Laurentia Mallam, the Minister of Environment
for former President Goodluck Jonathan, and her husband have been abducted by armed
kidnappers in Kaduna State. A competent source close to the former president
confirmed to SaharaReporters in Abuja that the
former minister and her husband were abducted
while on their way to Kaduna, around Jere-
Bwari axis, between Kaduna and Federal Capital
Territory. According to the source, the kidnappers have
contacted the family for a ransom or else they
will inflict harm on them.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in
Abuja, on Tuesday, found a former Minister of
Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe,
guilty of the allegation that he falsely declared
his assets in 2007. Orubebe had been standing trial for false asset
declaration, The asset is in a choice area of
Abuja, Asokoro. Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar,
announced a forfeiture of the property. Justice Umar explained that the testimonies
and document presented by the prosecution
prove that the former minister is guilty as
charged. Mr Orubebe was charged by the Code of
Conduct Bureau for alleged failure to declare
landed property in Kyamu and Asokoro
district, both in Abuja, on assumption of office
as minister on September 26, 2007. In the other counts, Mr Orubebe was also
accused of allegedly accepting bribes totalling
70 million naira for the award of contracts in
favour of his company. “The prosecution proved its case beyond
reasonable doubt, and all evidence tendered
are admitted.” The tribunal chairman held that Orubebe
committed an offence for not declaring a piece
of property in Abuja, which the former
minister claimed he had sold.

National Leader, Bola Tinubu
has said President
Muhammadu Buhari is slow
and steady in his approach
to governance because of
his experience.
Speaking during the launch
of a book — ‘Muhammadu
Buhari: The Challenges of
Leadership in Nigeria’,
written by John Paden, a
professor of international
studies — at the
International Conference
Centre, Abuja, Tinubu said
during the campaign, he
surprised many by his agility
and the broad canvas on
which he operated.
He said the book, succinctly
explains the transition from
the Buhari in uniform to one
in civilian garb. He notes that
in terms of style of
leadership, Buhari as a
young military head of state
was in a hurry.
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“However, now that he is
older and given his
experience, he is “slow but
steady” in his approach to
governance.
“The author juxtaposes
Buhari’s military career and
his political career adeptly,
weaving them together in a
tapestry that evokes the
image of a man, who, from
day one, had been destined
for leadership.
He observed that from the
book’s pages, we see a man
who has lived his life on
assignments that always
intersected with vital
moments in the nation’s
history. He was a man on
assignment, when, in the
military, he served bravely
in a civil war to keep Nigeria
united.
Tinubu said, “Now, as sitting
President, he is on an
assignment, against time, to
undo the wrongs of nearly
two decades of bad
governance.
“Such is the life of this man.
Always in the public eye,
doing things in his different,
disciplined and Spartan way.
From this compelling
narrative, neatly demarcated
into three parts and 24
chapters, the reader is able
to glean the quintessential
Buhari.
According to Tinubu, no one
is more qualified to evaluate
President Buhari, from the
past to the present, other
than General Theophilus
Danjuma saying as a senior
officer to Buhari, they both
enjoy a professional and
personal friendship,
unparalleled in our history.
His words confirm that Buhari
was a man prepared for
leadership ahead of a time
like this

Outgoing Governor of Edo
State, Adams Oshiomhole,
says his mission has been
accomplished with the victory
of his party, the All
Progressives Congress,
APC, in last week’s
governorship election in the
state.
Recall that the Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC, had on
Thursday declared the APC
governorship candidate,
Godwin Obaseki as the
winner
of the keenly-contested
governorship election in the
state.
Featuring on a Channels
Television Programme,
Sunday Politics, the
incumbent governor said his
life is synonymous with
fighting battles, adding that
the September 28
governorship election was
his last battle.
According to Oshiomhole, “My
mission has been
accomplished. This is my
very last battle.
“Struggle has been my life
from the factory yard to
branch union leader to
general secretary of textile
workers union, to the Nigeria
Labour Congress, and then
becoming the unofficial
opposition to the government
of former President Olusegun
Obasanjo.
“While we were struggling
for freedom in Abuja, our
state had been conquered by
two ruthless godfather, but
we had to come home to free
our people.”
Admitting that there was
electoral fraud in the
election, Oshiomhole
however, accused the INEC
of conniving with the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, to rob
the ruling APC of votes.
Oshiomhole described PDP as
the “proverbial armed
robber” for claiming that the
election was rigged.
“The PDP is behaving like
the proverbial armed robber;
the proverbial armed robber
that is so skilled that when it
is told that it has committed a
crime, the armed robber will
be the first to run to a police
station.
“It is a known fact that if
anyone has profited
shamelessly from the fraud
in any election, including this
one, it is PDP.
“Some of the numbers that
INEC counted in favour of
the PDP were fraudulent,”
Oshiomhole said.

