₦airaland Forum

By Ismail Omipidan, Remi Adefulu (Lagos), Tony John (Port Harcourt), Obinna Odogwu (Abakaliki) and Sylvanus Viashima (Jalingo)


Strong indications emerged yesterday that the 19 northern states and the FCT chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have resolved to ditch the South-west in the race for the national chairmanship of the party.

If that happens, it means former acting national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, may as well carry the day, Daily Sun gathered.

Apart from the north, it was further learnt that the South-East delegates would go in one direction, in solidarity with the South-South.

Daily Sun also gathered that those backing Secondus from the north have also tipped former Oyo State governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja to emerge as deputy national chairman (South), just as it resolved to back Hajia Inna Ciroma as deputy national chairman (North) and Senator Umar Tsauri, as national secretary.

Although another meeting of the group is expected to hold tomorrow night, sources revealed that nothing “substantial” was expected to change from the arrangement.

“The only thing that may change is the position of the deputy national chairmen for both North and South. Ladoja was tipped because he is seen as someone who is level-headed and since we are going for Secondus who is relatively younger, we need Ladoja as a stabiliser from the South-west. As for Mallam Ciroma’s wife, you know she is with the Adeniran’s camp. So, anything can happen to her choice between now and Saturday morning,” the source said.

Before now, aspirants from the South-west and their supporters enjoyed the sympathy of the north and had even offered to give the zone bloc votes to enable. But at a recent meeting in Abuja, stakeholders from the North, especially the North-west, may have reviewed their earlier stance with a view to backing the only aspirant from Rivers State for the party’s plum job.

Specifically, Daily Sun gathered that the decision to support South-south for the position was reached at a recent meeting in the home of a former Sokoto State governor, which was reportedly attended by 14 top party chieftains. They included former vice president, Namadi Sambo, former Kaduna governor and national caretaker chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, former Jigawa governor, Sule Lamido, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and former foreign affairs minister, Aminu Wali, Senator Hayatu Gwarzo and former special duties minister, Kabiru Turaki.

Others were former Sokoto State governor, Attaihiru Bafarawa, former Katsina governor, Ibrahim Shema, former Sokoto deputy governor, Mukthar Shagari and former acting national chairman of the party, Dr. Bello Haliru.

The meeting unanimously agreed that since the South-west were unable to come up with a consensus candidate from among the six of them that have shown interest, and considering the crisis in the zone, it was in the best interest of the party to allow the South-south produce the next chairman.

“It is true that a meeting was called in Abuja. It was convened at the instance of the stakeholders from the North-west zone.
We were worried about the development in the South-west. All of us in the North have sympathy for the South-west. But what else can you do when those you are trying to assist are unwilling to assist themselves?
“South-south presented us with just two aspirants. But your people refused to step down for each other. They could not come up with a consensus candidate. We said ok, give us two of them so we could choose, again, they failed us. So, in that circumstance, what do you want us to do? We had to forget about them and switch our support for the South-south, which appear to be more organised,” one of the sources at the meeting told Daily Sun.

Another member of the party, who incidentally has been elected as a national delegate to the convention, who though did not attend the meeting, but who is very close to one of the principal actors, confirmed that the meeting indeed took place on November 9.

Confirming the decision of the north to dump the South-west for South-south, a senior member of the party and a former federal lawmaker, who incidentally is a member of the BoT told Daily Sun that the South-west played into the hands of the South-south by their actions and inactions.

“The north has sympathy for South-west. If they had actually managed the issues very well and come up with one person, perhaps we may not have any justification to dump them. But from the way they have mismanaged this chairmanship issue, if we give them the position, we may never get out of the crisis that will follow till 2019 general election. And we want to avoid that pitfall.

“Fayose, who is the only PDP governor from the zone and who is the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum made it clear that he does not want the position, either in his state or in the zone. He threatened that if we insist that South-west must have the position, he will leave the party. For God’s sake, what do you want us to do? We reckon that South-west is a very important and strategic zone that we must not ignore, but their leaders have not done anything to help their case?

“Only yesterday (Tuesday) there was another court pronouncement over the leadership tussle in the zone. Now, it may get to the Supreme Court. So, we are afraid of witnessing another (former Osun State governor Olagunsoye) Oyinlola scenario, where a court nullified his election as national secretary of the party in 2013. You know it was the South-west zonal leadership crisis that led to Oyinlola’s ouster.

“So, just imagine the collateral damage it will have on us if we witness such a thing in 2018? To play safe, we are looking the way of the South-south. Please, no one should blame us for taking this position, it is in the best interest of our great party and that of the country,” the BoT member said.

With less than five days to go, Makarfi, the convention planning committee chairman and Delta state Governor, Mr. Ifeayi Okowa and other top members of the party were yesterday in Minna, Niger State where they held a close door meeting with General Ibrahim Babangida at his Hilltop mansion.

The delegation which included the Taraba State Governor, Dairus Ishyaku, Senate Minority Leader, Abdul Ningi and Senator Ben Obi were also at the Government House on a courtesy visit to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello.

The meeting with Babangida lasted for about one hour. Although journalists were not allowed into IBB’s house, it was, however, gathered that the parley was to brief IBB on preparations for the convention since “IBB has been playing positive and leadership role in the run up to the convention.”

The team left the state through the Minna International Airport at about 3.15pm.
Reacting to the charge against Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, his media aide, Mr. Lere Olayinka told Daily Sun that he was at a loss as to what they expected his principal to do in the circumstance.

According to him: “When they say he (Fayose) was not supporting any aspirant from the zone, he asked them which of the six will he support? Or they just want him to start following the six of them across the country to campaign? He does not have the power to prevent the South-south from showing interest. He can’t impose the will of the South-west on the South-South.”

Ahead of the make or mar convention, Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi said delegates from South-East region would take common position on who to back.

Umahi stated this yesterday at the party’s secretariat in Ebonyi, when a chairmanship aspirant and chairman of DAAR Communications, Raymond Dokpesi, came to canvass for votes in the state.

“We just had a meeting in Umuahia, Abia State. They agreed to give us direction; that we are going to meet in Abuja and take a common position. Common position in the sense that in the past, we voted blindly.

Now, we’ll seek negotiation with anyone they want us to vote for. The person will agree on what he will do for us,” he said.

Meanwhile, the PDP chapter in Rivers State has unanimously endorsed Secondus, even as it dismissed claim of imposing any aspirant on delegates.

State Chairman of the party, Felix Obuah, at a joint press conference of PDP stalwarts and members of the House of Assembly in Port Harcourt, described Secondus as a God-fearing man who had paid his dues from the state, zonal and national levels, adding that the former acting national chairman has the wherewithal to lead the party successfully.

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akeentech:
They will fight back

LesbianBoy:
Liverpool 1- 3 Spartak Moscow

Ade Adesomoju , Abuja



A suspect, Umar Abubakar , who , in September 2016 , allegedly led four others to kidnap Margaret, the wife of the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria , Mr. Godwin Emefiele , has died in police custody .

Abubakar , also known as Kerewa , was said to have died due to the injuries he sustained during a gun duel with policemen in his bid to evade arrest last year .

The deceased as well as Mohammed Yusuf , Edwin George , Musa Maidabara , and Ernest Uduefe , was to be arraigned before Justice Babatunde Quadri of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.

But the arraignment could not proceed due to Abubakar ’ s death , which the lead prosecuting counsel , Mr. Aminu Alilu , announced to the judge during the proceedings .

Alilu of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, said , “ This charge was filed on October 7 , 2017 , but on October 24, we were informed of the demise of the first accused who died as a result of injuries he sustained while in the course of exchanging gunfire with the police . ”

Justice Quadri directed Alilu , an Assistant Chief State Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, to amend the charges to reflect the new set of defendants.

He then adjourned until December 14 for the arraignment of the surviving defendants .

In the five counts filed against the defendants , the prosecution alleged that the late Abubakar and the four other defendants took hostage of Margaret along with others in her entourage – Odion Anthony , Ngozi Omoile , Uju Anthony and Gladys Omoile – at Ugoneki village , along the Benin/ Asaba Expressway on September 28, 2016 .

The AGF filed five counts under the Terrorism (Prevention ) (Amendment ) Act 2013 against the alleged kidnappers.

The defendants were said to have demanded N 100 m ransom from the victims ’ family members , but upon negotiation , reduced the ransom to N 80 m , which they allegedly took before releasing the victims .

All the five defendants were named in counts one to three which have to do with conspiracy and hostage taking .

But the trio of George , Maidabara, and Uduefe, were accused in count four of aiding and abetting the act of hostage taking .

Samson Folarin


The owner of a non -governmental organisation , Dignity for the Helpless Foundation (DHF) , Pastor Samuel Brown , has said the mother of Tochi , a kidney failure patient, Ndidi Mbonu, is using her to make money .

Brown , in a 12- page document , explained that his organisation had already given the family about N 3 . 9 m as against the N 1 . 4 m Ndidi said she collected.

