₦airaland Forum

hatchy:
This very boy is well known for beating up his father all the time.

Chibuzor, AKA Igbo Awka smokes weed,uses other illicit drugs and is very notorious hence his nick name "Igbo Awka".

Which father will purposely bring in military men to beat up his son to the extent that it resulted to his death if this same son is not wayward and irresponsible.

It is better to be childless and age gracefully than be disgraced to your grave by your own seed.

Its unfortunate that he lost his life but it is good riddance to bad rubbish.

By Ismail Mudashir & Eugene Agha, Lagos



The N298 million bulletproof Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) reportedly belonging to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, is rotting away at the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) yard, nine months after it was impounded.

Sources including officials of the Customs Service in Lagos State said the vehicle which was seized in January this year, is at the facility of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A of the Customs in Ikeja.

Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that the car which the Senate in March claimed it bought at N62.5 million, is on a crane at the entrance of the yard. 

It was gathered that the black SUV, with chassis number SALGV3TF3EA190243, is being held over evasion of Customs duties and fake documents.

A source sighted the vehicle at the yard last Thursday when an official of the NCS facilitated his entry.

“A senior Customs official showed me the car when I went there for my personal business.  I couldn’t take a photograph of the car because we handed over our phones at the entrance to officials manning the gate,” he said.

Also, a Customs officer serving in Lagos, said the car has not been released and that it has become, “government property”.

“I can confirm to you that the car is still at FOA in Ikeja. You know if you bring a contraband or you evade Customs duty, it’s classified as seizure. Any car that is impounded becomes government property.

“When an item is seized it can either be auctioned or destroyed. I don’t know whether there is arrangement to auction the car or not but what I know is that it has not been released, “the Customs officer, who pleaded anonymity, said.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said,” I have no comment on that because I don’t even know what you are talking about”. 

When reminded that he once addressed the press on the car, he said, “the issue is so clear. If somebody is on a contract with you, he has not delivered and something happens along the way, why is that your business? That was what we addressed you on at that time. “

When pressed further, Sabi said, “I’m not the contractor, he has not delivered. Whatever happens is between the contractor and Customs.”

 Asked whether the contractor has returned the money paid by the Senate, Sabi said,  “I don’t know anything about that. Go and do your investigation. I have come to the conclusion that you people in your paper don’t want peace, otherwise, how has this become an issue?

 

What Sabi said earlier 

At the peak of the controversy, Sabi, while addressing newsmen, confirmed the purchase of the car.

“Our attention has been drawn to the various false and mischievous reports in the media about the price of the vehicle which the Senate was said to have bought as part of its convoy but was later abandoned when it got impounded by the Customs over controversy surrounding import duty payment.

“The correct price of the vehicle when it was imported in 2015 is $298,000, which at the prevailing rate of N165 to a dollar is about N49, 170. The Senate paid N62.5m for the vehicle in November 2015. This is contrary to the mischief by those who decided to turn the  $298,000 to N298m as the price of the vehicle. For the avoidance of doubt, the price of that vehicle is N62.5m and not N298m,” he said.

 The news of the seizure of the car was unknown until the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, clashed with the Senate over wearing uniform in March, two months after the car was impounded.

The car was intercepted and impounded by Customs operaatives in January, while it was being moved to Abuja from Lagos by operatives of the Customs. 

The driver of the car was said to have presented documents, including a letter from the National Assembly, indicating that it belongs to the Senate President.

 At a public hearing in March, the importer, Tokunbo Akindele, told the Senate committee that it was discovered in January, this year that the car had fake documents.

He said the car was not imported for Senator Saraki, insisting that at the time the vehicle was imported, it was not for the Senate President’s use. 

Meanwhile, the Customs authourity in charge of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Ikeja, has maintained sealed lips on the issue.

Our correspondent gathered that the case file has since been transferred to the Customs Headquarters in Abuja, for further investigation.

The units Public Relations Officer, Jerry Attah, did not respond to messages sent to him on the issue, just as calls put through to him were not returned.

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


An apprentice trader at Ladipo Market Mushin identified as Emenike has fled his master’s home after he was caught sleeping with his master’s wife in Lagos.

The incident happened around Ailegun Road in Bucknor Estate at Ejigbo where they reside.

The matter has been reported to the police in the area. But the wife revealed the plan to the house boy, insisting that he did nothing wrong because she lured him into it as her husband had abandoned her and the children and faced business.

However, there has been turn of events since then. The wife has insisted that the husband should withdraw the matter from the police and allow the Emenike to come back. It was gathered that the wife was threatening to expose her husband if he insisted on arresting Emenike and sending him away.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that Ugochukwu (surname withheld) married Ego some years back, they had three kids and lived comfortably in their own house at the estate.

However, Ugochukwu’s business scope expanded and he was travelling out of the countries to import vehicles and spare parts which they sold at the Ladipo market.

It was learnt that Emenike was the senior manager among other apprentices Ugochukwu had and was very loyal to both his boss and his wife.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the wife fell in love with Emenike because he was not only humble, but gave her access to her husband’s money.

The show of affection led to both of them having intimate relationship which closed the emotional gap her husband created because of his business and frequent travelling. But the amorous relationship between Emenike and his wife was revealed to the man and he acted on it and caught them.

The day the incident happened, the husband who had travelled returned unannounced and with the arrangement of an insider in the house, Emenike was caught inside madam’s own room.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that when the husband knocked at the door, they had no choice than to open the door and Emenike fled. Since then, his whereabout remained unknown except for the madam who was planning for his comeback.

P.M.EXPRESS learnt that Ugochukwu seemed to be in a dilemma on what to do now because of the wife’s threat to expose him and likely crashing their marriage and then temporarily leave the house.

It was not certain what Ugochukwu will do to both his wife and Emenike, and nobody knew what the wife had threatened to expose if her husband did not bring Emenike back.

lalasticlala

Posted by Bola Badmus, Kola Oyelere, Biola Azeez, Babajide Johnson, Yinka Olukoya, Isaac Shobayo and Wole Ige


HOPE of millions of workers in most of the 36 states of the federation that the state will overcome their inability to meet workers’ welfare and other statutory obligations appears forlorn, Sunday Tribune investigation has revealed.

The conundrum of mounting salary and pension arrears is deep-rooted in four main factors, which none of the states is willing to demonstrate the political will to tackle squarely.

Available statistics showed a bleak future, as almost all the states are gasping for breath under the yoke of meeting huge financial obligations in the face of steady decline in internally generated revenue (IGR).

The major encumberances of the states include abysmally IGR, which is largely due to lack of resourcefulness and weak machinery; bloated workforce; heavy debt profile and declining allocation from the federal account.

Checks revealed that most states still maintain area offices, coupled with a retinue of aides and political appointees, who have no direct bearing to the actual running of government.

Indicators from the National Bureau of Statistics showed states with the lowest debt profile as generating a paltry sum with a monthly wage of N billion to 50,000 civil servants.

The figure does not include the army of political aides, most of whom loaf around the corridors of power.

Despite two bailouts from the Federal Government to states, the latter had remained in dire straits because of months of unpaid salaries and pension arrears,
The two tranches of the Paris Club refund have also not brought remarkable succour to the states, even though there are reports of diversion of part of the fund meant for the payment of salaries and resuscitation of decayed infrastructure.

Some states have tried to shed weight by flushing out ghost workers, whose number was put at about 56,000 in the federal civil service, thus saving the government of a whopping N2 billion per month.

Lagos is believed to have a total workforce of 150,000 workers, followed by Kano which is said to have a similar figure.

The workforce for Benue is said to be about 17,090, whereas its wage bill ranges between N4.3 billion and N4.8 billion monthly, just as it gets between N3.2 billion and N3.7 billion from the federal pool.

Kano is also said to spend monthly on salaries N7.85 billion, while its IGR is over N 2 billion monthly.

The Ondo State government, before now, owed six months’ salary with the workforce put at about 56,760 , while the wage bill is about N3.9billion monthly.

The figure includes the salaries of political office holders, while the Federal Allocation in recent times ranges from N2.9 billion to N4.7billion, just as the state’sIGR is between N450million and N700million monthly.

With a workforce of about 29,000, Akwa Ibom State rakes in about N2 billion monthly as IGR, while Rivers State falls in the same bracket with Lagos and Kano State in terms of high IGR index.

Kogi State, which hitherto generated between N250 million and N300 million monthly as IGR, is believed to have raised the figure to about N1 billion.

Nassarawa State is said to be targeting N7 billion as IGR in the current year, while Jigawa has set a target of N12billion.
In its budget for 2017, the Ekiti State government is hoping to get N93.5 billion from federal allocations, IGR and other sources.

Reports from our correspondents showed that aside Lagos, Rivers and Kano that are able to rise above their peers in IGR and Value Added Tax (VAT), the financial status of others states might remain precarious for long because of bloated workforce and weak IGR to sustain wage bills continues.

It was discovered that the states may have to depend on bailouts from the centre for days ahead because of large workforce without commensurate resources.

States are currently seeking a third tranche of Paris Club refund, as the ones released twice could not offset the entire arrears of workers’ salaries and pensions to pensioners.

Though they have initiated a number of measures to shore up their IGR, the efforts seem to have having no salutary effects because of bloated workforce, unnecessary retinue of political aides coupled with leakages in the system.

However, the breakdown of the debt portfolio of many states remained a top secret thereby giving room for speculation on the actual figures.

Most of the states live on goldmines but they have been made hamstrung because of law regarding the prospecting solid minerals in the country.

There are indications that the months ahead could be more problematic for many states if bailouts do not readily come handy, because of unpredictable price of crude oil in the international market.

While some states, mostly in the North have high hopes of cushioning the effect from incomes from agriculture having encouraged mass production of grains, their counterparts in the South are yet to fully tap into their areas of comparative advantage in the sector.

Findings showed that Lagos has about N6.5billion monthly wage bill, while it sometimes collects N9.3billion as monthly Federal Allocation last January.

However, concerning the number of political aides and political appointees, a credible source, who could not volunteer the actual figure, maintained that number is less than it was under immediate past administration.

“The number has been far reduced. It is not up to what we used to have before. It is not much, but I can’t give you the figure now,” said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Some sources of IGR for the state include: Business Premise Tax and Shop/Kiosk Levy which has led to some taxpayers paying to both State and Local Government on the same business premises.