Trials against oil
companies to begin on Oct.
26, judge says
Government alleges
‘under-declarations’ in
crude exports
Nigeria’s government can
take the local units of
Chevron Corp. and Total SA
to trial for illegally exporting
oil, a judge said.
Justice Cecilia Olatoregun
dismissed claims from the
companies that they had no
cases to answer at a hearing
in the Federal High Court in
Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial
capital, on Friday. The trials
will begin on Oct. 26, she
said.
“The government is seeking
revenues that it lost due to
under-declarations” of
exports, Fabian Ajogwu, a
lawyer for the government,
said to reporters after the
hearing. “Essentially, we will
go into trial.”
Miannaya Essien,
representing Chevron, and
Babatunde Fagbohun, a
lawyer for Total, declined to
comment.
Nigeria is taking several
international oil companies --
including Royal Dutch Shell
Plc, Eni SpA and Petroleo
Brasileiro SA -- to court
allegedly for failing to
declare more than 57 million
barrels of crude exports
between 2011 and 2014. The
government says the oil was
worth about $13 billion,
according to the Associated
Press. Nigeria’s lower house
of parliament said last week
it ordered a separate
investigation into whether as
much as $17 billion of fuel
exports were stolen during
the period.
Petrobras’s next hearing will
be on Oct. 10 and Shell’s on
Oct. 20, according to court
documents. Eni’s Agip next
hearing is due 31 Oct.
President Muhammadu
Buhari, who came to power in
May 2015, has said that
“mind-boggling” sums of
money have disappeared
from Nigeria’s oil industry.
The economy, battered by
crude prices more than
halving since 2014, is
heading for its first
recession this year since
1991, according to the
International Monetary Fund.
Bef

UGHELLI- THE Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, NDJM, today, bombed another Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, delivery line in Delta State.

The group in a stament by self styled Gen Aldo Agbalaja, said: “As a mark of our commitment to a just course and to prove to the wicked and ungrateful multinational oil companies and their Nigerian military allies, who have been forcefully taking our natural endowment, without any visible returns, that we own our lands, the Opudo Strike Team of the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, at about 01. 00 hour today , 29th Sept 2016, bombed the Unenurhie-Evwreni delivery line in ughelli south/north respectively operated by NPDC.”

“We want to assure the oil multinational companies that we are determined to end their operations in our lands and this we shall if they fail to show the will to change their relationship with our people and their operational attitude in our lands.

“For the avoidance of doubts, we want to say here, categorically, that no amount of military protection/presence can stop this whirlpool, no amount of shoddily arranged military operation can quell the will of our gallant army.” the group said.

It added: “The same way their Operation Crocodile Smile was sunken by our Operation Crocodile Tears is how all their schemes against our land and people will continue to be defeated.”

The group went onh “like we have said, this will only stop when you turn a new leaf, adopt a sincere attitude, give back to our people what naturally should be theirs, advise the government rightly, stop thinking there’s an army to protect you from justice, do these and all that you know are good. If you do these, be assured to have a good relationship with our people and real protection for your personnel and assets across our lands.”

kahal29:
Mmmmmh....

Seems like Ayade's sin is that he openly admires Buhari. PDP does not feel comfortable with Ayade's love for Buhari. Their fear is that he might decamp to APC. Similar thing is happening in Abia state and the same PDP is strongly supporting Ikpeazu. So where does Supreme Court Stand? Can someone answer...

