₦airaland Forum

A middle-aged woman identified as Tricia Oterneghoro has poured hot soup on her 13 years old daughter for sleeping in a neighbours room.

The victim whose name was given as Joyce Emmanuel had a burnt in a breast and chest region.

Residents in the area who rushed to administer first aid to the victim poured invectives on the victim’s mother over the incident.

Some said they have cautioned her to stop maltreating her daughter but the pleas fell on deaf ears.

According to one of the neighbours, “A woman with correct sense will not do this to her daughter. I have warned her not to beat the girl again. Her father called yesterday and the girl said she was interested in going to nursing school.”

Narrating her ordeal, Joyce explained that she wanted to go out and take her bath on Monday night but her mother refused.

Joyce said she still went out to take her bath and her mother locked her outside which made her to sleep in her friend’s room.

She said she was shocked when her mother stormed into the room the next day and pour hot soup on her.

“It was evening and I said I want to take my bath but my mummy said no. I went out to take my bath and my mummy locked the door. After knocking many times, I went to sleep in my friend’s house.

“In the morning, my mummy came and pour hot soup on my body.”

In her reaction, the victim’s mother said she did not know what came over her to make her poured the hot soup on her daughter.

She said she had warned her neighbors not to allow her daughter sleep in their room and when she saw her the following morning, she poured the hot soup on her.

As at press time, policemen had taken her in for questioning.

Leke Baiyewu , Abuja

There are indications the Senate has abandoned the confirmation of Mr . Ibrahim Magu as substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

It was gathered on Monday that the lawmakers had yet to agree on the next line of action on Magu, the reason why they have been silent on his confirmation.

Those who responded to our correspondent’ s enquiries gave conflicting reasons for the delay.

The Senate had delayed action on President Muhammadu Buhari’ s letter to the lawmakers in which he sought legislative approval for Magu’ s appointment for six months.

The lawmakers subsequently on December 15, 2016, rejected the nomination based on a “ security report ” by the DSS.

The DSS, in its report dated October 3, 2016, specifically disqualified Magu for EFCC chairmanship, alleging that his activities had made him ineligible to hold the office.

The Senate, after rejecting Magu’ s nomination, had communicated the decision to the President .
But President Buhari , in his response to the Senate, still urged the lawmakers to confirm Magu as Chairman of the EFCC.

It was, however , learnt that the since Senate President Bukola Saraki read Buhari ’ s letter to the lawmakers during plenary on January 25, 2017, no official action had been taken on Magu’ s confirmation.

When contacted on Monday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti -Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Chukwuka Utazi ( PDP, Enugu North) , who replied to a text message sent to him , blamed the delay on the Committee on Rules and Business.

He said, “ It is the floor functionaries with the Rules and Business Committee that will determine a date for scheduling it ( Magu’ s confirmation ) on our Order Paper. ”

But the Chairman , Committee Rules and Business , Senator Babajide Omoworare ( APC , Osun East) , did not return calls to his telephone lines and did not send a response to a text message sent to him , asking him to confirm or deny the allegation.

The Vice -Chairman of the committee, Senator Ali Ndume ( APC, Borno South ) also did not return our correspondent’ s calls , neither did he reply to the reporter’ s text message .

Also , the Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Abiodun Olujimi ( PDP, Ekiti South ), said the lawmakers had yet to deliberate on Magu’ s confirmation ever since Buhari replied the Senate on his appointment.

“ We have never discussed it . Never ever have we discussed it. Most of our people ( in PDP caucus ) are disposed to clearing him, ” she said.

The Chief Whip , Senator Olusola Adeyeye ( APC, Osun Central ) , when asked why the confirmation had been delayed , declined to speak on it.

“ Honestly, I cannot comment on that, ” he said, stressing that he was out of Abuja on an official assignment .

But Senator Danjuma La’ ah ( PDP, Kaduna South ) , who denied knowledge of the letter from Buhari , urging the Senate to still confirm Magu, stated that the Senate had made its point on the acting EFCC chairman.

He said , “ The Senate is not silent on the matter . We have sent our resolution back to the President , telling him what actually was our stand . If he ( Buhari ) still insists that he wants the EFCC chairman to be confirmed , then , we will tell him why we cannot take him ( Magu) . ”

When reminded that the President had replied the Senate on Magu, La ’ ah said , “ No , we have not seen it . I don’ t know and I ’ ve not heard about it. Maybe they brought it ( the letter) when I was not around . But as far as we are concerned, we have told him that this is our stand . ”

In his reaction, Senator Adesoji Akanbi (APC, Oyo South), stated that until the DSS issued a new report to clear Magu, the Senate might not be able to confirm his appointment.

“ We have said it that we won ’ t confirm Magu until the DSS clears him. If the security agency issues another report and he is cleared, we will consider him . If there is no clearance from the DSS and we go ahead to act on the President ’ s letter, that means DSS ’ clearance of any other nominee is of no use again .
“It is part of the guidelines that clearance is necessary; and who can clear a nominee ? It is the DSS , ” he said.

Another APC senator , who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that the lawmakers would not start the confirmation process until Magu had been cleared by the DSS.

The source stated, “ The delay is not deliberate. Sometimes, we have to be careful. The chamber now sees Magu as a saint. Today , for the first time , he got a former governor convicted. I think ( Acting President Yemi) Osinbajo , being a senior lawyer, has now aligned with us on the fact that a clearance letter must come from the DSS . This is one of the areas where the incapacity of the President can delay processes. Osinbajo will not make a move on such matter ; he will not want to dabble in it at all. If the President returns , he will ask the DSS to issue another report.”

The Chairman , Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Sabi Abdullahi ( APC, Niger North ), did not return calls to his mobile.

He had recently told our correspondent that the confirmation had been suspended until after the passage of the 2017 Appropriation Bill.

‘ PSC not DSS can disqualify Magu ’

Also, another member of the Senate APC caucus, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation by his colleagues, however, said with the nod given by Buhari despite the DSS report disqualifying Magu, the Senate should dismiss the report.

The senator said, “ At the first instance, we said we rejected Magu based on the letter ( report ) from the DSS and the President said he had investigated the issue, in relation to the letter, and he ( Buhari ) has renominated him . The other thing now is that a case ( on Magu's confirmation ) is now before a court . The Senate cannot sit on it anymore. ”

According to the lawmaker , there is a limit to what the judiciary can do to stop Magu . He also said the DSS was not in the best position to disqualify a serving police officer ( Magu) but the Police Service Commission, which is his current employer.

He said, “ Either way, those against Magu are the losers. What can a court do? The case that Magu should not be confirmed will not see the light of the day. It is a matter of common sense: Magu is a serving police officer . What stops him from holding a public office if he is a serving police officer ?

“ If we say he is not fit to occupy a public office, is he fit to carry a gun as a Deputy Commissioner of Police? If somebody is fit to be a Deputy Commissioner of Police, is there any assignment that relates to security that we cannot assign him to?

“ Had it been he is somebody who was brought from outside , then , we can check his background and disqualify him , based on that. Does the DSS even have the right to say he is not qualified to occupy a public office ? Is it not the Police Service Commission because he is a police officer ?”

By Doyin Adebusuyi


Leaders of the PDP in the South West geo-political zone loyal to the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi on Monday met in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state, where they expressed support to challenge the Court of Appeal's ruling that declared Senator Modu Sheriff as the national chairman of the party.

Also at the opening of the meeting, Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose told former President Olusegun Obasanjo to as a matter of urgency return the N10 million donation he made to his library project with interest.

According to the governor, the 30 governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) were compelled to donate N10m each in 2005 to the multibillion naira project, which he described as the greatest fraud ever.

Some of the party leaders from the geo-political zone at the meeting were the Natioanl Vice Chairman of the party in the south West, Mr. Eddy Olafeso, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Publicity Secretary of the Caretaker committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, ex-deputy governor of Lagos state, Mrs. Akerele Bucknor and the Speaker of Ekiti state House of Assembly, Kola Oluwawole.

Others includeChief Bode George, ex-governor of Ogun state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Deputy Governor of Ekiti, Dr. olusola Kolapo, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, the chairman of PDP loyal to Fayose, Mr. Gboyega Ofuntuase, his counterpart in Osun, Bayo Faforiji and Engr Clement Faborede (Ondo).

While challenging members of the party to come out of timidity and speak out against alleged intimidation by agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , Fayose predicted that God will soon move against those that are oppressing the PDP members in the country by declaring their seats vacant.

He described the National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff illegal occupant of the chairmanship seat, adding that he would continue to back Makarfi.

In his address, the Publicity Secretary of the Makarfi group, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, he allayed members fear that the faction would lose its appeal at the apex court.

Adeyeye added, "Let me allay your fears, the minority judgment is going to be the final judgment at the end of the day. Already we have secured the services of six SANs to file all necessary papers at the Supreme Court and I'm assuring you that the case is going to be given accelerated hearing."

In a 6-point communique issued and read by the deputy fovernor of the state, Dr. Kolapo Olusola, the leaders also passed a vote of confidence and support for the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.

The communique added, "‎The leadership appreciates the doggedness of members of the PDP in the South-West in the face of harassment and intimidation and we implore them not to lose hope as there is light at the end of the tunnel.

"We, PDP leaders and members in the South-West, support the decision of the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi to challenge Senator Alli Modu Sheirff's claims to the leadership of the party at the Supreme Court. We are sure that justice will prevail in the end."

While expressing confidence in the leadership of Governor Ayodele Fayose as the leader of the party in the South-West as well as the Chairman, PDP Governors' Forum, the party leaders expressed confidence that they would continue to pursue the ideal of peace and harmony in the South-West and the entire nation in full consultation with leaders and members of the party.

By Hamisu Muhammad


The federal government has asked all former senior public office holders to return assets of government in their possession immediately.

The directive announced yesterday by Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun affects ministers, permanent secretaries, directors and other political office holders.

Already, a project coordinator has been appointed by the minister for the immediate take-off of an Asset Tracking and Management Project.

The minister also created the first Central Asset Register for the federal government, Director of Information, Salisu Na’inna Danbatta said in a statement yesterday.

According to the statement, for the first time, a Central and Unified National Database of Assets (Asset Register) would be generated to maintain record, track and manage the huge investments in capital assets owned by Government.

The statement said Mrs Adeosun had dispatched a circular to all Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) requesting their accounting officers to prepare an inventory of all fixed assets held as at 31st December 2016, to facilitate physical verification by the project team.

