₦airaland Forum

By: Yusuf Alli

The Department of State Security Services (DSS) yesterday said it was probing a former Coordinator of Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta, Dr. Kingsley Kuku, over alleged link with attacks on oil pipelines.

Quoting intelligence report, the service alleged that Kuku was one of the sponsors of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), DSS made the clarifications in a confidential note by one of its top officials, which was made available to the media.

It said: “It is rather disturbing that Kingsley Kuku, a fugitive, who is believed to be funding some illegal raids like the one carried out on the residence of former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, is planning to assume the behind-the-scene leadership of the unified South-South arms struggle to gain relevance in the present government, aimed at avoiding possible searchlight on the atrocities committed during his tenure as Special Adviser for the Amnesty Programme.

“Kuku, who is currently on self-exile, is also one of the sponsors of the Niger Delta Avengers and the large scale sabotage against the oil pipelines across the Niger Delta (2015 – 2017).”

The top source added: “I’m certain this is an issue that will not be swept under the carpet.”

Apart from the DSS, the former Special Adviser on Amnesty Programme is also being investigated over alleged mismanagement of N2,864,584,979 for the training of ex-militants.

The other allegations against Kuku are as follows:
• Inclusion of many undeserving people on the beneficiary list of Amnesty Programme;

•Circumstances surrounding how 2000 Amnesty Programme beneficiaries became stranded abroad;

• Over-bloated training contracts without adding value to the Amnesty Programme;

•Huge bills on all-expense international and local trips in private jets; and

• Operation of an expensive office in the United Kingdom

A source in EFCC said: “Kuku is also aware that since 2013, a group, Niger Delta Awareness Coalition & Ex Militants Leaders Forum had joined issues with him on the management of the Amnesty Programme.
“In one of the issues raised before ex-President Jonathan, the group alleged mismanagement of billions of Naira earmarked for the development of the Niger Delta.

“They also alleged that Niger Delta youths were shipped away to unaccredited training and educational institutions across most of the Third World.

“Our job as an anti-graft agency is to look into some of these allegations and find out the veracity or otherwise.

“By inviting Kuku, it does not mean he is guilty of the allegations against him. If there is nothing against Kuku, he will be given a clean bill of health. If, otherwise, he will face trial.”

lalasticlala

Mr. Abba Kyari, President Muhammadu Buhari's controversial Chief of Staff, is exploiting the President's ill-health, sources have told SaharaReporters. Mr. Kyari, disclosed sources, has prevented the suspension of Mr. Jalal Arabi, Permanent Secretary of the State House from taking effect, as ordered by President Buhari.

Sources told SaharaReporters that Mr. Arabi has been suspended by the President, but the suspension was stopped from taking effect by Mr. Kyari, to whom the Permanent Secretary is very close.

The President was said to have suspended Mr. Arabi over a series of indiscretions, which included his refusal to pay State House staff for up to six months.

He was said to have since paid much of the arrears, leaving only two months outstanding. Mr. Arabi is said to owe his position to the Chief of Staff.

Sources told SaharaReporters that Mr. Arabi failed the examination into the Permanent Secretary cadre, but Mr. Kyari facilitated his appointment without an interview.

His failure to pay State House workforce on time was said to have sparked widespread misgivings among the staff, many of whom have their finances seriously stretched.

Mr. Arabi is said to be a brother-in-law to Mr. Adamu Muazu, former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who owned the building in which $45million was recently discovered in Ikoyi, Lagos, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Mr. Kyari, said sources, has ensured a slash in the budget of the President's office, a development that the staff are not happy about.

"Everybody in the Villa is now suffering. They fuel their cars from their pockets and of course travel as much as six times without estacode," said a source.

The lean situation, added the source, has forced many of the staff to start seeking transfer from the Villa.
The staff explained that the budget slash was done to clip the wings of the President's wife, Aisha, whose office has no budget and is solely reliant on the President's.

Villa sources told SaharaReporters that Mr. Kyari, his blue-eyed boy, Mr. Arabi, and other members of the kitchen cabinet are taking full advantage of the President's failing health. They are said to be the ones behind the plot not to take him abroad for further treatment.

The scheme is to ensure that Vice President does not assume full presidential powers. The cabal remains comfortable because it has control, through Mr. Kyari, over the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Ministers and governors are said to have been waiting for weeks now for their files to be signed.

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


Two commercial sex workers, Rosemary John and Vivian Okeke engaged in a public fight over a client who went for a short time romp in a popular hotel in Lagos.

The incident happened at Premier hotel located in Alakija in Satellite Town, Lagos where they rented rooms to ply their sex business.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered, the workers there were finding it difficult to meet up with their financial obligations in terms of paying for the rented rooms general maintaince and family responsibility due to low number of patrons.

The low patronage, P.M.EXPRESS learnt have forced the workers to hassle and compete for customers and they apply different methods to lure them to their rooms for sex.

It was during the scrambling that Rosemary had friction with Vivian which led to exchange of words and resulted in both fighting publicly in the Hotel.

During the fight, Rosemary reportedly stabbed Vivian with a broken bottle which has landed her in trouble.

While vivian was rushed to a hospital for treatment, Rosemary was arrested and charged before Apapa Magistrates court for inflicting injury on Rosemary.

She was charged with assault which caused Vivian grevious injury on her body under the Criminal Code.

She pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate, Mr T Abolarinwa granted her bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She was remanded in prison custody pending when she will perfect her bail condition.
The matter was adjourned till 10 May 2017.

lalasticlala

By Isiaka Wakili



The presidential panel probing allegations against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke, again yesterday ruled out soft landing for both.

A source privy to the investigations told our correspondent that the panel would not give anybody soft landing.

“The panel is handling both issues with utmost diligence irrespective of the personalities of those involved,” he said.

That came as the panel’s chairman, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the members-National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno and Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, resumed sitting yesterday.

They met for over six hours to examine various documents and other information obtained so far.

Babachir is being probed over alleged violation of the law and due process in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North-east. A Senate ad-hoc committee had earlier found him culpable of alleged complicity in a N200m grass-cutting contract to clear “invasive plant species” in Yobe State.

Oke is being investigated over claims made by the NIA to the $43.4m and other currencies stashed away in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

No government official was seen before the panel as at 7:40pm yesterday when our correspondent left the vice president’s wing of the Presidential Villa where the panel is sitting.

Apart from Babachir and Oke, officials of the Bureau of Public Procurement, the agency responsible for vetting government contracts above N50m, have also been quizzed by the panel which is expected to round off its 14-day assignment next Wednesday.

The panel is enquiring into the circumstances in which the NIA came about the money, how and by whose or which authority it was made available to the NIA, and to establish whether or not there had been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds.

President Muhammadu Buhari had last Wednesday ordered the investigations and suspended the NIA Director-General, Ambassador Ayo Oke and Babachir pending the outcome of the investigations.

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, had last Friday specifically furnished the panel with information on the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the money in Ikoyi.

lalasticlala

By Samuel Ogundipe


The Nigerian presidency on Friday responded to PREMIUM TIMES report about the widespread lopsidedness in the latest recruitment exercise by the State Security Service (SSS).