Courtesy of vanguard

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) has re-arraigned a former governor of Abia
State, Orji Kalu and two others on a 34-count
amended charge bordering on fraud.
Kalu, his company, Slok Nigeria Limited and his
former Commissioner for Finance, Jones Udeogo,
were re-arraigned before Justice Anwuri Chikere of
the Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday.
The defendants’ plea that the court should await
the pending appeal by Slok before the Supreme
Court failed.
Chikere had refused the defendants’ objection to
their arraignment and ordered that the charge be
read to them.
Kalu and others were, in the amended charge,
accused of diverting about N3.2 billion from the
Abia government’s treasury during Kalu’s tenure
as governor.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges and
Chikere allowed them on bail on the terms
attached to the bail granted them on April 30,
2008.
They had, eight years earlier been arraigned be­
fore Justice Adamu Bello, who is now retired.
The court adjourned the case till Dec. 6 for
commencement of trial.

Clinton tried to look healthy, and as I
mentioned, I don’t think she completely
succeeded.
But Trump needed to solve exactly one
problem: Look less scary. Trump needed to
counter Clinton’s successful branding of him as
having a bad temperament to the point of being
dangerous to the country. Trump accomplished
exactly that…by…losing the debate.
Trump was defensive, and debated poorly
at points, but he did not look crazy. And
pundits noticed that he intentionally avoided
using his strongest attacks regarding Bill Clinton’s
scandals. In other words, he showed control. He
stayed in the presidential zone under pressure.
And in so doing, he solved for his only remaining
problem. He looked safer.
By tomorrow, no one will remember what
either of them said during the debate. But
we will remember how they made us feel.
Clinton won the debate last night. And
while she was doing it, Trump won the
election. He had one thing to accomplish –
being less scary – and he did it.

moufan:
of course, why won't it be split?.oyegun simply wants to destroy apc and so he should be curtailed.if care is not taken apc could go the way of pdp and be destroyed

A militant group, the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, on Monday said it would not join in the ceasefire declared by other militant groups in the Niger Delta owing to the alleged insincerity of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

The militant group also alleged that the current Federal Government was too corrupt to be trusted, threatening that attacks on oil facilities would continue until the government and oil firms operating in the region turn from their ‘oppressive tendencies’ against the people.

The spokesman for the militant group, Aldo Agbalaja, in a statement issued on Monday asked the multinational oil companies and the military “to watch out for the next big statement. It shall shake your imaginations.”

The statement also condemned another militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, for being too quick to have announced a ceasefire with the government.

The statement added, “The chickens seem to be coming home to roost now. The truth is dawning on the blacklegs that are working to short-change their people will always backfire. When the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate said we were out to engage the oppressors to the last, some snickered and bluffed, their indignation became most annoying when those pretenders called Avengers gave life to our prediction and announced a ceasefire. Now they are all coming back to the basics; falling back in line after seeing, first hand, that we have been right all along about the Nigerian Federal Government; it is a corrupt system that should never be trusted.

“However, we are using this medium to warn the Nigerian Armed Forces to properly advise their leadership; militarisation of our region can only lead to an avoidable armed confrontation and if this happens, we swear by the gods and ancestors of our land, we shall ensure it is a long and tedious campaign that the Nigerian state will forever regret.”

The Niger Delta Greenland Justice mandate further threatened to launch what it termed ‘Operation Hammurabi Code’, adding, “Until we see a sincere and genuine step towards a just and equitable mending of the injustices of all the years past done to our people, this war shall persist and we can guarantee that they cannot win this one, even if they get all the world’s arsenal assembled behind them.

“Operation Crocodile Tears is the mildest of what the world should expect from us, by the time we initiate the phase II and get started with ‘Operation Hammurabi Code’ only God knows what will then become of these plains called Nigeria.”