The circular requested all heads of MDAs “to ensure that any assets held by current and former staff are fully accounted for. In this regard, you may find it necessary to contact any former staff and/or political office holders to avail them the opportunity to return relevant assets in their possession.”

The circular emphasised that “all inventory records submitted will be cross-checked to capital releases and project account purchases to ensure completeness. Where assets have been sold or otherwise disposed of, they must be recorded with supporting authorization for sale and evidence of payment, where applicable.”

The circular drew the attention of Heads of MDAs to Chapter 26 of the Financial Regulations, with regards to disposals of assets and warned that “any asset not accessible for physical inspection and not disposed of in accordance with financial requirements will be deemed to have been illegally withheld or converted. Please record such assets so as to enable the investigative agencies to be notified.”

The records of the assets disposed of should cover the last five years, and all accounting officers of the MDAs were to submit their reports not later than three weeks from the date of receipt of the circular.

It could be recalled that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) delivered 40 vehicles recovered from some retired Directors of the Ministry, to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources recently. Also the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), last Wednesday, announced the forfeiture of 47 cars to the federal government by a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Godknows Igali.

The statement added Assets Tracking and Management Project and the creation of the Assets Register were new initiatives of the Federal Ministry of Finance designed to enhance accountability, promote transparency and deepen efficiency in line with the change agenda of the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The Asset Tracking exercise and Register will make planning and control easier and improve accountability for assets. With the increased allocation to capital expenditure to 30%, it is important that all assets are recorded and accounted for. Where disposals occur, they must be in line with the laid down procedures and must be transparent,” the minister said, in the statement.

The Asset Register would afford the government the opportunity to know and monitor, in real time, online information on the inventory of Government Assets.

Foreign exchange (forex) speculators have lost over N100 million in the last three days after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) injected fresh dollars into the interbank market.

Many of them panicked as news about the CBN’s intervention hit the market. This was in continuation of its strategy to strengthen the value of the naira.

According a source in the apex the bank, there is a planned release of an additional $350million bringing the total to $570 million in this week alone to further crash the value of the dollar.

Already, there are heightened fears among traders and other market participants who are yet to recover from the losses of the last two weeks owing to sharp and sudden appreciation of the Naira.

CBN’s Acting Director, Corporate Communication, Isaac Okorafor, confirmed this development, reiterated that with improving reserve levels, the Bank was determined to continuously make forex available to all genuine customers through their banks, advising those hoarding the greenback to reduce their losses by selling their dollar stock.

Market watchers said there was the likelihood of a liquidity glut as banks were beginning to send out salespeople to scout for customers to buy off their dollars to avoid losses arising from the expected further appreciation of the naira.

The CBN has in the last one week supplied a total of $570 million to the market made up of $80 million for Personal Travel Allowances, medical fees and school fees, $100 million in wholesale forwards, while another $350 million was injected into the interbank market at the weekend.

lalasticlala

Britain’s commitment to tackling high-end money laundering through the City of London is under serious scrutiny after it emerged that regulators appear to have waved through an $800m bank transfer to a convicted criminal as the proceeds from one of the most corrupt deals in the history of the oil industry.

A joint investigation by the Observer and journalists from Finance Uncovered, a non-profit organisation based in London, has discovered that prosecutors in Milan believe two payments of $400m each were wired through JP Morgan in London as the spoils of a huge deal to develop a Nigerian oilfield involving Shell, its joint venture partner the Italian oil giant Eni, and the government in Abuja.

More than half the money was converted into bags of bribe cash via bureaux de change in Nigeria, while tens of millions was wired to buy a private jet and armoured cars in the US, according to documents compiled by the prosecutors. But ordinary citizens of Nigeria have not seen a penny from the deal – which, it is alleged, was partly negotiated by two ex-MI6 officers hired by Shell as “business and investment advisers”.

The astonishing allegations have been made by an Italian prosecutor, Fabio de Pasquale, whose previous scalps include former Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi.

De Pasquale and his team have spent more than two years following the money trail surrounding the murky sale of Nigeria’s prized Oil Prospecting Licence 245 (OPL 245), a huge block off the coast of west Africa estimated to contain 9.3bn barrels of crude: enough to power the continent for seven years.

Oil giants from the west, China and Russia have coveted its riches for years. But Shell and Eni eventually prevailed, paying $1.3bn to the Nigerian government to secure the field in 2011.

However, within days the bulk of the money was transferred through JP Morgan in London to a convicted Nigerian money launderer – a man with whom both Shell and Eni had been negotiating.

“The UK authorities have some serious explaining to do,” said Barnaby Pace, a campaigner with the anti-corruption watchdog Global Witness, which has investigated this case for several years.

De Pasquale has carried out raids on Eni offices in Italy and Shell’s headquarters in The Hague that have yielded tens of thousands of documents and emails.

Last month he requested that an Italian court charge 10 individuals, including five high-ranking executives from Eni, with corruption-related offences. Shell, as a corporate entity, was also included in the request, which will be considered by a court in Milan next month. Shell, Eni and all the executives named by De Pasquale strongly deny the allegations.

De Pasquale has also formally warned four former Shell employees, who allegedly played significant roles in securing the deal, that they could be subject to separate proceedings. Among them are Guy Colegate and John Copleston, identified by De Pasquale in legal documents as having “previously worked for MI6”.

Copleston was a “strategic investment adviser” at Shell who, as the UK’s former intelligence representative in Nigeria, had nurtured contacts at the highest levels of the country’s military and government. Colegate worked as a “business adviser”, compiling regular intelligence briefings on the main actors in the OPL 245 negotiations.

As Shell eyed OPL 245, both the CIA and the Foreign Office were aware that Vladimir Putin and Russia were considering trying to snatch Nigerian assets from the west.

The OPL 245 licence had proved particularly elusive. In 1998, Nigeria’s then oil minister, Dan Etete, had awarded it to a shady new company, Malabu Oil and Gas, in which, it later emerged, he held a significant stake.

But after a new president came to power, Malabu lost the licence and it was assigned to Shell. Later the position reversed and Shell began legal proceedings against the Nigerian government.

Etete was convicted in a Paris court in 2007 for his part in a separate money-laundering scandal. But this did not appear to deter Shell and Eni from continuing to court him at luxury hotels in Europe and Nigeria.

After one lunch with Etete in 2009 to discuss his asking price for OPL 245, it is reported that Copleston copied Colegate on an email to say it had gone well, helped along by “lots of iced champagne”.
In 2010, negotiations swung Shell’s way when Goodluck Jonathan, an ally of Etete’s, became Nigeria’s president.

The following year, the $1.3bn deal was struck, with Malabu entitled to $1.1bn and the Nigerian government a $210m “signature fee”. Shell and Eni paid the money directly to the Nigerian government.

A fixer involved in the deal described this approach as putting a “condom” between the buyer and seller so that at no point would Shell or Eni make direct payments to Malabu or Etete, who was officially recognised as a criminal. But in May 2011, days after the Nigerian government received the money, its officials instructed JP Morgan to transfer the $1.1bn to an account in Switzerland.

At this point red flags should have been raised in London. Under money-laundering regulations, banks are required to raise Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) for highly unusual transactions, especially involving what are called “politically exposed persons” such as Etete. These reports are raised confidentially with the UK Financial Investigations Unit, which in 2011 was part of the Home Office’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).

Banks are forbidden from confirming whether they have raised SARs, and both JP Morgan and the National Crime Agency – Soca’s successor – have declined to comment on the matter.

However, a source indicated that JP Morgan had raised an SAR as soon as it received the request from Nigeria.

It is understood that the bank would not have proceeded without a green light from Soca.
Well-placed sources offer three possible explanations for why the UK authorities allowed the transfer to go through. Either they saw no problem with it; or they were aware of the money’s provenance but, because the Nigerian government itself saw no corruption, there was little that could be done to secure evidence for a freezing order; or they wanted to track how the funds were disbursed to help gain intelligence.

Whatever the explanation, the transfer immediately ran into difficulties. BSI Lugano, a Swiss bank, rejected the payment, citing Etete’s money-laundering conviction. In August, JP Morgan then made a second attempt via a Lebanese bank to pay the money to Malabu, but this too was rejected. However, a fortnight later the bank was able to transfer the money, in separate tranches of $400m to two Nigerian banks.

Where all of it ended up will probably never be known. De Pasquale alleges that President Jonathan received some of the money, but he denies the claim.

Colegate did not respond to requests for comment. Attempts to reach Copleston were unsuccessful. It was not possible to contact Etete, while Eni declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for Shell said: “Based on our review of the prosecutor’s file and our understanding of the facts, we don’t believe a request for indictment is justified and we are confident that this will be determined in the next stages of the proceedings. We continue to take this matter seriously and cooperate with the authorities.”

Asked about its intelligence-gathering operations, Shell said: “Like most multinational organisations, Shell takes the duty to protect its people, assets and commercially sensitive information seriously and hires those with the most relevant experience to join its corporate security team, including on occasion former government personnel.”

Pace said the scandal highlighted the City of London’s failure to combat money laundering, something that the previous prime minister, David Cameron, had identified as a key priority and which development agencies say is vital if the assets of African countries are not to end up being lost to corruption.

“If we want to stop this kind of deal happening in future, we need to address the system that made it possible,” Pace said. “That means accountability for those that enable corruption in major financial centres like London.”

lalasticlala

Rochas Okorocha

Governor Okorocha is not new at taking shots at the nation’s Presidency. In 1999, Okorocha, who competed in the primaries to be PDP candidate for governor of Imo State, lost to Achike Udenwa. He then moved to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) but was unsuccessful in his quest for the party’s ticket for the presidency in 2003 and therefore returned to the PDP.

Okorocha formed the Action Alliance (AA) in 2005, planning to become its presidential candidate for the 2007 elections. He again however returned to the PDP, and in September 2007 indicated that he was interested in becoming PDP national chairman. Okorocha decamped from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and ran as its candidate for Imo State governor in the April 2011 national elections which he won but then decamped to the ruling APC.

While the governor said he will not contest the 2019 Presidency, citing the successes of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Okorocha, who is fluent in all the major languages of the country, is still seen as interested in taking another shot at the presidency in the event Buhari will not contest.

Babatunde Fashola

Lagos State governor from 2007 to 2015, Babatunde Fashola endeared himself to not only Lagosians, but indeed Nigerians as a whole, due to his impressive performance in the state. As a candidate of the then Action Congress party, Fashola succeeded Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and was re-elected on 26 April 2011. On November 11th 2015, he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to be the Minister of Power, Works and Housing.

