₦airaland Forum

THE LEGALITY OF #EndSARS PANELS

The Federal Government has recently mooted the idea that all the Judicial Panels of Inquiry set up by the various States across the Federation, especially that of Lagos State, are illegal.

It has never been part of our legal system in Nigeria, for a plaintiff who approached the court in the first instance, to turn around to challenge the legality or jurisdiction of the court.

The #EndSARS Panels were set up at the behest of the Federal Government, through the National Economic Council. In the case of the Lagos Panel, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Army, voluntarily submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the Panel, the Federal Government called witnesses, it tendered documents and it made very lengthy presentations.

A party cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time. Thus, a party who initiated a process and willingly and actively participated in that process, cannot turn around, after judgment, to plead illegality or absence of jurisdiction, simply because the outcome is unfavorable. We must strengthen our institutions to make them work.

While we all await the White Paper from the Lagos State Government, it is important for Government to build trust in the people in all its dealings and utterances.

God bless Nigeria.

Suspected sea pirates early on Sunday launched multiple attacks on some workers with the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in Okoroma and Ogbokiri–Akassa communities of Nembe and Brass local government areas of Bayelsa State.

The gunmen reportedly shot dead two workers of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The skipper of their boat, who is an indigene of Okoroma community, has been declared missing by the locals.

In the ambush that occurred at Ogbokiri-Akassa in the Brass Local Government Area, six Nigerian oil workers who were busy doing maintenance job close to their platform were abducted and taken away.

The Agip oil workers and their security personnel were attacked around 6am on Sunday while working close to a Manifold in Bayelsa.

The spokesman for the NSCDC, Bayelsa command, ASC1 Ogbere Solomon, who confirmed the incident, said only one worker of the command died in the ambush, while two others who were missing had been found and were currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa, the state capital.

“Yes, our officers were ambushed and attacked by some unknown pirates while on their lawful duty of providing protection to some Agip oil workers close to Obama manifold in Okoroma community of Nembe Local Government Area. One person was killed while the other two who were missing have been found and are responding to treatment,” he said.

Armed EFCC agents on Saturday night stripped, robbed and shot repeatedly to traumatise guests at Conference Hotels, part of a luxury accommodation chain run by former Governor Gbenga Daniel in Abeokuta, witnesses said.

The officers reportedly arrived just before midnight on Saturday and operated well into the early hours of Sunday morning, witnesses said. They forcibly broke into guest rooms unannounced and stripped them of any dignity, Peoples Gazette heard, in a description that matches the agency’s recent descent into conduct bereft civil liberties considerations.

Scores of guests were said to have been arrested during the operation, many of whom were accused of being Internet fraudsters even though no outstanding warrants were presented against them. An awards ceremony that was going on at the hotel was disrupted, but additional details of the raid remained unclear.

“They accused my friend Emmanuel of being a Yahoo boy and stripped him and his girlfriend,” a witness told The Gazette on Sunday morning. “They were also robbed of their money and phones before being badly tortured.”

Emmanuel, whose last name was not provided to The Gazette, was freed at the scene with his girlfriend.

“He was not taken away but we don’t know how we can get his phones and money back,” his friend who witnessed the incident said.

A video that surfaced online included sounds of gunshots and women scampering for safety, fearing that they might be fatally shot by rogue officers attached to the anti-graft agency.

The EFCC has faced widespread condemnation for similar attacks on hotel guests in recent weeks. Officers have been found to raid lodgers and revellers at hotels and nightclubs across the southern parts of the country, often without a warrant or acceptable degree of transparency.

In mid-September, The Gazette reported how EFCC agents broke into hotels in Abeokuta, causing damages to guests and assets. A woman narrated how she was sexually harassed by the agents, who dipped hands into her vagina and confiscated her iPhone. The EFCC said its officers were professional throughout the operation.

Governor Dapo Abiodun has reportedly expressed anger over the latest raid, which residents said could further plunge the state’s economy into distress as guests often avoid a previously raided hotel. Mr Daniel, who was governor of the state from 2003-2011, has for years owned Conference Hotel in Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode and Abeokuta. Loyalists of the governor reportedly stormed the hotel to frustrate the EFCC operation, a witness said, but it was unclear whether or not they were successful.

Agents have in the past avoided raiding the hotel to avoid political fallout, but town residents said it was only a matter of time before an invasion would happen since Conference had been one of only few hotels standing unbreached by EFCC agents in the state capital.

The Gazette approached the EFCC for comments on Sunday morning.

FG moves to crush banditry, as Courts grants Malami's application to declare bandits terrorists

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN said the Federal Government's determination to crush banditry remains unwavering now that the Court has granted application filed by his Office declaring bandits groups as terrorist organisations.

This is made known by Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in a statement issued to newsmen.

According to the statement the declaration is a demonstration of the determination of the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and indeed the Federal Government in doing things in accordance with the rule of law.

"The development is a pointer to the commitment of the Federal Government to adhere to the international standards in respecting the rules of engagement in the fight against terrorism, separatists organisations, insurgency and banditry in the country," he said.

He said by this declaration the Federal Government of Nigeria has taken bold steps to deal ruthlessly with all terrorists groups and their sponsors in efforts to bring lasting solution to the myriad of insecurity challenges in the country.

The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in collaboration with relevant Government Agencies including security operatives are working assiduously to do the needful to take full advantage of this declaration.

The Government will gazette, publish the publicise the proscription order.

A rescue team searching for 35 miners who are trapped deep underground following an explosion at a mine in Eastern Russia have failed to return to the surface.

The blast took place 820ft below the surface at Listvyazhnaya coal mine in Siberia shortly after 9am Thursday, when coal dust in the ventilation ducts caught fire.

The huge explosion has killed at least 11 miners - including a 23-year-old - who were 'wiped off the earth' in the blast, and injured 43 others, four of whom are in a serious condition.

But 35 miners remain unaccounted for and are feared trapped, prompting a massive search effort involving 154 rescuers.

Efforts to rescue those trapped in the mine were halted on Thursday afternoon because of an explosion threat, and rescuers were rushed out of the mine, administrators told the Interfax news agency. It is unclear how long the search will be halted.

But a single group of rescuers with up to four hours of oxygen did not reappear at the surface, and were lost in the mine, according to local reports. Each team comprises four or five searchers.

There were also local reports of a second explosion at the coal mine this afternoon, around 12 hours after the first.

A total of 154 rescuers had been working at the mine, and have so far checked 11 miles of tunnels out of a total of 25 miles, said local sources.

Interfax said an explosion 'thundered' in the mine causing the emergency. Fire was said to be raging in a ventilation tunnel.

A report by Russia's Interfax news agency said an 'equipment malfunction' or 'natural causes' were seen as the cause of the explosion.

Reports said there were hopes the missing men had found an air pocket beneath the fire and some distance from it. But there was no contact with the men.

'They were wiped off the earth,' he said.

Regional Governor Sergei Tsivilev said 11 miners have died and more than 40 people were being treated in hospital, at least some of them with smoke poisoning. The wounded were ferried by helicopter to hospitals.

'Forty-three people have been hospitalised with injuries, four of them in a serious condition,' Tsivilev said.

Rescue teams were halted due to 'unstable' gas levels at the mine, some 2,200 miles east of capital Moscow.

