly discovered that he was trying to sabotage the officers from the Federal Unit, by encouraging the members of the suspects’ families to write petitions alleging the kidnap of the arrested suspects.



When the home of one of the suspects in the North-Central state was raided, Sunday Tribune leamt that a small box containing foreign currencies was recovered from the ceiling.



The naira value of the recovered foreign currency, according to police sources, was in excess of N30million, which is now in the custody of a Deputy Inspector General of Police, supervising the investigation.



Fi ve exotic cars were also said to have been recovered from the prime suspects, with one of them {names withheld} confessing to having about ten brand new buses, being used for inter-state commercial transport service, trucks, buses and houses.



He is also said to own a mini-mega station. According to a source privy to the arrest of the suspects, the officers of SARS were tipped off about the sudden wealth of the prime suspect who is from the North but investing in the North-Central state, and was placed under watch.



The surveillance repor-tedly paid off when an informant got to know about another movement of foreign currency from the North-West state to the North-Central state by the suspects, and informed the federal officers, who stormed the prime sus-pect’s home and arrested them.



The suspects reportedly confessed to the source of the money, with the officers said to have visited the place and made more shocking discoveries.



Moves to establish how the suspects came in contact with the foreign currencies reportedly led to the invitation of one of the children of the late Head of State who reportedly disowned the loot on behalf of the family.



An influential woman working in the presidency is allegedly putting pressure on the officers in charge of the case to free the suspects and stay off the matter, with some top police officers, who are allegedly benefiting from the largesse being distributed by the suspects, also said to be pushing for the matter to be transferred to a particular Commissioner of Police, who claimed that he had been petitioned over the matter long before the arrest by the federal officers.



The controversy generated in the Police over who should investigate the case saw all parties in contention meeting with the DIG overseeing the matter last Wednesday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.


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How 12-year-old boy was rescued from being used for money ritual

Monday, January 14, 2008
The quest to get rich at all cost has made some hard-hearted ones to opt for using humans for ritual. This is what happened in Bauchi State recently when a 29-year-old man was apprehended while trying to use a 12-year-old boy for money ritual. Ishola Michael reports.


The love of money is the root of all evils’, goes the popular saying. This is especially true of Abdulhamid Muhammad, a 29-year-old man from Bauchi State, who loves the lifesyles of the rich and the power they wield in the society and wanted to become rich himself.



With no meaningful way of striking it rich, the young man opted for the fast but dangerous route of making a fortune in life — through ritual means. After consulting with his herbalist on the best way to achieve his dream, it was stated that he needed a human being for the ritual. His problem was now how to get a human being for the money making ritual. But one day, when it was getting dark, Abdulhamid decided it was time for operation. He had with him a live black fowl he wanted to use to hynotize his victim. The opportunity presented itself when Abudlhamid saw a 12-year-old boy, Sabiu Auta, in a shop alone. Seeing that as his oportunity, he quickly rushed into the shop and used the fettish fowl on Sabiu, who immediately became unconcious.



After the deed was done, Abdulhamid was faced with another hurdle on how to carry his victim out of the shop without being discovered. At this point, he was feeling uncomfortable and would occassionally move out of the shop, look around, before entering the shop again. Residents of the area, after seeing the 29-year-old man moving around the shop suspiciously, called on the police who subssquently arrested the man. The unconcious boy was also discovered in the shop, a situation Abdulhamid could not give explanations to. Speaking on how Abdulhamid, who has now been convicted to life imprisonment by the Upper Sharia court in Bauchi, was arrested, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the Tafawa Balewa Estate Police Division, ASP Christiana Sidi, disclosed to the Nigerian Tribune that immediately the police patrol team was informed of the suspicious movements of a man in front of a shop, policemen promptly moved in to ascertain what the man was up to.