He said the NGO later realised that the family , while getting money from the group , was also raising money through some other platforms.

Our correspondent had reported that Tochi , a graduate of the Benue State University , became deaf in India after being on dialysis for two years in the country .

She was on dialysis in Nigeria for one year before being flown out in 2015 .

Her mother , Ndidi, said she was stranded with her daughter in India due to lack of funds for her kidney transplant , adding that she had resorted to selling beans cake (moin - moin) for survival .

She had said her family was introduced to Brown ’ s NGO in 2015 and an agreement was reached to raise N 11 m for Tochi ’ s operation .

She explained that Brown also agreed to open a joint account with the family to ensure transparency and accountability.
Tochi ’ s mother said she was surprised when the NGO opened an account without involving any member of the family .

Ndidi said Brown had only given them N 1 . 4 m , adding that he paid N 30 , 000 every two weeks to reach the sum about a year ago .

Tochi , who chatted with our correspondent on WhatsApp , had begged for help from Nigerians, saying her condition was becoming critical .

The NGO , however, said Ndidi was blackmailing the organisation after she had threatened to deal with the owner if she didn’ t get N 6 m .

Brown said during the first meeting between the NGO and the family in September 2015 , the widow said the family needed about N 4 m for regular dialysis and treatment of her daughter.

Ndidi was alleged to have authorised the organisation to raise funds with the girl ’ s name in October 2015 , just as DHF increased the target to N 6 m to enable the victim to be on dialysis for at least one year.

In October 14, 2015, it was reportedly agreed that Tochi , Brown and the group ’ s manager, Shallom Ufforth , would be co- signatories to the account .

Brown said the group placed adverts and ran stories in media houses to start the campaign .

He said Ndidi later called to inform them that the family had decided to move Tochi to India for a kidney transplant , adding that she demanded that N 6 m be raised for the operation .

“ Right there in the office , we started discussing our experiences concerning the matter. Since she was spending N 27, 100 per session for dialysis in the hospital , that means if we want to go by doctor ’ s advice , three times a week will be N 81, 300 . That was how we raised the amount to N 11. 5 m . The hospital documents in her hands and our inquiries suggested that some people may go through dialysis for two to three years before the transplant is carried out, ” Brown added .

He said the group had paid Ndidi about N 2 m , which were not documented, adding that sometime in January 2016 , based on her instruction , the NGO sent N 50, 000 and N 200 , 000 to the account of one Oluwafemi Bukola .

Brown said sometime in June 2016 , Tochi ’ s mother started making unfounded claims about the amount raised by his organisation with a threat to blackmail him if she didn’ t get N 6 m .

“ I called her on September 11 , 2016 , and asked her to check her record; that only that year alone , she had collected N 1 , 150 , 000 . She said , ‘ Are you not making money too ?’ This was when it dawned on me that this woman was up to something .

“ When I asked her if she recalled that she had collected N 2 m from us before the N 1 , 150 , 000 , she said she thanked God that the money was not paid into her account and that she would deny it .

“At some point , we started begging her that we wanted to use her Indian line to campaign so that when people called , she would give them situation reports . She said she would deny that she was aware of the campaign if anyone should call her .

She said she would be happy with us if we give her N 6 m cash, ” Brown added .

He noted that the NGO later learnt that Ndidi had earlier raised N 10 m through two media houses before she approached them , adding that he was disappointed that the family never mentioned that to them .

Brown said while he was planning another round of campaign to raise funds , he saw a publication on Tochi ’ s condition and her mother ’ s allegations against the group.

He said , “ This woman has collected money from us to the tune of N 2 m without record . We told her that she should have told us that she had already gone far with the media (in raising funds); if we knew, we would not have involved ourselves .

“ Since then, she had been threatening that if I didn’ t give her the family ’ s share of the money , she would rubbish me and my foundation . She said I should remember that I am a pastor and she is a widow; that people will believe her more than me . ”

He said with payment for adverts, the organisation had spent a total of N 4 , 727 , 611 , adding that he had yet to raise up to N 5 m .

The police has arrested four men in connection with the alleged abduction and rape of a 14-year old for seven days.
The suspects were Samuel Efe, Afeez Tajudeen, Solomon Olowu and Okurobo Francis.

The incident happened at Egbeda area of Lagos where one of the suspects, Efe abducted the victim into his apartment and invited the three other suspects for the alleged sexual assault.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the victim was kept in the house and the suspects molested her sexually in turns until the last day. Meanwhile, while she was in captivity her parents searched for her and reported the incident to the police.

By the time she was eventually allowed to go, she had already fallen ill due to the level of the sexual assault and was rushed to the hospital.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the police was then alerted and Efe was first arrested. He confessed and mentioned the three other suspects and others at large.

The suspects were charged before the Magistrates court sitting in Ikeja for conspiracy, abduction and rape.

They pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. B.O. Osunsanmi granted them bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties in like sum.

They were remanded in prison custody pending when they will perfect their bail condition.

The matter was adjourned till 22 February, 2018.

John Charles, Makurdi


Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services , Dr . Cecilia Ojabo, has said that a 20 - year - old corp member (names withheld) has been quarantined for exhibiting symptoms of monkey pox.

The commissioner who spoke with our correspondent on the update of the suspected victim of monkey pox discovered in Gboko early November said a corp member who was the victim ’ s lover also showed similar symptoms that led to his being quarantined .

She explained that the result of the blood samples of the Gboko victim of monkey pox was received a few days ago and tested positive to other viral infections .

While giving details of the possible area the victim contacted the monkey pox from , the commissioner said the victim ’ s lover, who was a driver from Lagos , had visited and slept with the lady before she showed the symptoms .

The commissioner further said that efforts to get the said lover driver apprehended were rebuffed , as he had returned to Lagos , while denying ever visiting Benue State .

“ We have received the report of the blood samples of the suspected victim of monkey pox reported few weeks ago and it is positive with other viral infections .

“ The lady has since been quarantined . We also later discovered that a young man who is a lover of the 20 - year -old corp member also had rashes on his body and two of them have been quarantined .

“ While we were doing contact tracing, we discovered that the victim had earlier slept with another lover who is a driver and who came from Lagos .

“ We contacted the man on phone so that he would be connected to Lagos ministry of health , but he denied ever visiting Benue and other subsequent calls made to his line did not connect. ”

The commissioner said the second case in Vandeikya area of the state that was reported was discovered to be measles.

She added that another case was reported of a young boy who attended school in Taraba State.

He also showed monkey pox symptoms , while his parents took him to a doctor .

However , in the process of transferring him to Makurdi , the young boy disappeared and has not be seen since then. ”

From: Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja


President Muhammadu Buhari has said when it comes to the fight against corruption, one can never satisfy Nigerians.

President Buhari said this, in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, last Tuesday, during an interactive session with Nigerian community, ahead of his participation at the just concluded 5th African Union-European Union (AU-EU) Summit.

President Buhari’s administration has been accused of being selective and political in its anti-corruption war with some Nigerians, suggesting that for it to succeed, there is need for some fundamental reforms in the system and the way the anti-graft agencies are being run to make them become more effective and efficient.

The President who recalled how ruthless he was as a military Head of State, by locking those suspected to have stolen public funds in prison until they proved they were innocent, said the democratic dispensation does not allow him such liberty.

He said that compared to his first coming in the 1980s, today everyone is seen to be innocent until proven guilty and yet Nigerians are accusing his government of being slow in the fight against corruption.

According to President Buhari, “I’m assuring you that the good news you hear from home is the same that you hear from all over the world that we are not doing too badly in trying to secure the country, in trying to improve the economy, to get jobs for people and in trying to deal with corruption.

“I have said it that this is my second time like Gen. Obasanjo. When I came as a young man and in uniform, I arrested former ministers and governors and put them in Kirirkiri. All of you know Kirikiri. I told them that they are guilty until they can prove themselves innocent and it didn’t bother me because I was a youth and in uniform so I didn’t care about anybody.

“But now that I am back, everybody is innocent until I can prove them guilty. And at the same time the same Nigerians are saying we are too slow. So what can you do really? You can only try but I am telling you that you can never satisfy our people back home.

“You know, when I was young and ruthless as a soldier I did what I did, somebody came, locked me up and gave them back their money and their houses. I went back into politics and after trying three times and ending up in Supreme Court, the fourth time God agreed and here I am.

“But when I came, what I found out is terrible. It is absolutely terribly but I’ll keep on doing my best because I volunteered to come, I have come, I have met what was on the ground and I hope I will make an impression.”

The President regretted that during the oil boom era no meaningful infrastructure was built hence his administration is struggling to keep its campaign promises with the fall of oil price to as low as $28 per barrel from an average of $100 between 1999 and 2014.

According to Buhari, “We are lucky in Nigeria that we have been able to survive 2016. Honestly, I told some people close to me that I was thinking of which country to run to if things got out of hand.