'The chance of an explosion is very high. We've decided to suspend the search and rescue operation until the concentration of gas reduces,' Regional Governor Sergei Tsivilev said, adding that methane and CO2 levels were dangerously high.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to prepare Russians for more bad news in the morning.

'Unfortunately the situation is not getting easier. And there's a danger to the lives of the rescuers... We'll hope they can save as many people as they can,' he said on TV.

A wife of one of the missing miners said: 'We are praying for a miracle.'

Minister of Emergency Situations Alexander Chupriyan confirmed before the suspension that the rescuers 'are already finding bodies'.

Miner Nikolay Alimov, on leave due to injury, said: 'There was kind of an explosion. Many people have been poisoned by carbon monoxide, some more seriously, some more mildly.'

Some miners had managed to pull out others 'before they suffocated', he said after talking to his brother who escaped from the stricken mine.

One pitman said: 'I had just started my shift, I went down 600 metres and there was a loud clap.

'There was dust, nothing to breathe. I started suffocating. If my self-rescue kit hadn't worked, I would have stayed down there.

'On the previous shifts, you could smell the gas. Safety regulations do not allow you to work when you smell gas.

'But the bosses insisted that we should work. If you are not satisfied, go and quit, they said.'

Another miner said: 'We were the first shift, we started work at 9am. We went down and walked 400 metres down and smelled burning. Suddenly it became impossible to breathe.

'We switched on our self-rescue kit and came out.'

As the first victims emerged from the mine, a local emergencies source said: 'According to preliminary data, none have bodily injuries.'

'They inhaled (smoke) as a result of the explosion.'

According to Russia's technological watchdog, an explosion occurred in the mine's airway. A criminal probe into the fire has been launched.

President Vladimir Putin extended his condolences to the families of the killed miners and ordered the government to offer all necessary assistance to those who were injured.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was also in sombre mood, offering slender hope of the men being rescued.

'An emergency situation has occurred in the Kemerovo region today,' he said. 'People have died and been injured in a fire in the Listvyazhnaya mine.

'I am deeply shocked by what has occurred. It's a big tragedy for the people, for the region, for all of us.'

Kemerovo has declared a three-day period of mourning following the explosion.

The Listvyazhnaya mine was set up in 1956 and is owned by the SDS-Ugol company, one of Russia's biggest coal mining companies.

A methane blast in 2004 killed 13 people at the mine and another explosion at the site killed five people in 1981, according to Russian media reports.

Mining accidents are fairly common in Russia and across the former Soviet Union as a result of poor safety standards, a lack of oversight of working conditions and ageing Soviet-era equipment.

In one of the worst recent examples, the rupture in October 2019 of an illegal dam at a gold mine in Siberia left 17 people dead.

The same month, three people were killed in an accident at a mine in the Arctic belonging to the Norilsk Nickel group, the world's largest producer of nickel and palladium.

In August 2017, eight people went missing after a flood swept through a Siberian diamond mine operated by Russia's Alrosa, one of the world's leading producers of rough diamonds.

After about three weeks, Alrosa announced it was stopping the rescue operation.

In 2007, Kemerovo was the site of the worst mining accident since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union when an explosion at the Ulyanovskaya mine claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

One of the deadliest mining accidents in Russia in recent years occurred at the Raspadskaya mine in Siberia - Russia's largest coal mine - in the summer of 2010, killing 91 people and leaving more than 100 injured.

The incident was the result of a powerful methane explosion when more than 300 miners were inside. A second explosion then trapped a group of rescuers.

On top of the deadly accidents, NGO groups have drawn attention to the environmental practices of mines in Russia, one of the largest gold producers in the world.

The Listvyazhnaya mine, near the town of Belovo in the Kemerovo mining region, filled with smoke in the early hours of Thursday with 285 people inside.

Russian news agencies quoted local authorities as saying that 52 people were dead, including miners and six rescuers who had been part of an aborted search operation.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major cases, opened a criminal probe and said three people had been detained including the 47-year-old director of the mine and his 59-year-old first deputy.

"During the initial investigation, it was established that the detainees violated industrial safety requirements," the committee said in a statement.

An Egyptian court on Thursday sentenced to death by hanging 22 Islamist militants for 54 attacks including the attempted assassination of a former interior minister, a judicial source told AFP.

The men were found guilty of committing 54 "terrorist operations" across Egypt, including the murder of a senior police officer as well as trying to kill former interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim.

Executions in Egypt for civilians are carried out by hanging. Those sentenced to death include a former police officer, and the verdicts cannot be appealed.

The 22 convicted were found guilty of being members of the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis group, which pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2014.

The Court of Cassation, Egypt's highest appeals court, also upheld prison sentences of 118 others in the same case, ranging from terms of several years to life imprisonment.

Egypt has for years been fighting a bitter insurgency in North Sinai that escalated after the army's 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

In February 2018, the army and police launched a nationwide operation against militants focused on North Sinai.

Around 1,073 suspected militants and dozens of security personnel have been killed since the start of operations, according to official figures.

Earlier this month, Egypt agreed with Israel to boost its troop numbers around the border town of Rafah in order to quell IS militants.

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis fighters in Sinai were led by Hisham al-Ashmawy, an ex-special forces officer.

Ashmawy –- once dubbed Egypt's "most wanted man" -- split from the militants after they switched allegiance from Al-Qaeda to the Islamic State group.

In 2018, Ashmawy was captured in the eastern Libya city of Derna, and extradited to Cairo. He had been on trial with the 22 men sentenced on Thursday, but had already been found guilty, and was executed in March 2020.

Egypt, the most populous Arab country, recorded the third most executions in the world -- behind China and Iran according to Amnesty International. In 2020, Egyptian authorities executed at least 107 people, Amnesty said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has placed Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra State, on its watchlist.

The development comes months before Obiano is expected to leave office as Governor.

According to a letter dated November 15 and addressed to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the anti-graft agency asked to be informed whenever Obiano is seen attempting to travel out of the country.

It is not clear why the EFCC placed Obiano on its watchlist.

However, according to sources, the Anambra Governor is being investigated by the commission.

More than seven years in prison and then likely deportation is the fate of a Nigerian citizen who with his wife admitted laundering nearly $1.9 million obtained by making false pleas for money on social media.

Jabin Godspower Okpako, 36, of Sayre, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann to 7 years, 3 months in prison followed by three years’ supervised release.

Deportation proceedings likely will prevent him from serving his supervised release, court officials said.

Earlier this year Okpako and his wife, Christin Bradley Okpako, 54, of Sayre, a U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering through mail and wire fraud.

Her sentencing that was scheduled Tuesday was continued because his attorney had a conflict in another venue.

The Okpakos preyed on women throughout the country ages 55 to 85 who visited on-line game, relationship and dating websites.

They cultivated online relationships through texts, instant messaging and the exchange of pictures and then induced them to send or transmit money for fictitious reasons including personal crisis.

The Bradford County couple received and deposited $1,898,046 between January 2016 and June 2019 and then wire transferred the funds to Ube Peace, a woman in Nigeria.

It is disturbing the mastermind of the scheme in Nigeria likely will never be prosecuted, said defense attorney Kyle W. Rude, who described his client as a “money mule.”

It is also unlikely any of those who lost money will be made whole, he said.