Not a few analysts and observers believe Fashola may be warming himself up for a higher political job after his current assignment as a minister. Indeed, a former minister Oby Ezekwesili was reported to have urged Fashola (SAN) to run for Presidency in 2019, and an online medium had quoted Ezekwesili as saying: “The day Tunde Fashola picks up a form to run for presidency, I Oby Ezekwesili shall sign up to volunteer for his campaign team.”

In the build-up to the 2015 elections, many were of the opinion that Fashola should serve with President Muhammadu Buhari as the shortest route to the Presidency. This school of thought reasoned that by so doing Fashola would be able to tender credentials superior to any other candidate’s in 2019. Although he has not indicated his interest, many say it may not be an easy ride for him as 2019 promises to be another titanic battle, given the number of gladiators in the fray.

Ken Nnamani

Ken Nnamani was President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2005 to 2007. A former member of the PDP, he was elected to the Senate from Enugu State in 2003 and served until 2007. He recently took many by surprise when he denounced his membership of the PDP to join the ruling APC. Currently the head of the Electoral Reform Committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari, he registered as a member of the APC at his country home in Amechi-Uwani, in Enugu South Local Government Area, a move that many political analysts saw as a deft move ahead of the 2019 elections.

Coming from a zone (South-East) that has not produced a president since the return to democracy in 1999, many see the former senate president as throwing his hat in the 2019 presidential ring. He would certainly not be the only one from that zone who may be interested in the presidency, but his current role in the APC administration certainly makes him a potentially potent player, also considering his reputation for being one of the few decent politicians in Nigeria. He just may eventually throw his hat into the ring come 2019.

Tinubu’s recent reaction to a question that sought to know his future political ambition caused a stir in political circles, as it was interpreted to mean that he had already begun preparation to contest in 2019. “There is nothing wrong with such ambition. It depends on the timing and the environment and what political leadership dictates. I will not brush aside aside such an aspiration,” Tinubu was quoted as having said during the an event in Ondo State.

Tinubu had, however, in a tweet on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 dismissed this position, saying that he would not contest against President Buhari. “As long as that patriotic and committed President Buhari holds and seeks to hold the mantle as President, I stand behind him in unwavering support,” he said via his Twitter handle @AsiwajuTinubu. Analysts see this stance as conditional.

Tinubu’s possible presidential ambition may enjoy widespread support in the South-West geo-political zone, considering his political sagacity and large followership. He also has a sizeable financial war chest, as he invested heavily in the actualization of the Buhari presidency in 2015. But the odds against such ambition include the fact that Osinbajo came from his camp, and the South-West had earlier spent two terms of eight years under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-led PDP administration between 1999 and 2007.

lalasticlala

By Hamza Idris, Isma’ila Mudashir, Isiaka Wakili, Muideen Olaniyi, Fidelis Mac-Leva, Abbas Jimoh, Musa


Midway into the mandate of the current political leaders, the body language of many prominent politicians and those close to them in major political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) among others, indicate that a struggle for the coveted presidential seat is being nursed surreptitiously. While some may likely seek new political platforms, some will remain where they are to slug it out, a development that will prove intriguing. We took a look at some of those who may likely test their political might come 2019.


President Muhammadu Buhari

Although President Muhammadu Buhari has not declared his interest in seeking a second term, the possibility that he will do so cannot be ruled out as his loyalists and political associates have continued to fly that kite, some quite enthusiastically. Just this January, the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, asked his fellows in the South-East not to talk about an Igbo presidency until after Buhari’s tenure, saying the president has a tenure to work for four or eight years according to the zoning arrangement of the ruling APC, a claim yet to be debunked by the party.

Buhari’s handlers in the Presidency also seem to believe that the earlier they begin to woo Nigerians for Buhari’s re-election, the better. Last month while addressing a pro-Buhari crowd, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal hinted at the possibility of President Buhari running in 2019.

One of the presidential spokesmen, Malam Garba Shehu, had also last year expressed confidence that the electorate would not abandon Buhari in 2019, claiming that the president’s “enormous” goodwill remained strong because the people were convinced that he was acting in their best interest despite “temporary, unintended consequences of reforms.” The president, as usual, will have the final word on the subject.

Professor Yemi Osinbajo

The possibility that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo may run for the 2019 Presidency cannot be ruled out, and those who do not see him as a potential candidate for the next presidential election might be shocked. There are permutations that if Buhari chooses not to seek a re-election, he might present his deputy for the job. Those who uphold this position are relying on the fact that the president is known for rewarding loyalty, which they believe Osinbajo has so far demonstrated.

Professor Osinbajo has been acting as president since January 19 when his boss embarked on vacation in the United Kingdom. And already, some have argued that with the various policy decisions taken in Buhari’s absence, Osinbajo has the gravitas to govern the nation. Nevertheless, if President Buhari decides to run for second term, the question of whether or not Professor Yemi Osinbajo should be considered for the country’s number two position might arise, especially from vested interests within the APC.

Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The former governor of Lagos State is one politician whose likely declaration for 2019 presidency may not take people by surprise, because of what pundits see as his past attempts to become a vice presidential candidate to President Muhammadu Buhari under the APC, a move he dropped due to the sensitivity of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a complex country like Nigeria.

Tinubu’s recent reaction to a question that sought to know his future political ambition caused a stir in political circles, as it was interpreted to mean that he had already begun preparation to contest in 2019. “There is nothing wrong with such ambition. It depends on the timing and the environment and what political leadership dictates. I will not brush aside such an aspiration,” Tinubu was quoted as having said during the an event in Ondo State.

Tinubu had, however, in a tweet on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 dismissed this position, saying that he would not contest against President Buhari. “As long as that patriotic and committed President Buhari holds and seeks to hold the mantle as President, I stand behind him in unwavering support,” he said via his Twitter handle @AsiwajuTinubu. Analysts see this stance as conditional.

Tinubu’s possible presidential ambition may enjoy widespread support in the South-West geo-political zone, considering his political sagacity and large followership. He also has a sizeable financial war chest, as he invested heavily in the actualization of the Buhari presidency in 2015. But the odds against such ambition include the fact that Osinbajo came from his camp, and the South-West had earlier spent two terms of eight years under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-led PDP administration between 1999 and 2007.

Atiku Abubakar

The one-time vice president has never kept hidden his presidential ambition. Atiku had contested the 2007 presidential election on the platform the defunct Action Congress (AC) after realizing that he could not get the PDP ticket because of his frosty relationship with former President Obasanjo. Also, the APC chieftain had contested the presidential ticket with former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 and with then-candidate Buhari in 2014 on different platforms.

The action, body language and utterances of the Turakin Adamawa are enough to show seriousness. He has already won the admiration of some in the South-South and South-East with a consistent advocacy for true federalism, calls considered to be subtle campaigns ahead of 2019, especially if President Buhari decides not to run.

Atiku maintains a vibrant media office with many staff who ensure he is a constant participator in national discourse. The Turaki is also noted to be a “big spender” when it comes to pursuing his interests, giving the PDP and ex-president Obasanjo a tough time by dragging them to court several times when they attempted to tame him in the past.

In the event the APC becomes a no-go channel for him, insiders say he may likely seek an alternative platform, either in the purported mega-party, the PDP, or any other one as the political equation suggests. More sources said Atiku would surely get the support of political bigwigs across the country should he declare to run again. But the odds against Atiku’s ambition include, notably, the ceaseless opposition of Obasanjo to his candidacy.

Bukola Saraki

Saraki is one of the politicians that are likely to contest for the Presidency come 2019. In 2015, he was one of the presidential aspirants of the APC but dropped the ambition two months before the party’s primaries in 2014.

Saraki, a two-time governor of Kwara State is in a better position to vie for the presidency in view of his position as number three citizen of the country. With senators at his beck and call, he may go for the big seat. At present, he has the firm control of lawmakers, and his youthfulness and mien are added advantages, and also for the fact that he is from the North-Central tells a lot when it comes to political balancing.

But Saraki’s squabbling with his party, the APC, may negate his chances to clinch the ticket if he runs. He defeated his party in 2015 as a result of his romance with the PDP to emerge as the Senate President. That wound is yet to heal despite the recent consideration of Senator Ahmad Lawan as the Senate Leader. Lawan was the preferred candidate of the APC for the Senate presidency.

Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

Kwankwaso is a serving senator representing Kano Central at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly and was a presidential aspirant in the last general election. A former governor of Kano State, who served the state from 1999-2003 and 2011-2015 respectively, he is said to have turned around Kano through laudable physical infrastructural development, especially during his second tenure.

Although Kwankwaso has been quiet for a while, his political network is not only intact but vibrant across the country. His political trademark, the Kwankwasiyya, which he established before the 2011 general elections is even expanding to other states. In the event he goes for the presidency, his large followership in Kano, Kaduna and other states in the North would give him added advantage especially if he picks a running mate from the South.

What will work against him is if decides to remain in APC, and President Buhari decides to go for a second term.

Sule Lamido

The dwindling fortunes of the PDP, occasioned by counter court cases and mass defection do not deter the former Jigawa governor from nursing his ambition of vying for the presidential position of this country under its platform.

Lamido, who is passionate about the PDP, believes that it will soon overcome its travails and bounce back. While the party is suffering in other climes, it is thriving in Jigawa to the extent that some members of the ruling APC are defecting to it.

The declaration for his presidential ambition sometime last year did come to many as a surprise. Lamido, who is among the founding fathers of the PDP, said if offered a ticket come 2019, he would be glad to offer himself. What is not clear is whether he will overcome the ambition of many alpha members of the PDP for the same ticket.

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal

Tambuwal, immediate-past Speaker of the House of Reps, was to contest for president during the 2015 when some of his friends reportedly obtained the APC presidential form for him to participate in the primary. He later shelved the idea and went ahead to contest for the Sokoto State governorship seat, and won.

As part of future plans to realize his presidential ambition, the 51-year-old lawyer succeeded in installing his successor in the House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara. He also succeeded in expanding his political base among federal lawmakers from all parts of the country. Described as astute and shrewd politician by many, he leaves no-one in doubt that he would certainly go for the top job in the country in the future, which could be 2019.

In the event Buhari seeks a second term, he may likely shelve the ambition until 2013, considering the fact that age is on his side. But a major hurdle to cross for Tambuwal would be getting the support of the South-West, who see him someone who ‘abandoned’ their own, Femi Gbajabiamila, for the position of Speaker, even though he later played a crucial role in his emergence as Speaker in 2011, against all odds.