PREMIUM TIMES had on Friday morning
reported how the SSS loaded its agency with more people from the North than from the South of Nigeria in its 2016 recruitment.

So lopsided was the hiring that more people were employed from President Muhammadu Buhari’s Katsina State alone (51) than from all the South-east states combined (44). Katsina is also also the home state of the Director General of the SSS, Lawal Daura.

A breakdown of the newly commissioned cadet officers on geopolitical basis revealed that 165 are from the North-west, about four times as many as those who were picked from the South-south (42).
The figures for the other zones are North-east 100, North-central 66, South-west 57 and South-east 44.
While confirming this newspaper’s report to be true, the presidency claimed the recruitment details were analysed out of context.

The presidency’s reaction was made through an unnamed official who only discreetly distributed a statement to select journalists, including a PREMIUM TIMES reporter. But this is not the usual means of reacting to media reports and public outrage by the presidency.

The unsigned statement said the secret police deliberately employed fewer southerners to correct previous ‘inequity’ against the northern part of the country.

The government did not however provide details of which states were under-represented and to what extent.

But PREMIUM TIMES sources in the administration and the SSS debunked the claim as “an afterthought.”
Our sources challenged Director General Daura to release the nominal roll of the agency’s entire personnel by states.

“That way, we will know if there was any imbalance in the representation of any state in the SSS,” one of our sources said. “But I can tell you that the claim that Katsina and the other northern states were under-represented is false.

“The presidency should be bold to launch an enquiry into this matter. Nigerians should stoutly resist this attempt by the presidency to cover up the matter.”

The presidency statement said the way the SSS conducted its controversial recruitment was not unusual, as other security agencies often engage in corrective measures to balance past lopsidedness.

“In an organisation that is very sensitive and an important one for national cohesion and stability,” such as the State Security Service, SSS, “there is always the need to ensure balance in recruitment and manning,” the presidential source said in the statement. “This is also true of institutions such as the Army, the Navy and Air Force.”

The statement added that the SSS had to contravene the doctrine of federal character to recruit more people from the south when new cadets were admitted between 2015 and 2016 to balance representation.

But another of our sources said the SSS DG, Mr. Daura, is famous within the Service for his pro-North posturing.

“He is currently spending billions to build a training school in Katsina, and he has told close friends that before his departure from the SSS, he would ensure the agency is dominated by personnel from his part of the country,” the source said.


READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
DSS RECRUITMENT WAS A CORRECTIVE EXERCISE

In an organisation that is very sensitive and an important one for national cohesion and stability such as the Department of State Services, DSS, there is always the need to ensure balance in recruitment and manning. This is also true of institutions such as the Army, the Navy and Air force. Where such balancing in line with Federal Character is breached, the need arises from time to time, to find a way of redressing such inequity.

This is the true story of the recruitment, about a year-and-a-half ago in the DSS in which states that were short-changed in previous recruitments were awarded slots to enable them achieve a fair representation. This is what happened.

The report in circulation by the Premium Times though true, was taken in isolation of the context it was done. An investigative medium such as that one should have done a better job of this. It is important to emphasise that it is in the interest of peace, stability and the general well-being of the nation that all component units are fairly represented in organisations such as this. Where this comes short, efforts must be made to correct such lopsidedness as the DSS did between 20145 and 2016.
PRESIDENCY

By Temitayo Odunlami, Lagos



Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has explained what informed his decision to elevate Goodluck Jonathan from governor of Bayelsa State to the Presidency as running mate and subsequently vice president under President Umaru Yar’adua (late).

In a book, Against The Run Of Play, written by a former Yar’Adua’s spokesman, Mr Segun Adeniyi, and to be launched today in Lagos, Chief Obasanjo confirmed that former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, was actually his first choice as Yar’adua’s running mate. But the former president said some hurdles he did not disclose in the book made that preference unrealizable.

This confirmation knocked off a statement by a former Bayelsa State governor, the late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who once said in an interview that Obasanjo chose Jonathan to be Yar’Adua’s deputy in the 2007 election because he, Obasanjo, wanted to stop his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, from running for president.

“Olusegun Obasanjo told me that since Atiku and I wanted to take his job, that it would be over his dead body, and that unless he died, Atiku cannot be president of Nigeria. Obasanjo said since Atiku had picked me as his running mate, he would make sure that he dealt with and disgraced us. He said he was going to use my deputy to rubbish me before everybody.” Alamieyeseigha had told journalists.​

But Obasanjo, insisting in Adeniyi’s book that the reason was far from this, said, “Of course, Jonathan was not my first choice as running mate to Yar’Adua; it was Dr. Peter Odili. But whether by fate or some conspiracy, Odili had hurdles that made it impossible for him to take that position. That was how I settled for Jonathan.” Obasanjo said in the book however that he did not do enough due diligence on Jonathan.

Adeniyi’s book referred to some emails dated between July 2004 and December 2011 from various American embassies which posed questions on Jonathan’s moral credentials before Obasanjo supported him.

Also explaining why he picked Yar’Adua to succeed him despite the latter’s illness, a decision that eventually produced Jonathan as president, Chief Obasanjo said Yar’adua’s response to two clarifications he posed to him convinced him that he, Obasanjo, could go ahead with his decision.

“One, the lingering doubts about his health, while the other was a very pervasive allegation that he had a manipulative wife who had too much influence on him,” Obasanjo said. He posited that Yar’adua dismissed the allegation against his wife, suggesting that some people were just jealous of their closeness. On his health, Yar’adua handed Obasanjo the medical report he sought from him.

“Not being a medical practitioner, I gave the report to a friend and renowned professional in the medical field who reviewed it and told me that the person in the report was not on dialysis, which meant either he didn’t have a kidney problem or that he had successfully undergone a kidney transplant. That was the report I had about his health,” Adeniyi quoted Obasanjo as saying.

lalasticlala

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


The Police at Isheri Oshun division have intensified efforts to unravel the circumstance behind the disappearance of a two-year old boy who was later found dead with his Penis severed off in Lagos.

Police source told P.M.EXPRESS that the corpse was recovered in a soak away at 6 Taylor Oliver Street in Ijegun, a suburb of Lagos, while shockingly his penis was carefully removed with sharp knife.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the boy, simply identified as Seun, got missing last weekend for three days and the parents and their neighbours searched everywhere in the neighborhood to locate the boy to no avail.

However, on the fourth day, which was Wednesday, his body was found in a soak away where the neighbours had earlier searched only to discover some part of his body cut off.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that what agitated the mind of the residents are the way the boy got missing and how he was found dead without his other parts removed.

The residents are suspecting that the boy might have been killed for ritual purposes and not accident of falling inside the soak away pit.

One of the residents told our correspondent that the parents are now afraid that their children in the area are no longer safe as they fear similar fate may await them if the police did not do anything.

Consequently, the residents reportedly went to Isheri Oshun police Station and expressed their fear over the safety of their children, including themselves, in the area.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that following their complaints, the police moved into action and made some arrest and went into full investigation on the matter.

When our correspondent visited the station, some suspects were seen detained there including the landlord of the house.

However, efforts to speak to them failed as the police prevented our correspondent from speaking to them.