Okpako, who was a civil engineer in Nigeria before coming to the United States, claimed he was deceived by his long-time boss in Nigeria into participating in the conspiracy.

“I never once even considered or thought that I was a committing a crime or the consequences my actions would have,” he told Brann.

He attributed that to a lack of understanding along “with my own greed and ambition to rise above the hardships of my childhood.” He wanted to be the one to bring his family out of poverty, he said.

Noting “the land of opportunity has closed its doors on me,” Okpako said he has no one to blame but himself.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel called Okpako a “regular player” in the scheme.

He knew where the money was going as he and his wife went to multiple banks sometimes more than once on the same day, he said.

The government has identified 19 victims who in total lost $440,950, the prosecutor said.

One woman lost $50,000, he said. Other individual losses his listed included $41,900, $41,000, $35,000, $35,000 and $23,000.

Brann, who found Okpako had an instrumental role in the scheme, ordered restitution of the $440,950 payment of which is to be shared with his wife after she is sentenced.

Okpako also must forfeit $28,820 in U.S. currency seized during a May 2, 2019, search of his home.

On October 18, 2021, when this reporter visited Isale Agbara PHC in Osogbo, Osun state, just a few workers waiting to resume their night shift duty were found on the premises.

“How can we help you?” asked one of them, a female, who had her glasses perched on her nose.

After being informed of the intention to get a birth certificate, she said, “go there”, pointing to a spot which an official of the National Population Commission (NPC) uses as a birth registration centre.

“You will see the telephone number of ‘Baba Ewe’ on the wall. Just call him and tell him you want to obtain a birth certificate. He will tell you when he is going to be available and the cost,” she added.

WITH N1000, NO QUESTIONS ASKED
When contacted on the phone, the official said he had closed for the day. But as soon as he heard that this reporter came from Lagos to obtain the certificate, he had a change of heart.

Less than 10 minutes later, the official, who introduced himself as SA Alabi, arrived on a motorcycle.

Alabi was upset that the reporter came late to the hospital despite knowing that civil servants close between 4pm and 5pm.

“The Government doesn’t pay us for extra time so you have to come very early tomorrow to do the registration and obtain the birth certificates,” he said.

“We issue certificates on immunisation days and we already did that today. I will help you tomorrow since I know you travelled from Lagos but you have to pay for my kind gesture.”

When reminded that the next day, October 19, 2021, was a public holiday for the celebration of the Mawlid Nabi festival, he agreed to process the birth certificate that evening. All needed was a sum of N1,000 for a registration that is meant to be free.

“Tell your friend to wait for you here. I will take you to my house so that I can get you the certificate,” he said.

Alabi’s house is adjacent to the health centre. Asides from his work as an NPC official, Alabi also runs a tradomedical bone clinic.

On getting to the office in his house, he asked this reporter about his relationship with the child he came to get a birth certificate for. In response, the reporter said he’s an uncle to the non-existent child.

Without requesting any hospital record as required, Alabi simply asked the reporter some questions about the child and his parents. After providing the necessary information and paying N1,000, Alabi issued an original birth certificate dated October 18, 2021. Just like that, the transaction was done. It was business as usual. It didn’t matter that there was no official document proving the existence of the child.

N500 IN OGUN
“We are sorry, Today is Monday. You can’t get it today. We give immunisations on Wednesday and that’s when the officials of the NPC will be around to issue birth certificates,” a nurse at Ijeun-Tuntun health centre, Abeokuta, capital of Ogun state, told this reporter on his first visit to the hospital.

Asked if the process required any payment, she said: “Just come with N500 and you will get it on Wednesday. Remember to come with the details of the child and his parents. The woman comes as early as 8:30am.”

Two days later when this reporter returned, he met an NPC official who identified herself as Saka H. B. Again, the same information was provided for the issuance of a birth certificate for the non-existing Afolabi Damilola Iyanuoluwa.

Despite informing the official that the child was born outside Ogun state, she said it was not a problem. Saka said the NPC clause, which says children cannot be registered in an area outside their place of birth, does not hold water.

In the blink of an eye, she issued a birth certificate and she offered prayers for the “child to grow old and become an important personality in future”.

WHATSAPP TRANSACTION IN OYO
At the two primary healthcare centres visited in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, it was much easier to obtain birth certificates by proxy. In one instance, details of the child were submitted via WhatsApp, without any visit to the hospital where it was issued.

A source had earlier connected this reporter to a nurse at Ikumopayi primary healthcare centre in Lagelu LGA of Oyo. Over a phone call, the nurse, addressed as Iya Abiye, requested that details of the child and his parents be sent via WhatsApp.

The requested information was sent to Iya Abiye around 7:21 am on October 13, 2021, and by 12 noon on the same day, she called to say the certificate was ready. To make it more convenient, she offered to send a dispatch rider to deliver the birth certificate.

Soon, a motorcyclist arrived with the certificate which had been duly stamped and signed by a registrar named Opaleke OA. Unlike the previous experiences with NPC officials, there was no form of physical interaction with the issuer nor was any evidence of the child’s birth requested — yet a certificate of birth was delivered.

The experiences were the same at the primary health care centre at Elewi-Odo. The rowdiness at the health facility was overwhelming as nursing mothers filled up the section, waiting for their turns to have their babies immunised.

When this reporter asked for the spot where officials of NPC attend to birth certificate applicants, he was directed to a right corner of the room where an official was sitting, swarmed by booklets and other stationery used for the birth registration process. On getting to her desk, the official told the reporter that “you have to wait behind because there are other people before you”.

When informed that the certificate was needed urgently, she asked our reporter to “drop something”. After giving her N1,000, she fast-tracked the process and completed the birth certificate in less than ten minutes. The certificate dated October 12, 2021, was duly stamped and signed by the official named Tijani RB.

PROCESS OF ISSUING BIRTH CERTIFICATES
Given the prevalent trend of issuing this all-important document without requesting proper evidence of birth, what exactly is the right process?

The documentation is often done at the local government headquarters of the child or at a primary health centre on a day set aside for immunisation. The data obtained are used to update the census figures on an annual basis for national planning purposes.

Aside from this, it also helps to establish the child’s family ties and serves as a requirement for processing an international passport among other relevant documents.

After a child is born, the midwife is expected to provide a certificate as proof before the issuance of a birth certificate. In a case where a child is born at home, his or her parents are required to go to the local government headquarters and get an affidavit to serve as the proof of birth.

The affidavit would then be submitted at any NPC office and a birth certificate would be issued to the child. But at the centres visited by this reporter, this process is not adhered to.

While the NPC has on several occasions announced that the registration of children and persons under 18-year-old children is free, findings showed that officials in primary healthcare centres still charge for the issuance of birth certificates.

It was also discovered that the birth registration process is lax. Since there are no digitised records for the registration, it makes it easy to obtain certificates of birth for non-existent children — as long as applicants can dole out stipends for the service.

IRREGULARITIES AMID RISING CHILD TRAFFICKING CASES
Child trafficking is one of the worst cross-border crimes taking place regularly in Nigeria. A 2006 report by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Nigeria (NAPTIP) revealed that traffickers often travel with children using fake birth registration papers and posing as the parents.

While there are no reliable statistics of child trafficking in Nigeria, the International Labour Organisation estimates that 1.2 million children are trafficked each year. Nigeria was listed as one of the countries with the largest number of trafficking victims overseas (particularly in Europe), with victims identified in 34 countries in 2018.

