₦airaland Forum

By Dominic Adewole


Sergeant Anthony Okologbo, attached to the Nigeria Army Engineering Regiment, Onitsha, Anambra State, has been arrested by policemen from the Delta State Police Command for driving a stolen vehicle.

Okologbo, 32, with No. 03NA/53/4586, was intercepted in a stolen Rav4- Jeep with registration number EKY 297 EJ. He was driving the car, while in army uniform and had two other occupants with him.

The two occupants have been identified as Kelly Ogun, 38, of Peoples Club, Mkpor Road, Onitsha and Chiko Kiku, 25, of Ugberami community, Ughelli, Delta State.

Okologbo, who allegedly attempted to run after being arrested, allegedly struggled with men of the Dragon Patrol Team 22, stationed along Kwale/Ogwashi-Uku highway, before he was overpowered. He was said to have struggled with the policemen after they asked him for the vehicle particulars.

The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Zanna M. Ibrahim, yesterday, disclosed that upon search of the car, the vehicle particulars were found and indicated that a woman, Florence Uboh, of Ogunu road, Warri, is the owner.

Ibrahim said: “Further inquiries revealed that the vehicle was robbed at gun point from Florence two days back at Ughelli.”

As Ibrahim was briefing journalists that Okologbo is a fake soldier, Okologbo angrily warned the CP to stop disparaging him, insisting that he was a serving soldier.

He urged the CP to carry out proper investigations before concluding.

He said: “He has my Identity Card (ID), he should go and investigate it and stop calling me a fake soldier.”

The suspect did not stop at that, he told those that cared to listen that even if he should explain his role in the crime, nobody would understand.

He explained further: “I was called upon to drive the car to Onitsha. I’m not a robber, neither am I a fake soldier. None of you here can understand why I drove the car.”

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The Nigerian Medical Association , Lagos State Chapter on Thursday said the exodus of doctors from Nigeria had reached an alarming proportion and called for improved health sector funding to discourage it .

The Chairman , Dr Olumuyiwa Odusote , said in Lagos that more than 40 , 000 of the 75, 000 registered Nigerian doctors , were practising abroad while 70 per cent in the country were thinking of picking jobs outside .

According to him , over 100 doctors resigned from the University College Hospital , Ibadan , in 2017 while about 800 doctors resigned from Lagos State hospitals in the last two years.
Odusote described the situation as worrisome .

“ The health crisis in Nigeria is unprecedented as the mass exodus hits an alarming proportion .

“ Already , it takes a new patient two to three hours to see a doctor .

“ Over 100 doctors have resigned from the University College Hospital, Ibadan , this year ; about 800 doctors resigned from Lagos State hospitals in the last two years, and over 50 in November alone .

“ Kebbi State has been unable to employ a single doctor in two years despite multiple adverts for employment ; over 200 doctors and nurses have resigned from Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital this year .

“ Seventy per cent of Nigerian doctors are making plans to leave for foreign lands and are taking exams to that effect , ” he said .

The chairman said that 236 doctors wrote primaries for West Africa College of Physicians in 2017 to gain admission into Nigerian teaching hospitals .

He said that in 2012, more than 1 , 000 doctors had written the same exams and 660 of them had written the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board Examination (PLAB ) to practise in the UK over those primaries .

“ Our healthcare system has been neglected for an extended period , evidenced by lack of funding, under- supply, inefficiency , decrepit equipment , poor quality , needless deaths and unhappy workforce .

“ Today , many of the country’ s general hospitals , with the exception of those in Lagos , are not in good condition and are breeding grounds for infectious diseases.

“ Many also do not have sufficient beds ; so , corridors are turned to sleeping wards, ” he said .

He said that there was the need for increased number of public health centres fully equipped with adequate drugs and modern facilities and manned by specialists .

Odusote said that fatigued and overworked doctors had committed errors.

“ The nation needs 303 , 333 medical doctors now and 10, 605 new doctors annually to provide good quality patient care . ’’

According to him , providing better facilities and work environment , higher remuneration, career progression, professional advancement and better quality of life would guarantee good quality healthcare.

The chairman said that allocation to health in the proposed 2018 Budget should have been more than 3 . 9 per cent .

He said that the 3 . 9 per cent allocated to the health sector was less than the WHO -recommended 15 per cent .

“ NMA will nonetheless , continue with advocacy for improved healthcare financing through universal health coverage and full implementation of the National Health Act, 2014, ” he said .

The Federal Government allocated N 340 . 45bn to health in the 2018 Budget proposal of N 8 . 612 tn .
NAN

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


It was a tale of pity for a 15-year old housemaid who was abducted, drugged by two men and kept in captivity for five days.

The incident happened at Isalawori Street in Ikeja where the house maid lived with her madam, Alhaja Ayeleru Oluwatoyin.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that apart from the abduction and drugging of the victim, the suspects Ephriam Kelechi, 29 and Marvelous Ibegbulam, 32 turned her into a sort of sex slave and were having sex with her in turns in their hideout at the Agege Area of Lagos.

According to the victim, the suspects lured her into their trap under the false pretence of getting her another job that will fetch her more money.

She agreed and followed them late in the evening to a place in Agege without informing her madam.

She narrated that when they got there, she was offered soft drinks which she drank and became unconscious.

It was gathered that while the victim got missing, her madam was arrested and was asked to produced the victim which she was unable to do.

However, a search party was arranged and eventually the victim was found at Agege market where they took her for an undisclosed mission.

The suspects were later arrested and charged before Ikeja Magistrates court for the alleged offence.

They pleaded not guilty.

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

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

The matter was adjourned till 12 December, 2017.

When P.M.EXPRESS contacted the victim’s madam, Alhaja Oluwatoyin at her office at Balogun Street in Ikeja, she confirmed the incident.

She said when the victim got missing that she went to the police and reported the matter but that only started her own trouble.

She said she was arrested, detained at the police station and was asked to produce the victim.

She said it was a traumatic experience for her and thanked God that her house maid was later found.

By Baba Negedu KADUNA

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Weeks after a school teacher, and mother of two was killed in Angwan Maigero, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna, Kaduna State, the husband, Mr. Gbenga Oloriade, yesterday, recounted how the woman could have possibly died in the hands of her assailants.

Gbenga made this disclosure, just as family members and friends gathered at church to bury his wife, Esther Taiwo Oloriade, 39, a teacher and mother of two.

Gbenga said that his wife was attacked, strangled in their home and her Peugeot 307 car, taken away by her killers. Gbenga said that on the fateful day, he left his wife at their home with his two children. When he left, his wife was preparing for the day’s work.

He said: “It was after my wife’s colleagues at a private school where she teaches didn’t see her that they called me. Before then, they had already made several attempts to get her on her mobile line. I immediately ran home. When I got to the house, the car was not on ground.

I concluded that she must have gone out. “But I later discovered that the sound of the television was louder than necessary. I became apprehensive and quickly entered the house. I saw a rope on her neck with bruises all over her face. I rushed her to the hospital where she was confirmed dead. It was the saddest moment of my life.”

Gbenga further said: “I had left the house with the children, planning to drop them off in school while she was preparing for the school.

That was how she was killed and her car taken away by yet-to-be-identified criminals.”

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Posted By: Joseph Jibueze


The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday granted an order temporarily freezing N350million allegedly traced to wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience.

The money is in an account domiciled in Stanbic IBTC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said.

Justice Hadiza Rabiu-Shagari granted EFCC’s ex-parte application filed by its lawyer Mr Rotimi Oyedepo.

The commission said the money was allegedly transferred to a company’s account while Mrs Jonathan was serving as a Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa State between 2012 and 2013.

The commission alleged that the former first lady “unlawfully enriched” herself with the money.

In a supporting affidavit to the application, an investigating officer at EFCC, Musbahu Yahaya, said the commission received “a cogent, direct and positive intelligence report” that a company, AM-PM Global Network Limited, was in possession of proceeds of the unlawful act and retained it in an account.

He said, between June 20, 2012, and November 15, 2013, the company fraudulently received N1,206,950,000 via its Diamond Bank account, numbered 0026718889.

EFCC said the money was “proceeds of unlawful enrichment derived by Mrs Dame Patience Jonathan who was then a Permanent Secretary appointed by the Bayelsa State Government.”

According to the deponent, in a bid to dissipate the funds, the company opened an account numbered 0016971559 with Stanbic IBTC.

“Out of the alleged proceed of unlawful enrichment of Mrs Dame Patience Jonathan, the respondent transferred the total sum of N350million from its account in Diamond Bank to the account sought to be attached (Stanbic IBTC) in a desperate bid to dissipate the funds.

“We have traced the said N350million to the respondent’s (AM-PM Global Network’s) account sought to be attached and the order of this court is needed to instruct the bank to attach the account to prevent the dissipation of the funds.

“The respondent is making frantic effort to dissipate these funds,” the deponent said.

EFCC said unless the application was urgently heard and determined, the company would tamper with the account.

“It will serve the course of justice to grant this application,” the commission said.
Justice Hadiza decided the application as prayed.

She granted “an order directing Manager of the Stanbic IBTC Bank to in the interim freeze the account pending the determination of the investigation and possible prosecution of this case.”

EFCC, however, did not state in the affidavit who owns the company.

Two other judges of the court, Justice Mohammed Idris and Justice Mojisola Olatoregun-Ishola, had earlier frozen Mrs Jonathan’s accounts.

Justice Idris froze her accounts with $15.5million. Mrs Jonathan is praying the court to unfreeze the accounts.

