₦airaland Forum

Embattled former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Acting Chairman Ali Modu Sheriff yesterday lost more support as eight members of his National Working Committee (NWC) jumped ship. They supported the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.

Also yesterday, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike accused Sheriff of making a U-turn on the party’s national convention when he got information that he was not qualified to contest last Saturday’s election.

Wike, according to a statement by his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, said: “We have seen that there is a hidden agenda, but nobody can destroy the PDP. The PDP will wax stronger.”

According to him, Sheriff subjected himself to screening by the National Convention Screening Committee last Friday and he (Sheriff) praised the transparent process, only to cite a court order on Saturday, during a news conference in Port Harcourt, when the result of the screening committee did not favour him.

He noted that by “his anti-party actions”, the former acting national chairman had proved his numerous critics right that he was out to destroy the PDP.

Wike, who was the chairman of the 2016 National Convention Planning Committee, alleged that the main associates of the former acting national chairman were persons of questionable character.

He said: “Those around the former Acting National Chairman (of PDP) have questionable character. They are people who think that they can use the judiciary to cause crisis.

“In my entire political career, I have never seen a man with many opponents as Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. He should apologise to the members of the party.”
He said Sheriff filed a suit against the party, but lied about his involvement in the suit, which was later discovered by the PDP stakeholders.

He urged all the stakeholders to support the caretaker committee of the party, to lead the PDP to success.
Eight members of the immediate past NWC yesterday announced that they had dumped Sheriff.

The eight ex-party officials are: Prince Uche Secondus (Deputy National Chairman); Hon. Onwe Solomon Omwe (Deputy National Secretary); Mr. Victor Kwom (National Legal Adviser); Dr. Kema Chikwe (National Woman Leader); Mr. Abdullahi Maibasira ( National Youth Leader); Elder Bolaji Anani (National Financial Secretary); Alhaji Buhari Bala (National Treasurer) and Chief Olisa Metuh (National Publicity Secretary).
In a six-point resolution dated May 25, 2015, the ex-party officials said:
“As products of the party’s National Convention, we accept without equivocation all decisions and resolutions of the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party held at Port Harcourt on 21st May 2016.

“The decision of the National Convention dissolving the National Working Committee merely re-echoes our undeniable decision as members of National Working Committee to give up our tenures for congresses and Convention to be held in May 2016.

“The National Caretaker Committee constituted by the National Convention on 21st May 2016 is fully within the powers of the National Convention under Section 33(5)(e) of the party’s constitution.

“We recognise the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party and offer the Committee all our support and cooperation.

“As responsible and honourable party members who have had the privilege of serving the party at the highest level, we do not support and are not party to any suit, action or activity seeking to challenge the decisions of the National Convention in appointing the National Caretaker Committee or dissolving the former NWC, which had, at any rate, earlier agreed to go.

“We enjoin the entire mass of the youth, women, elders, stakeholders and membership of the party nationwide to shun personal interest and support and cooperate with the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee so that the party may move forward.

The ex- National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo and ex-National Auditor Adewole Adeyanju have teamed up with Sheriff to contest their ouster in the law courts.

More Nigerians were deported from London, United Kingdom and Australia for alleged immigration related offences on Wednesday.

The new deportees numbering 40 arrived the Murtala Mohammed International Airport on Wednesday morning, it was learnt.

The deportation, according to sources, was jointly carried out by the UK and Australia.
This would be the second time in a year that Nigerians would be deported for flouting immigration rules.

It would be recalled that Libya had on March 10 deported 172 Nigerians while UK on November last year deported 48.

36 of the latest deportees comprising 29 males and seven females were dumped at the Cargo terminal of the airport at about 8:00 a.m.

They arrived on a chartered aircraft with registration number ZTA -474 while Air Seychelles with registration number SND-1 brought four males into the country for similar immigration offences.

Sources at the Airport said the deportees also comprised nationals of other African countries especially from Ghana, Liberia and Egypt.

They were received by various agencies including the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) which checked their identities to ascertain their nationalities; the Police, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) and other relevant stakeholders.

Some of the deportees, it was learnt, became violent when immigration officials attached to the international wing of the airport tried to get their fingerprints for documentation.

Most of the deportees had left the airport when our correspondent visited the cargo terminal today. They reportedly left quietly to avoid being noticed.

The Public Relations Officer of Immigration, Mr. Ekpedeme King confirmed the deportation in a telephone chat, promising to provide more details later.

lalasticlala

A carpenter, identified as Casmir Eze, is now in the custody of the police in Enugu State for allegedly defying a 15-year-old orphan at gunpoint.

Eze, from Umugoji Orba in Udenu Local Government Area, had on Sunday, about 2am, allegedly gained entrance into the compound of the victim, Ogechi (surname withheld), an SS1 student, by scaling the fence and threatening to kill the victim if she failed to open her door. The suspect also warned the victim not to shout or alert the neighbours.

After Ogechi opened the door, Eze, who covered his face with a scarf, allegedly pointed a gun at the victim and ordered her to switch off the lantern in the room. He thereafter pounced on the victim and forcibly had carnal knowledge of her.

Unknown that the victim had identified him, Eze fled after satisfying his sexual urge. But Ogechi reported the incident to Eze’s relations who helped her to report it to the police.

The police later arrested the suspect. Eze told his interrogators that he committed the crime but said it was the devil which pushed him into the act.

He said: “I don’t know what came over me. I have been planning how to get the girl. I decided on this method after other means failed.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ebere Amaraizu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the story yesterday. Amaraizu said that operatives of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID), had commenced a full scale investigation into the incident.

The PPRO said: “The suspect is now begging for forgiveness and at the same time attributing the incident to the act of devil.”

A so called man of God who is the General Overseer of a church in Lagos State, identified simply as Pastor Dan, has run into troubled waters after he was alleged to have impregnated a choir member in the church.

The incident which happened in the Ketu-Alapere area of the state, according to some disgruntled members, saw the church thrown into serious confusion after the 18-year-old girl who was said to be a model Christian, became pregnant and refused to disclose who was responsible.

The truth only came to light when the girl put to bed and confided in her close friend that it was the pastor who has been looking for a child as his wife could not give birth after over 20 years of marriage, was responsible.

A member of the church who did not want his name in print, said:
"We were shocked with the revelation that Pastor Daniel could descend so low to get that girl pregnant. This is a man who preaches every time against immorality and is quick to expel anyone found wanting.

The girl used to live with him but all of a sudden, she went back to living with her mother. Then it was discovered that she was pregnant and when I asked the mother whether she had mentioned who was responsible, the mother said when she put to bed, everyone will know."

"We all suspect that the mother knew all along but kept quiet. We got to realise when we did not see Pastor's wife for several weeks. It was one of her sisters who hinted someone that she left the house when she found out that her husband was responsible for the girl's pregnancy.

When the girl put to bed, it was Pastor Dan that named the baby but only gave out the first name without revealing the father's name. Then we elders decided to confront to hear the truth but instead of explaining, he got angry and began to lay curses on people.

As we speak, almost all the members have deserted the church because we can't continue in such a sinful place."

Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kwara State, Ishola Balogun-Fulani has faulted the claim by the Nigeria Police that he was rescued from the kidnapers’ den.
Balogun, who was kidnapped by gunmen on Friday, alongside the party’s Secretary, Chief Sunday Bode Adekanye, said ransom was paid before they were released.

Balogun-Fulani told newsmen at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, after a visit of appreciation to the monarch, that the gunmen demanded N40 million and N30 million from him and his secretary, respectively.

He also said they trekked for about 10 hours from 7:30am to 4:00pm in the forest without food or water.

Balogun-Fulani said “we had nothing as food or water while we were in our abductors den. They said they were Fulanis and that they had no other business than armed robbery and kidnapping.

“They spoke Fulani and Pidgin English fluently. They said we must find money for them and demanded N40 million and N30 million from me and the secretary and that if we failed to do that, they were going to waste us.

“We had to call our people; we don’t know what they did but I think they must have paid a certain amount before we were allowed to go (on Saturday) by 6:30pm.

“They tried to enquire whether I am a Fulani man too to which I said yes but they said this is not a family matter but strictly business.