According to the United Nations International Children and Emergency Fund (UNICEF), newborns are fast becoming victims of trafficking. And the ease with which anyone can obtain a birth certificate using a fictitious child’s name in Nigeria all but encourages child trafficking.

UNICEF’s global database of 2021 also revealed that one in four children under the age of 5 do not officially exist, hence making trafficking of newborns easy, especially in countries like Nigeria where certificates can be issued without proper verification.

In 2017, security operatives rescued 135 minors in Jos, the Plateau state capital. The children — all male and within the age range of four to eight years — were found in a truck meant for transporting farm produce.

In May 2021, NAPTIP announced the bursting of a notorious child trafficking syndicate in the federal capital territory (FCT). The operatives of the agency were able to rescue four children from one Blessing-Nnena Eze, who allegedly stole them.

Two months ago, two suspected human traffickers, Ejiofor Izuchukwu and Nzube Okafor, were arrested for attempting to traffick 10 girls to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This was after the duo had obtained birth certificates for the girls, taking advantage of the same questionable registration system. While NAPTIP and other relevant agencies have been able to rescue some of the children, a number of them remain missing, leaving their parents in a state of sorrow.

The police had in 2017 said child harvesting was a growing trafficking phenomenon. Frank Mba, the police spokesman, had described it as an organised crime, with medical doctors said to be involved in running baby factories where newborns are sold after the issuance of birth certificates.

CHILD RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ADVOCATE DIGITISATION
Joseph Igwe, an official of Child Rights Awareness Creation Organisation, said the findings of this investigation have proven that “we have fake figures on the population of Nigerians”.

“All of these fake babies would be recorded to our population. Is that not laughable? If we must fight trafficking, the government needs to take proactive measures that will make manipulation difficult,” Igwe said.

Child rights activists and ICT experts have advocated digital registration of birth as the solution to the menace. They argued that such an approach would help the country to keep track of its population statistics, trends and differentials.

Ebenezer Omejalile, coordinator, Advocate for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network of Nigeria, said trafficking is high due to a lack of accurate data.

“We have rescued three children between last week and now. One of them is a young girl who jumped out of a moving vehicle,” he said.

“She was sold to Benin Republic for N500,000, to Mali for N5,000,000 and later to Ivory Coast for N2,000,000 before she eventually found her way back to Nigeria.

“There is a conspiracy right from the community and children’s destinies are being sold away. There is a need for digitalisation so that children will be duly captured during registration. You were able to get different birth certificates for a child that does not exist because the process is not digitised. There is no centralisation and this is contributing to child trafficking in the country.”

Ibrahim Oredola, tech expert and founder of SkillNG, a solution-based platform that helps young people to learn digital skills, said he paid N100 to procure his birth certificate when he was 20-years-old.

He said: “Nigeria has refused to change from the analogue era to the digital age. There should be a database that validates the identity of a child. Your findings show that birth certificates even help create false identities.

“We can’t equitably share resources with false data. This is the time that NIN is critical and babies should also be allowed to have it. Maybe the government will do the needful with this kind of report.”

Salvation Aworanti, founder, Voices Against Rape and Sexual Harassment Foundation, believes that awareness is key to curbing the trend. “People need to know that obtaining an illegal birth certificate is a problem and must be fought,” he said.

“We should pressurise authorities to look at this problem as soon as possible to end harassment of children especially the females who are often victims of rape and other sexual molestation.”

NPC: WE’LL LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION
When contacted, Joseph Udi, director of public affairs at the NPC, admitted that officials at the grassroots perpetrate corrupt practices during the process of obtaining birth certificates for a child. He, however, said the NPC will launch an investigation to address the findings.

“It is not as if we are not concerned about these complaints. Those officials are often told that what they do tarnishes the image of the commission. Corruption is a Nigerian factor and by the time people talk about this, they will point fingers at the entire NPC,” he said.

Udi dissociated the NPC from the irregularities, assuring that a digitised process would be launched soon.

“There is no organisation that condones stupidity and irregularities. I think the officials whose names appear on the birth certificates you have need to be arrested and locked up,” he said.

“It is getting to the level where the commission must do something serious and I will pass this to the authorities immediately so that we can commence investigative actions that will be transparent.

“We have said it times without number that birth registration is free. They (birth certificate registrar) want to mess up the image of the commission. We believe digitalisation will do and we are working with NIMC. We will ask applicants to submit their NIN so as to trace bad guys.”

Osun State Commissioner of Police, Wale Olokode, on Monday said one of the suspects held in connection with the death of Timothy Adegoke, a Masters student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, had confessed that son of the owner of Hiltons Hotels and Resorts, Ile-Ife, Roheem Adedoyin, arranged how the corpse was evacuated and taken to the bush.

The police boss said Roheem, who is the Managing Director of the hotel where the late Adegoke reportedly died, organised how the corpse was evacuated from the facility and buried without informing the police.

Featuring on a radio programme, ‘Frank Talk’ monitored on Rave FM, Osogbo, Olokode, however said Roheem is on the run, adding that in the course of police investigation into the matter, detectives were able to discover where the corpse was buried.

He said, “One of the suspects confessed that the MD is the son of Dr Ramon Adedoyin, his name is Roheem Adedoyin who is now at large. He also confessed that he (Roheem) organised the corpse to be thrown into a bush. The MD along with two managers took the corpse to the bush.

“None of the staff members informed the police. It was the report of the missing person that made the anti-kidnapping team who then discovered through their meticulous investigation and traced the so-called missing person to that hotel and then traced the corpse, where it was found.”

Olokode also denied knowledge of the audio recording by Adedoyin where he pleaded his innocence while in police custody, and assured stakeholders the autopsy’s report will guide the police in their investigation.

Meanwhile, at the commencement of the autopsy at Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, the remains of Adegoke packed in a body bag was brought out of the morgue and taken out in an ambulance to Radiation Room, where x-ray was done.

The body was later returned to the mortuary around 12.55pm, as a team of pathologists commenced the post-mortem, after they have analysed the clothing that the deceased wore last before his death.

The four hour-procedure that was witnessed by representatives of all the parties in the matter, according to Naim Adekilekun, the counsel to the family of the late Adegoke, started around 2.30pm and ended by 6.30pm.

Meanwhile, family members of late Adegoke have asked the police to explain their role in the reported preferential treatment being accorded the owner of the hotels, Mr Ramon Adedoyin, in their custody.

Adekilekun, who made the demand while addressing journalists at the premises of the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, on Monday, said the police must assure all concerned that justice would be served.

He also demanded an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the production of an audio by Adedoyin, where he denied involvement in the death of the late Adegoke, despite claim by the police that he was in their custody.

His statement read in parts, “The police need to clear the air on the reported preferential and VIP treatments being accorded the owner of the hotel, Mr Rahman Adedoyin.

“This is already in the public domain and for the sake of fairness and an assurance of justice, the police need to speak up on this.

“We have also watched with dismay, the various attempts to confuse members of the public with endless statements bordering on the ‘innocence’ of the chairman and founder of the hotel, Rahman Adedoyin.

“We would rather prefer that all the suspects await their days in court to prove their innocence instead of the resort to the use of the media to appeal to sentiments.”