The EFCC, however, urged the court not to unfreeze them because the money was suspected to be “proceed of crime”.

Justice Olatoregun froze Mrs Jonathan’s account $5.7million. EFCC is seeking permanent forfeiture of the money.

The judge, on April 26, made an interim order forfeiting the money to the Federal Government.

Justice Olatoregun also ordered the temporary forfeiture N2,421,953,522.78 found in an Ecobank Nigeria Ltd account numbered 2022000760 in the name of La Wari Furniture and Baths Ltd.

The commission said the money also belongs to Mrs Jonathan.

Justice Olatoregun stayed proceedings pending the outcome of an appeal challenging the temporary forfeiture of the $5.7million.

Also yesterday, Justice Idris refused an application by a former Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Jonathan on Domestic Affairs Dr Waripamo-Owei Dudafa to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Dudafa, through his lawyer Mr. Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), urged the court to order the release of his international passport to enable him travel abroad to treat spinal cord injury which he claimed to have sustained while in EFCC custody.

But, Oyedepo urged the court not to grant the application on the grounds that the EFCC had written to a Lagos State government hospital to examine Dudafa’s health and to determine whether he could be treated in the country or abroad.

Justice Idris faulted Dudafa’s application, saying that a motion of such nature ought to be backed by hard evidence that the problem cannot be treated in Nigeria.

“I find it difficult to grant this application. I hereby dismissed it,” Justice Idris ruled.

Gibson Mhaka


A woman from Gwanda who busted a married churchmate in a bush act with a boyfriend nearly tragically paid for it with her own life, when she was burnt all over the body with boiling water as punishment for disturbing her.

Nokuthula Metsiabutsilo Sibanda from Mbuzimbili Line 4 Village under Chief Marupi is nursing severe burns on her neck, face, arms and breasts after she was allegedly scalded by Nokukhanya Nhliziyo.

This was after she reportedly reprimanded her that it was not proper for a married church woman to have a boyfriend.
Both Sibanda and Nhliziyo are reportedly members of the Zion Church.

Although, Sibanda and Nhliziyo could not be reached for comment, an account by a source from the area who claims to have intimate details of the incident revealed that trouble started after Sibanda, who was reportedly looking for firewood in the bush, busted Nhliziyo having a good time with her boyfriend.

Fearing that Sibanda would report her to her husband and church authorities, Nhliziyo is alleged to have quickly hatched up a plan to “fix” her when she confronted her and started accusing her of refusing to pay back her money — $1.

“Nhliziyo was angry with Sibanda because she thought she was going to report her to her husband that she had seen her with a boyfriend in the bush. In the company of her friend Viola Ncube she then went to Sibanda’s house and started shouting at her while accusing her of refusing to pay back her money.

“She said ‘I will show you how mad I am’ before she picked up the pot with the boiling water which was on the fireplace and threw the water at her,” said the source who requested anonymity.

The source said the matter was reported to the police a few days later but Sibanda decided to drop the charges at the instigation of her church members who feared that Nhliziyo might go to jail.

“Nhliziyo who tried to conceal the incident, could not bear the humiliation after word had spread around the village that she was caught with a boyfriend in the bush,” added the source.

Headman Tshelamatsi whose jurisdiction Sibanda and Nhliziyo’s village falls under confirmed the incident.

“It is true that such an incident happened although, justice has not yet taken its course on Nokukhanya because her family is still trying to negotiate with Nokuthula (Sibanda) to drop the charges,” said Headman Tshelamatsi.

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Posted By: Yusuf Alli


Following the expiration of his suspension, the Senate has recalled its former leader Mohammed Ali Ndume.

Also, some Senators have disagreed with the chamber’s counsel, Mike Ozekhome(SAN) for proceeding on appeal against the High Court judgment that declared Ndume’s suspension illegal without the resolution of members.

Ozekhome has filed a notice of appeal against Friday’s judgment of Justice Babatunde Quadri of the Federal High Court, Abuja which declared Ndume’s suspension as illegal, null and void.
According to a letter by Clerk to the Senate Nelson Ayewoh, Ndume is expected to resume in plenary tomorrow.

But barely 72 hours after the reinstatement of Ndume by the Federal High Court, Abuja, Chief Mike Ozekhome(SAN) , who is the counsel to the Senate filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal(Abuja Division).

The appellants are Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges Sen. Samuel Anyanwu.

There were indications that many Senators do not want the case against Ndume to drag to the Appellate Court.

A ranking Senator said: “So far, we have not agreed at the Executive Session to go to the Court of Appeal on this matter. We are all war wearied, we want peace now, we are tired of any row among us.

“Even the High Court refused to award cost in the spirit of engendering peace and harmony in the Senate. We will prefer to broker peace between the Senate President and Ndume.”

Another Senator from the South-East said: “I think our counsel was only acting on the basis of law but we will rather proffer political solution to the judgment of the High Court. It is not every time you go to court.”

A third Senator said: “Going to the Court of Appeal may compound the situation. Some of us have just discovered that our counsel once filed a suit in court against the Senate when Sen. Arthur Nzeribe was suspended.

We believe it is wrong of him now to be defending the suspension of a Senator. You cannot approbate and reprobate in law.

“I will advise the President of the Senate to be magnanimous and toe the path of peace and reconciliation which had been initiated by leaders from APC and Borno State.”

A Senator from North-Central said: “I think we need to test the law to its logical conclusion on the powers of the Senate to exercise disciplinary control on its members. But we have not met to decide whether or not we should go on appeal.”

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CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


A man simply known as Ferguson (surname withheld) who travelled abroad to stay with his wife, has been forced to abandon her and return home after he discovered that his wife, Chiazor was trading her private for Euros in Dublin.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Ferguson pleaded with Chiazor for him to return back to Nigeria because he could not withstand the sight of men coming to sleep with her for money.

The Abia State-born Ferguson recently returned to Nigeria, swore never to remain married to Chiazor and now wants to marry another woman to live with him in the same property that was bought with the money Chiazor sent to him while in Lagos, Nigeria.

The couple used to reside in a rented apartment at Ajao Estate, Lagos before the wife travelled to Dublin, Ireland for greener pastures, while Ferguson who was a clearing agent stayed back in Nigeria.

It was gathered that while the wife was abroad, she used to send containers, vehicles and Euros to her husband who usually remitted back some money to her and then spent the rest on properties.

However, when Ferguson’s business was no longer booming in Apapa, Lagos he informed his wife that he wanted to join her over there. It was gathered that his wife had advised him to stay back in Nigeria and she will be sending money to him to invest.

Ferguson continued to pile pressure on her until she processed his papers and facilitated his movement to join her in Dublin.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that after Ferguson had settled down, the wife then explained to him what she was doing there and told him that since he chose to come over against her advice that he had to bear whatever was happening.

It was gathered that Ferguson was turned to a house help and Chiazor never introduced him as her husband, and his work was serving the guests who visited his wife for sex regularly.

When Ferguson could no longer bear that, he pleaded with his wife to allow him go back to Nigeria. The wife initially refused and seized his international passport as she claimed she had warned him not to come over. However, she later released him after she got pressure from her own family and Ferguson eventually returned.

When P.M.EXPRESS contacted Ferguson, he confirmed that he was forced to return to Nigeria and he had planned to marry another woman because he would not want to continue with Chiazor.

A member of Chiazor’s family who got wind of the plan said that, since Ferguson claimed that he was no longer interested in marrying Chiazor, that they will return the dowry he paid on her. He however said that Ferguson should be prepared to hand over all the properties he had bought from the money and stuff Chiazor had been sending to him.

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By Olatunji Omirin (Maiduguri) & Ronald Mutum (Abuja)


[quote]A Nigerian Army Staff Sergeant, Silas Ninyo, has shot dead one Captain T. Mani over a lady said to be his girlfriend, after he sighted her with a civilian and threatened to kill him.

According to the residents, the incident occurred at Chibok town where the late Sergeant Silas saw Esther (his girlfriend) with the civilian and the residents alerted Captain T. Mani who moved to the scene to disarm the late sergeant.

The angry sergeant warned Captain Mani not to move close to him but the captain advanced towards him and he shot the captain in his chest and then killed himself.

A witness, Musa Ali, said the soldier did not kill any civilian apart from the captain and himself.

Another witness said the lady (Esther) fled after she learnt both the captain and sergeant were dead.

Meanwhile, the Headquarters of 26 Brigade Nigerian Army has instituted a Board of Inquiry (BOI) to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident. 

A statement signed by Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman of the Director Army Public Relations, however indicated that the sergeant was drunk and rejected the effort of the superior colleague to pacify him.

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Oyetunji Abioye


The Central Bank of Nigeria has written a letter to the Deposit Money Banks in the country, asking them to submit list of customers and bank accounts without bank verification number.

The letter came after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the CBN and 19 banks to freeze accounts without the BVN and got an interim order seeking the forfeiture of deposits in the accounts without the BVN , among others.

A good number of the DMBs , if not all, have complied with the directive from the CBN, according to top bank officials , who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the matter.

Shortly after the November 3 deadline given by the court , commercial banks had started the compilation of bank accounts without the BVN .

However , the DMBs are also lobbying the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to back down on the plan by the Federal Government to seize monies in the bank accounts of customers without the BVN .

A Federal High Court in Abuja had on October 17 ordered the forfeiture of all monies in bank accounts owned by corporate organisations , government agencies and individuals without the BVN.