Consumption Tax (which is a tax of 5 per cent on goods and services consumed in Hotels, Restaurants and Event Centres) collectible by the State Governments and ‘on’, and ‘off’ Liquor License Fee collectible by Local Government Authorities (which is a charge for permit to sell alcohol beverages and Wrong Parking Charges collectible by Local Governments as well as being collected by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) for the State.

Some Local Government Authorities in Lagos State still print emblems and stickers for sale to motorists in spite of the ban placed on such by the Joint Tax Board (JTB).

The Local Government Areas collect Radio and Television Permit ranging from N50,000 to N200,000 per annum; Parking Permit ranging from N100,000 to N500,000 per annum; Plastic Waste Basket Permit for truck, Jeeps and Commercial Vehicle ranging from N7,000 to N9,000, among others.

There are also Remote Gaming Permit, tax on winnings, vehicle licence and Road Worthiness, signage and Mobile Advertisement, Street Naming and Numbering. Land use Charge/Tenement Rate, among others.

lalasticlala

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


Four police officers from the Anti Robbery Squad, SARS attached to Area K Badagry have been arrested and taken to X-Squad Ikeja for using guns to force a helpless man, Apagbo John to the bank to withdraw N140,000 in the night in exchange of his life.

The officers were identified as two Inspectors, Pativon Patrick and Owolabi Oke and two other Sergeants namely Momoh Jimoh and Akinmade Kehinde.

The incident happened at about 10pm at the ATM of Agbara branch of UBA along Badagry Expressway, Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the dastardly act was leaked to the Area Commander, Hope Okafor who promptly intervened, ordered for their arrest and detention and they were subsequently transferred to the X-Squad for necessary action.

The suspects were currently detained at the State Police Command, Ikeja where they will likely face room trial.

It was gathered that the victim, John suffered his fate when he was driving home late in the evening with his parents vehicle and there was traffic along the expressway.

The accused police officers stopped him beside the road, labeled him a suspect and threatened to kill him that night as a robber.

It was gathered that he pleaded with them not to kill him but asked them to take everything he had on him including the vehicle to spare his life.

They then allegedly forced him to their office at Area K Command, where they told him that he can only be alive if he will bring certain amount of money.

John told the officers that he was with his ATM card and had about N140,000 in the account.

It was learnt that they marched him to Agbara that night with their guns where he withdrew the money and gave them.

After they collected the money, they insisted it was not enough and detained him at Area K Command.

Meanwhile, the money he withdrew at the bank belonged to his father who received alerts on the withdrawals.

However, the evil plot was exposed when his parents started making inquiry on what was happening to him and John was traced to the Command.

It was then the information got to the Area Commander, Okafor who was still in the office and she quickly stepped in, ordered the arrest of the officers, collected the money back and returned to the victim.

When our correspondent visited X-Squad at the Ikeja Command, the suspects were still detained there where they were making useful statements.

The incident was well known in the area and has attracted public condemnation.

The residents commended the Area Commander for her resilience in the fight to reduce corruption among the officers, which they said were unprecedented in the area.

The Area Commander could not be reach for comment.

lalasticlala

Posted By: Yusuf Alli 


Defectors, hoping to achieve their presidential ambition on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) in the 2019 elections, may be in for a raw deal.

The PDP, according to top level sources, may shut its doors against presidential aspirants crossing from rival parties.

Some presidential aspirants from outside the PDP have  been feeling  the pulse of the party on their chances.

It was also learnt that PDP leaders are close to reaching a consensus on giving the  vice presidency  to the South East.

In return, the South East caucus has opted to forego any aspiration for key positions in the National Working Committee( NWC).

The only position the South East is seeking in the NWC is the National Organizing Secretary.

The office of National Chairman has been zoned to the South West,according to investigation. These  secret deals are the highlights of the horse-trading that has been going on in the party over the last few weeks.

It was learnt that the PDP has been working on a formula which will re-integrate all parts of the country.

The “secret deals” seem to have been borrowed from the  winning strategy of the defunct National Party of Nigeria( NPN) which ruled the country from 1979 to 1983.

A highly-placed party source  told The Nation that PDP leaders “have been engaging in horse-trading in the past few weeks ahead of our next elective National Convention.

“These leaders have built some consensus on power sharing, including the shutting of our doors against defectors from other parties who are only interested in our  presidential ticket.

“As an integrated party, we welcome defectors, but we may not concede an automatic presidential ticket to any of them. We want all those joining our party to learn the ropes and queue for a while.

“We believe in party discipline and supremacy; members  must have faith in the party they are joining. No chance for gold diggers again.”

Responding to a question, the source said: “As part of the secret deals, it is taken for granted that  the presidential ticket will go to the North. It is the candidate we are left with.

“As for the vice presidency, the consensus so far is in favour of the South East in order to address the marginalization of the Igbo. The PDP’s focus is on the unity and reintegration of this country. We want to create a sense of belonging for all.

“We have also discovered that giving the VP slot to the Igbo may solve the latest recourse to separatist agitations in the country.”

The source said “although the South South is serious in its demand for the VP slot, the fact that the geopolitical zone recently completed a five-year presidency in 2015 gives the South East an advantage.”

The source added that party  leaders are also trying to “persuade the South South to have a rethink. We will skew the power formula in a manner that the zone may produce the President of the Senate and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation or other leverage appointments.

“These are some of the ongoing secret deals in order to give the APC a good fight in 2019. All the six geopolitical zones will get a fair deal.

“The formula being worked out is similar to that of the defunct NPN  and a little blend of former Social Democratic Party( PDP) which won the annulled 1993 presidential poll.”

On the fate of the South West, the source added: “The zone is certainly producing the National Chairman of the party with other juicy appointments on the cards.

“It is left to the leaders of the party in the South West to present a credible choice which will lead the PDP to victory in 2019.

“The National Convention will ratify the power sharing formula in December. We are not going to leave anything to chances.”

Some stalwarts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been rumoured to be interested in defecting to the PDP to fulfil their presidential aspiration in 2019.

Also, the fate of some PDP leaders to be either President or Vice President or National Chairman  may have been subtly foreclosed.

Those allegedly jostling  or pencilled down /recommended for the VP ticket in the PDP include Governor Nyesom Wike, Senate Deputy President Ike Ekweremadu, ex-Governor Donald  Duke and ex-Governor Godswill Akpabio.

For the National Chairman of the party, those being touted are ex-Ondo State military governor, Chief Olabode George, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, ex-Governor Liyel Imoke and a former National Organizing Secretary of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus.

With the ongoing horse-trading, the presidential ambition of Governor Ayo Fayose appears  threatened.

The source said: “Fayose’s candidacy cannot fly at all. He is only trying to enrich the selection process. To us, he is merely playing to the gallery by exercising his fundamental rights to aspire to any political office and contest.”

By Zakariyya Adaramola 

[img]https://images.dailytrust.com.ng/cms/gall_content/2017/8/2017_8$large_Nigerians_spend_N197bn_monthly_on_internet_data.jpg[/img]


Telecoms subscribers in Nigeria spend over N197 billion on internet data every month, Daily Trust’s analysis of mobile users’ average data usage per month has shown. 

The big four GSM operators - MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile - and other smaller mobile operators have a total active subscribers base of 149.3 million, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The latest Monthly Subscriber/Operator Data released by the regulator last month showed that MTN had 58,121,427 users, and Glo 37,270,100 customers, Airtel 34,336,802 while 9mobile has 19,621,806 users. The remaining figures were shared between the other smaller operators. 

 But only 92m of the 149.5m subscribers are active internet users, and they depend on data provided by the telcos to access the world-wide-web and hook on to the social media, information on the NCC’s website showed. 

As at June, MTN had 31.7m internet users, Glo 27.2m, Airtel 20.2m while 9mobile had 12.6m, and the smaller operators shared the remaining figures 

Findings by Daily Trust from the four GSM operators revealed conservative estimates of category of data users and how much they spent on data monthly. 

About 70% of internet users or 64m use up to N1000 data monthly each, raising the operators’ revenue base by N64bn.   

 Also, about 15% or 13.8m users, mostly small business owners and middle class people, each purchase an average of N3000 data monthly, contributing N41.1bn every month to the telcos’ coffers.    

Similarly, 10% of the internet subscribers or 9.15m use N5000 each every month, growing the operators’ revenue by N45.6bn.

About 5% of the internet customers or 4.6m buy N10,000 data each, increasing the GSM and mobile internet companies’ revenue by N46bn, according to findings made by our reporter.

Over N2.3 trillion is garnered through data alone by the telcos every year, according to the monthly data revenue figures.

However, a study backed by Mozilla and carried out by Research ICT Africa on financial reality of internet usage in Nigeria said higher income users pay between $3.17 and $9.52 per month, whereas low income users pay as low as US7 cents per month. 

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has repeatedly categorised Nigerian telecom industry among one of the fastest growing in the world.

Its latest ranking placed the percentage of Nigerians with internet users at 11.40%, while about 50% individuals in the country are now able to access the internet.

The ITU’s Secretary General Mr Houlin Zhao said Nigeria was the toast of telecom investors because the country’s telecom industry continued to record quantum growth every quarter. 

But the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has recently cried out, saying the activities of Over The Top (OTT) operators were seriously eating into their voice and data revenue.

OTTs are firms like Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media networks.

Engr Gbenga Adebayo, ALTON chairman, said if NCC did not act fast to salvage the Nigerian telcos from the danger posed to their operations by OTT, the telecom industry may witness a decline in fortunes.

lalasticlala

By Isiaka Wakili


Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says contrary to the claim by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, he has not taken over negotiations with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities.

The vice president said this today through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande.

Ngige had, while addressing State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, said Osinbajo had taken over some aspects of the negotiations and discussions with the ASUU.

The minister had stated: "At council today (Wednesday), the vice president has taken over some of the aspects of the negotiations and discussions.

"So, we are continuing the meeting in his office and when we finish meeting, we will get back to ASUU for another round of meeting and we are hopeful that we will be able to go to an appreciable extent to solve some of the outstanding issues that is preventing them from going back to work."

But the vice president's spokesman, via Twitter, described the minister's disclosure as untrue and inaccurate.

Akandende emphasised that Ngige and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, continued to lead the discussions.

