₦airaland Forum

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


A 29-year old man, Mr Ebuka Okeke has been arrested and charged before a Lagos court for allegedly obtaining N1.9m from a single lady identified as Ogochukwu Ogbuehi under the false pretence that he will marry her but dumped her thereafter.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that apart from obtaining the money, Okeke brought a baked cake and made her take an oath that she will not tell anyone that he collected the said money to marry her. The incident happened between March and July this year at the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos where the suspect and the complainant reside.

The suspect also went to the victim’s shop and drank assorted drinks worth N20,000 without paying at the same period.

However, it turned out that it was a scam and ploy Okeke used to obtain money from her as he did not fulfill his own side of the bargain.

Ogochukwu waited for Okeke to come and perform the marriage rites as they agreed but he was not forthcoming. She asked to know why he had not fulfilled his promise and he gave flimsy excuses. The lady then demanded for her money but he refused giving her back. The matter was reported to the Police at Area M Command, Idimu. Okeke was then arrested and taken to the Command for interrogation.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that Okeke admitted that he collected the said amount from her and also promised to marry her. He said he found it difficult to convince his family to accept the lady because she was far older than him. He also explained that he had spent the money and asked to be given time to pay her in bits.

Okeke was charged before the Ejigbo Magistrates court for obtaining under false pretence and placing the victim under false oath. He pleaded not guilty and the presiding Magistrate, Mr Akeem Fashola granted him bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum. He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect the bail condition and the matter was further adjourned till 18th of October, 2017.

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By Hammed Shittu in Ilorin


The Vice-Chancellor, Al-Hikma University, Ilorin, Kwara State, Prof. Taofiq Ibrahim, has canvassed for the running of the National Assembly on part-time basis so as to reduce the cost of governance.

Ibrahim, who made the submission in Ilorin while speaking with journalists on the forthcoming 7th convocation ceremony of the institution, said that the development also became imperative in view of the concern of the generality of Nigerians that their salaries and allowances are on the high side.

He said: “The exorbitant running of Nigeria’s government should not continue at the peril of its citizenry, massive poverty and the country’s under-development. Nothing is more responsible for our mis-management and maladministration other than corruption.

“I necessarily wish to support the recent view of a very successful businessman and strongly so, that our National Assembly should be run on part-time basis. Members should come from their various businesses or public sector, it should not be for people without jobs who have nothing doing and want to make easy money out of government and governance.”

Ibrahim stated further that it was high time the nation’s universities and academics move out of research and publications for more evidence of the prowess in scientific and literary writing.

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By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti


A widow, Mrs. Mercy Ilesanmi, has accused a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Dare Pelemo, of sexual harassment and physical assault, saying Pelemo allegedly fondled her breasts on September 6 at the state Assembly complex.

Mrs Ilesanmi said miffed by the lawmaker’s imperious conduct, she raised the alarm and condemned the alleged act, but the lawmaker later allegedly mobilised thugs to beat her up.

Mrs. Ilesanmi, who spoke with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, said the brutality on her took place in the office of the Majority Leader, Mr. Tunji Akinyele, where she had gone to lodge a complaint on the alleged sexual harassment.

She alleged that the hoodlums gave her the beating of her life and tore her clothes to shreds.

To this end, the Legal Officer of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Ekiti, Mrs. Kemi Atitebi, disclosed Tuesday that the body received a complaint of sexual harassment and assault from Mrs. Ilesanmi against Pelemo.

Atitebi added that the lawmaker allegedly foiled the mediating process by shunning the invitation to come and defend himself against the allegation.

“FIDA Ekiti received the complaint of sexual harassment and assault against Hon. Dare Pelemo and the complainant is Mrs. Mercy Ilesanmi that she was assaulted and stripped naked right in the premises of the Assembly complex.

“FIDA wrote a letter to invite the respondent for us to hear his own side of the story and to mediate in the matter.

“The woman is a widow and mother of children and her dignity has been violated for the fact that she was stripped naked.

FIDA strongly condemns any form of assault against women in the state,” Atitebi said.

Speaking further, Mrs. Ilesanmi said: “I came to visit the honourable member representing my constituency, Hon. Samuel Omotoso, but I met his absence.

“On my way out, I met Hon. Dare Pelemo and we exchanged pleasantries.

Immediately, he fondled my breasts and I asked him what was the meaning of that? I am a married woman for that matter and I don’t like how he touched my breast.

“He now said that I am an enemy of government, that I do not suppose to come to the Assembly. I now asked him that, ‘is that the reason why you are touching my breasts, a married woman for that matter’? I challenged him that Pelemo, that one is too much for you.

“I went to report the matter to Hon. Akinyele and I met the Clerk in Hon. Akinyele’s office with two other visitors with him. He was on phone but I waited.

“Before I knew what was happening, Pelemo came in with some miscreants and they started beating me, destroying things in that office asking what am I doing in the House of Assembly complex that I am not supposed to be there, that I am an enemy of government.”

Lawyer to the victim, Mr. Adeoye Aribasoye, said he has forwarded a petition on the assault and sexual harassment of his client to the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Chafe.

Efforts to get Pelemo’s reaction to the allegation proved abortive as he has not answered several phone calls to his mobile line, while he has also not responded to text messages sent to him.

From NGOZI UWUJARE

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A woman in Nasarawa State, Aisha Isa, 20, who is the second wife of her husband, has shown herself to be an incarnate of the devil. She is alleged to have killed the two daughters of her husband’s first wife.

The two girls, four-year-old Zainab and Ramatu, 2, were bound, hands and feet, and allegedly thrown into a well by Aisha and they drowned. The absolutely wicked act was committed in Yelwabassa village in Kokona Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.

As Sunday Sun gathered from the Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State, Mohammed Kura, the suspect, who is now in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Nasarawa State Police Command, claimed in a confessional statement to police detectives handling the case that she committed the alleged homicidal act because the mother of the two little girls forbade them from running errands for her.

Trouble began six years ago when she got married to Alhaji Isa, as the Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Kura told Sunday Sun . It was not long before the new wife began to quarrel with the mother of the two girls.

In April 2017, Aisha killed the first victim, two-year-old Ramatu, whose hands and legs she tied and threw into the well, where the little child died. The family simply buried her corpse and nobody found out how it happened. But nemesis caught up with her when she did the same thing to four-year-old Zainab in August.

At the headquarters of the State Criminal Investigation Department where she is in custody, pending arraignment in court, Aisha, who lost her own six-month-old baby gave a chilling account of what happened.

Her words: “It was the devil that used me. I took Ramatu, tied her two hands and legs and threw her into the well. In August 2017, I also took Zainab, tied her hands and legs and threw her into the well.

After sometime I raised alarm, I shouted and attracted the attention of neighbours. My husband and the first wife rushed out. They asked what happened and I confessed immediately to them what I did.

“I have been having misunderstanding with my co-wife. She caused the problem.

Whenever I sent the children on errand, she would tell them in my presence not to run errands for me. So, each time I called them, they ignored me. I decided to teach her children a lesson.”

Continuing, she said: “I got married six years ago. I gave birth to a baby six-months ago, but the baby died. Since then I had no baby and I have been telling Allah to give another baby.”

After she confessed to her husband, he quickly went with a neighbor to report the crime at the Garaku Police Station.

With the enormity of what she did having hit home, a sense of remorse has overwhelmed Aisha and she pleaded: “I want the family to forgive me for what I did; I have regretted my mistake and want my husband to forgive me.”

The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Lafia, Mr. Mohammed Akeera said that the suspect would be charged to court soon for the alleged murder.

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Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has said the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has wiped out Boko Haram top leaders and several of the terrorist group’s logistics bases.

Abubakar said this on Saturday when he delivered a lecture to students of Senior Course 40 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna State.

He spoke on ‘The Nigerian Air Force in Contemporary Warfare; the Chief of Air Staff’s Vision for Future Engagements’
The CAS said, “Nigerian Air Force air strikes in the North East have devastated and coerced the insurgents by limiting their freedom of action to operate openly and in mass, as was the case before. Equally, these punitive strikes have eradicated the insurgents’ ‘frontline’ leadership and logistics bases, thereby reducing their operational capability.”

“Given the current precarious situation Nigeria operates in and the rampant cases of conflicts, the Armed Forces must prepare for the conduct of war and secure military victories until peace is restored politically. Indeed, the war fighting mission of an armed force will determine how it is organised, equipped, and trained.”

He stressed that despite efforts to prove standards and NAF operations, “equipping and sustaining a balanced air force, therefore, is one of the greatest challenges facing the Nigerian Air Force today.”

Commandant of AFCSC Jaji, Air Vice Marshal Dambo, commended the CAS for the lecture and for interacting with the staff and students of the College.