The forfeiture order, which was issued by Justice Dimgba Igwe , while ruling on an ex parte application filed by the Federal Government through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, is not final yet .

The owners of the accounts had 14 days to claim ownership of same and show cause why the amounts in them should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government .

The court also ordered the banks to advertise the accounts without the BVN in a widely circulated national newspaper as notice to those who might have any interest in them .

Justice Dimgba adjourned until November 16 for the hearing of the substantive application seeking the forfeiture of the sums in the accounts without the BVN.

However , the 19 DMBs named in suit have engaged the services of a top law firm to address the matter, according to top banking industry sources.

Already , the law firm has approached the court for an extension of time to appeal the court order .

Top bank executives privy to the development had told our correspondent last week that all the affected lenders were ready to appeal the court order and had instructed the law firm to file for an extension of time to do so .

“ All the banks are ready to appeal the court order . We have engaged the services of a law firm to begin that process . The legal firm is expected to have filed the papers for an extension of time at the court . This will help us prepare for the proposed appeal, ” a top executive of a tier - 1 bank told our correspondent under the condition of anonymity last Monday .

The court gave the order on October 17 following an application that was filed on September 28.

Justice Dimgba also ordered the banks to file an affidavit of disclosure before the court , showing the names of the affected accounts, the account numbers , outstanding balances , domiciliary accounts and the bank branches where the accounts were domiciled.

Banks did not official provide details of their plan on the BVN matter.

Some , however , told our correspondent they had complied with all regulatory requirements on the BVN matter.

Spokesperson for First Bank of Nigeria Limited , Mr. Babatunde Lasaki , said , “ The bank will do what needs to be done on the BVN matter and we will comply with all regulatory requirements on the matter. ”

The Head , Corporate Communications, Skye Bank Plc , Mr. Rasheed Bolawinwa , said , “ As a regulatory-compliant bank , Skye Bank has complied with the expectations of the regulator concerning the issue of the BVN . ”

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From LINUS OOTA, Lafia

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Mrs. Franca Joko, 43, hails from Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state. A 2005 HND holder in Business Management from the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, she met her husband, Emmanuel Joko, 46, and a 2005 HND holder in Accounting.

Mr. Joko, from Toto Local Government area of the state, and Franca, got married in December 2005, some months after graduation. Together, they joined the marketing department of the local branch of United Bank for Africa (UBA) but left after three years to set up and run their own business.


Resigning and raising the business capital

But today, after almost 13 years of marriage blessed with one child, a girl, the union had virtually hit the rock. In a tearful voice, Franca told.

Saturday Sun what happened. After resigning from UBA, she said: “we put together our resources and I started the business of selling and supplying high quality wrappers to politicians, business executive officers, bankers, businessmen and women and civil servants. Through this connection, I started traveling to Dubai to buy expensive and high quality materials.

“I advised my husband who is not working to use proceeds from the business to buy a plot of land in Lafia and build a house. He bought into the idea and we were able to get a piece of land at the cost of N1m. From that moment, I started sending money into his account to start the building while I devoted myself to the business.


Marriage and the coming of housemaid

“I got married to Emma because I was under pressure from my parents and friends who had gotten married early and when I met him in school, he seemed to me as a gentle and good man, meek, intelligent and caring. I was intrigued by his ingenuity. If we had dated long I would have discovered some of the characters he is exhibiting now.”

She told Saturday Sun that it was when they got married that she discovered that her husband had a tendency to be promiscuous. He can sleep with anything in skirt, no matter how ugly and unappealing, she alleged. But by the time she did, she was already eight-month pregnant for him. She was later delivered of a baby girl in February 2007.

She said while she endured life with Emma, providence smiled on her as the business began to flourish. It was in the course of this that she discovered she needed a house help to take care of her child and home while away. She contacted her mother on this and she provided her with one of her (mother’s) younger sister’s daughters who is now about 18 years old.

Faith by name, Franca said she completed her secondary education with them in Ado, Karu Local Government area of Nasarawa State where they reside.


Sowing the ‘seed’ of discord

“I’m not always around due to the nature of my business,” she confessed, “but I do send money into his account for the building of our house in Lafia. But when in July 2017 schools were on holiday, he suggested that their daughter, Joy, who is 10 years old should travel with him alongside Faith to Lafia as a way of changing environment, while he is busy supervising the ongoing work on the house (a four-bedroom flat and three-room boys quarters).”

According to her, that was when the devil that was after their marriage chose to strike. “It never occurred to me that he would descend so low as to lure Faith into having sex with him. But that was exactly what happened and between July and early September 2017 when they were in Lafia and I was in Dubai for a business trip, he turned this girl into his wife by having sex with her at will.

Eventually, she became pregnant. When I returned and Faith narrated to me what happened in Lafia and Emma got to know about it, that became the beginning of the end to our happiness.”


Things fall apart

Right from that moment, life has never been the same in the family, Franca said. “Any small thing I did, this man would beat me blue and black,” she alleged. “He became so aggressive and threatened to stop the business I was doing, saying that it is the money I am getting from it that is making me to look down on him. He made a lot of attempts to stop the business but I strongly resisted him. Even when Faith told me she is pregnant for him, I asked him politely in the night to tell me what happened.

“Unknown to me, more troubles lay ahead for me. It is a miracle that I’m alive today. During the last trip I made to Dubai, I paid about N4 million into his account to furnish the house and fence it round. When I asked him about the Faith matter, he started beating me, hitting my head against the wall and punching my breast just because I asked a simple question.

He would say that at the rate the money is coming in he suspects that I’m into prostitution and that it is getting into my head. He said that he needed to stop me. On September 15, 2017, when I went to Port Harcourt on a business trip, he picked Faith and dropped his daughter with a neighbour on the day I told him I was coming back.”

Right now, they are living as husband and wife, Franca reported. “When I called him on phone, he told me to go about my business of prostitution as he has settled down with Faith who is pregnant for him.

Since then he has never picked my calls up till now,” she lamented before adding that she has reported the matter to her parents and Emma’s. “Both of them asked me to be calm and never call him any more.

While confessing that such attitude is strange to them, they advised that we should all be patient to see what he wants to do. I have accepted it and I am waiting to see what he intends doing with my younger sister who is pregnant for him. My regret is that they are enjoying themselves with my hard-earned money.”


Husband speaks on why things are no longer at ease

Initial attempts to meet with Emma and hear his own side of the story proved abortive as he kept making and changing appointments till Friday November 3 when our correspondent met him and his new ‘wife’ at Lavista. One of the best eateries in Lafia, located around Nasarawa State Polytechnic.

Though he vehemently refused to have his photo taken, he confirmed that Franca was his legitimate wife, and that they met at the Federal Polytechnic as students and that he was instrumental to their brief stay in UBA as staff in the marketing department
“We raised together the capital of that business she is doing,” he said.

“I have two cars in Abuja which I gave out as taxi and I get returns on them weekly. Yes, she gave me money to buy a plot of land and developed it from the proceeds she generated from the business. Though the land was bought in my name, I’m not claiming it solely because we have a daughter. The property is intact for her if she wants it.”

Asked about his sexual affair with Faith, he said, “Yes, this girl became pregnant courtesy of me but it was a mistake. But before I knew it, she had told all her friends and neighbours about it and I was mad. We couldn’t manage the information because it was already in the public domain. As a result of it, the two of us became subject of discussion and I got angry and decided that the worst should happen.”

Still talking about Faith, he announced that “she is in good and safe hands and I will own up to the responsibility of this pregnancy until she delivers. After all, she (meaning Franca) had just a baby girl for me. So if she is not ready, she can go.

She kept traveling from one place to another; we hardly had time to have sex and as a human being, that led me into taking that decision. I know it is bad but she didn’t allow us to manage it internally and the manner she went about it made it difficult for us to think about abortion.

Her property is intact for her. I have not taken it and will not take it. I’m waiting to hear from her parents. I won’t go there until Faith delivers in April next year.” Speaking briefly, Faith said: “I go by what he said.”

Afeez Hanafi


The imam of a mosque on Nuru Oniwo Street, Aguda , Surulere , Lagos State, Yahaya Quadri , has remained missing three weeks after he left home .

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim had left home to pray at a house - warming in Owode Onirin, Ikorodu , at about 8 am on Monday , October 16, 2017 .

He was said to have been invited to the event by a friend , who told him not to come along with anybody .

Our correspondent gathered that the family of the 40 - year -old Islamic cleric became apprehensive around 4 pm on that day when he did not return home .

When one of his lines was contacted , he reportedly spoke in distress for a few seconds before the call was terminated . The lines were said to have been unreachable afterwards.

His mother , Afusat Quadri , said the unknown friend had contacted Yahaya on the telephone on Sunday when he was leading a group of women in a prayer at Oluwakemi Mosque in Aguda.

She said he was supposed to leave for Owode Onirin after the prayer ended around 4 pm , but the friend told him the event had been postponed to the following day.

She said , “ He announced at the prayer on Sunday that he was invited to pray in a house -warming in Owode Onirin. On Monday morning , while his children , who live with me , were preparing for school, he came in and asked them to give him a small bag .

“ I asked him what the bag was meant for and he said he was going for the house - warming prayer and wanted to keep his Quran there. I asked why would such an event hold on Monday and he said that was how the organiser wanted it .

“ I told him to go with one of his brothers . He said the friend that invited him had told him to come alone.

“ Around 4 pm , when his children returned from school , I sent them to him to collect money for their lunch . They said he had not come back . I was surprised because he told me he would not stay long at the event .

