₦airaland Forum

by Bisi Oladele,

Ibadan popular preacher, Bishop Wale Oke, has said he anointed Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to become President in his Abeokuta, Ogun State home in 1999 on God’s instruction.

Oke, who is the Presiding Bishop of Sword of the Spirit Ministries, addressed reporters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on his 60th birthday.

The cleric recalled that God revealed that Obasanjo would be President after Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), adding that he (Oke) should anoint him for the position.

At that time, Oke recalled, Obasanjo had just been released from prison and had no idea about what was awaiting him.

The cleric said he asked pastors at his church in Ogun State if they had contacts with the former Head of State but none of them knew him directly.

He said by God’s arrangement, a cleric of another church in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, invited him to minister in his church, where he asked if he had a personal contact with Obasanjo.

The man, according to Oke, said Obasanjo’s wife, the late Stella, worshipped at his church.

On announcing to Obasanjo that he would be the next President, Oke said: “The man said: ‘No. What did I forget at the State House that I want to go back for?’ But he did not prevent me from anointing him, as directed by God.”

Oke said Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd) visited Obasanjo two weeks after he anointed him and dragged him into politics. “The rest is history today.” He said.

On his 60th birthday, Oke said he was not carried away by its fanfare but the impact he has made on other people’s lives.

He said: “I don’t want to count years. I prefer to count achievements. The impact God has used me to make in the lives of others and in my generation is more important.”

Oke urged President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to diversify the economy and improve its communication with Nigerians to enable them realise that the current economic problem is global.

The cleric said government should show Nigerians that it did not cause the hardship, to prevent the people from getting the wrong impression.

He added that the Buhari administration should ask Nigerians to pray for the country “because God has solutions to all human problems”.

The birthday also coincided with the annual convention of the ministry, which stated yesterday.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and Bishop David Oyedepo are among dignitaries expected at the convention and birthday ceremony.

lalasticlala

SunFlow:
The Lagos State Police Command has begun investigation into the discovery of the lifeless body of a 37-year-old man in her girlfriend’s apartment in Abule-Egba area of Lagos.

This is just as a fleeing member of a suspected robbery gang was knocked down by a vehicle at Ijaniki area of Lagos, weekend. The deceased identified as Sikiru Olarewaju, as gathered, went to spend the night at his girlfriend’s house at 37 Surulere street, last week Tuesday.

Trouble, however, started the following day after efforts to wake him up proved abortive, as he was discovered to be stone dead. The exact cause of his death could not be immediately ascertained as there was reportedly no gunshot wound on him or marks of violence to suggest that he could have been stabbed or shot.

Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Dolapo Badmus, who confirmed the incident, said policemen from Oke-Odo division who “visited, examined and photographed the scene , discovered no trace of violence on the body.

The corpse had been removed and deposited at the morgue. Meanwhile, a suspected member of a five- man robbery gang, who was fleeing a robbery scene at Oja Lowo bus-stop was knocked down by a vehicle, weekend. Eye witnesses said the hoodlums were robbing passers-by at the bus-stop of cash and other valuables. Some of them were said to have attempted to rape a female victim when a team of policemen from Ijanikin division, who acted on a tip off stormed the scene at about 9.30pm.

The robbers reportedly took to their heels on sighting the policemen, but in the process, one of them was hit by a vehicle killing him on the spot. Another identified as Bassey Eyo was arrested, while others managed to escape.

source:http://xtrimlaughs.com/2016/08/police-probes-death-man-died-lovers-apartment/

Afeez Hanafi

A 43-year-old teacher, Gbemisola Edward, and her 11-year-old daughter, Dolapo, have been confirmed dead at an Ogun State hospital after suffering from severe burns.

The woman’s husband, Joshua, was said to have poured petrol on her, their daughter, and his seven-year-old son, Samson, and set fire on them.

PUNCH Metro learnt the incident happened on Thursday on Augustine Street, Ire Akari Estate, in the Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State, after a disagreement between the couple.

Gbemisola’s son, Joshua Babatunde, 16, who escaped by a whisker, said his stepfather had wanted his mother to sell their three-bedroomed apartment, but she refused.

He said, “It was the scream of my mother that woke me up. Dolapo and Samson were also set ablaze. I wanted to put out the fire when my stepfather poured petrol on me as well. Before he returned with matches, I managed to escape and reported at the Ifo Police Station.

“He was working with a factory but was sacked some months ago. He then told my mother to sell the house so that he could use the money to start a business. But my mother said she would never sell the house she struggled to build.

“We moved into the house in January. The following month, he and Samson started living with us. It was a woman at our former residence in Iyana Ipaja (Lagos State) that bore Samson for him. He used to beat mum while we were in Iyana Ipaja.”

PUNCH Metro gathered that Joshua fled immediately the incident happened, while the victims were admitted to Aron Hospital, a private facility in the area.

Dolapo was said to have died a few minutes after she got to the hospital while the mother died on Friday.

Samson, who has burns in the head, hands and legs, is still responding to treatment.

Gbemisola’s brother, Wale, said she had always been abused by the husband, adding that constant beatings forced her to relocate from Iyana Ipaja to Ifo.

He said, “Their relationship had been fraught with quarrels since when he was living with my sister in our house at Iyana Ipaja. There was a time he threatened to kill her with a machete. He stole her money and fled.

“When he knew my sister had built a house, he went there to reconcile with her. She insisted that they needed to go to the registry which they did in February. I visited my sister two weeks ago. She said her husband had been threatening her again and that she had told him to leave by the end of August.

“It was on Thursday afternoon that I got a call that he set her and the children ablaze.”

The Managing Director, Aron Hospital, Dr. Kayode Ayoola, said, “The burns were serious. The girl died about 10 minutes after she was admitted, while her mother died the following day. The boy’s condition is relatively okay but nobody is ready to take care of him.”

The Ogun State Police Command’s acting spokesperson, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the command had launched a manhunt for the killer husband.

He said, “We learnt the man and his wife had a quarrel over the ownership of the house they lived in. While the family was asleep, the man poured patrol on the living room and set it ablaze. As a result, the woman and the two children suffered first degree burns. The Commissioner of Police has ordered that the suspect be fished out. He can only run, he cannot hide.”

By Ekele Peter Agbo

… Presidency set to stop Tinubu’s anointed man

… Jonathan’s aide dump Mimiko, backs Sheriff

Less than three ‎months to November governorship in Ondo state, a we fresh web of intrigues appears to be trailing the contest in the two main political parties- the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) and the All Progressives Congress ( APC).

The intrigues have to do with the choice of standard bearers for both parties even as the leaderships of the parties are divided along interest lines.

It was gathered that in order to calm frayed nerves and give a clearer direction, the Presidency is expected to meet with the over 20 governorship aspirants seeking to fly the APC’s flag.

The meeting will hold on Monday night in Abuja and will be hosted by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr Babachir David Lawal.

It was unclear if the aspirants would meet President Muhammadu Buhari after meeting the SGF.

According to an impeccable source, the meeting of the SGF and the aspirants which had the blessing of the president was ‎conveyed on the heels of protests that trailed the endorsement of one of the governorship aspirants, Engr Segun Abraham, by the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The purported endorsement of Abraham has already polarized the party, culminating in the controversial removal of the state chairman, Hon Isaacs Kekemeke just as most of the governorship aspirants wrote protest letters to the national leadership of the APC as well as the Presidency.

The source who is privy to Monday’s parley said the other governorship aspirants, led by former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu(SAN) had sought audience with President Buhari who mandated the SGF to meet them and give clear directions.

The proposed meeting was reportedly brokered by three ministers who are close ‎to the president. The three ministers, two of whom are from the South-West have a frosty relationship with Tinubu while the other is from the South-South.

The trio is said to backing Akeredolu whose friendship with the APC national leader has also hit the rocks. Akeredolu was the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria ( ACN) in the 2012 Ondo State governorship election.

‎”The endorsement of one of the aspirants will be overturned on Monday night because the president has asked the SGF to listen to the aggrieved aspirants and give clear directions as to what to do.

”You know that people are working round the clock and with the calibre of persons,especially the three ministers backing on the aggrieved aspirants, I doubt if whatever endorsement that had been done will fly.

”We are yet to confirm, but there are indications that a statement will be made to that effect and a new line to follow might be laid out at the meeting”, he said.

…Kuku dumps Mimiko ‘s man, backs Sheriff’s faction, opens talks with APC leaders

Meanwhile, there are strong indications that negotiations between Governor Olusegun Mimiko and former presidential adviser, Hon Kingsley Kuku ahead of the governorship election may have broken down following the governor’s refusal to allow Kuku pair with Mr Eyitayo Jegede. Jegede had emerged the PDP’s governorship candidate last week.

Kuku now backs the Mr Jimoh Ibrahim led group of the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the ‎PDP.

Hon Biyi Poroye, who is now the factional state chairman of the party was Kuku’s campaign coordinator for the Southern senatorial district while the state legal adviser, Barrister Ebi Eritei Ebekun is a cousin of the former presidential aide.

Also, Kuku’s campaign spokesperson during the ill fated governorship attempt, Yemi Akintomide serves in the same position as director of publicity of the factional group while Kuku ‘s rented campaign office along Ilesa road, Akure serves as state secretariat of the factional group.

All the same, the former presidential aide has opened discussion with some leaders of the APC in order to forge an alliance against Jegede.

Kuku was said to have made efforts to reach Tinubu through proxies to extract commitment from him for some softlanding over the multiple cases of alleged fraud leveled against him by the EFCC.

It will be recalled that a two months ago‎, Mimiko had sent emissaries to Kuku in the United States where he is self exiled, seeking his support for Jegede but the former presidential aide was said to given two related conditions, one of which was to be Jegede’s running mate.

The other was to allow him nominate the running mate if the first condition did not fly.