“We were not tortured and nothing was done to us but we trekked from one hideout to another,” said.

“We warned our people not to bring any security men, either police or the army because they warned us and threatened to kill us if we do; they said they were not afraid of police or army and that they have their own weapon too.

“The Police IG tried, he sent a helicopter to come looking for us but it was difficult to locate us because it was inside a very thick forest. Same with the Commissioners of Police in Kogi and Kwara state who also sent in people, yet we were unable to be located. It was when we came out that we saw about 100 policemen waiting for us. The place is around Osara and Okene”, he recalled.

Also speaking, the secretary of the party, Chief Olabode Adekanye, who also narrated how the incident happened, added that another man from Ondo State was kidnapped with them by the Fulani gunmen.

Adekanye said “We first thought they were SARS because they wore no uniform. But immediate we got closer, we saw some of them, about four in number, crawling on the road.

“Then, we immediately made U-turn but were ambushed by four men from the rear; they fired and we stopped.

“They were asking for money and then told us to be running inside the bush with gun pointed to my head.

“After a while, they relaxed and communicated in their language before they ordered us to proceed again.

“Later, they cooked rice with ordinary oil and offered it to us inside one dirty black pot, if we cared. Then we asked for water thinking we could get pure water but they just went somewhere and fetched water from a mud pond with, earth color. That was what they drank and ate and they smoked and constantly took cocaine. It was later in the evening that they now asked us to identify ourselves.”

Written by: Oluwatoyin Malik

A 32-year-old man, Saheed Oladimeji, has been arrested by the Oyo State Police Command for allegedly beating a 14-year-old boy, Matthew Ohiosumuan to death over the accusation that he attempted to defile his six-year-old daughter, Solia.

The incident occurred on May 5, 2016 at Adagbada area, Arola Community in Ido Local Government Area of the state at about 5p.m.

According to the information gathered by Crime Reports, Oladimeji allegedly kicked and rained blows on the deceased until he became unconscious and finally died. But the suspect claimed that he only used a rope to whip the boy, in addition to a slap on his buttocks.

Giving an account of what transpired prior to Matthew’s death, Oladimeji said: “Matthew was the son of our next-door neighbour. On May 5, he called my daughter, Solia, to run an errand for him, but shortly after, I heard my daughter saying ‘Brother Matthew, leave me alone’.

“I called out to her to come back home and as she came, her looks were hard and she was holding her underpants. I asked her what went wrong and she said it was Matthew who removed her pants and slept on her. Immediately Matthew saw me questioning my daughter ,he ran away.

“When Matthew’s brother, Seun, came from school, I reported the former to him. Later, I asked one Abdulahi to call Matthew for me. When he came, I asked him why he did what he did to my daughter, but he denied it in the presence of his brother, saying that he only asked her to buy rice for him. I called my daughter and she repeated what she told me.

“I took a rope and used it to whip Matthew and in the process he ran away. As he ran, he fell face down and fainted but I thought he was pretending. People poured water on him but he was just moving slightly. I took him to a nearby private hospital but as the doctor wanted to set drips for him, he discovered that he had stopped breathing.”

Oladimeji swore that he never hit the deceased’s head, but only slapped him on the buttocks as he ran away. “I never intended to injure the boy, as I always encouraged him to face his studies or learn a vocation, so that he would be a responsible boy. He was close to me and I used to advise him a lot. I also used to give him clothes that had become tight on me.

“I am so pained by his death because it was unexpected. I pray that God should save me from this problem. If God should get me out of this, I would never beat any child, even my own child,” the murder suspect said.

Crime Reports also visited late Matthew’s father’s house and his brother, Seun, explained what transpired between the suspect and the deceased thus: “Oladimeji told me that my brother attempted to sleep with his daughter and showed me a rope that he intended to use to tie him down so that he could discipline him. When Matthew was called, he denied the allegation but the suspect did not believe him.

He first whipped him with a rope and I told him that the reprimand was enough but he did not listen to me. He started raining blows on his head, and two sides. This made Matthew to fall down but this did not deter Oladimeji. He started kicking the deceased so hard that passersby had to caution him not to kill him. But he replied that if Matthew died, he would go and bury at Powerline Cemetery at Apete.
“Unfortunately, Matthew could not get up.

But Oladimeji said he was pretending. When we noticed that he was gasping, we tried all we could to resuscitate him but all to no avail. That was when the suspect rushed him to a nearby hospital but my brother died before reaching the hospital.”

The father of the deceased, Mr Femi Ohiomasuan denied writing any letter of withdrawal from the case. He confirmed that Matthew was the only child his mother had for him.

When contacted, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the story, saying that the suspect had been charged to court and remanded in prison

From Magnus Eze, Abuja

CRITICISMS have continued to trail the nationwide strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as its former Vice President, Comrade Fidelis Edeh yesterday tackled the congress for its insincerity in the on-going industrial action against increase in fuel price.

The former labour leader who said the strike cannot work out because it does not enjoy the popular support of Nigerians also blamed Edo state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for the fractionalisation of the NLC.

To him, what is happening in the NLC is a self-fulfilled prophecy. He traced the fractionalisation to the 2007 National Delegates Congress where the immediate past National President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Umar, whom he described as an outsider was foisted on the Congress, adding that it was the repeat of history last year that led to the emergence of Comrade Joe Ajaero faction.

Edeh, who was also former President of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) opined that the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba was using the “smokescreen tagged strike” as payback for Oshiomhole for the role the latter played in installing him.

He reasoned that it was high time the NLC was unfastened from the apron strings of Oshiomhole, saying that the governor as a leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was brought in to destabilize the congress.

Edeh accused NLC of conspiratorial silence during the process leading to the recent hike in electricity tariff only to begin picketing the DISCOs when the harm had been done.

“NLC kept quiet when the increase in the electricity tariff was made. I don’t know how NLC could have kept quiet; the law passed, tariff increased. That tariff increase was first muted under President Goodluck Jonathan, but the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria visited the then President and raised some concerns and he said they should keep it on hold. One would have expected that, that was when the NLC should have done something, but they waited until after the increment, and they started picketing the DISCOs. What is the role of DISCOs in fixing the tariff when you know that it’s the business of the regulatory agency?

“I tell you there is no sincerity; what they are doing is rigmarole. How do you define sincerity when even the leadership lacks legitimacy? Again there is this issue which has to be said; at what point would the NLC stand on its own? We all know that Adams (Oshiomhole) has paid his price for labour, but Adams is a clear politician.

“Mind you, while this crisis was on, some veterans including Adams were brought in to resolve it. So, can you not now read politics that it is in the interest of the APC that NLC would not be allowed to be united? Is it that Adams perpetually will continue to oversee the NLC despite any interest he has to canvass? So, NLC is sold out,” he said.

Oil marketers have given an indication that the pump price of petrol will crash in the next one month.

Already, some filling stations belonging to independent marketers in major cities such as Abuja and Lagos are beginning to sell petrol below the N145 given last week by the Federal Government as the benchmark price per litre.

The Federal Government had penultimate Wednesday announced a new price regime of N145 as the maximum amount for a litre of petrol. This has prompted the Nigeria Labour Congress to declare a nationwide strike, demanding the return to the old prices of N86 and N86.50 per litre for fuel outlets controlled by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and major/independent marketers, respectively.

The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Obafemi Olawore; the President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Obasi Lawson, and an executive member, Reconciliation Committee of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Dibu Aderibigbe, in separate interviews, said the cost of petrol would fall in the near future as a result of the competition, which the new price policy had created.

Olawore said, “I just returned from Abuja and I discovered that there are two retail outlets around Jabi (in Abuja) that were selling at N137 per litre. This is because they needed to offload the stock and get more.

“So, when we get to the point where everybody has the product as we are doing now, those who want to quickly turn their tanks round will choose the price they want to sell. I am very confident that in spite of the unfavourable exchange rate, we will get to the point where prices will be moving up and down.”

Lawson also stated that the current partial deregulation policy of government would liberalise the oil and gas industry and engender competition that will warrant a reduction in price.

He said, “In less than one month, we will start reaping the benefits of the new policy.