He hailed the Air Marshal Abubakar for his vision, adding that CAS has set a high standard for the office.

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Detectives attached to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos State, have arrested Mr. Bashiru Ahmed, for allegedly killing a father of five at the Okokomaiko area of the metropolis.

The deceased, Halilu Adamu, a 45-yearold Suya seller, was alleged to have been killed by Ahmed for laughing at him and his gang members. Adamu’s journey to the grave started after Ahmed’s friend fell into a gutter, eliciting laughter from the deceased.
Angry, Ahmed picked Adamu’s meat from the table and flung it on the ground.

Although Adamu was angry, he refused to pick a fight with Ahmed. Instead, he went to the market and bought another meat to use in making Suya. Adamu was going home at night, when Ahmed and his cronies allegedly waylaid and shot him in the chest. He died.

Later, the deceased’s friend carried out a reprisal, killing Ahmed’s friend. They also allegedly set fire on Ahmed’s father’s home. A witness said trouble started after Ahmed and friends, who were drunk, attempted to walk through where Adamu and other Muslims were praying on Friday.

Adamu stopped them from passing through the prayer area, noting that it was forbidden for drunks to pass where Muslims were praying. It was also learnt that because Ahmed and his friends were drunk, one of them fell into the gutter, causing laughter. The late Adamu was the first person to start laughing.

Our correspondent learnt that after the deceased finished praying, he continued to laugh. The way Adamu laughed angered Ahmed and his friends. They returned, picked the meat Adamu bought for making his Suya and flung it to the ground. When Ahmed and his gang members were leaving, they threatened to deal with Adamu and his workers.

Adamu’s in-law, Mr. Nasiru Habeeb, said: “When Ahmed and his friends threw the meat to the ground, Adamu went to lodge a complaint to Ahmed’s father. Ahmed’s father is the Seriki Hausa in the community.
The Seriki tried to refund Adamu for the meat, but he refused. He went to buy another meat with his money.

He prepared another Suya. “When Adamu was going home that same day after he was through with his business, Ahmed and his friends waylaid him around 11p.m. They shot him in the chest.

” Mr. Abdulahi Musa, another resident, said: “In Islam, it is forbidden for someone, who is drunk to pass through the mosque, let alone when people are praying. Ahmed and his friends were drunk on that day; that was why Adamu prevented them from passing through. We were all outside the mosque, to pray that Friday, when Ahmed came.

They wanted to walk through where we were praying. Adamu didn’t fight him.

Ahmed and his friend see themselves as untouchable in the community. That was why he is always misbehaving. We want security in our community.

” Ahmed’s father, the Seriki, Alhaji Adamu Ahmed, told our correspondent that the matter had been settled between his family and that of the deceased. He said: “I was in the mosque the following day after Adamu’s murder, when his friends came and set my palace on fire. They threatened to kill me.

It was due to the quick intervention of policemen from Okomaiko Police Station and OPMESA that my family and I got out of the mosque alive. We ran into safety.” It was also learnt that on September 17, Adamu’s friends allegedly caught one of Ahmed’s friends, pursued and killed him at Alaba Ragbo.

Firebrand preacher and president of the Omega Fire Ministries worldwide (OFM), Apostle Johnson Suleman has urged Nigerians to pray for the country as politicians prepare toward the next general elections which comes up in the next two years.

The clergy in a chat with journalists in his church said that ‘except prayers are made, I do not see any election in Nigeria in 2019’.

Apostle Suleman is renowned for his divine-inspired healing power and teaching prowess and he radiates confidence even in the face of vague criticisms that often trail such prophetic gifts like his.

He has been credited for many precise prophecies made in years past.

The acclaimed ‘Oracle of God’ is the first pastor in Nigeria that prophesied in a December 2013 prophecy, the crowning of former Central Bank of Nigeria’s governor, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi Lamido, as Emir of Kano.

He equally foresaw the death of a serving cabinet member in Nigeria and asked for special prayer during a church service in January 2015.

Likewise, during his ministry’s ‘Fire and Miracle Night’ programme in August 2015, the servant of God foretold the trouble in the last Kogi State governorship election that brought in Governor Yahaya Bello and warned of ‘a death’.

Also, as Edo State prepared for the September 10th 2016 governorship election, Apostle Suleman at a church service said he did not see the election holding on the appointed date.

Subsequently, the INEC shifted the election to September 28th 2016, citing security challenges.

“I see presidents being removed in Africa and presidents being installed’, the man of God declared in his 2016 prophecies. In that declaration, Suleman also asked for vigilance as he said he saw kidnappers entering schools; that President Buhari’s health needed serious attention; that America and China would have major crisis, and more.

“Tell Nigerians who wish to see democracy sustained, to pray for our leaders and work for peace; tell the leaders too to pray and be honest with the people they are serving, otherwise, elections may not hold in Nigeria in 2019. That is what God has shown me,” Apostle Suleman stated during the media interaction.

Apostle Suleman and his OFM team are presently in Paris, France, for a two-day restoration crusade tagged ‘Help From Above’, which was started on Tuesday 19 and ended on Wednesday 20 September, 2017.

The man of God who just concluded the Dubai edition of ‘Help From Above’, proclaims that “this is another season for restoration, miracles and undiluted revelations for God’s people all over the world.”

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By Dahiru Suleiman Dutse


Two principal officers of the Jigawa State-owned School of Nursing and Midwifery reportedly engaged in confrontation which led to an exchange of blows over a paltry N6,000 spent to entertain some guests.

The Provost, Hajiya Aisha Muhammad Kazaure, was said to have walked into the office of the acting Director of Midwifery, Hajiya Halima Muhammad Yunusa, and demanded a refund of expenses she incurred while attending to her guests.

The demand led to an argument between the two women and resulted in an exchange of abusive words.
The incident occurred on Friday.

Witnesses said there had been a frosty relationship between the two principal officers since the director was asked to head the School of Midwifery.

It was learnt that some students and lecturers rushed to the director’s office when they heard of the fight.

The academic staff of the college, who summoned an emergency congress over the fight, condemned the actions of the provost and director and declared it unacceptable to the academic community.

In a Communiqué issued at the end of their meeting, signed by Ibrahim Aji, Aliyu Maigida, Rabi Tijjani, Abdullahi Adamu and Ahmad Alhaji, which was made available to journalists yesterday, the lecturers called for the immediate suspension of the two principal officers while an investigative panel should be set-up by the state Ministry of Health with a view to finding and punishing the guilty party.

They also threatened to down tools if necessary action was not taken by the authorities to check the “embarrassment” which had been on since the provost assumed duty.

When contacted, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abba Zakari, said “the ministry has already instituted an investigative committee that will furnish us with its findings and recommendations before we could take any action on the matter.”

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Anule Emmanuel, Baba Negedu and Johnchuks Onuanyim



Junaid: He only asked for one tenure in 2015

Yakasai: Those asking president to re-contest are sycophants


The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el- Rufai, have rose in defence of President Muhammadu Buhari, declaring that the president never promised to serve one term in office. The governing party and el-Rufai told New Telegraph that at no time did Buhari promise any group or individual that he will serve a single term of four years.

But, Second Republic member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Junaid Muhammed, stated that Buhari only asked for one term of office when he was contesting the 2015 presidential election. This is as elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai, described those urging the president to contest in 2019 as sycophants.

El-Rufai, in an interview with New Telegraph, described as untrue the claim by the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Aisha Alhassan, that President Buhari had, before his emergence as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 election, promised to step aside after serving his first term in office, which ends in 2019. Alhassan, who recently said that she would throw her weight behind former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for the Presidency in 2019, stressed that even if Buhari decides to re-contest, she will not support him.

The minister has been under intense pressure to resign from Buhari’s cabinet after an explosive interview with BBC Hausa Service in which she also described Atiku as her godfather. Alhassan had, in the interview, disclosed that President Buhari had promised to run only one term.

According to the Kaduna State governor, there is no iota of truth in the comments by the Women Affairs Minister whom, he said, in the first place has never been on the side of President Buhari. “It is absolute falsehood.

There was never any time this issue was discussed in our group or GMB (as he then was) even talking about any single term. As a man of deep faith, he believes everything about him is in the hands of God and the preference of the people of Nigeria. “I speak on what I know, heard or experienced in my interactions with PMB and our party leaders.

“I have expressed in previous interviews of my preference, hope and prayer that PMB contests for a second term of office in the interest of the stability of our party and our nation’s progress,” el-Rufai told New Telegraph in an electronic mail.

The governor said Nigerians would decide the fate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 based on its past record of “destruction and corruption.” His words: “As for PDP thinking it can win the next general elections, let us simply wait till then and wait for the decision of the Nigerian people.