It was on the heels of this ‎that Kuku reportedly expressed his preference for his former campaign chief, Hon John Mafo.

However, Mimiko was said to have tacitly turned down the request,opting for wider consultations within the leadership of the PDP before taking a decision on the issue of Jegede’s running mate.

lalasticlala

A former member of the House of Representatives and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon. Bitrus Kaze, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari, to eat the humble pie and reach out to the likes of former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonji Iweala, to help the nation come out of its current dwindling economy.

Kaze in an exclusive chat with DAILYPOST in Jos, said Iweala had distinguished herself globally.

“I must confess to you, while I was serving in the sixth and seventh Assembly, we used to wonder why the then President, Goodluck Jonathan, addressed Ngozi Okonji Iweala, as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, now I can see why.

“If I were President Buhari, I would eat the humble pie and go after this woman. She is a world class,an economist, she is highly respected in world economic institutions like IMF, World Bank, among others,” he advised.

“If she is not going to serve under him, she will be at least, willing to offer ideas.
” People like Soludo are there and so many other prominent Nigerians that have gone international; look for them,” he advised.

Kaze who represented Jos South/Jos East Constituency from 2007 to 2015, further explained that, “Nation building is not partisan, is not religion, is not regional. This reminds me of President Buhari’s comments that he is appointing northerners because he had confidence in them; it’s not just about the confidence, it is about understanding the economic realities of the world and how things can be best sorted out.

“He could build confidence on people he doesn’t know, people who have made a name in their chosen careers.

He lamented that, “In the last fifteen months, we have not seen an economic team selected by Mr. President. It’s less than a month that he appointed his economic adviser.

According to him, “This is somebody who has been struggling to lead this country for twelve good years; this is the same person who has always complained that there was nothing working good in the PDP government, since the time of Obasanjo.

“Having won the last election, we expected that such a person would be prepared to enter office, unfortunately, things have become terrible.

”President Buhari appears to me to be a man who does not understand national economy and he is not willing to learn. That is why things have gone so bad.”

lalasticlala

A source, refusing to be named, said
Nwachukwu’s trouble started among families he
helped conceive at his Life Point Medical Centre
in Utako. Suspicions arose after a child
conceived and born to one of Nwachukwu’s
female patients went through a test that showed
the child was not fathered by the patient’s
husband.

It does appear that you are not in support of any form of separation between the entities that became Nigeria; but the Britons that fused the nation together just got tired of the European Union and pulled out. So if any part of Nigeria wants to pull out, why shouldn’t they?
Any part of Nigeria that feels tired of Nigeria; that believes that Nigeria is not going to solve its problems and the alternative is to break away, break away is only one option. If you try to break away, somebody else is going to try to prevent you and the result may be bloody or it may succeed. So you haven’t got ready-made problems or ready-made solutions; anybody who wants to break, let him break.

Didn’t it happen before, wasn’t there a civil war? What happened?
The Federal Government, not British government, the Federal Government of Nigeria went to war with some parts of the country attempting to break away and some part of the country attempting to stop the break away and in the end, Gen. Gowon said no victor, no vanquished.

Next time, the people who want to break away may succeed, it may be good for them or it may be good for all of us but so far, we cannot foretell the consequences of any part breaking away, that is the problem. When you don’t know the consequences of what is coming, you try to find solutions, sometimes in a violent way and sometimes through negotiation.

What I understand from what you have said is that anybody who wants to break away can do so but they should be prepared for the consequences?
Yes, we all have got to be prepared for the consequences.

Ordinarily, shouldn’t people have right to self-determination?
Everyone has right to self determination, it means I have a problem and I want to solve the problem… I am the one to solve it, if I want to follow that path to solve the problem, who are you to tell me not to take that way? But if I decide to take that way, how can I predict how you are going to act? That is why I tell you that you are always trying to solve problems and because you fear the consequences of what will happen. Has every country in the world got oil? Not every country has oil. Some have more problems than those who hasº, so what is it?

What is it that has kept you in the PDP unlike some of your contemporaries who tore their membership cards?
You know everything you do is based on your experience and knowledge. My political experience arose from NPN, we formed NPN and it was the biggest party in Nigeria and President Shagari became the president and we enlarged our views and we said we want a party that will win elections in Nigeria; the military came and drove us away after we won the election. We were in Kirikiri prison, UPN people, NPN and other party people, we were in Kirikiri and we realised that the military who brought us here also wanted power like we had, and now we are in prison, what is your problem with me and you?

We realised that politicians if they wanted the country to be run on electoral, democratic basis they had to come together and act together and that was actually the beginning of PDP. So, when we came out, we started consulting and decided the progressive and non-progressive to act together and that was how PDP was formed.

And what are the philosophies of the PDP? We agreed that the party we are going to form should treat every citizen fairly, justly and that our duty was to bring about improvement in the condition of the ordinary Nigerian and that you can only do when you have confidence of people in every part of the country, so that the Army cannot come back and drive politicians away from power and take control.

Be fair and just, improve the economic condition of the ordinary people, ensure that every part of the country is involved, that the party should have the confidence of people everywhere. When the elections took place in 1999, for the first time in Nigeria, one party won elections in a majority of the country; this is the basis for PDP.

So what happened? At what point did the party leadership miss it?
The PDP wanted to be fair to every part of the country and mostly, it is we the people from the North who are ahead in the formation of PDP and we put Obasanjo as the presidential candidate and he won. He was to do four years as President, he tried to prolong it and he got us to a meeting, all of us and agreed that a President can do two terms so we approved two terms for him. And towards the end of the two terms, he tried to extend and we refused. We said we agreed on North/South rotation. The president came from the South and the next one from the North.

So, Obasanjo finished and he wanted to continue but we said no. We stood by the principle of the party and he looked around and chose Yar’adua to succeed him.

Wasn’t that okay since you wanted a President from the North?
No.
Yar’adua was the governor of Katsina State then but everybody knew he was not well but we refused to oppose.

lalasticlala

From JACOB EDI, Abuja

Right from the first republic till the present, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma has played notable roles in the political intrigues of the last five decades. Within the period, he has received accolades from his friends and earned the condemnation of his adversaries.

As an administrator and politician, Ciroma’s experience traverses almost all the sectors in Nigeria. A former Governor of the Central Bank and minister of several ministries at different times and a northern apologist in this interview with JACOB EDI declared pointedly that “no one is afraid of restructuring.” He stated this while responding to growing agitation for the restructuring of the country.

Talks about restructuring has reverberated since the inception of the Buhari administration especially with the emmergence of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), all calling for restructuring of the Nigerian state. While admitting that people have the right to self-determination, Ciroma declared, “anybody that wants to go can go but should be ready to face the consequence.” He spoke further on this and much more.

You are one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party. Since its defeat in the last general election, the party has become a ghost of itself and in crisis. Are you happy with the state of your party?
Well, everybody is aware that the PDP has been in trouble since it lost the elections in 2015 and they have internal squabbles and the leadership is being claimed by different people. They had some kind of convention in Port Harcourt which eventually, everybody agreed didn’t succeed and recently again, they organised another convention in Port Harcourt which also didn’t sail through. How it is going to end nobody can tell. But at least they are trying to solve their problems.

Some people believe that the former governor of Borno State, Alhaji Ali Modu Sherrif, who is also haggling for the chairmanship of the party was brought to destroy the PDP alleging he is an agent of the ruling APC and he was invited to make sure the PDP is not organised before 2019. Do you agree?
I don’t know, I have not spoken to him and he has not spoken to me and I cannot tell whether he came to destroy PDP or they brought him to destroy PDP, I don’t know.

But the way things are going in PDP, do you see them taking over power in 2019?
There are certain things which only soothsayers can tell; none of us is a soothsayer, we cannot tell what will happen in 2019. Human beings act in the light of their experiences and things may change between now and then. And so it is not fair to ask anybody to predict what is going to happen in PDP or the politics of Nigeria at that time. Only people who are participating that try to solve their problem, those who want to become leaders and those who push others; so it is something that you cannot tell. But all we know is that they are trying to solve their problems.

Aren’t you playing any role in the resolution of the crisis currently bedevilling your party?
PDP was set up by people like me and others and we believe that we set up the philosophy and other processes that will guide the party to succeed and it succeeded. So what happens next will determine whether they kept to this philosophy or not. And in any case, every party, no matter how good it is, after so many years it must have some problems and that is what PDP has and they are trying to solve the problems.

In retrospect, why do you think PDP lost power?
I can tell you that PDP lost power because they departed from the principles which were laid down. PDP was a party set up to ensure that every part of this country is involved, everyone is involved, that no part of the country is left out, that the military cannot just come back and take power and that was how it succeeded in 1999.

You were against former President Jonathan coming back to power, you wanted a northerner to take power; fortunately or unfortunately, there is a northerner in power but not within your party, are you happy now?
The point I was trying to make was that PDP did a number of things which made people lose confidence; there are people like me who felt that the party radically departed from its principles and therefore, lost the confidence of many of its supporters. Any party in power will always do things which some people will say are good while some are not good and eventually they will lose if the bad things overcome the good things.

The APC has its leader elected the President of this country because of the troubles that are in PDP, it appears that it doesn’t even exist for the time being; we will only know what real APC is when PDP resolves its problems.

Away from party difference and sentiments arising therefrom, would you say the current President is doing well especially with the hue and cry by Nigerians right now?
The truth is that leadership involves dealing with problems and the problems are numerous. So far, President Buhari is one person that I believe everybody trust, I believe that people know that he is not going to take public money and put it in his pocket, he is not that kind of person. People know that he is surrounded by people who he has appointed to certain positions; they have not individually performed to deal with the problems which affect this country.