"News report that Vice President Osinbajo has taken over ASUU negotiations is untrue and inaccurate. Labour and Education Ministers continue to lead the talks."

The ASUU has since August 13 been on a nationwide strike over the failure of the Federal Government to implement an agreement reached with the union in 2009.

The union had also alleged that the government did not implement the Memorandum of Understanding the two sides signed in 2013.

The leadership of the union had on Tuesday boycotted a meeting with the government.

By Adoration Bizure



Outspoken Harare socialite Amai Gamu real name Paida Zvirikuzhe turned 28 on Sunday and got steamy sex bouts as presents.

In an unsolicited interview, Amai Gamu said she would always cherish this year’s birthday bash powered by Boss Spencer Madziya at The Volt.

Among other things she received as birthday gifts, Amai Gamu said the sexual encounters she had with her boyfriends’ made her birthday more exciting.

“I am grateful to all my friends for celebrating my birthday with me, my phone was so busy because I have been receiving birthday messages and calls.

“My friends and relatives were giving me different birthday gifts and some of the gifts were big others small and I am so grateful for that.

“However, the biggest birthday gifts I received this year was the birthday sex I got from my boyfriends.

“I am not in a serious relationship these days so I don’t have one boyfriend. I am happy that all my boyfriends quenched my sexual appetite, there is nothing as good as birthday sex,” she said.

Amai Gamu went on to reveal that she has been abstaining for a while.

“I think the reason why I enjoyed sex on my birthday was simply because ever since my last serious relationship I was not indulging in sex.

“For the past four months my focus was mainly on my career and sex was the last thing on my mind,” she said.

Amai Gamu did not reveal the identities of the boyfriends that she slept with on her birthday nor did she state how many they were.

Lots of Amai Gamu’s male friends graced her party at The Volt.

lalasticlala

By John Chikezie




A Lagos-based music promoter and graphic artist, Victor Aligbe, accused of uploading nude pictures of his girlfriend on social media over sex chats with a white man, was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate Court, Lagos.

The 27-year-old artist, who pleaded not guilty, was docked on a three count charge of breach of peace and threat to life.

After uploading the pictures, Aligbe allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend, Cynthia Duru, 26, and vowed to commit suicide if she decides to break up with him.

According to the charge, Aligbe did threaten Cynthia with text messages and thereby conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of peace.

The police prosecutor, Asp Simon Imhonwa told the court that the incident occurred on August 17 at Lawal Street, Alaba Area Lagos.

Imhonwa said that Cynthia received a call from her boyfriend to come to his friend’s family house at Lawal Street.

He said, “But on getting to the address she was threatened with a cutlass by her boyfriend and her phone was forcefully collected from her”.

“The accused demanded her phone password and transferred her nude pictures to his phone which he later uploaded on a Facebook account. He thereafter threatened her with text messages”, he said.

However, According to Aligbe’s statement, he began dating Cynthia after they met on an online dating site called ‘Hitwe’ in 2016.

He stated that Cynthia thereafter moved into his apartment and they started living together, with the permission of her parents.

He said that he discovered that his girlfriend was cheating on him with some white men on Facebook but she denied it when he confronted her.

Aligbe said that Cynthia angrily left his house for months after the confrontation and refused coming back.

He, however, denied uploading her pictures on social media but claimed his friend known as “concentrate” did.

He also claimed that he was an internet fraudster who taught his girlfriend how to defraud people using the internet.

He stated that a white man name Ryan kubick used to send money to them through Money Gram but his girlfriend got greedy and decided to end the relationship after receiving the last payment.

Aligbe said. “I am into ‘yahoo yahoo’. One white man named Ryan called me from United States of America that he found out that my girlfriend has been scamming him by collecting huge sums from him in the pretence of paying him a visit to the US.

“I taught her everything she needed to know about the business and now she understands it. She now went behind my back to collect the money without telling me,” he claimed.

The presiding Magistrate, Bolanle O. Osusanmi granted Aligbe bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

The matter was further adjourned till October 30 for mention.

lalasticlala

By Wale Odunsi



Several students were injured after gunmen suspected to be cultists attacked the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu campus.

According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen stormed the hostel, claiming to be searching for a stolen laptop.

It was gathered that one of the residents of the hostel, who is a National Diploma One student, had earlier been invited for initiation by the cultists but he declined.

One of the eyewitnesses, Bayo, said, “When they first came in the afternoon, they said they were searching for a missing item.

“They said the person that stole it passed through the estate. We engaged them and they failed in their attempt to gain entrance.

“Suddenly, around few minutes past 09pm, a larger group came and started calling the name of one of us in the hostel to come out.

“Immediately they called his name, we remembered that he once told us that some people were disturbing him to join a cult group. Some of us went out and we asked others to protect him in seclusion. Four of us were eventually injured.”

Confirming the incident, President of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria in Lagos State, Dr. Saheed Ashafa, lamented that the hostel attacked was predominantly occupied by male Muslim students in the institution.

He said, “Our members in Ikorodu were attacked by cultists in their hostel last night (Monday).

“According to the report sent to me early this morning (Tuesday), they (the attackers) were actually trying to initiate a brother (Muslim student) in ND one (part time), so they wanted to intimidate the MSSN hostel where he resides to get their way.

“I was informed that they (the cultists) have been threatening him from school with the support of a lecturer. They had access to the hostel at first by claiming that they are searching for their missing laptop but challenged. They later went there in multitude. Some brothers sustained injuries but have been treated and discharged.”

http://dailypost.ng/2017/08/29/gunmen-invade-lagos-poly-injure-students/

lalasticlala

Posted By: Odunayo Ogunmola


There was tension yesterday at Omuo-Ekiti, Kota-Ekiti and other communities in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State, following a bloody clash between supporters of Governor Ayo Fayose and those of Senate Deputy Minority Whip Biodun Olujimi.

Scores of people were said to have been wounded at a meeting of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in Kota-Ekiti on Sunday. It was attended by members from both factions.

The House of Assembly member representing Ekiti East Constituency II, Dare Pelemo, who is a loyalist of Fayose, was said to have been among the wounded.

A source told our reporter yesterday that many of the victims of the attack are receiving treatment at undisclosed hospitals in Omuo and Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

Residents scampered to safety and stayed away until the dust of the clash cleared.

Fayose and Olujimi are locked in a cold war over the latter’s governorship ambition; the governor allegedly warned Olujimi to drop her governorship ambition but the senator reportedly rebuffed the governor.

The crisis reached a crescendo two weeks ago when two House of Assembly members – Michael Adeojo (Ekiti Southwest II) and Ojo Ade Fajana (Ekiti East 1) – were investigated for their alleged loyalty and closeness to Olujimi.

A source said the clash erupted over alleged plan to take control of the meeting by one of the factions, which snowballed into physical combat in which missiles were hurled on both sides.

Assembly member Pelemo, the source said, had his clothes torn by Olujimi’s supporters, who mobilised to attack him for “attempting to advance Fayose’s interest” at the meeting.

The source said: “The meeting ended in disarray as the team loyal to Senator Olujimi and team loyal to Governor Fayose exchanged fisticuffs.

“The House of Assembly member representing Ekiti East Constituency II, Pelemo, was beaten up while other members of the team loyal to Governor Fayose ran for their lives.”

lalasticlala

Olawale Olaleye


A mid-term cabinet reshuffle has topped President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda since his return from the United Kingdom (UK) nine days ago and may have influenced his decision to defer last week’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), THISDAY has learnt.

According to top presidency sources, Buhari has made up his mind to rejig his cabinet very soon but is torn between moving around the current crop of ministers or dropping them completely and replacing them with new appointees.

THISDAY had exclusively reported that when Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo visited the president last month in the United Kingdom, he had sought Buhari’s permission to reshuffle the cabinet.

He had also presented Buhari with a draft list for the reshuffling of the cabinet for his consideration and approval.

The president, it was gathered, however, asked his deputy to tarry a while until he returned to the country, informing Osinbajo that since the administration was midway into its tenure, it would be the only opportunity for him (Buhari) to reshuffle the cabinet.

It was on the basis of Buhari’s position that Osinbajo, upon his return to the country, swore-in Prof. Stephen Ocheni from Kogi State and Alhaji Suleiman Hassan from Gombe State, who had been confirmed by the Senate as ministerial nominees, without assigning any portfolios to them.

They were eventually assigned portfolios three days before Buhari’s return from the UK.

With Buhari’s return since August 19, the president has been preoccupied with reshuffling his cabinet as soon as possible.

However, a presidency source confided in THISDAY that his ministers, who are all aware of the likely changes to take place, have been lobbying Buhari through their governors or close allies of the president, to either retain their ministries or be moved to other ministries that they deem more “important”.

Buhari, it was gathered, has also been holding on to the list drafted by the vice-president and has not made up his mind on whether to reshuffle the cabinet on the basis of the list, or make some alterations to the list before doing so.

The presidency source further revealed that Buhari has been counselled by those close to him to jettison the list given to him by Osinbajo completely and dissolve the cabinet so that he can bring in new hands that will be loyal to the president and his agenda.

According to the source, the situation has caused an air of uncertainty among his ministers who do not know if they are staying on or may be replaced.

This has not been helped by the fact that Buhari, THISDAY learnt, has also decided to keep the final decision close to his chest, given the growing interplay of interests.

“The cabinet would definitely be reshuffled very soon and all the ministers know that. It is for this reason they have been lobbying their governors and allies close to Mr. President since he returned from London.

“The problem is that some of these same allies have advised Mr. President to discountenance the list that was presented by Vice-President Osinbajo when he met with him last month in London.

“His allies would rather he dissolves the cabinet completely and brings in a new team that would be completely loyal to the president.

“Right now the cabinet is in a state of flux due to the uncertainty over what direction the president would go,” the source volunteered.

Etim Ekpimah , Uyo


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The police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested a 32- year - old woman, Mrs. Victoria Ndu, for faking her own kidnap.

It was learnt that Ndu, who claimed to have been kidnapped , was rescued in Awommama in Imo State on August 24 by men of the anti -kidnapping squad from Akwa Ibom State police headquarters , Ikot Akpan - Abia .

She was said to have been rearrested the same day after investigations revealed that Ndu actually planned her own kidnap in order to get money from her church members.

Following investigation , the police said she was found to have placed N 3 m as ransom for her (Victoria ) release.

