₦airaland Forum

The police in Jos on Tuesday arrested four cattle herders; Hamisu Mohammed, 18, Rayanu Mohammed, 15, Mustapha Yunusa, 15, and Abbas Salisu, 17, for allegedly raping four female minors.

The suspects, all of Manger Village in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau, are being held for rape at the state Criminal Investigation Division.

The charge sheet said, the suspects in the course of tending to their flock in the bush, accosted the sisters who were on their way home and raped them.

According to the statement from one of the victims, she said; she and her 3 sisters were walking home when the ‘Fulani’ boys accosted them and threatened them with sticks.

She said when they tried to resist them; the boys beat them with the sticks, injured them and later took turns to rape all of them.

She added that after the rape, she and her sisters ran to a nearby Village called Luwapam and raised alarm after which the boys got arrested by villagers.

The suspects, in their statement to the police, admitted to raping the sisters, stating that they all conspired to rape the girls.

One of the suspects, Hamisu Mohammed, stated in his statement, that they were ‘sexually charged’ on sighting the girls and so immediately resorted to raping them as there was nothing they could do at that moment to ease their urge.

The police prosecutor, Insp. E.A Inegbenoise, who confirmed the arrest, said that the suspects had already been charged and would soon appear in court.

NAN

Ahead of his plans to realize the 2020 revenue target of N8.5 trillion, the Executive Chairman of the newly constituted board of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammadu Nami, has begun implementing a massive reorganisation blueprint that has seen the transfer of over 100 staff, cutting across various cadres, especially directors.

The move did not totally come as a surprise, however, to many because Nami, shortly after his inaugural speech on January 16, hinted of his plans to restructure the Service as encapsulated in his 13-point agenda.

The shake-up, it was gathered, was to move staff to meet fresh challenges, bring their creativity to bear, break new grounds and eventually eliminate redundancy occasioned by monotonous work pattern.

“I think it’s a normal process and procedure for a new boss to move staff around and put them where he feels they can function optimally once he studies the staff organogram. It is rare for a new boss to inherit and adopt the template his predecessor operated with, especially when he wants to up the ante and achieve higher targets.

“This is one agency that is self-assessing. If you’re doing well, the revenue figures are there to amplify that and if not, it also shows. The head is at liberty to cobble the agency the way he deems fit within the law to realize set objectives. Fowler did it. The one before him did it. It’s about assembling a team of like minds to achieve results. N8.5 trillion as revenue target is no minced meat. It’s a tall order in an economy like ours with all its challenges.

“To me, it should be expected. It is normal”, a senior staff told Daily Sun.

Part of the massive shake-up at the FIRS saw some directors move up the ladder, while one was relieved of his duties and a fresh one injected into the Service.

Daily Sun learnt that those affected include: Aishiekh Maidugu, Director, Planning Reporting and Statistics, now the Special Assistant, Special Duties, to the Executive Chairman; Femi Oluwaniyi, Director Debt Management, now Transition Lead, Domestic Taxes Group and the Coordinating Director, Compliance Enforcement Group, Cyriacus Ekechi, who became the Transition Lead Compliance Support Group.

Others are Kudu Mohammed, Assistant Director, Project Management Office (e-Services), now Special Advisor to the Executive Chairman – a position said to have been occupied by the former Acting Chairman, Abiodun Aina, before he became Coordinating Director, Domestic Taxes Group and Abdullahi Ismaila, Special Assistant Service and Communication to the FIRS Chairman.

A circular authored by the Director Human Capital Management Department, Victor Ekundayo, dated December 31, 2019, said the five along with the executive chairman will constitute the Interim Management Team.

Others are Victor Ekundayo of Human Capital Department, who moved to the Career and Skills Development Department; Innocent Ohagwa of the Special Tax Audit Lagos, who replaced Mr Ekundayo; Gbolaga Oshiga formerly of Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, who moved to Revenue House Abuja as Director Tax Audit; Mohammed Abubakar, formerly Coordinating Director, Tax Appeal Tribunal who is now Secretary, Joint Tax Board, JTB.

The former Secretary JTB, Oseni Elamah, a former Chairman, Edo State Internal Revenue Service, and a key JTB figure in pre and post-Tunde Fowler years got no alternative posting.

Sanni Dahiru, an Assistant Director at the State Coordinator’s Office, in charge of Kogi, FCT and Nasarawa, replaced Mohammed Abubakar. From Kano, Pam Davou, a Director, and State Coordinator in charge of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States, was asked to come in as Director, Collections at the Headquarters. Najim Ajila, the former Director, Audit replaced Mr Oluwaniyi in Debt Collection, while Joel Ogohi, a Deputy Director, replaced Mr Oshiga as State Coordinator, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu States.