Take power for example, he gave one ministry to deal with power, housing and works. The person he appointed as minister, I think people have respect for him but the power situation has not improved. So no matter, if you have confidence in him, if the problem given to him is not solved you would begin to wonder.

The President who gave him that position is affected by the failure of the minister to produce result, so that leaves Buhari with the problem of corruption. This country is a difficult thing to deal with, there are many people who are against corruption verbally but in practice if you put them in position where they can get bribe, you will still see them taking bribe.

So, the problem of bribery and corruption, they depend on individuals who are able to hold that position and resist and you cannot tell who can do that unless you put him in that position. So, Buhari has a problem and he needs to bring more people to deal with these problems that are affecting the country.

The economy is a problem. People want him to have a team that will deal with the problems. But even myself I find it difficult to understand the role of the Minster of Economic affairs that is Sen. Udo Udoma, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, I don’t quite understand what role they are playing dealing with this problem. The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has certain problems and a lot of people are complaining.

So, in certain areas, success has not been guaranteed but he has got the time to deal with problems he has tried to solve but has not succeeded. The one thing that I told you is that everybody is confident about what Buhari will not do. Buhari is not going to be corrupt. He is not going to take public money, he is not going to allow people who take public money to hold big positions but he needs time to deal with these things.

But there are people in his government who may not pass integrity test, what do you make of that?
Well, he needs time to deal with the consequences of what they do now. Some of you judge them by the past, some of you have to judge them from now and we hope that they will act the way the President is thinking so that the ordinary people can benefit from the government.

Could it be that President Buhari has mortgaged his conscience and he cannot quite deal with some of these people?
Don’t ask me that question because I cannot answer. I don’t know.

You should be a happy man now with a President from the region of your choice, even though he is a member of another party?
I have said repeatedly before the elections that I as a party man who was involved in politics, who was there to deal with the problems that affect this country, I really didn’t care a hoot where the President came from. What I wanted to see is a competent person being the president and competently dealing with the problems of this country. To be honest with you, I believe that President Jonathan was not competent, I believe that President Buhari is very honest but he has not been able yet to deal with the economic problems of this country.

So leadership is a big problem and we have to give time. In fact, before you elect somebody president, you should always have been able to test him over a period how he has lived his life, how he has conducted himself and so on. So far, President Buhari, you can still say he is a honest person but he has not been able to deal with the economic problems of Nigeria.

With regards to the Presidents’ ability to have got it right thus far, what advice will you give to him?
I am 82 years old and in 1961, 62, 63 I worked for the Saudarna directly and what I learnt from the Saudarna was that a leader if he has problems he calls and puts together a number of competent people, honest people who can give him advice on how to solve the problems. A leader does not sit and wait for people to come and give him advice; a good person knows that he does not know the problem of the leader, it is the leader who tells them what his problems are and then ask them to help him support or solve the problems.

So far, I won’t go to Buhari to tell him how to solve the problems. I know the problems of the country but I don’t know what his problems are. So my advice to him is to put together what problems he has and ask competent people to advice him.

What are the problems of this country?
Now I am an old man and I have been involved in the civil service, I have been involved in the newspaper industry, I have been involved in the textile industry, I have been the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, I have been Minister of Finance, I have been Minister of Agriculture, I have been Minister of Industry. So my knowledge covers wide areas and I know a large number of problems for now.

For now, we have got the financial monetary problem the governor of the Central Bank has to deal with. I know we have the problems of refineries and how to deal with the supply of petroleum and other things. And so there are many of them and even if he picks one or two to seek advice on, he would probably get solutions that would affect others as well.

From what you are saying, it may appear that the President is not consulting?
I feel he needs more consultation.

If President Buhari calls you today as an elder statesman who has seen it all to advice him, will you oblige him?
Of course I have to. My duty is to Nigeria not to Buhari.

Let’s talk about the unity of this country. Do you, in all honesty think Nigeria is still one?
Nigeria has done well, we are one country, we quarrel sometimes, we have insurgencies and other security problems but when the British came we were different bits of countries. When the British left, they left us as one country and we are still one country. So, we are doing well in my view. We are learning how to live with one another and I know that Nigerians like to keep their country as one, no matter what complaints people have, they still want Nigeria together but every country has her problems.

Europe has problems, England is still having problems with Europe, and Europeans are still having problems with immigrants from Eastern Europe, from the Middle East, from Africa. America is having the problem of black people, which everybody thought they have solved but black and white problem is arising. If you go to Latin America, they are still having criticism of corruption and how they mismanaged oil money and things like that. If you go to other countries they are still fighting in the bush. So, don’t think that it is Nigeria alone that has problems, Nigeria has survived up till now and to me, Nigeria so far has succeeded; so what is your complaint?

With the vibes coming from Niger Delta Avengers and other pockets of insurgency around the country, do you still think Nigeria can remain as one country?
Why not? The Avengers know what problems they have, they are articulating the problems and sometimes they do it violently. Boko haram also did theirs violently, now they are talking about Fulani-farmers dealing with the problem violently; but we have always had these problems and we have survived and I believe when you have problems, then you should direct your mind at the problem and find solutions.

Should government negotiate with some of these groups? I mean the Boko Haram, the Avengers and any such group, because some people believe that government should not negotiate with them. Do you think that it is appropriate for government to negotiate with them?
Government belongs to everybody, it is for the benefit of everybody and every problem has a way of dealing with itself. Sometimes, it is wise to negotiate, sometimes it is weakness to negotiate. You always have to pick which way is going to solve your problem.

In the circumstance that we are in today, which option is best?
I am not the government but if I am the government I would know what to do.

If you are to advise, what would you advise should be done because human lives are being lost, people are being killed everyday?
You are only a journalist asking me, if Buhari asks me I will tell him but you, what is the use of talking to you. There is no point talking to you. If you have an idea, you go and talk to Buhari.

Some people have called for what they call restructuring, to negotiate rules of engagement of the Nigerian state but each time the issue comes up, the North seems not to be comfortable with that concept, do you know their understanding of this concept? Is the north scared of restructuring?
Me, I don’t care about restructuring, I don’t fear restructuring. What I know as an educated man is that human beings, no matter where they are, as long as they are more than one person, there will be problems of how to live together and Nigerians have been learning how to live together since the British brought them together as one unit.

The problem varies from time-to-time and if you want to survive, you must know how to solve your problems; there is nothing fixed, there is nothing permanent, and the problems keep changing. So, Nigerians, to me, have done well.

Some months ago, some people were saying ‘kai Buhari, leave us with our corruption’ because they thought the alterative they have under corruption was better than under Buhari but it is not true. Every age has got its problems and you have to learn how to solve problems; if you don’t learn how to solve problems, you will die.

Ozioma Ubabukoh

Industry players have projected that Nigeria would lose another 25 per cent of licensed operators if the Communication Service Tax bill is passed into law.

Already, the country has lost 57 per cent of licensed operators to multiple taxations.

The National Chairman of  Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, said on Thursday that despite the growth already recorded in the industry, telecoms operators continued to face challenges emanating from recurring taxations and the regulatory environment.

He said, “When I became the chairman of ALTON three years ago, there were 35 licensed telecoms companies comprising some small players, those in the fixed line, Code Division Multiple Access and Global System for Mobile communications players that were doing well, though not without challenges.

“However, today, that figure has come down drastically, as we now have just about 15 licensees still operating and this tells you that something is not going well.”

A top  employee in one of the four major telecoms firms said that findings from a study conducted by the regulatory department of his company showed that no fewer than 25 per cent of the existing licensed operators would cease operating in the country one year after the CST bill is passed.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he added, “Should this happen, then the Federal Government should be prepared for the worse, as so many Nigerians will be rendered jobless. It will be too bad for the telecoms sector that is currently seen as one of the highest employers of labour.”

The ALTON chairman said that the loss of about 20 operators, representing about 57 per cent, within a space of three years “has been traced partly to the problem of regulatory environment, where there are multiple regulations and imposition of all kinds of taxes on the operators from the federal, state and local levels.”

He said, “The fact that, as operators, we are still confronted with wilful and non-wilful damage, arising from insecurity in the past years, multiple taxation, especially the Right of Way charges and attendant problem of indiscriminate shutdown of telecoms infrastructure, among others, suggests that regulations in the industry remain unfriendly with varying degrees at different levels of government.”

He said that the RoW in most states remained exorbitant as government agencies, especially at the state and local levels, continued to perceive telecoms as ‘cash-cow.’

“It is only in Lagos now that we have been able to achieve better understanding from the government. For instance, Lagos State Government, having realised the great impact pervasive deployment of telecoms infrastructure and unhindered access could have on the state’s Gross Domestic Product, three years ago, crashed RoW tax to N500 per metre.”

“Conversely, in states such as Osun and other states, operators are charged N8, 000 per metre covered while laying their fibre optic cables in addition to other laughable charges on the operators. These are some of the things that we face as operators and it is telling on our sustainability as a business with the smaller operators being the most susceptible, thereby leading to their collapse,” he said.

by John Ofikhenua,

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu yesterday told Niger Delta Coastal State monarchs and stakeholders that there was no infrastructure in the creek to show for the $40 billion released to the Niger Delta in the last 10 years.

He told the monarchs who visited him in Abuja that he (the minister) went round the creeks and found no infrastructure that reflects the money disbursed to the region through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) or the 13 per cent derivation from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).

The traditional rulers had in their joint presentation read by Bolowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Chief Wellington O. Okrika, demanded a Federal Government dialogue team. This, they said, will give them confidence in the peace moves in the Niger Delta.

The group demanded the release of the 10 “innocent” school children arrested by the army on May 28 in Oporoza and others on “trumped up charges”.
The monarchs demanded for the return of the Golden Sword, the symbol of authority of the Gbaramatu traditional institution, and the three traditional council speed boats in the army’s custody.