“ I called his line and he picked it . I asked if he was in his apartment in Ijesha , Surulere ; he exclaimed , saying , ‘ I have not come o !” There was much noise where he was . I wanted to ask him what happened , but the line disengaged.

“ We have not been able to reach him since then. He didn’ t tell us the name of the friend and we don’ t know any of his friends in Owode Onirin . ”

Yahaya’ s fiancée , Karimat Kasali, said she was also amazed that the house -warming was scheduled for a Monday , adding that she advised him to go with one of his brothers , but he refused .

She said , “ He told me he was going to Owode Onirin on Monday morning while I was preparing for the office . Around 8 . 30am, I called him and he said he was at Palmgroove waiting to board a bus en route to Ikorodu.

At about 9 am, he said he was already at the event and he promised to call me back after the prayer. Around 12pm , I called his line, but it was not reachable . ”

Yahaya’ s younger brother, Muritala Quadri , said the case was reported at the Special Anti - Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja , Owode Onirin and Ijesha police divisions and at the Anti - Kidnapping and Anti -Cultism Unit in Surulere .

“ The SARS men said they had tracked his line, but could not locate him . A policeman directed us to the Anti -Kidnapping and Anti - Cultism Unit , which is presently handling the case .

Since his lines are switched off , it is likely he was abducted, ” he added .

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer , ASP Olarinde Famous - Cole , promised to get back to our correspondent with comments on the case .

TUSSLE OVER PROPERTY: BATTERED WIFE SUES FORMER SUPER EAGLES’ PLAYER, GODWIN OKPARA

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Former Nigerian central defender, Godwin Okpara is in the news again. This time, he has been dragged to court by his wife Lynda Oladoyinbo Okpara over ownership of property, which she said was acquired when the going was good with the family.

Campbell said the husband is currently denying her of the privilege of getting her share of properties and has dragged him before an Ikeja Magistrate Court court seeking justice for herself and her three living children.


www.starconnectmedia.com that she separated with the husband when she caught him sleeping with (Tina Okpara) the girl she adopted but whose real names are Awawu Simoni. “Her father worked with one of my uncles. When they fired him, I adopted her daughter and that was also when her mother died. There was nobody taking care of her and she had developed kwashiorkor and I decided to take her in.

“I finally caught Tina with my husband on my bed, my husband held me and she was able to run outside the house. I am okay with him dating girls outside, but not inside my matrimonial home. It was when I was arrested that I opened up. So I know that the girl had hepatitis B, because I did test before adopting the girl”, she told our reporter.

She got married to Godwin Okpara in December 31, 1992 and had four children together, Stephanie, 25, Shawn 22(now late), Sharon 18 and Sidney 17, all based in France.

Godwin Okpara had a good time playing then for the Super Eagles and the club side, PSG in France but issue of persistent wife battery and child trafficking soon led him out of football into jail.
He is now back home in Nigeria but he is allegedly withholding share of the property from his wife.

She also said the children; three of them in France have been abandoned by Godwin Opara. She practically wept reading the test of her children just asking her to send stipend to feed.

Besides, she said she was humiliated by her husband who hired thugs to assault her and even stripped her naked in her compound before onlookers. For this, she said it will be difficult for her to forgive Godwin Okpara whom she loves so much.

By Saawua Terzungwe,


The PDP, yesterday, alleged that the ruling APC has concluded plans to incarcerate 50 of its key members ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The party, however, said it would not crumble but remain irrepressible.

Many PDP chieftains are facing trial for various corruption allegations.

The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, called on all well-meaning Nigerians to “challenge the government’s attempt to turn Nigeria into a Gestapo state.”

The PDP said President Muhammadu Buhari was not fighting corruption but using PDP members as scapegoats.

The Police in Enugu State have arrested five persons over alleged planting of fetish materials, popularly known as `Juju’, in a parcel of land, leading to the death of one Thomas Ezeugwu.

The Command’s spokesman, SP Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu that the mysterious death happened in Nkpologwu town in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area.

Amaraizu said that the deceased was said to have slumped and died on Oct. 6 in the morning.

“Following his death, the deceased corpse was brought to his home town Nkpologwu in Uzouwani Local Government Area for burial formalities.

“As if the spirit of the deceased was hunting his alleged killers, it was gathered that as the mourning was going on, one Okolo Nicholas, Peter Ezugwu and Augustine Ezeugwu all from the same town but resident in Onitsha, Anambra, started confessing.

“The three persons, who came for burial ceremony of the deceased, allegedly called the villagers and told them how they conspired and brought Juju from Omor Town of Anambra which was invoked into their disputed land.

“They said that they took the action since the deceased sold 20 plots of the communal land without their consent,’’ he said.

Amaraizu said that on the strength of their confessions, the police swung into action to “investigate the invocation of Juju and trial by ordeal to wit-murder against the suspects, Peter Ezeugwu, Nicholas Oko and Augustine Ezeugwu”.

“The three suspects during further investigations revealed how they conspired and went to Omor Town and invoked Juju on the said land, on the ground that whoever enters the land will die.

“They submitted that the deceased may have entered the land, hence his sudden death.

“Following their official revelations, the two native doctors involved in the invocation of the juju and trial by ordeal, who gave their names as Obu Madubuike and Okafor Okoye, all from Omor town, were arrested.

“The native doctors confirmed that they were met by the three suspects for invocation of juju and that it was targeted at whoever that would enter the said land,’’ he said.

Amaraizu said that the command had commenced investigation into the matter to get to the root of the whole issue.

Posted By: Precious Igbonwelundu


A woman identified as Rachel yesterday told detectives how her nephews allegedly repeatedly raped her underage daughters.

Rachel said she and her 13 and eight-year-old daughters sought refuge at her elder sister’s two-bedroomed apartment at Bariga, after their home was overtaken by a flood.

But, according to her, her nephews took advantage of them.

The suspects, Saviour Philip, 35, and Paul Philip, 17, were brought to the Gender Office of the police at Ikeja, from Bariga Division and charged to court yesterday.

Rachel said: “I was compelled to move into my elder sister’s house because my one-room apartment was taken over by flood. I used to live at the Sawmill area of Bariga.

“My sister’s sons started raping my daughters three weeks ago. They took turns to rape them and threatened to kill them if they told anyone about it.

“But I knew about it when my eldest daughter was rude to my sister’s sons.

When I asked why she said: ‘Why won’t I be rude to uncle after he had repeated sex with me? How can I stop crying?’
“I saw what I can only describe as a shadow come across my child’s face. It was devastating to witness her distress.”

According to Rachel, the eight-year-old victim was her twin sister’s daughter. She said her twin confronted the boys when she learnt of the abominable act but was beaten up.

She said: “When my twin sister got to the shop, Paul’s mother and two of her relatives pounced on her, inflicting injury on her. My 13-year-old daughter was taken to Mirabel Centre for treatment where it was established that there was penetration.

“But I got the shock of life there when my eight year old niece opened up that Saviour also ‘fingered’ her.”

One of the victims said the 35-year-old suspect usually had anal penetration and the younger one “entered through the front.

“They threatened to kill me if I told anyone about it. Saviour brought out some charms and said he would use them on me,” the minor said.

According to the older victim, Paul was the first to defile her, adding that she was arranging clothes in the room when he grabbed her from behind and put her back on the floor.

She said: “Paul started it. One day while arranging my siblings’ clothes, after my mother had gone to the shop, he came from behind, lifted me and landed me on the floor. He covered my mouth when I wanted to shout. When he was done he threatened that if I told my mother or anyone, he would kill me.

When he finished with me, he would use his fingers on my younger sister. He usually did it in the afternoon when most tenants were away.

“Saviour penetrated through my anus. He also told me not to tell anyone and that if I told my mother, he would drive us out of the house.

“I refused to tell anyone because I was scared of death. One day, when I could not bear the pains from my private part, I told Paul I would tell my mother. He said my mother would not do anything even if I told her.

“Two Sunday ago, my mother overheard me insulting Paul. She picked up a stick and hit me with it and at the same time reminded me that Paul was not just a relative but my senior.

“I didn’t know where the boldness came from but I said ‘mummy you want to know why I am insulting him? It is because he has raped me several times.’ At that point my mother descended on Paul and demanded to know the truth.”

By Saawua Terzungwe



A former Special Assistant to an ex-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Local Government and State Affairs, Dr. Umar Ardo, has said former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, will work against the PDP if Atiku is fielded as the party’s presidential candidate in 2019.

Ardo, who was also appointed as Special Assistant on Research and Strategy to then President, Obasanjo, in 2003, said Atiku, a chieftain of the ruling APC, was preparing grounds for his return to the PDP.

But Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe said it was “ludicrous to accuse a man who is not a member of a party of plotting to hijack its structure. “Whoever is making this allegation has to look elsewhere for their failings,” he said.

Addressing newsmen yesterday in Abuja, Ardo, an ex-governorship aspirant in Adamawa State, said the return of his former principal to secure the PDP presidential ticket would spark-off fresh crisis and spell doom for the party.

In a petition dated November 5, 2017, and addressed to the Chairman, Adamawa State PDP State Congress Appeal Panel, Ardo called for cancellation of the congresses held last week in the state.

“We learnt that Atiku is coming back to the party with an ambition; an ambition to contest for the presidency. Now, his return will be a source of conflict because there are others in the party (PDP) who are also interested and are nursing this ambition.