However, police source at the station told P.M.EXPRESS that police have commenced full investigation to determine whether the victim died as a result of negligence or ritual killing.

lalasticlala

By Ronald Mutum



The Nigeria Police Force has said it recovered money in both local and foreign currencies during a search on the Abuja residence of Senator Danjuma Goje of Gombe state, including other documents subject of ongoing investigation.

The police said cash sum of ₦18,056,000; cash sum of $19,850 and another cash sum of SR9, 400 Saudi Riyal, including other document were recovered from the house.

However, the Police spokesman CSP Jimoh Moshood in a statement on Thursday said the search warrant executed on Senator Goje’s House has nothing to do with the 2017 budget.

Moshood argued that reports in the media credited to Senator Danjuma Abdullahi Goje captioned “Blame the Police if 2017 Budget is not Ready Senator Goje” “REPS gives Police 24 hours to return budget documents allegedly carted from Goje’s residence,” are false and misleading.

The report, Moshood said is capable of misinforming Nigerians about the statutory roles and duties of the Nigeria Police Force as provided under Sections 4 & 28 of Police Act and Regulations.

He said its powers includes prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations, and authority to enter any house or premises to execute search warrant.

He added that: “It is pertinent to set the record straight and inform Nigerians of the facts of the matter. A search warrant duly obtained from court of competent jurisdiction was professionally executed in the house of Senator Danujma Goje on 20thApril, 2017 at No. 10 Haile Salasie Street, Asokoro District Abuja.”

He explained that the search was subsequent upon intelligence report at the disposal of the Force that large sum of money suspected to be stolen public funds and other incriminating items are about to be moved out of the said house.

He said: “It is worthy of note that on arrival of the Police team to Senator Danjuma Goje’s house, the house keeper Ango Usman informed the Senator of the presence and mission of the team and he promised coming but later switched off his phone.”

“The search warrant was successfully executed in the presence of three close relatives of Senator Danjuma Goje who are residing in the house and the recoveries were made in their presence,” he said.

He added that, “The three relatives listed below opened the house and took the Police team round the building, and endorsed their signatures after the completion of the search as required by the procedure of law on search warrant which contained the money, documents and Laptop recovered, and none of the items include 2017 budget document. This is available for inspection by any interested members of the public.”

The police said Danjuma Mohammed, a master Degree holder from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a Chartered Quantity Surveyor is a nephew to Senator Danjuma Goje, Ango Usman, House keeper to Senator Danjuma Goje and Aisha Umar, Alias Iklima a step daughter to the Senator Danjuma Goje were the witness who signed after the completion of the search.

Moshood said: “For avoidance of doubt, the followings are the sum of money both in local and foreign currencies, vital documents and a Laptop recovered for investigation when the search warrant was executed in the house of Senator Danjuma Goje.”

The police said cash sum of ₦18,056,000; cash sum of $19,850 and another cash sum of SR9, 400 Saudi Riyal, including other document were recovered from the house.

The items recovered were 38 files and six envelopes containing documents, which include a file on funds spent on security administration and information gathering– a-g – 2009, file on release of funds for special operations a- f - 2009.”

Some items include, “file on Gombe State Government of Nigeria Cash inflow 2005, file on Project 2007 – Executive Briefs on how to fight opposition in Gombe State, strategies and tactics and envelopes containing permit to operate as an oil industry service company (special categories) 2011.”

Others are: “A file containing write-ups on how Governor Shekarau plotted the assassination of Sheikh Jafaru and Letters from Alhaji Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Sarkin Yakin Gombe) to the MD LUBELL Nigeria Ltd of proposed residential Devt at Kashere Phase II dated 16/01/2007 and 19/11/2010.”

Moshood said no single document relating to 2017 budget was sighted or removed by the Police team that executed the search warrant adding that there is video recording of the execution of the search warrant.

He also said the IGP honoured the invitation of the National Assembly on 26th April, 2017 to explain the legality of the search warrant that was executed in the house of Senator Danjuma Goje on the 20th of April, 2017.

He said, “Further investigation is currently ongoing into the matter. Police actions are in line with the provisions of Sec. 4 & 28 of Police Act and Regulations… and consistent with Sec. 9 & 144 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.”

Afeez Hanafi


A bar operator on Lekki Beach Road, Ademola Ogunbona, says he has lost his livelihood to the alleged debt of N757,750 incurred by one Mrs . Shaw, aka Mama G.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the woman had gone to the bar around 6am on August 15, 2016, to have fun , which lasted till about 1am the following day.

It was said that Mama G instructed the barman to serve customers that came to the bar throughout her stay , and promised to pick up the bill for the drinks they consumed.

Our correspondent gathered that one of the major beneficiaries of Mama G ’s gesture was a man who came to the bar with his friends at about 6. 30pm to celebrate his birthday.

She allegedly ordered many rounds of drinks for the man and his friends and told Ogunbona to add their bill to hers.

However, at about 1am , when she had reportedly become inebriated, some persons were said to have stormed the bar and took her away in a Honda car to Rotary Garden Estate , Ilasan , Ajah , where she lives with her husband .

In a chat with PUNCH Metro , Ogunbona said he , two of his workers and the chief security officer of the shops in the area followed the car, but the security guards at the estate gate did not allow them in.

He said , “ Mama G came to my bar at about 6am on August 15, 2016, and ordered drinks . She told me to serve everybody that came to the bar and promised to pay . In the afternoon , I told her that her bill was over N 200, 000. She slapped my face and asked me whether she looked like a debtor.

“ She said I should serve very expensive drinks to whoever came to the bar. She even called some beggars who were passing by into the bar to drink.

Around 6. 30pm, a man came into the bar to mark his birthday along with his friends , numbering about 16, including ladies . She told them not to pay.

“ They took five bottles of Remy Martin, seven bottles of Absolute Vodka and three bottles of Sky . They also smoke cigarettes . They left around 10pm. At about 1am , four men and a woman came to pick the woman. I insisted that I would collect my money, but they took her away.

“ They dropped her off at the estate gate and left . She banged the gate repeatedly . Eventually, her housemaids came to pick her. I was not allowed to enter into the estate with her. ”

The father of two children explained that he went to report the case at the Ajiwe Police Division and submitted the bill to the police. He said the police invited the woman , but her husband sent a message to them that she had gone to Ghana.

“ He told the police that Mama G would come back in December 2016. The police sent another letter to the man in December . On January 11, he transferred N 200, 000 into my bank account.

“ I called him and asked for the remaining money, he said I should contact his wife ’ s lawyer . When I called the lawyer , he said I should manage the money like that. I reported back to the station and they invited his wife again . Neither the woman nor her husband showed up. Their cook and driver were arrested. The lawyer secured their bail on the same day.

“ Since the case was transferred to the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, in February 2017, the Investigating Police Officer in charge of the case has been telling me to be patient ; but I have children and a wife to cater to , ” he added.

The husband , Mr . Shaw , terminated a call put across to him immediately our correspondent began to make an inquiry on the matter . Subsequent calls to his line rang out.

However, the lawyer , Mr . Onome Okodiya , who spoke on behalf of the family, said it was not true that Mama G promised to pay for the birthday celebration or was forcefully taken away from the bar.

