₦airaland Forum

dayokanu:

bittyend: Check out watch I saw on google today(please see attachment). It's just sickening that Igbos have taken their hatred for the Yoruba nation this far by spamming the web with negative stereotypes about Yorubas. It's also laughable, because Igbos have the worst stereotypes in Nigeria; these are the same people infamous for cannibalism around the world. They used to have communal feasts of cannibalism across Igboland up till less than 40 years ago, and there are still isolated cases of cannibalism in Igboland. Best believe that without Nigeria and the arrival of the British colonialists, Igbos would still be in the forest walking butt naked like the Amazon tribes of Brazil, who are stuck in the Amazon forest. Yet these same people go about trying to destroy the reputation of a sophisticated tribe, famous for its unique civilization, rich language, and ever growing religion.

I'm pissed off right now, and I hate Nigeria. The earlier we break-up, the better for everyone. Igbos feed off the energy of the other ethnic groups and without Nigeria, Igboland is doomed!

Please vote for, or against Nigeria.


Cheers!

Daresh: I had a spare tyre till the day I got married.

CFCfan: CNN polls: Who won the debate?
Ryan 48%
Biden 44%

Who was more likable?
Ryan 53%
Biden 43%

Wow, the CNN viewers are real Ryan fans. Anyway, I thought Joe Biden did a good job in calling out Paul Ryan's flip-flops, especially on the stimulus issue. But Biden shouldn't have interrupted Ryan as much as he did tonight. It seemed arrogant and condescending.

Based on a prediction that his fortune would experience a leap, should he be married to a 12-year-old, a septuagenarian is hell bent on exchanging marital vows with the pre-teen girl despite the protestations of the mother. Olalekan Olabulo reports.

TWELVE years old Aminat Hamisu, a Class 1 student of Ansar Ud Deen Junior Secondary School in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government is in dire need of someone to save her life from impending disaster. Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area is in Ogun State, but borders on metropolitan Lagos. Aminat Hamisu is a subject of a forceful marriage to a man, old enough to be her grandfather. She lost her father in the course of the confusion that ensued over her planned marriage to a septuagenarian. Aminat is supposed to be a Junior Secondary School 2 student but had to miss a whole academic session as a result of the fact that she had to escape from being forcefully engaged to a man, who should have been her guardian rather than husband. The insistence of the old man to marry her has also resulted in her missing classes.

Forty three years old Salamatu Hamisu, the mother of the 12 years old girl, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, appealed to well-meaning Nigerians and human rights organisations to save her daughter from forceful marriage to a man bent on marrying the girl. The mother of seven, while narrating the whole episode to Nigerian Tribune stated that it all started in 2001, when a man identified as Mallam Ibraheem Mairago, who was like a father to her insisted on marrying Aminat, who was just 11 years of age at that time.

According to her, a certain Mallam Alli had told Mairago that he had a dream that if he could marry Aminat, his riches would multiply. Meirago believed Mallam Alli and instantly approached the father of Aminat, Alhaji Hamisu Aliyu, now deceased, asking for the hand of his daughter in marriage.

"Initially my husband refused but, when Mairago promised him some goodies, he accepted the marriage proposal without telling either the girl or me. Mairago promised to give him a portion at the ram market in Mile 12. He also promised to always involve him in Quranic recitation for wealthy people in Lagos," Salamatu narrated. She also stated that "One day, my husband brought some yards of cloth home and said that it was meant for my daughter. I asked him where the cloth was from and he said that Alhaji Mairago bought it for her. I asked her for what reason and he said he did not know. I rejected the cloth and when I prodded him further he confessed to me that Meirago wanted to marry our daughter."