Others moved include: David Ogedemgbe, Head Large Tax Audit, who became State Coordinator, Lagos Island; Shetimma, Tamadi, a Deputy Director from the office of the State Coordinator, Benue Kaduna and Niger, became State Coordinator for the states; Lucky Obodoekeh Chukwu, Deputy Director, Head Oil and Gas ( Downstream) became Head, Large Tax Audit; Umar Aminu Galadanchi of Large Tax Office, Kano became the State Coordinator Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States; Muazu Garba, Assistant Director, Training School, became State Coordinator, Oil and Gas (Downstream); Etsu Mohammmed Madami, State Coordinator, Kebbi Sokoto and Zamfara moved to Borno, Plateau, Bauchi and Yobe in the same position; Peter Alfred, Assistant Director, Large Tax Office in Lagos, is now Head Special Tax Audit Lagos; Yerima Silas, Assistant Director, Large Tax Office Lagos ( Non-Oil) moved to Kano to head the Large Tax Audit Office.

Four other managers were also moved. Adebayo Kayode, Director Investigations, was moved to Special Investigations Department, while Idris Ndanusa, a fresh Director was hired and posted to Internal Affairs Department, Chukwuemeka Obiagwu, formerly of Enforcement Department is now in the Enforcement Unit, Office of the Executive Chairman, Ozavize Winfrul, a Deputy Director of the Compliance unit in the Chairman’s office moves to Compliance Research, Simon Kato a Deputy Director and Special Assistant, Office of the Chairman moved to Domestic Taxes Group, Group, Odekunle John Oluwatoyin, an Assistant Director and former Chief of Staff to the former Executive Chairman was transferred to Enforcement Unit in the Office of the Transition Lead Enforcement and Compliance Group, Maupatin Olatundun, formerly the Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman was moved to Tax Audit Department; Olufemi Akinfala, formerly Head, Research and Development Department was moved to Planning Research and Statistics Department; Oyebanji Matthew, Deputy Director Special Tax Audit, Lagos, became Tax Controller Oil and Gas, Lagos, while Muazu Garba, an Assistant Director, Tax Controller Oil and Gas (Downstream) was moved to Tax Investigation Department.

Orebanjo Adebola an Assistant Director at Relationship Management Unit, Lagos was moved to Large Tax Office, Non-Oil, and Aniko Emmanuel was also moved to Large Tax Oil and Gas.

Two other Assistant Directors: Oluwa Ameenat Badmus and Oluola Adedayo were moved from Relationship Management Unit to State Coordinator’s office, while most staff of the Relationship Management Unit were not spared.

On January 16, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, while inaugurating the new board of FIRS reminded the Chairman and his team that being members of a country’s tax administration comes with huge responsibilities, especially meeting set targets to justify their appointments.

She challenged the new board to churn out new ideas and strategies that will improve the country’s tax administration.

Responding, the new Chairman of the FIRS board, Mr Muhammed Nami, in his inaugural speech assured the Finance Minister that he would bring his experience and expertise to bear in his new portfolio, even as he called on other members of the board to give him the necessary support needed to meet set targets.

Nami announced the 13-point priority areas the new board will address in his first 100 days in office, including capacity building for the FIRS staff, building new enforcement strategies, restructuring and reposting audit functions, review of structures and corporate strategic retreats.

Others are overhauling critical infrastructure, repositioning of the large and medium taxpayers offices, among others.

zionmde:
u are a lady who should know better as to leave ethnic bigotry for fooolish guys. unfortunately fooolishness might be running in ur lineage,who knows?

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, to handle the case of Ibrahim Ibrahim, a Nigerian cleric on death row in Saudi Arabia.

Buhari gave the directive after Bello Mutawalle, governor of Zamfara, prevailed on him to see to the release of Ibrahim, an indigene of Zamfara.

According to a statement by Zailani Bappa, media aide to Mutawalle, Ibrahim was wrongly placed on the death row for charges bothering on drug trafficking.

“Governor Matawalle yesterday met with President Muhammadu Buhari and appealed on behalf of Ibrahim Ibrahim whose judgement was scheduled for next week, on charges of drug trafficking,” the statement read.

“Ibrahim, an Islamic cleric, was wrongly arrested in Saudi Arabia and arraigned before the court but could not sufficiently prove his case due to lack of a lawyer. He was earlier cleared by two lower courts in Jedda for lack of evidence on the part of the prosecution.

“However, the prosecution appealed against him in Makkah where he was expected to have a lawyer or risk execution judgement.

“To this end, President Muhammadu Buhari has already directed the Minister of of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to handle the matter appropriately in order to save the innocent life of Ibrahim Ibrahim.”

In April, Saudi authorities released Zainab Aliyu, a student of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) following the intervention of the Federal government.

Aliyu had been arrested and detained for drug trafficking but the government of Saudi Arabia investigated the case and set her free after discovering that she was a victim.

BREAKING: Fresh crisis rocks APC as Bulama emerges new Nat’l sec

The crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) took a new dimension on Tuesday following the announcement of Arch. Waziri Bulama as the new National Secretary by the National Working Committee(NWC) of the party.