“Between 1999 and 2014, I have said it several times in Nigeria, Nigeria has never got so much revenue like it did at that time.

But then when we came the price of oil went down to $28 per barrel from an average of $100 per barrel at the production rate of 2.1 million barrel per day.
So multiply 2.1 million by $100, that is what Nigeria was getting from 1999 to 2014. But when we came the price came down to $28. I went to Central Bank to look for money and they said there was no money, only debts.

“And the infrastructure – the roads, the rail, power that you have been talking about, nothing was absolutely done. So really, God hears the prayers of His servants and the last three raining seasons were good. We were very lucky I would have absconded.

“I mean how could we have faced Nigerians and tell them this is what you have been earning from 2.1 million barrels per day from 1999-2014 multiply by $100 it even went up to $143 and then came down to about $70, $80 but when we came it fell to $28, then to $37 and then oscillating between $30 and $50. So it was amazing but God came with His help.”

It was indeed a dramatic midnight yesterday in Awka as landlord set his tenant’s shuttle (bus) ablaze and vanished into darkness, locking other tenants inside their apartments close to the burning shuttle.

The terse theatrical which took place at exactly 12 am (December 1) created fear in the minds of virtually all the tenants residing around the Oby Okoli Avenue, Unizik Temp-Site Awka in Anambra state.

Four repeatedly thunderous detonations which accompanied the burning fire was said had dreadfully injected great phobia in every corner of the entire neighborhood as they immediately scrambled out for the fear of being roasted in their beds, as the fire nearly escalated into houses.

According to an eye witness who simply identified himself as Chisom, the landlord, for a long time, had been nursing a soured feeling of animosity towards the tenant and his family, for nothing milder than greed and cupidity.

Recounting his ordeal and his encounter with the landlord since he parked into the house with his family, the tenant Onyebuchi narrated how they had once been a victim of faeces bath as the landlord and his family contributed a full bucket of faeces mixed with hot urine and water, then sneaked into his (the tenant’s) room where he was enjoying his night rest with his family, and emptied the bucket on his face, together with his wife and little kids.

When asked what the problem stated, the tenant who described the shuttle as his only means of fending for his family and paying his children’s school fees, noted that, humbly, he had always approached the landlord times without number to find out what the problem was, but never got any answer, rather than more harms.

“My house rent has not expired; it will expire in February 2018, and so I’m not owing him anything; I have never spoken or done any evil against him, I have never stolen anybody’s thing, I always keep my apartment cIean, and I do not even come back in late hours” the innocent tenant confessed.

“And so, what will he now say that I did to him?” he rhetorically gestured.

The landlord who committed this was said to had disappeared into the thick darkness, even as others who immediately rushed to the confessed that they saw him running shoeless towards the Cofi axis of the Geogold Road, not knowing that he was the chief culprit.

Bu his wife denied her husband’s responsibility for such horrendous act, claiming that he (the landlord) has never been at home for days now.

As at the time of filing this report, the landlady and the tenant Onyebuchi are currently in police custody, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.

lalasticlala

By John Chuks Azu




Fresh details have emerged of how the embattled former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina allegedly “arranged” for his reinstatement and subsequent withdrawal of the court case he instituted against the Federal Government, with influential individuals in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Controversy has trailed the alleged role of the office of the AGF, the Minister for Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau, the chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu; the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Oluremi Joseph Akande; and the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita in Maina’s reinstatement and promotion into the Federal Civil Service, which was approved on August 16 and completed in October with a rank of Director Grade Level 17 and backdated to February 21, 2013.

However, it has emerged that much of the work, including the recommendation to get President Muhammadu Buhari to use his “presidential directive” to effect Maina’s reinstatement was done in the office of the AGF. The office had initiated the move for Maina’s recall after he was reported to have made some visits and tendered the court cases he had instituted challenging his disengagement from the civil service.

The presentation by the dramatis personae in the saga including the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mamman Daura; the Commandant of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammed Babandede at Thursday’s sitting of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the disappearance, reappearance, reinstatement and promotion of Maina, including admission by the AGF on how he arrived at the opinion he proffered for his reinstatement, has further exposed the irregularity in the process.

The AGF tendered copies of the memo generated from his office, which played a pivotal part in Maina’s reinstatement and promised that he has set up an internal probe into how one of his Special Assistants arrived at the memo to convince him “as to how the effect of judgment provided by Maina could have a co-essential effect on reinstatement which was not developed and presented.”

Sources said Maina had on such visits to the ministry between February and May, 2017, which was a follow-up of his earlier meeting with the AGF outside the country, presented the various suits he initiated and the opinion of his lawyer, Mahmud Magaji (SAN) that his query and dismissal for abscondment despite the pendency and eventual order voiding the warrant by Justice Adamu Bello in suit No: FHC/CV/65/2013 before an Abuja Federal High Court, was subjudice and amounted to contempt of court.

His lawyer suggested that the action negated the principle that once a matter has been placed within the domain of the court, no action shall or ought to be taken by any party thereto to debase or in any way undermine the outcome of the court’s intervention.

Maina thus contended that the action sacking him from the Federal Civil Service was taken without given him fair hearing more so as he was forced into hiding because of the warrant of arrest issued by the Senate Committee on Establishment to the Inspector General of Police and an attempt on his life by some unknown assailants traceable to persons who felt threatened by “the fraud of monumental proportion” he discovered in the country’s pension system.

Maina further explained to the aides of the AGF that he also initiated suit no: NICN/ABJ/68/2013 before the Industrial Court in Abuja challenging the action of the Head of Service of the Federation and Ministry of Interior in the query dated February 15, 2013 which cited him for serious misconduct offending Public Service Rules 030301 to 0303014 for his abscondment from duty following a warrant of arrest by the police and demanding the sum of N2.5 billion in damages.

He explained that Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court in Abuja on March 27, 2013 held that the warrant of arrest was a nullity and that the procedure adopted by the Senate was not valid based on the powers of the National Assembly in sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution because he was not given fair hearing.

After Maina’s presentations, on April 27, 2017 a legal assistant to Malami, produced the said memo detailing why the AGF acting within his powers in Section 174 of the Constitution, should re-emphasize his advice to the FCSC to give consequential effect to the judgment of the Federal High Court. The aide suggested also that the AGF can “weight advisory to the president to issue a Presidential Directive to the FCSC to reinstate Maina to his normal position and full rights and privileges.”

Earlier, the AGF had in a letter with reference no: HAGF/FCSC/2017/Vol.1/2 dated February 21, 2017 where he gave an interpretation that the judgment of the Federal High Court in 2013 voided the warrant of arrest “issued by the police against Dr Abdulrasheed Maina, which warrant of arrest formed the basis for the query referenced MI/30040/1/1 dated the 15th day of February, 2013 and his eventual dismissal from the service of the Federal Government of Nigeria on the 5th day of March 2013.”

In the memo titled: ‘Complaint of illegal dismissal and appeal for reinstatement of Dr Abdulrasheed Maina to his office, demand for update of the reinstatement of Dr Abdulrasheed Maina as Director in the Federal Civil Service’, the said SA also submitted that recalling Maina would be in public interest because it would give hope to other civil servants who have similar experience like Maina.

He said Maina has a lot of experience in pension administration that can be tapped, adding that he can be used as prosecution witness for the EFCC and ICPC in the pending cases of pension scam in various courts.

“That as head when the fraud of monumental proportion was discovered and a huge sum of stolen funds reportedly recovered under his watch and given the fact he must have reported some government officials to agencies like EFCC and ICPC and strike a deal to act as prosecution witness in most of the cases under investigation,” the SA wrote in the memo.

Satisfied the process was in place, Maina agreed to withdraw the suit before the National Industrial Court in Abuja where he had demanded “an order quashing the entire steps taken by the Head of Service of the Federation on the dismissal of the claimant.”

Based on the application by Maina’s lawyers formally withdrawing the suit, Justice Olufunke Anowe on November 8 struck it out from the court’s records.

However, sources alleged many “issues” played a major role in the official advice and the purported letter from the office of the AGF to the FCSC for Maina’s reinstatement. Thus, the AGF at the House hearing on Thursday promised that he had directed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry to probe the memo and the letter to the FCSC to unravel what really transpired and he would report back to the House.

“When this controversy arose, I instructed the Permanent Secretary taken into consideration my earlier K.I.V. of a letter dated 5th October, that they should initiate process to now unravel what truly transpired if indeed those letters have actually emanated from the Federal Ministry of Justice and what indeed transpired. I can assure you I can ask them to expedite action for that,” he said.

By Ismail Mudashir



Twenty eight months after the appointment of Senator Ita Solomon Enang as the presidential aide on National Assembly (Senate), Daily Trust takes a look on how the Akwa Ibom politician has fared in managing the relationship between the executive and the Senate.

Appointed at a time when there was no love lost between the executive, especially the Presidency and the Senate, Senator Ita Enang has been swimming from one trouble to the other, trying to mend fences and cement cracks.