“The man was later caught with a live fowl in the shop with an consious boy. He could however not explain what he was doing or what made the boy unconscious,” the DPO said. During interrogation, the police learnt that Abdulhamid was also involved in the business of selling human parts for ritual purposes, confessing that he had business partners in some parts of the country, especially in Kano State. After investigations had been concluded, the 29-year-old was first arraigned in court on December 24, 2007, where he pleaded guilty to all the charges levelled against him. The presiding judge, Mallam Musa A. Barda then adjorned the ruling to December 27, 2007, when Abdulhamid was sentenced to life imprisonment on a three-count charge of conspiracy, criminal charming and attempt to kidnap, which is contrary to Section 123, 125 and 403 (E) of the Sharia Penal code.



Supporting his decision to sentence Abdulhamid to life imprisonment, Mallam Barda, who quoted from the holy Quran in support of the judgment, said the convict should spend the rest of his life in prison as he was a threat to the society. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on how the incident happened, the victim, Sabiu Auta, said he was in the shop alone on the day of the incident when the man entered. “He said he wanted to do something nearby and he pleaded that I allow him keep his bag in the shop. “Because I did not know him and it was also getting late, I initially refused. He then started begging and I allowed him.” Instead of dropping his bag however, Sabiu said the man moved closer and used the live fowl on him.



“That was all I could remember”, Sabiu said. Also speaking, the father of the vicitm, Mallam Abdullahi Auta, explained that when the incident happened, he was not around. “I was called on phone by sympathisers who told me the situation my son was in. “When I got there, the man would not confess. I then ordered for an egg, which I smashed on his forehead. He then started confessing that he wanted to use my boy for money ritual. He also told us how to revive him,” Mallam Auta said happily. Advising parents against leaving their children all by themselves, Mallam Auta said the experience had taught him a lesson, saying there are many people around who are waiting to take advantage of such children.



Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Bauchi State command, ASP Alhassan Guga, said all Abdulhamid wanted to do was to use the boy for money ritual, saying luck however ran out on him.



http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/14/611.html

Saudi Arabia Keeps Departing Nigerian Pilgrims In Isolated Camp
BY KABIR ALABI GARBA (WHO WAS IN SAUDI ARABIA)

OF the 181 countries that participated in the 2007 Hajj operations that ended a few days ago in Saudi Arabia, only Nigeria had a separate camp, as departure point for airlifting of pilgrims back home.



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Disbelief and disappointment etched boldly on the faces of the third batch of pilgrims from Lagos State as they arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah on Tuesday night.

They discovered that only Nigerians were being attended to at what looked like an abandoned place hurriedly prepared for the operation.

However, investigation, especially from the regular guests to the Holy Land, revealed that the port of arrival used to be the same spot for departure for all pilgrims.

In fact, nationals from other countries such as Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana and Senegal departed from where they arrived for the hajj operations. But not so for the Nigerians.

An enquiry from the airport officials indicated that something untoward must have happened before the Saudi Arabia authorities decided that a separate camp should be created for Nigerian pilgrims.

What could have been responsible for this kind of treatment meted out to Nigerian pilgrims?

The Amirul-Hajj for Lagos State, Alhaji Ibrahim Babatunde Balogun, who is also the Lagos State Commissioner for Culture and Home Affairs, denied any ill-feeling on the part of Saudi Authority against Nigeria.

He insisted that the spot was designated for Kabo Airlines, one of the official carriers recommended by the Federal Government, to operate.

But Balogun's argument was proved wrong when the pilgrims completed departure processes and they had to travel a long distance to reach where the aircraft was stationed right inside the arrival camp.

A source from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in Makkah confirmed that the observation was right except that the camp "is meant for pilgrims from non-Arab speaking countries in Africa.

"But because they are small in number - 1000, 2000 - compared to over 90, 000 pilgrims from Nigeria, the country always dominate the place," the source said.

However, his argument could be dismissed by the hoisting of Nigeria's flag at every strategic place at the camp.