At some point, the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who did not only support Tambuwal in 2011 but also ensured that all opposition lawmakers voted for him as Speaker, was said to be “very angry with Tambuwal” for that perceived slight.

Ahmed Makarfi

Senator Ahmed Makarfi was governor of Kaduna State from 1999 to 2007. Within the eight years he was in office, he was able to mitigate religious and ethnic violence in the state and has through that feat projected himself as an objective and fair-minded leader. His outstanding performance in the state shot him into national limelight, seeing him clinch a seat at the Senate in 2007, even though he lost the bid to return a third time in 2015. But by then, his profile in the PDP had risen and party members appointed him Chairman of the party at a convention which held in Port-Harcourt last year.

Since then he has been battling for the position with former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff. As the PDP has made it clear that its presidential candidate in the 2019 elections would be from the North, there is the possibility that given the trust key members of the party -- especially serving governors -- have in him, and given his image as an objective leader and acceptability across geopolitical divides, he might be convinced to run for the party’s presidential ticket in 2019. He recently said in an interview in Lagos that he may likely go for the No.1 office. However, his handicap may likely be the platform, because it is not yet clear if the PDP will ever be the same again.

But it was gathered that Makarfi’s faction of the party is seeking for the registration of a new platform, the Advanced Peoples Democratic Party (APDP). If they succeed, he may easily get the ticket and slug it out with anyone paraded by the APC or other parties.

Nasir El-Rufai

Currently the governor of Kaduna State, El-Rufai has been in the news for long as one of those likely to run for the presidency in 2019. This is given his popularity and acceptability across the country. But it is not likely he will show any interest if President Muhammadu Buhari is contesting, as he would not stand any chance in the North and may also stand the risk of losing his political investments, given Buhari’s acceptability in the region.

The current twist in events, where Buhari has been on vacation for a while, has however raised the hope that he might contest as he is said to be one of the top three northerners being considered for the vice presidential slot if Buhari decides on more rest. If that happens, many say it is likely that el-Rufai may latch in on the issue of zoning to contest in 2019, given that the sympathy may be for a northern candidate.

Ali Modu Sheriff

Sheriff is at present the recognized National Chairman of the PDP. He was a two-time governor of Borno State and three times a senator representing Borno Central. When he wanted to be governor in 2003, he chased a sitting governor in Borno, the Late Mai Mala Kachalla out of the APP and got the ticket. Indeed, he did not only win the election but broke the Borno jinx and won a second term. He was however demystified in 2011 when he wanted to go to the Senate for the fourth time but was defeated by a PDP candidate, the Late Ahmed Zannah Khalifa.

That notwithstanding, analysts say Sheriff lost out because of his poor handling of the Boko Haram crisis. A vicious fighter, and mass mobilizer, Sheriff is seen as someone who never runs away from a fight. Despite the fact that PDP governors, ex-ministers, former governors and other organs of the PDP had made many attempts to oust him as chairman of the PDP, Sheriff has defied them. Sources said he may end up easing out as PDP chairman and ultimately get its presidential ticket which has been zoned to the North.

From all indications, Sheriff may get the PDP ticket, as he has already liberalized many impediments on his way as some chieftains of the party are already contemplating dumping it for another platform. His albatross may likely be acceptability as a presidential candidate by Nigerians despite the fact that he has enough resources.

Ayo Fayose

Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose is largely seen as fearless as a result of his controversial comments and leadership style. His February 21, 2017 declaration of presidential ambition in 2019 was also seen by commentators as a joke, but he seems to be serious about it. Some insiders are already calling him the ‘Donald Trump of Nigeria’.

The 56-year Fayose, who is the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, expressed his interest in the presidency during a live television interview that in the near future, he will take over the mantle to lead the nation as his future was tied to the presidency. “It is not by power. It is destiny. I did not believe it when I became Ekiti governor. After eight years, I will be the vice president of Nigeria, even the President very soon.”

The maverick governor may however have to contend with arrays of other interests within the PDP, some of who are seen as having brighter chances. He also has to grapple with the crisis rocking the PDP and the embattled national chairman of the party, Sheriff, who Fayose with other governors rejected despite an Appeal Court ruling affirming Sheriff’s chairmanship.

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


A young man identified as Temi Faruok has committed suicide by hanging himself inside his room in a Lagos suburb after he claimed that his wife poisoned his food to kill him in order to keep her alleged lover who is their landlord.

The incident happened at Iya Meta Street in Orisumbare, Shasha area of Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the late Faruok had complained that his wife poisoned his food which affected his health that had deteriorated all because she wanted to keep her secret romance with their landlord, a claim the wife denied.

Our correspondent gathered the deceased and the wife had only one child and they have been having constant quarrel over her suspicion.

The matter, it was gathered had been going on for some time to the extent the Baale of Orisumbare Community had to wade in to broker peace but all to no avail until he was found dead now.

When our correspondent visited the house on Friday, the residents, including the Landlord’s wife, who refused to disclosed her name, confirmed the incident.

According to the neighbours, the deceased had overheard severally complaining that it was better for him to die at once than the slow pain he was experiencing from the strange disease that might eventually take his life.

Following the incident, and the information gathered against the wife, the Police at Afonka police division have arrested the woman simply identified as ‘Iya Farouk’ as well as the landlord simply called ‘Dele’ for explanation on their alleged involvement in the entire saga.

At Afonka police division, police sources confirmed the incident and told our correspondent that the suspects have been arrested and the matter has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID Panti for further investigation.

Meanwhile, Farouk’s remain has been recovered and deposited at a General Hospital for autopsy report.

By Louis Ibah


There were strong indications yesterday that more than 1,500 of Arik Airline’s estimated 2,000 workforce may be retrenched this month as new management’s cost-saving measures to keep the airline alive.

Arik Air has about 2,000 workers spread across its local and foreign operations, while it operated a fleet of 28 aircraft at optimal capacity, which enabled it to generate enough revenue to meet its over N1 billion wage bill.

But reliable insider sources told Daily Sun yesterday that the airline currently under the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) receivership is now operating with only eight functional aircraft in its fleet which makes retain its 2,000 workforce uneconomical.

Daily Sun learnt that the company’s expatriate staff may be the first to be disengaged, especially with the suspension of flights on international routes. It was further gathered that some of the expatriate pilots have on their own left the country, while several indigenous pilots and cabin crew are also reported to be experiencing some form of redundancy, with the scaling down of the airline’s operations.

“With a drastic reduction of fleet from 28 to eight as well as reduction in scheduled flights from 120 to an average of 18 flights daily, there are strong indications that Arik Air would retrench most of its workers, as its revenue continues to dwindle and the number of air worthy airplanes dwindles,” the source said.

“That is the only way to cut down the overhead and keep the airline alive. But with a current monthly revenue of N1.5 billion, which is not enough to meet operating costs, offset aircraft insurance bills or pay its creditors, staff retrenchment may happen any time within the first quarter of this year. “The tragedy of Aero Contractors was the inability of AMCON to sack its over-bloated workforce even when fleet had depleted from 12 to just three. The same mistake can’t happen with Arik,” the source, a top official of an airline who wouldn’t want to be named, said.

Meanwhile Media Consultant to Arik Air, Mr. Simon Tumba, has, however, refuted the alleged planned mass sack at the company saying there were plans to lay off workers. According to AMCON, what Arik Air requires to regain its full capabilities was an injection of about N10 billion.

But aside the challenges of fleet depletion and reduction in daily flight frequencies, Arik Air is also grappling with the problem of low passenger patronage. The recent takeover of the airline by AMCON has created some fear in most of its frequent flyers who mistook the events as an indication that the airline is no longer safe.

lalasticlala

By Yusha'u A. Ibrahim, Kano

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, raided the residence of former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired General Sarki Mukhtar, and recovered jewelry worth millions of naira.

A source in the commission hinted Daily Trust yesterday that the operation took place around 5pm, Wednesday, adding that a number of documents were also recovered.

"Among the documents were certificates of occupancy (C of O) of some houses located in Kano, Kaduna and Abuja," the source added.

According to the source, the commission acted on tip-off by a whistle blower.

Mukhtar was a former security adviser to former President Umaru Musa Yar'adua.

By Adeola Yusuf

The President and the Minister of Petroleum Resources may be stripped of power to allocate oil blocs.This major change, New Telegraph gathered, was part of the Petroleum Governance Bill (PIGB) undergoing legislation before the Senate.

Chairman, National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Petroleum Industry Reforms, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, confirmed the development in an exclusive chat with this newspaper on the sideline of the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) conference in Abuja.

He said that oil alloca-tion would, henceforth, be executed by the Nigeria Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPRC) subject to ratification by the National Assembly. He said that the bill would be passed “by March or latest April”.

Alasoadura added that the aspect of the petroleum law, which gives the president and the minister the absolute power to singlehandedly give oil blocs to people, has been reviewed with the PIGB.

“What we are proposing is that the board of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority to be formed through Senate legislation will meet, assess and recommend people for oil blocs and other things to Mr. President through the Minister of Petroleum Resources,” the senator told New Telegraph.

Corroborating Alasoadura’s view, a member of the PIB re-drafting committee told this newspaper that the Senate had successful removed power of the president and oil minister to award oil blocs.

All the oil blocs in the country had, since independence, been allocated by the president and or Minister of Petroleum Resources as the case may be. He said: “The law that guarantees the president and/or the minister this authority is being revoked through PIB and the only reason that this will continue is if the President refuses to accent the bill.”

He said that what “we are to have is subject to ratification by the National Assembly!” Besides stripping the President of the power to allocate oil blocs, the Senate had on paper, through the PIGB, scrapped the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and Petroleum Inspectorate (PI), thereby creating a new body, the Nigeria Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPRC). The NPRC would take over the functions of PI, DPR and PPPRA.

Many senators had said that the PIB, which is currently before them, would support the creation of this new commission that is expected to administer and enforce policies that are related to all aspects of petroleum operations in the country.

Also, if the new policy sees the light of the day, two new companies; the Nigeria Petroleum Assets Management Company and National Petroleum Company (NPC), would be established. The NPC would be vested with certain assets and liabilities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), just as the NPC, for instance, will operate as a full independent commercial entity.

Also as part of moves to unbundle the NNPC and the petroleum industry, the PIGB is proposing that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources be renamed as Ministry of Petroleum incorporated, while 30 per cent of the NNPC stakes would be sold through Independent Public Offer (IPO).