The people of Nigeria are sovereign and will decide that question based on PDP’s past record of destruction and corruption versus APC’s efforts of reconstruction and fighting graft.” Also, the APC National Vice Chairman (South- South), Prince Hilliard Eta, said there was nothing stopping President Buhari from seeking a second term in office. According to him, at no point did the party enter any agreement with the president to govern for one term.

Eta, who has been a national officer of the party since 2014, stated that there was no agreement entered by the president and the party to do one term. The party official said he would canvass the sack or resignation of the minister at the NWC of the party.

His words: “I expect the minister to resign and if she would not resign, I would canvass she be sacked. “There was no time we (APC) entered any agreement with President Buhari to do only one term. “If anybody has such a pact, let him or her present it or state where it was entered.”

However, Junaid told New Telegraph that Buhari has told several people that he would only serve one term in office. The Kano-born politician posited that even if Mr. President contests in 2019, he is not sure of winning and any attempt to rig the polls will be resisted in the North and all over the country. Junaid said: “I’m not a member of any political party registered in Nigeria as of now. But to the extent that the Minister of Women Affairs spoke her mind, whether as a minister or not, I challenge those who want to challenge the minister to tell us where she went wrong.

“As a matter of fact, President Buhari has told many people in the party and even those outside the party that he was going to do only one term. So, there is no reason for someone mentioning to him the reason not to run.

“However, whether President Buhari said so in the past, or is saying it now or will say it in the future, his performance does not guarantee him an automatic ticket and even if he has an automatic ticket from his party, it is not a guarantee that he would win the next election.

“And if he tries to rig the elections, there would be serious protest and violence even in the North and all over the country and the minister has alluded to that. He told people that he was only going to do one term, but if he has changed his mind, he should come out and say so.”

On Atiku’s presidential ambition, the former lawmaker said: “Also, some people do not like the idea of her mentioning who she was going to support in 2019. I have never supported Atiku in politics and I will never support him, because I don’t believe he has the moral standing to be a leader.

I don’t believe he has integrity. But it is a choice between those who support Atiku, those who intends to support him and those who don’t. “If the North does not get the presidency, they should blame President Buhari because of his performance. He has not performed and he is not performing and may likely not perform. The North is the least developed in the country.

If anybody can bring justice to the North, he would be elected in 2019. So, if the president wants to be returned by the North and other Nigerians, he should perform.” On his part, former Special Adviser to President Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has described those prodding President Buhari to contest in 2019 as sycophants.

“Neither Buhari nor Atiku has declared that they are going to contest in 2019. In any case, even if they declare, there is nothing in the constitution that prevents anybody or a minister from declaring for another candidate.

Her views are personal and for her and she is entitled to it. “Those calling on President Buhari to contest are sycophants looking for one thing or the other. Somebody has not said he wants to contest and you are urging him on; let him make up his mind first.

This is pure sycophancy to be prodding people to contest. It is only when someone said he wants to contest that you can decide whether to support him or not, even Atiku has not decided, but Aisha Alhassan said he is her mentor and there is nothing wrong with that.”

El-Rufai had told State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, after joining Buhari for the Juma’at prayers on Friday that he and other governors elected on the platform of APC were working hard to ensure that the president is re-elected for another four-year term in 2019.

The governor said APC stalwarts, including serving ministers, were already operating under a group known as ‘Buharists’ to galvanise support for the president. He stressed that the final decision to re-contest, however, remains solely that of President Buhari.

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From: Romanus Ugwu, Abuja


The All Progressive Congress (APC) may be on collision course with President Muhammadu Buhari over the ragging issue of restructuring.

The party’s Committee on True Federalism, on Thursday, said that the resolution of Nigerians on the issue will be considered not that of the National Assembly as directed by President Buhari.

The Mallam Nasir el-Rufai Committee made the disclosure at a press conference to announce the commencement of its consultative tour of all the geo-political zones to interact with Nigerians on the party’s position over the controversial issue.

Speaking in Abuja, on Thursday, the committee told journalists that the position of President Buhari that all restructuring agitators should channel their grievances to either the National Assembly or the National Executive Council (NEC) does not foreclose the process.

While insisting that it was the masses that would determine their fates and not the National Assembly, Secretary of the APC committee, Olubunmi Adetumbi, disclosed that the consultative meeting with Nigerians would begin next Monday in selected cities.

Asked whether the new APC position would not contravene the position of President Buhari on restructuring, the secretary noted: “l don’t think that is the case.

If he says the NASS has powers to take decision, l think he even opened up the frontiers. We have representatives in the NASS and if today there is a position in the party, the party can call its members in the NASS and direct them to act according and constituents can also direct their representatives.

“There is nothing foreclosed. l think l will take the statement of President Buhari as an acknowledgement that the issue is opened for debate. As interface between various segments of the society. We cannot under any circumstance foreclose dialogue, public consultations to understand issues as a bases of intervention and that is exactly what the party is doing.

“Whether we ought to have done it earlier than now or not is opened for debate. But the principles of asking the public what do you think, what is their view is not something we should shout down in any democracy and coming from a political party, it is something that we should encourage and promote,” he said.

The secretary also noted that although the word restructuring is contained in the APC manifesto, the party did not envisage that it would attract the volume of debate that is in the front burner.

“Well, there are two issues in terms of the debate when the party Manifesto was worked out. I think everything was debated but we must be honest to acknowledge that as at that in 2015 when the manifesto was worked out, the content of the debate was not as it is today.

“In 2015, nobody was drawing map, today maps are being drawn and in 2015 there was some level of rationality and you could assume some broad recommendation and that was what went into the manifesto of APC, that is what we are saying that there are dynamics to the issue because there are new element to be debated, new anger has set in.

“We are opening the frontiers of the debate and inviting people with anger to come and express their grievances and we hope to make sense out of it in such a way that everybody would locate his or her bearing,” he said.

He further added that the committee will collate all the memoranda from the zones to guide it in taking its position, which will be submitted to the party’s leadership.

“First and foremost, we must recognize the fact that the work of nation building is an on-going process, in which every stakeholder has a role to play to make his or her own contribution, in which case, APC’s as national political party is an institution that has a role and is also a stakeholder in making its own contribution.

“So this exercise is the party’s own way of making that contribution and it felt that it is necessary not just to think among ourselves but to actually also tell the members of the public what they think. And that is why whatever this committee comes up with, is not its own opinion but about harvesting opinions of the ordinary people that we want to talk to in order to from an opinion because no political party exist just by its own but it’s people,” he said.

On whether the committee’s work will not clash or be seem as duplication of the the same exercise by the Northern Governors Forum, he argued: “The northern governors are also stakeholders in the project, Nigeria. They have every right to contribute on the future of Nigeria”.

“I don’t think it is a matter of monopoly and I think that is the attitude of the APC, every opinion is welcome and the committee will do its work and the challenge now is for all of us to be positive because what we are looking for is solution.

“There is no monopoly of ideas, adding the APC felt that the ongoing discussions in the country about the state federalism is good for the party to understand what its role is and what the definitions are.

“And in doing so, the party in its wisdom believe that public consultation is necessary and that is what we are doing and it does not foreclose any other body within the country to do its work.

“What the south west has just done is to put something in the public domain as a body of information and knowledge from which ideas can be gathered in the best interest of the country,” he said.

On whether the committee’s terms of reference would not clash with the ongoing constitutional amendment process by the National Assembly, Adetumbi continued, “Conflict with the legislature won’t arise, because this exercise is not trying to make law but to understand the popular demand of the people that the party can use to advocate within its membership in the National Assembly for necessary constitutional amendments.

“Don’t forget, constitutional amendments is not a one in a lifetime opportunity. It is for every four years. So the fact that the National Assembly is going the process, it does not foreclose public discussion and debate on what should happen and what needs to change, because it is an opportunity in future to take that idea and tun it into law.

He equally spoke on the 2014 national conference which APC refused to participate, stressing: “I don’t think there is anything called rejection, the report of the conference is in the public domain and it is available as literature for the work we are doing, not just that, we have 2005 conference report. So we are looking at all of these in order for the APC to understand what exactly its role should be

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The police at Igando division have arrested Pastor Gbenga Oyelere and charged him to court over allegations that he reportedly forced a single woman to part with her Rav-4 SUV during prayers and deliverance in Lagos.

The incident happened at Gafaru Alani Street, Akesan Lagos where the prayers reportedly took place.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Oyelere prophesied to the victim, Yemi Ariwodola and assured her that all her prayers will be answered in as much she would take a bold step in her faith in God.

He therefore asked her to ‘sow a seed’ into his life with her SUV and then she will see the reward immediately. It was gathered that the 42-year old victim gave out her SUV with registration number, JJJ 962EJ and left barefooted.