A witness at the ongoing trial of Waripamo-Owei
Dudafa, an aide of former President Goodluck
Jonathan, on Monday told a federal court in Lagos
that he received $4 million in cash from the
defendant.
Murtala Abubakar, a bureau de change operator,
said he received a total of N1.6 billion from Mr.
Dudafa through five companies – Pluto Properties
and Investment Limited, Avalon Global Property,
Rotato Interlink Services, Seagate Property and
Ebiwise Services Limited – between 2013 and
2015.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
had arraigned Mr. Dudafa, a former Senior Special
Assistant to Mr. Jonathan, and Joseph Iwejuo on a
23-count charge of concealment, retention of
proceeds of crime, and failure to furnish
information, before Justice Mohammed Idris of the
Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.
Mr. Abubakar, led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo,
counsel to the EFCC, said he had known Mr.
Dudafa since his days as a Commissioner for Local
Government in Bayelsa State under the
administration of Governor Timipre Sylva.
The witness also told the court that the only
relationship between the two of them was forex
transaction that continued up to the time Mr.
Dudafa became a personal assistant to President
Jonathan.
“He (Mr. Dudafa) usually send two of his staff,
Festus and Jahman, with dollars in order to
change same and deposit the naira equivalent
into specific accounts he provides via text
messages,” said Mr. Abubakar.
The witness said he received those text messages
from Mr. Dudafa on his Samsung mobile phone.
The mobile phone and an Ownership Attestation
Form were admitted and marked as Exhibits E
and E1 respectively.
When asked whether all the instructions on how
to disburse the money were received via text
messages, Mr. Murtala replied in the affirmative;
but added that in the last transaction, Mr. Dudafa
invited him to the Presidential Villa and handed to
him $4 million cash.
The witness was confronted with exhibits A – B3
in which he identified all the transactions that
transpired between himself and Mr. Dudafa from
2013 to 2015 both from his companies’ accounts
and his personal account.
“I can confirm that all the dollars received during
the transactions came from him,” Mr. Abubakar
said.
When it was time for the cross-examination of the
witness, the defendants’ counsels, Gboyega
Oyewale and Sunday Abumeri, requested for an
adjournment.
The judge adjourned till September 27 for cross-
examination.