Enang’s appointment came two months after the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate President, against the wish of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). The division at the Upper Chamber was pronounced and deep but as time went by, the lawmakers cemented their crack and forged ahead.

With the resolution of the internal wrangling, the battle has since shifted to between Senate and the executive, with Enang at the middle of the whole drama. It has been from one trouble to the other, unlike what is obtainable at the House of Representatives. There is relative peace between the House and the executive.

Records showed that since the return of the country to democracy in 1999, five presidential liaison officers for the National Assembly have been appointed. They are Aminu Wali (1999-2003), Senator Florence Ita-Giwa (2003-2007), Senator Mohammed Abba-Aji (2007-2011), Senator Joy Emodi and Senator Ajadi Makanjuola served between 2011 and 2015.

Our correspondent reports that all the liaison officers had challenges peculiar to the exigencies of their times. But that of Enang, regarded as a thoroughbred lawmaker with close to 20 years experience in National Assembly (House and Senate) seems to be overwhelming and unending.

Liaison officers are appointed to serve as a ‘messenger of the president’, receiving and transmitting communication from the president to the Senate and vice versa. The responsibility of lobbying of senators also falls on the shoulders of the liaison officer.

Aside these, the liaison officer guides presidential appointees like ministerial nominees and others during screenings, budget defenses, probes, public/ investigative hearings among other interactions/ engagements between the lawmakers and heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The primary responsibility of Enang in ensuring peaceful and harmonious working relationship between the executive and the Senate has been a mirage as many heads of MDAs have had their own battles with the Senators at one time or the other, thus enlarging the friction and suspicion between the two arms of government.


Enang’s troubles at a glance

The missing budget was a record-breaking feat recorded by the president’s aide. In January 2016, Enang was indicted in the budget disappearance controversy. A committee set up by Saraki specifically accused Enang as being responsible for the disappearance of the document. That was the first time the country’s budget would be disappearing.

In October of same year, he was also involved in another trouble. It was the case of a version of report of the Department of State Services (DSS) on the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu. While the clerk to the Senate had a report that indicted Magu, Enang had another that cleared the embattled EFCC boss.

The controversy created by the report is yet to be buried over a year after. Twice, the Senate had rejected Magu and the refusal of the executive to implement the lawmakers’ resolution has brought about a logjam in confirmation of President Buhari’s nominees. Records have it that confirmation of about 50 nominees are pending in Senate as a result of this quagmire.  The lawmakers have embargoed confirmation hearings.

It was under the watch of Enang that the sacked Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, ran into trouble. Lawal’s crisis with the Senate started when he said the executive won’t fund the constituency projects of the lawmakers for 2016. It was after the constituency projects brouhaha was laid to rest that the grass cutting contract scandal reared it face, this led to the sacking of Babachir.

The fire ignited by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, Isah Hamma Misau (APC Bauchi) against the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris has not been quenched, just as the Attorney General of the Federation(AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is being probed at the Senate over his role in the circumstances surrounding the return and promotion of the former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.

While the Comptroller General of Customs, Hammed Ali’s uniform controversy has died down, a new controversy is brewing involving heads of MDAs. Only on Wednesday, the Senate raised alarm over the lackadaisical attitudes of top government functionaries towards invitation on 2018 budget.

Spokesperson of the Senate, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger) told newsmen on Wednesday that the Senate was disturbed by a new trend where heads or chief executives of critical institutions who should play a critical role in the budget process choose to ignore the invitation by the Senate to appear before it for deliberation

“Specifically yesterday (Tuesday) when we had a deliberation, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning was around. But based on the discussion we were supposed to have; to look at the revenue projections which are the basis for the MTEF, I want to report here that the GMD of NNPC refused to show up. Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria refused to show up.
The Comptroller General of Customs refused to show up. The Director General of the National Bureau of Statistics refused to show up. And the Director of DPR refused to show up,” he said.

A source at the National Assembly said though Enang has witnessed many crises under his watch he has maneuvered well except for the missing budget issue.

“He has done creditably well when compared to his immediate predecessors, Ajadi and Emodi in terms of crisis management. Look at the way he survived the missing budget scandal. We all know he received the heat on behalf of his boss, that is very good of him,” the source said.

But another source said predecessors of Enang resisted sectionalism, ethnicity, sycophancy, mediocrity and mischief, lamenting that the reverse is now the case.

Accordingly, the source said the attitudes of Enang were among the factors responsible for the suspicion and bad blood between the Senate and executive. The source alleged that Enang had on many occasions misguided appointees during investigative hearings, thus setting both arms against each other.

“What do you make of a situation where an aide to the President displays I know it all mentality. This happened during the appearance of the IGP before the Senate over Misau’s allegations against him. Rather than calming nerves, he said they would use multi door options to settle the matter. What does he mean?

“A similar lack of respect for the institution was displayed on November 7 when the president presented the budget to the joint session of the National Assembly. The two aides of the president abused protocol and tradition by hijacking the responsibility of the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA). Protocol wise, it is the responsibility of the CNA to assist the president in laying the budget document, but the aides took this over. What an eye service! “ the source said.

The source called on the president to call Enang and his House of Representatives counterpart, Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, to order to restore respect, order and responsibility, adding “after all it is the CNA that signs and transmits not just the budget but all bills to the president for assent.”

 

My biggest challenges – Enang 

In an interview, Enang said the case of missing budget and Magu’s controversy were his biggest challenges.

He said all the crises involving the Senate and the executive have to do with the appointees of the President and not the president as a person.

“I’m sure you can notice that whichever hard word that comes from the senators on the floor, is either against a minister, a Director General or an officer of government and not Mr. President as a person. This has been noticed by all Nigerians and me. It shows that very rarely does the Senate have very serious issue against Mr. President personally,” he said.

The presidential aide said he has maintained the principle that he brought into the system, which is dialogue, lobby and show of understanding with the Senate, without confrontation.

“The greatest of my challenge was the question of the missing budget, the Magu question, then the question relating to confirmation of appointments because the legislature has placed embargo on it. In all these, I thank God because we adopted extreme diplomacy when knowledge failed, we resorted to AK-47, by asking God to intervene,” he said.

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Gibson Mhaka


IF Hollywood directors were to come to Zimbabwe to pick comic stories to make movies, they would definitely make a perfect movie out of the following tale of some married women from Makore Village in Gutu who reportedly staged a demonstration against kachasu brewing in the area, claiming the illicit brew was behind the dwindling bedroom performance of their husbands.

The story was reportedly a bombshell as sex-starved women allegedly besieged the homestead of a man only indentified as Fambi and who was well known in the area for brewing the illicit and dangerous brew also known as tototo.

They were reportedly saying their husbands were failing to perform their conjugal roles because of the illicit brew he was selling to them.

So bad was the situation that the protesting women claimed only a handful of newly married women got knocked up by their husbands.

In the ensuing melee, they were also baying for the kachasu brew master (Fambi)’s blood.

Although, Chief Makore whose jurisdiction the area falls under, could not be reached for comment a source from the area who spoke to B-Metro and claimed to have intimate details of the incident said excessive drinking of the illicit brew, was causing men to become “useless” in bed and that subsequently courted the anger of their wives.

The source said the women were also complaining that the high levels of tototo consumption was not only worsening bedroom performances but was also causing men to abandon their families.

“Fambi had to run for his dear life after a group of women stormed his homestead claiming their husbands were sexually starving them because of kachasu which he was selling to them. They blamed him for the dwindling bedroom performance of their husbands.

“Fambi has been earning a living by manufacturing the illicit brew which he would sell to villagers for between $1 and $2,” said the source who preferred not to be named.

The source further said the enraged women later approached Chief Makore begging him to take action against Fambi for brewing the illegal liquor which they blamed for the dismal performance of their men between the sheets.

Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe kachasu or tototo is prohibited and it is criminalised by the Harmful Liquids Act as it is dangerous to both humans and animals.

Police are also on record warning people to desist from brewing and drinking kachasu whose ingredients sometimes include ammonium nitrate (fertiliser) and sugar as well as other unspecified additives.

Stories of demonstrations by women after husbands failed to rise to the occasion in their bedroom responsibilities have been reported online in the past two years in Kenya‘s Limuru area, Kiambu County and South Africa.

The women said the trend was worsened by high levels of alcohol consumption which saw many men abandon their families.

In South Africa, women in Kwazulu Natal, Dumazulu ward were last year reported to have said their drunkard husbands were unable to make them pregnant and they may look elsewhere for sober and potent bed mates.

They said according to online reports, their men had abandoned their homes because of drinking too much alcohol.

The women spoke during a protest in KwaZulu Natal where they said younger women were the worst affected as younger men were “unproductive”.

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A mild drama played out last week as a female Acting Director (name withheld) in the Public Affairs Department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), collapsed and fainted over her failure to scale through a screening for promotion of Acting Directors to substantive Directors.