He said the matter was being investigated by the state police command , adding that the N 200, 000 was paid to the bar manager “ in good faith ” pending the outcome of a reconciliatory move by the police.

Okodiya said , “ We deny that Mrs. Shaw owed that kind of money. When the barman chose to use the police in Lekki to enforce the debt, we made a report to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and the case is being investigated. We are going to wait for the outcome of the investigation.

“ The payment ( N 200, 000) was made in good faith while awaiting reconciliation . There is a scam which we are trying to unravel . One person is claiming over N 700, 000; another person is claiming over N 800, 000. What is the value of the stock they have ? Everybody is under investigation in respect of this matter . ”

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous -Cole , had yet to reply to a text message on the case as of press time.

By Isiaka Wakili

The Nigerian Governors Forum is currently meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The closed-door meeting is being held at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa.

This is ahead of tomorrow's meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) to be presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Details later...

By Saawua Terzungwe

Excerpts:


What do you make of Senate’s refusal to confirm RECs over Ibrahim Magu’s continuous stay in office as acting EFCC chairman?

Whatever is the reason for the war against Magu by the senators, it is not enough for the Senate to suspend the screening and confirmation of Resident Electoral Commissioners as requested by President Muhammadu Buhari. Failure to do the screening and confirmation of these RECs by the Senate just because Magu is still in office as EFCC boss is an indication that the Senate has a hidden agenda. The Senate should know the importance and sensitiveness of the role of RECs in achieving successful elections, especially as the 2018 governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun as well as the 2019 general elections are fast approaching. Their action is a threat to democracy. So Mr President should not sack Magu just because some elements in the Senate rejected him for selfish and trivial reasons? He must study the situation and act accordingly.

What would you say is the major cause of the rift between the Senate and the Presidency?

Well, the presidency under Buhari is not ready to do the bidding of the 8th Senate; as was the case during the past administration of the PDP. The presidency has refused to swim in corruption; that is the problem.

Don’t you think lobbying will solve the problem?

Lobbying is part of politics but the kind of lobbying the present Senate actually wants is pecuniary lobbying. The Senate wants the executive to slow down on the anti-graft war. In my own opinion, therefore, this 8th Senate and the Executive can hardly work together with better understanding because their approach to governance is different. The executive wants to fight corruption while the Senate wants to be swimming in corruption. This has made them to be two parallel lines that can never meet.

What should be the role of the APC national leadership in the crisis?

The APC national leadership under the present national chairman is purely directionless and its attempt to intervene in the face-off cannot yield any fruitful result. There is a principle in the 48 laws of power that states ‘Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will scatter.’ Let all of us rise against the Senate leadership and force them to resign and or compel them to be impeached and you will see a new Senate that will move our country forward; we are getting there.

Your former party, the PDP, is in a dilemma on how to end its leadership crisis and bounce back in 2019. What is your impression about this?

Well, PDP is in the political morgue; it cannot resurrect to become a viable party, at least, not in Nigeria. The setting up of committees and the court cases here and there will not make any impact. Let one of the factions pull out and register a new political party or grab any of the mushroom political parties and pump their 16 years ill-gotten wealth into it and begin a massive political evangelism to see if they can get some political converts.

How do you think the 2019 general elections will look like?

As a matter of fact, I have seen a very cloudy weather as regards the 2019 general elections. But, I am optimistic it shall be peacefully conducted by INEC. There will be winners and losers; all the noise around is as a result of over-ambitious politicians that are trying to reposition themselves for relevance, getting a good political platform for contest; trying to get rid of some better personalities by means of blackmailing and trying to steal our wealth to get them wealthy in preparation for the elections. Little do they know that a lot of political watchers are busy monitoring all their activities now with keen interest.

But, everything will be revealed in due course and these disgruntled politicians would be exposed and disgraced. Inasmuch as anti-corruption war continues and the cases are going to court, I foresee a massive prosecution and most of them will be languishing in different prisons before 2019.

thesicilian:
Wisdom doesn't necessarily come with age.

By Mohammed Shosanya, Lagos


President of Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Comrade Oyinkan Olasanoye, yesterday implored her members in the Insurance and Banking sector to get involved in the whistle blowing of any person or persons known to them to be involved in the practice of cash racketeering.

She said it was necessary in order to save the nation’s system from liquidity crisis beleaguering it..

“We urge our members as well as other players in the financial service industry to support the war on corruption in whatever capacity we can in order, to save our nation and ensure a more viable financial system and better society.

“As a responsible association, we can safely say that if all such funds are in the banking system today, the liquidity position will be different.

That ASSBIFI shall continue to support the efforts of government to rid the financial system of corruption at all levels.

She enjoined the federal government to go beyond the financial reward to whistleblowers, and put in place laws that will protect the whistleblowers against any form of retaliation.

She advocated the need for anti-corruption agencies to intensify efforts into preventive activities by working hand in hand with the financial system operators and regulators in ensuring that access to such cash is prevented at the commercial banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

She also advised the federal government to employ proactive approach to anti-corruption as against the present reactionary trend.

She added:”The people shall desire to see a more diligent prosecution of corruption cases and a stem in the tide of corruption cases being lost to lack of diligent prosecution”.

N1.5billion Fraud: Senator Peter Nwaoboshi Loses To Federal Gov’t Property He Fraudulently Purchased From Delta State

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday ordered the temporary forfeiture of a 12-storey building at 27 Marine Road, Apapa, belonging to Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta North Senatorial District), until the conclusion of investigations. The order followed an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and argued by its counsel, George Chia-yakua, against Senator Nwaoboshi and his two companies: Golden Touch Construction Project Limited, and Bilderberg Enterprises Limited.

Urging the court to grant the application, the EFCC counsel told the court that the application was pursuant to section 44(2)(k) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and Sections 28 and 29 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004.

He further told the court that the commission had received a petition from the anti-corruption group, 'Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum', against the senator and his companies, alleging money-laundering against the Senator, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs.

In an affidavit in support of the application, Garuba Yusuf Abubakar stated that upon receiving the petition, several investigations were commenced with a view to tracing the movement of funds suspected to be proceeds of illegal activities, the source of funds, and the beneficiaries. Included in the inquiry were the Code of Conduct Bureau, banks, the Delta State Governor's office, the Delta State Tenders Board, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Lagos State Ministry of Lands, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC),

The deponent stated that sometime in 2010, the Tender Boards of Delta State awarded a contract to the Senator's second company, Bilderberg Enterprises Limited, to purchase new construction equipment for the Delta State Direct Labour Agency, for N1.580 billion. But rather than buying new equipment, the company only imported and supplied used equipment to the agency, although the state government fully paid for new ones.

Mr. Abubakar further stated that the investigation revealed that the Senator moved the proceeds to various accounts linked to him, and his company bided and bought the said 12-storey building known as "Guinea House" in Apapa for N805 million, with the used of his first company, Golden Touch Construction Project Limited, adding that response from the Secretary of Delta State government shows the sale of the building was to the Senator's company.