It was gathered that her younger brother, Victor Akan, an artisan resident in Awommama in Imo State , was also arrested for allegedly conspiring with her to commit the crime.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Chukwu Ikechukwu, said in Uyo on Monday that the suspects were rescued and arrested same day following interrogation by men of anti -kidnapping unit where Ndu confessed to masterminding the crime .

He said , “ Victoria ’ s husband had, on August 16, reported to the Divisional Police Headquarters in Nsit Atai that his wife had been kidnapped . He told the police that his wife told him that she was going to the market that day.

“ But Nsit Atai lacked the jurisdiction to handle kidnap matters . The case was subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department .

“ They traced the calls used in contacting the church members and demand for N 3 m ransom to Awommama in Imo State. That was how the men of the anti - kidnapping unit swung into action and tracked down the suspects and rescued them.

“ It was while Ndu was being interrogated at the anti - kidnapping unit that she confessed that she actually masterminded her own kidnap . That was how she and her brother were arrested. The brother was arrested because both of them conspired to fake the crime .

“ What you are seeing here today is to serve as a deterrent to people who may be planning to go into this kind of crime.

Police in Akwa Ibom are doing everything possible to ensure that crime in the state is reduced to the barest minimum .

“ The Commissioner of Police , Mr. Zubairu Muazu , therefore appeals to members of the public to provide useful information that will help us to achieve that and serve them better . ”

The suspects , in an interview , admitted to the crime even as both pleaded to be forgiven and attributed their action to lack of money to conduct burial ceremony of their late parents.

Ndu, who lamented her suffering after 10 years of marriage without a child , said , “ We are orphans from very poor background . I only did what I did to help my family bury our parents.

“ Our father died in 2008, but we did not conduct any burial ceremony for him . In April this year , our mother also died , but since then, she has not been buried because of no money .

“ We wanted to conduct burial for both of them."

lalasticlala

Posted By: Precious Igbonwelundu



An 18-year-old girl, Chiamaka Ndubu, has been found dead in a brothel in Moshalashi Alhaja, Agege, Lagos.

Her body was found on Thursday with three used condoms hours after a man, who was said to be with her for the night, left. She was believed to be a commercial sex worker

There were no marks on her nor were any of her body parts missing.

According to sources, the man, who came in a car, approached Ndubu’s friend, Joy, where the young women stood by the roadside.

Joy insisted he alighted from his car before negotiating with him, but he refused. So she turned him down.

He then approached Ndubu, who it was gathered, immediately hopped into his car and they left for her room at a place called Happy Hour.

Her body was found few hours later by other residents, who suspected she had been used for ritual.

The police were invited and they arrested Joy, who was the last person seen with the deceased before she left with the customer.

A source told The Nation that Joy was taken to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba.

The command’s spokesman, Olarinde Famous-Cole, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the police were investigating a case of Sudden and Unnatural Death (SUD).

Samson Folarin


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Two legal practitioners have accused policemen from the Ogun State Police Command of assault, saying they were beaten for alleged disrespect to the Ijebu Ode Police Area Commander , ACP Funsho Ajao.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victims – Adekoya Adebayo and Sola Ajisebutu – had gone to a bar at Molipa , in the Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State , to meet a client for a business discussion.

After the discussion , the owner of the bar reportedly took Adebayo to Ajao ’ s seat in the pub , seeking to start a relationship between the lawyer and the police boss.

However , after the introduction went awry , Adebayo stormed out of the bar and was about entering into his car when a policeman allegedly accosted him.

The policeman was alleged to have queried the lawyer for not prostrating for the commander and slapped him.

Adebayo’ s friend, Ajisebutu, who had a physical disability and used crutches , was said to have been pushed to the ground when he attempted to mediate.

Adebayo, who claimed that his fiancée was also assaulted, told PUNCH Metro that the chamber he worked with, Kayode Oshiyemi and Co , had not been in friendly terms with the office of the area commander.

He said prior to the incident , the chamber had written petitions against the area commander for allegedly fraternising with a rich man in the state to frustrate the course of justice in a case involving another client .

He said , “ On Sunday, August 6 , 2017 , I was heading to my house in Molipa, with my friend and fiancée in my car , when a client called that I should stop over at a bar near the Goodluck Filling Station , Molipa .

“ I got to the place around 11. 30pm because of traffic . After a brief discussion with the client , I decided to leave . The bar owner , who was a friend , grabbed my hand and said he wanted me to meet with somebody.

“ He took me to a table where the area commander was seated. There were empty beer bottles on the table. Even before the introduction , as a cultured Yoruba man , I had bowed and greeted him without knowing who he was . The bar owner said , ‘Meet the area commander ’ . We exchanged pleasantries.

“ However , I remembered that there had been a matter between the chamber I work with, and the office of the area commander. But I maintained my composure.

“ During the introduction, he got to know I worked with the Kayode Oshiyemi’ s chamber and his countenance changed . Immediately , I sensed trouble and hurried out of the bar.

“I was about to enter my car when one of the policemen, who was in mufti, asked why I was standing straight to address the area commander and that I should have prostrated. I told him the area commander was not up to a magistrate or a high court judge that we stand to address daily.

“He slapped me. The other policemen, who were in uniform, beat me and used the butts of their guns to hit me. My fiancée was also assaulted. ”

His friend , Ajisebutu , who was observing the scene , reportedly intervened and asked the policemen to stop the assault.
He was allegedly pushed.

He said , “ Based on my condition , I could not fight with them . I saw as they were punching and hitting him with their guns . I was trying to ask what he did wrong when they pushed me . I decided to stay away .

They were about eight policemen. ”
The head of the Kayode Oshiyemi and Co . chamber, Kayode Oshiyemi , said he had petitioned the Office of the Assistant Inspector - General of Police , Zone 2 , over the assault.

The petition , dated August 13 , 2017 , also copied the Office of the Attorney General , Ogun State Ministry of Justice ; and the Commissioner of Police , Ogun State.

Oshiyemi after recounting the incident , said his firm had previously written petitions against Ajao over his alleged bias and corrupt practices.

He said , “It is the deliberate omission of the police authorities to act in respect of previous petitions written against ACP Funsho Ajao that makes him feel he is untouchable . He has gone too far this time , as it took the intervention of another police officer , named Anthony , who recognised our client to rescue him from being further maimed . ”

He called for investigations into the incident to avert a “ looming breach of the public peace and public protest . ”

The Ogun State police spokesperson , Abimbola Oyeyemi , faulted the narratives of the lawyers.

He said , “ The area commander went to the place to relax and on getting there , he met a prominent person in the community. The person tried to introduce him to the lawyer .
I don’t know if the lawyer had known the area commander before or not. But as the man was doing the introduction, the lawyer said there was no big deal in meeting the area commander and should he kill himself over that? The man doing the introduction , who is the lawyer’ s brother, felt embarrassed . The man reprimanded him for the action.

“ He flared up and started abusing the area commander . It is not possible for all that to be happening and the security details of the area commander will just sit and watch.

They queried his manners. They wanted to get him arrested , but his brother slapped him . The area commander would not descend low to be exchanging words with somebody who was misbehaving in that manner .

“ Is he the only lawyer in Nigeria ? We have thousands of qualified lawyers in the Nigeria Police Force as well . Before someone will rise to the rank of an area commander, if he were a lawyer, he would have become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria .

Abimbola condemned the disrespectful attitude of some lawyers to police officers , saying the command would not be intimidated.

The owner of the bar , identified only as Alhaji, said the lawyer was to blame for the fracas .

He said , “ Adebayo frequents my bar and I once told him I was going to see the area commander . He asked if I could facilitate a meeting between them . He said the commander did not like to relate with young lawyers.

“I had not got the chance until the area commander came to the bar with his boys to relax . If I knew the lawyer was drunk that night , I wouldn’ t have done what I did .
‘ He insulted the area commander and the policemen were provoked . He also said a traditional chief sitting with the police officer wore ropes around his neck , instead of beads. The oba almost cursed him . He brought everything on himself. I can ’ t take sides with him because of our closeness.”

Toluwani Olamitoke



A man, Kolade Atanda, who sued for divorce at Oja Oba/Mapo Court C Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State made the following allegations against his wife, Dupe Atanda.

He stated thus: “My wife denied me of two things which are important to me. These are s3x and access to my two children.

“Her mother indirectly runs our home because she takes orders from her, but flouts every instruction I give her.

“As a result of this I feel inadequate as a man.

He added, “I can’t tolerate this anymore. Please, separate us and give me custody of the children”

The plaintiff gave details of his wife’s misbehaviour.

“I got married to my wife eight years ago and for those years, she refused to work.

“I got her a job through the help of my boss, but she refused to resume work on the stipulated day, ”he said.

“She denied me s3x. Any night I demanded for s3x, she would tell me her mother told her to pray throughout that night or attend a vigil in her church.

“I encouraged her to enroll for a part time Higher Diploma Degree (HND) course, but she failed to complete the programme.

“She made me believe she was nearly through with the course and that she was working on her project which she collected N90,000 for from me.

“She lied concerning the project for more than two years. The truth was finally revealed when my friend who lectures in her school helped me to check her result.

“He told me she performed woefully in all her courses and that she was not working on any project.

“I reported her to her mother who took side with her.

“Her mum told me she never offered her daughter’s hand to me in marriage. She added that she was already engaged to someone who fared better than I did.

“I told her she shouldn’t have taken the food items and money my family members presented to her and her husband during our traditional wedding.

“My lord, my wife and her mother told me I have no claim on our children because they are not mine.

“She later moved out of my home with the children and took my belongings like deep freezer, watching machine, mattresses among others along with her.

“She called my father some few days back and threatened to deal with him if he refused to restrain me from coming to court, “he told the court.

The defendant failed to show up in court after being served court summon twice.

The court president, Chief Ademola Odunade, after he had listened to the plaintiff adjourned the case till September 7, for judgment.

lalasticlala

By NGOZI UWUJARE

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The menace of kidnapping for ransom in the country took a more frightening twist when 31-year-old Chibuike Okoroafor, brought a new dimension to the crime.

Okoroafor resorted to raise money for the burial of his late father and uncle, by going out with his gang to kidnap 10 victims in Imo and Anambra states.