This new policy of the Federal Government that effected the change in price of the PMS is a welcome development and the PMS prices will start coming down very soon.”

Similarly, Aderigbigbe stated that the price of petrol would fall soon because independent marketers were gearing up to import the product in large volumes.

He said, “Independent marketers are going to import large volumes of petrol and any filling station that sells at high prices may lose customers. In fact, competition will be high and I can assure you that within the space on one month or two, the price of petrol will fall to the point that people will start making choices.”

The marketers have continued to laud the partial deregulation of the downstream industry, stressing that the initiative would not only liberalise the sector but also force down the pump price of petrol as a result of competition.

To make funding available for petrol importers, it was gathered that the Federal Government had to pair the upstream arm of the oil giant, Total E&P with its downstream company involved in the sale of the Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) at filling stations.

Specifically, some senior officials at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation told our correspondent that the government had paired Mobil upstream with its downstream firm.

They stated that other major marketers were also linked up with selected IOCs in order to access the United States dollars at reasonable rates.

“The pairing of upstream and downstream companies by the government is to ensure that the downstream businesses access forex at considerable rates, which are far better than what you get at the parallel market,” an official at the Petroleum ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

In one of the latest bulletins of the NNPC, which was made available to our correspondent by an official, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, stated that he had been able to get the buy-in of the upstream companies operating in Nigeria to support the growth of the downstream sector.

Kachikwu, in the bulletin, said, “This specifically is to enhance domestic supply of refined petroleum products by seeking the upstream companies to make available additional funding to support the importation of products being an innovative solution to address the current challenges in fuel supply and distribution.

“I have tied Total upstream to Total downstream; Mobil upstream to Mobil downstream; Agip Eni to Oando; and Shell to ConOil, to provide the needed funding.”

When asked if marketers had started getting forex from upstream oil companies, Olawore confirmed that the government had kept its words, stressing that some majors had benefitted from the initiative.

The Federal Government recently announced that marketers were permitted to source for forex from the secondary or parallel market in order to purchase petroleum products.

But marketers, some of who got their petrol import permits from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency last week, told our correspondent that the parallel forex market in Nigeria didn’t have enough United States dollars to meet the demand of the PMS importers.

It was learnt that some marketers were already making arrangements on how to access the greenback with forex dealers in countries such as Ghana and Liberia.

A senior official with one of the oil majors that got import permits last week stated that the pressure exerted on the parallel market by the PMS importers was a major factor that warranted the crash of the naira against the dollar.

Petrol importers had urged the government to intervene in the oil sector, particularly with respect to accessing forex, as they noted that the over N360 to a dollar rate at the parallel market was unhealthy for the business.

Aderibigbe said despite the government’s directive that marketers should source for forex, it was still important for the government to support oil dealers.

He lauded the pairing of upstream with downstream companies by the government, but stressed that many independent marketers still had to contend with the challenges of accessing forex.

Aderigbigbe said, “If you use N365 as the exchange rate to buy a dollar-denominated product, won’t the price of that product increase? That is the problem we have and which government must do something about. You cannot just say that people should go to the parallel market to source for dollar.

Bayo Akinloye

Popular Nigerian pastor, Sunday Adelaja’s church is currently enmeshed in an adultery scandal following allegations that he had extramarital affairs with at least 20 women in his church.

Adelaja, founder of one of Europe’s largest churches, Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations Church in Kiev, Ukraine, is now under fire to step down as the spiritual head of the church.

The pastor however denied all allegations levelled against him, saying it is an attempt by some people to take over the church from him.

“That is not true at all; I have read what people are saying about me. The funny thing is that nobody asked me for any information; no interview was granted to anyone,” he told SUNDAY PUNCH in an email.

In a statement on its website, the Russian Union of Christians Evangelical Faith stated that Adelaja, at a meeting of pastors and board of elders of the church, confessed to having committed adultery with his female parishioners and that he had repented.

According to a letter posted on the website of the Spiritual Council Russian Union of Christians Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals), written by one Apostle Toff Ulissis, a clergyman said to be providing spiritual care to the Nigerian pastor, Adelaja was urged to “seek psychiatric help in Kiev and the United States.”

Ulissis said, “Pastor Sunday mentioned that he had a relationship with 20 or 30 women; probably, the number was more than he could remember. Also, I talked with many women (married and unmarried), as well as with their husbands, and they shared with me their pain and described how the pastor manipulates people, who work for him. All the stories were equally horrific, disgusting and depressing. People are very sorry about the current situation with the pastor and wanted him to have psychiatric help.

“I made it clear that my aim is not to destroy either the Embassy of God, because many people have found help in the church or Pastor Sunday as a person. I wanted to make sure that everything has been done to these women and the couples have received care, reconciliation and redeeming restoration.”

Also, a bishop in Adelaja’s church, Anatoly Belonozhko, has resigned from the church, saying the embattled pastor was not willing to seek help.

“We, as church elders, began to create new projects and exercises to heal and restore the church, a new structure, and of course, help our pastor. But Pastor Sunday in writing categorically rejected our help, humiliating us and saying that we have no power to tell him what to do and how to do it and that he knows how and what to do.

“For 22 years in the Church of the Embassy of God, of which 14 years in the rank of bishop, I have always been faithful and responsible before God and people for their service. Taking this opportunity, I want to refute the lie that I knew of pastor’s sin for a long time. I found out about the moral fall of Pastor Sunday in the middle of December 2015 through the pastors of the Apostolic Council. After I learned about it, I talked to Pastor Sunday, trying to help. Remaining in the church in the most difficult time for all of us to save and restore the church and souls of men. But as I understand it, the pastor does not need my help,” Belonozhko said.

Debunking all allegations against him, Adelaja stated, “It is actually an old story that was cooked up by some disgruntled members of my leadership team when they knew of my decision to hand over the church because of my plan to return to Africa.

“So, it’s a leadership tussle from those whose desires for church leadership were not granted. I’m happy with my wife. The church here in Ukraine is doing well. So I thank God that their stories though believed by some without confirmation is still false nevertheless.”

Oil marketers on Friday in Abuja called on the Federal Government to assist them in making foreign exchange available for the importation of petroleum products.

The marketers, under the umbrella of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DPPMAN), made the plea during a meeting with the Minister of Finance held at the headquarters of the ministry.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the meeting, chaired by the minister, was attended by Chief Executive Officers of 46 major oil companies in the country.

It was held to discuss salient issues affecting the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

The Chairman of DAPPMAN, Mr Dapo Abiodun, told the minister that members of the association were currently having a tough time converting some of the Naira payments made by the government to dollars.

He said their inability to convert these payments from the Federal Government from Naira to dollar was making it difficult for them to meet their obligations to their foreign partners.

He said while the oil marketers would continue to do their best in importing petroleum products into the country, the unavailability of foreign exchange might make it challenging to achieve such objective.

NAN recalls that Federal Government had paid the oil marketers N48.2 billion minus Value Added Tax as the arrears of outstanding 2015 subsidy claims.

The amount, according to the Federal Ministry of Finance, is to enable them to import petroleum products and meet up their other financial needs.

Abiodun said except the Central Bank of Nigeria provided foreign exchange to oil marketers, the payment made by the government for fuel imports would continue to sit in their Naira accounts.

"We look forward to dialoguing with you as to how you can help us expedite the sourcing of foreign exchange to liquidate our exposures to our foreign bankers that we have line of credit with.

"We are very worried about going into a new dynamics in which marketers are now going to be sourcing forex at the rate that they can find, which we have approximated to around N285 to a dollar.

" We believe that it is a quick fix solution to all the epileptic supply of petroleum products in the county.

"However, we still have this Naira sitting in our account from previous transactions and we are worried that if anything happens to the rate of exchange officially, we are going to be caught in between.

"We do not want to come back to you to ask for foreign exchange differentials which issue we still have pending from previous transactions," he said.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, said the payment recently released by the government to the oil marketers was one of the liabilities inherited by the current administration.

She said the government would continue to do what it could to ensure availability of petroleum products in the county.

She expressed optimism that the reforms currently being implemented in the oil sector would restore confidence in the market.
(NAN)

A medical doctor, Danladi Idriss, has said that Amina Ali Nkeki, the first of the Chibok girls to be rescued from the hands of the Boko Haram is not pregnant as erroneously reported.