The planned marriage led to a clash between the household of the late Mallam Hamisu Aliyu, forcing him to report the case to his brother in law in Sagamu. The brother in law also initially kicked against the planned wedding but later succumbed, in a circumstance Salamatu described as suspicious. "When I refused to support the marriage proposal, my late husband reported me to my brother in Sagamu and my brother also kicked against the marriage but later he took Mairago to my brother and it was agreed that Mairago should pay N50,000 as the bride price. At this stage, my daughter was not even aware that somebody wanted to marry her," the mother said. She also said that "When the situation got to a stage my daughter was informed and she became really devastated. Because of the marriage talk, she ran away from home for four days. On the day she ran away, I woke her early in the morning and told her to go and pray. For more than three hours, I did not see her and we looked around Mile 12 Market but she was nowhere to be found. It was after four days that we saw her. The situation grew so tense that the deceased Aliyu divorced his wife, who was then nursing a two-month- old baby. The woman said that she was sent away from her husband's house and she had to live on menial jobs in Mowe area of Ogun State. Before the death of Aminat's father, her suitor forced him and the mother's brother to refund the N50,000 naira he paid to them as the bride price. Though the father was said not to have taken out of the money when it was paid, the brother-in-law collected N40,000, while a certain Alhaji Manga also went away with N10,000. The refund of the bride price, ordinarily, should have been the end of the proposed marriage but Alhaji Meirago kept on pestering the girl's family that he wanted to marry the underage girl. He was accused of victimising the late Aliyu, who was then working under him. "Before my husband died, he got to know that I had relocated to Sango in Ogun State, where I was staying with my cousin, Mallam Thani Bala. He even pleaded with my cousin not to allow me return to Mowe. By this time Alhaji Mairago had married another wife for him. My husband still loved me and he was coming to see me, even sometime he would sleep in my cousin's house," the woman claimed. She further claimed that "When Alhaji Mairago got to know that my husband was still coming to see me in my cousin's place, he changed to him totally. Even when they told him that my husband was ill, he said that as long as my husband was coming to see me, he should die."

The death of the father of the 12-year-old girl has, however, not changed the situation as Mallam Mairago has turned his attention to Mallam Bala, who he accused of habouring his wife. According to the mother, "Mairago has continued to insist that Aminat is his wife and that he wants the police to force Thani to release the young girl to him." In his reaction to the issue, Alhaji Mairago, who spoke through his lawyer, Mr. Jeleel Bashir, said that the proposed marriage was in accordance with Islamic Law. He said that he had secured the approval of the bride's father and paid the required bride price as stipulated by Islamic law. The lawyer claimed that there were witnesses to the marriage between Alhaji Mairago and Aminat, adding that the only person, who had the right to dissolve the marriage was Alhaji Mairago himself.

On the claim by the girl's mother that the bride price had been returned, the lawyer said that "I am not aware that the bride price had been returned. Even if the bride price was returned, that does not mean that the marriage has been dissolved."

According to Bashir, Islamic law permits such marriage, even if the bride to be is not in support of the marriage. "Islamic law allows a guardian to choose for the girl if she is underage," he said. He, however, said that the purpose of such marriage is not essentially for sex but for the suitor to take care of the underage girl.

The girl, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, kicked against the planned marriage. She insisted on completing her education before thinking of marriage and added that the man was even far older than her father. "I don't want to marry now; I want to finish my schooling. Alhaji's children cannot even be my friends because they are older than I am. I don't want to marry Alhaji. He should leave me to complete my education," the 12-year-old girl said.

The contents of the plastic bucket made available to Sunday Sun contained various fake receipts majority bearing Oshimili North LGA Delta state. Among the contents were a 2012 drivers and conductors badge clearance receipt of N10,000 issued by the Anambra State Commissioner for Special Duties, Anambra State Motorcycle Riders Permit, Community/infrastructural development oil land permit of Oshimili L.G.A, Delta State, Oshimili South L.G.A Certificate/ permit 2012 of Delta state, Niger Delta Youth employment, development and Airport route clearance certificate/permit 2012 of Delta state, vehicle outdoor radio and state vehicle scratch card 2012 among others.


Terror in Anambra The aforementioned experience from two different locations in Onitsha aptly capture the situation and predicament of the people on daily basis. Succinctly put, today, the fear of Anambra Revenue/Traffic agency and Emblem people is the beginning of wisdom for both residents and travelers on transit in Onitsha. According to a memo issued by a civil society organization, Intersociety, the Anambra State Traffic Agency (ASTA) was formed to enforce traffic regulation on Anambra urban roads including the busy trunk A, B, and C roads. The agency is mandated to ensure free flow of traffic in major and semi major cities. They are supposed to caution and apprehend those genuinely causing obstructions on the road and remove or impound obstructing objects including wrongly parked and moving vehicles with defaulters made to pay prescribed receipted fines or transferred to the prosecutorial authorities for prosecution on charges of statutory traffic offences.


The state in order to shore up its revenue base also created a consolidated emblem for commercial vehicles. Regrettably, checks by Sunday Sun revealed that the operations of these two agencies have been hijacked by thugs working for some unnamed political appointees while the boys take delight in brigandage, thuggery and diversion of these revenues into private pockets. One of the ASTA operatives after a generous tip by this reporter and being assured of strict confidentiality revealed that the office generates between N750,000 to N1,000,000 daily but a large chunk of the cash goes to different "big men" in the state who collect their daily returns.