Apart from that she reportedly gave the Kwara State-born Pastor Oyelere N80,000 for the maintenance of the vehicle and the pastor took the SUV to his village and parked it there.

However, the matter was exposed when the victim waited for the manifestations but did not see anything and her condition got worse.

She then regained consciousness and started looking for her SUV but she was reminded that she gave it out to the pastor as seed of faith in the church.

She then went to the police and reported the alleged fraud and Pastor Oyelere was arrested and taken to the division. The police thereafter went with Oyelere to his village in Kwara and recovered the vehicle back to Lagos.

The 48-year old Oyelere was charged before Magistrates court sitting in Ejigbo for stealing the vehicle and inducing the victim under the Criminal Code.

He pleaded not guilty to the three count charges.

The presiding Magistrates, Mrs J.O.E Adeyemi granted Oyelere bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition.

The matter was adjourned till 19th of September, 2017.

The victim was not the only one who was induced to use her vehicle to ‘sow seed’.
Another woman allegedly stole SUV and used it to sow seed to her pastor.

The incident happened at Egbeda where the woman resides and the church was located. The woman was charged before Isolo Magistrates court and was remanded in prison.

South African President Jacob Zuma says the African National Congress (ANC), his party, lost the polls in Western Cape because of witchcraft.

According to Huffington Post , Zuma said ghosts may have voted to keep the Democratic Alliance (DA) in power.

The South African president said he would not leave office until his term ends and that the ANC is a party backed by both the ancestors and God.

“I don’t know where they get the luck to win here because people in the majority are not living comfortable. I don’t know‚ [maybe] it’s because of witchcraft‚ witches practice their craft in different ways‚” Zuma said.

“In the last elections I was satisfied that we are taking the Western Cape‚ I even said so. What went wrong? I too can’t tell you. It’s witchcraft‚ you never know. Maybe even ghosts are voting.

“There is not a single country where its president face eight votes [of no confidences] in parliament and all of them failed. The last time …they used large sums of money‚ buying people‚ money that is hard to say no to.

“Ancestors would abandon me if I would leave because of people who talk a lot. I will be with you‚ even when my term has ended. I will be in branches‚ speaking.”

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CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


The police at Shasha Division have arrested a 32-year old woman, Mrs. Esther Mazi whose little daughter was allegedly raped by their married neighbour and she was remanded in prison custody.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the wife of the man, Mrs Damilola Paul dragged Mrs Mazi to the station after refused to withdraw the rape case against her husband. It was gathered that Mrs. Paul arranged with the police and reported that the Mrs Mazi slapped and tore her clothes worth N10.000.

The police reportedly went to their house at 46 Shasha Road in Shasha and arrested her without really carrying out an investigating to know what happened and charged Mrs. Mazi to court as requested by Mrs Paul.

She was charged before an Ejigbo Magistrates court and was remanded in prison custody pending when she will perfect her bail condition.

The DPO of the station claimed that he was not around when the woman was brought to the station and charged to court for the alleged offence.

The DPO also said he was only told that it was a case of assault that was reported against her.

However, the residents said it was a planned frame up to put pressure on the victim’s family to withdraw the alleged rape charged against her husband.

The police charge sheet sighted by P.M.EXPRESS, alleged that Mrs Mazi assaulted and tore Mrs Paul’s clothes worth N10,000 during the squabble in their compound.

She denied and claimed that it was the complainant that tore her clothes and asked the police to carry out an investigation, but the police replied her that the complainant asked them to charge the matter to the court.

An embattled Mrs Mazi was charged before the court and she pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrates Mr Akeem Fashola granted her bail in the sum of N20,000 with one surety in like sum.
However, Esther will remain in prison custody until she perfects her bail condition.

The complainant’s husband has been in prison custody after he penetrated the little girl and defiled her. The matter was reported to the police and her husband was charged before Ogba Magistrates court and remanded in prison.

Since then, there has been squabbles between the two women because the victim’s mother refused to withdraw the rape case from the court.

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Gbenga Odogun, Lokoja


A Lokoja Chief Magistrate ’ s Court on Friday remanded in prison custody two alleged Boko Haram computer specialists , and a herbalist.

The trio , Abdullahi Habib Audu, Bashiru Yahaya and their medicine man , Ahmed Momoh, were arraigned for belonging to the terrorist group .

The Chief Magistrate , Levi Animoku , who issued the remand order in his ruling on the arraignment of the accused in Lokoja , described the allegations against them as “ dreadful. ”

Animoku said the activities of members the terrorist group had terminated many lives in the country, adding that the crimes allegedly committed by the accused were heinous in nature and carried high penalties.

“ Notwithstanding that bail is a constitutional right guaranteed the accused persons , the presumption of innocence is not absolute .

“ Bail is not granted as a matter of course in this kind of offence . So , bail is refused . The accused persons shall be remanded at the Federal Prisons , Koton - Karfe , Kogi State.

The case is adjourned until 28th September for mention, ” he ordered .

Earlier in his submission , the prosecuting counsel , Mohammed Abaji , of the state Ministry of Justice , told the court that the accused and others now at large who were members of the outlaw terrorist group (Boko Haram ) were arrested in June this year following intelligence report .

He said the accused were arrested by a joint team of operatives of the NHHSS and STATT and troops of the Nigerian Army and Directorate of State Security.

Abaji stated that investigation and analysis of their telephone numbers revealed that they were not only members of the dreaded group but carried out repairs of the terrorists group ’ s computers and other electronic components used for nefarious activities .

The third accused, Ahmed Momoh, according to him , prepared “ medicine /ruqya ” for members of the group and their families before and during operations.

Abaji therefore prayed the court to take cognizance of the offences of criminal conspiracy, contrary to Section 97( 1 ) of the Penal Code Law and Belonging to Terrorists ’ Group contrary to sections 4 and 5 of Terrorism (Prevention )( Amendment ) Act, 2013 .

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Niger Delta activist and founder of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Chief Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) has vowed to make soldiers pay for the death of his father, Chief Thomas Osen Ekpemupolo one year ago.

Speaking on the first year anniversary of the death of the late Thomas, Tompolo said descendants of the late patriarch would not rest until the masterminds of his death are found and held accountable.

Tompolo, who is on the run over alleged N13billion fraud, though said that the search for justice would be prosecuted through legal means.

He said, “As we mourn and remember our late patriarch, we will seek justice to apprehend and hold accountable the very soldiers responsible for his murder so that he can finally rest in peace and we his descendants can be fulfilled.

“I will also not be deterred by persecution and state act of terror against my person and communities in Ijaw land in the quest for the emancipation of our land and people,” he vowed.

It would be recalled that father of the former militant leader died from injuries he sustained when soldiers invaded Gbaramatu clan in Warri Southwest local government area of Delta State in September 2016.

The octogenarian, who was allegedly brutalised by rampaging soldiers, later died in a private hospital in Warri, after his limbs were amputated in a desperate bid to save his life.

While using the incident as reference, Tompolo who is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged looting of NIMASA fund, lamented his ‘persecution’.

He said “I have been marked as state enemy number one by the President Muhammadu Buhari regime because of my natural and open association with my kinsman and former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.”

Ekpemupolo also traced his ordeal to his support for Governor Seriake Dickson in the 2016 Bayelsa State Gubernatorial election presumed as against the anointed APC candidate of the Federal Government, Chief Timipre Sylva.

He denied involvement in destructive operation by the militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, stressing,“In an orchestrated plot the Nigerian Army was unleashed on Gbaramatu Kingdom in search of me, and the rampaging soldiers stormed my father’s home in Kurutie Town, physically brutalised him to the point of death.

“He sustained injuries in one of his legs and due to lack of medical facilities in the area he could not be treated and could also not be timely evacuated because of the siege and blockade by the Nigerian Army.’

Besides, Tompolo accused the Nigerian Navy of looting his waterfront properties, jetties and other valuable, stressing that items worth over N10bn were looted by men of the Nigerian armed forces.

“In the last taken inventory of my facility, there was over 10 billon naira worth of building and other materials in the Jetty, but information reaching me now has it that the Jetty has been stripped bare by service personnel of the Joint Task Force [JTF].

“Some of the materials presumably have been taken to Northern Nigeria. How could this happen under your watch? As rightly observed by other well-meaning Nigerians, let me echo their thoughts by asking ‘where is the much touted anti-corruption crusade?

“The problem of environmental despoliation and degradation and issues of political, economic and social injustice and inequalities arising out of the oil and gas explorations aided by the policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria still looms larger by the day. Intimidation and threat is now employed to cow Niger Deltans in the place of engagement and positive tangibles,” he alleged.