The promotion screening held in various Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) of the FCTA.

Our source inside the FCTA informed that the embattled Acting Director (now stepped down to Deputy Director) was said to have gathered friends, relations and well-wishers ahead of time in readiness for celebration of her expected elevation prior to the arrival of the promotion letter.

But in an uncanny somersault, as most of her peers got their letters, she didnt.

She however decided not to prolong the suspense of waiting and approach the Director of Human Resources to sort things out and pick up her letter in case the dispatch man made a mistake in delivery.

It was however, at that point that pandemonium struck as she was told there was no such letter for her which meant she wss not considered fit for promotion
The Ag. Director said to have reputation in antagonism and picking bones with subordinates could not believe her ears.

Suspecting a subtle intrigue by the Director, Human Resource to hoodwink her, she insisted on her promotion letter.

Suddenly, all went blank and quiet in her as stampede ensued when workers in the office saw her buckle and sprawl on the floor.

She instantly collapsed and fainted when the reality of the situation dawned on her.

This sparked panic and confusion as every staff commenced emergency intervention in the bid to revive her.

They could also not call in an ambulance to evacuate her to the staff clinic or a nearby hospital in fear that that will trigger the curiosity of the public and make it a media issue.

Their intervention however paid as the lady director later came to after about 30 minutes of faint feat during which the emergency workers had put in their improvised emergency tools to bring her back to life.

Further checks by our correspondent reveal that the obvious failure of the embattled Deputy Director to scale through the upgrade exercise to the post of substantive Director was not unconnected to what FCT authorities describe as inadequate working relationship between her and subordinates.

Since sources affirmed that the process of promotion was tidy and open, the belief is that the botched promotion of this embattled director was not in bad faith.

By John Chikezie


Justice Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court, Lagos yesterday heard how an unemployed young man, Sowunmi Gabriel Oladipo allegedly defrauded a female British National, one Stephanie Metacalfe of £150′ 000.

Oladipo, who portrayed himself as both Brian Kinsella and Gabriel Solomon, met Stephanie sometime in June 2014 on an online dating site as Brian (resident in the Brompton United Kingdom) where they chatted and later turned lovers.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Oladipo on a four-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence but he denied the allegations.

The commission alleged that Oladipo and one Adebayo (still at large) between the months of June and September 2014 with intent to defraud obtained the sums of USD $228, 661, £25, 403 and £8, 969 from Stephanie through Western Union Money Transfer Scheme and money gram on the false pretense that he was a supervisor in Shell oil company in Nigeria.

The EFCC also alleged that Oladipo obtained money from the victim on the pretence that he was working in the oil company in Nigeria and needed a loan to pay his workers.

However, according to a female operative attached to the Advanced fee fraud Section of the EFCC, Funmilayo Adedulu, who narrated the incidence to the court, said that the victim(Stephanie) lost £150’000 during the course of their relationship as lovers.

While being led in evidence by the prosecuting officer, Ayokunle Fayanju, Adedulu said that a petition with several attachments dated December 1, 2016 was received by the commission and assigned to her team.

Adedulu said that the petition was written and signed by one Daniel of the National Crimes Agency Victoria Island, Lagos; attached to the British Deputy High Commission on behalf of the UK (United Kingdom) citizen Stephanie Metacalfe.

She said, “in the petition, the citizen claimed she was into an online romance relationship with Brian. The petition stated that the attachments were the statements the UK citizen made to the UK police, including other document showing the incidence which occurred during the relationship.

“The attachment included the DHL documents which she used in sending items like wrist watch, sun glasses to Brian in Nigeria.

“Documents of the Debit transfer from her account to the Diamond bank account of Oladipo in Nigeria, the email exchanges, western Union and money gram documents which she used in sending the monies to Nigeria were also attached.

“In the statement of account of Oladipo Gabriel, it was discovered that the victim made transfers to the account between June, July and September, 2014 in five(5) installments in the tune of $225, 000.
“Further study revealed that most of the depositors of the account had foreign names,” she said.

Adedulu further told the court that the defendant was arrested at Fidelity Bank during the course of investigation and handed over to the operatives of the commission.

“The defendant was arrested by the officials of Fidelity Bank and he further volunteered a statement in respect to the petition”, Adedulu added.

Meanwhile, the tendering of the documents by Fayanju was rejected by the court on the grounds that the documents were not certified.

Justice Oshodi said that the court observed that most of the documents which the prosecution sorts to tender are public documents that are not certified true copies.

The judge consequently adjourned the matter till march 1, 2018 for the continuation of trial.

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


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A 70-year old landlady, Mrs. Victoria Kilani has been arrested and charged before a Lagos court for allegedly engaging suspected criminals who broke into her tenant’s apartment through the roof and stole his properties.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at 30 Arowojobe Street, Oshodi, Lagos where the tenant, Ugo Oluaka resided.

It was gathered that Mrs. Kilani and other suspects at large gained access into Oluaka’s apartment, used razor blade to tear bags found inside the apartment and stole N950,000 cash, vehicle documents and other valuables kept inside the apartment.

The victim claimed that he had lived in the house for over 15 years and was paying his rent without Mrs. Kilani giving him receipts.
He said there was disagreement between him and Mrs. Kilani over four months arrears before the incident happened.

On the day the incident happened, the tenant who was a driver returned from work late in the night and opened his door, only to discover that the roof and ceiling had been removed while the properties inside the apartment were scattered. He raised an alarm and their neighbours told him to ask their landlady because they saw her when she brought some people to remove the roof to his apartment.

The matter was reported to Makinde Police Division and Mrs. Kilani was arrested and taken to the police station. Police sources said she admitted that she brought a carpenter to remove the roof because the tenant was owing him four months rent.

When she was then asked to produce the carpenter for questioning to know who scattered room and stole the missing items but she declined saying she will not be able to locate the carpenter.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Mrs. Kilani was charged before Ogba Magistrates court for conspiracy, stealing and burglary.

She pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. M.O. Osinbajo granted her bail in the sum of N250,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She was remanded in prison custody pending when she will perfect her bail condition.

The matter was adjourned till 16 January, 2018.

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By James Sowole in Akure


One of the aspirants to the position of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Wednesday said there is a possibility that the South-west will produce a consensus candidate among those jostling for the position.

Adeniran, who is a former Minister of Education, stated this in Akure, the Ondo State capital, while addressing the state delegates to the National Convention of the party slated for December 9, 2017.

The aspirant said all the aspirants from the South-west are discussing.

Adeniran, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, Chief Bode George and Gbenga Daniel are contesting for the chairmanship of the party from the South-west.

“We are talking among ourselves and I believe one way or the other we will get it right, I also believe that God will step in”, he said.

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John Alechenu , Abuja



Prominent lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) , has said that it is now evident that the 2014 National Conference was tailored to suit the political interest of ex - President Goodluck Jonathan.

Agbakoba spoke while responding to questions from reporters at the unveiling of a new political group , which goes by the name “ National Intervention Movement , ” in Abuja, on Tuesday.

He was responding to a question as to how the “ new movement which seeks to galvanise Nigerians towards building a national political consensus to rescue the nation from total collapse will be different from the 2014 confab which he took active part in. ”

The legal practitioner , who was named as the leader of the NIM ’ s national steering committee, explained that his daughter had advised him against taking part in the 2014 conference but that he also had its doubts .

He said , “But I resolved that (conflict) with Pastor Tunde Bakare by rejecting the N 12. 5 m allowance.

“It is now clear that the 2014 confab was meant to serve President Jonathan’ s political interest.

“The difference between what we are doing today and what IBB did in his confab , what Abacha did in his confab what OBJ did in his own confab and what President Jonathan did in his own confab is that, they had their own political agenda .

“So , if we start from saying that Nigeria is a failing or failed state we have about 180 million people who do not take part in the political discuss .

“If we can get this political movement and get these people to make a political choice, that will be the difference. ”

Also speaking at the event , a labour activist , Isa Aremu , explained that it was sad that Nigeria had suffered the misfortune of having individuals who cared less about the people they were supposed to be serving at the helm of affairs .

He recalled that the nation ’ s first labour strike during the colonial era was not about workers ’ wages but about allowances .

According to him , it is now an irony that it will take an appeal by the President (Muhammadu Buhari ) for state governors to pay workers their salaries .

Aremu said , “ This is the right time for all compatriots to stand up for our nation and for those of us in organised labour to speak , we need to get political .

“There is a need for us to have a new set of governors who will regard constitutional provisions . ”

Earlier , the Director General of the group who is also the convener of the Political Summit Group , Mr. Olawale Okuniyi, had said the group ’ s deliberations centered on Nigeria’ s problem as a nation .

He said , “ We deliberated on reviewing the problem of Nigeria which is more political than economic . We decided it is better to find a collective solution to the problem that we should initiate a national political movement.