The same source in justifying the act said: "This is our own settlement by the government. Since there are no vacancies in the civil service as government is not ready to employ more hands, it is therefore necessary that this avenue was created so that hunger will not kill boys in town or do you want us to take to armed robbery?" he asked. Revenue agents as kidnappers Further investigation by Sunday Sun revealed that most victims of brutality and extortion in the hands of the revenue thugs are often helpless. What the thugs do is that they approach their victims, collect their car keys and tell them to enter their bus to settle with their boss. Once the victim enters their bus, they lock the vehicle immediately while the heftiest among them takes charge of the door.


They then proceed to ransack the victims' pockets and demand for more money . In most cases, they beat their captives and also prevent them from making calls. Another victim, 76-year-old, Lazarus Dim, narrated to the reporter how he was abducted by the same group recently and held hostage until he paid N50,000. He said he later made a discreet call to some of his union members who came to his rescue. The group later abandoned another set of revenue receipt bundles in his car and fled. Dim said he later identified his abductors and went to Fegge police station to lodge a report but surprisingly, the Divisional Police Officer, Rowland Omotojo pressured him to drop the case. Reporter's close shave with death Following several cases observed against the revenue agents, this reporter decided to visit the same Public Works Department building Onitsha for the latest clue on their activities prior to filing this report.


Date was September 15,2012 at about 02:15pm. On entering, "business" was going on as usual. This reporter noticed a group of boys deflating tires of a Toyota Sienna with Reg. No. Lagos LND 477AJ. Acting as an unsolicited helper, he approached the driver of the car identified as Chidubem Collins whom the boys were threatening to go and bring more money if he didn't want to sleep in the premises. Chidubem told me that the boys accosted him along Awka road on his way back to Lagos from Enugu, hijacked the vehicle from him and forced him to the place. He said they collected N9,000 the only cash on him after fuelling his car. As a private car owner, the boys demanded N45,000 from him as emblem fee or in the alternative pay extra N24, 000 if he didn't want to collect the emblem. As this reporter opened his mouth to ask further questions, one of the boys shouted "who is this man, so you came to spy on us?" All of them, seven in number then descended on him kicking and hitting him at the same time. The biggest among them hit him in the chest and he collapsed.


As he gasped for breath, another picked a log of wood nearby and rested its full weight on him. He shouted for help but they threatened to kill him and nothing would happen. Another among them said: "You came to spoil business for us, do you know how much we remit to our Oga and the Commissioner who sent us to do this work. Also, don't you know we pay the driver and the owner of this chattered bus?" "With the last strength in me, I managed to run out of the lion's den and flagged down a passing taxi cab that took me to the hospital.


I later went to the police to lodge a complaint and also sent a text to the Commissioner of Economic Planning, Prof. Chinyere Okunna who later called back and promised that every thing would be properly taken care of." Calls for codification of agent's activities Miffed by numerous reports of illegal activities of the revenue agents, the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, in a petition made available to Sunday Sun has written the state governor and the relevant Commissioners and Special Advisers on the need to proscribe ASTA and other revenue agents in the state or in the alternative, urgently codify their activities. Signed by the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi and Head Publicity Desk, Justus Ijeoma, the group said there was no difference between the kidnappers den and that of the revenue agents.


They called for the creation of a data base of all revenue agents in the state and the members subjected to forensic identification. "If collection of fines must be part of its sanction code, then it should be modeled after that of the Federal Road Safety Corps. All the commissioners and special advisers/assistants through which this letter is addressed should be thoroughly questioned to ascertain their remote or immediate links or otherwise to the gross misconducts complained of with a view to disciplining them if found culpable" the group said. Government's response Several efforts made by our reporter to get the reaction of Robert Okonkwo, the former Commissioner for Transport in the state (now commissioner for Commerce) who the various groups claim they work for was futile as calls made to his cell phone were not answered. Text messages sent were also not replied.It was the same situation with Dr. Collins Chike Ohamobi, the new commissioner for transport. But the Chairman, Anambra State Joint Revenue Board, Nwanne Ejikeme eventually spoke.