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE



Some robbers invaded a female hostel where they reportedly attacked and sexually assaulted the ladies.

The incident happened at the hostel located at Owe Street, Fadeyi area of Lagos. The robbers probably sex starved, stormed the hostel had their way with some ladies, before they carted away their phones and escaped.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the robbers went to the place in the night, rounded up the victims (names withheld) and engaged them in sexual romp. Some of them reportedly sustained injuries in their privates as a result of the forceful assault and were undergoing treatment in various hospitals.

The matter was reported to the police at Oniwaya Division who moved into investigation and eventually arrested one of the suspects.

The suspect, Friday Effiong has been charged before Yaba Magistrates for conspiracy, assault and stealing under the Criminal Code.

He pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrates, Mrs E.N. Johnson granted Effiong bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the police have intensified effort to arrest the other suspects who were involved including their leader who was also identified as the leader of a cult group in the area. The matter has been adjourned till October as the court was said to be on vacation.

When our correspondent visited the hostel, some of the residents confirmed the ugly incident and said that after the incident that the police have beefed up security around the hostel. P.M.EXPRESS reports that the residents however declined to mention the actual number of victims except the one our reporter obtained at the court which was confirmed.

A political associate of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Alhaji Abdullahi Sugar, has cautioned northerners against the alleged moves of former president Olusegun Obasanjo to force one of his ‘boys’ on the North in 2019 for the presidency.

Sugar, in a phone interview, claimed that the former president was working hard to force either Governor Nasir el-Rufai or Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on the region.

“We, northerners, must be wary of these antics. It has happened before and we should not allow it to happen again. He, Obasanjo, should allow the people’s will to prevail. 

“Why is he plotting for Kwankwaso and El-Rufai when more, better politicians are on ground? He should allow the people’s will to prevail and not his. Tell him that Nigerians are now more enlightened politically than in 2007,”he said.

Sugar, who said Atiku would contest in 2019, stated that Nigerians from all parts are in support of his ambition. 

The APC stalwart in Kano said former president Obasanjo was against the candidature of Atiku because of the role he (Atiku) played in frustrating his third term ambition.

“Obasanjo had on many occasions said Atiku will not in his lifetime become president. We are praying for him to live long so that he can witness the emergence of Atiku as president.

“Atiku is not looking for presidency from Obasanjo, but from Allah, who gives power to anybody He wishes, without the endorsement of people like Obasanjo,” he said.

Expressing optimism that Nigerians would overwhelmingly support Atiku’s candidature in 2019, he said Atiku will turn the fortunes of the country to good if given the mandate.

By Emmanuel Masha


A Niger Delta-based group, Niger Delta Youths Leaders Administrative Council (NDYLAC), yesterday threatened to sue Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, for choosing Lagos State for his refinery.

The group claimed that Dangote contravened the local content bill signed into law by the National Assembly by not choosing the Niger Delta region, where the raw materials for the refinery comes from.

The group in a statement jointly signed by Magnus Uche and Pobewei Abie, chairman and secretary respectively, said the Nigerian Local Content Law had created a framework for indigenous content in the country’s oil and gas industry.

The group explained that the bill which also provided for indigenous participation in the sector by ensuring that local services and raw materials would be used as a channel of transferring skills and technologies for employment opportunities. It said that the location of the refinery in Lagos other than the Niger Delta, where the raw materials would be sourced amounts to “continuous enslavement of the people of the Niger Delta area.”

The group also noted that the $18 billion so far spent on laying of subsea oil and gas pipelines to connect the raw materials from the region would deny the unemployed youths of the area more than 5, 000 jobs thereby increasing the rate of poverty in the region.

NDYLAC vowed to “take every legal means to ensure that Aliko Dangote rescind his decision of citing the billion dollars refinery in Lagos. Our people have suffered untold hardship over the years and this cannot be allowed to continue again,” it said.

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Samson Folarin



Policemen attached to the Anti -Kidnapping and Anti - Cultism Squad of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department , Lagos State Police Command, have been accused of collecting N 50, 000 before granting bail to one Blessing Taiwo , who was arrested for alleged theft .

Although the suspect was released on Saturday after the money was paid , the police allegedly seized her mobile phone pending when a balance of N 20, 000 would be paid on Tuesday.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect’ s sister, Florence Taiwo , who always took food to her in the cell , was allegedly molested by the policemen who touched breasts and dipped hands into her private parts before allowing her to take the food into the cell.

Our correspondent gathered that Blessing, a mother of two , had been arrested on Monday after her boss, Mrs . Abiola Osagie , accused her of stealing $ 50, 000 while the latter was away on a trip.

Osagie had alerted policemen from the Ikoyi division, who transferred the matter to the SCIID , Yaba , for further investigation .

Although the case bordered on alleged theft , it was transferred to the Anti -Kidnapping and Anti - Cultism Squad on Hogan Bassey Crescent , Surulere , where the victim was allegedly locked up in the same with a suspect who had a mental problem .

After spending three days in the cell and the intervention of the Office of the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer and an Assistant Commissioner of Police , the suspect was released on bail.

However , a demand of N 2 m was allegedly made, which was negotiated to N 70 , 000 .
“ After we paid them N 50, 000 , the police didn’ t release her (Blessing ) phone . They said we should bring the remaining on Tuesday when her phone would be released , ” a family member told our correspondent .

On how the matter started , Blessing said she had been working as the office administrator and assistant to Osagie for the past eight years in an international investment and equity firm , AfricInvest .

AfricInvest is in eight countries of the world , but the Nigerian office in Ikoyi , Lagos , is under the leadership of Osagie , who is the Managing Director .

Blessing said , “The office cleaner was sacked more than a year ago and since then , a new cleaner had not been employed . I have been the one cleaning the office ; washing the toilet and doing other menial duties .

“ During the quarterly appraisal , I raised issues about the general cleaning of the office and suggested we get somebody to do it . After she travelled , I asked her driver to do the job for a fee of N 10, 000 . I decided to give the job to him to save cost .

“ However , on the last day of the cleaning , I observed the man messed up the chemical for the cleaning of the floor and I got a man to assist with the clean up .

“ She returned from her trip on Thursday , and by Friday, she came to the office. I gave her feedback about the cleaning . I told her I invited four people from outside to do the job . I didn’ t tell her that her driver did the job because if she knew, she would have asked why I paid him any money . ”

The Odogbolu, Ogun State indigene , said Osagie did not raise any issues after they both left the office at 6 pm on the Friday and also at the end of work the following Monday .

Blessing said she , however , received a call by 8 . 30pm on Monday , as Osagie asked her to get to work early on Tuesday over an issue.

“ When I got there , she said I should get a ladder and climb to a particular cabinet . I thought she wanted me to bring down some files.

“ However , I found a black bag and she asked me to bring it down . She said she left $ 50, 000 in the bag , among other currencies, and I told her that nobody took anything from the place because I was careful, ” she added .

Policemen from the Ikoyi division were said to have been invited to the firm , who interrogated the suspect.

Blessing , 43 , said she informed the police that the driver and another man were involved in the cleaning and she supervised them.

The driver, however , reportedly told the police that the bag in question had been taken home by Osagie on Monday .
He allegedly said he noticed that the bag was heavy , adding that he did not know the content .

A security man on the premises , who was also interviewed , allegedly told operatives that Osagie was seen returning to the office alone late on the same night with the bag .

PUNCH Metro learnt that operatives searched the home of Blessing and checked her bank account balance without finding any money .

The Divisional Police Officer allegedly said there was no evidence linking Blessing with the incident , but the complainant allegedly insisted that she was culpable .

The matter was subsequently transferred to the SCIID , Yaba , from where it was referred to the Anti - Kidnapping and Anti -Cultism Squad headed by CSP Akinade Adejobi.

The suspect’ s sister , Folake , said , “ The police at Ikoyi told her that they didn’ t find any evidence of stealing. But she (Osagie ) insisted that my sister took the money .

“ The case was transferred to the SCIID , Yaba , on Wednesday, from where it was referred to Hogan Bassey Crescent . My sister was detained that night and we were asked to return the following day.

“ During the interrogation, the driver, who agreed to cleaning the office and collecting N 10, 000 said he assisted the woman to carry the bag into the car the night preceding when she declared the money missing . She didn’ t deny it .

“ The other cleaner said he didn’ t spend more than 20 minutes on the premises and he assisted in mixing the chemical . When it was my sister’ s turn to talk, she (Osagie ) asked her to keep quiet and she should only respond to questioning. ”

She said after the intervention of the Lagos police PRO and the ACP, Adejobi agreed to give the suspect bail.

Another member of the family , Florence, said she had yet to recover from the harassment she suffered at the police formation while taking food to Blessing in the cell .