Although, the new camp of departure was located directly opposite the arrival site, attempt by some pilgrims to go to that area for certain chores such as changing of their left-over riyals to dollars was frustrated, as there existed a thick barrier between the two camps.

More than anything else, it looked like a place for cargo services. No shopping malls and other facilities that are peculiar to departure arena of any international airport.

There was only one food joint and the choice was limited: bread, roasted chicken, tasteless fried rice and variety of highly sugary snacks.

But the price tag was exorbitant, out of reach of virtually all the pilgrims whose refrain in the weeks leading to their departure from Saudi Arabia had been Fulus Khalas (I am broke).

A regular guest to Saudi Arabia, who was part of the third batch of Lagos pilgrims that arrived in Nigeria on Thursday, Alhaji Femi Abbas, attributed the isolation to misconduct perpetrated by pilgrims from Nigeria during the previous year's Hajj.

"If you notice the camp at which we took-off in Jeddah, only Nigerians were found there," Abbas submitted.

According to the journalist and former Deputy Managing Director of the rested Ibadan-based newspapers, The Monitor, "the point of arrival used to be the point of departure for everybody including Nigerians."

"But because of misconduct of some Nigerians in previous hajj where some pilgrims fought at the point of departure and started stabbing one another with knives, and broken bottles, the Saudi authorities decided to ostracize Nigeria," he said.

Abbas insisted that "at that new camp, no other nationals, not even pilgrims from Benin Republic, Niger, Togo are there. They (Saudi authorities) thought pilgrims from Nigeria always behave like animals and they should be treated as such."

He, however, recommended proper orientation for intending pilgrims before they are allowed to embark on the spiritual exercise.

"That kind of orientation should have been given from home. We should not expose our lapses abroad. We should give our country a good name. We should behave well.

"We should show that we are civilised. It is because we showed them that we are uncivilised that they treated us like uncivilised elements." he said.

NAHCON Commissioner in-charge of Policy, Personnel, Management and Finance, Alhaji Liadi Tella, also mentioned low-level of sensitisation as the problem confronting management of hajj operations in Nigeria.

"The problem we have with hajj operations now is because people are not thoroughly informed, thoroughly sensitised, and not thoroughly mobilised."

Liadi, who is also coordinator of Makkah operations, insisted that, "Hajj is a service to Almighty Allah. It is not a jamboree. It is not a tourism endeavour. It is a religious activity and it must be embraced as such."

He disclosed that the commission was already making efforts that Nigeria "moves from 'supermarket hajj operation' to a structured hajj."

Supermarket hajj, he explained, "is a situation whereby people suddenly decide to go to hajj when the processes are almost concluded."

He said with structured hajj system, "those who are going to hajj in 2010, by 2009, they must have known themselves and completed their payments for it. Then, they would be able to go to hajj schools in their respective states and local government areas."

The hajj school, he stressed, would give intending pilgrims basic education on hajj rites and what is expected of them when they arrive in Saudi Arabia for the operations.

But the Lagos State Amirul-Hajj, Alhaji Balogun, noted that unless hajj operations are decentralised, Nigeria may not be able to get it right, urging the Federal Government to allow every state to do its own operations.

Citing airlifting of pilgrims as one problem that is yet to be tackled permanently, Balogun said: "If Lagos State were to be allowed to go for any official carrier, we will go for Saudi Airlines." His belief is that such decision would foster smoother operations of hajj for Lagos pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the seventh and last batch of the Lagos pilgrims is expected back home today (Sunday). The operations commenced last Sunday and by yesterday evening, the 6th batch had arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while the seventh batch was completing processes for departure at the Jeddah airport.

A total of 3,645 went to the hajj from Lagos State out of the 81,750 pilgrims that went from Nigeria. The figure is aside from another 10,000 that embarked on pilgrimage through international approach.

The holy cities of Makkah and Madinah hosted about 2.4 million pilgrims during the 2007 edition. January 18 is the deadline for all pilgrims to leave the holy land.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/13/4.html