The meeting of the NWC was stormy as the National Vice Chairman North East, Comrade Salihu Mustapha insisted the announcement should not be made after a motion to name Bulama was reportedly moved by the National Legal Adviser, Barrister Ogala.

The incident created tension, leading to a shouting match during the meeting.

Mustapha, who stormed out of the meeting, however, told reporters that Oshiomhole was not qualified to preside over the NWC meeting following a court order on his suspension by the party in his state.

He threatened to drag Oshiomhole to the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agents should he continue to preside over any meeting without vacating the order legally suspending him from the party.

A former director-general of the State Security Service, Afakirya A. Gadzama has been appointed as the chairman of the Governing Board of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS).

His new appointment was conveyed in a letter from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation dated January 2, 2020.

The appointment was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari with effect from December 16, 2019 for an initial term of four years in line with Section 4 of the National Institute for Security Studies (Establishment Act), 2019.

The letter, with reference SGF.2/S.9/C.3/10, was signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.

Gadzama started his career in the National Security Organisation as a Principal Officer in 1984 and rose through the ranks of the NSO and the subsequent State Security Service, which was created out of the NSO when it was dissolved.

His postings at the State Security Service include director of Security, Plateau State (1989–1991), director of Security, Federal Capital Territory (1991–1993), director of Security, Kaduna (1993–1997), director of Operations, SSS National Headquarters (1997–1998) director of Programmes, SSS National Headquarters 1999, director of Intelligence (2001–2002), director of Operations (2002–2003), Director of Administration and Logistics, National Headquarters (2004–2005), director of Corporate Services, National Headquarters (2006–2007) and director general, SSS (2007-2010).

saniby:
OP and The Nation newspaper should please change the title to "ICPC charges..........." and not "FG charges........"
Tge last time I check, ICPC is an independent organization pls. Don't bring in FG to color the story to suit your desire.

The Federal Government has filed charges against the President in Council, Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SCN), Joseph Olorunjuwon Agbenla for alleged abuse of office.

Agbenla, who retired as the Permanent Secretary / Surveyor-General, Lagos State, is charged with receiving about N5million as allowances for conferences not attended.

The four-count charge filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), now assigned to Justice A. O. Obong (who sits in Zuba), was filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

• 14 states hike RoW costs

Telcos may have no choice but increase tariff for voice calls and data over the decision of 14 state governments to increase the cost of right of way (RoW) for telecommunication infrastructure.

The telcos, acting under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) had warned that the regime of discriminatory tariff regime may become inevitable as they operate under diffrent conditions in some states.

Its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, lamented that some states have seen telecoms sector as cash cow that should milked, adding that they come with very spurious taxes, charges and levies.

But this threat is coming barely 72 hours after the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami said he has written to state governors to comply with the national economic council’s (NEC) resolution on the Right of Way.

The RoW charge is the levy paid to state governments for laying of optic fibre on state roads.

At present, the cost of RoW on federal roads is N142 per linear metre.

The 14 states, however, increased RoW fees from between N300-N500 per linear metre to between N3,000-N6,000 per linear metre.

The new management of the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA) increased RoW fee from N500 per linear meter to N5,000 per linear metre.

A single telecoms operator needs RoW covering thousands of kilometres.

The Special Adviser on Innovation and Technology to Lagos State governor, Tubosun Alake, in an interview said: “The issue of Right of Way has always been a challenge between state governments and telecoms operators who seek permission on RoW to expand their networks and infrastructure.

“There is this belief surrounding the telecoms sector that state governments see the telecoms sector as a cash-cow that they should milk dry, but that is not the thinking of government.

“In Lagos, the government sees telecoms as a critical source of infrastructure for the state, which needs smart regulation so that telecoms operators do not take undue advantage of the citizens, hence the need for balancing.

“The Lagos state government, through its agency, LASIMRA, has been equipped to enforce regulation and compliance of telecoms mast installation and digging of roads for the laying of fibre cables by telecoms operators.

“With the new management of LASIMRA, I believe they will grant RoW to telecoms operators to enable them to expand their networks and infrastructure in such a way that it will not hinder network expansion that will address poor service quality, and at the same time, it will not inconvenience the citizens that are expected to benefit from the telecoms services.”

Telcos across the country have previously blamed the poor service experience of subscribers on the refusal of federal and state agencies to grant RoW licence to lay more fibre optic cables in cities.

Carriers said they had envisaged heavy surge during the festive seasons and had long requested for RoW licence that would enable them to expand their networks by laying more broadband fibre optic cables.

They, however, stated that their request was rejected by the various government agencies, forcing them to maintain the available network that is not sufficient to manage the peak periods.

The states which hiked the levy are Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Ondo, Cross River, Kogi, Osun, Kaduna, Enugu, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Imo, Kebbi and Gombe.

Tetehjewels:
Some here said Iraq cannot make USA leave their land. Well here you have it.