They also demanded for cessation of hostilities perpetuated by the military in the Niger Delta.
The traditional rulers requested the government to make a categorical statement about the opening of the Maritime University-Okerenkoko, Delta State for academic activities in the 2016/2017 session.

Kachikwu requested the stakeholders to embark on soul searching on the roles of traditional rulers, indigenes of the region and others in the application of the $40billion in 10 years.

According to him, the Federal Government is interested in releasing money for the development of the Niger Delta, if governance and transparency are addressed.

Kachikwu told his guests that unless the issue of transparency in the management of funds is solved before further release of cash, there will be no result.
His words: “If you look at the amount of money that has been out into the Niger Delta over the last 10 years, in papers it is over $40billion. These have come from NDDC; it has come from derivation, it has come from oil companies’ investments.

“Over $40billion, but as I go to the creek, I see no single infrastructure that you can point to to say this is the result for these investments. So what it means is that we must begin to do some soul searching ourselves: where did all this money go to. Who to them, what where they applied for ? What were the roles of our own people and others no necessary from the Niger Delta and how this money was applied .

“Because unless you solve the governance and transparency issue in terms of spending this money it doesn’t matter how much money put into the place you are going to go back to square one.

“So the first fundamental question we must begin to ask now is how are these institutions run? How are these monies placed and what roles do our traditional rulers play in the decision making process on how these projects are supposed to

“And how can we put a sense of responsibility on delivering on the infrastructural imperative ? So there is a lot of home truth that must happen.”
Continuing, the minister said having seen the demands of the traditional rulers, there must be a developmental process agreement for the Niger Delta community that could be sustainable and to which the government can release money.

He said : “The second is how do we go forward even if we understand the past ? I have seen the list of demands that you have; they are reasonable but that is just the precursor to the main issue.
“If any issue is there, there must be a developmental process that is agreed, agreed for the Niger Delta community, which is long serving and to which money can be thrown.”

This, according to him, is necessary for the government is interested in putting money in the region to ensure peace, stability and to sanction an organised investment agreement structure.

Kachikwu said: “But that money we will have to find from everybody who is active in the area, whether they be the oil companies, the government, or the international community. There is a lot of interest in trying to put money to the Niger Delta as long as one you can have peace, two you can have stability and three you can have a sanctioned organised investment agreement structure . So that we all know what it is that we are investing in. So that the $40billion that has been spent in the last 10 years, it doesn’t happen again and we find a lot of loss.“

He also told the monarchs that the military was not withdrawn because some splinter militant groups were still attacking oil facilities in the Niger Delta.
He told the monarchs that President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to the engagement of the Niger Delta people but he is always looking for data on what happened in the past to know the fundamentals that are necessary for a solution.

The minister said: “I will obviously take you message back to him. I take obvious position in term of this that this is what is required for us to start this engagement and we will make every effort we can with the authority of Mr. President to set up a team to begin to find out the basis upon which this engagement will take place and see what it is we can do.”

He explained that Nigeria was facing its worst moments due to falling price of crude oil from about $120 per barrel to about $42 that is not even guaranteed to endure.

The minister noted that the Federal Government lost over 50 per cent of its income owing to the situation, adding that militancy in the Niger Delta has reduced crude oil production from 2.2million barrels per day to 1.3million barrels per day.
Kachikwu said consequently both decrease in volume of production and price, have further led to 60 percent drop in Nigeria.

He, however, posited that the situation has caused governors’ inability to pay salaries and develop infrastructure but the worst loser is the Niger Delta that suffers from pollution and lack of security.

His words: “We are presently passing through very grave circumstances in Nigeria. Oil, that was at least on average of $120 today is down to about $42 with a lot of threats on whether or not that price can even hold as the OPEC meetings are in the few weeks. But there is need for that $42 to continue to be threatens . At the beginning of the year it was $28 , it came to $50 and now it is $42.

“So the price continues to struggle . What it means is that even from the price element alone, the federal government has lost over 50% of its income. And so to the states. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the militancy has brought down production from an average of 2.2million barrels to today about 1.4million barrels. If I discount what I am saying here today it might be 1.3m barrels.

“What it means is that when you take the cumulative effect of both pricing and volume, we are down to more than 60% drop in the income of this country. So, we can’t even fund the 2016 budget. If we don’t fund the budget governors don’t get money, salaries don’t get paid, infrastructure don’t get delivered and governance can happen.

“So I see that those who pay the biggest price for militancy is the Niger Delta itself. The person who pays the biggest price for pollution is the Niger Delta itself. The person who pays the biggest price for security imperative and lack of security is the Niger Delta itself.”

By Soni Daniel

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, arrested one Iwuchukwu Martin Uche for obtaining money under false pretence to the tune of $145, 000.

Uche, who claimed to be a military officer working for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, in Kabul, Afghanistan allegedly, collected the money from his victim, H. Uyen, a Viatnamese woman, after promising to marry her.

The suspect, who also claimed to be a property agent operating in Nigeria and Ghana, allegedly told the victim that he needed the money to procure some documents for the planned wedding.

The money was allegedly wired to the suspect’s Diamond Bank account number: 0028998256.

A statement by the Spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspect would soon be charged to court

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Rapist Posed As Banker To Lure Me – Victim

A father of two arrested for allegedly luring women through social media to rob and rape them has said he took to the act to raise money for his daughter’s treatment.

The suspect, Oluwole Falushe, was arrested by operatives of the FESTAC Police Division on Monday while attempting to rob, rape another victim.

Falushe, who opened a Facebook account, using a fake name, Nifemi Ajanaku, has allegedly lured his victims to hotels in Lagos only to drug, rape and steal their valuables.

He was exposed by a victim, who met him through her cousin.

Although the suspect denied raping the women, he said he lured them to the hotel so that he can steal their valuables, sell them and send the money to Ilesha where his daughter was being treated.

“I do not rape them. I don’t also drug them. We usually have sex but I steal their things and run. I was desperate in need of money to send to my wife so that one of my daughters who is sick can be treated.

“It is not true that I drugged anybody. I invited Mercy’s sister to Oprah Hotel in FESTAC because Mercy, who was my friend on Facebook said she was out of town.

We have been friends for over a year. And so, when I told her I wanted a lady to have good time with, she told me she went for a burial in Edo State but she sent her cousin’s number.

“So, I called her and she agreed to come on the condition that I will pay her N30,000 after everything. I stay in Egbeda but I took her to FESTAC. When she came, we had fun and then I stole her two phones and wristwatch. I sold one of the phones N20,000 and sent the money to my wife in Osun State for my daughter’s treatment.

“I also collected her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and asked her to give me her pin that I was a banker and wanted to transfer money to her, which she did. But I did not collect any money from her account because she only had N1, 500 in the account,” he claimed.

The victim’s cousin, Mercy Nwang, 21, said the suspect invited her for his birthday party but since she was not around, she asked her cousin to go.

“I have known him for over a year on Facebook but I have never honoured his invitation. He claimed to be a bank manager at Festac. That day he said it was his birthday and since I was not around, I told him my cousin will attend.

“But I was surprised after my cousin came back and narrated that she was drugged and raped by him and that he stole her phones and ATM card. He only left her with N50, which could not even take her back to Iyana-Ipaja where she came from to attend the supposed party.

“I then searched on Facebook but discovered that he has blocked me. My cousin signed in with her account and we saw that we have mutual friends, one of them is my good friend, Vivian, who agreed to help us after I told her what happened. She started chatting with him and he planned to do the same thing to her. He invited her but she now alerted the police and he was arrested at the Zenith Bank where he claimed he was working.”

The victim (name withheld), who said she woke up to discover that she has been raped, stated that she became unconscious after he offered her a non-alcoholic beverage.

She said he begged for forgiveness that same night and told her that they should go to the restaurant to eat, only for him to leave her there in the guise of going upstairs to speak with his manager.

“I was still at the restaurant waiting when the receptionist brought my food. But I told her to take it to the room that I want to eat there. She refused that she won’t go to the room unless I followed her. Since I had the key to Room 103 with me, I followed her only to see the room open and my phones and everything gone. He took everything and withdrew the N172, 000 I had in my account,” she claimed.

Taiwo Jimoh

Two sisters, suspected to be members of a terror group targeting medical doctors in Lagos for extortion through threats of elimination, are now in police net.

The suspects, Rita Ojobo (30) and Mrs. Emmanuella Ossai, were apprehended by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the state Police Command, led by ACP Olatunji Disu. The RRS officials tracked down the syndicate and arrested two of them.

It was learnt that the RRS had contacted the International Police (Interpol) to help repatriate the other gang members who had fled to Togo. Ojobo and Ossai, along with other members of the syndicate, it was learnt, usually contact doctors on the phone to ask them to remit certain amount of money into account numbers or risk being kidnapped or murdered. Ojobo was arrested at Diamond Bank in Onitsha after she went there to withdraw money paid in by one of their victims.

However, the suspects said they knew nothing about the crime. They claimed that their older brother, Kenechi Ojobo, who resides in Togo, sent their account number to the creditors to pay in money.

The sisters also claimed that Kenechi, a motorcycle parts merchant in Togo, told them that he usually gives relatives of the creditors the CFA (Francs) equivalent of the money paid in.

Ojobo said she was invited by her bank that there was an issue with her account and rushed to the bank only to be arrested. She said: “I do not know anything about threatening people.

My brother was the one who called and told me that someone will pay in money to my account that he has given the person’s relation in Togo the equivalent in CFA. He said that he would collect the money when he comes and add it to the money to buy his goods. “But I was just in my house last Thursday when I received a call from the bank that someone has tampered with my account.