She also alleged that her sister was subjected to inhuman treatment .
She said , “ The stench in that station was horrible and I later realised that it came from my sister’ s cell, where a mentally deranged woman was being held for alleged ritual dealings.

“I personally went through hell. Any time I was going to give her food, they would collect a bribe of N 1,000 to allow me in .
“ When I get in, the policemen will start touching my body , including putting hands in my private parts .

“ There is a particular one that has been harassing me with calls and asking me to date him . The policemen there are not normal; they wear earrings in their tongues, ears and nostrils . ”

PUNCH Metro obtained a petition on the case by the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria , calling on the new Commissioner of Police in the state , Edgal Imohimi , to investigate the matter .

The petition , dated September 1 , which was signed by the group ’ s National Coordinator , Okechukwu Nwanguma , wondered why the case was transferred to the Anti -Kidnapping and Anti - Cultism Squad, lamenting the role played by Adejobi, as he initially refused administrative bail to the suspect.

The group said not only did Adejobi detain Blessing for three days , which violated her rights, he also collected N 50, 000 for bail as against the police ethos of ‘ bail is free . ’

It said , “ In the first place, a case of stealing ought not to be taken to or investigated by the Anti - Kidnapping Unit … And the OC decided to do the complainant ’ s illegal biddings , which the DPO at Ikoyi professionally refused to do .

“ NOPRIN is shocked at the impunity with which the OC Anti - Kidnapping assumed the role of investigator , prosecutor and executioner. He has shown obvious interest and bias in this case . The conduct of the OC manifests notoriety for corruption and abuse of police power. He is also a bad influence on other officers under him .

“ Police officers who sexually abuse female detainees or women who come in contact with them should not be allowed to remain in the police force. It is an egregious abuse that should be treated with great seriousness . ”

The group called for investigations into the incident and alleged acts of misconduct and infractions of the law by the OC and some officers under him .

The complainant , Osagie , said she had nothing to gain from wrongly accusing Blessing.

She said , “Nobody can deny that the bag was taken from the office that night . And indeed it was brought back . The reason it was taken was because of a key ; the content obviously was not there. It was taken out of shock ; out of the fact that, ‘ How can money go missing in an office ?’ And the fact that the bag was properly opened to see what was inside and as soon as it was discovered that it was empty – my house is just a few minutes from the office – it was taken back . It was the same night the police and Blessing were called to come to the office early the following day.

“ With my pedigree , there is no reason that I would want to incriminate Blessing. I don’ t lack that kind of amount . It is a substantial amount for anybody , but it is not an amount that will kill me or take me to hell. So , I don’ t have any reason to incriminate somebody who , when I came back from vacation , I bought something for every member of her family . It is a case of my word against theirs.

“ The fact is that there was money in that bag and today , there is no money . It is a mystery that has to be unravelled. I have gone through a stress in a week that I haven’ t gone through in my life . What is my benefit in that? That I want to get the money that I didn’ t have , or expect Blessing to raise such funds ?

“ What is important for me is that we should let the process run its course . I didn’ t even go there (Anti - Kidnapping Section ) today (Saturday ). I do not want to interfere and I will not want to be a clog in the wheel of a process that I started .

“ I have reduced interaction , so that there is no misrepresentation . I haven’ t called anybody there in two days to put pressure or tell them what to do . It is not in my place . I didn ’ t want any of this to happen . It was supposed to be a normal conversation and when I didn’ t get anything , I decided to go on, ” she added .

The Lagos State police spokesperson , Olarinde Famous - Cole , said the allegations had also been trending on the social media , saying the command would investigate them.

In a statement on Sunday, he said the Investigating Police Officer , Sergeant Kudeinbu Sheu, had been arrested and was being interrogated at the X - Squad.

He said , “The command wants to reassure members of the public that proper investigation will be carried out and the command will like to encourage the suspect , Blessing Taiwo , to come forward with relevant information to aid the police in the ongoing investigation . ”

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By Tunde Oyesina


Fresh move to unseat the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has begun before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

An Abuja-based legal practitioner, Wale Balogun, has dragged the Federal Government before the court challenging the decision to retain Magu after he was rejected twice by the Senate.

In the originating summons dated August 25th, President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Senate, EFCC and Magu were listed as 1st to 5th defendants respectively.

The plaintiff asked the court to hold that the appointment of the chairman of EFCC is mandatorily subject to the confirmation of the Senate by virtue of Section 2(3) of the EFCC Act.

Balogun also asked the court to hold that EFCC is a statutory body established by the EFCC Act and its composition, including the appointment of its chairman, is governed, circumscribed and regulated by the enabling Act.

He further asked the court to declare that Magu, having been rejected twice by the Senate, cannot continue to act and function as the acting chairman of EFCC.

Balogun also asked the court to declare that Section 2(3) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act is not inconsistent with Sections 153, 154 and 171 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended).

He asked the court to restrain Magu from further acting and or continue to perform the functions of the chairman of the EFCC in acting capacity pending his confirmation by the Senate.

The lawyer asked the court to determine whether by virtue of Section 2(3) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act which establishes the office of the EFCC chairman, as the chief executive and accounting officer of the commission, whether the appointment of the chairman of the Commission is not subject to confirmation by the Senate having regards to the provisions of Sections 153, 154 and 171 of the constitution.

He also wants the court to determine whether EFCC is a statutory body that its composition, including the appointment of its chairman, is governed, circumscribed and regulated by its enabling Act or an extra-ministerial department which is governed and regulated by Section 171 of the constitution;

He submitted that if the answer to questions 1 and 2 is in the positive, he seeks determination on: Whether Magu has the power to lawfully continue to be and or operate as acting chairman of the EFCC indefinitely without confirmation by the Senate;

Whether it is lawful and constitutional for Magu to continue to act and or carry on the functions of the chairman of the EFCC in acting capacity indefinitely, having been rejected two times by the Senate; and Whether Section 2(3) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act is in conflict and or inconsistent with Sections 153, 154, S.171 of the Constitution.

The matter is yet to be assigned for hearing.

Documents issued by a UK court that restrain former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and her business fronts, Jide Omokore and Kolawole Aluko, from disposing of properties acquired through the dodgy Strategic Alliance Agreements (SAAs) facilitated by the erstwhile minister have been released.

The assets in question were acquired via companies listed as third parties in the matter being handled in the UK under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Also subject to the order are Messrs. Benedict Peters, Christopher Illuobe, a California-based attorney, Donald Amagbo, and three companies, Collingwood Limited, Rosewood Investments Limited and Miranda Investment Limited.

The court papers, exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, show that Judge Taylor of the Southwark Crown Court issued the restraint following an application by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS is prosecuting the defendants and third parties for alleged acts of corruption. The order, issued on September 13, 2016, bars the defendants and third parties from disposing or dealing in the affected assets or diminishing their value.

The affected properties, according to the court papers, include 5 Parkview, 83-86 Prince Albert Road, St. John’s Wood, London NW8 7RU.

The property is registered at the Land Registry under title number NGL745834 in the name of Collingwood Limited. Also on the restraint list is Flat 58 Harley House, Marylebone Road, London NW15HL, which is registered at the land registry under number NGL729440 and held in the name of Rosewood Investments Limited.

Equally affected is 96 Camp Road, Gerrard Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9BP. It is registered at the registry under title number BM180105 and held in the name of Miranda Limited. The last listed asset is a land identified as lying to the south of Lyttelton Road, Finchley.

In his order, Judge Taylor warned the defendants that it would amount to contempt of his court if any of the notified persons acted in breach of the court order. Such breach, the judge warned, could earn the offending party a term of imprisonment, fine and even prosecution for money laundering.

The restraint order, however, neither prevents banks from exercising rights of set off they may have in respect of any facility given to the defendants before the order was issued nor prevent a financial institution from taking steps to enforce an existing charge in respect of a property.

Court papers reveal that the restraint order will remain in force until it is varied or vacated by another order of the court.

Prosecutors in the United States recently provided details of how Mrs. Alison-Madueke and her fronts splashed millions of dollars on homes and luxury items in the US and UK. A civil forfeiture notice filed by the US Department of Justice seeks to have assets valued at $144 million seized from Ms. Alison-Madueke, Mr. Omokore, and Mr. Aluko. The forfeiture notice showed how Mr. Omokore and Mr. Aluko, who improperly received more than $1.5 billion in revenues via a questionable agreement that empowered them to sell Nigeria’s crude oil and pocket the proceeds, used shell companies to conceal the ownership of properties and luxury items purchased.

Nigerian authorities have also obtained court orders authorizing the government to seize billions of naira in assets, including real estate, illicitly acquired by Ms. Alison-Madueke.