The Ebonyi State Police Command, on Saturday, arrested a lecturer, Prof Felix Anyaegbunam, with the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, for allegedly defiling a 12-year-old pupil, in the state (name withheld).

It was gathered the suspect who hails from Anambra State had sexually assaulted the victim for the past six months.

It was also gathered that the 12-year-old victim, a native of Ezza North Local Government Area of the state, lived in the suspect’s house with her father, who serves as his gateman.

A source, who spoke to PUNCH Metro, on condition of anonymity, said, “An alleged child violator, Felix Anyaegbunam, a professor of Geophysics working with Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo, in Ebonyi State, is now in the police net. He is from Anambra state. His wife is also a professor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and most of his children are Doctoral Degree holders according to research.

“A few days ago, a whistleblower brought a report against the professor leading to his arrest and detention yesterday by the police. He is being accused of constant sexual abuse on the 12-year-old daughter of his gateman. The victim is from Ezza North LGA of Ebonyi State. However, she has been rescued and is currently receiving proper medical examination/attention.:

In an interview with our correspondent, the victim narrated her experience while living with the suspect, adding that the lecturer assaulted her sexually for more than six months.

She said, “I was living in the village with my mother. My daddy brought me to live with Prof in Abakaliki. Since June this year, the Prof has been disturbing me. He always comes into my room and does what I don’t like.

“One day around 2aam, I ran to my father at the security house and told him that Prof was pressing my breast. My father told me to go back that he will talk with him in the morning. Sometimes, I will wake up and see myself naked.

“The other day, somebody was touching me at midnight. I woke up, put on the light and saw Prof lying on my bed naked. He tried to touch me but I slapped him and pushed him out of my room. I was crying.

“One day, I woke up and my bed was soaked with blood. I didn’t know what happened. I told my father in the morning but he didn’t do anything. He used to tell me that if I leave Prof’s house, who will pay my school fees? That is how the Prof has continued to disturb me until I told my aunty in the school because I don’t like that nonsense Prof is doing.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, in the state, Mrs Loveth Odah, confirmed the incident.

She added that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Aliyu Garba, had ordered a discreet investigation into the matter.

Mrs Odah said, “The suspect of the alleged case of rape is in Police custody now. The CP has ordered a discreet investigation into the matter, we are while awaiting the medical screening/report of the victim.”

In a rock concert-like atmosphere, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced that his government will build an oceanside “Bitcoin City” at the base of a volcano.

Bukele used a gathering of Bitcoin enthusiasts Saturday night to launch his latest idea, much as he used a an earlier Bitcoin conference in Miami to announce in a video message that El Salvador would be the first country to make the cryptocurrency legal tender,

A bond offering would happen in 2022 entirely in Bitcoin, Bukele said, wearing his signature backwards baseball cap. And 60 days after financing was ready, construction would begin.

The city will be built near the Conchagua volcano to take advantage of geothermal energy to power both the city and Bitcoin mining — the energy-intensive solving of complex mathematical calculations day and night to verify currency transactions.

The government is already running a pilot Bitcoin mining venture at another geothermal power plant beside the Tecapa volcano.

The oceanside Conchagua volcano sits in southeastern El Salvador on the Gulf of Fonseca.

The government will provide land and infrastructure and work to attract investors.

The only tax collected there will be the value-added tax, half of which will be used to pay the municipal bonds and the rest for municipal infrastructure and maintenance. Bukele said there would be no property, income or municipal taxes and the city would have zero carbon dioxide emissions.

The city would be built with attracting foreign investment in mind. There would be residential areas, malls, restaurants and a port, Bukele said. The president talked of digital education, technology and sustainable public transportation.

“Invest here and earn all the money you want,” Bukele told the cheering crowd in English at the closing of the Latin American Bitcoin and Blockchain Conference being held in El Salvador.

Bitcoin has been legal tender alongside the U.S. dollar since Sept. 7.

The government is backing Bitcoin with a $150 million fund. To incentivize Salvadorans to use it, the government offered $30 worth of credit to those using its digital wallet.

Critics have warned that the currency’s lack of transparency could attract increased criminal activity to the country and that the digital currency’s wild swings in value would pose a risk to those holding it.

Bitcoin was originally created to operate outside government controlled financial systems and Bukele says it will help attract foreign investment to El Salvador and make it cheaper for Salvadorans living abroad to send money home to their families.

Concern among the Salvadoran opposition and outside observers has grown this year as Bukele has moved to consolidate power.

Voters gave the highly popular president’s party control of the congress earlier this year. The new lawmakers immediately replaced the members of the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court and the attorney general, leaving Bukele’s party firmly in control of the other branches of government.

The U.S. government in response said it would shift its aid away from government agencies to civil society organizations. This month, Bukele sent a proposal to congress that would require organizations receiving foreign funding to register as foreign agents.

CLUB STATEMENT ON OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER

Manchester United announces that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his role as manager.

Ole will always be a legend at Manchester United and it is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision. While the past few weeks have been disappointing, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past three years to rebuild the foundations for long-term success.

Ole leaves with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts as Manager and our very best wishes for the future. His place in the club’s history will always be secure, not just for his story as a player, but as a great man and a Manager who gave us many great moments. He will forever be welcome back at Old Trafford as part of the Manchester United family.

Michael Carrick will now take charge of the team for forthcoming games, while the club looks to appoint an interim manager to the end of the season.

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has acknowledged the receipt of the sum of N19, 333,333,333.36 (Nineteen Billion, Three Hundred and Thirty-three Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-three Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty-three Naira, Thirty-six Kobo) recovered the EFCC from the Kogi State Salary Bail-out account domiciled in Sterling Bank Plc. This effectively puts to rest the campaign of misinformation and unconscionable denials by the Kogi State Government that no fund was recovered from its bail out account.

The apex bank in a letter referenced, DFD/DIR/CON/EXT/01/099 and dated 9th November, 2021 informed the Executive Chairman, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa that it has received the money.

The letter reads in part: “We refer to your letter dated November 5, 2021 with Ref. No: CR:3000/EFCC/LS/CMU/REC-STE/VOL.4/047 on the above subject and wish to confirm the details of the receipt of the amount as stated below: Bank: Sterling Bank Plc; Amount: N19, 333, 333,333.36; Date of receipt: 04 November, 2021”

The return of the money to the apex bank is in compliance with the October 15, 2021 Order of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi Lagos directing the unfreezing of the Kogi State Salary Bail-out account to enable Sterling Bank to remit the balance in the account to the Central Ban of Nigeria. Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke gave the Order pursuant to an application filed by the EFCC.

The Commission had told the court that the management of Sterling Bank Plc, where the account was domiciled had acknowledged the existence of the said account with the staggering sum of N19, 333,333,333.36 in its books.

The Commission further brought to the attention of the court that “The sum of N19, 333,333,333.36 is still standing in the credit of the account frozen”, adding that “the management of Sterling Bank PIc, has, pursuant to a letter dated 15 September, 2021, signed by its Managing Director, indicated intention to return the total sum of N19, 333,333,333.36 back to the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

The EFCC prayed The court that it “is expedient for the instant suit to be discontinued and the account unfrozen to enable the management of Sterling Bank PIc effect the transfer/ return of the sum of the sum of N19, 333, 333, 333.36 back to the coffer of the Central Bank of Nigeria , where the said bailout funds was disbursed.”