The first abductees were 30-year-old Chigozie Ekwegbara and his two sisters, who were kidnapped about 8.00pm at Ornage Fastfood, opposite Asutel, Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area, Anambra State.

They were whisked away in a Toyota Highlander SUV of Chigozie and held for five days in Azara Obiato in Mbaitoli Local Government Area, Imo State, until their family paid N2 million to secure their freedom.

As Sunday Sun learnt from the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Garba Baba Umar, Chigozie reported the incident after regaining freedom. Acting on the report, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad led by Supol Sunday Ikpe, launched a manhunt of the kidnappers and eventually tracked down Okoroafor and two other members of the gang, namely, Azubuike Nwachukwu, 41, from Okpa Umuobo in Osisioma LGA, Abia State and Ikechukwu Emeka Chima, 30, from Amachara village in Umuahia, Abia State and arrested them on August 10 at Orogwe along the Owerri-Onitsha road, Imo state.

During interrogation, Umar said that Okoroafor disclosed that he had twice postponed the burial of his father and uncle after learning that the police were on his trail. Ultimately he never attended the uncles’ burial held in July 2017. He only sent money to his relations for the burial.

Recalling the traumatic experience, Chigozie said: “I was with my two sisters at Orange Fast Food Opposite Asutel Uli, when they kidnapped us. They took us to their hideout and demanded over N10 million but my relatives paid N2 Million after five days; we were released at Azara Obiata in Mbaitola L.G.A of Imo State.

“On May 5, 2017, I reported to the SARS and within two months, on August 10, 2017, two members of the of gang were arrested.

I was able to identify them. I want them to return my Highlander SUV and my gold chain. I am grateful to God and want to thank the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Garba Umar and the SARS operatives for the brilliant work they did.”

The SARS Commander, Supol Sunday Ikpe , added that his team is still trying to recover the SUV, which the gang sold in Aba to a car snatching syndicate.

When he spoke with Sunday Sun , Okoroafor said: “I have kidnapped over 10 victims and used the money I collected from their relatives to bury my late father.

We demanded N10 million because I needed the money to also bury my uncle in Abia state. I was involved in bank robberies in Imo State. I was declared wanted by the state police command, so I relocated to Anambra State.

Okoroafor who hails from Azara Obiato further revealed that he was wearing Chigozie’s gold chain when he was arrested.

lalasticlala

Kunle Falayi

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In July 2017, a security guard, Mr. Azeez Saidi , noticed that his 19- year - old daughter, Fatima, suddenly became emaciated and withdrawn.

He said the girl , who works as an apprentice tailor around Amukoko area of Lagos , also slept and ate little .

“ It became so bad that I was crying while her sister was also crying because we did not know what was wrong with her .

“ We bought various drugs but none worked . Their mother died two years ago and I am bringing them up all alone.

“ The first day it started , she got back from work that day and said she was very tired . Then from then on, it was like she was a plant that gradually withered . ”

Saturday PUNCH learnt that on her way to work that fateful day, the exact date of which the girl ’ s foggy mind could no longer bring up , she passed by the house of a herbalist, 68-year - old Jimoh Amuda , on Imam Street, Amukoko .

The man reportedly summoned the girl .
The rest of the story sounded more like a Hollywood script.

For more than a month after her encounter with Amuda started , Fatima told no one.

But when her father became concerned and started crying over her state, she opened up.

“I was crying, her young brother too was crying. That was when she told me that the herbalist had warned her not to reveal what had happened , ” Fatima ’ s father said.

She said Amuda called her and said she had to make an alms of sugar , salt and cola nuts .

The following day , she explained that she went to thank the man for his prayers and instructions.

Amuda reportedly sat her down and explained that she needed spiritual help.

Fatima told her father that Amuda then gave her a fetish item to ingest with pap.

He said , “ She told us that after that, the man gave her ‘ Hontu ’ (a controversial Islamic practice in Nigeria of writing Surah on a slate , washing it off and drinking it for healing and warding off spiritual attacks).

“ I was shocked by all these . How can anyone tell her to do all that and she did not make any effort to tell me as her father ?

“ The most frightening was that after the drink he gave her , he told her to buy waist beads which she had to wear for three days . My daughter said she did not have any money to buy beads and he told her not to worry.

“ He gave her a bead , which he said she could either keep and give him N 2,000 in exchange or return after she had worn it for three days.

“ My daughter said she did not have money, but after wearing it for three days as instructed , she returned it to the man . ”
That was when her troubles started .

Saidi said he raised the alarm after hearing his daughter’ s story and one of his brothers reported the matter to the police .

He said they eventually confronted the man and asked him why he targeted Fatima.

“I wanted to know the reason for it all and he said everything he did for her was just for spiritual healing. I asked if my daughter approached him first and he said he was the one who took interest in her , ” he said .

A police source told our correspondent that during interrogation , the herbalist confessed that he was just trying to make money but did not elaborate about how this connects to the different items he had given Fatima to ingest and use.

“ He kept repeating that all he had done for the girl were for spiritual favour (referred to as eyonu in Yoruba ). At a point , he was asked to eat some of the items he said he gave the girl to ingest . ”

On Friday , the police said Amuda was charged with enslavement at the Ebute Meta Magistrate ’ s Court , Lagos.

He has been remanded at the Kirikiri Prisons till he is able to perfect his bail conditions.

The case would come up for hearing on September 15 , 2017.

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By Isiaka Wakili


After returning on Saturday from his 103-day medical vacation in the United Kingdom, President Muhammadu Buhari resumed official duties Monday morning. He took off with a nationwide broadcast which was devoted mainly to harping on national unity which, according to Buhari, is settled and not negotiable. 

“We shall not allow irresponsible elements to start trouble and when things get bad they run away and saddle others with the responsibility of bringing back order, if necessary with their blood. Every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance. I believe the very vast majority of Nigerians share this view. This is not to deny that there are legitimate concerns. Every group has a grievance. But the beauty and attraction of a federation is that it allows different groups to air their grievances and work out a mode of co-existence.

“Terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety. Therefore we are going to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight not only against; elements of Boko Haram which are attempting a new series of attacks on soft targets; kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes; in addition to ethnic violence fuelled by political mischief makers. We shall tackle them all.”

Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, described the broadcast as “just one step of many steps that are going to be taken in the days and weeks and months ahead. So, you can’t expect that everything will be said in one day.”

Later in the day, Buhari, in compliance with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) signed a letter addressed to the president of the Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, with a view to intimating the National Assembly that he had resumed his functions as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with effect from Monday. The brief ceremony was exclusively witnessed by some close aides as well as official cameramen and photographers of the president. 

The president’s itinerary, which was sighted by our correspondent, showed that Buhari really planned big for the week. A twist was, nonetheless, introduced into his resumption as he was meant to operate from his official residence at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja pending the renovation of his office. 

President Buhari rounded off his activities on Monday with a briefing he received from his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. The president had earlier received the governor of Nasarawa State, Umar Tanko Almakura. 

The president’s sole programme for Tuesday was a meeting he held at his residence with members of the National Security Council (NSC) which lasted three hours in response to rising security issues in the country. While he was away in the UK, there were ethnic clashes, kidnappings, heightened campaign for a sovereign state of Biafra by IPOB and the October 1 deadline by a group of Arewa youths asking all Igbos to vacate the North.  

Buhari handed down orders to the security chiefs, asking them to preserve Nigeria’s unity and end all threats to national security. In attendance were the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique; the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris; the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Malam Lawal Daura, and a representative of the Chief of Naval Staff.

There was a surprise on Wednesday. President Buhari was scheduled to chair the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, but the meeting did not hold. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had consistently presided over the meetings for over three months during Buhari’s medical sojourn in London. There was no explanation from the Presidency on why the council meeting was put off. State House caterers had brought the cabinet members’ meals to the Council Chambers of the Villa before realising that the FEC meeting would not take place. Presidential spokesman, Adesina, merely said in a terse statement that “The meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) will not hold today (Wednesday).”

The president later on Wednesday received the report of the presidential panel that investigated the allegations against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke. He received the report at his official residence from Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who headed the panel comprising the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno (rtd) and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, as members.

President Buhari had on April 19 suspended Babachir and Oke and set up the three-man committee to investigate alleged infractions against both officials within a period of two weeks. Babachir was investigated for allegedly awarding millions of naira contracts to a company in which he had interest, Global Vision Limited, under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

A Senate Committee on Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, which had earlier found the suspended SGF culpable of alleged complicity in a N200 million grass-cutting contract to clear “invasive plant species” in Yobe State, had demanded his resignation and prosecution. 

Oke was probed for alleged $43.4 million operations cash found by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission at apartment 7B in Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos. He had reportedly claimed that the money belonged to the NIA and was approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan for some covert operations. The panel was mandated to uncover the circumstances by which the NIA came into possession of the funds and find out how and by whose or which authority the funds were made available to the NIA as well as to establish whether or not there was a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds.

The most senior permanent secretary in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr Habibat Lawal and Oke’s senior deputy, Ambassador Arab Yadam, are currently acting as SGF and Director-General of the NIA respectively. 

On Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari signed nine international agreements aimed at strengthening his administration’s anti-corruption war as well as stabilising the economy and improving the security situation in the country. The signing ceremony for the execution of the Instruments of Ratification for International Agreements between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other Entities was held at a conference room in the First Lady’s wing of the Presidential Villa.

The agreements signed with the United Arab Emirates were: Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters, Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and an Extradition Treaty.

Other agreements included Charter for the Lake Chad Basin between Nigeria, Cameroun, Central African Republic, Libya, Niger and the Republic of Chad; African Tax Administration Forum Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters, the World Intellectual Property Organization Treaty on Audio-Visual Performances and the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons, who are blind, visually-impaired or otherwise.

The president directed all agencies of government with roles to play under the ratified treaties to play their anticipated roles in an effective and responsible manner in order to ensure that the country reaps the full benefits of the agreements. “It is my hope that these Instruments will reinvigorate the anti-corruption war and check the illicit flow of funds out of our country to other jurisdictions, improve national security, food security, boost our economic and tax regimes and improve the overall well-being of our creative community,’’ he said.

Buhari described the signing of the agreements as an important milestone in demonstrating the sovereign capacity of Nigeria to fulfill international obligations and take important steps for the benefit of the economy, security and the anti-corruption war.