Amina, now a nursing mother, was found by the youth vigilantes, Tuesday, in Baale village, along the fringes of the Sambisa forest. Earlier reports suggested that she was pregnant.

“I never said the girl is pregnant because I’m not the one who checked her after she was rescued. I did not see Amina personally.

The only people who can give information about her state of health are the doctors who attended
to her at the military facility in Maiduguri,” said Dr Idriss, who is also from Chibok, and had treated traumatized parents of the girls in the past.

A military source at the 3 Armoured Division in Maiduguri, also told our correspondent that Amina, who is nursing a four-month old daughter, is not pregnant.

Meanwhile, the Borno Elders Forum said God has vindicated them after the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan closed its eyes when they were crying over their missing daughters.

Spokesman of the forum, Dr Bulama Mali Gubio, who spoke to our correspondent on phone, said “When we said these girls were in the Sambisa forest, some people in the previous government scolded us, saying we should
go and rescue them. We are pleased that two of them have been found which clearly shows that the rest are still alive.”

lalasticlala

Samson Folarin

The Lagos State Police Command says alleged wife killer, Lekan Shonde, will be tried for murder.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, told PUNCH Metro on Thursday that the suspect would be arraigned in court today (Friday) for allegedly killing his wife, Ronke.

This is just as our correspondent learnt that the remains of the late Ronke would soon be buried.

It was gathered that the corpse had been released to her family by the police after the conclusion of autopsy on Wednesday.

It was learnt that the family members had fixed Friday (today) for the burial, but could change their mind.

This is just as a member of the family said they were not excited about Lekan’s arraignment.

The source, who did not want to be identified because the family did not want any further report on the matter, said the victim’s mother had insisted that she had forgiven 51-year-old Lekan.

PUNCH Metro had reported that Lekan, who worked in a port in the Apapa area, had allegedly beaten his wife Ronke to death.

Lekan was said to have fled the house, and in a telephone interview with our correspondent while in hiding, he had denied killing his wife of eight years.

He said the victim was the one who cheated on him with the general manager of her company, Kayode Oluokun.

Oluokun, had however shunned attempts by our correspondent to hear his side of the story, saying he needed time.

However on Wednesday, pathologists at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital released a report which stated that Ronke died from respiratory seizure.

She was also said to have had water in her brain and some bruises on the head.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the family had decided to bury Ronke anytime from Friday.

A source said, “The family has decided to bury her quietly and it appears to be a family arrangement together with some family friends.”

A member of the family expressed sadness over the handling of the matter.

He said, “If you knew Ronke before she died, you would know she didn’t deserve to die like this. She was a vibrant and energetic woman. She and her late brother, Jide, were the most outspoken in the family and if this had happened to any other person while they lived, this matter would have gone farther than this.”

A human rights activist and President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr Joe Okei- Odumakin, said the group had only read media reports on the cause of Ronke’s death.

“The accounts have not been that clear enough. The police will do well to make it comprehensible for the public. We want the police to do a thorough investigation to make sure the innocent is not made to suffer unjustly and the guilty does not go unpunished,” she said.

The police spokesperson, Badmos, said the autopsy had shown that Lekan had a case to answer, adding that he would be arraigned for murder on Friday.

She said, “The autopsy has revealed that Mr. Lekan Shonde, the alleged killer of his wife, has a case to answer.

“Therefore, he will be charged to court tomorrow (Friday) to answer to the charge of murder.”

The Rivers State government says it will adhere strictly to the ‘no work, no pay’ directive of the Federal government on any civil servant that complies with the industrial action called by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.

The state Head of Service, Rufus Godwin disclosed this while addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt.

Civil servants in Rivers State had met a locked gate at the State secretariat on arrival to work on the first day of the nationwide strike.

It took the effort of security operatives supervised by the Head of Service to open the gates for workers to gain access into the premises.

However, Godwin said the state government was bound by the subsisting order of the National Industrial court.

He said the civil servants working under the Rivers state government were not allowed to participate in the industrial action.

“We are going to apply the Federal government directive of no work, no pay rule. We will be strict on that. Anybody who absents himself from work will be treated accordingly under the relevant rules,” he said.

The nationwide strike action called by the Ayuba Wabba faction of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) took off yesterday across the country with mixed responses. The industrial dispute was not effective in Lagos and Abuja. Commercial activities went on unhindered in both cities and many states.

While business activities were crippled in some states of the federation such as Cross River, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Imo, Kwara and Delta, there was partial compliance in some other states such as Enugu, Abia, Oyo, Ogun, Edo, Ebonyi, Benue and few other states. But in some other states such as Lagos, Kano, Bauchi, Adamawa and most states in the northern part of the country, there was no strike action at all.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joe Ajaero-led faction of the NLC had pulled out of the scheduled strike following meetings with the representatives of the Federal Government, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Babachir David Lawal.

While Ajaero and his group opted for a committee to resolve the fuel price increase impasse, the TUC was not convinced and opted not to go for the strike. In most parts of the country monitored by New Telegraph’s correspondents yesterday, even though many of the people were either angry at the non-payment of salaries and the increase in price of fuel, many did not believe in a strike action.

Wabba, who led the protest in Abuja, decried the continued importation of fuel into Nigeria by successive governments. He said it was a sign of corruption that the country continues to import fuel till date. He added:

“As continuous importation of fuel will be used to enslave Nigerians, the naira will be devaluated and prices will keep going up and there will be no end to it. “We have refineries that have stayed up to 110 years and with regular maintenance, refineries can be fixed and production capacity can also be upgraded for local consumption.

“But because of corruption, we have refused to do so and with the issue of subsidy, importation will actually reduce what is being produced in the country.” In Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the labour alleged that three members of its leadership were arrested by the police.

In Edo, the state government warned that any worker who shunned work under the guise of strike would forfeit his or her pay. The government, in a statement by the Head of Service, Mrs. Gladys Idahor, said, “all workers are expected to be at their duty posts.

Any worker who stays away from work will forfeit his or her pay as ‘no work, no pay’ will be strictly enforced. Yesterday also, the Senate told its Committee on Labour and Productivity to intervene in the on-going impasse between the organised labour and the Federal Government.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, explained that the purpose of the executive session was to discuss the Federal Government- Labour face off and intervene to end the crisis as quickly as possible.

He noted that the Upper Chamber had directed the Mohammed Nazif-led Committee on Labour to interface with the two groups in the conflict, to ensure early resolution of all contentious issues in dispute.

A Chief Magistrate Court in Katsina has remanded one 18 years old Asiya Lawal of Kogo street, Sabuwa local government, in prison over allegedly killing her husband, Iliya Sani.

Asiya, who was newly married to Iliya allegedly locked him up in a room and set the house ablaze after a misunderstanding.

The Prosecuting police officer, Kabir Mohammed, told the court that as a result of the fire the deceased sustained various degrees on burns and was rushed to Funtua General hospital before being referred to ABU Teaching hospital where he died.

He said, a good Samaritan reported the matter to police before the suspect was arrested and charged to court according to section 221 of penal code.

The presiding judge, Hadiza Danja, adjourned the matter to 31st of this month and ordered that the suspect to be remanded in prison.

Etim Ekpimah, Uyo

THE Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested one Glory Dan, 31, over the murder of her 75-year-old father, Mr. Bassey Udo.

The murder was said to have been reported to the police by the village head of Mbiakpan Atan, Chief Linus Okon, in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of the state.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Cordelia Nwawe, said on Tuesday that the crime was initially reported at ‘D’ Division Itam on May 10 and was subsequently transferred to SCID, Uyo on May 16 for investigation.

She said the complainant alleged that on May 10, at 1940hrs, he was in his house, when he received a call from one of his subjects that the suspect, one Glory Dan, female, broke into her father’s room, hit him (father) on the head with an object that caused his death.

Nwawe stated that following the report, the complainant and witnesses made their statements and revealed that the deceased was living alone in his house.

“That on May 10, at about 1940 hours, the suspect armed with a stick, broke into the deceased’s room and hit him to death. They concluded that they heard the deceased screaming in his room; ‘Don’t kill me’.