He further stated that in the assets declaration form submitted the Code of Conduct Bureau in June 2015, Senator Nwaoboshi claimed he acquired the said property Apapa through being a Director of Golden Touch Construction Projects Limited, a claim that was contradicted by the Corporate Affairs Commission, which revealed that the Senator is neither a shareholder nor a director of the company. Similarly, Nwanbuoku Ike and Emma Ekpon, the purported directors and shareholders, in their judicial statements denied knowledge of being directors and shareholders of the company, affirming that the presence of their names in the CAC documents was forged.

The deponent also averred that further investigation revealed that the Senator's Bank Verification Number (BVN) 22300559079, has 20 Bank accounts he operates in Nigeria, while his private companies through BVN 22244303840, have 23 Bank accounts.

Mr. Abubakar also further that he was informed on April 6, 2017, by E. E. Iheanancho, an EFCC lawyer, on that an order of the court attaching the said 12-storey building to the Commission to prevent its disposal pending the conclusion of the investigation and when a criminal charge will be filed against Senator Nwaoboshi and his companies.

Justice Abdulaziz Anka, after listening to the EFCC counsel, ordered that the property at 27 Marine Road, Apapa, belonging to Senator Nwaoboshi, be temporarily forfeited to the federal government.

A 300 Level student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology , Ghana has reportedly raped a ten-year - old girl to death.

The student was said to have anally raped the girl for over three years, damaging her anus and feeding her with a cocktail of painkillers which caused her kidneys to fail, killing her.

Reports from Ghanaian online news media said the young man was arrested on Tuesday after the girl was taken to the hospital following her complaints of pains in her anus.

Medical tests at the hospital showed she had been sodomised, and revealed damages to her intestines and kidney.

The young man is reported to have given the 10- year -old girl eight tablets of paracetamol to kill the pains anytime he has sexual intercourse with her through the anus.

He is also reported to have warned the girl not to reveal his sexual encounters with her to anyone or else she will die.

Chukwudi Akasike, Port Harcourt

A coalition of militant groups in the Niger Delta region have threatened to resume attacks on oil installations in the region over alleged unfulfilled promises by the Federal Government to the people of the oil rich region.

The militant groups , under the aegis of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators , said in a statement sent via email to our correspondent on Sunday that the Federal Government , under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari , was not sincere in resolving the crisis in the Niger Delta.

The statement was signed by the leader of Niger Delta Watchdog , ‘ General ’ John Duku; ‘ General ’ Ekpo Ekpo of the Niger Delta Volunteers , ‘ Commander’ Henry Etete of the Niger Delta People’ s Fighters and ‘ Commander ’ Asuquo Henshaw of the Bakassi Freedom Fighters.

Duku, who also signed as the leader of the coalition , recalled in the statement that nothing had happened since the Pan Niger Delta Elders ’ Forum met with the President in November 2016.

He added that PANDEF persuaded them ( militants) to sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue.

The statement said , “ There is no more time ; the Federal Government must act now and show seriousness and commitment to the plight of Niger Delta or we will be forced to resume attacks.

“ We must make sure we liberate our people from the slavery of the Nigerian state. We believe that the Federal Government will not be surprised to see another crisis in the Niger Delta and they should not blame anyone if such happens.

“ The Federal Government , under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari , is not sincere in resolving the Niger Delta crisis . ”

They described the visit to the Niger Delta region of the Vice -President Yemi Osinbajo , who was the acting President then , as a camouflage and tactics of the Federal Government to achieve its normal crude oil production in the area.

The statement added , “ We know very well that the visit of the Vice -President ( then Acting President ) to oil producing states was a big scam , camouflage, deceit and delay tactics by the Federal Government to achieve its normal daily crude oil production.

“ We want to state here clearly that we are tired of all unfulfilled promises ; we are tired of developing Niger Delta in the media , we are tired of the Vice- President ’ s unending meetings without follow -up actions. ”

A United States Federal court has convicted a Nigerian, Wiseman Oputa, who set up a number of bank accounts with bogus passports over a year, in which he managed to steal at least $500,000 through wire fraud and Internet scams.

The court convicted Oputa of one count of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas announced.

Wiseman Oputa, 25, pleaded guilty to opening bank accounts in the area surrounding Houston, using counterfeit passports.

Once the accounts were created, Oputa and his associates conducted a number of Internet scams from romance schemes to hacking into company email accounts to make their phishing efforts appear more real.

The victims sent at least a total of $500,000 to these bank accounts via checks and wire transfers, which Oputa and his associates controlled.

He would then use the bogus passports to withdraw the money from the accounts.

Oputa is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6 and faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential maximum fine of $250,000.

Here is the full statement by US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas:
A 25-year-old Nigerian man who was residing in Houston has pleaded guilty to perpetuating a wire fraud scheme involving various Internet scams, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
Wiseman Oputa pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, until Jan. 25, 2017, Oputa used counterfeit passports to open bank accounts in the greater Houston area. The passports contained photographs of Oputa but had different names and identification information. He then worked with others to lure victims into sending money into these bank accounts.

These funds were obtained through a variety of internet scams, including business email compromise, romance schemes and unauthorised intrusions into company email accounts. Checks or wire transfers were then sent from the company’s accounts payable to accounts Oputa or others controlled. Oputa would then use the counterfeit passports to retrieve the fraudulently obtained funds.

In one instance in December 2016, Oputa opened an account at Regions Bank with a counterfeit Ghanaian passport as identification. Shortly thereafter the account received a wire transfer of $40,000 from a victim who had been told to send money for taxes on money he had won in Spain. USAA Bank identified the fraudulent and was able to recall the wire.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett accepted the guilty plea and has set sentencing for July 6, 2017. At that time, Oputa faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He will remain in custody pending that hearing.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation along with Department of State – Diplomatic Security Service and the Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Elmilady is prosecuting the case.

By YahayaIbrahim, Lagos


The police in Lagos on Saturday arrested a woman at Oko-Oba in Agege area of the state for allegedly brutalizing her four year-old nephew, Pamilerin who she accused of habitual bed wetting and stooling on his body.

Our correspondent gathered that the woman, identified as Sherifat who lives at 20 Sanya Olu Street, Oko-Oba in Agege was in the habit of beating the boy with an electrical cable on slight provocation.
A police source at the Abbatoir Divisional Police Headquarters in Agege where the woman is being detained, told our correspondent that the woman was arrested following a reported case of child abuse at the station.

When our reporter visited the station, a police woman was seen feeding the boy who look malnourished and scars were observed on different parts of his body.

Apart from the scars on his body, the boy equally has swollen eyes with black spots covering the eye lid.

Neighbors to Sherifat at Sanya-Olu Street told our correspondent that she was in the habit of beating the boy who he accused of not 'smart' with electrical cable on daily basis.

They alleged that the woman's grudges against his four-year old nephew was not he was too sluggish and need to learn fast which was why she used to inflict injuries on his body with the electrical cable.

The neighbours also alleged that Sherifat abuses anyone who tries to intervene whenever she is beating the boy.

" She is the habit of beating the boy since he was brought to Lagos and she rain abuses on anyone who tries to intervene, saying everybody should mind their own businesses" a neighbour who preferred to remain anonymous said.