I rushed to the bank but I was arrested and taken to Central Police Station in Onitsha. It was at the bank that they told me what happened. “After they arrested me, I told them that it was only once money was paid to my account and that my brother usually uses my sister’s account for the transactions and they now took me to my sister’s house and arrested her as well.

“If I knew anything about such thing would I not have escaped when the bank called me?” But Ossai, who has a one-month-old baby, said four people had paid N220,000 into her account at different intervals which her brother had come back home to collect.

The suspect she only knew Kenechi “does local money transfer”. According to her, each time he comes home, he would collect his money to buy goods. Ossai said that she went to the bank sometime last month after her brother told her that someone had paid N50,000 but she did not get alert

By Emma Amaize, Egufe Yafugborhi & Perez Brisibe

WARRI —Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, yesterday, alleged that soldiers were the merchants of oil bunkering in the Niger Delta and that they have video and pictorial evidence of their involvement in crude oil theft and records, including how much they collect and make per day from illegal oil bunkering.

The group, in a statement denying security reports linking its forces to the killing of troops in Nembe, Bayelsa State, said it was surprised at the desperation of the military to always connect NDA to crimes in Southern Nigeria.

“It is a shame that Operations Delta Safe is still employing the old habit of deliberately dining and wining with fake intelligence from political thugs, political paymasters and enemies of the Niger Delta to perpetuate their continuous funding and relevance by leveraging on the hunger in the land,” spokesperson of the militant group, self-styled Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, said.

The NDA had ceased hostilities, though unannounced, weekend, in deference to the plea by Niger Delta monarchs, leaders and stakeholders to all militant groups in the region to sheathe their swords.

It said, “One question for the Commander of Operation Delta Safe , is, who are the people perpetuating the ongoing illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta at the moment? We have both video and still photographs of the serious involvement of your troops in the pervasive crude oil thefts. We have records of how much profit you collect and make per day from these atrocities in the Niger Delta.

“To set the records straight, we cannot come after your dane guns and ammunition. Since the start of ‘Operation Red Economy,’ our forces have not fired one shot until we have achieved this great success of crippling crude oil productions in the Niger Delta to about 800,000 barrels per day.

“Those gang members paraded as killers of troops of ODS are well known followers of Mr. Africa Ukparasai and Mr Timipre Silva, who were armed by the All Progressives Congress, APC, during the governorship election in Bayelsa State.

“If your forces and formations come under attack by notorious elements of your own political collaborators and calculations, you should accept it as a friendly fire (from your own dubious creations getting loosed and fighting back to protect their territories and bellies) and enjoy it while it last. Excuse the NDA from your “Pig and Mud squabbles.

“Yesterday was Arepo in Ogun State, today is Nembe in Bayelsa State, which is the next state you want to involve the NDA in this your bread and butter security conspiracies and collaborations ?"

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, may play a key role in resolving the current conflict between the Federal Government and the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the militant group which has claimed responsibility for the renewed militancy and bombing of oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta.

Barring any last minute twists, Soyinka is expected to lead the dialogue team comprising about six other eminent Nigerians nominated by the NDA to meet with the Federal Government to explore ways of securing a ceasefire and restoring lasting peace in the region.

The resolve to dialogue with the Federal Government came after months of sustained violent campaign and economic sabotage, which has impacted negatively on oil production and revenue accruing to the federation.

Spokesman for the Dialogue Group, Mr. Ballantyne Agiri, who disclosed this in an exclusive chat with New Telegraph, confirmed that the NDA had constituted a contact and dialogue group to engage the Federal Government in meaningful dialogue as part of the initiatives to resolve the crisis.

Agiri, who declined to mention the names of the other members of the dialogue team, said Soyinka was chosen because of track records as a freedom fighter as well as a credible and detribalised personality.

The move to select a dialogue team, Agiri said, has been going on for months, but was delayed due to the fact that the leadership of the NDA was looking for credible personalities who are capable of presenting their grievances before the central government and insist on extracting useful commitments from the other side. “I was on my own when they invited me to work for them.

But I told them that one person cannot hold dialogue with the government, that we should look for eminent Nigerians who have the pedigree to do a good job. The moment I mentioned Professor Wole Soyinka, they became interested because, according to them, he is somebody who is not from the Niger Delta, but has a credible and detribalised personality.

The militants said they were looking for about five or, at most, seven persons to lead the negotiation on their behalf. “Right now, we are constituting the dialogue team, we are putting logistics in place. Some of the members of the team are coming from outside the country.

When you see some of them, you will even be shocked. Some of them are people who have served this country in different capacities,” he said. Agiri disclosed that at a certain stage, there were some elements of disagreement among the leaders of the NDA on the proposed dialogue.

A section of them, he said, believed that there was no need to dialogue with the Federal Government because of the perception that the current administration was not favourably disposed to listening to the cries of marginalisation of the Niger Delta people.

“There have been differences among the militants in terms of approach to ending the crisis. The Central Niger Delta is Bayelsa, then the East comprises Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Cross River states.

These two groups have agreed to work together towards the dialogue and they constitute about 70 percent of the total fighting force now. Those from the Western Niger Delta that is Delta, Edo and Ondo constitute about 30 percent of the fighting force of the NDA.

They were not too keen on dialogue because they felt that the body language of President Muhammadu Buhari does not suggest he was open to any dialogue. So the Central and Eastern blocks said that if the others were not ready for dialogue, we are ready for dialogue; go ahead and open talks with the Federal Government on our behalf,” he said.

On how far the dialogue process had gone, Agiri said: “We are in the process. You know, this thing is not one man’s business. Most of those we have contacted do not want us to disclose their names yet.

I only mentioned Soyinka to you because you remember that recently he went to Aso Rock to meet with Mr. President to brief him and he said that Mr. President was happy with our proposal for peace.”

Meanwhile, another militant group, Iduwini Volunteer Force (IVF), has embraced the proposed dialogue with government, saying it was in the best interest of the oil-bearing communities and the national economy.

Leader of the group, Commander Johnson Biboye, said it was heartwarming that the Federal Government has expressed readiness to listen to the agitators across the Niger Delta, but warned that government must remain committed and sincere during and after the dialogue.

In a statement mailed to New Telegraph, Biboye disclosed that the leadership of IVF decided to embrace peace and dialogue after it held a crucial stakeholders’ meeting with all its unit commanders and zonal commanders to review the security situation in the Niger Delta vis-a-vis the attacks on oil and gas installations in the oil-rich region.

According to him, “the meeting, which started on Sunday, August 21, lasted till the early hours of Monday, August 22, in one of our creek locations, deliberated extensively on the current security situation in the Niger Delta and the efforts of notable leaders to seek peace and dialogue in resolving the crisis.”

The militant group resolved that for peace to reign in the region, all freedom fighting groups in the Niger Delta should cease fire as a mark of honour to the concerted efforts of the leaders who have been working on the peace process.

They urged the Federal Government to show sincerity in the peace process and enhance its credibility by urgently re-opening the Nigeria Maritime University at Okerenekoko in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri South West Local Government Council of Delta State.

The group also demanded the immediate release of all those arrested by security agencies in the course of the crisis while the list of all ex-militants already submitted to the Special Adviser on Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd) should be attended to without any further delay.

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By Tare Youdeowei

WARRI—THE recent meeting of the leadership of the House of Representatives, whereby the group passed a vote of confidence on itself, consequently exculpating its members accused of ‘budget padding’ has been described as unfortunate, ridiculous and tantamount to being “a judge in one’s own case.”

Member representing Warri federal constituency in the House, Mr. Daniel Reyenieju in a chat with
Vanguard on phone, said: “It is a strange and shameless development where those accused of the alleged ‘budget padding’ could go to as far as constituting themselves into being the ‘prosecutor’ and ‘judge.”

He said that they did that specifically “without qualms and went to the ridiculous extent of self-awarding pass marks, including passing self-exonerating and exculpating judgment on themselves, in such manner that smacks of arrogance.

“It is not only not only taking members of the House for a ride, but a display of brazen disdain for the sensibilities of the Nigerian people, who remain largely petrified by the reported ‘budget padding,’ because it has further shaken their confidence in the legislature which remains the only arm of government that legitimises Nigeria’s claim to being a democratic state among the comity of modern democratic nations.”

The lawmaker advised his colleagues in leadership positions to emulate the action of one of them, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who has willingly submitted himself to the police for investigation.

Reyenieju was full of praise for the House Majority Leader for opting for what he (Reyenieju) described as ‘the trajectory of honour’ and hoping that Nigerians and other officials of government will significantly espouse this new moral now enunciated Gbajabiamila which according to him (Reyenieju) is the most visible index and manifestation of the slogan of ‘change’ espoused by his (Gbajabiamila) party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

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By Clara Nwachukwu,

Litigations stall efforts to recover debts.
Efforts by the Federal Government at shoring up economic activities through debt recovery from individuals and organisations are not adding up. High-profile debtors are using the courts to mount blocks in the way of government.

The Guardian learnt that at least 10 of such individuals, referred to as the “big boys”, are collectively owing the government about N1 trillion, which is about 17 per cent of the N6 trillion 2016 national budget.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr. Ahmed Kuru, told The Guardian that these “big boys with big jets” had perfected the art of going to court to stop the debt-buying agency from taking possession of their assets.

According to him, court processes could take up to 10 years, as debtors are willing to go to any length, including getting to the Supreme Court, in delaying suits filed against them. “Obligors in court just want to buy time to continue to live with their lifestyles, which is more important to them than paying up their debts,” he noted.

Kuru, who declined to disclose the identities of the big boys, because he did not “want to fight them on the pages of the newspapers” since the cases are still ongoing, however, vowed that AMCON would recover every penny owed government.

President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly accused the judiciary of frustrating his fight against corruption, especially in prosecuting high-profile cases. He has continued to challenge judicial officers to remove every obstacle inhibiting the successful prosecution of such cases.