“The suspect was arrested, cautioned and charged. She volunteered a statement confessing to the crime of murder. She stated further that she attacked the deceased because he was a wizard and also responsible for the death of her five children and two husbands,” she said.

Glory said, “My father has been responsible for the death of all my children, including my two husbands. It was my mother who revealed it to me in a dream when I washed my face and went to her tombstone and cried to her.”

The Senate has thrown out the Frivolous petition bill 2015 (SB. 143), otherwise known as anti- social media bill.

The bill sponsored by Senator Bala Ibn Na'Allah (APC, Kebbi South) set the Senate against the public when it passed through second reading late last year.

The Senators took the decision following the report of the committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on the bill.

Delivering the report, Chairman of the Committee, Senator David Umaru (APC, Niger East) said the bill was opposed by almost all stakeholders during the Public Hearing on it. Therefore, he said, his committee recommended its withdrawal.

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, also backed the withdrawal.

lalasticlala

The Nigeria Police have arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl to death in Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The suspect, identified only as Nenekenso, said to be related to the girl’s father, allegedly took the girl for a walk and had canal knowledge of her.

Adamawa State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Othman Abubakar, said the incident was under investigation.

A source indicated that the girl’s mother had once caught the accused inserting his finger in the girl’s private part but decided to keep it away from her husband after warning the man.

Written by: Oluwatoyin Malik

A suspected serial armed robber and rapist, Habib Ajadi, whose area of specialty was to attack the students of Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso and rob them, has been arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Oyo/Ogbomoso annex) of the Oyo State Police Command.

The suspect was reported to have severally waylaid the students along secluded roads, attacked them and made away with their valuables such as laptops, phones, jewelry and cash before his latest arrest at a flashpoint at Under ‘G’ area of Ogbomoso.

The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Leye Oyebade, told Crime Reports on Thursday, May 12, that Ajadi was arrested on May 2 at about 12:30a.m after the SARS operatives received a distress call that he robbed a LAUTECH student, one James (other name withheld) of his handsets at Under ‘G’ area.

The police commissioner added that previous reports indicated that Ajadi also assaulted his female victims sexually in attempts to rape them. He listed the items recovered from the suspect to include a Toyota Camry (Muscle) with registration number KSF 563 DU, 35 assorted cell phones and a wheel spanner.

In an interview with Crime Reports, 30-year-old Ajadi confessed to his deeds, blaming the devil. The suspect, who disclosed that he graduated in 2012 from Nasarawa State University where he read Computer Science, said he was a Computer Engineer who repairs handsets in Ilorin “It is true that I have been stealing from students. I am from Kwara State. I started stealing some months back. I operated alone around LAUTECH hostels and campus. I usually collected phones from female students of LAUTECH.

“My method was to court their friendship, after which I would ask them to give me their phone to save my number. In the process of pretending to type my number, I would zoom off in car with the phone. In a case where my victim is in my my car, I would scare her with a wheel spanner to make her surrender the phone. I usually operated in the night. I have never used a gun.

“I also visited the hostels a couple of times to steal when the students were sleeping.

There was another occasion when I knocked on the door of a hostel room, pretending to be a neighbour. After they opened, I announced that I was there to rob them. I was using my car to do the operation. I have been to Mecca to perform hajj; I believe my action was devil’s work because I was not comfortable with what I was doing.”

One of the victims, (name withheld), a 500 level student of Agric Economics, told Crime Reports that the suspect attacked her and her friend on their way back to hostel from church on March 11. “It was about to rain that evening so there was scarcity of commercial bike operators. He stopped to help us. At a point, he made as if he wanted to turn back to buy petrol but veered off the road towards a deserted road that leads to a cemetery.

“He announced that he had locked the car doors centrally threatening that if we tried anything stupid, he would waste our blood.

He said we should cooperate with him and hand over our phones. He collected our phones and my purse. He saw high cloud (a security device) on my phone and asked me to remove it. When I told him I could not do it because the phone was given to me by my fiancé, he started hitting me with spanner and I started bleeding from the mouth.

“He asked us to bend our heads and drove us towards Ilorin. He threatened that if he could not access the phone, he would take me to his gang members who would take turns to rape me. He used vulgar words. He started molesting me by touching me, after which he said that he would have to rape us.

“He told us that to get down from the car and lie down. As he was urinating before he could carry out his intention, the two of us escaped.”

lalasticlala

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has disclosed that the agency was indeed probing and collating evidence against former president, Goodluck Jonathan and other accomplices in the arms purchase scandal.

He stated this when he visited the office of the BBC Hausa service in London at the weekend.

Asked when Jonathan would be asked to appear at the EFCC, Magu said: “Anybody that is involved in this scandal, we will invite him. It is only that we have to first establish our evidence.

“Anybody who is guilty, I swear, we will summon him wherever he is. Anybody that we invited, we must have finished with our background study on him.

“We spend not just days for the background work but months until we establish the case before we issue invitation. That is why none of the people we invited has come out clean.

“Whoever stole public funds and we establish our evidence, I’m telling you we will invite him, without cover. That is how the work is. We compile dossiers of proofs and facts before we invite.”

Questioned on amount recovered by the EFCC under him, Magu responded: “Because of what is going on, I can’t tell you the exact amount we have recovered so far. But we are still collecting the monies.

“I can’t tell you for now, but what we have recovered within this period alone, was never recorded since the establishment of the EFCC in 2003,” he said.

“Actually, what we recovered is way beyond that figure. I don’t want to let it out now. On 29th May, we will disclose every detail and Nigerians will know what we have done”, he added.

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has said she is attending to the advice by human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), asking the Federal Government to focus on recovering about $200bn outstanding revenue instead of obtaining foreign loans.

Falana had in his letter to the minister entitled, ‘Request for the collection of outstanding revenue of $200bn withheld from the Federation Account or stolen by looters’, threatened to sue the Federal Government if his request was not taken seriously.

His letter had partly read, “In the light of the foregoing, we are compelled to call on the Federal Government to muster the political will and courage to recover the aforesaid withheld or stolen wealth of not less than $200bn belonging to the Nigerian people.

“However, if you refuse to accede to our request we shall have no alternative than to initiate legal proceedings at the Federal High Court with a view to restraining the Federal Government from further plunging the nation into external indebtedness.”

The minister, through her ministry’s Director, Legal Services, Mrs. Rhona N. Dimude, replied Falana through a terse letter dated May 6, 2016 and with reference number F/LEG/103016/15.
The reply read, “I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated February 12, 2016 on the above mentioned subject and to inform you that the matter is receiving attention.
“Please accept the warm regards of the honourable minister.”

Falana had in two letters dated February 12, 2016 and May 6, 2016 to the minister, advised the Federal Government against plunging the nation into more indebtedness by obtaining foreign loans.

He said instead of “plunging the nation into more indebtedness” the Federal Government should intensify efforts to recover some funds totaling about $200bn which was either not remitted to the Federation Account or stolen from the nation’s treasury.

Earlier in a letter dated February 12, 2016 addressed to the minister, Falana had urged the Federal Government to jettison its plan to take a loan of $2.5bn from the World Bank and $1bn from the African Development Bank.

Falana had then urged the Federal Government to explore alternative sources of raising revenue to fund the 2016 budget “instead of increasing the nation’s external debt of $64bn.”

He said in his fresh letter to Adeosun that the minister had assured him that the issues raised in his letter were receiving the attention of the Federal Government.

His fresh letter was titled, “Request for the collection of outstanding revenue of $200bn withheld from the Federation Account or stolen by looters.”

He said, “In particular, we requested the Federal Government to embark on the recovery of the revenue of $42bn withheld from the Federation Account from 1999-2012 by some transnational oil companies, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and other agencies of the Federal Government.

“In your reply dated March 17, 2016 you assured us that the issues raised in our letter were receiving the attention of the Federal Government.

“We were therefore surprised to learn that the administration had applied to the Chinese Government for another loan of $2bn.

“In urging the Federal Government to desist from taking the loan of $2bn from China or any other country, we are compelled to advise the Federal Government to intensify efforts to recover the nation’s wealth which has been criminally diverted by a handful of local and foreign looters.”