Our correspondent learnt that the woman in her statement confessed that she correct the boy by beating him whenever he bed wet or stool on his body.

The boy was said to be living with his parents in Ogun State before he was brought to Lagos in February, 2017.

Funmi Ajayi of the women advocate research and document centre, a human right organization who reported the case at the station, told our correspondent that the scars on the boy's body indicated the sustained beating in the past.

She added that her organization, heard about the case of the boy from neighbour's to the woman who told them about the abuse, saying that the woman initially denied beating the boy.

According to her, the woman has been taken to hospital by his grandmother while the police said that the woman will be charged to court on Monday.

When our reporter contacted the Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO) in Lagos State, Olarinde Famous Cole, he promised to find out about the case and get back to our reporter but he has not done that as at the time of filing this report.

The operatives of the Department of State Service has raided the office of National Pension Commission (PenCom) in Abuja, following the refusal of the former Director General of the commission, Mrs Chinelo Anohu - Amazu, to hand over to her successor, after her sacking on Wednesday by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to reports, the ex -PenCom DG was still passing out instructions as of Friday despite her sacking.

Daily Times reports that when the DSS operatives visited the PenCom office today, Anohu -Amazu evaded arrest and went into hiding.
However, the DSS had ordered that she appeared in the office on Monday.

Neighbours of the deceased said he was known abnormal behaviour, which his cousin, who identified herself as Suzzy, attributed to hard drugs addiction.

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


A housewife, Mrs Rose Arogunyo has been arrested and charged before a Lagos court for allegedly stabbing her female neighbour, Margaret Tony with broken bottle for mocking her for marrying a 65-year old man.

The incident happened at 48, Fatusi Street, Ejigbo, a suburb of Lagos where they reside.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State-born Rose was betrothed to her husband, Sunday as custom demands after Sunday’s wife died two years ago.

It was gathered that the two women ever since they moved into the same building have never agreed on any issue to the extent that their neighbours tried in vain to make peace between them.

On the day the incident happened, our correspondent gathered that Rose complained that Margaret mocked her for getting married to her husband, Sunday who was thrice older than her.

This got Rose angry and she reportedly broke a bottle and stabbed her at the back.

Margaret was said to have bled profusely and was taken to a hospital for a treatment.

The matter was reported to the police at Ejigbo division and Rose was arrested and charged to court on Thursday.

She was charged before Magistrate’s court sitting in Ejigbo with assault under the Criminal Code.
She pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Inspector Kenneth Asibor did not object the bail condition, but reminded the court the injury was serious.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs J.O.E Adeyemi granted him bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.

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

The matter was adjourned till 9 May 2017.

Posted By: Kelvin Osa Okunbor



An official of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was on Thursday stabbed by Nigeria Air Force (NAF) officer over attempt by the latter to force the former to close before the 7pm deadline agreed by stakeholders at the Hajj and Cargo Terminal international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.
The Nation gathered that trouble started when the NAF officer was trying to enforce the 7:00pm close time agreed by stakeholders .

The NAF officers did not wait for 7:00pm, but decided to chase out workers, including agents and NDLEA officials out of the area, a situation which the NDLEA official resisted.

It was gathered that the NDLEA asked the NAF officer to wait till the agreed time before asking him out of the area.

The narcotic officer reminded the NAF officer that as a government security agency personnel, he should not harass him the way clearing agents are harassed.

A source told The Nation that the resistance, further infuriated the NAF officer, who questioned the audacity of the NDLEA officer to challenge him.

The source added that it was at that point, the NAF officer slapped the NDLEA officer.

In no time, NDLEA officer, in turn retaliated occasioning exchange of punches, where the narcotic officer had the upper hand.

Another eyewitness noted that as these government personnel were exchanging punches, another NAF officer joined in the fray to stab the narcotic officer.

The NDLEA officer, the source said fell , bleeding profusely while others engaged in a free for all.

The source explained that as bystanders started shouting that the NDLEA officer might die if not given medical attention, he was consequently taken to hospital.

Contacted, the spokesman for NDLEA, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju confirmed the incident, but added that it was a minor disagreement.

He also added that the issue has been resolved.

By Eyo Charles, Calabar


No fewer than 16,000 undergraduates of the Cross River State University of Technology (CRUTECH) have been suspended following their inability to pay their school fees, totalling about N1.2 Billion.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof Anthony Owan-Enoh on Thursday signed a 15 page advertorial in a local tabloid, Nigerian Chronicle, and listed the entire names of the students across all departments in the three campuses in the state.

The statement read in parts, "Following Senate decision, only students who are not indebted or who owe not more than a semester's fees N37,000 are eligible to sit for the forthcoming examination.

Those owing for a session's fees N74,000 and above are by the Senate decision suspended from the University."

He said the students were given up to May 12, 2017 to pay all outstanding fees or lose their studentship, adding that students can only be readmitted upon reapplication and payment of all outstanding fees.

The statement said the total debts stands at N1,291,826,140.00.

Empredboy:
do you know when your spouse cheat on you immediatly ?

symbianDON:
and fayose is on another thread talking trash

Samson Folarin


Tears flowed on Wednesday at the Ibeshe Titun, Ikorodu, Lagos State, as three family members who were murdered by some assailants , were buried.

The late couple, Mr .Lucky Ebhodaghe and Mrs . Margaret Ebhodaghe , and their son, Jonathan, were buried in their house around 12pm.

PUNCH Metro learnt that residents, community leaders and members of the Deeper Life Bible Church, where the husband was a member of the prayer team and the wife, a worker in the ushering section , could not hide their grief.

Our correspondent had reported that 15- year -old Jonathan , the only child of the family, was participating in the ongoing West African Secondary School Certificate Examination when the incident happened.

It was reported that the assailants tore the window net and cut some burglar - proof bars to gain access into the house late Monday night.

The suspects were said to have inflicted machete cuts on the family members, leaving them for dead.

PUNCH Metro reported that their neighbours were not aware of the incident until the next day, when Jonathan's friends and a teacher visited the house to know why he was not in school for his exams.

The visitors reportedly met the house locked and peeped through the window, from where they saw the victims in a pool of blood.

Margaret was alleged to have been raped by the assailants before she was killed.

Residents, who identified the killers as members of the Badoo cult, said the gang had killed many other residents in a similar way.

A resident, who witnessed the burial of the Ebhodaghes, told PUNCH Metro that the mourners broke down in tears at the sight of the three coffins bearing the remains of the family.

He said , “ The burial started around 10am with a church service and ended around 12pm; nobody could hold back tears. They were buried in their compound based on the advice of their relations. The man hailed from Edo State , while the wife came from Calabar, Cross River State .

“ I am aware that the man has been taking care of the mother . The old woman is presently at the Mowe area of Ogun State , where she is being taken care of.

She is not aware of what happened because if she hears about it, she may die.

“ Top leaders of Deeper Life from different parts of Ikorodu were there and I was told that the general superintendent of the church sent representatives as well. They buried the child in the midst of the parents.

PUNCH Metro had reported that the Badoo cult in June 2016 allegedly killed a Ghanaian after raping her and inflicting injuries on her eight- month-old baby.