The transfer has put paid to any further controversy regarding source and ownership of the funds and most importantly, aborted the funds dissipation.
On August 31, 2021, Justice Tijani Garba Ringim, a vacation Judge, had ordered the freezing of the account, following an ex-parte application filed by the EFCC.

The EFCC, in a 13-paragraph affidavit in support of the ex-parte application, had stated that it received a credible and direct intelligence, which led to the tracing of the funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities in account No. 0073572696 domiciled in Sterling Bank, Plc with the name Kogi State Salary Bailout Account.

After listening to the EFCC application, Justice Ringim on August 31, 2021, ordered the freezing of the account and directed the publication of the order in a national newspaper by the EFCC.

USCIRF Appalled at Administration’s Removal of Nigeria from List of Violators of Religious Freedom

Welcomes State Department’s Additional Designations of Russia and Algeria

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) finds it unexplainable that the U.S. Department of State did not redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) and treated it as a country with no severe religious freedom violations.

“USCIRF is disappointed that the State Department did not adopt our recommendations in designating the countries that are the worst violators of religious freedom,” said USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza. “While the State Department took steps forward on some designations, USCIRF is especially displeased with the removal of Nigeria from its CPC designation, where it was rightfully placed last year, as well as the omission of India, Syria, and Vietnam. We urge the State Department to reconsider its designations based on facts presented in its own reporting.”

Pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), the countries the State Department designated as CPCs are Burma, China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, all besides Russia previously had been designated. USCIRF recommended CPC designation for all 10 in its 2021 Annual Report and also recommended that India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam be designated as CPCs.

The State Department placed on its “Special Watch List” (SWL) Algeria, Comoros, Cuba, and Nicaragua. USCIRF recommended in its 2021 Annual Report that Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan also be placed on the SWL. USCIRF recently released a factsheet reiterating its CPC and SWL recommendations, which explains the religious freedom violations in these countries supporting USCIRF’s recommendations.

“While USCIRF is concerned about the lack of designations for countries USCIRF recommended, Russia’s designation for the first time as a CPC for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom is welcomed. USCIRF has proposed this action since 2017. For years, USCIRF has raised the alarm regarding the Russian government’s purge of ‘non-traditional’ religions and religious freedom repression,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Nury Turkel. “USCIRF also applauds the inclusion of Algeria in the State Department’s SWL designations this year, which USCIRF has recommended since 2020 due to continued enforcement of blasphemy laws and restrictions on houses of worship for minority religious communities.”

USCIRF also welcomed the State Department’s designations of nine Entities of Particular Concern (EPCs), which are non-state actors that engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom pursuant to IRFA. USCIRF recommended the designation of seven of these actors including al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, the Houthis, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), and the Taliban in its 2021 Annual Report.

Delhi's Dwarka District Police has achieved a big success. In fact, an African citizen has been arrested in the international market with 513 grams of heroin worth Rs ₹5 crore.

The accused named Nnamdi Ilias Akabueze is a resident of Nigeria. After the arrest, DCP Shankar Chaudhary of Dwarka district told newsmen that the African citizen had come to India illegally from Bangladesh in the year 2019 and had been supplying drugs since then.

He said that on November 15, the Narcotics Team of Dwarka district got information that a large consignment of drugs was about to arrive in the Mohan Garden area, the police also had information that an African would bring this consignment of drugs. Based on this information, the police laid a trap. As soon as the Nigerian citizen reached Mohan Garden in the afternoon, he was nabbed by the Narcotics team of Dwarka Police. When this African citizen was searched, the police recovered 513 grams of heroin on him.

According to the police, the value of the recovered heroin is Rs 5 crore in the international market.

The Police official also told those present that the police team is continuously interrogating it and trying to trace other people involved in the racket.

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has revealed that he is still in charge of the team contrary to reports that he has been sacked by the Nigerian Football Federation, The PUNCH reports.

The Franco-German, however, admitted that the NFF wanted him to quit the team after the Super Eagles lacklustre display in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against Cape Verde in their final Group C World Cup qualifier in Lagos.

The three-time African champions, finished top of Group C with 13 points to qualify for the World Cup playoffs next March but there were widespread calls for the sack of the coach, after another colourless outing by the Eagles, who have struggled against lesser opposition in recent times.

Several online platforms (not The PUNCH) had reported on Thursday (today) that the 68-year-old coach had been relieved of his job in the wake of the Eagles performance against Cape Verde.

When our correspondent contacted Rohr if he had been sacked by the NFF, he replied, “Not yet, but that’s what they want me to do.”

Rohr was appointed in 2016 and his current deal expires in December 2022.

Gen. Zirkushu: Zulum in Kaduna, Releases N20m to Bereaved Family

....Kaduna also Announces N2m for Zikushus

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umar Zulum, on Wednesday, led a delegation on condolence visit to the bereaved family of late Brigadier General Dzarma Zirkushu.

The Governor met the family at Ribadu Cantonment in Kaduna, during which he directed the immediate release of N20m as support to the General’s family and the directive has been effected, Zulum’s spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau confirmed in a statement. Gusau added that support will be made to families of soldiers who died alongside General Zirkushu.

Zulum was received at the airport by Kaduna State’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, and Garrison Commander of the Nigerian Army’s One Division, Brigadier General T. Opuene.

The Governor visited General Zirkushu’s family alongside Borno’s three Senators, Kashim Shettima, Mohammed Ali Ndume and Abubakar Kyari; the State Chairman of APC, Ali Bukar Dalori, and two Members of House of the Representatives, Dr. Haruna Mshelia and Ahmad Jaha, who both represent constituencies that include Chibok where late General Zirkushu was commanding the 28 Task Force Brigade, and Askira-Uba which was attacked by insurgents, for which the General died.

Zulum met Mrs. Blessing Zirkushu, widow of the late General and her five children, after being received by Mr Gurdebil Zirkushu, a brother to the late General among other family members.

Governor Zulum consoled the family and urged them to take solace in the heroic legacy bequeathed to them by the late General.

Zulum said the people of Borno will remain eternally grateful for the sacrifice of the late general and other soldiers who died with him, along with many others who made similar sacrifices as well as those in the front lines.

…Kaduna also Announces N2m for Zikushus

Kaduna State Government has announced a donation of N2m to also support the family of late General Zirkushu.

Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, announced the donation shortly after Governor Zulum released N20m to the family.

Aruwan said Kaduna’s support was to compliment Borno in reaching out to the late General’s bereaved family.

Garrison Commander, Brigadier General T. Opuene, who spoke on behalf of the family and the Nigerian Army, appreciated the governor and his delegation for traveling from Maiduguri to visit the family. He described as a compassionate leader whose support for the military is known to everyone.

Governor Zulum had, in September 2020, donated a similar amount of N20m to support the widow and orphans left behind by late Col. Dahiru Chiroma Bako, who died from wounds sustained while battling Boko Haram insurgents.

Col. Bako was Commander of 25 Task Force Brigade of then “Operation Lafiya Dole” in charge of Damboa and the surrounding axis in southern Borno.

Social media skit maker Ahmed Gafar aka Cute Abiola has been declared missing by friends and family for over 24 hours.

A statement shared on Tuesday evening by comedian Mr Macaroni said Cute Abiola, a Nigerian naval officer left his residence at about 6:00 a.m. on Monday for office at Navy Town, but nothing had not been heard from him.

However, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Navy, Suleman Dahun, told Peoples Gazette that he was unaware of the matter.

If the Nigerian Navy has any information to help Cute Abiola’s family and friends confirm his whereabouts or if he his in their custody, I think the honorable thing to do would be to clarify details surrounding his detention and put everyone’s mind at rest. Haba!

Boko Haram terrorists have taken over five communities in Rafi and Shiroto Local Government Areas of Niger state, an official of the state said.

Alhaji Ahmed Matane, Secretary to the State Government disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Minna on Monday.

He explained that the Boko Haram insurgents are fully in charge in Hanawanka ,Madaka ,in Rafi LGA and Kurebe,Gussau,Farina Kuka in Shiroro LGA, forcing the rural dwellers to migrate to safer grounds.

He explained that the terrorists move freely in the effected areas, wielding sophisticated and menacing weapons.

Matane said the state has already notified security agencies for proper urgent security measures.

” We have spent over N 2 billion on the security agencies in the ongoing fight against banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities in the last two years .

” We will continue to accord priority attention to the welfare of security personnel deployed to enable them wipeout all those involved in the illegal acts for peace, progress and political stability.

” We equally appealed to residents to volunteer reliable information on movement of bad characters to the nearest security outfits for security action.

” We have also reached out to traditional and religious leaders as well as stakeholders to mobilize residents to support the effort of the government in the ongoing fight against criminal elements”,he said.

Matane, also acknowledged and applauded the Niger state government efforts at tackling the menace.

He said the government will not rest on its oars to bring to a halt security challenges confronting the state.

UK terrorism threat level raised to SEVERE
The UK National Threat Level has been raised from substantial to SEVERE – meaning an attack is highly likely.

From:
Home Office
Published
15 November 2021 [/b]

Following yesterday’s incident in Liverpool, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) has today (15 November) taken the decision to raise the UK National Threat Level from SUBSTANTIAL, meaning an attack is likely, to SEVERE, meaning an attack is highly likely.

The decision has been driven by two terrorist incidents in the past month, reflecting the diverse, complex and volatile nature of the terrorist threat in the UK.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

Following yesterday’s shocking incident in Liverpool, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has raised the UK Threat Level to SEVERE.

It is important that the public remains alert to the threat from terrorism but not alarmed. I urge anyone with information or who suspects any suspicious activity to report it to the police.

Threat levels are determined independently of Ministers and are a tool for security practitioners, including the police, to use in determining what protective security response may be required.

The UK was last at SEVERE in November 2020 before being lowered to SUBSTANTIAL in February 2021.

You can find out more about how the threat levels are set, what they mean and when they have changed, by visiting the Security Service webpage.

BREAKING NEWS: GOVERNMENT DECLARES TUESDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Tuesday is Work-free Day in Anambra State

Tuesday, November 16, 2021, has been declared a work-free day in Anambra in honour of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first president who was born on November 16, 1904.

This is the third consecutive year Anambra State is observing the birthday anniversary of the man who led Nigeria to independence on October 1, 1960, and is popularly known as The Great Zik of Africa because of his extraordinary Pan-African vision and commitments.

“It was the Great Zik of Africa who inspired such outstanding Pan-African leaders as Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana who led his country to freedom from colonial rule on March 6, 1957”, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State declared in a statement signed on his behalf by the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C. Don Adinuba.

“Zik, who was born in Zungeru in Niger State and grew up in Calabar and Lagos, studied various disciplines in the United States and remains the most urbane, cosmopolitan and intellectually engaging of all Nigerian leaders.

“He remains an unrivalled trailblazer, having established Nigeria’s first indigenous bank, African Continental Bank and Nigeria’s first indigenous university, University of Nigeria at Nsukka, among other monumental and farsighted achievements”.

Governor Obiano reiterated his call on the Federal Government to declare November 16 a national holiday in memory of The Great Zik of Africa.

After all, argued Chief Obiano, the Ghanaians observe the birthday of Dr Nkrumah as a national holiday, just the way Tanzanians observe President Julius Nyerere’s birthday as a national holiday .
“It is a huge national embarrassment”, observed the Anambra leader, “that Nigeria has yet to declare November 16 a national holiday”.

Sani Dangote, the vice president of the Dangote Group and brother to Aliko Dangote, is dead.

Mr Dangote died in the United States Sunday after a protracted illness, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Relatively less popular than his billionaire brother, Mr Dangote had investments in manufacturing, agriculture, banking and oil services.

He sat on the boards of several companies including Dangote Cement, Dangote Sugar, Dangote Agro Sacks, Dangote Refinery, Petrochemical and Fertiliser company.

He was better known for his role as the Chairman of Dansa Holdings, a subsidiary of the Dangote Group that produces beverages.

He also owned Dansa Foods Limited, Dansa Energy, Sagas Energy Limited, Bulk Pack Services Limited, Dansa Agro Allied Limited, and Dangote Farms Limited.

He was a member of several Chambers of Commerce, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Shipping of Nigeria.

Lawrence Ajodo, a fake police officer arrested alongside 13 others for laying siege to the Abuja residence of the Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili, has reportedly carried out the acts on other occasions with the backing of highly placed officials, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

It was gathered that Ajodo had been involved in four similar cases of assets recovery raids on homes of some prominent citizens, including the residence of former military President, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.).

A complement of security operatives led by Ajodo, , a fake Chief Superintendent of Police, had stormed Justice Odili’s Maitama residence on October 29, on the strength of a purported tip by a whistleblower, Aliyu Umar, who claimed to have observed suspicious activities at the Supreme Court Justice’s residence.

Ajodo, who claimed to be a consultant to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, was paraded alongside other suspects by the police on Thursday in Abuja.

Police sources said the incident had led to the arrest and detention of about nine policemen, including a Superintendent of Police, all drawn from Zone 7, Abuja.

Ajodo’s alleged accomplices include, Michael Diete-Spiff; two lawyers, Alex Onyekuru and Ernest Igwe; one Bayero Lawal; Aliyu Umar; Maimuna Maishanu; Ayodele Akindipe; Yusuf Adamu and Bashir Musa.

Others are ASP Mohammed Yahaya; a journalist, Stanley Nkwazema; Shehu Jibo; Abdullahi Adamu and a Lance Coporal simply identified as Mike.

The force spokesman, Frank Mba, had described them as “members of a well-organised criminal gang with a web-like involvement of individuals drawing from their different competences, professional background and social contacts in perfecting the criminal plot.”

Our correspondent gathered that the last botched raid carried out by Ajodo’s team on a purported intelligence that huge sums of money were warehoused in a building embarrassed the police leadership.

It was learnt that Ajodo used to recruit operatives from the Intelligence Response Team, Force Intelligence Bureau, and other units for assets recovery operations sanctioned by unnamed senior officials.

A senior officer stated, “Initially, he used to recruit policemen from IRT, FIB  for his raid on people’s homes but policemen stopped going with him on his assets recovery operations after the last failed operation he led at the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.  The operations were targeted at addresses not individuals.

“He later gained some clout at the Ministry of Justice and continued his raids on homes but policemen stopped going with him after the 2020 incident which led to the detention of some officers from Zone 7.”