He urged the Federal Government to direct the relevant agencies and the anti-graft bodies to collect the stolen wealth.

Among the recoverable revenue, according to Falana, is $20.2bn which the National Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative said in its audit report covering 1999-2012 were withheld for the Federation Account by the NNPC, some oil companies and certain agencies of the Federal Government.

Falana also pointed out the $7bn apportioned from the external reserve by the Central Bank of Nigeria to 14 banks in 2008 and N600bn ($4bn) given to the banks as bailout in 2008.

He urged the Federal Government to direct the NNPC to remit to the Federation Account the sum of $9.6bn which the corporation was said to have recovered in over-deducted tax benefits from joint venture partners on major capital projects and oil swap contracts.

He asked the government to collect the outstanding sum of $1.9bn which Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited allegedly ought to pay for the renewal of three oil blocks.

He also urged the government to pursue the promise the United States of America and Switzerland made to repatriate $458m and $321m respectively looted by the late military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

Falana also recalled that on February 20, 2014, former President Goodluck Jonathan “fired the then Central Bank Governor, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi for having the temerity to expose the NNPC for not remitting $20bn to the Federation Account.”

He asked the government to recover the sum of $1.8bn which was exposed by the auditors who indicted the NNPC for withholding the money after an investigation.

He also asked the government to promptly recover the outstanding balance of $3.65bn out of the $5.2bn which the Nigerian Communications Commission imposed on some telecommunications companies for contravening the law on compulsory registration of all SIM cards.

From Paul Osuyi, Asaba and Emma Ogoigbe , Warri

OPERATIVES of the Joint Military Taskforce (JTF) have arrested five suspected militants for allegedly bombing a Chevron Nigeria Limited crude oil pipeline at Makaraba community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State.

The suspected militants had reportedly blown up the pipeline at two different locations, though it was not clear if it was a pipeline or an oil well that was bombed as fire billowed from the location in the swampy terrain, near Abiteye. The daring attack occurred near the same Valve Platform which the emergent militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) had bombed earlier in the year. Members of the NDA did not however claim responsibility for the latest attack, but a dependable security source said those arrested are members of the group.

The source said: “I cannot give you details of the suspects arrested; they were arrested by the military men, who have been on the hunt for members of the NDA which claimed responsibility for series of explosions on oil facilities in the area of late.”The source added that “loud explosive bang was heard at the facility and it appears dynamites were used to carry out the attack.”It is not certain if there are causalities as a result of the incident, but investigations into the attack are still ongoing, while security operatives continue their search for the perpetrators of this ugly act.”

On Thursday, NDA warned it would attack the headquarters of CNL in Lagos and tank farm if it did not abort its planned repair works on the Valve Platform earlier destroyed by the group. Spokesperson for the group, Mudoch Agbinibo stated that the group which had restricted itself to only pipeline attacks, might take human casualties if the company thought it was joking and defies the warning by going ahead to effect repairs on the damaged facility.

The minister of foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama yesterday disclosed that the federal government was discussing with China and other friendly countries for the supply of required arms and equipment needed to finish the ongoing war against Boko Haram.

Onyema disclosed this yesterday during a media chat in Abuja at the ongoing 2nd Regional Security Summit with the Theme: “Consolidating Collective efforts for Regional Peace and Development.”

He stated this in response to the request by the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) for a number of platforms, weapons, and logistics required for sustaining the ongoing operations in the North-east and Lake Chad Basin area that has contiguous borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroun.

“The MNJTF has made tremendous progress in the last one year. Like Mr. President alluded there was a time about 14 local government areas were under the Boko Haram control but today, they are no longer in control. We are also working together with the frontline states in the areas of intelligence sharing. So, in the military dimension we are going to look at the mechanism of cooperation and coordination.

“On the need for more weapons and other, we are engaging with various partners like China, which has asked us to indicate where we will need military assistance and as well as other Western countries. The goodwill is there for assistance from our friends and partners. So, it’s just the resources and process to get the equipment,” he said.

The Commander of MNJTF, Maj-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, had earlier at the summit, disclosed that tremendous progress had been made by the security forces in the ongoing Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency operations (CT COIN) in parts of the North-east, with only minor challenge of Boko Haram remnants, landmine and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Adeosun also noted that despite the tremendous success at defeating the Boko Haram terrorists in the past one year, there was need for more financial resources to sustain security around the strategic region.

He listed some of challenges confronting them to include; “inadequate lift capability, limitation on IEDs/mine capability, inadequate amphibious equipment and lack of flat bottom boat, lack of air capability and difficulty in sustaining troops”.

He went further to recommend that “the MNJTF lift capability should be enhanced by the troop contributing countries; mine/IEDs detection and destruction equipment and capability should be enhanced across the sectors.

He also requested for adequate troops sustenance in terms of operational allowances, ration and fast-moving medical supplies.

He said flat bottom boats with outboard engines should be provided for MNJTF effective operations within the Lake Chad Islands.

“International organisations and other relevant partners should be encouraged to redeem their pledges for assistance in the provision of support to MNJTF and in support of humanitarian activities in the liberated areas within MNJTF area of responsibility; and the heads of states should approve the upgrade of Sub Sector 3 to Sector 4 with a strength of 2000 troops as proposed”.

Speaking further, the Commander said that MNJTF in its present state and with the provision of adequate support would effectively deliver its mandate.

He added that the body has high potentials not only to remain a permanent solution to insecurity within the Lake Chad Basin, “it will eventually remain as a positive symbol of unity and understanding, thereby breaking the barriers of artificial boundaries without compromising the territorial integrity of member states.”

Adeosun assured that the MNJTF and national operations has largely curbed the activities and threats of Boko Haram terrorists in the area by degrading their capability to carry out organised and coordinated offensive.

He listed major areas of achievement for the body to include: building confidence on the populace; continuous handling of IDPs and refugees by the various sectors and sub-sector within the MNJTF areas of operation; liberation of at least 4,690 hostages from January 2016 to date; excellent cooperation between the sectors/sub-sectors and national troops of the LCBC countries; and neutralisation of 675 terrorists and arrest of a total of 566 others with their logistics from January 2016 to date across all the sectors.

Adeosun listed other achievements for the last four months to include destruction of 32 terrorists’ camps and IEDs making factories as well as capturing/destruction of the terrorist equipment, which include 318 motorcycles, 84 vehicles, 137 assorted weapons, 18 boats and other logistics.

Boko Haram

For years it had wreaked unspeakable havoc on parts of Nigeria, especially the North-East region, but it was the infamous abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from their dormitory in the sleepy town of Chibok in 2014 that attracted global attention to the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist group.The insurgency grew even more complicated when a splinter faction of Boko Haram - later known as Ansaru - emerged by kidnapping foreigners.

Boko Haram’s main faction also started kidnapping foreigners when Shekau claimed responsibility for the abduction of a French family of seven in February 2013. That same year Boko Haram was designated a terrorist group by the US, and the following year it declared a caliphate in areas under its control.

In 2013, Boko Haram targeted pupils in a series of horrific school attacks in the North-East that killed dozens of boys. Later, there were reports that the group was also kidnapping girls and women with the intent of raping them or making them brides.
In April 2014, attackers raided Chibok and kidnapped 276 school girls, generally between 16 and 18 years old. Shekau claimed credit for the kidnappings in a video and threatened to sell them, sparking global outrage.

Although Boko Haram fighters have since retreated to the Sambisa Forest, where the Nigerian military has pursued it, freeing hundreds of captives while taking down most of the group’s leadership, the sect remains a serious security threat as insurgents have taken to attacking soft targets.

Armed robbery

Another security threat that is plaguing the country is armed banditry. Only recently, a new trend of robbery which was quite different in outlook occurred at Ogolonto area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, when a lady reportedly led the gang to the banks and stayed outside while the two-hour operation lasted. The leader of the gang was said to have sat down in front of the bank bragging, and no police officer was able to confront her. It was disclosed that the gang that carried out the robbery consisted of about 15 youngsters, all in their early twenties.