In July 2016, the assailants reportedly raped and blinded a 60-year - old woman , Francisca . They brutalised her 10- year -old daughter for raising the alarm.

On October 21, 2016, the gang allegedly attacked a family in Oluwoye community, Ibeshe, killing a 30-year - old pregnant woman, Afusat Yusuf . Her husband , Kazeem , and the couple’ s two kids – Rodiat, six , and five - year- old Opeyemi – were also stabbed to death.

On December 26, 2016, the attackers allegedly struck on Saka Adegbose Street , off Olu Odo Road, Ikorodu , killing two siblings, Azeezat Oriade and Abeeb Oriade.

On March 1, 2017, they allegedly attacked a family on Masafejo Street, Agbowa , Ikorodu , killing three siblings between the ages of four and nine. Their mother was also killed.

Some top lawyers have suggested to the various anti -corruption and law enforcement agencies how the trend of losing high- profile corruption cases can be reversed , ADE ADESOMOJU reports

On April 3, 2017, which was Monday , the first working day of the week, the Federal High Court in Lagos lifted the order barring a Senior Advocate of Nigeria , Chief Mike Ozekhome , from accessing his Guaranty Trust Bank account into which he received N 75m legal fee from the Ekiti State Governor , Ayodele Fayose.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had on February 7, 2017 obtained an interim order stopping Ozekhome from dissipating the N 75m on the grounds that it formed part of proceeds of alleged criminal activities of Fayose .

The EFCC claimed that the N 75m which Fayose paid to Ozekhome was part of the N 2.26bn arms procurement funds, which a former National Security Adviser , Col . Sambo Dasuki ( retd .), allegedly looted.
The anti - graft agency claimed to have traced N 1.22bn out of the N 2. 26bn, which Dasuki allegedly looted, to Fayose.

On that basis Justice Abdulaziz Anka had on February 7 frozen Ozekhome ’ s account for 120 days.
Displeased, however , Ozekhome approached the court urging the court to vacate the interim order.

In his ruling , Justice Anka granted Ozekhome ’ s prayer and dismissed the counter-affidavit filed in opposition by the EFCC.

The judge said though it was not in doubt that the N 75m came from Fayose , Ozekhome could not be held liable because there was no restriction on Fayose ’ s account as of the time the N 75m was paid to his law firm.

Justice Anka noted that the freezing order earlier obtained by the EFCC in respect of Fayose ’ s accounts had been lifted by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti.

Justice Anka said he would not allow himself to be lured into sitting as an appellate judge over the counter- decisions of Justice Mohammed Idris who earlier froze Fayose ’ s account and Justice Taiwo who later unfroze the account .

In the final anaysis , the judge said he found sufficient grounds to reject the EFCC ’ s counter-affidavit , including the fact that Ozekhome had already dissipated the N 75m which the EFCC sought to stop him from touching.

The ruling marked the beginning of the streak of losses that hit the various government ’ s frontline anti -corruption and law enforcement institutions that week.

In a manner similar to how the Nigeria ’ s seat of power shifted from Lagos to Abuja in 1991, barely 24 hours after the EFCC lost the case against Ozekhome , the ship of failure moved from Lagos to Abuja.

On Tuesday, April 4, a High Court of the Federal Capital in Apo, Abuja , struck out six charges involving alleged N 1.97bn fraud preferred against a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs , Mr . Godsday Orubebe , by the Federal Government.

Justice Olukayode Adeniyi struck out the case and discharged Orubebe and other defendants after the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, the agency which filed the case , withdrew it.

Orubebe was charged along with others including an Assistant Director at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs , Mr . Oludare Alaba.

The other defendant was the Director of Contracts , Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nig . Ltd . , Mr . Ephraim Zari.

The prosecution had alleged in the six counts that the defendants , including Orubebe , who was then the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs under the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration, diverted funds meant for the compensation of owners of properties on Eket Urban section of the East- West Road in Eket , Akwa Ibom State.

All the defendants had pleaded not guilty to the six counts and had been granted bail by the court .
Trial was scheduled to commence on April 4.
But at the resumed hearing on that day, instead of calling its first witness , the ICPC , through its prosecuting counsel , Mr . Ekoi Akpos , applied to withdraw the case.

Akpos informed the judge that the commission decided to terminate the case following an understanding from all the parties that the road construction project would proceed as originally planned with compensation paid to those whose properties were damaged.

He hinged his application to withdraw the case on sections 492( 3) and 355 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act , 2015.

Meanwhile, shortly after the defendants were arraigned last year, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr . Abubakar Malami ( SAN) , had sent a letter to the Chairman of the ICPC , Ekpo Nta , confirming that the N 1, 965, 576, 153. 46, which Orubebe allegedly diverted, had not been expended .

The letter, with reference number, DPPA /MNDA /345/16, was signed on behalf of the AGF by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation , Mr . U. E . Mohammed.

It confirmed that the money in issue “ has not been expended , but is awaiting further contract decisions and directives from the Ministry of Niger -Delta Affairs. ”

The letter dated December 16, 2016, added , “ In view of the above, the basis for the prosecution of the accused persons for misappropriation does not exist and thus, further prosecution cannot be justified . ”
Almost every day of that week marked a new low in the anti -corruption war.

On April 5, the day after Orubebe’ s case was struck out , a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama , Abuja , also dismissed all the 18 counts, including gratification charges preferred against Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court , his wife Olubowale, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria , Mr . Joe Agi.

Justice Jude Okeke discharged and acquitted the three defendants in a ruling upholding the respective no -case submissions filed by the defendants.

The charges were filed last year by the Office of the Attorney General Federation following the raid by the Department of State Services on the judge’ s house on October 7, 2016.

The prosecution had accused Justice Ademola of receiving , through his wife , gratification worth N 30m from Agi in April 2015.

Justice Ademola also allegedly received through his son , Ademide , a BMW car worth N 8. 5m from Agi in January 2015.

But in his April 5 ruling , Justice Okeke held that the prosecution failed to make out a prima facie case against the defendants , in spite of calling 19 witnesses and tendering a load of exhibits marked A to ZZZ.

Justice Okeke, in his final comments in his ruling which he delivered for about three hours, said the case of the prosecution was built on “ high -level suspicion which could only catch the fancy of pedestrians and uniformed minds. ”

He said , “ There is no gainsaying that the case is built on high -level suspicion and speculation fuelled by the enthusiasm of the very important Nigerians’ current fight against corruption.

“ While such level of suspicion and speculation can, in the eyes of pedestrians and uninformed ordinary persons in the marketplace , suffice for the defendants to be condemned in order to appeal to the fight against corruption, in the eyes of the law , however , suspicion does not measure up to the standard required for the defendants to be condemned to further trial .

“ This is to the extent that in our legal jurisprudence , which is still adversarial , the burden of proof that a person is guilty of an offence is the duty of the prosecution or the complainant.

“ It will be a sad day if this extant state of the law is kicked aside by the court , and the defendants made to prove their innocence by subjecting them to further trial in order to achieve the approval and applause of uninformed minds.

“ This brings to the fore the need for our security /law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to patiently conduct thorough investigation before suspects are arraigned in court .