Speaking specifically on some of the factors impeding AMCON’s debt recovery efforts, Kuru said: “We have three major challenges – one, AMCON’s ability to perform depends on the state of the economy; we are talking about recovering money from businesses, so the state of the economy is very key. That is a challenge. We’ve started seeing some traction, businesses have started seeing some progress and some of them are picking up, that is also a challenge.

“Two, the judicial process. People rush to courts and the constitution gives them the right to do so, and that also slows us down. Three, the AMCON Act does not transfer ownership of the Eligible Bank Assets (EBA) directly to AMCON. We have to go through the legal process to convert those assets to ourselves. That in itself is a challenge.”

In getting the “big boys” to pay their debts, the AMCON boss said: “It is not easy because they have perfected the art of going to court. They are scared of fulfilling their responsibilities; they are the ones that can easily personalise the issues and official function of debt recovery; they believe that people must have a motive for doing what they do. Clearly, if you’re not listening to what they want, you are opposing them. So it has not been easy. But I can tell you also that we are determined, and the government also is very determined that these monies have to be recovered even if it has to lead to an amendment of the AMCON Act.”

AMCON is expected to wind down by 2023, but in view of the slow and long legal proceedings, there is scepticism about the ability of the debt purchaser to conclude before the expiration of its tenure.

“You can only need a review if you want to sharpen your ability to recover. We discover some gaps that require some sharpening, and we will do that. I can tell you that the National Assembly members have been of tremendous support. The committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate are ready always to support us, to see how we can be more effective in recovering those debts.”

Two mothers in Anambra State now have good reasons to give thunderous testimonies in their churches following the good work of detectives under the Anambra Police Command, who acted promptly and arrested the woman who stole their two three-year-old sons.

The suspect, 32-year-old Chidinma Favour Okorie, a mother of five, who is pregnant is alleged to have committed the felonious act in Idoma village, Umuoji in Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State. Okorie is a native of Amasiri, Afikpo, Ebonyi State, where she lived with her husband until she fell into the cold embrace of the police in Anambra State, where she was caught in the act following an alarmed raised by the mother of another she attempted to steal.

The cheery news was disclosed to Sunday Sun by the newly appointed Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sam Okaula, who also said the suspect was part of a syndicate and had allegedly stolen several babies in Anambra State until nemesis caught up with her during her last fateful trip.

Explaining Okorie’s modus operandi, Okaula said that she regularly came from Ebonyi State to perpetrate her act and then sell the stolen child for N50,000 to a child-trafficking syndicate that works with hospitals in Onitsha.

However, when her cup of iniquity filled up and spilled, Okorie was arrested on August 2 at Idoma village in Umuoji community, Idemili North LGA, Anambra State by police detectives as she was perfecting plans to escape from the town with a three-year-old boy earlier stolen from a compound in the village.

Okorie’s cookie crumbled when the mother of a boy she stole, Nneka Victor, raised the alarm and reported the theft to policemen at Osidi Police Station, who promptly dispatched a team to arrest the suspect, who had two boys with her, both aged three years.

Recounting how she perpetrated the act, Okorie said: “Usually I come from Ebonyi State to Anambra State to steal children and sell each one for N50,000 to a syndicate at a hospital (name withheld) in Onitsha.

On this particular ocsasion, I went to Idoma village in Umuoji community. I met a woman who was with her little child, and pretended that I was looking for somebody. The mother of the boy told her son to take me to the place and from there I took him away. I did the same thing in another street, where I wanted to take another three-year old before the mother of the victim alerted the community and the police and the two stolen boys were rescued.”

Confirming Okorie’s account, one of the jubilant mothers said: “The suspect came to my compound and asked for somebody. As I knew the person she was asking about, I told my three-year son, Victor, to take her to the place. When he did not immediately return I rushed out to look for him. I didn’t know that she did the same to another woman and took her three-year-old son. It was when she wanted to escape with the two boys that we alerted the community and policeman at Osidi Police Station.”

During interrogation by the police, she mentioned the name of a certain doctor who runs a hospital in Asaba, Delta State, who she claimed administered a deadly oath on her never to disclose the truth when arrested.

“I am married and have five children. We live at Amasiri, Afikpo Ebonyi State. I am a trader but it was greed that made me go into child trafficking. I started on July 15, 2016, when I sold the son of a pastor (name withheld) to the staff of a hospital that is part of the syndicate. The doctor that owns the hospital paid me N50,000. Immediately I got my money I went back to Ebonyi State, she said.

The police also arrested the doctor who she claimed bought the stolen boy from her, but he denied the allegation saying: “I didn’t know the woman. I didn’t know that she was dealing with one of my staff with regard to child trafficking. I only saw her once when she came for blood sample. I didn’t have any deal with her. I was surprised to see policemen who came and arrested me over child trafficking.”

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Supol Nkeiruka Nwode advised parents to be more vigilant and monitor their children, adding that they should avoid sending them on errands that are not very necessary. “The suspect could have escaped with the two little boys if their mothers had not alerted the community and the police. She commended policemen at Osidi Police Station for their prompt action, which she said, was a clear demonstration of the new spirit being brought to policing in Anambra State by the Inspector General of Police and the new police commissioner. She assured that the suspects would be arraigned in court soon.

Kunle Falayi

Thirty-year-old Kogi State indigene, Pius Ojoka, decided on Wednesday morning that his daily bread was going to come from stealing cables.

But what he did not envisage was the routine patrol of operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command on the Third Mainland Bridge.

Ojoka, who was arrested as he attempted to steal cables that had been laid as part of the Lagos State Government’s Light Up Lagos Project, fled along with three other suspects when they saw the police.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that during the patrol of an RRS team on the Third Mainland Bridge, they sighted Ojoka and two other suspects crawling out of a manhole on the bridge’s median.

An RRS source told our correspondent that Ojoka was arrested while his two accomplices escaped.

At the RRS Headquarters in Alausa, Ojoka told interrogators that if he was able to cut the cable successfully, he would have made money for that day’s meal.

The suspect said in his statement, “I just relocated from Abuja to Lagos last week. I specialised in stealing utility cables in Abuja and thought it would be far more lucrative in Lagos.

“I was just hungry on Wednesday and I thought the stealing the cables was the fastest way to make money. I thought about many other things, but the cables were the best option.”

According to Ojoka, he lives under a tree on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and met his accomplices in the same place.

“But truthfully, we had not been able to cut the cables before RRS caught me. I always sold the cables I stole in Abuja to one man outside Kaduna,” he said.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police, Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed his arrest, said that the state would not tolerate vandalism and sabotage of government’s efforts.

The suspect has been transferred to the Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, for further investigatgion.

Strong indications emerged last night that President Muhammadu Buhari may have ordered a “thorough” probe into the circumstances that led to the arrest of three Nigerian pilgrims, who were alleged to have trafficked cocaine to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

The probe, it was gathered, emerged on a day the Federal Government in a bid to “redeem” its image begun an enhanced screening of pilgrims to the holy land, following the arrest of the pilgrims.

It will be recalled that three pilgrims from Kawara State were recently arrested for drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia and the Presidency has issued a threat to punish some agencies for negligence.

An impeccable source at the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), who confided in this newspaper, stated that the “embarrassment” caused the President as a result of the arrest had contributed in making the president “sad”, hence the probe of the drug agency to unravel the circumstances which led to the arrest of the Nigerians in foreign land.

According to the source, who pleaded not to be mentioned, the president “was hugely embarrassed and as such felt those who allowed the unholy incident leave the shore of the nation’s borders must be made to explain what happened.”

The source, who also hinted that a woman pilgrim was among those were arrested, noted that the president also felt that “travelling standards” were compromised by the NDLEA officials, which negated the Federal Government’s stance on corruption.

To underscore this fact, the source stated that: “The president is very angry because he believed that standards were compromised. In fact, the Federal Government is already considering a total overhaul and restructuring of the NDLEA.

In the past, for instance, the culture had been that any pilgrim travelling is allowed to come in with his relatives and luggage. “But since this occurred, relatives are not allowed again including helping their relatives who are going on the pilgrimage.

This is a sharp contrast and a departure of the past. Here every pilgrim carries his or her luggage and awaits officials to screen them individually.” In another vein, Saturday Telegraph gathered that government has commenced full scale investigation to unravel how the drug was not detected by the Nigerian security operatives at the Hajj camps across the nation.

There were indications that heads are likely to roll over the incident as a high powered investigative team had been set up to determine if there was a compromise or just security laxity at the camps.

Spokesman for the NDLEA, Ofoyeju Mitchell, who confirmed this, said the Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Col. Muhammad Abdallah (retd.), had ordered investigation into the arrest of the trio in Saudi Arabia, in connection with substances suspected to be cocaine.

Abdallah who expressed disappointment over the unfortunate incident constituted a panel of inquiry headed by the Director of Operations and General Investigation, Mr. Olugbenga Mabo, to immediately investigate the incident.

He stated that the agency would address the situation with every sense of seriousness and urgency, while also stressing that the agency had also deployed more investigators to all the screening camps nationwide.

Although, Mitchell could not speak further on how far the investigation would go, but sources said the problem might lead to the reshuffle of operations heads in most of the states and heightening of screening and searches of all remaining intending pilgrims.

The sources further stated that there is no full proof security anywhere in the world, stressing that even in the United States, there is tendency to miss some details. Most times, security at the camps is relaxed because of the belief that pilgrims are going to perform holy rites. According to the NDLEA boss, “narcotic smuggling is criminal and the involvement of pilgrims is utterly reprehensible.

This is unfortunate and we are working very hard to get to the root of it. The agency is handling this case with every sense of seriousness and urgency because this action has negatively affected the image of Nigeria.