“Secondly, the deep pocket that Atiku has will not just serve that ambition but it will deepen the conflict. The third disadvantage is that those foot soldiers will also serve for the ambition and in the process deepen the conflict.

“Along with the friends that Atiku will be coming with to the party is also those that will bring up enemies. For instance, it is an open secret and everybody knows it that Obasanjo will fight him.

“I think I will conclude that PDP will be better off without Atiku coming back,” he said.

By Rumbidzai Chingoveza,


A CHEATING Mbare woman’s sex chats have been exposed with indications that she pimps several women for clients.

Mildred Tsvanhi’s, 37, chats were exposed by her sister-in-law when she left her phone while going to seek medical attention.

Mildred is married to Andrew Mhumhi, 42, and she left the phone in the hands of her sister-in-law Prudent Mhumhi as she visited the clinic.

Chats with several men and her nude pictures sent to the several men were exposed as Prudent went through her phone.

She also acted as a facilitator for dating between several other men and women.

Mildred said she was single and she could not categorically cheat on her ex-husband.

“I’m no longer with Andrew. How can I cheat on my ex-husband? We separated in June this year,” she said.

Andrew and his sister, however, had a different tale saying the two were married but Mildred had moved out of the house.

“She is my wife and I customarily married her in 2002 at her home area in Chiweshe and I do not have any pending arrears with my in-laws.

“I cannot even explain why my wife chose to move out from the family house we used to stay from the day we got married.

“In the chats I found out that she was dating Raymond Manjoro manager at Mwamuka Service Station where I’m also employed as a general hand.

“Uyu ndiye munhu anyanyondirwadza pavanhu vese handidi kunyepa. I’m always with him every day at work, we eat and have beers together but I never knew kuti aiseva pandosevawo.

“He was in a habit of buying expensive food and gifts for my children whenever they passed by at work, “There is Madzibaba Canaan Dzviti who owns a shrine in Epworth where my wife is always going for prayers.

“There is Admire who is based in South Africa, Judah and Brighton, these ones I don’t know them.

“She was now giving me sex once a week. Ndikazama kumubata aindikandira ruoko kwakadaro ndaishaya kuti zvorevei.

“I then proceeded to Civil Court where I was then told that my case cannot be heard in court because we do not have a registered marriage. So they urged me to go back to the village where I married her and see the chief to handle the matter,” he said.

Prudent Mhumhi sister to Andrew confirmed the mishap:
“It is true that my sister-in-law was going out with seven different men which we saw with our own eyes in her mobile phone.

“She was sending them her nude pictures but we paid lobola for her not knowing we have brought pfambi mumusha.

“Our brother used to tell us that he was being denied sex with her and we thought he lied but takazopererwa kuona mukadzi wedu achiendesa ma pictures kuvamwe varume asina kusimira.

“It also came to our attention that she is in the business of hunting men for other women in return for cash,” she said.

Raymond Manjoro could not be reached for comment as his phone went unanswered.

Below are key points from the speech of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki at the presentation of the 2018 appropriation bill on Tuesday.


1. As the country gradually recovers, it is important to reset the fundamentals that drive our economy – so we do not slide back into recession. We must reassess the relationship between oil and our economy. Oil prices are gradually inching up, but that is no reason for complacency in our diversification drive. We must grow our economy away from oil - as well as the need to increase non-oil revenue generation and collection.


2. Revenue from taxes as well as independent revenues from State Owned Enterprises must be taken seriously. If the budget is to be funded, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to revenue under-performance.

While there is a need to review extant laws guiding the operation of some Government enterprises, I would urge for more determined effort on the part of the Executive, to plug leakages. This sector alone accounts for over 40 trillion naira in valuation, of which less than 400 billion naira is remitted as revenue to the Consolidated Federation Account. This is not acceptable. We need to vigorously address this area.


3. The budgets of parastatals and agencies are meant to be submitted with this budget presentation, as stipulated by the constitution. We must work to ensure that these are passed by the end of the year, and sanction those parastatals and agencies that fail to submit their budget along with the 2018 budget, and deny access to capital expenditure unless budget is passed.


4. Further to the area of increasing independent revenue, there is the need to review agreements that government has signed with some private sector service providers. Many of these agreements are biased, and clearly, not in the interest of the country.


5. We appreciate the need to spend, Mr. President. However, we must ensure that our borrowing is targeted at productive projects that will stimulate the economy. We must ensure real value-for-money in projects funded by borrowing, and make doubly sure that the projects are not overpriced.


6. To ensure consistency in government’s economic programmes and tax policies, we will be requiring that the submission of the 2018 Budget - and budget submissions going forward - be accompanied by a Finance Bill. This bill - which should clearly detail the imposition, alteration or regulation of taxes such as the proposed tax on luxury items and excise taxes, among others - will put the financial proposals of government into effect.


7. As we are all aware, many businesses were adversely affected by the recession; many lost their means of livelihood. As the country emerges from that period of uncertainty, the question on the lips of many Nigerians has been this: How does the recovery translate into tangible economic benefits for me? We must remember that the real gains must be felt on a personal level by the individual, for economic recovery to have meaning.

People are seeking to get back to work but cannot find jobs. Entrepreneurs want to restart their businesses but are finding it difficult to access the needed capital. As for our farmers, the last thing they want is for produce to go to waste because people cannot afford to buy.


8. Looking around today, we see that many of our undergraduates are apprehensive about their graduation day; and our National Youth Corps members are not looking forward to the end of the service year, for fear of being tagged ‘unemployed’.

While I commend your current efforts at tackling unemployment - especially among the youth through Federal Youth Programmes such as YouWin, N-Power, and YES-Programme - deliberate steps must be taken to make the 2018 budget a job oriented one.


9. In line with that, we must see to the implementation of the Procurement law, with particular relevance to the part that has to do with support for Made-In-Nigeria goods. The implementation of the 2018 budget must anchor on the Made-In-Nigeria project. This should be reflected in government procurements in 2018.


10. Let me now talk about mainstreaming social inclusion. Mr. President, each and every Nigerian wants to be part of the economic progress.

We must never lose sight of the need for equity and balanced development across the entire spread of our country. Infrastructural development should be seen to be well distributed, to create growth pools away from the major city centres and drive the regeneration of our rural areas. Agriculture, for instance, is meaningless without those that will engage in farming in the countryside.

The current rate of rural-to-urban migration is alarming and unsustainable – congesting the cities and stretching resources to breaking point, while undermining the economic viability of some states. People must be able to see a future for themselves in every corner of this country, not just in the big cities.

By Rakiya A. Muhammad, Sokoto


A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, yesterday, said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has performed poorly and only succeeded in campaigning for the PDP to take over in 2019.

However, for the PDP to consolidate its gains, Bafarawa called for fairness, honesty and sincerity ahead of its national convention slated for December 9.

Bafarawa, who was in Sokoto, said the PDP was on the course to victory if its handlers did the needful in the coming months.

“People think it is just a question of 2019…PDP will take over; to me it is not just on a platter of gold. The party should be ready to put its house in order.

“If we hold the convention of December 9 with honesty and sincerity, I believe the party will be setting stage for takeover in 2019,” he said, and added that the APC was “campaigning for PDP to take over power judging by its performance in the last three years.”

According to him, it was a smooth ride for APC when it upstaged the then ruling PDP in 2015 because “the PDP campaigned for APC by not meeting the expectations of Nigerians.”

He said, “APC has failed to fulfill the promises it made, so it is campaigning for PDP. It is clearing the way for PDP. If APC could not perform well in three years, what magic can it do in one year?” he asked.

He urged Nigerians to pray for good leaders who would move the nation forward.

Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi on Monday said the laying of tracks of Lagos - Ibadan standard gauge rail line would start in December .

He also said that Jibowu and Costain bridges in Lagos would be demolished to give way for the new railway lines .

Amaechi made the remarks in Lagos when he met with the Steering Committee of the project and the China Civil Engineering Construction Company .

The minister said “The two bridges that we may likely demolish are Jibowu and Costain to give way to the rail lines .

“ But we are rebuilding them immediately; we are not going to abandon them .

“ The challenges will be in the cities like Lagos , Abeokuta and Ibadan because we have to pay compensation , look at the water pipes, gas pipes , houses and cables .

“ In Lagos especially , we deal with bridges , electric cables and water pipes and other assets . ”

Amaechi also said that CCECC was consulting with Lagos State Water Corporation , Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation , among others, to facilitate relocation of water and gas pipelines that were parallel to the railway line.

He added that CCECC would start laying tracks by December in Lagos , noting that parts of the rail lines that would be used for the project would arrive the country by end of November.

The minister while inspecting the level of work done, called for speedy work by CCECC so as to meet the deadline .

He called on Inspector General of Police , Ibrahim Idris , to ensure that adequate security was provided for officials of CCECC handling the construction of the rail line.

He urged the Coordinator of the project, Mr Leo Tim, to complete the necessary documentation to facilitate the provision of security on site by relevant security agencies .

The minister visited Ijoko , Papalanto , Itori and Ewekoro community in Ogun State as part of the monthly site monitoring to ensure the project met the timeline by December 2018.
NAN

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Afeez Hanafi


A 13 - year - old girl from Ilefunfun , Magbon , Badagry , Lagos State, has allegedly fled with a boyfriend who lives in Ilogbo, Oko Afo , a neighbouring community.

The Senior Secondary School One pupil , Lawal , reportedly eloped with the boyfriend , identified simply as Akin , on October 22 and had yet to return home .