“ The nation will be better off in its fight against corruption. ”

Closing the gale of losses on April 6, a Thursday, the Federal High Court in Lagos , vacated its order which late last year froze the Skye Bank account of Mrs. Patience Jonathan , the wife of ex - President Goodluck Jonathan.

The account had a balance of $5. 9m .
In a ruling on Thursday, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun , set aside the ‘ No -Debit Order ’ , which the EFCC had earlier placed on the account on allegations that the $5. 9m found in it was proceeds of crime.

The judge upheld the contention of Patience ’s lawyer , Mr . Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), that his client ’s account was unlawfully frozen by the EFCC.

Adedipe had urged the court to unfreeze Patience ’ account on the grounds that she was not a party to the suit leading to the freezing order.

The developments overshadowed other successes recorded by particularly, the EFCC, in the same week .
For, instance , on Friday, the day after Mrs . Jonathan ’ s account was unfrozen , the EFCC secured the second conviction of an oil marketer , Mr . Jubril Rowaye, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for fuel subsidy fraud .

Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the FCT High Court passed the sentence about a month after Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos High Court also convicted and jailed Rowaye 10 years for similar offences .

Commenting on the turn of events in the Federal Government ’ s anti - corruption fight, human rights lawyer , Mr . Femi Falana ( SAN) , said while there were other inherent problems, the trend of failure of high -profile cases being handled by the anti - graft agencies was due to official negligence and lack of inter -agency cooperation.

He said , “ Having reviewed the circumstances under which the corruption cases were lost by the Federal Government I can say , without any fear of contradiction, that there is no basis for blaming the judiciary. It is also not a case of corruption fighting back . As far as I am concerned , the cases were lost due to official negligence and lack of inter -agency cooperation by the Federal Ministry of Justice , the anti - graft agencies and the State Security Service . ”

A professor of Public Law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria , Yemi Akinseye - George, while expressing concern about the trend of losing high- profile cases by the various anti -corruption agencies, identified poor funding and the inefficient Nigerian legal system as major problems.

The don, who is also the President of Centre for Socio-Legal Studies , a civil society group credited with major contributions to the development of the nation ’ s criminal justice system , posited that one could hardly blame judges for the criminal cases being lost in court by the nation ’ s anti - graft agencies.

According to Akinseye -George , while prosecutors contend with lack of resources and poorly investigated cases caused by paucity of funds , the Nigerian legal system also places wealthy defendants facing criminal trial in more advantageous positions over the anti - corruption agencies.

He said , “ In the justice system , the output very much depends on the input. You cannot be putting in pittance in support of your prosecutorial agencies and expect that you get the desired result. The prosecutors are doing their best within the available resources but there is limit to what they can do.

On December 14, 2016, the senate asked Babachir Lawal, secretary to the government of the federation, to immediately resign from office.

This followed the recommendation of its ad hoc committee on the humanitarian crisis in the north-east, which had investigated the management of funds for internally displaced persons in the region by the Presidential Initiative on the North-east (PINE).
PINE at the time was under the SGF.

But on January 17, President Muhammadu Buhari wrote to the senate, saying he would not sack Lawal because he was not a given a fair hearing.

Shehu Sani, chairman of the committee which probed Lawal, alleged that the SGF awarded contracts to companies belonging to cronies and relatives of top government officials.

He explained that the committee found out that Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company, with Lawal as director, for instance, was awarded a consultancy contract.

The company’s major role, according to him, was the removal of invasive plant species in Yobe state.
He added that PINE, which carried out the all procurement activities, violated the laid-down rules.
Sani also said most of the contracts awarded had no direct bearing or impact on the IDPs who were living in deplorable conditions.

He then reeled off recommendations of the committee. Three of the recommendations are listed below:

PROSECUTION OF CULPABLE PUBLIC OFFICIALS

Sani’s committee recommended that any public officer culpable of contravening any of the provisions of the procurement act, 2007 and the federal government financial rules and regulations pertaining to the award of contracts, should be duly prosecuted.

DETAILED REPORT OF ALL CONTRACTS AWARDED TO PINE

The committee also requested PINE to forward a detailed report of all contracts awarded by it to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), as requested by section 43 (iv) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

REFUND BY CONTRACTORS

The senate panel also demanded that contracts partially executed but fully paid for must be completed by the concerned contractors, or asked to refund the equivalent money of outstanding jobs to the government treasury.

LAWAL DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS AND FIRED BACK AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Shortly after the recommendations were made, Lawal granted an interview where he denied allegations levelled against him.

In response to a question on diversion of money meant for IDPs, he said: “Who is investigating? The senate? These are also part of the issues of separation of powers that people abuse. I do know that I don’t have immunity to accuse you without proof but the members of the national assembly can say anything on the floor and are immune to prosecution but people are abusing it and in this case people are maliciously abusing and wickedly abused their privileges in the national assembly.

“PINE, Presidential Initiative on the North East, was set up by President Jonathan – thank God for him. It used to be run under the finance ministry, under the minister of state. When I took over, we were wondering who was running the north-east programme until one day, the national assembly members from the north-east paid me a courtesy call thinking that it was being run by my office. I told them it wasn’t my office so I telephoned the vice-president and asked ‘Oga, who is running PINE?’, he said ‘I think it is your office’.

“When it got to budget period, I asked the minister of budget the same question about PINE, no he said it is your office or the NSA’s office. What I discovered was that there was a consultant, senior special assistant to the former NSA who was in charge of PINE.
“The man who was claiming to be leading the PINE was an adviser to the former NSA and such a person’s tenure lapses with the other principal officer.

“So I said you can no longer run PINE. At that time in 2015, there was N2.5 billion for the programme. The money was just thee doing nothing but paying consultants. I understand that at one time they were using it to buy pre-fabricated schools. The principle of PINE is this and there is a permanent secretary who runs PINE. There are 23 of such agencies in this office. We now said for people to return to their homes, we must guarantee that they are able to engage in productive work before they were pushed out, which means rebuild the schools that were burnt, rebuild the police stations and barracks so people can returns part of confidence-building. That’s just it.”

A 25-year-old university student in Kenya, Abdulkarim Njoroge, has been arrested for allegedly killing his lover, Irene Kananu and hiding her corpse in a freezer in his house.

The Star reports that Njoroge strangled Kananu in his house in Mtwapa region in Mombasa following an argument when she wanted to dump him for getting another woman pregnant.

Njoroge was arrested on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, two weeks after the family of the deceased, an HR officer with chemical giant Henkel in Industrial Area, declared her missing on March 31.

The victim's body was found naked with her head, inside the refrigerator while her legs and hips were sticking out.

The pair reportedly fought after Kananu learned that Njoroge had impregnated his secret lover who is his neighbour living in the same block of flats with him.

They frequently argued over claims of infidelity on his part and Kananu had threatened to leave him several times.

the victim's sister, Catherine Nduta , reported her missing on April 3 at Githurai Kimbo police station, after trying to get her on phone several times to no avail.

Police opened investigations and two days later, investigators broke into Kananu’s house where they found Kananu dead.

Apart from murdering the lady, Njoroge was also said to have stolen her car and allegedly withdrew Sh40,000 from Kananu’s M-Pesa account.