Then on Friday, Buhari met with leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for about one hour at the new Banquet Hall of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. He said the visit signified the unity of Nigeria as “It is not a party occasion. It is not a political gathering. It is a symbol of our national unity. It is also an expression of the maturity of our democracy. Multi-party democracy is a very tried and tested form of government. Opposition does not mean hostility, enmity or antagonism. Democracy needs opposition, one which is vibrant but responsible.”

President Muhammadu Buhari later joined other Muslim faithful in observing Juma’at at the State House mosque. Cameramen and photographers were, however, barred from covering the prayer session which the Presidency described as private. The president also on Friday met with state governors inside the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja and told them that the show of love by Nigerians had boosted his morale.

As shown by his first five working days, President Buhari is settling back into work.

lalasticlala

From: Magnus EZE, Abuja


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One of President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughters, Hanan, holds photographic exhibition in Wise 2, Abuja, on Friday evening.

The event attracted the high and mighty including First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, described the works as ‘stunning’.

Most of the artistic photographs centre on the Fulani pastoral culture.

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A bride has reportedly been murdered a few hours to her wedding day.

Family sources claim that some weeks to her wedding, the 38-year - old bride- to be , South African Nompumelelo Ngubane , had received a message via the WhatsApp asking her to either “cancel the wedding or die . ”

Her mother, Ntombifikile, also said someone once slipped a note under the late woman’s door, containing the same death threat.

She reportedly ignored the messages and proceeded with her wedding that had been scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 19, 2017 at the Golden Horse Casino. However, on Friday evening, her body was found in a car at KwaPata area of Peietermaritzburg, South Africa, News 24 claims.

Her family believes she had been strangled to death and police are investigating a case of murder.

As reported by many online media outlets , her family believes she had been strangled to death, as there was a belt around her neck, suggesting she had been strangled; while her face was allegedly covered with her head scarf . The front seat of her car was also reclined.

Said to be a mother of two , Nompumelelo , a nurse at Edendale Hospital , is believed to have left home on Friday morning to fix her hair at the salon and to also collect her wedding gown.

Her bereaved mother, Ntombifikile, reportedly said she had last spoken to her daughter at around 8 . 30 am on the Friday of her demise.

“ She left home very early to go and do her hair and also fetch her wedding gown from the boutique in town. She told me she was not going to be gone for long , ” Ntombifikile is said to have informed a news outlet, The Witness newspaper said.

However, when Nompumelelo did not return home by 5 pm that day, her family started getting concerned.

“ We tried to reach her on her cell phone , but it was off, ” one of her brothers is reported to have said .

Plessislaer police station spokesperson , Capt . Musa Ntombela , who confirmed the incident said they are investigating a case of murder and that no arrests have been made yet .

Ntombifikile said they later learned that Nompumelelo did not reach the boutique.

Her handbag, wallet and cell phone were also missing. Her car was seen by locals on the side of the road from around 2 pm that day, but they did not realise that a body was inside.

One of her relatives who lives in KwaPata said she learnt that Nompumelelo ’ s car had been spotted in the area.

Most locals who had seen her car in the area thought Nompumelelo was there to visit the relation. Ntombifikile said after searching for her daughter for hours, the relation told her that her daughter’ s car was parked in KwaPata.

“ We asked the relative to go to the car and see if Nompumelelo was there . ” The relative then discovered her body.

“ She saw her inside the car and thought she may have fallen asleep. She knocked on the window but there was no response.

She then opened the door and shook her, but she did not respond . ”

Police and paramedics were called in, but they declared Nompumelelo dead at the scene . Ntombifikile said weeks before her wedding , her daughter had received numerous threats telling her to cancel the nuptials.

“ She received numerous threatening calls and WhatsApp messages asking her to cancel her wedding.

“ A few weeks before the wedding , we found a letter that was slipped under the front door , telling her to either “ cancel the wedding or die . ”

“ I feared for her life and I tried to get her to postpone the wedding , but she refused and assured me that nothing would happen.”

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By John Chuks Azu 


The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami （SAN) has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of frustrating the anti-graft war.


In a statement on Wednesday, the spokesman of the AGF, Salihu Othman, alleged that Magu and the EFCC leadership had “manipulated and misused intelligence to the detriment of the fight against corruption and financial crime in Nigeria”.



The statement followed the non-lifting of the country’s suspension by  the global financial intelligence gathering body, Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (Egmont Group), and ensure the country’s formal expulsion.


The Egmont Group comprises 156 financial intelligence units (FIUs) representing 156 countries.

Part of the statement reads: “The EFCC is now in a state of paranoia, as it dreads the effort of the government to have an independent NFIU, which it has stood against stoically since 2006.


Part of the statement reads: “The EFCC is now in a state of paranoia, as it dreads the effort of the government to have an independent NFIU, which it has stood against stoically since 2006.


“As it presently stands, the NFIU staff are all deployed by the EFCC to serve in the interest of whoever is its current Chairman. This has to stop if it must conform to the new thinking and global best practice. Nigeria cannot be an island of its own. It cannot fight corruption in isolation.


“The threat of expulsion from the Egmont Group calls for a thorough review of the NFIU and the manner in which the EFCC leadership has manipulated and misused intelligence to the detriment of the fight against corruption and financial crime in Nigeria.


“To achieve the desired goal, NFIU needs to stand alone as an agency with full complements of power to recruit its staff and an annual budgetary allocation guaranteed for its operations.


“Its independence must be ascertained in the new law to set up Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIA) to enable it carry out its mandate, which shall include responsibilities for receiving, requesting, analysing and disseminating financial intelligence reports on money laundering, terrorist financing and other relevant information to law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies, and other relevant authorities.


“As a result of the new occurrences in global circle, it is pertinent that the EFCC cannot continue to be dogmatic on its stand. It can’t shy away from the needful. The current reality is that Nigeria must not remain a pariah in the anti-corruption space. This is very germane at this point.”

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Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja


The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has arrested one Ozigi Abdulkarim for allegedly luring his 19- year - old girlfriend into prostitution in Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates.

NAPTIP said in a statement by its Head , Press and Public Relations, Josiah Emerole , that the victim was recruited from Gwarimpa, Abuja , by Abdulkarim and two others –Ngozi Ani and Princewill James – for onward transfer to an alleged trafficking kingpin, Rita Ani , in the UAE .

According to the agency , the suspects prepared her travel documents , took her to Ogbomoso , Oyo State , where an oath was administered on her before the journey.

It said two other suspects – Benson Emmanuel and Philip Joshua – were associates of the other four and played one role or the other in the movement of the victim .

It was learnt that when the victim arrived in Abu Dhabi , she was forced into prostitution for four years by Rita under excruciating conditions , including “ flogging and insertion of hot boiling ring into her private parts whenever she did not make enough money a day. ”

The suspects , it was learnt , were arrested by operatives of NAPTIP in two operations in Gwarimpa, Abuja; and Ibadan , the Oyo State capital .

It was learnt that Rita , the prime suspect, who recently returned home to perform her traditional marriage rites preparatory to moving to the United Kingdom with her fiancé , was arrested in Ibadan by the newly established NAPTIP- Rapid Response Squad .

The statement added , “NAPTIP has arrested six persons , including a 25- year - old Abu Dhabi based Rita Ani , for the trafficking of girls from Nigeria to the United Arab Emirates to engage in forced prostitution .

“ Rita belongs to a network of Nigerian traffickers based in Abu Dhabi who engaged Nigerian girls in international prostitution in that country.

“ The other five are Rita ’ s elder sister, Ngozi Ani (aka Princess ),
Ozigi Abdulkarim , Princewill James , Benson Emmanuel and Philip Joshua (aka OJ).

“ While investigations are ongoing, the suspects have made very useful statements concerning the case . Chinyere also confessed to having more girls working for her in the UAE . They will soon be charged . ”

The Director - General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah- Donli , commended the operatives for smashing the network, adding that the agency would smoke out human traffickers to face justice no matter their hideouts.

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Peter Dada, Akure


A policeman , identified as Abraham Arowogun attached to the Kajola Divisional Police Station , Kajola town in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State has committed suicide by jumping into a deep well in the police station .

The incident which occurred on Tuesday was still mysterious to other police officers at the divisional police station as well as the people of the community.

A police source said Arowogun never suffered from any insanity .

According to the source , the deceased, who was an inspector before his death, has earlier shot one of his senior colleagues , Timothy Aruehi dead .

Arowogun shot Aruehi, who was a Divisional Crime Officer , following a disagreement that ensued between them on the issue of money.

The source explained, “ There was an issue that happened between the two officers.

Arowogun was investigating a case and the DCO , Aruehi , discovered that a sum of N 150 , 000 was involved in the case he (Arowogun) was investigating and that Arowogun actually converted that money to his private purse.

“The DCO called him and asked him questions. Why he did what he did ? In the course of interrogating him , he just went out angrily and brought out a gun and shot Timothy dead. ”

The police source added that after killing the DCO , other officers in the station at the time fled for safety.

“After doing that, he knew that what he did was unprofessional and unpardonable in the police force, he just left the scene jumped into a well at the back of the station, ” the source stated.

The corpses of the two policemen were said to have been deposited at the mortuary in the Ondo State General Hospital, Ore.

When contacted , the Public Relations Officer of the command , Mr. Femi Joseph , confirmed the incident and said the command had commenced an investigation on the matter.

“ It is an unfortunate incident but we have begun investigation on it, the command is very saddened by the incident and our heart are very heavy, we are doing everything possible to further dig into the matter and also to talk to our officers and men on the need to avert similar occurrence, ” the PPRO stated.

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Posted By: Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa


Constituents, mainly students, from the Bayelsa East Senatorial District, have threatened to begin a process of recalling the Senator representing them in the National Assembly, Mr. Ben Bruce.

The aggrieved constituents accused the common sense senator of neglecting them and having no plans for his constituency, which comprises Nembe, Brass and Ogbia local government areas, Bayelsa State.

Leaders of student bodies for the three local government areas made their grievances known Tuesday in a statement.

The statement was signed by Samuel Tari (Nembe), Ambrose Joseph (Brass) and Mark John (Ogbia).

They lamented that the senator was not in good relationship with his people and had continued to shy away from his constitutional responsibilities.