Incidences of armed robbery have become a daily routine in many parts of the country. Apart from public institutions such as banks that are the major targets, major highways across the country are also targeted as commuters are routinely attacked and dispossessed of their valuables.

Although the police make daily arrests of suspects who are paraded before journalists in different parts of the country, the trend appears to be getting worse by the day.

Militancy

Ethnic militia has been a recurring decimal in Nigeria and its fledgling democracy. The restoration of democratic rule in Nigeria on May 29, 1999 signalled the emergence and continued proliferation of vigilante groups, ethnic and sectional militias as well as secessionist or separatist groups.

Prominent among these are: O’odua people’s Congress (OPC), formed in 1994 as a militant arm of Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba group and National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) that were in the forefront of protesting the annulment of the June 12,1993 general elections. Although short lived, the ArewaPeoples’ Congress (APC) appeared to have been formed to serve as a check on OPC’s incessant attacks on the Hausa/Fulani population in Lagos and other Yoruba towns.

The Igbo People’s Congress (IPC), a militant arm of Ohaneze Eastern Mandate, in response to OPC and others, was also formed in 1999. Others are the Bakassi Boys, a vigilante outfit set up by Abia and Anambra states governments to curb criminal activities in 1999; the Egbesu Boys (1998); the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) 2000; Ijaw Militia (1999); Itsekiri Militia (1999), and the Militia arm of Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP)1992.

Analysts say the dissatisfaction with the structure, operation and power configuration under Nigeria’s federalism was responsible for the unprecedented emergence of the groups. The increase in crime rate and the helpless attitude of law enforcement agencies towards curbing crime have been cited by their founders and admirers as reasons for creation of these groups.
A most recent development is the emergence of Niger Delta militants that goby the name ‘The Avengers’.

While MASSOB’s leaders claim it is a peaceful group, the Nigerian government accuses it of violence. Its leader, Ralph Uwazuruike, was arrested in 2005 and detained on treason charges but later released in 2007.

The current leader of the movement - now known as Indigenous People of Biafra- Nnamdi Kanu, is currently facing treason charges preferred against him by the Federal Government. He is also charged for allegedly maintaining an unlawful organisation and for illegal possession of firearms.

Even as Kanu’s trial continues, the aforementioned ‘Avengers’ continue to launch attacks on major oil installations in the Niger Delta.

Although the Federal Government has since condemned the attacks and warned the perpetrators of dire consequences, security experts say the trend if not properly checked could worsen.

Cultism

In 1952, a group of seven students from the University College Ibadan were said to have formed the Pyrates Confraternity. They called themselves the Magnificent Seven. They observed that the university was populated with wealthy students who were associated with colonial powers.

Those who were poor were struggling in every manner to be accepted by the more advantaged students, prompting them to form the confraternity. Membership was open to any promising male student regardless of tribe or race, but selection was stringent and most applicants were denied. For almost 20 years, the Pyrates were the only confraternity on Nigerian campuses.

In the late 1960s, the Pyrates registered themselves as National Association of SeaDogs (NAS) and the confraternity extended off campus. Another confraternity known as Buccaneers Confraternity was registered as National Association of Sea Lords. This division was as a result of assertion of leadership of the group where some wanted to hold onto power and not wanting to give it up.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, there was proliferation of cult groups in over three hundred institutions of higher education in the country. These groups were later known as secret cults based on new formations.

Cultism, especially in schools, if not properly addressed, could undermine the overall development of the country in years to come. In recent times, Rivers State appears to be the epicentre of the trend, with no fewer than nineteen people reportedly killed following cult clashes in two communities.

Herders/farmers clashes

One of the security threats in the front burner today, remains the recurring crises between cattle herders and farmers. The most recent of such crises were those that occurred in Agatu community in Benue State and that of Nimbo community, Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu State. In both attacks, several lives were lost while properties worth millions of Naira were also destroyed.

Many proposals have been advanced to proffer solution to the recurring problem. While some have proposed grazing reserves, others insist that ranches would be the best solution out of the conundrum. The Federal Government has also waded into the problem but analysts say an urgent solution is needed to avert disaster in the country.

Piracy

In 2004, the Malaysia-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said that half of the 30 deaths recorded in pirate attacks around the world between 1st January and 30th June of that year occurred in Nigerian territorial waters.In terms of the number of attacks, Nigeria was ranked third with 13 attacks, behind Indonesia (50) and the Malacca Straits (20).

“Both the increased number of attacks in this area and the degree of violence being used is of grave concern and we will be putting pressure on Nigeria to step up anti-piracy measures,” IMB director Pottengal Mukundan said.

Industry-watchers say Nigeria’s growing piracy problem can be traced back to oil, the country’s economic lifeblood and its large-scale theft and sale to vessels offshore.

Gangs, armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, cruise along in speedboats and barges, finding cover in the maze of creeks and rivers intertwined with mangrove swamps that make up the delta where the River Niger empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The activities of pirates are said to have drawn illegal oil buyers and arms traders to the Gulf of Guinea coast off Nigeria, making the region, which has always had high volumes of shipping traffic including oil tankers and general goods vessels, more dangerous. Piracy, if unchecked, remains one of the deadliest - and costliest - security threats in the country.

Kidnapping

Another security concern spreading across Nigeria like wildfire is kidnapping. When it began in the creeks of the Niger Delta region some years ago, nobody thought it would become a nightmare. Gradually, it has even become a ‘lucrative business’ for many of Nigeria’s jobless youths in the South East, South West and other parts of the country.

Initially, it was the kidnapping of expatriates that was predominant in the South. But today, the situation has gotten so bad that “nobody is safe”. Serving government officials are not spared in the kidnapping menace, as their family members, relatives and friends have become worthy ‘targets’.

Interestingly, armed robbers and other sorts of criminals are fast abandoning their trades for the more lucrative business of kidnapping. A report by ASI Global Response on kidnapping shows that the victims are mainly business men and women, politicians or their family members. Also, at a summit held in Lagos last year, the Regional Vice President, Africa, American Society for Industrial Security, Mr. Dennis Amachree, disclosed that of the top 10 countries with high kidnapping records in 2007, Nigeria occupied the 6th position. But Nigeria has since 2007 moved up to the third position, behind Mexico and Columbia.

Several cases of kidnapping in different parts of the country never made headlines or were noticed by security operatives. So many other cases were never reported to the security operatives because kidnappers threaten families of their victim over involving the police. In such cases, families were said to have quietly paid ransoms without anyone noticing.

Worried by the threat posed by kidnapping, the Nigerian Senate recently agreed to begin a process for the enactment of a law that would prescribe capital punishment for kidnappers across the country. The Senate also asked state governments to enact laws that would prosecute kidnappers in their jurisdiction and recommended that the Inspector-General of Police and Director-General of the Department of State Services in particular as well as other security agencies be encouraged to do more.

Cattle rustling

Jan Birni, a community in Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State, which lies on the border between Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara states, is one of the areas that has been in the grip of cattle rustlers. Little wonder the traditional ruler of the area and Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Zubair Maigwari, was reported to have lamented that his community had completely been taken over by rustlers who kill, maim and rape their victims before dispossessing them of their hard-earned investments.

Acting on a request by the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, to address the insecurity occasioned by cattle-rustling, President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly summoned a meeting to discuss the situation in the affected states. At the meeting, which had security chiefs in attendance, were the governors of Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Benue, Zamfara and Plateau states as well as government representatives.

The Abuja closed-door meeting which gave birth to ‘Operation Sharan Daji’, a military task force with the responsibility of checkmating the incidents of ethnic killings, cattle rustlings and farmers-herdsmen conflicts, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, who coordinated the meeting on behalf of President Buhari had reportedly told Nigerians that the task force had the troubled Northern states as its scope.

Bode Gbadebo

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered the sum of $3.1billion, which is over N600 billion, in less than six months, the chairman of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Financial Crimes, Hon. Kayode Oladele, has said.

The lawmaker, who spoke to select journalists in Abuja yesterday, also noted that the public need to understand that not all recovered property, cash or any other asset by the anti-graft agency are immediately forfeited to the government’s coffers as they remain exhibits until when a judicial pronouncement is made by the court.