Senators at a four-day retreat on PIGB in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, last year, were however, sharply divided on the powers vested on the president and the minister to take certain decisions on issues relating to the petroleum industry.

Alasoadura, who maintained that every action taken must be in tandem with the provisions of the constitution, said: “We cannot go outside the constitution. If we cannot do that, we must ensure that whatever we do is in tandem with the provisions of the constitution.

We must be careful about semantics. A ministry was created to supervise the oil industry. We must not take away the entire powers of the ministry.”

Alasoadura’s position was countered by his cochairman, Senator Bassey Albert Akpan, who warned against arrogating too much power to the president or the minister.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Kachikwu, had earlier confirmed plans to sell 30 per cent of the NNPC’s assets subject to the passage of PIGB.

Kachikwu said this was part of the cleaning up process, maintaining that the plan is to sell NNPC’s shares in its refining and distribution business and “select” exploration and production assets to the public. NNPC manages Nigeria’s stakes in joint ventures with international oil companies that pump the country’s crude.

It also operates refineries and a distribution network of depots and pipelines across the country of about 180 million people. The PIGB, on the other hand, is proposing that when the commission is created, it shall be vested with all assets, funds, resources and other movable and immovable properties, which immediately before the commencement of operation of the new commission, were held by the PI, DPR and PPPRA.

The new commission, among other things, will also “administer and enforce policies, laws and regulations relating to all aspects of petroleum operations, which are assigned to it under the provisions of the Act.”

Former Governor Gabriel Suswam is being probed by the Department of State Services (DSS) for his alleged link with a militia leader, Terwaze Akwazza (a.k.a Gana), The Nation learnt yesterday.

Three Benue State local government areas – Logo, Katsina-Ala and Ukum – are said to be in Akwazza’s grip.

The secret service is also investigating the ex-governor for allegedly building an armoury in his mansion, which is under construction in Makurdi.

Among those building the mansion, which is said to be close to the Ministry of Agriculture in the state capital, are three Israelis.

But a source close to Suswam yesterday said he suspected a frame-up by the ex-governor’s rivals.
Suswam was trying to meet bail terms as at press time. He has been in detention for five days.

According to a security source, who pleaded not to be named because he is not permitted to talk to the media, if Suswam is found to be innocent, the DSS will free him.

The source said: “The DSS is looking into the activities of a militia leader in Benue State, Terwaze Akwazza (a.k.a Gana) whose group has been terrorising innocent villagers.

“From security reports, the gang leader has held hostage three local governments – Logo, Katsina-Ala and Ukum. His group is running a mini-government in the affected local councils with locals paying obeisance, remitting funds and now even taking disputes to the group’s court.

“Although Akwazza initially embraced the Amnesty Programme of the state government, he later reneged and returned to his base in mountainous areas. It is from there that his boys have been killing and maiming innocent citizens.

“The situation in Benue, especially in the three local governments, is getting closer to how Boko Haram started and security agencies cannot sit idle without looking at all clues.”

Some indigenes of Benue have alleged that there is a link between Suswam and Akwazza. “At a point, we got reports that Akwazza boys were providing security for the former governor instead of the Police and the DSS,” the source said.

Besides, it was alleged that the former governor was in touch with Akwazza even after the militia leader had been declared wanted.

“Detectives are probing whether Suswam facilitated an interview for Akwazza with a television station. There are so many angles to this case,” he said.

Detectives are said to have discovered that the militia leader was heavily armed during the 2015 general elections by some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“But after the poll, the group became unbearable and started waging guerilla attacks on villagers in Benue State.

“This is why we invited the ex-governor to explain his own side. We have not said Suswam is guilty. We are holding him to assist our investigation,” the source said.

Security agencies are also investigating alleged building of an armoury by the ex-governor.

Three Israelis are said to be part of the project but we are yet to establish their role in the bunker,” the DSS source told The Nation.

The DSS on Sunday detained Suswam over the recovery of some guns, ammunition, and 45 keys of “exotic” cars from two vehicles linked with him.

It also said 21 Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) and 23 designer watches were discovered in the vehicles – a Mercedes Benz S550 (BWR 135AH), and a Masarati 4.7 (BWR 207 AJ).

The weapons recovered from the two vehicles are (i) Glock pistol with two (2) magazines and a total of Twenty-Nine (29) rounds of ammunition; (ii) Mini-Uzi with two (2) magazines containing 10 rounds and 4 rounds respectively; (iii) Forty-two (42) extra rounds of ammunition contained in a pack; and (iv) One (1) AK-47.

As at yesterday, Suswam was battling for bail through his lawyers.

He has been allowed access to his wife and counsel to prepare his defence under caution.

Another source said: “The DSS has not molested him. His wife brought meals for him on Tuesday. As soon as he meets bail terms, we will release him.”

But Suswam’s friends and associates have attributed his arrest to “bitter partisan politics in Benue State”.

One said:” I don’t have any fact, but I suspect that politics is at play. Suswam is not a violent leader; he has no basis for arming any militia.”

Another associate said: “The DSS should go and read the handover note from Suswam to Governor Samuel Ortom where reference was made to the activities of Akwazza and his men.

“If Suswam was sponsoring the gang, he would not guide Ortom on how to tackle insecurity. It is all politics, despite the fact that the ex-governor has been cooperative with his successor.

“To demonstrate his commitment to peace, the ex-governor recently reconciled with Governor Ortom by visiting him. Suswam is a symbol of peace.”

lalasticlala

A teenager, Amina Yusuf, paraded by the military on Wednesday in Maiduguri said she failed to detonate her explosive because she did not subscribe to Boko Haram ideology.

The 17-year-old told newsmen in Maiduguri that she was abducted five years ago, alongside her parents, in Madagali in Adamawa, after a terror attack on the village.

“I was abducted alongside my parents in Madagali in Adamawa after the terrorists attacked our village. We were taken to a camp in the bush where we were forcefully indoctrinated by the group,” she said.

The suspected suicide bomber alleged that her parents were killed after they had refused to be indoctrinated.

“My parents were executed because they did not join the group.

“I was married off to a Boko Haram militant with whom I lived in the camp,” she said.

“One day I was asked to wear the bombs. I was brought to Maiduguri with an instruction that I detonate the bomb where there is a large crowd of people,” the teenager added.

She said that she declined to detonate the explosive because she did not want to die.

“They said I should press the button but I refused and allowed security men to capture me alive.
“My four siblings are still with the terrorists in the camp,” Yusuf said.

Maj.- Gen. Lucky Irabor the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole had presented her along with two unindentified girls to newsmen during a weekly briefing in Maiduguri.

By Isiaka Wakili



Nigeria's Defence Minister Mansur Dan-Ali on Wednesday, said the country had procured modern equipment from Russia and United Arab Emirates to fight insurgency.
Dan-Ali made this known in Abuja while briefing the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on the security situation across the country.

He said: "In order to sustain the tempo of the counter insurgency operation in the northeast, the present administration had recently procured modern equipment to enhance the combat effectiveness of our armed forces.

"Mine-resistance ambush patrol vehicles, one 20mm Motors and ammunition were being procured by the Nigerian Army. Also, some patrol boats and other platforms have been ordered by the Nigerian Navy for outpost at Lake Chad Basin while contract for helicopters from Russia for the Nigerian Air Force has been awarded and approval for addition four of MI 35 are being awaited.

"Additionally, 20 unmanned aerial vehicles from the United Arab Emirates have been procured by the Nigerian Air Force to support the operation in the North East.

"This administration has also shown tremendous concern to the welfare of troops particularly in the northeast through prompt payment of troops' salaries and allowances as well as improvement in medical services."

lalasticlala

The ongoing onslaught by the Nigerian Police against the Peace Corps of Nigeria, took a dramatic step on Tuesday, when the Officers of the Police invaded the new National Headquarters of the Corps, taking into custody, the National Commandant, Amb. Dickson Akoh.

The youth based organisation whose Bill was recently passed by the National Assembly, had recently come under serious attack by the Police, which had kicked against the establishment of the Corps, during the public hearing at the National Assembly.

It could be recalled that the Nigerian Police shut down the training orientation camp in Kwara and Abuja, a week ago, thereby, forcing cadet officers to vacate the camps.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Police were seen on Tuesday at the official opening ceremony of the National Headquarters of the Corps, opposite Jabi Lake, Abuja, with the Nigerian Customs Service and other paramilitary and security agencies.

The event was also attended by the Minister of Sports and Youths Development, members of the National Assembly, Traditional Rulers, Religious bodies and youth organisations.

The report DAILY POST showed that the Police in a dramatic way, invaded the premises around 11.30pm on Tuesday, when the event for the official opening of the office had rounded off and the National Commandant was about taking his leave.

“We don’t know where they have taken him to”, a fainty voice from the Corps told our Correspondent.

Investigation, however, revealed that, Dickson Akoh was held by the FCT Command of the Nigerian Police.

As of the time of filing this report, the reason for the arrest was unknown.

An Idi-Ogungun Customary Court in Agodi, Ibadan, yesterday, ordered a DNA test to be conducted to determine the biological father of a three-year-old boy.

The President of the court, Chief Mukaila Balogun, gave the order when the mother of the child, Monsurat Adeleke, and her estranged lover, Bayo Ogunsola, could not convince the court on the boy’s paternity.

Balogun directed that the two parties share the cost of the DNA test and return to the court on March 27 with the result.

The mother of the child had disagreed with her erstwhile lover over who the real father of the child was.

Monsurat had on February 14 approached the court, seeking an order to restrain Bayo from parading himself as the biological father of her son, saying she was six months pregnant for her husband before she met him in a hotel.

She said the respondent cast a spell on her, which made her leave her matrimonial home to live with him.

She claimed she was under the spell for three years, adding that it was during that time that she gave birth to the boy, adding that she left for her matrimonial home recently when the spell was broken.

Bayo, in his defence, insisted that the complainant conceived and gave birth to the child in his house.

He said he met Monsurat in a hotel owned by his brother and they both lived together after she ceased going to the hotel with other men.

He insisted that Monsurat conceived and gave birth to the boy while they were living together until she recently packed out of his house and returned to her former husband.

The police in Ogun State have arrested three women over the mysterious death of the lover of one of them in Mamugba community, Sagamu Local Government Area of the state.

The spokesperson of the police in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the arrests to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, said the suspects connived to dump the remains of the victim in the bush.