“We decided to set up a National Intervention Movement we are to merge with all other formations to find this solution . ”

He subsequently announced the setting up of the steering committee which has Agbakoba as leader. Other members include: Donald Duke , Prof. Pat Utomi, Dr . Kemi George , Isa Aremu , Dr . Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa, Rabiu Isaiku Rabiu and Senator Abubakar Gada.

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By Emmanuel Ani 

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A suspect, Tope Adeniyi has been declared wanted by Ekiti State police command for alleged rape of his wife’s sales girl, a 17 years old girl (name withheld), in Ijero-Ekiti.

Public Relations Officer of Ekiti State Police Command, Alberto Adeyemi confirmed this development to our correspondent in Ado-Ekiti.

According to police report, the victim after spending few years as an apprentice under wife of the suspect decided to stay and continue to assist her in the shop as a sales girl.

Wife of the suspect operates a medicine store in the community.

Tope, a father of six children took to his heel and went into hiding after learning that men of the police are after him for the alleged offence he committed.

The suspect was said to have cajoled his wife’s sales girl into his room located at Agbangudu in Ijero-Ekiti on the 20th of November 2017 with the pretence of requesting her to serve him sachet water, popularly called ‘Pure Water.

Tope who was anxiously waiting like a hungry lion ready to devour her prey Immediately grabbed the victim after serving him the water. Before she knew what was happening he had successfully entered into her.

Sources said the suspect, Tope doesn’t have any tangible work doing, he lives in an apartment very close to his wife’s shop. He was said to have gotten six children from three different women.

It was gathered that when the incident happened, the wife of the suspect currently living with him was away in Lagos. She is said to be currently heavily pregnant.

The victim who narrated her ordeal said: “It was a Monday afternoon, I was in the shop when he (Tope) called me to bring in ‘Pure Water’ to his room. He has been alone throughout the weekend. I never knew he had such plan in mind.

“After given him the sachet water I was about moving out when he (Tope) suddenly grabbed me, I tried to resist but he was more powerful than I do. He pushed me to the bed and took a pillow to cover my mouth. I tried to shout so that other tenants around could come to my aid but nobody heard my voice.”

She said the victim forcefully had his way and ended up defiling her. She observed blood stains all over her panties.

When the information got to the family of the victim, they followed her immediately to the house of the suspect but he was nowhere to be found.

Few days after the incident, the wife of the suspect came back from Lagos and was informed of the atrocity alleged to have been committed by her husband. She was initially arrested by police in Ijero-Ekiti but later released due to her current condition.

An elder brother to the victim, Mr Ropo Ojo said the victim was taken to the state government hospital in Ijero-Ekiti where she was treated.

He called on the police to ensure the arrest of the suspect and make him face prosecution for the act allegedly committed.

As at the time of filling this report, the whereabouts of the said suspect is still unknown. Men of the police are intensifying efforts to ensure his arrest.

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An officer with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ondo State was killed in a road accident in Akure over the weekend, SaharaReporters has learned.

Sehinde Abolusoro was crushed to death after a speeding driver lost control of his vehicle.

The 36-year-old officer was killed on the busy Ilesa-Akure Express Road while on duty performing his lawful job.

SaharaReporters gathered that the road safety officer was crushed to death after checking and passing some vehicles.

Our correspondent exclusively gathered that the deceased was the Deputy Route Commander (DRC) in the Ondo Sector Command.

A witness who confirmed this on Sunday said the FRSC officer was crushed by the roadside and later lost his breath.

"The driver, in full speed, was trying to avoid a big truck and in the process veered off his lane. In that same process, he hit the officer that was standing almost by the roadside to control other incoming vehicles," the witness said.

Dare Abolosoro, one of the brothers of the late FRSC officer, also confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the phone.

"This is a calamity and the deceased left behind children who are still very much younger and need a caring hand.

"It was a sad incident but we just have to take solace in God because He knows more than us at this trying time," Mr. Abolosoro said.

He disclosed that the families of the late officer had been thrown into mourning with friends and colleagues paying visits to show their respect.

Contacts made to the official telephone line of the Ondo State Sector Command of the Federal Roads Safety Corps were not connecting on Sunday night.

However, a junior officer in the command confirmed the incident but said he was yet to get the details about the story.

"It was true that a driver killed one of our officers, but I won't have the details until I resume for work tomorrow [Monday]," he said.

Our correspondent learned that the driver has been arrested by the police in the state over the sad incident.

The driver, identified as Sola Olagunju, is currently being detained by the men of the Ondo State Police Command.

Femi Joseph, spokesman of the Ondo State Police Command confirmed the incident on Sunday night.

Mr. Joseph said the police have begun an investigation on the case with a view to arraign the driver in court.

He disclosed that the remains of the late FRSC officer have been deposited at the hospital's morgue.

By Emmanuel Onani


The Department of State Services (DSS’) refusal to cooperate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged corruption is hinged on an Instrument proclaimed in 1999. The instrument, which was signed on May 23, 1999 by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), insulated the DSS from explaining to any agency how it spent funds allocated to it. Specifically, the Instrument said the accounts of the Security Service shall not be subject to external audit or scrutiny.

Rather, the Instrument made the Director General (DG) of the Secret Service responsible only to the President, as far as spending of funds from security vote and other sources is concerned. It will be recalled that the EFCC had, last Tuesday, attempted to arrest a former DG of the Service, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, at his No.46 Mamman Nasir Street, Asokoro, Abuja residence. Ekpenyong was the head of the secret service between 2010 and 2015.

The anti-graft agency’s move was, however, frustrated by armed personnel of the Secret Police, who had refused to grant the anti-graft agency’s team access into the property. In a reaction to the development 24 hours after, Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, had vowed to effect the arrests of Ekpenyong, and sacked DG of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayodele Oke, who is being investigated over the discovery of N13 billion at an Ikoyi apartment. However, New Telegraph gathered from a highly-placed security source, that the DSS may not allow its former DG to be arrested for any form of interrogation regarding expenditure.

The source, who spoke in confidence, said the security organisation derived its resistant strength from the aforementioned instrument, a copy of which was obtained by New Telegraph. The document, which is also referred to as ‘Instrument No. SSS1, specifically stated that the Service’s accounts shall not be open to external audit. According to the Instrument, “The Director- General is responsible to the President, Commander- in-Chief of the Armed Forces for the proper expenditure and of all funds made available to the Service from the security vote (and) any other source.

“The accounts of the State Security Service shall not be subject to external audit, but the Director-General shall, by the first week of March each year, render to the President, Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces, returns of expenditure, and copy the National Security Adviser.

“If any existing Service Regulation is inconsistent with the provisions of this Instrument, the provisions of this Instrument shall prevail, and that Regulation shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.” In the face of the interagency squabble, a former State Director of the DSS, Mr. Mike Ejiofor, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to weigh-in, with a view to restoring the needed synergy among agencies of government.

It was the security expert’s considered view that the President’s intervention will restore sanity, and re-establish the needed synergy among agencies of government. According to him, “With that Instrument, no agency or person is authorised to look into the spending of the State Security Service.

“Unless that law is repealed by the National Assembly, there is nothing anybody can do about it. You cannot put something on nothing. “The President must step in to restore sanity, because it is not good for inter-agency cooperation.”

Efforts to get reaction from the EFCC did not yield expected result, as its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, simply asked: “Have you seen the Instrument?” When this newspaper answered in the affirmative, Uwujaren requested: “I haven’t seen it. You can mail a copy to me.”

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CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


A Police Inspector attached to Olosun Division, Benson Ohiole was battered and suffered a fracture on his head after he attempted to arrest a suspect who vented his anger on him in Lagos.

He was brutally attacked his head broken in the process and was rushed to the hospital as the result of the assault.

The incident happened at Mushin area of Lagos where Ohiole went to arrest Omotolani and he resisted the arrest.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the victim attempted to arrest the suspect for an undisclosed criminal offence but the suspect maintained his innocence and refused to follow the officer to the police station.

However, trouble started when Ohiole attempted to enforce his arrest as an officer, Omotolani then attacked him, reportedly used an object to break his head and escaped.

The victim bled profusely and was taken to a hospital where he was treated and Omotolani was later arrested and detained at the police station.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the suspect insisted that he did not commit any offence when the victim wanted to arrest him to extort money from him which he resisted.

He denied that he attacked him but could not explain how Ohiole sustained serious injury on his head.

The suspect was charged before Ogba Magistrates court for assault.

He pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate, Mr. M.K.O Fadeyi granted him 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 6 December, 2017.

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Babatunde Fashola, minister of power, works and housing, says the federal government has concluded the plan to reintroduce toll gates on various highways across the country.

He said this on Thursday while speaking at an interactive session with the senate committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

Fashola said they would be reintroduced in 38 points across the roads.

He added that the toll gates would be brought back after the completion of the highways.

“We have concluded plans to reintroduce tollgates across the country,” Fashola said.
“It will be managed by the private sector and it will be located in the old places.

Thirty-eight points across the country.
“We are only waiting for the completion of those roads before we introduce the toll gates.”