Former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, said weekend, he was ready for probe of his tenure in the apex bank, following allegations by Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, that he diverted government funds. Sanusi’s declaration came on a day his predecessor, Mr. Charles Soludo, described as blataAnt lies, Falana’s allegations that he unlawfully diverted $7 billion of the country’s reserves as loans to banks. The human rights lawyer had called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to probe both former governors of the apex bank over the allegations. Falana’s allegation “Sometime in 2006, former Central Bank Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, removed $7 billion from the nation’s external reserves and doled it out to 14 Nigerian banks. Two years later, the Central Bank Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (the current Emir of Kano), also gave a bailout of N600 billion to the same banks. ‘’The request of some civil society organisations for the recovery of the huge loan of $7 billion and N600 billion from the commercial banks has been ignored by the management of the Central Bank. Emir of Kano, HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II “In the Appropriation Act, 2011, the sum of N245 billion was earmarked for fuel subsidy. In violation of the Act, the CBN headed by Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, paid the sum of N2.5 trillion to a cabal of fuel importers. ‘’Following our petition, the EFCC conducted an investigation into the fraud but the exercise was compromised due to pressure from the former Jonathan administration. Even though the EFCC has charged some of the suspects to court, the investigation ought to be reopened with a view to getting to the root of the monumental fraud,” Falana alleged in a statement on Saturday. But reacting to the allegations, Sanusi said he was always available to answer questions regarding his stewardship at the Central Bank. On fuel subsidy, he said: “The Central Bank does not pay and has never paid subsidy to marketers and the only circumstance this would happen is the Central Bank acting as banker to government and carrying out instructions to make payments from government accounts. “There is absolutely no circumstance under which the CBN would have disbursed its own money for payment of subsidy or disbursed money on behalf of government without authorization.” He said the CBN was in the “forefront of the effort to expose the corruption in the subsidy regime and put a stop to it.”
Sanusi responds Sanusi, who described the allegation on bank bailouts as strange, said: “The money was not given to bank shareholders and management but was provided to ensure that ordinary Nigerians and other depositors who kept their money in banks did not lose their savings as a result of the mismanagement of these banks and bad loans. “The money remains a loan to those banks and is to be repaid from a combination of sources over the years. These include sale of collateral backing non-performing loans held by AMCON, recovery of those loans, sale of share of the banks held by AMCON and a sinking fund into which all banks are to make annual contributions. “This will continue no matter how long it takes until the banking industry repays all amounts due to AMCON and the bondholders are repaid. “All of this is in line with the law setting up AMCON and the purpose of setting it up in the first place. “The resolution of the Nigerian banking crisis and the AMCON model are actually being held up as an example of how to deal with severe and systemic banking crisis. Not a single depositor in any Nigerian bank lost a single kobo due precisely to these arrangements.”
Soludo hits back at Falana In his reaction, Sanusi’s predecessor as CBN governor, Charles Soludo, hit back at Falana, dismissing his allegation as “ignorant” and “blatant lies”, and demanded evidence or an apology. “I largely ignore such ignorant commentaries. However, Femi Falana is one of the Nigerians I deeply respect, and I am sure many Nigerians also hold him in very high esteem. I was, therefore, shocked beyond belief that someone like him could fabricate and peddle blatant lies,” Soludo said in a statement he issued, weekend. Soludo, who left the CBN in 2009, said throughout his tenure, Nigeria never lost one penny of the reserves. He said said one of the legacies of his tenure as CBN governor was the highest rate of reserve accumulation in Nigeria’s history as well as its effective and efficient management. “On assumption of office, I met exactly $10 billion in foreign reserves. With average monthly oil price of $59 during my tenure, we accumulated reserves to all time high of over $62 billion. Even after paying off Nigeria’s external debt with $12 billion and facing unprecedented global financial and economic crisis, I still left $45 billion upon leaving office in 2009,” he said. “Throughout my tenure, Nigeria never lost one penny of the reserves. It is particularly important to note that even during the global financial crisis of 2008/2009 when major international banks collapsed and some countries lost some of their reserves, our prudent management ensured that Nigeria never lost a penny but earned returns on the reserves. ‘’Given the powerful interests that I fought during the consolidation of banks and even since I left office, one can only imagine the international headlines that would have been made if just one penny of the reserves was unaccounted for. “That under the provisions of the CBN Act as well as the guidelines for the management of foreign reserves, it is impossible for anyone to ‘remove’ any sum of money from the reserves and give out as “loan” to commercial banks in Nigeria. ‘’To qualify as ‘foreign reserves’ such reserves are held in foreign currency abroad as deposits with banks or in sovereign instruments such as the US treasury bills,” he said. Soludo said he would be ready at any time to respond to any questions regarding his stewardship at the CBN.