PUNCH Metro learnt that a friend of the girl , known as Kemi , hooked her up with Akin , who is said to be an okada (motocycle) rider .

It was said 21- year - old Akin and Lawal had met in a church on the day, from where she took her away .

Our correspondent gathered that the case was reported at the Morogbo Police Division , but the police had yet to track Akin down .

The father of the girl , Isah, a dock worker in Apapa , stated that Kemi and Akin ’ s parents had frustrated efforts to find his daughter .

He said , “ I have been searching for her for two weeks. I went to my workplace in Apapa . When I came back , her siblings told me that she went to Holy Mary Church , where Akin waited for her . The pastor of the church, a woman , confirmed to me that she saw her and Akin , but said they left before the end of service that day.

“ I went to Akin ’ s house . His mother said she did not know his whereabouts and that he only came home every evening . I told the police what she said , but they said they would not arrest her .

“ Kemi said she knew where he passes the night . I have been begging her parents to allow her take me to the place . She was the one that introduced my daughter to Akin . He is an okada rider . ”

Isah , who said his daughter had been decent until she struck a relationship with Kemi , explained that she had fled to Kemi ’ s house and spent two days with her a week before running away with Akin .

He said , “ I have been responsible for her upbringing and that of her sisters since their mother died five years ago . She changed suddenly and her behaviour has become strange.

“ A week before she fled with Akin , I returned from work in the evening on Friday. A neighbour told me that she went out with Kemi .

“ When I got there, Kemi ’ s mother said she had gone out with Kemi to iron her clothes . She returned home the following day and I warned her not to associate with Kemi again . ”

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer , ASP Olarinde Famous - Cole , said the case was reported at the Morogbo division.

He said , “ During investigation , he (Isah ) said he suspected somebody who is her boyfriend . Investigation is ongoing to arrest the boyfriend and find the daughter of the man . A case of missing person was reported at the station . ”

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


A team of police officers attached to the Anti-Cultism unit of State Anti-Robbery Squad have been linked to the suspected robbery operation that took place at a popular hotel in Lagos.

The incident happened at the popular CY Hotel located at Governor’s Road at Ikotun, Lagos.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the officers whose identities were not yet known, invaded the hotel in the evening with a bus and whisked a Nigerian resident in Ghana simply identified as Uche who came with his friend from Republic of Sierra Lone at gun point.

They reportedly ordered Uche to his room, searched the whole place acting as if he was a suspected criminal and cultist who might hide his weapons in the room. It was gathered that when they had searched everywhere and did not find any incriminating item, they carted away all the money they found in the room and left.

They had attempted to take Uche and his friend away before the owner of the hotel arrived, intervened and rescued the victims but was unable to recover their money.

According to Uche who claimed that he was a businessman and footballer, he came to Nigeria with his friend and lodged in the hotel. He explained that they were relaxing at the hotel’s balcony before the men who claimed to be from the Anti-Cultism unit attacked and intimidated them with their guns.

He narrated that two of the officers pointed their guns at him, marched him to his room and searched everywhere. And when they did not find anything except money, they carted away the money.

Uche said he was terrified mostly by the commando style they attacked and robbed them which made him doubt if they were police officers.

“All the money we had in the room was stolen and yet it was not enough for them. They beat and forced us to enter their waiting vehicle in order to take us away to an unknown place before the owner of the hotel intervened” Uche narrated.

When P.M.EXPRESS contacted the owner of the hotel, Ezewele Abionaojie, he confirmed the incident and said it was a pure case of robbery because the officers used their guns to intimidate the victims. Ezewele said that he did not know initially that the officers dragged the victims to their rooms and robbed them until after he had intervened and they had left.

He lamented that the action of the police officers disrupted activities in the hotel as his customers had to abandon the hotel and ran for safety. He said since then they had not returned and the hotel had suffered huge losses as a result. He said he had reported the matter to the Commissioner of Police and said he can identify some of the officers that came for the operation if need be.

When our correspondent contacted the Police Public Relation Officer, PPRO, Mr Famous-Cole for comments his phone was switched off. Some of the residents who witnessed what happened said they did not believe that the men were police officers because they did not come with police vehicle.

BABACHIR DAVID LAWAL

Babachir David Lawal is a native of Hong in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State. He had his university education at the Ahmadu Belllo University, Zaria, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering in 1979.

Lawal had a brief stint with the Delta Steel Company, Aladja before moving on to Nigerian External Telecommunications Limited and Data Sciences Limited.

He thereafter founded his own Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Telecommunications Consulting Firm in 1990. He is a member of the Nigeria Computer Society, the Nigeria Society of Engineers and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria. He was appointed as the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SFG) on August 27, 2015.

He lost the position recently, following allegations of corruption brought against him by whistle blowers. He was alleged to have used his office to award questionable contracts to companies linked to him, a case of conflict of interest.

As if to make matters worse, one of the contracts worth about N200m was supposedly awarded for the cutting of grasses at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the North East region. Due to his entrenched powers and immense influence within the cabal, Buhari was initially reluctant to punish him.

Apparently to give him a soft landing and buy time, Lawal was merely suspended from office for several months. It took a resounding public outcry for him to be pulled out of the office. However, there are strong indications that Lawal is still in office by proxy as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation as Mr. Boss Mustapha, is not just his cousin, but his nominee.

By Onwuka Nzeshi Abuja

FLASH BACK
Once upon a time, Nigeria was under the influence of a group known as the Kaduna Mafia. It was a group of politicians, young intellectuals, top civil servants, businessmen and high ranking military officers from the northern part of the country.

It was believed to had operated from Kaduna, the capital city of the defunct Northern Region.

They were so powerful that no key decision of the government, including appointments in the civil and security services could be executed without their knowledge.

The Kaduna Mafia held the levers of power and influence in Nigeria right from the 1966 counter-coup down to the rebirth of democracy in 1999.

They toppled every government that did not have their imprimatur during that era and any attempt to topple governments installed by them was treated as a rebellion and brutally crushed.

Many of its members were educated at the famous Barewa College and possesed a certain level of managerial competence. They were known for their intelligence, commitment to the traditional values and socio- political and economic interests of Northern Nigeria.

The group thrived on a robust network of alliances among northern aristocrats and top government functionaries who favoured the group’s northern and Islamic bent. Although it operated like a cult and had no open register, some famous names associated with the group include, Adamu Ciroma, Mamman Daura, Ibrahim Tahir, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Mahmud Tukur and Mohammadu Buhari.


THE CABAL
In the last two and half years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, a lot of strange and unimaginable things have happened around the corridors of power.

Although many Nigerians from across regional divides made enormous sacrifices to ensure that All Progressives Congress (APC) won the historic election that brought Buhari to power, his famous “I Belong To Everybody and I Belong To Nobody” declaration in his inaugural address was a shocker to many of his benefactors who thought they were equal stakeholders in the new administration by virtue of their sweat and toil during the electioneering campaigns.

By the time, Buhari made his first set of appointments, political pundits were quick to identify that he actually belonged not to every Nigerian. It soon became apparent that his words and actions were guided by an informal group he had assembled to work with him.

In essence, those who are familiar with this shadowy group believe that they are behind the many controversial appointments of the Buhari administration. They are the brains behind the absolute secrecy surrounding the health of President Buhari and his frequent trips abroad to seek medicare.

They are the Cabal, a congregation of very close family members, trusted friends and political associates. They share a common ideology of holding strongly to political power and advancing the economic interests of the group and the North. They are an offshoot of the once dreaded Kaduna Mafia.

Earlier in the year when President Muhammadu Buhari’s health deteriorated and he was flown abroad to receive medical care, a member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Dr. Junaid Mohammed, had accused some key officials of the Presidency of manipulating the situation for their own selfish reasons.

Mohammed, a medical doctor and former member of the House of Representatives, argued that by denying Nigerians free access to the President and keeping the status of his health as a secret, the officials whom he referred to as the cabal in Aso Rock were working behind the scene to feather their own nests.

According to him, the cabal was an offshoot of the once dreaded Kaduna Mafia which held sway in the 1980s, adding that, its members were exploiting the poor health status of the President by getting him to sign away huge contracts worth billions of dollars.

In an exclusive interview with Sunday Telegraph, Mohammed named one Mamman Daura, said to be a nephew to President Buhari as the head of the cabal. According to him, Daura is being assisted by Alhaji Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the President. He also named the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Mr Babachir Lawal, as a member of the group.

Mohammed said Nigerians should not blame anybody but Buhari himself and the people he brought into power for whatever mess his administration is recording because “these people” will continue to hold Buhari and the whole of Nigeria captive.

First Lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari, had an interview with the BBC, Hausa Service, where she alluded to the presence of a group who have held her husband captive. Although she did not give any names, her description of the modus operandi of the group perfectly tallies with what Junaid Mohammed had told the world.

Members of the cabal have unfettered access to the President and they are usually abreast of his thinking and policy directions. They are his ardent supporters who do the odd jobs to safeguard the regime. They have their hands in every pie and have been fingered in most controversies, scams and scandals that have bedevilled the current administration.
Profile of those Nigerians believed to be member of the Cabal in Aso Rock.


•MAMMAN DAURA
Alhaji Mamman Daura, is an uncle to President Muhammadu Buhari. Although Daura is two and half years older than the President, the nephew-uncle relationship has been extremely close and dates back to their childhood years. For the two men, it has been bond of blood and mutual respect.