He said, the man had visited to spend the night with his lover, identified as Rukayat Bashorun, but died in a mysterious manner.

“The Ogun State police command has arrested three women namely: Rukayat Basorun 37, Omobola Shodimu, and Aanu Owoade, for murder. The suspects were arrested when information got to the police that they secretly dumped a corpse in a bush”, he stated.

The police spokesperson added that the Divisional Police Officer for Ogijo, Tijani Mohammed, who received the information led his officials to the area at Mamugba village, Simawa where the main suspect, Ms. Basorun, was arrested.

“Investigation revealed that the deceased happened to be Rukayat’s lover who came to spend some time with her but died in suspicious circumstances in the house of the suspect.

“Rukayat then connived with her two other accomplices to take the body and dump it in the bush”, he emphasised.

Mr. Oyeyemi said, on interrogation, Ms. Basorun confessed that the deceased was her man friend who went to visit her but suddenly fell sick.

“She stated further that she took him to a private hospital but the money charged by the hospital was too much for her to pay which made her to take him to an undisclosed clinic where she said the man gave up the ghost”, he stated.

“When asked the reason why she decided to dump the corpse in the bush, she could not give any reasonable response”, Mr. Oyeyemi stated.

The police spokesperson said the corpse had been recovered and deposited at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital mortuary in Sagamu for autopsy.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation.

Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri


An atmosphere of fear is currently pervading Amanwaozuzu community and its environs in the Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, as suspected ritualists allegedly beheaded a young girl, and took away her private parts In the process.

The Punch learnt that the girl whose identity had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report was reportedly in her early twenties.

Sources told our correspondent on Monday that the indigenes and residents of the community, a suburb to Owerri , the state capital, woke up to the sad and surprised development of a beheaded body , without private parts lying on the Okpala Iho – Atta road in the area.

According to the source , the development which happened on Saturday , raised huge fear on the people , as nobody could explain what happened.

“ Nobody could narrate what transpired . The people just woke up on Saturday morning and saw a beheaded body without private parts lying on the Amanwaozuzu – Ogwa road. On reaching there , it was discovered that it was a young girl, ” one of the sources said.

According to them , nobody could identify the victim because her head had been chop off by the fleeing ritualists.

He explained that on alerting the security agents , they immediately came and evacuated the beheaded body.

According to him , the people were living in the fear of the beheading and the taking away of the victim ’ s genital organs and breasts , adding that a state of panic had engulfed the community.

As of the time of filing this report, the message Sent to the mobile phone number of the state police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, for confirmation had yet to be replied to.

Adelani Adepegba and Ramon Oladimeji

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters , Mrs. Abike Dabiri- Erewa , has called on the South African Government to educate its citizens on the contributions of Nigeria to the former apartheid enclave.

She noted that Nigeria and South Africa had a long -standing diplomatic relationship in which the former played a critical , if not a pivotal role that culminated in ending apartheid, among so many of her positive interventions.

The presidential aide in a statement on Sunday in Abuja stated that the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other immigrants could not be resolved by diplomatic niceties , stressing that the Federal Government would not fold her arms while its citizens were being killed.

Her statement was in reaction to the position of South Africa ’ s Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba , that there was no need for the African Union intervention in the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other immigrants.

Dabiri- Erewa described Gigaba ’ s statement as unfortunate and unacceptable and restated her earlier call for AU intervention in the attacks on foreigners in South Africa.

She said , “ It appears that Mr . Gigaba would rather dwell on and entertain himself with diplomatic niceties when the welfare of Nigerians resident in South Africa are at stake now more than any time in recent history.

“ Mr . Gigaba ’ s response to the mayhem that a segment of the South African people perpetrated on law -abiding Nigerians in South Africa smirks of insensitivity , and it’ s therefore very reprehensible, if not unacceptable.

“ In view of this unfortunate statement , I am therefore restating my earlier call on the African Union to take up the South Africa ’ s xenophobic issue as a matter of urgency . ”

The SSA noted that law -abiding Nigerians in the former apartheid enclave had borne the major brunt of xenophobic attacks , noting that the statement by Gigaba that his country was trying to get rid of criminals in his country at this time was very suspicious.

“ Even if this unguarded statement must be taken in its face value , we wonder if wanton destruction and indiscriminate killing of their African brothers is the most sensible excuse to give , ” she said.

Also , a human rights group , the Socio- Economic Rights and Accountability Project , has urged the Southern African Development Community to investigate and punish the people behind the persistent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals living in South Africa.

The group made the call on Sunday in an open letter by its Executive Director, Mr . Adetokunbo Mumuni, to the Chairperson , SADC, King Mswati III of Swaziland .
It urged the SADC to convene an emergency summit of the SADC heads of state and government to discuss the persistent xenophobic attacks in South Africa .

SERAP urged the SADC to use its “ organ on politics , defence and security cooperation within SADC to immediately set up an independent and impartial body to investigate all acts of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals.

“ The investigation’ s findings and recommendations should be made public , suspected perpetrators brought to justice and victims must enjoy the right to an effective remedy and reparation . ”

The letter read in part, “ SERAP is seriously concerned about the apparent complicity of the South African authorities and officials in the persistent and serious human rights violations and abuses against thousands of Nigerians living in the country, and/or the failure of the authorities to exercise due diligence to prevent those violations and abuses. ”

lalasticlala

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested 12 suspects over an attempted murder of a tanker escort and the diversion of a 45,000 litre diesel laden truck and 410 bags of flour.

The incident happened on 1 February, 2017 when the truck with the registration number ENU 751 XH conveying 45,000 litres of diesel it loaded at Optima Depot, Koko, Warri in Delta State was hijacked after some suspects hit the truck pilot, Tunji Ajayi with hammer at the back of the head and threw him into a ditch.

The diversion was reported at the Rapid Response Squad’s Headquarters in Alausa, where it was reported that the officials declined to take up the case over jurisdiction. It was further revealed that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni on hearing of the incident directed that the police swing into action immediately, noting that crime has no jurisdiction.

The operatives, in handling the case spent 11 days shuttling Ondo, Ogun, Lagos and Edo States and picking up all the suspects allegedly involved in the diversion of the diesel and 410 bags of flour.

As at Sunday, the operatives had arrested 23 people directly involved in the attempted murder of Tunji Ajayi, the representative of Samsuat Petroleum, the diversion, buyers and sub – buyers of the products.

The complainant, Mrs. Nafisat Osinowo, in her statement at the RRS’s Office in Alausa, Ikeja, stated, “the diesel was meant to be delivered in Sango, Ogun State. Our representative escorting the truck called me when they got to Benin that the tyre of the truck was not good in the afternoon.

“He called again at 11:00 p.m. that the truck has been parked in Ore. It is our tradition not to travel at night. Our discussion was that they proceed on the journey at 5:00 a.m. the next day. That was the last time we spoke. Efforts to get him the following day proved abortive until few days later when we were called that he was in an intensive care unit at the hospital”.

Sources revealed that Gbenga Akinboyewa (33) and Obinna Ofunue (29) were recruited by a syndicate in connivance with the driver of the diesel truck, Amara (now at large) to eliminate Tunji Ajayi, the representative of the owner of the product.

The trio had at Ore at night, engaged Ajayi, overpowered him before hitting him at the back of the head with a hammer. They were reported to have thereafter dropped his body in a ditch along the road before diverting the truck with the 45,000 diesel.

The syndicate, led by Chibueze Nnamdi, a building materials dealer in Ore, Ondo State, Edwin Ozor, Oluchukwu and one Shedrach, now at large, had raised N800, 000:00 to pay for the services of those engaged in the course of the diesel diversion.

According to Nnmadi, “I invited Akinboyewa into the deal. I briefed him and he in turn invited Ofunue. The instruction we gave them was to tie the hands and legs of the escort and hide him somewhere so that within an hour, we would have closed the deal before he was loose. I didn’t say they should kill him.

“Biggy (Ozor) and I raised N800, 000 to settle the boys, lodge them in a hotel, feed and take care of other emergencies in the course of the job. We promised Akinbiyewa N500, 000 for his own aspect of the job”.

He disclosed further, “when we were in control of the truck, we drove to Ijebu Ode, where we discharged 2,800 litres. We proceeded to Lagos, where we offloaded 19,200 in one station, 14,000 in another and 8,400 in the last filling station.

Those equally arrested in connection with the attempted murder and diesel diversions were: Sadiku Ganinu, Oluchukwu Oyema and Gbenga Aliyu.

Meanwhile, the operatives have also uncovered that the same syndicate had sometime last week facilitated the disposal off 410 bags of flour believed to belong to Dangote Flour.

Sources revealed that one of the suspects, whose name was not mentioned, disclosed to the police that the syndicate had a week ago, disposed a truck load of flour.

The revelation prompted further investigations by the operatives, which led the RRS team to Sagamu, Ogun State, where the buyer of the flour, Rabiu Bello was arrested.

Bello, a Colanut dealer, had in his statement stated that one Mustapha (at large) brought the flour deal to him, adding that, he bought each bag of the flour N8500.

He further stated that he in turn sold the flour in Zamfara at N9500 per bag.

Others involved in the flour deal and arrested by the operatives included: Chigozie Obi, Feranmi Michael and Adedeji Kehinde.

All the suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti.

lalasticlala

FROM ADE ALADE, ABUJA

They both share a lot in common. They were top on the chart of the most powerful ministers under former President Goodluck Jonathan, they are now central to ongoing probes into billions of naira allegedly stolen by top officials during the immediate past regime. Besides, they are both in self-imposed exile in Europe. And the latest; they are now faced with extradition processes being coordinated by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as well as that of Foreign Affairs Minister.

For the Federal Government, nothing will boost its anti-corruption war at the moment than having the duo of Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, both former Minister of Petroleum and Justice Minister respectively, back on the Nigerian soil to help in the recovery of hundreds of billions of funds allegedly linked to them. While Adoke has been hiding in Netherlands since 2015, Alison-Madueke has since then been battling cancer and fraud investigations by detectives at the International Corruption Unit, ICU, of the United Kingdom National Crime Agency, UK NCA, which in 2015 arrested her.

To fast track the process of his extradition, the Federal Government recently filed a $1.1billion criminal charge against Adoke and others in Abuja.

While the EFCC continues the search for hidden assets of Diezani, Saturday Sun recently reported exclusively that photographs and visuals of the estates linked to Diezani in parts of Nigeria were compiled for the acting Chairman of the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, to take to London, where he had meetings with UK NCA officials with a view to tightening the noose on the former oil minister.