The Nigeria Police Force has reopened
investigation into the alleged forgery of the
Senate Standing Rules 2015 by writing to the
Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA), Mr.
Mohammed Sani Omolori for additional
information to assist its investigation.
Senate President Bukola Saraki, his deputy,
Senator Ike Ekweremadu and the immediate past
Clerk to the National Assembly(CNA), Salisu
Maikasuwa, are already standing trial and the
hearing of the case will continue on Wednesday.
But Saraki and Ekweremadu’s camps have kicked
against attempt by the police to reopen the probe
after the police had declared the initial
investigation conclusive.
The police renewal of the investigation of the
forgery was contained in a letter of 25th of
August, 2016, which was signed by the Chairman
of the Special Investigation Panel(SIP), AIG Ali
Amodu (Rtd).
There were indications that the reopening of the
case by the police was at the prompting of the
National Prosecution Coordination Committee
(NPCC) in an August 19, 2016 letter to the
Inspector-General, Mr. Idris Ibrahim.
The letter reads in part: “I refer to letter no. DPPA/
ADV/25875, dated 19th August 2015 in respect
of the above subject matter(copy attached for
each of reference) and request that you avail this
office with the following information:
Whether or not , the 7th Senate at any time
amends the Senate Standing Orders 2011.
If yes, what is the extent of amendment?
The name of the officer that authorised the
amendment of Senate Standing Orders 2015.
The name of the officer that ordered for the
printing of the Senate Standing Orders 2015.
The officer that distributed the printed copies of
the Senate Standing Orders 2015 to Senators-
elect.
What date was the induction mentioned by
Senator Abdullahi Gumel?
What did they do with the Senate Standing
Order of 2011 at the induction”
Who conducted the induction?
“Obtain the complete Hansard of the 9th and
24th June, 2015 to see what transpired on the
floor of the Senate.
“The statement of Dr. Ogozy Nma should be
brought to the attention of Senator Ita Enang and
Senator Abu Ibrahim to corroborate or deny it.
“What is the date Senator Ike Ekweremadu
presided over the house and obtains the hansard
for the date.
“Considering the importance of this case, you are
requested to expedite action on the request.
Accept the assurances of my highest regards.”
It was gathered that National Prosecution
Coordination Committee(NPCC) in an August 19
letter directed the Inspector-General of Police, Mr.
Idris Ibrahim, to fill up the grey areas in its
previous investigation.
The letter was signed by the Special Assistant to
the President(Research and Special Projects/
Secretary NPCC, Sylvester Omoregie Imhanobe.
The letter said: “Sir, I have the instructions of the
Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation
and Minister of Justice(HAGF) /Chairman, National
Prosecution Coordination Committee(NPCC) to
write this letter for your kind prompt action.
“The NPCC and the new legal team engaged to
take over the prosecution of the above case have
reviewed the case file and found that the police
investigation of the case is inconclusive.
“Therefore, it is necessary that you further
investigate the case with particular reference to
the following:
Did the 7th Senate at any time amend the
Senate Standing Orders 2011?
If yes, what is the extent of amendment?
“Further investigation should show:
Who authorized the amendment of Senate
Standing Orders 2011.
Who ordered the printing of the Senate
Standing Orders 2015.
Who distributed the printed copies of the Senate
Standing Orders 2015 to Senators-elect.
“Obtain the complete Hansard of the 9th and
24th June 2015 to see what transpired on the
floor of the Senate.
“What date was the induction mentioned by
Senator Abdullahi Gumel? What did they do with
the Senate Standing Orders 2011 at the
induction? Who conducted the induction?
“The statement of Dr. Ogozy Nma should be
brought to the attention of Senator Ita Enang and
Senator Abu Ibrahim to corroborate or deny it.
“Find out the date Senator Ike Ekweremadu
presided over the house and obtain the hansard
for the date.
“Please, it is important that I receive your
response to the above inquiries on or before the
7th of September for further necessary action.
Please accept the assurances of my warm regards
and best wishes.”

The Otuoke-Onuebum Road in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State has been taken over by flood.

Vehicles now pass through Elebele Road, which is a longer distance.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan is from Otuoke.

Amos Agah told the News Agency of Nigeria in Otuoke on Saturday that passengers are now paying N800 instead of N400 from Otuoke to Onuebum.

Agah, a staff of the Federal University, Otuoke, appealed to the Bayelsa State Government to come to the aid of the community for the sake of FUO.

He said: “This was how it happened in October 2012 when flood took over the whole community.

“But up till now, there was no proper preventive measure put in place.

“We are expecting the government to come up with necessary measures to guard against future occurrence, but it is a matter of regret that such measures are not in place.

“The students of FUO will resume to school soon after their holidays.

“They are going to find things difficult if urgent action is not taken to mitigate the effect of the flood.

“I am calling on all relevant authorities to look into the matter because we cannot cope with it again this year.”
Also, Maureen Abute, a passenger, blamed the Bayelsa State Government for not properly utilising Flood Intervention Fund that was given to the state in 2012 to fight against flooding.

Abute said the people were suffering and they could not do anything because the government was not ready to live up to its responsibility of preventing flood and rehabilitating the road.

A taxi driver plying the road, Issac Chinedum, said the road was already in a bad shape before the flood sub-merged it.

Chinedum implored the Federal Government to come to the assistance of the people of Bayelsa State because the Bayelsa State Government had neglected the road over the years.

Chinedum said the youth in the community were the ones sand filling the road, adding: “The commercial drivers are paying them from the little profit they are making.”