It is said that Buhari had always listened to and confided in Mamman Daura because of the mutual trust both men had cultivated over the years. However, critics say the relationship is too close for comfort because it has practically made Mamman Daura the defacto President in the current administration.

Daura is said to have studied Economics but went into journalism and rose to become Editor of The New Nigerian in the 1970s.

When the then Major Geberal Muhammadu Buhari overthrew the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari in 1983, Daura was one of the few people that Buhari trusted enough to give principal advisory roles. He later served as Head of the African International Bank and also chairman of the board of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

Mamman Daura is alleged to have influenced most of the controversial appointments President Buhari made since the administration came into power. Daura was the one who singlehandedly brought up Abba Kyari, the current Chief of Staff to the President. No doubt, he simply brought into his uncle’s administration, his foster son.

He has no official portfolio in this administration but reportedly maintains an office in one of the guest houses in the Villa, popularly referred to as the Glass House. He parades a large retinue of staff and a fleet of official cars.

The story was told of how the wife of the President (Aisha) and her children once confronted Daura and blamed him for all the negative image the government had acquired, warning him to stay away from their husband and father. Perhaps, what they do not know is that Aisha may have known her husband for about thirty nine years but Buhari and Daura have maintained their bond of brotherhood for nearly more years.


•ABBA KYARI
Abba Kyari was born in 1938. He had his early Education at Borno Middle School and Barewa College, Zaria. He holds a Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick in Law and Sociology. In 1959 he enlisted in the Nigerian Army as an Officer Cadet and attended the 12th Regular Officers’ Training School, Teshia, Ghana from March 1959 – September 1959.

Kyari proceeded to the Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, England where he had training from October 1959 to March 1960.
He held various appointments in the army, including Platoon Commander and then Transport Offices in the 1 Brigade Transport Company, Second-in-Command and then Commander in the Nigerian Army Artillery, Commander of 1 Brigade, Kaduna and Commanding Officer 5th Battalion, Nigerian Army, Kano. In July 1967, General Yakubu Gowon appointed Abba Kyari Governor of North-Central State after it was formed from the Northern region during the military regime of Yakubu Gowon.

Although his regime was not tolerant to the media, he was among the top brass of the military who subtly advocated for a return to civilian rule during the Gowon era. After retirement from the Nigerian Army, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of First Bank of Nigeria, Standard Alliance Insurance and Merchant Bank of Commerce.

He became Chairman of Gamah Flour Mills and of Alif Engineering and Construction. He has also worked with the New Nigeria Development Company, New Africa Holdings, African International Bank, United Bank for Africa, Unilever, and Mobil in various capacities over the years. Kyari led the Northern delegates to the 1994 National Constitutional Conference, and was appointed Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the conference. He was appointed the new Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari on August 27, 2015.

Today, Kyari can safely be considered as the third person in the triumvirate of the Buhari administration. Although he is not from Daura by birth, he is by his adoption and association over a long period.

He is reputed to be the only person outside Buhari and Mamman Daura who knows the true health status of the President. It was the duo of Kyari and Mamman Daura who shuttled between Abuja and London during President Buhari’s prolonged medical vacation which lasted 104 days.

The first major scandal linked to him was the alleged N500m bribery involving officials of a major telecommunications firm which was in breach of Nigeria laws and doomed to go bankrupt if it paid the huge fine imposed on it by the Nigeria Communications Commission.

Although, Kyari has denied any link with the said transaction, the telecommunications firm had since moved on without undergoing the full penalties it was meant to hear for flouting the rules on registration of SIM cards Since Kyari is the clearing officer to the President and receives mails on his behalf, every leaked memo is a scandal in his office. He has not been at ease since a memo from the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, leaked into the social media.

The most recent episode of a leaked memo was the salvo fired by the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, in response to the query issued to her on the Maina scandal.

The alleged altercation between Kyari and Oyo-Ita at the Council Chambers just before the Federal Executive Council meeting has gone viral on social media.


•LAWAL MUSA DAURA
Lawal Daura was born in Daura, Katsina State, on August, 5, 1953. He attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria from 1977–1980 and started his carrier in the State Security Service (SSS) in 1982 where he rose to the rank of Director. He was the Deputy Director, Presidential Communication, Command and Control Centre, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, between 2003 and 2007.

He also served as State Director of the SSS at various times in Kano, Sokoto, Edo, Lagos, Osun and Imo states. He attended various professional courses both home and abroad including the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos.

His appointment to head the secret police was greeted with a lot of criticisms apparently because of the fact that he hails from the same village as President Buhari.

Many Nigerians viewed it as an act of nepotism but some others dismissed the objections as unnecessary distraction. He is credited with the conflicting security reports which have kept the appointment of the Acting Chairman of the EFCC in jeopardy till today.

If Daura were not part of the ministers serving in the inner temple, if he were not part of the privileged group running this administration, he would long have been shown the way out for daring to submit security reports nailing a nominee of the President who was due for confirmation by the National Assembly.


•HAMMED ALI
Colonel Hammed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) was born on January 15, 1955. He was Military Administrator of Kaduna State, Nigeria from August 1996 – August 1998 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha. He is married and blessed with 4 children.

Ali holds a Masters degree in Criminology.
After retirement from the Nigerian Army, he became Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum, a northern lobby group, He was appointed as the Comptroller-General of Customs on August 27, 2015.

Prior to his appointment as the helmsman of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Ali was the Chief of Staff to General Muhammadu Buhari throughout the period of his repeated attempts at the presidential election on different political platforms. Ali has been in the news several times for the wrong reasons.

It was he who lifted the ban placed on rice importation through the land borders by the previous regime.

The policy somersault led to a reversal of fortunes for rice farmers in the country. Much later, Ali succumbed to the public outcry that trailed his pronouncements and eventually the ban on rice importation was restored. He had a running battle with the Senate after the upper chamber of the parliament summoned him to respond to some issues in respect of his job.

He did not only shun the summon but when he reluctantly did show up, he appeared on mufti to the chagrin of the lawmakers who politely sent him away and gave him a fresh date to return in his official uniform. Ali has since gone to court to halt the parliament from interrogating him and compelling him to wear the uniform.

He recently relaunched the Buhari Support Organisation ( BSO), a common platform of the over 600 pressure groups mobilising towards the re-election of President Buhari in 2019. Critics of the regime have said that Ali jumped the gun when he launched the second term for President Buhari when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had not declared electioneering campaigns open. He is a member of the cabal, one of the untouchables and it is unlikely that INEC will impose any sanctions on him as it threatened to do when Governor Ayo Fayose launched his own campaign.


•ABDULRAHMAN DAMBAZZAU
Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau was born on March 14, 1954. He is an indigene of Zaria in Kaduna State. Dambazau had his secondary education at Barewa College, Zaria, where he finished from in 1974. He then proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, where he was member of the 17 Regular Combatant Course. In June 1977, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army.

In 1979, Dambazau also attended the US Army Military Police School, Fort McClellan. Dambazau later went to Kent University where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 1982 and a PhD in Criminology from the University of Keele in 1989.

Dambazau served as a Military Police officer, an Aide De Camp to the Chief of Army Staff in 1979. He also commanded military police units and then served as a Special Investigator from 1984 to 1985. It is worthy to note that Dambazau was made a Registrar of the Nigerian Defence Academy from 1993 to 1999. He also worked as Chief Instructor, Support Weapon Wing of the Infantry Centre and School from 1999 to 2001 and later as Directing Staff at the National War College from 2004 to 2006.

From 2007-2008, he subsequently served as GOC-General Officer Commanding 2nd Division, Ibadan. He was appointed Chief of Army Staff by President Umaru Yar’adua in 2008.

In October 2015, his name was forwarded as one of the Ministerial nominees to be screened by the National Assembly. He is currently the Minister of Interior under the current regime. Dambazzau has been fingered in many deals and plots of the current government including the ‘Mainagate’ scandal.

He is believed to have worked closely with the Attorney General of the Federation (Malami), the Director General, DSS (Lawal Daura ) and the Federal Civil Service Commission to secretly reinstate Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina into the Civil service.


•ABUBAKAR MALAMI
Abubakar Malami, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was born on April 17, 1967, in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State. He is an indigene of Kebbi State and had his early education at Nassarawa Primary School, Birnin Kebbi from 1973 to 1979 and later, College of Arts and Arabic Studies. He proceeded to the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto where he studied Law between 1987 to 1991.

Abubakar Malami then proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, in 1992 where he was called to the Nigerian Bar.

He then obtained his Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri in 1994. Between 1995 and 1996, he worked as Magistrate Grade II in the Kebbi State Judiciary. He was a member of the Local Government Election Tribunal for the 2003 Election and National Publicity Secretary, Muslim Lawyers Forum of Nigeria from 2002 to 2004.

He served in various capacities, including being a state counsel and magistrate in Kebbi State and teaching law at the Usman Dan Fodio University before going into private legal practice. He was also the National Legal Adviser to the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and was one of those who worked closely to advance the interest of the All Progressive Congress (APC) especially the candidacy of President Mohammadu Buhari over the years.

Indeed, he was the Lead Counsel of the Legal Team of the defunct CPC right from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court, when he was the National Adviser of the CPC.

He was a member of the defunct CPC Merger Committee that negotiated the formation of All Progressives Congress together with the defunct ACN, ANPP and factions of APGA and DPP. He had been one of the consistent members of the opposition right from 2003 till the victory of the APC in the general elections in March 2015.