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By John Owen Nwachukwu


https://cdn1.dailypost.ng/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ebonyi.jpg


A man identified as Friday Njoku, has killed himself after stabbing his 25-year-old girlfriend, Cynthia Nwafia, to death.

The incident happened at the girl’s place at Number 5 Amachi street in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.

The State’s Police Public Relations Officer, Loveth Oda, who confirmed this, explained that Njoku and Cynthia have been friends for some years and had already began marriage plans.

The man had already met the lady’s parents, informing them of his plans to marry their daughter, he said.

Njoku, however, suspected that Cynthia was cheating on him.

He was said to have confronted her and when she denied it, he stormed her apartment on the day of the incident and after an argument, stabbed her with the knife she was using while she was cooking.

The deceased was rushed to the hospital where doctors confirmed her dead.

Realizing the terrible thing he had done, Njoku ran to his house where he killed himself.

“His corpse was discovered inside his room with blood gushing out from his nose, eyes and ears at 9am the following day.

“Investigations have since been launched into the matter,” the police spokesperson said.

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Ahead of the 2019 general election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has started making overtures to billionaire business man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, to come and contest for the presidential election on its platform.

Already, the opposition PDP has zoned the presidency slot for the 2019 election to the Northern part of the country, while the National Chairmanship slot of the party has been earmarked for the Southern part.

An impeccable insider source exclusively told The Daily Times in Abuja that the party, in a determined efforts to win the 2019 election, has already sent emissary to the billionaire businessman from Kano, who is reputed as the wealthiest businessman in Africa.

It was learnt that the decision to reach out to Dangote with a view to wooing him to come and contest for the presidential election on the platform of the PDP, was part of the decisions reached by members of a think tank committee put together by the immediate past President of the country, Dr. Jonathan Goodluck.

The opposition PDP, which recently came out of its leadership crisis following the ruling of the Supreme Court that recognised Senator Ahmed Makarfi as its National Chairman, was said to have taken a lot of things into consideration before the decision to go and woo Alhaji Dangote for the 2019 mission.

The source said: “I can confidently tell you that the PDP has made overtures to Alhaji Aliko Dangote to come and fly the presidential flag of our party for the 2019 presidential election.

“So many things were taken into consideration before the party arrived at this decision. Alhaji Dangote has the clout, the pedigree, the name, the followership and above all the financial war chest to match any presidential candidate that the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other party may be bringing forward in 2019”.

It was further gathered that Dangote allegedly spent personal money running into about N37 billion in 2015 to help in realising the presidential ambition of President Muhammadu Bihari, before and after he (Buhari) emerged at the presidential candidate of the APC then.

It is still not clear if Buhari will be seeking a second term in office come 2019.

Further findings showed that Alhaji Dangote had equally made a lot on financial contributions to the emergence of other past presidents in the country.

Another source within the party who spoke to The Daily Times said: “If Dangote can make financial contributions to ensure the emergence of other past Presidents in the country in the past, don’t you think he will be willing and ready to spend any amount to realise his own presidential ambition if he accepts the overture from the PDP?

“This is one of the reasons why the PDP made the overtures to him (Dangote) and we sincerely hope and pray that he accepts it. If he does, the journey to the Aso Rock presidential villa for the PDP in 2019 would have been made less stressful and less thorny”, the source added.

One of the reasons adduced by some political pundits for the loss by the PDP of the presidential election to the APC in 2015 was the failure of the former to pick its candidate from the Northern part of the country.

Some other prominent politicians being linked with moves to return to the PDP to contest its presidential primaries
with the intention to get the party ticket are former Vice President and chieftain of APC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and erstwhile Governor of Kano State and serving Senator, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
A member of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the PDP, who spoke on the condition of anonymity on the issue, told our correspondent that it is too early to make any comment on the issue for now.

When contacted, a source close to Dangote disclosed that his principal is not interested in politics, saying that the PDP should look elsewhere for its candidate.

The source, who sought anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, insisted that the stance of the business mogul not to dabble into politics has not changed, saying that any attempt by any political party to woo him for 2019 presidency is a distraction.

He said: “The attempt to woo him will fail because Dangote is not interested in politics. He is a businessman to the core and what you just asked me to react to is a distraction.

“The PDP should go and look elsewhere for its candidate for 2019 as Dangote is committed to his core vision and desire to invest and create jobs to the people”.

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Indications emerged Wednesday that the China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., known as Sinopec, is being investigated by the United States’ authorities over allegations of bribe payments totalling $100 million to Nigerian officials to resolve a business dispute.

According to Bloomberg investigations, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department, are investigating claims that lawyers acting as middlemen for Sinopec allegedly funnelled illicit payments to the yet-to-be-named Nigerians from its Swiss unit through New York and California.

The report noted that the payments were allegedly meant to resolve a $4 billion dispute between Addax Petroleum unit in Geneva and the Nigerian government over capital costs like drilling, tax breaks and royalties between the company and Nigeria’s oil corporation, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

Sinopec bought Addax in 2009 for about $7.8 billion in order to build a corporate presence in Geneva and expand its oil production in Africa.

Earlier, beginning in 2001, Addax had been operating in Nigeria under a deal with the Nigerian government which saw it benefit from a Side Letter agreement that granted it tax breaks and reimbursement for capital costs.

But trouble started in 2014 when the Nigerian government decided that the Side Letter should no longer apply and demanded repayment of $3 billion of past benefits from Addax.

By the end of 2014, details of the investigations revealed that Addax had filed a lawsuit against the government to protest the decision as it also sought reimbursement of at least $1 billion from the Nigerian authorities, contending that the NNPC, in a practice known as “overlifting”, had taken more than its share of crude allotments.

Little was known about the case until allegations of bribery surfaced in January of this year after Deloitte, an auditing firm, resigned as Addax’s auditor because it couldn’t obtain “satisfactory explanations” for $80 million paid to an engineering company for Nigerian construction projects in 2015.

The auditing firm said that amount appeared excessive for the work performed “and their purpose and timing raise issues which have not been resolved.”

Investigations, however, revealed that on May 25, 2015, shortly after many of those payments were allegedly made, Addax and the Nigerian government reached a settlement that was approved by the Nigerian High Court.

Sahara Reporters, a Nigerian online platform, reported that former President Goodluck Jonathan, with just three days left in office, approved the settlement at the urging of the then Attorney General, Bello Adoke. Mr. Jonathan’s agreement validated the original terms of the Side Letter, effectively nullifying Nigeria’s demand that Addax repay $3 billion, a source told Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, left the original terms of the Side Letter intact but planned to revoke its terms effective Jan. 1, 2016, a decision that would deny Addax at least $1 billion in future benefits and end reimbursement claims.

It is, however, unclear if there’s any other litigation pending between Addax and Nigeria.

When contacted, officials of the Nigerian government and the NNPC declined comments.

Payments details

In its filing, Deloitte revealed additional payments made by Addax from 2015 exceeding $20 million, ostensibly to “legal advisers” in Nigeria and the U.S. from bank accounts in Nigeria and the Isle of Man, a British crown dependency.

“(Deloitte) received a number of whistle-blowing allegations from within and outside Addax, some of which allege that such payments have been made to bribe foreign government officials and that certain amounts have been embezzled by certain members of management within Addax Petroleum Group,” the firm said.

Trouble started in February when Geneva prosecutor Yves Bertossa began a probe into Deloitte’s allegations, prompting Swiss law enforcement officials to conduct a raid on the Geneva offices of Addax in March.

Addax CEO Zhang Yi and Chief Legal Officer Guus Klusener were jailed under preventative detention, as allowed under Swiss law. They were, however, released three weeks later.

Barely four months later, Mr. Bertossa closed the probe but neither the company nor its executives were charged. Although he criticised the company for what he called sloppy accounting, he said that no criminal intent could be established, adding that Addax had taken steps to overhaul its staffing and anti-corruption processes.

But the U.S. authorities are looking into whether payments handled by an unidentified Nigerian lawyer who is a member of the California bar were used to pay some of the alleged bribes. A source told Bloomberg that the lawyer was hired to advise Addax executives on the terms of the settlement with the Nigerian government.

According to a Bloomberg’s source, the U.S. probes are in their early stages, and no action is imminent. The SEC is handling its inquiry through its Los Angeles office, and the Justice Department investigation is being led by the U.S. attorney’s office.

Earlier in November 2012, Total of France agreed the $2.5 billion sale of a minority stake, put at about 20 per cent of its stake in a Nigerian oilfield, to Sinopec.

The OML 138 oil block includes the Usan oilfield, which began producing in February 2012, and is jointly owned with Chevron, Exxon and Canada’s Nexen.

In January 2017, the NNPC awarded its 2017 crude oil term contracts to 39 companies.