They cried out that the senator was donating relief materials to people in other states when his constituents were wallowing in poverty with many students unable to pay their fees.

Besides, they said since he was elected, Bruce had not visited his people.

They said: “Since Bruce became a senator, he has failed to look into the basic needs and challenges currently bedeviling the East Senatorial Districts, such as issues of education, as most of our students cannot access good quality education.

“He has failed to attract a single project to the districts in terms of infrastructures, roads and others. He has continuously and deliberately ignored efforts by the people to create a working relationship that will bring out purposeful leadership for our people.

“He is yet to fulfil any of his campaign promises; painfully, he is an Abuja-based senator. He refuses to visit his constituency, except only once when he visited his hometown and couldn’t even stay for up to four hours.

“Sincerely, we are tired; other places are enjoying the benefits that come from having a national representative. Our case has been a curse rather than a blessing. We are just like a district without a senator.

This why we are intended to change that narrative”.

The student leaders gave the senator a 10-day ultimatum, to amend his ways or face consistent protest and the recall process.

They asked the senator to organise a town hall meeting with his constituents and take out time to tour his constituency.

“We are, hereby, giving him an ultimatum of 10 days, starting from 21st August. If he fails to meet with us, we shall take our protest to the National Assembly.

“We will mobilise all the students, our mothers and our fathers. We will initiate his recall process. Our people deserve a better treatment from him. We request to have a town hall meeting.”

President Muhammadu Buhari’s return to work on Monday got off to a limp start despite the celebrations which accompanied his return to Nigeria on Saturday, his health clearly not much improved despite the best spin efforts of the cabal in the presidency.

Aso Rock insiders who had been made to believe a rejuvenated and energized President would kick-start governance with energy and commitment became disillusioned as they came to terms with the fact that President Buhari is still reeling in poor health condition.

Several Presidency sources told Saharareporters that the manipulative cabal managing the president made a number of moves in the 24 hours preceding Mr. Buhari’s return aimed at consolidating the fictional story of his having fully recovered from whatever ails him.

Since arriving in Abuja however, it has become clear he is in no better shape than before he traveled, characterized by incoherence and inability to stay composed and alert for more than 10 minutes at a time before lapsing into some form of health crisis and serious coughing.

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Buhari wore three different hats today, literarily



The first assignment of the day, the sources said, was the 7 AM speech which he supposedly gave to announce his return to the country. But the villa sources said the speech was pre-recorded, with no one being sure when it was recorded.

But if the managers thought the Monday breakfast speech would make the president look good to Nigerians, it seems to have achieved the opposite, many Nigerians condemning him for failing to speak about his prolonged absence from work and the nature of his illness.

Instead, the President addressed perceived division caused by Biafran agitators and the insecurity caused by Boko Haram. He also vaguely addressed Arewa youths concerning their ultimatum to the Igbos to leave the north.

While that effort clearly rubbed concerned and nervous Nigerians the wrong way, Buhari’s media managers followed up with photos of him signing his resumption letter, with a very short video clip on Twitter showing him and his controversial Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, and another voice in the background giving directives as to which letter would go to Senate or the House of Representatives.

Later in the day, the office of the President released more photos showing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visiting him for a “briefing”. Presidency sources disclosed that although the VP was around for close to two hours, there was nothing plausible to write home about as the President was only “present” for a few minutes, making the meeting very brief and unproductive.


President @MBuhari this morning signed a letter to the National Assembly notifying of his return to work from medical vacation.

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— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) August 21, 2017


One clear strategy by the cabal, our sources stated, was to keep the President from making offhand comments that could reveal his true health status. That trend started when President Buhari’s cabal began letting visitors see him in London after he regained a semblance of normalcy following intense treatment that lasted for months. The practice has been to release very short clips of him joking or saying a few words.

In today’s media game, three different sets of photographs were released to the public with President Buhari donning three different hats in one day. In some photos, he looked quite robust, while in other photos he looked decidedly emaciated.

Meanwhile, President Buhari’s Special Assistant on Media has revealed that Mr. Buhari could be heading back to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, a decision many Nigerians have criticized, especially in the light of his failure to disclose his diagnosis.

SaharaReporters had revealed that President Buhari’s doctors asked that he remain in London for another month but his handlers insisted that he come home for the Sallah so as to maintain his appeal to his base.

Of all the persons in high office who have talked about President Buhari’s health situation, the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal interestingly stated that that Mr. Buhari needs more prayers, which is contrary to the impression created by his inner circle that he is completely “recovered”, in effect, available fully to resume his office.

Analysts point out that contrary to that impression, it is instructive that it has now been announced that a leader who is supposedly fully recovered from an illness will now again work from his residence.

Some aides have said in that regard that his main office is under some renovation, a claim our sources dismiss as false.

By Anule Emmanuel



There are indications that President Muhammadu Buhari will not waste any time in going ahead with the plan to effect major changes in the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

Buhari is expected to make a national broadcast to Nigerians today by 7a.m. A competent presidency source confirmed to our correspondent at the weekend that the President has returned to the country well prepared to take actions on some critical decisions that were pending during the 104 days of his stay in London, United Kingdom (UK). Buhari handed over power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in acting capacity on May 7 after transmitting letters to the leadership of the National Assembly before proceeding to London on a medical vacation.

The President, who returned on Saturday, immediately went into a closed door meeting with Osinbajo at his official residence at the presidential villa, Abuja. According to the presidency source, one of the first actions that Buhari will carry out, in the coming days, is the rejigging of the cabinet. He is expected to also consider the report of the Presidential Investigative Panel on the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Lawal David Babachir, and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Ayodele Oke. “The reports indicted these two officers.

The reports are already with the President and he will, this time, act on them and announce the replacement of these two officers,” the source said. Lawal was suspended for alleged corruption. He was reported to have benefitted from a government contract in the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

A Senate Committee on Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East accused Lawal of awarding a N200 million grass-cutting contract to a company he had interest in. On his part, Oke had laid claim to $43.4 million the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) found in a luxury Lagos apartment.

Oke claimed the previous administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan approved the money for the NIA’s covert operations. An aide to the President, who prefers not to be quoted, told New Telegraph that the President will also effect major changes in the cabinet very soon. According to the source, the changes in the cabinet would have been made by Osinbajo, but Buhari directed for a stay of action until he returns to the country.

Buhari had, in March, nominated Professor Stephen Ocheni (Kogi State) to replace Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi, who died last year in a car accident, and Suleiman Hassan (Gombe) to replace Ms. Amina Mohammed who left the cabinet to join the United Nations (UN) as deputy Secretary General. They were confirmed by the Senate on 3rd May. “Remember that this was what delayed the assigning of portfolios to the two new ministers.

Now that the President is back, himself and the Vice President will put heads together and make the changes,” he added.The two ministers were assigned portfolios last Wednesday by the Acting President. Ocheni was deployed as Minister of State for Labour and Employment while Hassan got the portfolio of Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing.

New Telegraph gathered that the decision by the Acting President to assign the ministers with portfolios was an interim measure to avoid the mounting pressure on him that he could not assert himself. Governor of Imo State and chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum, Rochas Okorocha, who was among those that received the President at the airport on Saturday, told reporters that Buhari will have to do some rejigging.

“The impact of the President’s return is that it will rejuvenate the economy and the polity. He will do a lot of restructuring and rejigging because Nigerians are expecting a lot from him,” Okorocha said. Another source confirmed to our correspondent that when Buhari met with the acting President on Saturday shortly after his return, both leaders also looked at the pending issue of posting of Ambassador designates and some board appointments that were yet to be made by the administration.

Aside the posting of Ambassadors who are permanent representatives to international agencies including the European Union (EU), African Union (AU) and the UN, majority of the diplomats are still awaiting deployment to countries of service. He said that the President will also put a final seal to the disagreement between the Executive and the Legislature over the delay in the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as substantive chairman of EFCC. Magu was appointed as acting Chairman of the EFCC by President Buhari in November 2015, but has been rejected twice by the Senate on account of security report submitted by the Department of State Services (DSS) which indicted him.

“The President will, this time, bring to rest this controversy and also add vigour to the anti-corruption war,” the source noted. A member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) told New Telegraph that party leaders are expecting Buhari to fill vacancies in the boards of federal agencies.

“APC members are waiting on the president to make board appointments and fill other vacancies. Some of the party members are expecting the president to make some appointments,” the APC leader said.

New Telegraph learnt that the national leadership of APC had submitted a list of about 2,000 party members to the Presidential Committee on the Reconstitution of Federal Government Boards of Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions, chaired by the suspended SGF, Lawal. There are hundreds of federal agencies, parastatals and commissions. Usually, board appointments are reward for party leaders and chieftains.

This has been the practice since 1999. In the last administration, senior party officials and leaders were made chairmen of boards of federal agencies, parastatals and commissions. The APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had requested the 36 states chapters of the party and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to submit a list of 50 members each for consideration and screening for appointments into the boards of federal parastatals and agencies. The Federal Government had, on October 26, 2015 inaugurated an eightman committee headed by the suspended SGF for the reconstitution of the boards of federal agencies, parastatals and commissions.

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Chidiebube Okeoma , Owerri



Tragedy struck in Anara , Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State on Saturday , when a man identified as Dominic Ejimba slumped and died before he could be rushed to the hospital .

The incident happened as Ejimba was allegedly watching Arsenal vs . Stoke City match in the ongoing English Premier League season.

Sources said the deceased, a die - hard Arsenal FC supporter , could not bear it when his team conceded a goal midway into the second half of the game . He was watching the encounter at a viewing centre on the Owerri - Okigwe expressway, the source said.

A Liverpool fan , Chuks Amaku , said , “ Dom is dead . He slumped immediately Stoke City scored a goal. Before my uncle , Hezekiah Amaku , could rush him to the hospital , he died .

“ It was unfortunate because all of us were exchanging jokes. Nobody was sensing any danger . We never knew that death was lurking. He had supported Arsenal for a very long time now . He couldn ’ t had taken that goal very seriously. ”

The deceased ’ s brother, Francis Onwuka , confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Sunday.

Onwuka said , “Dom is dead . He slumped while watching Arsenal and Stoke City match on Friday and could not make it to the hospital.

“ It is unfortunate and saddening because he has left a very young wife and three little kids . His demise pains. ”

An Arsenal fan , Barrister Kissinger Ikeokwu , who also confirmed the death , disclosed that Gunners’ fans in the state mourn the painful exit .