Oladele pointed out that the often questioning of the agency’s modus operandi by politicians was just to cast aspersions on the integrity of the EFCC in its effort to rid the country of corruption.

“People just bring up questions to discredit and to reduce the credibility of the agency. So far, with an agency collecting $3.1 billion in less than six months, people should really give them a lot of accolades,” he said.

On the status of the recovered monies by the EFCC, Oladele said “When you talk of money being remitted to the national treasury, it is something you have to look at very well in a different perspective because when you collect money and unless somebody voluntarily says ‘this money is stolen’ and he is really giving it up, any money collected by EFCC, unless there is voluntary admission of guilt, is still regarded as an exhibit for the purpose of conviction.”

“So, EFCC cannot just collect money and begin to pay into national treasury. What if at the end of the day the person from whose hand they collected the money is acquitted? Who will pay back the money?” he added.

Oladele, however, said the agency operates a Recovery Account where the recovered funds are deposited to yield compound interest, noting that an accused will get his money back with accumulated interest in the event he or she is not convicted.

Alexander Okere, Benin

The Nigeria Police have arrested six men for allegedly engaging in acts of homosexuality in different areas within Benin, the Edo State capital.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 5, AIG Musa Daura, who paraded the suspects on Thursday, said that they were arrested on May 9, 2016, by operatives of the zonal anti-vice section.

Daura listed the suspects to include Festus Osagiede (24), Hyacinth Imahanrebhor (20), Itama Omon (25), Onwukwe Prince (28), Monye Chukwuma (23) and Osadebe Kelvin (26), adding they confessed to have been committing the crime since 2006.

According to him, one of them, Osagiede, said to be the leader of the gang, first committed the crime when he had carnal knowledge of the third suspect after attending a Benin night club in 2006.

“After the third suspect (Itama) got drunk, Festus Osagiede took him to his house and forcefully had carnal knowledge of him.

“Since then, they have been committing the crime with others at large until May, 2016, when luck ran out of them and they swooped on by zonal detectives,” Daura said.

The youngest among the suspects, Hyacinth, said that he was forced into the act by Osagiede, whom he claimed also threatened to kill him if he disclosed it to anyone.

He said, “It all happened late last year, when I was returning from a birthday party at night. I was unable get public transport back home.

“I met Festus on my way; he asked me why I was roaming about. I said that I could pass the night at his place.

“That night, he touched me. In the course shouting at him, he forcefully penetrated me and it got me sick.

“He said that if I told anybody, he knows where to find me and my family, that he would kill me.”

However, the AIG who described the crime as a disturbing trend, said many of the perpetrators formed cliques, saying the suspects would be charged to court on Friday.

“You would agree with me that this offence is an offence against humanity and nature, an abominable act that should be condemned in every ramification by all,” he said

Nigerians from diverse groups on Thursday, rejected the call by the country's organized labour to mobilize against the new pump price.

Rather, the labour is urged to focus on its agitation for minimum wage increase, instead of a new pump price, which Nigerians according to them have been indirectly contending with since the fuel scarcity began four months ago.

In a current affairs radio programme, "Day Break show on Rocky City FM" monitored in Abeokuta, on Thursday, about 80% of the callers rejected the agitation by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to protest against removal of the subsidy, while 20 % said they were ready to join the protest.

Callers in support of the NLC's stand faulted government stand, as one remarked that, "Nigerians were not adequately carried along before taking the decision."

Few others claimed that since the immediate past government attempted it and was rejected, the present administration should also not continue with it. "For the likes of Tinubu and Fashola who spearheaded the rejection then, it is a shame to them now," Alhaji Power disclosed, as he was even cautioned of supporting labour's stand.

However, majority who rejected labour protest move declared that, the deregulation should be done with once and for all, "as few rich Nigerians are even the beneficiaries, while ordinary masses are still paying far above the N86 to buy the fuel.

"It is going to come with pains no doubt, but, we have to settle for it for now. Since about four months now, we have been buying this fuel between N120 and N200, what did NLC do? I will just implore the government to ensure that they get the product available at its filling stations," Waheed Quadri said.

According to reports, a married man, had been secretly cheating on his wife with another man’s wife.

The man who is identified as Innocent, was caught sleeping with a married woman identified as Anayo, in a hotel located somewhere around Ibagewa road, Nsukka,
Enugu state.

According to a NAIJ.COM reader who sent in the story, they were both brought out of their room naked, and fully disgraced.

Whilst Anayo was given a thorough beating and whisked away by her husband, Innocent was surrounded by youths who were eager to give him his own round of beatings.

They are both said to be traders at the Orie
Oba market in Nsukka.

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, says the Federal Government is working toward establishing six new universities of science and technology to expand the access to tertiary education.

The Education Minister Malam Adamu Adamu, disclosed this at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum on Tuesday in Abuja.

While speaking at the forum, he emphasized that the future of the world depends on science and technology.

In his words, “This government has already decided to even add more; it is going to establish six new universities of science and technology.

And at the lower level, there will be a technical school in each state of the federation and then vocational centres at the wards and local government levels.

You know, we have a problem of access; if you look at it last year, one million people sat for the universities but only 150,000 were taken.

So, we still need to build more universities to create more space for those who want to get in.

And then the fact that the six new universities are being created for science and technology underscores the decision by the government to put more emphasis on science”.

Adamu stressed that the move is in line with the campaign promises of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government.

He said that over the years the Federal Government had laid emphasis on science and technology by giving more access to students in such fields.

Adamu recalled that during the tenure of the them Minister of Education, Prof. Babs Fafunwa, it was agreed that the ratio of science to arts should be 60 to 40.

The minister noted that ever since, the policy had been carried out by successive governments, it has remained the stance of the present Federal Government.

He further said that the new universities would be located in the six geo-political zones.

He said: “Whether we agree or not, oil has limited time before it finishes; the whole economies of the world are going towards the knowledge economy.

Actually, it is the cultivation of Science, Technology and Engineering studies that will hold the economy in the future”.

On Almajiri issue, the minister said that the Federal Government recognised the problem; hence the building of Almajiri schools.

He added that there was a steady progress in the Almajiri education as well as boy-child drop out issue in the South-East and problems bordering on girl-child education.

From E mmanuel Uzor , Abakaliki

There was pandemonium at Nkwegu community near Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi state as over 200 women from Afikpo South Council area of Ebonyi state protested naked over the alleged continued detention of the President General of the community, Ndubuisi Ekumankama. He was detained by the police for allegedly demolishing a widow’s house in Amangwu Edda community.

The women, who had planned to storm the Government House in protest were intercepted by policemen at the Nkwegu, near military cantonment when they resisted the first team of policemen who could not withstand the sight of the rampaging naked women.

Daily Sun gathered that the women protested without wearing anything at the upper parts of their body which threw many into confusion, including the policemen.

However, it took the intervention of the Police Commissioner, CP Peace Ibekwe Abdallah who immediately mobilised another team of policewomen led by the Officer in charge of Criminal Investigation Department, who led other policewomen to the scene.

Speaking to our reporter on the incident, the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), ASP George Okafor, described the actions of the protesting naked women as shameful and desecration of Igbo culture and norms.

Mr. Okafor said the women had planned the protest last week but were advised to follow the legal way of registering their complaints since the suspect and the President General of the Community who was arrested by the police in connection to the demolition of the widow’s house has been charged to court.

“Last week, a group of women numbering about 20 stormed the state headquarters to protest over the arrest and detention of a suspect who was being held for demolishing a widow’s house in Amangwu-Edda. After we spoke to them, they even saw the suspect and he spoke to them which showed that he is alive. They went back and today again, we got information that the same women had gone and mobilised over 200 other women to storm the government house to protest and we also got information that they were coming into the town naked so we tried to halt them from gaining entrance into the city.

“Our men who earlier got to the scene were repelled because of the sight of the unclothedness of these women and we had to mobilise our police women led by woman ACP in charge of CID. They went there as women, who understood each other. And they had more access to them unlike the men who were being careful because these women were naked.

Their actions were unfortunate and shameful. They have desecrated the Igbo culture by protesting naked over a politically motivated issue. If there were reasons to protest naked, these women should have known that it must be a serious issue.”