The contracts covering about 1.31 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil were awarded to 18 Nigerian companies, 11 international trading houses, five foreign refineries, three national oil companies and two “NNPC Group trading arms,” the firm said in a statement. Sinopec was among the winners.

Posted By: Eric Ikhilae

NIGERIA’s $15m seized in South Africa during the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration is yet to be retrieved – no thanks to diplomatic intricacies and the long process.

Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami said such hindrances also accounted for why the government was yet to record appreciable success in its efforts to repatriate looted funds.

“As it relates to the money in South Africa and other countries, my reaction to recovery generally is that it is a process; a process involving mostly nations whose legal systems differ.

“The process in respect of diplomatic consideration equally plays a key role over and above international convention and best practices.

“So, when multiplicity of legal systems is in issue, multiplicity of diplomatic engagement is in contention, delay is naturally bound to set in.

“But, one thing I want to state categorically is that the government is doing whatever is possible to ensure the recovery of moneys that relate to Nigeria in all jurisdictions and not necessarily limited to South Africa,” he said.

Malami, who spoke in Abuja yesterday while reviewing the activities of his ministry in the last one year, however declined to answer a question on the rift between him and the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, over the country’s suspension from the Egmont Group.

He also declined comments on whether or not his directive that the EFCC provide him with a status report on on-going high profile cases had been complied with.

Malami said the Federal Government planned a committee on how to defray the N113billion judgment debt pending against it and its agencies to avoid its assets being attached.

He said the Judgment Debt Verification Committee, to be headed by the AGF, will, among others, ensure compliance with enforcement of court judgments and orders against government and its agencies.

Malami said memos on the recommendations of the Senator Ken Nnamani-led Constitution and Electoral Reform Committee would soon be presented before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for deliberation and adoption, following which Bills relating to the recommendations would be sent to the National Assembly.

The minister, who could not confirm if members of the Nnamani committee had been paid their allowances, said he was aware the Federal Government has approved the payment and that the approval had been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance.

On the prosecution of Boko Haram suspects being kept in custody, Malami said a speedy trial had been planned.

He said some judges have been assigned to handle the prosecution. He declined to give further details, citing security concerns.

Malami also hinted of plans for prisons decongestion, which he said would be electronically driven and last for the next two years.

The AGF, who praised his ministry for a successful outing in the last legal year between 2016 and 2017, said it concluded 7,119 criminal cases, including 4,709 petitions and 325 civil cases in the last legal year.

Malami, who highlighted various plans to be executed in the new legal year, said a coordinating centre would be created in his ministry for among others, ensure coordination of all criminal justice agencies.

The unit will enable the office of the AGF to “have a first-hand information of the status of all criminal investigations/trials in the country”.

Malami also spoke about a plan to create an investigation unit in the ministry to address the “want of legal expertise in the conduct and process of investigation by the various security agencies and to address such anomalies leading to the consistent rejection of vital evidence in the course of prosecution.”

The AGF is relying on his constitutional powers and the provision of Section 105(1) and (3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) to create the unit, it will coordinate and form part of every investigation to ensure robust investigation and successful prosecution of cases, Malami said.

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A 42-year old man Ohwonohwu Sheriff has been arrested and charged before a Lagos court for allegedly collecting his colleague’s Toyota Camry car and deposited it as collateral.

The incident happened at the terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport at Ikeja, Lagos where they work.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Sheriff had clients who wanted to buy flight tickets to travel abroad. However, he reportedly mismanaged their money, was in trouble and could not buy them tickets.

It was gathered that Sheriff had asked his colleague, James Olabisi to use his car with registration number, EPE 46 PE valued N3.5m and he obliged. The Edo State-born Sheriff then secretly used the car to borrow money from an undisclosed person and facilitated the tickets issuance for his clients.

However, after he sorted out the ticket issue with his clients, he could not retrieve the car to the owner.

It was learnt that Sheriff had cleverly used Olabisi’s name to enter into an agreement without Olabisi’s knowledge until the matter was reported to the police and the whole thing was exposed. Sheriff was then arrested and charged before Ogba Magistrates court for stealing and fraud under the Criminal Code.

He pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs O. Dan-Oni granted him bail in the sum of N1m with two surety in like sum.

He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition.

The matter was adjourned till 11th of September, 2017.

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BY ADA IGBOANUGO


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Oshiorenoya Agabi, a Silicon Valley-based inventor, has developed a computer that can recognise the smell of explosives and aid in bomb detection.

He unveiled modem-sized technology at the TEDGlobal conference in Tanzania.

Named Koniku Kore, the system is made from a mixture of living neurons and silicon, with sensors that can detect and recognise smells.

Agabi said it could be used to replace traditional airport security and could provide the brain for future robots.

“You can give the neurons instructions about what to do – in our case we tell it to provide a receptor that can detect explosives”, he told
BBC.

The device could also be used to detect illness by sensing markers of a disease in the air molecules that a patient gives off.

The prototype was shown off at TED in a video of it being taken out of the laboratory.


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“This device can live on a desk and we can keep them alive for a couple of months,” he said.

“We think that the processing power that is going to run the robots of the future will be synthetic biology-based and we are laying the foundations for that today.”

Agabi’s start-up company- Koniku- was launched over a year ago and has raised $1m (£800,000) in funding.

He says the company is already making profits of $10m upwards and has customers in the aviation and pharmaceuticals industries.

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In a desperate bid to pay his wife’s bride price 10 years after impregnating her and luring her into cohabitation, Mr Ekwene Itba, is planning to sell one of his children to pay the bride price, a divorce-seeking woman, Esther Itba, told an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court at Agodi in Ibadan on Monday.

“My Lord, I kept on worrying him to pay my dowry until we had three children, but he refused until recently when he sought my approval to allow him sell one of our three children to pay the dowry and formalise our marriage,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Esther had approached the court seeking the dissolution of her 10-year-old “union” on the grounds of non-payment of dowry, ill-treatment and failure to carry out his responsibility.

Esther told the court that Itba made love to her sometimes in 2007 and also impregnated her with a promise to pay her dowry later.

“I thought he was joking but kept on asking me to allow him sell one of our kids if I wanted him to pay the money.

“Also I shouldered alone all the responsibilities for the feeding, school fees and other expenses of the three children.

“I, therefore, urged the court to dissolve the union because I can no longer trust him following his plan to sell one of our children,” she said.

The husband, Itba, denied the allegations, saying he had paid the dowry and also formalised his union with Esther.

He also denied any plan to sell one of his children for any purpose but described Esther as a troublesome woman, who never respected him as a husband.

He, however, objected to the dissolution of the marriage, saying “I do not want the children to suffer”.

The President of the court, Chief Mukaila Balogun, adjourned the case for a possible settlement.

He said the court was more interested in settlement of marriage disputes rather than dissolution, urging the couple to resolve their differences.

The case was adjourned until Sept. 6.

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CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

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Barrister Paul Osuigwe



A Lagos female Judge, Mrs K.O. Doja-Ojo displayed uncanny courage by sentencing a Lagos lawyer for contempt of court after it was confirmed he used cutlass and chased his wife away from their matrimonial home on the matter before her court.

The lawyer, Barrister Paul Osuigwe was sentenced and jailed for one month without an option of fine and he was remanded at the Ikoyi prison where he served out his prison sentence.

The incident happened at a family court at Magbo area of Lagos where Dajo-Ojo was the presiding judge handling the matter between the couple, Paul and his wife, Golda over family rift.

P.M.EXPRESS reports the embattled wife who was also non practicing legal practitioner, dragged her husband to the family court for maltreating her and their four children and destroyed her business.

It was gathered that when the matter came up at the court, the presiding judge ordered the parties to maintain peace pending the determination of the matter in court.

However, the wife alleged that Paul got home, brought out a cutlass to attack her and she fled with her children. And since then, they have not returned to the house and were homeless.

When the matter was brought to the notice of the court, their children also testified that their father actually used cutlass to attack their mother and chased them away.

The court found Paul guilty of contempt and sentenced him accordingly.

The embattled couple met during their days at the university where both studied law, got married and had children. However, 15 years after, the marriage broke down and they were no longer in love over counter allegations between them.

The wife thereafter went to the mediation centre to report her husband for possible settlement but it got worse as the husband was said to have been adamant and refused to take care of the family.

The centre then brought the matter before the court to determine, but Paul seemed to be uncooperative and attacked the victim.

Golda who confirmed the incident had cried out for assistance over her condition and that of their children. She claimed that the husband abandoned the whole responsibility to her and she had no job again for now.

She narrated that her husband invaded the private school she was running, chased the students away and shut the school. And she had been squatting for over two years.

When Paul was earlier contacted concerning the matter on phone, he declined to speak and switched off his phone.

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