Ikeokwu , who described the Dominic as a great fan of the London- based football club said the thoughts of all Arsenal fans in the state were with the family.

Our correspondent gathered that the deceased , who was in his early 40s , had supported Arsenal from his childhood.

“ He loved Arsenal passionately. He closed his shop to make sure that he watched his darling club play . He could even deny himself food if his team was beaten, ” another source said.

The late Dominic Ejimba hailed from Umufuku - Umunchi in Isiala Mbano LGA of Imo State.

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By Dominic Adewole


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Powder is a fine dry particles produced by grinding, crushing or disintegration of a solid substance.

It is also a cosmetic designed meant to be applied to a person’s face with brush or soft pad to give facelift or to enhance fashion.

Medicated powder however is applied to treat rashes, caused by heat on a person’s body. But for one Sunday Amos Eze, a 50-year-old, robbery suspect, who resides at No. 25 Omoku Road, Port- Harcourt, powder serves a different purpose.

The suspect uses it to drug unsuspecting victims before stealing their money, goods and other personal belongings.

Before nemesis caught up with the suspect few weeks ago, he must have applied his magic powder, obviously, laced with charms and mystical incantations on his prey, including his colleagues and got away with it.

He had used the powder to defraud many people of huge sums of money, snatch exotic cars and escaped with valuables, worth millions of naira before this last escapade that exposed him. His cup must have filled up to the brim when the charm failed him on June 28, this year, after snatching a Sienna car with Reg.

No. APP 785 DJ from one Francis Ohunyon, a 44-year-old man of No. 9 Agbamu Street, Bendel Estate, Effurun, with the aid of his magic powder.

The complainant, owner of the ill-fated Sienna car is a driver by profession. He was introduced on the fateful day to the suspect as a Naval officer by one Kingsley Uglavbe, residing in the oil city of Warri, Delta State. The driver was told that the suspect wanted to hire him from Benin, Edo State to Asaba, the Delta State capital.

Upon their discussion, the South-South Focus gathered, the phone number of the suspect was given to the complainant. He contacted the suspect and he directed him to come to Benin and pick him, which he did.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Zanna M. Ibrahim, who burst his crime, said: “On arrival at Asaba, the suspect took the complainant to the popular Asaba Shopping Mall (Shoprite) to buy some drinks and both went to one of the hotels within the metropolis to put up.

“While the suspect and complainant were in the hotel room”, the CP continued, “the suspect brought out a handkerchief already dusted with his magic powder and immediately the complainant inhaled the substance, he fell asleep. “The suspect then picked the complainant’s car key and his phone and drove his Sienna car away.

On receipt of report made by the complainant, my men at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) commenced investigations and recovered the vehicle in Port- Harcourt with the suspect, who has already affixed another plate number PBT 459 TN to the stolen vehicle.”

CP Zanna, who paraded the suspect alongside 26 other suspected kidnappers, armed robbers and cultists, including the suspected killers of one Barrister Festus Ashiedu on June 27, 2017, at Globe Supermarket, Okpanam, at the command headquarters in Asaba on August 10 and the three dismissed policemen, namely, Christopher Onyegho, Force No. F/ No.375631, Nwakem Ebonzim (F/No.413318) and Michael Chima (F/No.441254) who joined an ex-police colleague to hijack a 33,000 litres truck of petroleum product at gunpoint along the ever-busy Benin-Asaba Expressway, which the New Telegraph reported three weeks ago, assured Deltans that the command under his watchful eye would continually do its utmost best in synergy with other security agencies towards reducing crime to tolerable level in the state.

The CP explained that through prompt and discreet investigation by detectives, the killers of the lawyer, one Obed Ikenna Oluchi, 23 years, of No. 36 Chinedu Eze Street, Off Agric Road, Asaba, confessed to the crime. “From the confession of the suspect, the late lawyer was killed by his group and not by hired assassins as speculated by the public and reported by some sections of the media.

Needless to state that this once again reinforces our pleas that utmost restraint and maturity be exercised in the dissemination of information to the public so that we do not inadvertently feed them with half-baked stories.”

On interrogation, however, the Stolen car suspect said the handkerchief has been soaked in some mystical rituals and perfumelike powder to unsuspecting victims, who dose off after inhaling the magical substance. “It is not an ordinary handkerchief. It contains substances that the ordinary eye cannot see. For one to see through it, one must be possessed with some magical powers.

But I regret my action”, the suspect lamented. While the CP said the civilians in the petrol tanker’s hijack were already in prison custody, “pending when these rough ones (referring to the dismissed policemen) in the police garb will join them by Monday, next week (August 14) when they will be arraigned in court “, he said since the complainant in the stolen Sienna car was authoritative and the suspect was caught redhanded and he owned up, he would be prosecuted according to the law.

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By Clement James


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What can make a father to sell his child? This is the question that troubles CLEMENT JAMES, leading to a chat with the mother of the missing two-year-old boy. The woman, Esther Moses, 24, insists that her husband, Moses Udoh Abraham, sold their son. Excerpt:


How did you meet your husband?
I was returning from a visit to my aunt’s place when I met Abraham in a taxi. He gave me his phone number.
A week later, he called and asked where I live; he asked me to meet him.

He waited for me at Mayne Avenue, by Uwanse. When I got there, he took me to his former compound, No. 8, Amika Utuk lane. It was there he impregnated me. I stayed with him until I had Elisha. I had him on July 4, 2015.

Are you aware he was married before you got pregnant for him?
I didn’t know. After I had Elisha, his wife, who is based in Uyo, came to the house. She quarreled with him. She asked him if he was not ashamed of impregnating a girl old enough to be his daughter.

She asked him what would happen to their four children and her, if he abandons them for me. She threatened him; she said there would be trouble if he didn’t send money to her and the children. Since then, he had been sending money to her. She even sent her second child to live with us. After he sold Elisha, his wife rushed to our house to pick their second child. She said she didn’t want him to sell him too.

Can you describe his character?
He drinks a lot; whenever he returns home, he picks quarrel with me. He would beat me. Sometimes, he uses machete to beat me. Last year, he chased my mother out of our house with a machete. Since then, my mother had refused to visit.

Did the two of you get married legally?
He has not paid my bride price. My mother always quarreled with me about it and had repeatedly asked me to leave him. She doesn’t like him. I told my mother that I loved the man.

How did you find out he sold Elisha?
On July 24, he told me that he would be travelling. I went to take my bath. Elisha was in the compound. After my bath, I asked for Elisha and a young boy told me he was outside. I ran outside, but couldn’t find him. At that point, I started crying and shouting. My husband’s brother living in the compound came out to ask what was wrong. I told him I was looking for Elisha.

Did Abraham tell you where he was going?
He said he was going to Akwa Ibom. He said he wanted to go and look for work there. When Elisha went missing, I called him; I asked if he left with Elisha, he said no. He said he left Elisha playing outside.
I shouted, cried and ran to my mother’s place. I told my mother that I suspected Abraham took Elisha.

That night, around 7pm, I called him. I told him I still had not seen our son. He shouted at me; he said I was talking nonsense. I quarreled with him on phone and told him point blank that he was the person that took my son.

Did he return home that Monday?
He didn’t. On Tuesday, around 6am, I called him again. He said he was returning from Calabar. One of our neighbours, Eka Mma Ete, advised me to go to police station. I told her I didn’t have money for a police case.

I finally went to Uwanse Police Station. When I got there, I lodged complaint and showed them Abraham’s picture. They asked me of his whereabouts. At the end of the day, I exchanged phone number with the policewoman. She said the moment I sighted Abraham, I should alert them. That same Tuesday, I called and lied to him that both I and my last child, who is two months old, were hungry. He said he was coming and switched off his phone.

What do you mean, ‘you have suffered much for Elisha’?
I did all sorts of odd jobs just to feed him. Abraham didn’t take care of us. Around10pm, I saw Abraham’s missed calls; I flashed him.

He didn’t response until 2am; he called back and started quarreling that I refused to pick his calls. He further claimed to have come to the house, knocking, that I refused to open the door. I told him he was lying.
On Wednesday morning, I called to find out where he was, he said he was coming back home. I ran and told his brother. We both stood by the road side, waiting for him. Around 11am, he came home; I went to him and started crying.

What did he say?
If he didn’t know anything about the missing child, he would have beaten me. He just stood there, saying nothing. He later went out with his brother. I ran out, held and begged him to return my son. But he still denied knowing the whereabouts of Elisha.

I went straight to the police station and told them that he was around.
I called my elder brother, Eteka, and told him that my husband was back, but didn’t return with Elisha. My brother told me to hold Abraham; he said I shouldn’t allow him to go. As I sat down to wait for my brother, I received a call from an unknown number.
The caller asked me if I was Esther Abraham, I said yes. The person said I was under arrest, that my husband just reported that he had not seen his child, which he left with me.

What did you do then?
I said I was the one who laid complaint at Uwanse Police Station. The man said I should come to the station, that they have arrested him. I ran to the station. This was happening around 1pm on Wednesday. The police asked my brother what he wanted; he told them to transfer the matter to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID).

Did they search him?
The policemen searched him and found more than N90, 000 on him. When they asked him where he got it, he said he worked for it. I told them it must have been the money he realised from selling Elisha.
I tried to hold unto him shirt he hit me with the handcuffs on his hands.

One of the policewomen threatened to kill him if he laid his hands on me. The DPO asked Abraham if he sold the child to an herbalist, he said no; he said that he sold him at Etinan, in Akwa Ibom. I told the DPO that right from when Elisha was born, Abraham didn’t like him. He used to beat him always.

Why does he hate Elisha?
He always accused me of sleeping with other men. So, when Elisha was born, he said he was not his; he said Elisha didn’t look like him. He said that my second child looked like him.

Why didn’t you leave with Elisha, knowing Abraham didn’t like him?
If I had attempted to take the child to my mother’s place, Abraham would have killed me. In fact, whenever I took Elisha to my mother’s place, he would go there to insult my mother and I. Last year, he came to my mother’s house, beat my mother and collected Elisha.

What do you want now?
All I want is my son. I want Elisha. I cannot allow my child to disappear just like that. Funny, up till date, he has not told me where he took my son to.

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