But beyond the extradition processes, there are strong indications that Mrs. Alison-Madueke may have succumbed to multilateral pressures from security agencies and entered into secret talks with the Federal Government on how to return some billions allegedly linked to her. Just recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC had through a federal high court forfeiture order obtained in Lagos confiscated about N35billion cash from some proxy bank accounts linked to the former oil minister. She has, however, denied ownership of the huge fund.

Plea bargain deal?

With her shield crashing from all sides, Saturday Sun gathered that Diezani through a legal team may have begun the process of surrendering huge funds allegedly in her care in exchange for some respite.

The details of the deal, however, still remain sketchy and shrouded in secrecy as at the time of filing this report. Though efforts to reach her directly for confirmation did not sail through, sources close to her said they were not aware of the development.

Prosecution or persecution?

Though the former Minister of Petroleum could not be reached for comments, a source close to her who is not authorised to speak to the press said: “It will not be a surprise if the government is still bent on pursuing vendetta and the mindless persecution of the former minister, after all it was the same people that conspired with the British authorities to arrest her from her hospital bed, knowing she is a recuperating cancer patient. Sadly for all of us karma is a bitch with everyone’s address.”

Added the source: “It is unfortunate that no one is interested in the truth and no one is interested in playing by the rule when it comes to the persecution and demonisation of Mrs. Madueke.

“The EFCC has been in the fore front in promoting the growing industry of lies against her. All she is suffering started with the allegation of a missing $50 billion. The whistle blower then was the former CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi, now Emir of Kano. When confronted to substantiate his outlandish claim, he backed down on the allegation, though the damage has been done. An audit review instituted by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation and conducted by Price Water Cooppers Accounting firm to audit the account of NNPC exonerated Mrs. Madueke, as there was no iota of truth in the allegation of missing $50 billion. The Senate Committee led by Senator Markarfi also found no truth in the allegation. Yet no one is interested in the truth.

Sometime, last year, Al Jazeera Television Network released a video documentary, where it claimed the anti graft agency, EFCC, seized a house worth $18 million, which, it claimed, allegedly belonged to Diezani Madueke. The EFCC also claimed jewelries worth $2 million were recovered from the same house.

“Investigation and inquiry into the claims by the EFCC showed that the house in question was not owned by Diezani. EFCC characteristically never bothered to substantiate the claim. Is the EFCC ignorant of the real owner of the property? Of course, they know who owns the property, but must drag Diezani’s name into it to grab media attention and serve an agenda.

“Similar to the above was another claim by EFCC, where it said it uncovered Mrs. Madueke’s hidden estate in Bayelsa State and Banana Island, Lagos.

There was nothing hidden about the estate in Bayelsa which was a family house to the Maduekes in her native Bayelsa State. As a serving minister, she publicly declared the property as required by law, as part of her assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau.

The question is: can an asset declared by a public officer before a government agency turn around to become a hidden asset?
“In another related development, the EFCC claimed it recovered a whopping $700m from the private home of Mrs. Madueke.

“By every stretch of imagination $700m is a lot of money. For an agency that love to hug the media spotlight like the ant hugs sugar, would it not have made good viewing to put videos or pictures of the alleged $700m for the world to see, just as in the recent cases of the INEC officials and the former group MD of the NNPC? Where is the $700m? Why is the CBN which rightly should be holding custody of such an amount of money not saying anything to collaborate EFCC claims?
“It is obvious Mrs. Madueke is a victim of political persecution as there are forces, individuals and groups who are not happy at the firmness with which she handled the affairs of the NNPC as it wasn’t favorable to their interest.

“Perhaps, her biggest crime was implementing the Nigerian Local Content Act which provided opportunity for other Nigerians to become key players in the oil sector. Before her time as Oil Minister, 85 per cent or more of the people that transact oil business either as product importers or crude oil sales and lifting are either foreigners or people from a particular section of the country. She became a product of hate by this group, not because she was incompetent or a thief looting Nigeria, but because to them, it’s no longer business as usual.

“Almost everything being said about this lady are lies, lies and lies. Sooner than later Nigerians will know the truth.”

FG reacts

When also contacted, Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed neither confirmed nor denied the process.

According to him, “I think the Attorney General is working very hard on the efforts to recoup some of our looted funds; all of them. And I think sometimes too negotiations might not be out of place. In a situation where you have hundreds of millions of dollars locked down, (because people who have looted the funds have admitted the funds are looted, but are joining hands with the host country where they are hiding to say that ‘yes we looted the funds but unless you agree to give us part of it, we would continue to block the repatriation of such funds.’ In such a situation composite agreements and negotiations might be the option and I think the office of the Attorney General is busy doing something. You see because at the end of the day, for us, the primary thing is to get this money back into the country.”

When asked if recovery of the loot drive would make the Federal Government abandon the extradition processes already initiated against the ex-officials on the run, the minister said: “I don’t think the government would give up any of the options. No, no, no, no, even when you have been declared wanted, there are protocols and procedures. Some of which are not something you can discuss every day. But I can assure that between the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we would do everything possible to bring all these matters to logical conclusions.

But, I think we are also not ruling out the option of negotiation if that would bring our money back faster, because in many parts of the world too, you do exactly that option. You know what I’m saying is okay; some people are abroad and where they are, there is even no extradition agreement between us and that country and they are holding our money. And they now say ‘okay we are ready to come home. We are ready to surrender to you, but these are the conditions. We are ready to give back this money, but you would give back to us 10 per cent. Or okay, let’s be more precise, they say ‘look, we know this money is looted money, and it is 100 million dollars, we would continue to block the repatriation of this money, unless you agree that out of this 100 million we can keep 20 million there.’

“What do you do in that kind of situation? So, the government would have to look at such options and weigh and say ‘look we are in a recession. Do we need the money more than we need the man?’ and we can say ‘okay, we can always prosecute this man anytime, so let the money come first’. So, it’s not as straight forward as it looks.”

When asked to reconfirm if indeed such talks are ongoing, the minister said: “It is because I know; frankly speaking, it is because I know that such talks are ongoing, but I won’t be free to tell you with who and who.

“But I can tell you that we have a lot of funds held up today because some foreign countries have joined these people. I know at least five, six cases today where one particular lawyer, one lawyer, the same lawyer, he’s the one who’s insisting that unless he takes 40 per cent of the recovered money, he would continue to block it in the country.”

Asked to put a figure to the money government was making efforts to recover from these former officials, Alhaji Mohammed sounded evasive. “In some cases as much as 100milion dollars, 300 million dollars, in some cases as much as 80 million dollars,” he stated, adding that part of the money was stolen by people who were not members of the Jonathan administration.

Saturday Sun had in its January 21 edition exclusively reported that with the cooperation received so far from the Magu-led EFCC on Diezani’s case, the NCA may soon file formal corruption charges against her in a London court. “Some of the documents received from the EFCC will help in the prosecution of the case against her”, an official of the agency not willing to be named because of the high profile nature of the case had told Saturday Sun.

Apart from mansions already placed under investigation and temporary forfeiture in Abuja and Yenagoa, Saturday Sun further gathered that more multi-billion naira estates allegedly linked to her were also recently discovered in Omerelu street, GRA Phase 1 Port Harcourt, Rivers state as well as others in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki areas of Lagos. Pictures of some of the mansions were also obtained exclusively by Saturday Sun.

She’s done no wrong – Ijaw monarch

The people of Attisa Kingdom in Yenagoa Local Government area where Diezani hails from have warned the Federal Government to leave their daughter alone.

Speaking through the clan head, King Godwin Igodo, the Ebeni- Ibe of Attisa Kingdom, they noted that other people had occupied the position of Petroleum Minister in Nigeria and were not treated like Mrs. Alison-Madueke.

The monarch who is a close friend of Mrs. Alison- Madueke’s father, King Fredrick Abiye Agama, in an interview with Saturday Sun in his palace said people had been spreading stories about Diezani’s property scattered across the country, allegations, he claimed, they had not been able to establish.

King Igodo, while noting that he was not aware if money was seized from Mrs. Alison- Madueke, said a visit to Yenaka community would reveal that there was nothing in the community to indicate the level of wealth ascribed to her.

King Igodo noted that the persecution of Mrs. Alison- Madueke must stop, adding that the continued harassment of her mother, Mrs. Beatrice Agama was unfair and unjust.

Maje Ayida has instituted a legal action against estranged wife, Toke Makinwa, over her tell-all memoir which he claims contained defamatory words, TheCable Lifestyle can report.

Through his lawyers, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) of Pinheiro LP, Ayida has initiated legal proceedings at the Lagos judicial division of the high court, Lagos state.

Kachifo Limited, publishers of the memoir, On Becoming, were also sued alongside the television personality.

Ayida is demanding N100m in damages in the suit which was filed February 7.

He has requested the court to donate damages awarded him to four charities which will be nominated by him.

The lawsuit is a follow-up on the letters of demand earlier served Makinwa in December 2016 by Pinheiro LP, which was exclusively reported by TheCable Lifestyle.

Ayida has demanded that she retracts the defamatory words contained in the memoir and to tender an unreserved apology in several national dailies.

The television personality has been served with the court papers, TheCable Lifestyle understands.

Makinwa’s book, On Becoming , had detailed her account of her relationship/marriage to Ayida, a fitness expert.

The pair married January 15, 2014, after being together for close to 12 years.

In spite of the initial letter of demand,
Makinwa has continued to promote her book via tours, book signings, and on social media.

The leader of Boko Haram’s main faction, Abubakar Shekau, has admitted killing the group’s purported spokesman over an apparent plot to oust him, he said in an audio recording obtained by AFP.

In the 50-minute tape of a meeting with the inner circle of his militant Islamist group, Shekau said he killed “Tasiu” — also known as Abu Zinnira — who appeared in several video messages.

“You should hear me: I killed Tasiu, hear me well,” he told the gathering in Hausa, which is widely spoken across northeast Nigeria.

Shekau states the date of the meeting — December 18 — and said it had been called to discuss “those elements grumbling over the killing of Tasiu”.

AFP received a copy of the recording earlier this month. The tape appears to have been meant for circulation only within the armed Islamist movement.

Shekau’s claim appears to lend weight to reports of infighting within Boko Haram, whose insurgency has killed at least 20,000 in northeast Nigeria since 2009 and left 2.6 million homeless.