The minister added that road users would be able to pay for toll on the roads through their phones, and that the money realised would be used for the maintenance of the roads.

He also said the federal government does not intent to ask road users “to pay toll on a road that is not good.”

“While the construction (of gates) is going on, we are working on the design. We want to standardise the design so that people when we ask people to come and bid for the construction, we can control what they are going to construct,” he said.

“They are going to construct the materials we have prescribed. We can also control the price so that nobody is bidding with disparage prices; there will be the floor and the ceiling. Your price will vary according to how many plazas you build and not because you claim to have used ‘foreign’ materials.

“The last part we are working on is the software that drives the management, audit, and payment of toll fares.”

By Shehu Umar, Gusau 



A house wife identified as Hauwa’u has stabbed her husband in the chest and back with a broken bottle in Filin Jirgi area of Gusau metropolis of Zamfara State. 

The Public Relations Officer of the Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital in Gusau, Awwal Usman Ruwan Doruwa confirmed to our correspondent that the man, Bilyaminu Yusuf was brought to the hospital and was responding to treatment.

“I saw the patient when he was brought here and he could not talk because he was in a serious condition. His inner wears were stained with blood. His brothers told me that the couple had misunderstanding when he refused to secure a bail for her brother who was in detention at the police station and the wife became angry and stabbed him,” Doruwa said.

Another source informed Daily Trust that the couple got married about eight years ago but had been childless since then. The source said when the husband indicated interest to marry another woman she went wild and vowed to deal with him, and that the wife ran away after she committed the crime.

The spokesman of the state police command DSP Muhammad Shehu, said Hauwa’u had since been arrested and investigation had commenced.

Daily Trust reports that the Zamfara incident happened few days after the son of former PDP chairman, Bilyamin Bello Halliru was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife, Maryam Sanda, daughter of Maimuna Aliyu, a former boss of Aso Savings and Loans PLC.

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Taiwo Jimoh


Detectives attached to the Inspector- General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), have arrested four men for allegedly killing Mr. Emmanuel Uba, alias Owan, at the Festac area of Lagos State.

The suspects, Michael Fashola (32), Mufutau Tokosi (35), Abidemi Adeleye (41) and Fatai Onifade (41) alias Apashe, were arrested after a manhunt for them in Festac Town for two weeks, before they were finally arrested last week. According to the suspects, they killed Uba because he was fond of intimidating them. He was also said to be too popular in Festac Town for their liking. They allegedly decided to kill him in order to have control of the community.

The suspects were arrested based on a petition written by the victim’s family to the IGP, Ibrahim Idris, urging that he should use every lawful means to fish out the killers of their son.

The IGP was said to have transferred the case to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Abba Kyari, in charge of IRT for further investigation. One of the suspects, Fashola, said that the deceased was a friend to the four of them be-fore they parted ways after a disagreement.

Fashola further said: “We were all together at Festac before the Lagos State local government election. During the election, we had different candidates we were working for. Uba wanted us to work for his own candidate, but we refused. And just because we refused to work with him, he started sending his boys to attack my boys and I. During one of the attacks, I was shot on my chest.

We decided to kill him because of his popularity in the community; I believed then that if we didn’t kill him, it would be difficult for us to survive.” Fashola was said to have contracted the three others to kill Uba.

After killing him, they took his three phones and threw them into a nearby river in order to avoid being tracked by the police. A police source said: “It was Adeleye, who went and tricked Uba out of his house, while Fashola used his own car to block the deceased’s car.

Tokosi and Fashola rode on a motorbike to the spot where Uba was blocked. They shot him on the head and escaped.” Narrating his own story, Adeleye said the plan initially was to frighten Uba, not to kill him.

Adeleye added: “Yes, I was the person that went to his house to lure him out. I told him that he should come so that we could settle whatever differences were between his group and ours. He followed me willingly.

When we got to 7th Avenue, Festac Town, Fashola’s car blocked Uba’s car. Tokosi and Fashola came to the scene on a motorbike. They threatened him and to my shock, I heard a gunshot and we all escaped.

We were later arrested at different locations in Festac Town.” Speaking, Tokosi said: “I invited Fashola to come when the heat was becoming too much for us. He was the one who brought the Berretta Pistol and Pump Action Rifle we used for the operation.

When we got to the scene, I never knew the pistol was already cocked. Before I knew what was happening, the gun exploded and hit him on the head.” One of the police investigators countering Fashola’s story said: “Tokosi is lying!

He was the person that pulled the trigger and killed the victim. He shot him three times on the head, just to ensure that he was dead. When they are sure he was dead, they ran away from the scene.” The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Edgal Imohimi, who paraded the suspects, said they would be charged to court after completion of the investigation.

hiroz:
stupid Tottenham...

FROM ADE ALADE, ABUJA


The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami may have succeeded in convincing the Senate ad-hoc committee probing the return and reinstatement of fugitive former Chairman of Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina about the good intentions of his involvement in the saga following shocking revelations he made before the panel, which has been sitting in camera for obvious reasons.

The Senate had on October 24 mandated its committees on Establishment, Interior, Anti-corruption and Judiciary to investigate how the ex-pension boss was reinstated and promoted at the Ministry of Interior. The Senate panel is conducting its probe in camera with a promise to brief the media at the end of its investigation.

Multiple sources within the panel however told Saturday Sun that Malami has confessed that indeed Maina approached him for a meeting when he was in Abu Dhabi as part of the entourage of President Muhammadu Buhari’s official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January last year but before granting him audience, he sought security clearance from the Director General of the Department of State Security, DSS, Lawal Musa Daura who gave him the nod on the condition that the Minister must attend the meeting along with a witness.

The President was also accompanied on that trip by the National Security Adviser, NSA, Babagana Monguno; Ministers of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; Environment, Aisha Mohammed, now deputy Secretary General at the UN; State Minister Petroleum, Ibe Kachukwu and that of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola.

According to one of the Senators, “the AGF Malami was, to me, very blunt and sincere but because of the sensitive nature of the revelations he made, we could not allow him say those things raw in the full glare of camera and pressmen. For instance, he told us how Maina exposed a former President who was taking N5 billion monthly from the pension fund during their meeting in Abu Dhabi.”

A further investigation of this claim from another member of the committee revealed more information. It was learnt that at the Abu Dhabi meeting, Maina, who was bitter about the way he was treated by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, decided to spill the beans on some of the dirty deals carried over into Buhari government by officials of the previous administration.

“We were told how Maina gave information about loopholes through which a former President was collecting N5 billion monthly from the pension fund while other officials were equally busy taking away billions every month.

We were also told how at the peak of the bazaar, Maina was invited to the presidential villa and in the night when he was leaving the villa, his vehicle was sprayed with bullets with a view to kill him and block any trace of the stolen billions but he was able to survive that because he drove a bullet proof car on the fateful day. We learnt the vehicle is still within the villa premises as we speak”, the second Senator disclosed.

A third Senator who is also a member of the committee agreed with the claims of the other two when confronted with Malami’s revelations. He however said the sensitive information given by Maina to enable the then new Buhari government block leakages, was not enough ground to dress him in the garment of a saint.

“I agree on what the others told you but that doesn’t make Maina a saint because he was an active accomplice when the looting was going on, despite being appointed to block the same leakages. That he was squealing when the party was over doesn’t exonerate him.”

He said Malami told them how the Federal Government was able to make use of the information given them at the Abu Dhabi meeting to save about N1.3trillion from going into private pockets. “I think majority of the members of the committee know better now after the closed-door meeting with the Minister because many of us were shocked hearing the things he was telling us.

That is why the executive needs to carry the legislature along in some sensitive issues like this to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding”, another member of the committee told Saturday Sun in Abuja on Friday.

Malami also admitted before the panel that he wrote three letters to the Federal Civil Service Commission (FRSC) on the sacked chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team. Maina was in 2015 accused of over N2billion pension fraud and declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC enlisted the International Police (INTERPOL) to arrest him.

But he dramatically showed up in the country and was last month reinstated as acting director in the Ministry of Interior. An embarrassed President Buhari ordered Maina’s immediate sack and a probe of how he was brought back.

The EFCC stepped up its investigation. But Maina has not been seen since then, fuelling speculations he must have escaped from the country again. Maina has however consistently maintained his innocence even though he has refused to surrender himself for proper questioning and likely prosecution in the law court.

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CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


Three married men who had secretly slept with a 15-year old girl got into trouble after the victim told their wives that she had shared their husbands with them.

The incident happened at Essumie Street, White house in Okokomaiko area of Lagos where the suspects and the victim’s parents reside.

The three women were shocked over the allegation, but unknown to them serious trouble was still awaiting their husbands over the matter.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the girl’s revelation threw up serious crisis in the neighborhood as the parents of the victim alleged that victim was sexually molested because of her age and reported the matter to the police.