We have also taken measures to intensify the on-going screening of pilgrims who are yet to depart to Saudi Arabia to prevent a reoccurrence of the sad incident.”

Meanwhile, the NDLEA boss also called on pilgrims to uphold the principle of probity, patriotism and eschew any act capable of bringing the image of the country to disrepute.

Gbenro Adeoye and Tunde Ajaja

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, says given the challenges and malpractices that have marred elections both in the past and in recent times in the country, the commission cannot guarantee that the general elections in 2019 will be conclusive.

He said any attempt to give such assurance at this time would be second-guessing the outcome of the election, noting that it had become inevitable for the commission to declare some elections inconclusive.

The INEC boss, who spoke when he led some staff of the commission, including a national commissioner, Mr. Solomon Soyebi, on a visit to PUNCH Place, the corporate headquarters of PUNCH Nigeria Limited in Magboro, Ogun State, on Friday, stated that if everyone, including the staff of the commission, the voters, politicians and other stakeholders, play by the rules, there would be no inconclusive election.

He said, “We can’t second-guess to say this is the outcome of an election before it happens, unless we are not conducting elections. We hope it won’t lead to that, but if it happens, the constitution has a way out of it.

“There is no way the commission will declare any election conclusive where the threshold is not met. We can only declare an election conclusive when we are satisfied with the law and electoral act because all elections are governed by constitutional provisions, provisions of the electoral act and our guidelines. This is the challenge that we face, but we must express it because we (INEC) will not compromise.

“The constitution of this country provides condition for making return in an election. If that threshold is not met, can INEC make a declaration? We can’t, under the law, and if you do so the court will nullify the election and then we incur costs to do the election again.

“As to what will happen in 2019, only God knows, but we will abide by the provisions of the constitution, the electoral law and our guidelines in making declarations. We can only hope for the best.”

The INEC chairman, who spoke extensively while responding to questions on the inconclusive elections conducted by the commission, explained that majority of the 137 elections conducted by the commission in the past eight months were conclusive, dismissing insinuations that the commission had been organising inconclusive elections.

He explained that people had been used to conclusive elections on first ballot, pointing out that the political terrain has changed completely. He added that most of the elections were a product of the 2015 general elections and that there were no less than 680 court cases emanating from the 2015 general elections.

“It is not strange. More than any commission in the history of this country, we have conducted more elections outside the context of general elections. People often forget that we had inconclusive elections in the past.

“The first inconclusive election in Nigeria was in 1979, and that was the election that brought Shagari into power. We have forgotten about the mathematics of what two-third of 19 was, whether it was 12 or not. Eventually, the matter wasn’t resolved by the commission. People like Richard Akinjide went to court, and eventually the court decided the winner in 1979.

“In recent times, we have had series of inconclusive elections. The governorship election in Bauchi State was inconclusive because of post-election violence and INEC concluded the election after two weeks. The same thing happened in Imo; the first election that brought in Rochas Okorocha was inconclusive, until two weeks after. In 2015, Taraba, Abia and Imo were inconclusive and there were other constituency elections where elections were inconclusive.

“The most difficult election for the commission to conduct are off-season elections, because the attention of everybody focuses on a particular constituency and the political actors and gladiators and their antics have time to mobilise nationwide to descend on a particular constituency, which made the conclusion of such elections very difficult.

“What I want Nigerians to understand is that our democracy is maturing. If it matures, it cannot be the way we used to do things before. The mindset would have to change. Days were long gone when politicians do everything they can to be declared winners, knowing that the case would end up in court.

“So, let’s hope for the best, but it is everybody’s responsibility to make this democracy work. Citizens can protect their mandate. If we play by the rules and we are patient, I’m sure we will minimise all these issues leading to inconclusiveness.”

However, the INEC boss said apart from power play by political gladiators, emergence of strong political parties had made the elections more competitive. “When we had one dominant political party and other smaller parties, elections were always conclusive, but now, by evolution, not by imposition, we have two strong political parties, fielding strong candidates, making the elections extremely competitive,” he added.

When asked if he was being teleguided by the executive as rumoured in some quarters, he said there was no such thing, noting that both the opposition and the ruling parties had accused him of being teleguided by the executive anytime their party didn’t win an election.

“I have made a commitment to this country that the day I think I cannot perform this job in good conscience, I would leave, afterall I have a job to go back to; teaching. So, it’s not true that we are being teleguided,” he said.

Yakubu equally lamented that the nation had not been penalising electoral offenders, saying it was painful that over 1,000 persons died as a result of post-election violence in Kaduna in 2011 and nobody was arrested or prosecuted.

He added that it was also regrettable that the recommendations of the Mohammed Uwais-led committee and the Ahmed Lemu-led committee had not been implemented, saying time had come for the government to set up an electoral offences commission and tribunal, to which all violators of electoral acts would be subjected, including staff of the commission.

He said, “Under the electoral act, INEC is supposed to penalise electoral offenders and what are the steps: first, we have to make arrest, but INEC has no police, so we can’t arrest. Secondly, we have to investigate to be able to have evidence that can be tendered in court during prosecution, but we have no power to investigate, and for me, most extraordinarily, that means INEC is supposed to prosecute its own staff. How can INEC prosecute itself?

Meanwhile, when asked what the commission had done in punishing some of its staff found guilty of electoral offences, the INEC chairman said over a hundred of its staff, both serving and retired had been invited by the EFCC in connection with the allegation of financial misappropriation levelled against the former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Maduekwe.

The EFCC had alleged that some key staff of INEC benefitted from the $26m allegedly shared by the former Minister in the run-up to the 2015 general elections.

Yakubu said, “The first one when I came in was the revelation coming out of what you people in the media call DiezaniGate.  So far, over a hundred staff of INEC had been invited. At a point, we toiled with the idea of speaking to the EFCC to see the weight of evidence they have so that we can take administrative action against our own staff, but they are innocent until they are proven guilty. They have to be charged to court, but we have taken notice and we have a complete list.

“If you hear a certain number this week, the following week, it would have increased, arising from the interrogation of more staff, so we have not got to the end of it, and it’s not good for the commission to take decision in pieces, but eventually, some of them who are culpable will be charged to court.”

He, however, assured that the commission would continue to deepen the use of technology, learn from what happened, make the smart card reader better and add new initiatives. “We are committed to ensure that every ballot counts and is accounted for,” he said.

Niyi Odebode, Fidelis Soriwei, Everest Amaefule, Adelani Adepegba and Jesusegun Alagbe

There are indications that the Federal Government has begun moves to exchange the Chibok girls with some Boko Haram detainees.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that as part of the moves, security agencies had started conducting a fresh profiling of  the Boko Haram detainees in line with a directive of the Federal Government.

It was learnt the profiling would include the time they were arrested and the de-radicalisation programme they had undergone.

Findings showed that besides the military, the police, the Nigeria Prison Service, the office of the National Security Adviser and the Ministry of Justice would be involved in the swop talks.

It was gathered that although the government had not decided on the militants that would be released in exchange for the Chibok girls, insurgents, who had not been tried could  be the first beneficiaries of the swop deal.

It was also learnt that detainees, who had undergone the “de-radicalisation” programme of the government, would be considered under the arrangement.

Investigations showed that the government had started addressing problems that could hinder the swop talks with the sect following its split early this month.

Boko Haram had, on August 3, 2016, split with ISIS naming Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the leader of the group.

But a few days later, the former leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, in a video, dismissed the appointment of the new leader and insisted that he remained the authentic leader of the group.

Shekau, in a video released on Sunday, said the sect was ready to exchange more than 200 girls abducted on April 14, 2014 at Chibok Secondary School for its fighters that were being detained by the Federal Government.

The PUNCH had exclusively reported on Tuesday that the Federal Government was in a dilemma over the faction of the sect it should hold talks with.

A top government officer, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said that the government had started addressing the problem.

He said, “I can assure you that the government is identifying genuine members of the sect it is negotiating with.  We won’t repeat the mistake the immediate past government made by talking with those who will not produce the girls.

“Government is not opposed to swopping. Other countries, including Israel, have done it. In fact, security agencies are conducting fresh profiling of the sect members that are being detained. That is the first move. If there are sect members that have not been tried, they will be the first set to be considered under the arrangement.”

Attempts to speak with the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, failed as he did not pick calls to his mobile telephone. Neither he nor his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Segun Adeyemi, replied enquiries sent as text messages.

But the minister had on Sunday said that the government was in touch with members of the sect.

“The government is in touch with those behind the video. We are on top of the situation,” he had stated.

 Military operations will continue —Defence headquarters

The Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, has said that the military operations against Boko Haram will continue.

According to him, the military is profiling the arrested Boko Haram members.

He said, “The issue of dialogue rests with the political leadership of this county. If they decide, fine. But our own activities would surely go on in any security threatened location.”

Abubakar said the military would continue to search for the Chibok girls and other people abducted by the sect, adding that the armed forces were being professional in handling the issue.

He said, “Whatever the government wants is what we are going to do and we are very sure that we are doing enough to ensure that we push forth carefully, professionally and cautiously in order not to jeopardise the ongoing efforts by the military vis a vis the lives of our loved ones.

“We are being very careful. You know we are profiling all these people who we arrested or those who surrendered. We are profiling them properly. The issue of saying that they are going back to the bush does not even arise.

“The most important is that we are able to put them where they belong and put them under maximum care so that there would not be any apprehension.”

On the claim by the sect that some Chibok girls had been killed in military bombardment, he stated, “The Nigeria Air Force uses precision equipment against only registered targets. So, how are we going to randomly bomb where they are? The military is doing all it can without jeopardising their lives.”

Abubakar also commented on the latest video released by the sect. He said, “The person that appeared in the video is not Shekau. He is just a replica. He is just trying to work on the psychology of people. They all know that people know that we have completely dealt with these people so they are now doing this media war. That is what they are doing.”