– Leadership plot –

Shekau has been the most visible face of Boko Haram over the years, claiming attacks and launching rambling, often barely coherent tirades against the government in a series of videos.

But Abu Zinnira has acted on occasion as de facto spokesman and appeared in video recordings, including those about the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from the town of Chibok in April 2014.

He was always shown in military camouflage, wearing a turban and with his face covered.

In one video released in August last year, Abu Zinnira warned that the remaining girls still being held would die if troops attempted to rescue them.

He also renewed calls for the release of Boko Haram members in custody.

In the December audio recording, Shekau accused Abu Zinnira of plotting with another senior commander called Baba Ammar to take over leadership of the group.

He accused them of sending fighters to carry out raids without his consent, spreading rumours among his lieutenants that he intended to kill them and portraying him as unfit to lead.

Abu Zinnira and “other elements” had tried to make him out to the rank and file as being “not on the right track”, Shekau added.

“Tell me, what is the punishment… for the people that plot against their leader?” he asked.

“By our code of allegiance we don’t hesitate to pass appropriate sanction on any one of us that commit an offence.”

– ‘Devil’s advocates’ –

Nigeria’s military claims that Boko Haram, which in 2014 held territory across northeast Nigeria, is on the brink of defeat as a result of its counter-insurgency operations since early 2015.

Sporadic attacks and suicide bombings persist but analysts tracking the conflict have been intrigued by the apparent split in the group and how it may develop.

Last August, the Islamic State group, to which Shekau pledged allegiance in March 2015, announced that Abu Musab Al-Barnawi was now Boko Haram’s leader.

Barnawi’s father, Mohammed Yusuf, founded Boko Haram in 2002. He was killed in police custody in 2009, after which Shekau — his deputy — took over.

Shekau has rejected the change in leadership and maintained he was still in charge — a position he reiterated at the December meeting.

Followers of the two factions have reportedly clashed while Barnawi has blamed Shekau’s high-handed leadership style and his indiscriminate killings of his lieutenants for the split.

Ideologically, Barnawi’s faction has opposed Shekau’s indiscriminate targeting of civilians, vowing instead to hit “hard” targets such as the military and police.

Shekau in the recording denounced his detractors as divisive influences.

“Devil’s advocates are at work, trying to instill doubt in the minds of our fighters after realising we are gathering momentum for real jihad,” he said.

“They try to confuse whoever they see getting close to me and distance him from me, they are going about dampening the spirit of our fighters.

Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State on Thursday handed over power to the incoming governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

The event held Thursday evening in Akure, the state capital, amidst tight security.

Part of Mimiko’s last functions was the appointment of Idowu Ologunagba as the substantive rector of the state-owned Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo.

Mimiko also approved the appointment of Prof. Sunday Ogunduyile, as the Vice Chancellor, State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa.
Details later…

lalasticlala

An Ikeja High Court on Thursday sentenced a businessman, Suleiman Olalekan, to death by hanging for killing his 22-year-old wife, Chika Egbo, by bathing her with acid.

Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo sentenced Olalekan to death after finding him guilty of a two-count charge of murder and grievous bodily harm.

Lawal-Akapo, while pronouncing the sentence, said: “The defendant is found guilty of murder, the defendant, Suleiman Olalekan, will be hanged by the neck until you are dead.

“May the Lord have mercy on your soul.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olalekan, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ibadan, bowed his head and remained expressionless when the sentence was pronounced on him before a crowded courtroom.

Olalekan’s trial started at the High Court on Dec. 9, 2014.

During the trial, the prosecution led by Mr Adeniji Kazeem, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, said Olalekan committed the offence on Nov. 5, 2012.

“The accused at 1.35 p.m. on the said day at Bakare Street, Ikotun, a Lagos suburb, allegedly caused the death of Chika Egbo by bathing her with acid.

“He also caused the grievous bodily harm of one Mr Sunny Daniel, a commercial motorcyclist,” he said.

According to the prosecution, the convict and the deceased got married and had a daughter, who is currently four years old.

“The accused and the deceased were having problems in their relationship; the accused lured the deceased who had moved to Enugu back to Lagos under the guise that he wanted her to visit his mother.

“When she came to Lagos, he and the deceased hailed a commercial motorcycle which was to convey them to his mother’s house.

“While the motorcycle was on motion, the accused brought out a container of acid and poured it on Egbo’s head,” he said.

According to the prosecution, Suleiman was caught while trying to flee the crime scene by passers-by and sympathisers.

“The attack left Egbo’s head badly disfigured and unrecognisable as well as leaving severe burns on her shoulders, breasts and private parts.

“Daniel, the commercial motorcyclist, was also grievously injured during the attack and almost lost an eye.

“Egbo succumbed to her injuries at the Burns Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) on Dec. 20, 2014,” Kazeem said.

The offence contravened Sections 221 and 243 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

Suleiman, who pleaded not guilty during the trial on Nov. 24, 2016 and said that Egbo got doused in acid during a scuffle between him and her lover at a hotel room.

“On Nov. 5, 2012, a friend informed me that Chika was in a hotel room with a lover.

“I went to the hotel and knocked on the door and Chika opened the door and a man called Emeka was lying on the bed in the room.

“A scuffle broke out between me and Emeka; Chika and Emeka brought out acid to pour on me but Chika was injured in the acid attack.

“Daniel, the motorcyclist, was injured while conveying Chika to the hospital,” he claimed.

But Justice Lawal-Akapo, while pronouncing the verdict, debunked Suleiman’s claims.

“I closely watched the demeanour of the accused while he gave his evidence, he was panting and fidgeting. I believe his testimony was filled with falsehood.

“I believe he poured the acid on the deceased which led to her death and the three ingredients of murder have been established.

“The defendant put up the defence of provocation and strenuously admitted it in his defence.

“However, in his statement to the police when the incident was still fresh in his memory, he did not raise the issue of provocation.

“In his confessional statement, he admitted that a battery charger sold the acid to him for N1,500 after he told the battery charger that he needed the acid for an experiment.

“A scenario of provocation did not arise while they were in motion on the motorcycle.

“He also did not bring up the defence of provocation during his oral testimony,” Lawal-Akapo said.

Samson Folarin

Four unidentified soldiers have created confusion on Ikot -Ekpene Road, Umuahia, Abia State, after they allegedly brutalised a mechanic , Maduabuchi Onyemaeze , for damaging a vehicle put in his custody for sale .

The 32-year - old was said to have sustained injuries and was rushed to a medical facility in the area .
PUNCH Metro learnt that the case was reported at the CPS Police Station in Umuahia.

Onyemaeze, who spoke with our correspondent on Wednesday, shortly after he was discharged from the hospital, alleged that the military men were sent by a customer , identified simply as Jephat.

He explained that Jephat, who deals in electrical products, had contracted him to sell vehicle, a Murano Jeep , sometime in December 2016.

He said , “ The car had been abandoned in a mechanic workshop for more than one year. He begged me to help him sell it. I discovered that the car’ s engine was faulty and the steering was also bad . He said I should sell it for N 1m and I could remove the cost of repairs after selling it.

“ While driving the car to my workshop , I discovered that the alternator was bad . I told him I would replace only the alternator because I didn ’ t have enough money and he agreed.

“ I bought the alternator for N 13, 000 and when people started coming for the car, I went to his shop to ask for the vehicle documents . He said he had misplaced them and I should give him some time . After going several times , I became tired and gave up. ”

The father of one said sometime last week , Jephat suddenly showed up at his workshop to inspect the car and discovered a scratch.

He added that Jephat later sent him a message , demanding that the car be returned .

He said , “ I removed the alternator that I bought and took the Jeep back last Saturday. He was not around , but I dropped the car key with one of his female workers.

“ I was in my shop on Monday when I saw four soldiers. They put me inside their car and took me to the back of the man’ s shop. They tortured me until there was no strength in me.

“ After they were done , the man gave me the car key and said I should take the car back to my workshop , fix it and return it by Friday. I was able to call some of my friends who took me to the police station from where I was taken to a hospital. ”

Our correspondent learnt that the police arrested Jephat , but released him on bail on self recognition.
When PUNCH Metro called him on Wednesday , he denied the allegation , saying the mechanic was not tortured, but “ flogged. ”

He added that a military officer , who had indicated interest in the Jeep, sent the four soldiers to Onyemaeze ’s workshop .

He said , “ From the first day that I bought the Jeep, it had developed a fault and I spent a lot of money on it without any result. So , I decided to park it in my garage as a monument.

“ He ( Onyemaeze ) saw the vehicle and said he could sell it after fixing the fault . We agreed that after selling it, he would take his repairs’ fee and commission from the money . That was sometime in November 2016.

“ Two people I had told about the vehicle and directed to his workshop came back and said they didn't see the vehicle. I assumed that they didn ’ t get the location right.

“ When another prospective buyer made a similar observation , I decided to check his shop myself . I discovered that he had gone out with the Jeep. When he brought it back , I observed that it had been damaged .”

He said a few weeks afterwards, a friend told him that someone had been having sex in the vehicle. He said he was angry and went back to the mechanic workshop.

“ When I got there , I saw that the four doors were open. Loud music was blaring everywhere. One of his apprentices was sleeping at the back. I queried him for sleeping in the car. He told me that his boss asked him to wash the Jeep for a function the following day.

“ While waiting for him at the workshop , I decided to open the Jeep ’ s glove compartment and saw a heap of CDs and two unused condoms, ” he added

He added that when he asked Onyemaeze about some scratches on the Jeep, the mechanic said they were done by some children in the place where he parked the car.

He said he sent a message to Onyemaeze, telling him that he had been using the Jeep for his selfish end against their agreement.

The businessman added that the mechanic threatened that if he didn ’ t pick the car in two days, he would damage it further.

He said , “ Coincidentally , a commander, who had indicated interest in buying the car called me and asked about the car. I told him all that transpired and he was angry that the vehicle was being used in such a manner.

“After some time , I saw some soldiers in my workshop: they brought the mechanic . They accused him of having sex with women in the vehicle and maligning me. They asked him to kneel down and raise his hands.

“They used a fallen mango branch to flog him . After a while, they drove off. To my surprise , he called a pastor and they started a drama. He rolled on the floor while the pastor took his pictures.

“Two policemen later came to arrest me and I followed them to the station. Because of my health condition, I was released on bail on self recognition. ”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Nta Ogbonnaya, could not be reached on the telephone as of the time of filing this report.

However, a police source , who confirmed the incident, said the police were still investigating the matter.

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