The three suspects, Ignatius Obasi, 43, James Emezulu, 32 and 30-year old Kelechi Nwanochie were arrested and charged before a Lagos court for defilement and remanded in prison custody.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the suspects actually slept with the victim at different times and places without any of them knowing until she revealed the secret.

It was also gathered that the suspects did not forcefully obtain sex from the victim but they enticed her with gift items.

However, police sources said what actually landed the suspects into trouble was the age of the victim.

They stated that any sexual contact with an underaged girl below 18 is regarded as statutory rape and is punishable under the law.

The police source said that the suspects were liable and may be handed long prison terms for the offence if they were found guilty as charged.

However, when they were arraigned before Ikeja Magistrates court, they pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. B.O. Osunsanmi granted them bail in the sum of N400,000 with two sureties in like sum.

They were remanded in prison custody pending when they will perfect their bail conditions.

The matter was adjourned till 25 January, 2018.

By Ajibola Olaniyi 


A 30-year-old man, Ahmed Matunma wojuekun has been arraigned in an Osogbo Chief Magistrates ‘ court for raping a minor to death at Mofoworade village, Ifetodo, in Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State.

The incident which occurred in the early hours of Friday reportedly caused friction in the sleepy community.

According to the police prosecutor, Insp. Olusegun Elisha, the suspect forcefully had canal knowledge of the minor, which resulted to her death.

He added that the incident thereafter resulted to pandemonium , which prompted the police to apprehend the suspect and charged him to court immediately.
The suspect was charged for rape and murder.

The prosecutor said the offense contravened sections 221(1), 319(1) of the criminal code cap 34 vol. 11 laws of Osun, 2003.

The Magistrate, Mrs Habibatu Bashiru, after listening to the plea of the defendant later ordered him to be kept in Ile-Ife prison custody due to the magnitude of the offense committed.

She, thereafter, adjourned the case till Jan. 22 , 2018 for mention.

By Juliana Francis


On October 21, the New Telegraph had exclusively reported and exposed new latest tricks and destinations of human traffickers.

The latest trick, which is also the new face of human traffickers is organ harvesting; while their new destinations is now the middle east, especially an Arab country called Oman.

Human traffickers these days lure unsuspecting Nigerians overseas, where they often drugged and their organs harvested. Some victims wake up to discover they had lost an organ, others are not so lucky, they die.

Since that publication, ‘Middle East EVIL: Human traffickers now trick victims, sell their organs ,’ New Telegraph office has not stopped receiving phone calls from people who wanted to know how to reach their beloved ones in Oman.

There are other callers who wanted to share their experiences, so as to alert unsuspecting Nigerians about the horrors in Oman. Most human traffickers’ victims are females.

The newest caller presently is Busayo. She is among 35 ladies that just returned from Oman on Friday; other Nigerian ladies are still out there, looking for ways to leave the nightmares that had become their lives.
According to Busayo, one really needs to be cautious and careful when planning to leave a madam or master, in order to avoid being killed.

She said: “I had to lie to my madam, Sherifat, that my child in Nigeria was sick. I told her that I needed to travel to Nigeria to check my child. Our madams are usually in possession of our visas and passports. If they don’t hand those items to you, you wouldn’t be able to travel. Once you landed in Oman, those items are forcibly collected from you.

“I cried for days to make Sherifat believe my story. I didn’t eat for three days. Normally, if you want to leave, you must not eat or your Oman boss could poison you. A Nigerian lady died on a plane to Nigeria.

When she was leaving, her madam gave her a pizza. She died in the plane before it got to Nigeria. The lives of Nigerians are not worth much to citizens of Oman. Many of our ladies are dying in Oman and many are stark raving mad.”

Another shocking revelation from Busayo is that she was tricked and trafficked by a pastor. She said that in her wildest imagination, she wouldn’t have believed that a man of God could trick and sell her. Men of God are symbols of piety and trust.

Although she doesn’t know the pastor’s full name and the name of his church, she, however, said that she could locate the church at Ikotun Egbe, Lagos State. She also said that the cleric is popularly called ‘Pastor Solomon.’

The Executive Director Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, a lawyer, who has taken Busayo under her wings and presenting trying to rehabilitate her, vowed to leave no stone unturned in hunting down Pastor Solomon with police, in order to make him pay for his crimes.

Recollecting how she came to meet Pastor Solomon, Busayo, a hairstylist, said that she had been saving for years in order to travel to Dubai.

Her heart latched onto Dubai after a friend, Kehinde, also a stylist, went to work in Dubai for a year.

Kehinde appeared successful after she returned. Busayo believed that she too could do better.

She recounted: “I asked Kehinde how the country was; she said it was a good country. No, I didn’t ask her why she came back.”

Busayo started making plans to travel; it was in that process a friend heard about her plans and linked her to Pastor Solomon.

The friend told her that the pastor was known for preparing travelling documents for people going overseas.

Busayo said: “I told the pastor that I wanted to go to Dubai to work. He asked why Dubai. He said that there were several other countries where I could work and receive a good salary.

He said he could help me to get Oman Visa. He said I would go there to work as a house help and that the salary was 350, dollars. I felt the salary was fine, so I accepted. He told me that to prepare the documents and get visa, amongst other things would
cost me N250, 000. But at the end of the day, I paid more than that.

While I paid Pastor Solomon here, I didn’t know that he had sold me to a cartel in Oman for 300,000 dollars. When I realised I had been played by Pastor Solomon, I called him from Oman, but he shouted that I shouldn’t disturb him and hung up.”

Busayo embarked on the journey to Oman in January 23, but the travelling process started in October 2016. The visa took almost three months to be readied.

Busayo said: “Pastor Solomon convinced me to go to Oman; I didn’t know it was a country that uses people, especially Nigerians as slaves. The people that bought me are like a central office or employment firm. That’s where you would land first, and from there, they would assign you to a madam or master, where you would work. Although Pastor Solomon told me that the salary would be 350, dollars, when I got there, I discovered the salary was just 150 dollars. We heard that Nigerian agents were given balance of the money.

“People of Oman are a bunch of lazy people; they can’t do anything without house helps, yet they are very wicked people. They worked us to the bones and when you complain, you are attacked and beaten mercilessly.”

She was given to a family of eight. The name of her madam is Sherifat. She described the house of her madam as a mansion, with enough rooms, but she was made to sleep outside.

“I don’t have a room, I was instructed to sleep upstairs. It’s like a balcony outside,” recalled Busayo. “Once a maid arrives, the madam would be nice to her, but after a week, she would show her true, wicked colour.

I was among 35 Nigerian ladies that returned from Oman last week. I stayed almost 10 months there. We were not allowed to see anyone. The central office, which bought and assigned us, used to beat us whenever we complained of being overworked. We go to bed late and wake early to start working nonstop.”

Busayo, who said that other Nigerian ladies were trafficked into sex slavery in Oman, described herself as lucky.

She said that she was made to wash several cars, gates to the house, clothes, cook, and water trees amongst other chores. Although she was in charge of cooking, she was often starved.

She said: “I couldn’t cook and steal some food to eat because a Close Circuit Television (CCTV) was installed to monitor everything I did. Sherifat is a very wicked woman.”

When she realised that she could no longer cope and needed to leave, Busayo came up with the ruse that her child was sick and desperately needed her. Initially, Sherifat refused to release her, but later capitulated after Busayo vowed to her that she would return.

“God knows I’m not going back. Sherifat owed me three months’ salary. I told her that I didn’t have money, that she should use part of my money with her to pay my flight ticket. She used two months salaries for that; she did all that because she believed I would return to her.”

The lady, who revealed that male bosses often forced their Nigerian servants into having sex with them, said that her boss, Sherifat’s husband, Hammed, tried such moves on her.

She threatened to attack and report him to the police. “Since then, he kept away from me. There are many Nigerian ladies trafficked into prostitution,” she said.

Busayo said that many ladies in Oman, have different horrible stories of survivals to tell. She told the story of a Nigerian lady, who wanted to leave after working with her Oman madam for a year and five months.

The woman wasn’t happy with the idea. She tried to talk the lady out of leaving, but the Nigerian servant remained adamant.

The madam then promised her to the ticketing office, to book her return flight to Nigeria. When they got there, the madam called and handed her over to the police, claiming that the lady stole her gold.

“She was locked up in prison for two months and forced to bath with salt water. After she was released, I saw her. She used to be very fair, but her skin looked terrible,” said Busayo.

She added: “Oman is not a good country; they hate and call Nigerian slaves. Some Nigerian ladies are working in different farms in Oman, milking cows from morning till night. When you hear Oman, please just run for your life.”

Akiyode was visibly troubled by Busayo’s narration. She worried that if proper rehabilitation and financial assistance were not given to the victims to begin a new life in Nigeria, many may be forced to go back to Oman.

Thus without much ado, Akiyode, urged Busayo to come to her office with other ladies that returned from Oman. While Busayo is trying to contact the victims, Akiyode started fine-tuning her plans on how to go after Pastor Solomon.