Items recovered from Ajodo included three vehicles, a laptop, two fake ID cards, a printer and a search warrant.

Please family and friends ur prayers is needed my home town ASKIRA UBA is under attack by Boko Haram

Now is getting hot pls ur prayers is needed friends

Pray For ASKIRA UBA Pls And Anybody Close To Askira Uba Should Stay Alert.

God take control of Askira Uba Local government

ISWAP terrorist are in askirauba as I am writing this,

Two supertucanos has been headed there.

Waiting for bad abi Good news

Suspected fighters of the Islamic State of West Africa Province(ISWAP) are currently in a gun duel with troops at a military base in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

Some civilians said they sighted the ISWAP fighters in a long convoy of gun trucks along Ngude axis towards Askira, early this morning.

The civilians claimed they reported the movement of the terrorists to security forces but no action was taken before the deadly group stormed Askira town hours later.

While confirming the attacks, Engr Abdullahi Musa Askira, Deputy Speaker of Borno House Assembly, told our correspondent that the insurgents and troops are currently exchanging gunfire.

“Yes, ISWAP is currently attacking Askira town. I was reliably informed that our troops are fighting them, but the residents are in the bush.

“My people told me that the insurgents came with about 16 gun trucks and there is confusion in the whole town now,” Engr. Askira said.

A member of civilians JTF, Yakubu Luka, said immediately the attackers stormed the town, they went to the military base.

“We are expecting a reinforcement from the nearby community, as I am speaking with you heavy gunfire is ongoing.”

“We are appealing to the authorities to send fighter jets to support the ground soldiers. We are outnumbered; we only have five gun trucks with us.” Yakubu said.

The causality figures could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.

Maduka: This election is a very strange one because what I saw wasn't what I expected.

My discontent is that what we were told was, (on the day of the election), your photograph will be taken, you will be shown your name then given a ballot paper to go vote.

However, the reality was that when they started capturing using the BVAS machine, some people stayed there close to five(5) hours yet could not be captured as a result of technical glitches.

I would be very happy if this "capturing" can be shelved so we can return to the old system where you get to the voting centre, search for your name, you vote and then the vote counted.

This system of accreditation using the BVAS was a problem all over Anambra, as some persons were not captured even after close to 10 times; it happened to me and I am been told it happened to Soludo as well. A lot of Anambrans (including me) are very disappointed in the process.

What we were told prior to the election is different from what happened on that day. An election where the poor, the rich, the elderly didn't vote because they were not captured by the BVAS machine cannot be accepted by me.

Maduka: I am telling them to conduct a fresh Governorship election if they want peace in Anambra State. How can you say we are in a democracy (brought to us by the whites), and people who wanted to vote were disenfranchised as a result of capturing, and you tell them a Governor was elected. They will tell you it is a lie.

I am telling them to conduct a fresh election because there is still time to do so.

12th November, 2021
PRESS RELEASE :

BURSTED: EKITI KIDNAPPERS WERE NOT FULANI - MURIC

Ekiti State Police Command on Monday, 8th November, 2021 paraded four suspected kidnappers who had been terrorizing the state in the past two years. But contrary to the old narrative, there was no Fulani among the suspects. Consequently, an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has called on the people of the South West, South East and South South to stop demonizing Fulanis and to fight crime, not tribe, region or religion.

MURIC gave the advice in a statement distributed to the media on Friday, 12th November, 2021 by the director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads :

“The Ekiti State Police Command on Monday, 8th November, 2021 paraded four suspected kidnappers who had been terrorizing the state in the past two years. The suspects confessed to the abduction of prominent Ekiti citizens like Alhaji Sulaiman Akinbami, a popular petroleum dealer, the wife of late Surveyor-General of the state, Dapo Osalusi and Olowo Bolaji in Ipoti-Ekiti, Ijero Local Government Area of the state.

“But to our surprise and contrary to the false information which had earlier been circulated around the period the victims were abducted, there is no single Fulani among the four suspects (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/494336-police-place-n5-million-bounty-on-alleged-kidnapping-suspects.html; https://africannewshub.com/2021/11/08/breaking-ekiti-police-parades-suspected-abductors-of-petroleum-dealer-alhaji-suleiman-akinbami-others/).

“The leader of the gang is a Yoruba man and he gave his details in a video that has gone viral. He said his name is Bunmi Ogunremi. We are certain that no Fulani bears such a name. He said he hailed from Idolofin, Ado-Ekiti. There is no town or village called Idolofin or Ado-Ekiti in any part of Northern Nigeria. Bunmi Ogunremi is 49 years old.

“His co-kidnappers in police net (three of them) are also of Yoruba extraction. These include the food supplier to the kidnappers and a vulcaniser who was their informant. Fulanis are not known to have been selling food in Ekiti. Neither is there a single vulcaniser who is a Fulani in the whole of Yorubaland. Four other kidnap suspects who are on the run, according to the police, are Banji Akeem, Samuel Ebira, Dele Jimoh and Dayo Igwe. None of them is a Fulani.

“There can be no justice in any society which is run on rumours and false information. We warned a long time ago that profiling the Fulani is not the way to fight crime because it gives the real criminals undeserved alibi. The perpetrators smile to the bank while we kill and maim innocent Fulanis and people of the Northern region. The homes of innocent Fulanis are burned down while the real kidnappers erect palatial mansions right under our noses.

“All the lies about Fulani kidnappers have now been blown apart. No matter how fast lies run and no matter how early it takes off, truth will overtake it in the end. Like vengeance, truth is a dish that tastes sweeter when cold. It is constant. It changes not. Truth is like a coin. It will always come down on its face no matter how many times it is tossed.

“However, truth in some cases may be relative, like in the case of social truth. The powerful and influential forces in the land gave out Islamisation and Fulanisation as social truths whereas their real target is to Afeniferise us. They told us that Fulanis were behind all the kidnappings. This, according to them, was the ‘truth’. But today we have seen that they were brandishing ordinary social ‘truth’ as opposed to real truth, undiluted truth, the divine truth, and divine truth will always overwhelm social truth.

“The Glorious Qur’an says, ‘Oh mankind, we have created you from one single male and a female. Then we made you into nations, clans and tribes for the purpose of doing good among yourselves. Verily indeed, the best among you is the most pious’ (Qur’an 49:13).

“Prophet Muhammad crowned the edifice when he said, ‘You are all from Adam and Adam was from the dust.’ He also added, ‘You are all equal like the teeth of a comb. There is no difference between an Arab and a non-Arab except by the fear of Allah.’

“MURIC commends the police for doing a thorough and highly professional job on this case. We invite Nigerians to embrace divine truth. We must stop spreading lies. Let us eschew deliberate misinformation and fake news. The criminal exploits of Evans, Bunmi Ogunremi and Banji Akeem have proved beyond reasonable doubt that there are criminals in all ethnicities. We must stop ethnic profiling. It is time to halt Hausa-Fulani demonization. We are all from Adam. We are equal. Let us fight crime, not tribe, region or religion.”

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

I congratulate Professor Chukwuma Soludo on winning the gubernatorial election.

I thank Anambrarians who braved all odds and came out to perform their civic duties. I urge them to support the in-coming Governor through prayers and other legitimate means to see that Anambra returns to her former glory as the “Light of the Nation”.

Most importantly, I shall continue to commit the state into God’s hands for His will to be done at all times.