When asked about the profiling and the number of Boko Haram detainees in prison custody, the Nigeria Prison Service spokesman, Francis Enobore, directed all inquiries to the military.

The DSS has yet to get a spokesman.

 Experts ask FG to get credible negotiators

Some security experts have urged  the Federal Government to involve credible people in the negotiation for the swopping of the Chibok school girls for Boko Haram detainees.

They also cautioned the government to consider national security before finalising a deal with the insurgents.

A retired Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, said  that it was important for trusted and credible persons to be involved in the negotiations with the violent sect.

He said, “One thing the government could do is by asking the Boko Haram detainees that would be released to sign an agreement that they would not engage in violence after they are released, but if they did, the alternative is for military action against them to continue.”

Tsav said it was necessary to engage Boko Haram for the release of the 219 schoolgirls, whom he described as precious souls.

Another security analyst, Ben Okezie, said the proposed negotiation must involve the best hands in the security circle, including psychologists and criminologists.

While expressing reservations over the move to swop the girls for insurgents, Okezie cautioned the government against releasing hardened and unrepentant insurgents who he said would likely go back to the trenches.

“If you are going to release Boko Haram insurgents, now that they are trying to regroup, they would surely go back (to fight) and the insurgency will be worse than before,” he said.

A security expert, John Enweliku, said the Federal Government should first verify whether Boko Haram was serious about the swop deal.

He said if the group was serious about it, the government could then go ahead in the deal.

Enweliku, however, cautioned the Federal Government against negotiating with the wrong party.

He said, “The authenticity of the negotiation claim is the issue here. The other time when the Federal Government tried toeing the path of negotiation with the militants, they ended up meeting with the wrong party.

“Swopping the Boko Haram members for the Chibok girls is a welcome development. It happens even in advanced countries, but we should ensure we negotiate with the right people this time around.

“The girls’ lives are important, but the Federal Government should tread cautiously. Their abduction has brought pain to their families and to the country as a whole.

“And I am sure that with the present leadership of our various security agencies, they are capable of containing the activities of the militants when released.”

Also, a counter-terrorism expert based in the United States, Sunday Ogunlana, said it was not wrong for the Federal Government to swop the Chibok girls for Boko Haram detainees.

Ogunlana, however, cautioned the government against negotiating from the position of weakness.

He said, “If these people (Boko Haram) are sincere that they want to release the girls, I don’t see anything bad in the negotiation, but it should be done with caution. And the Federal Government also must be transparent about it. They have to tell us who is setting the rules of the negotiation? How many Boko Haram members are they swopping for the Chibok girls? Are we negotiating from a position of strength or weakness?

“If the girls are united with their families again, it is something good and no amount of sacrifice is too much to rescue them. Look at what happened in the United States few days ago, when the US sent $400m in cash to Iran to free four American hostages held in Iran. These countries will tell you they don’t negotiate with terrorists, but that they dialogue.

“We can try that as well. We have used force before and we are still using it, but it has not been working. So if truly the Chibok girls exist and they are still being held, the Federal Government should verify and negotiate with the right group, and this time around, from the position of strength.”

But a security consultant, Patrick Agbam, said the Federal Government should look for a new way to rescue the Chibok girls.

He said releasing Boko Haram members to the public again could create more security problems for the country in the future.

He said, “Everybody is eager to see the Chibok girls released to their families. Their lives are in danger now and they need to be rescued. It is very easy to say they should swop, but how are we sure that the Boko Haram members released will not create another problem in the future? Are we sure they will keep to their end of the deal? We should be cautious.

“We want to see the girls back, but I think the government should look for a new way to rescue the girls. When you release criminals, they will come back to haunt you.”

lalasticlala

Adelani Adepegba, Abuja

The police have arrested three herdsmen, who allegedly abducted a member of the House of Representatives, Sani Bello, and collected N10m ransom.

The names of the suspects were given as Haruna Adamu, 25; Shuaibu Adamu, 18; and Abubakar Saidu, 30.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspects had on August 2, abducted Bello and taken him hostage for three days before he was released.

The police said the gang was responsible for kidnapping and other crimes on the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway and its environs.

Parading the suspects at the force headquarters, Abuja, on Thursday, the police spokesman, Donald Awunah, explained that N250,000 was recovered from them.

He added that Haruna, the ringleader, led police operatives to the location where he buried the ransom.

He said, “These gangsters were responsible for the kidnap of Sani Bello, a member of the House of Representatives, on August 2, 2016,on his farm along the Kaduna–Abuja Road. The kidnap of other persons was traced to them.

“The suspects were trailed and rounded up at Ungwan Kawu village in the Dan Dumi Local Government Area, Katsina State, by the Intelligence Response Team of the police.

“During interrogation, the suspects voluntarily confessed to the crime and also admitted the various roles they played individually and collectively in their criminal enterprise.”

Haruna told PUNCH Metro that he got N3m out of the N10m ransom, but had to part with N1.5m to a hoodlum in the area, who threatened his gang for operating in his jurisdiction without his consent.

It was learnt that the gang members used the proceeds of crime to purchase cattle, cattle to enlarge their herd.

African Central Banks must not accept “fit-for-all- purposes” prescriptions handed down from abroad as it addresses the continent’s current economic challenges, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

The president rather urged African apex banks to continue to look for “innovative home-grown solutions” to fix the continent’s troubled economy.

Buhari spoke at the opening of the 2016 annual meeting of the association of African Central Banks which opened in Abuja yesterday.

The theme of the symposium was “Unwinding Unconventional Monetary Policies: Implications for Monetary Policy and Financial Stability in Africa.”
The major challenges, he noted, were slowdown in growth; weakening global demand; rising inflation; restrictions in capital flows; rising debt levels; increased exchange rate volatility and depleting external reserves.

He called for proactive and effective combination of conventional and innovative monetary policies. “The world is a dynamic place and with innovation, we can survive,” he stated.

President Buhari said such countries as Nigeria, Angola, South Africa and Mozambique that relied on natural resources only had been hit the hardest.
According to the president, China, a major trade and business partner to a number of African countries, was currently slowing down as it remodels its economy; sparking fears of further weakening.

He said the Central Bank of Nigeria had, for many years, spearheaded economic stimulus measures through specific intervention programmes, urging that the measures be sustained “through good times and through difficult times.”

Buhari emphasised that monetary policy alone was not sufficient to bring about desired economic growth, suggesting that “We must carefully balance monetary and fiscal policy measures.”

He said his administration was diversifying the economy away from excessive reliance on oil to ensure self-sufficiency and massive employment for millions of the youth.

“We shall also embark on export and production diversification steps including investment in infrastructure; promotion of manufacturing through agro-based industries and expansion of Regional Trade. All these would involve integrating the informal economy into the mainstream and providing funds to Small and Medium Enterprises,” he said.

He said his government would continue, with greater determination and focus, to pursue its goal of ensuring improved security for the country and its citizens without letting up on its fight against corruption and terrorism.

“Side by side, with economic stimulus measures, we must intensify our surveillance and give guidance to the operations of our financial institutions to reverse the trend of illicit flows of funds out of Africa.

“We should all be serious in putting place measures aimed at ensuring that the proceeds of these illicit flows are repatriated to their countries of origin with minimal bureaucratic hitches,” he suggested.

In his speech, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele told the participants that the overwhelming consensus among experts that unwinding unconventional monetary policy could present challenges including that of financial instability, it has become necessary for central banks to evolve appropriate coping strategies as a safeguard against any negative impact on financial stability.

“Moreover, for the central banks in developing countries, it behoves that to unwind unconventional monetary policy, cognizance of the peculiarities and fragilities of our economic environment must be captured in designing the coping strategies.”

In 2008 when the global economic crises started, the Unconventional Monetary Policies (UMP) were adopted by different central banks around the world to help stimulate growth. The US started the UMP by adopting quantitative easing, followed by Bank of England and European Central Bank.

“We in Nigeria also adopted the UMP in our own little way, through stimulation of agriculture and manufacturing sectors. Some of these interventions we adopted to support the sectors were entirely our own version of UMP which is meant to stabilise the economy.”

“But we found out from around last year, we started seeing the incidences of unwinding of these UMPs to the extent that during the last quarter of the 2015, over $40 billion in foreign exchange moved out from the emerging market and it had impact on, not just Africa, but also in Nigeria and that is why we are seeing most African countries facing exchange rate and inflationary pressures, so now we are saying what should we be doing at this time to unwinding the unconventional policies, like in Nigeria, we are saying we are no longer going to rely on oil to diversify and the government will continue to support the system through stimulating the primary agriculture and SMEs and manufacturing that aim for export, those are measures we are adopting to support the economy.

The IMF managing Director, Christine Lagarde urged the African Central banks to exercise caution in the process of unwinding the UMPs. Represented by Michael Atingi-Ego, Lagarde said the global economy is facing instability and taking such decision requires serious caution to avoid negative outcomes.

Largarde was known for supporting the unconventional monetary policies adopted by various central banks in America, Europe and Japan.

She recently endorsed such UMPs for Europe and Japan but policymakers from emerging markets warned that such policies were increasing risks for the global economy.

Nigeria to offer exporters tax reliefs

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun speaking at another event offered to grant tax relief to genuine exporters in the country.

The Minister, who spoke during the visit of the leadership of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, (NESG) to her office in Abuja challenged the private sector to come up with policies which are implementable in view of the current economic situation in the country.

The Minister said the Ministry of Finance was ready to work with them and therefore challenged the group to keep track of some of the recommendations to the Federal Government.

“I want to challenge you by asking you to keep track of how many of your policies were implemented and those not implemented. You also need to find out why those policies were not implemented. They may be great policies at wrong times, or they may be wrong policies. They may even be un-implementable policies.