He sought for the nomination as the Governorship candidate of the APC for Kebbi State but withdrew from the race due to pressure from elders of the party. Before his appointment as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, he was a private legal practitioner with a track record of demonstrated ability to lead diverse and complicated litigations.

His unparalleled performance in the legal profession resulted in his conferment with the respected rank of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in the year 2008.

After the successful outcome of the 2015 presidential elections which was won by APC, Malami was nominated by President Buhari to serve in the 19- man transition committee of the All Progressive Congress. He was sworn in as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on the 11th November, 2015.

Malami has been doing a yeoman’s job for the cabal and the government of the day He has perfected a style of issuing legal advice to save whom the cabal wants saved and send to the gallows whoever the regime wants crucified. His roles has again brought to the fore the clamour by constitutional lawyers and members of the civil society on the need to separate the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and the office of the Minister of Justice.

A commercial sex worker who broke into the home of one of her regular customers to steal some foreign currencies and imported wines got more than she bargained for after she was caught red-handed.

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The suspect who gave her name as Ifeoma Obi, an indigene of Abia State but plying her skin trade in Onitsha, the commercial nerve center of Anambra State, was caught in the act by some vigilante members and they promptly gave her the naked justice.

Obi who was interviewed in Igbo during her ordeal, narrated how she broke into the man's home to steal some Dollars and the expensive wines a few days after the victim had taken her to his house for sex.

In the video posted by Igbo TV, the prostitute said she knew where the owner of the house kept the Dollars and after keeping watch for him to go out, she sneaked into the house to steal.

The men who caught her made sure she was stripped naked, beaten and seriously disgraced before she was handed over to the police.

Posted By: Collins Nweze


The biggest casualties in terms of deposit loss should the Federal Government go-ahead to implement court order on funds forfeiture for Bank Verification Number (BVN) non-compliant accounts will be the first generation banks, The Nation has learnt.

These set of banks, according to an industry source who spoke anonymously, seem to have the largest number of customers that have stayed with them for close to or over 100 years.

Justice Dimgba Igwe of the Federal High Court, ruling on an ex parte application filed by the Federal Government through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on October 21, granted the temporary forfeiture of funds in accounts not linked to BVN within two weeks unless the owners justify their ownership of such accounts. The deadline for compliance ended yesterday.

The source said it would be very difficult to put a figure to the 46 million accounts not linked to BVN, adding that: “The first generation banks are believed to have the largest number of dormant accounts, although that has not been established.

These banks have the largest number of dormant accounts because of how long they have been in the business,” he said.

The source explained that some new generation banks also have a large number of accounts, but a majority of their customers are from the middle class. He said many of the customers joined the bank during or after the banking consolidation of 2005, in what is regarded in the banking industry as ‘’Flight to Safety’’.

“A lot of the middle class tend to associate more with some new generation banks. So, even though the accounts are many, but they remain largely active,” the source said.

The banks with the largest impact are likely to lose deposits running into billions of naira, and that may affect their liquidity positions.

The Federal Government has secured an interim forfeiture order from Federal High Court which would now allow it to freeze the accounts of bank customers in Nigeria who have no Bank Verification Number, BVN.

The order obtained before Justice Dimgba gave the Federal Government the nod to instruct the banks to disclose any investments made with these funds and to freeze any outward movement from these accounts.

The court order mandates the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to appoint an examiner to look into the books of any commercial bank that fails to comply. The banks are expected to provide the names of accounts without BVN, account numbers, outstanding balances, domiciliary accounts without BVN, branch/locations where these accounts are domiciled.

The CBN through the Banker’ Committee and in collaboration with all banks in Nigeria on February 14, 2014, launched a centralised biometric identification system for the banking industry tagged Bank Verification Number (BVN). The BVN gives a unique identity that can be verified across the Nigerian Banking Industry (not peculiar to one bank) while bank customers are protected from unauthorised access.

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Akure – The birth of a ‘wonder boy’, simply referred to as ‘Daddy Samuel’, in Akure, the Ondo state capital, has turned the residence of his parents into a sort of miracle healing centre.

People from far and near have been besieging the house daily to seek spiritual assistance from the two month-old baby said to have spoken in the cradle – two weeks after birth.

Samuel, whose parents claimed was born with a bunch of leaves bonded by a strand of hair, was said to possess a special healing power.

Mr Olusola Ajayi, Samuel’s father, said: “My wife gave birth on the 28th of August after a bunch of leaves came out of her womb and we were amazed after he began to talk, charging us to proclaim his coming to the world.”

According to the parents, mysterious powers of Samuel, born at a Comprehensive Health Centre in Akure, became noticeable when a bunch of leaves was said to have preceded his coming out of the mother’s womb.

“Two weeks later, Samuel shocked us and his three older brothers when he instructed us to proclaim his coming to the world,” Ajayi said.

However, the baby did not talk when NAN correspondents visited, and neither could the parents show the said bunch of leaves nor play the recording of the boy’s speech that was being circulated round town. Yet, they insisted on his miraculous birth.

The parents, who recently relocated from Lagos, said they had made several attempts to abort the boy’s pregnancy due to economic hardship in the upkeep of the three boys they had before Samuel.

Some of the visitors who visited the house said they were there to satisfy their curiosity and to seek spiritual assistance.

Pastor Gabriel Oluwadamilare of Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Shalom Parish, Ikorodu, Lagos State described the baby as a true messenger of God.

Oluwadamilare said that circumstances that surrounded the birth of new born baby also happened in the Bible.

“I actually came to see the glory and I have no doubt about it. My stand is that what happened is true because nothing is impossible for God to do.

“I have come to seek spiritual solution in respect of a lady who has visited several hospitals in Lagos over bone problems in the last five years.

“There is nothing fetish about the boy coming to the world with a bunch of leaves, it is just a sign from God,” the pastor noted.

One of the workers at the place, Maruf Akande, also known as Alfa, said the whole situation was a wonder to him, saying that the baby started speaking when he was two weeks old.

According to Akande, who claimed to be the manager of the spiritual centre, people have been coming to the place for the past one month, and the baby’s parents have not rested due to the huge crowd that keeps coming.

” The service rendered was free initially but we have started collecting a consultation fee of N500 per head with a view to reducing the crowd. yet they keep coming.

“People who need help come from far places – Lagos, Abuja and even overseas and they can testify to God’s glory.

”For instance, a woman came from Abuja with three years pregnancy but she gave birth inside a bus conveying her back to Abuja after taking sachet water given to her here.

” The baby only spoke twice and since then he has transfered the spirit to his mother who can heal anyone each time she carried the baby to her bosom.

” The whole thing started when this baby Samuel started saying after two weeks that his parents should announce his glory to the whole world,” Akande said.

He said that no fewer than 300 people registered at the centre every day.

According to him, the baby is fed with pap and still sucks his mother breast milk.

Akande said all clients were treated equally and fairly without any preferential treatment irrespective of status or position.

“Another worker at the venue, Mrs Aina Bello, said that her husband was a beneficiary of the ‘wonder boy’.

Bello said her husband was ill for six days to the extent that some hospitals rejected him since they did not have a solution to his illness.

” We just discovered that my husband collapsed, all his body system became abnormal and he was in that position for six days.

“We have spent about N45,000 in different hospitals but the situation remained the same. Even some rejected him.

” But thanks to baby Samuel that God used to heal my husband. Samuel’s mother just told me, having received inspiration from baby Samuel, to give him sachet water and instructed me to give alms, which I did.

To my surprise, when I did as was instructed, my husband just got healed. He can walk and do normal things now,” she said.

According to her, no money was collected from her and that she has since then become a volunteer taking care of the baby’s clothing.

A lady, who simply identified herself as Bukola, told NAN that she was at the venue because of her mother who had stroke.

Bukola said that she believed the whole thing and that was the reason she came with her mother.

According to her, her mother will be healed when attended to by baby Samuel
The birth of Samuel had also boost economic activities in the area as okada riders now lead people from major roads to the house.

Food and beverage vendors are also making brisk business off the legion of visitors trooping in daily.

The parents also confirmed receiving gifts from various men of God from both Islamic and Christian faiths .(NAN)

Samson Folarin

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The disappearance of two girls – Peace and Jennifer John , aged 12 and 14 respectively – has aroused considerable anxiety in their parents.

The parents are worried about the safety and whereabouts of the siblings , who went missing at their home on Assemblies of God Road , Agudama , Yenagoa , Bayelsa State .

The father of the victims , Lucky John , a plumber , told PUNCH Metro that the girls had been missing since October 1 , 2017 .

He said he had visited different places of interest of the girls , adding that he had yet to get any positive response .

He said , “ On October 1 around 6 pm , I was away to work , while their mother was at home . The two of them went out and they never returned. Till now , I have not seen or heard anything about them .

We have gone to different places to look for them without any result. Nobody has called to demand ransom. The two girls have the phone number of their mother, but they have not called . We are afraid. ”

Our correspondent learnt that the victims were both Junior Secondary School Three pupils of Community Girls Secondary School, Agudama - Epie , Yenagoa .

They were said to be the second and third born of seven children of the Johns.

Their father said he did not know if they had boyfriends whom they might have eloped with.

He added that his daughters were well - behaved and never showed any sign of discontentment before their disappearance.

The Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer , Asinim Butswat , said the case had not been reported to the police .

He said , “ I cannot comment on the matter because he has not reported it to the police . When I asked him why , he said he thought the children would come back and people advised him to hold on. They have been missing for a month. I have asked him to go to a station . ”

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