Though he graciously called back when he didn't pick the calls earlier made by the reporter, he was evasive in tackling the issues raised by the reporter on the need to put a final stop to the ugly image portrayed by the revenue thugs in the state. "We cannot prosecute people we do not know. Onitsha people are to be blamed for allowing these so-called thugs to molest them. Why should people agree to follow such group to an unknown place when they don't carry arms? I cannot go around Onitsha alone in one week. People have to change their attitude here.


The people we employed have no power to restrain or stop a vehicle along the road but when they harass anybody, people will begin to fidget and offer them money. Government doesn't run business in the backyard". When reminded that the revenue thugs brutalize people even with weapons, he said: "The people lack powers of arrest and detention. If somebody therefore succumbs to fear and intimidation, there is nothing the government can do about it but the most painful thing is that we don't see the money they are collecting".

The setting is the old Public Works Department building, Onitsha North, behind Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity and the date was 23rd July 2012. It was around 4:30pm when the reporter sauntered into the premises. In a shade provided by a mango tree were several boys with blood-shot eyes. Some puffed on wraps of Indian hemp while others clutched bottles of beer in one hand with cigarette sticks in the other.


Others downed spirits and ogogoro and other local concoctions recklessly, a regular supply from a female vendor in a kiosk beside the gate. In the expansive compound were various disused and abandoned vehicles which have been converted to negotiating tables and unofficial offices for touts. Strolling down, you encounter two busy offices which the reporter learnt are for the Head of Enforcement and the Zonal Commander, Anambra State Traffic Agency (ASTA). The office of the Head of Enforcement manned by one rotuned short man identified as Ejike was the busiest.


Men,car owners and drivers queued at the front door waiting for their turn for 'judgment'. On enquiry by the reporter, majority of them had ugly stories to tell- how they were stopped on the way by the ASTA operatives, their money forcibly collected from them before they were also forcibly removed from the steering and taken to a dungeon with their cars. On reaching there, they were given various bills ranging from N7,000 to N75, 000 according to their traffic offences. One of the victims, Wilfred Eze, a welder, explained to our reporter how they arrested him and collected N3,000 which was the only cash on him and were still demanding extra N7,000 for the simple reason that he did not use his seat belt.


When our reporter managed to enter the office to "plead" on behalf of Wilfred, the enforcement officer, Ejike said: "Even if Jesus Christ comes down here, Wilfred must pay N7,000 for obstruction, traffic violation and service charge" Pasted conspicuously on the wall inside the office was a bold inscription -"Please pay to the bank" and another, a list of offences with their penalties modeled after the style of the Federal Road Safety Corps. To the consternation of the reporter, Ejike and his group of boys who often beat their victims to submission collected various amounts in cash from people whose cars and heavy duty vehicles were impounded and their tires deflated. Efforts for further enquiries at the second office occupied by the zonal commander, Obinna Nwagbara was another shocker.


The lady receptionist after denying that the commander was not in office probed to know why this wanted to see him. She later asked for N200 bribe before I could be allowed in. On entering the office, despite introduction though with a pseudonym, Obinna said they were in the business to make money and if I came to plead on behalf of anybody, I should quietly cooperate with the enforcement people because they were doing their jobs. On returning to the enforcement office, in the full glare of the reporter, Ejike collected N32, 000 from a lorry driver before releasing the vehicle key, spare tires, jack and allowing him access to his vehicle whose tires had been deflated. The Driver with Reg.


No Anambra 311 NEN then hired a vulcanizer working with the thugs who charged him N300 to pump each of the tires. Shortly after, a lawyer, identified as Ikemba came with a client whose vehicle number plates were forcibly removed from the parking lot by the ASTA operatives. The client had earlier come and they told him to pay N6,000 for wrong parking. In his full legal robes, the boys chatted with the lawyer, cajoling him to pay N3,000 as fine for offence committed by his client. Barrister Ikemba in a jolly mood told them that he did not come as a lawyer rather he came simply as Ikemba. He gave them N1,000 which Ejike collected and the number plates were handed back to him as his client smiled home. At about 6:10pm as dusk descend, Ejike arranged all the money they collected from "offenders" that evening (about N480, 000), called the boys together and said: Bianu kam mechielu unu oru (come, let me close work and settle you today).


To some, he gave N3,000 while some others received N5,000 each. One of the boys who received the least amount of about N2,500 complained bitterly but Ejike called his bluff telling him to learn to be grateful considering that the boy was not diligent enough at harassing their victims into parting with more money. As this reporter sat a few meters away from the scene, Ejike divided the remaining money, stuffed them into different pockets of his clothes and zoomed off in his car. He left a message for his boss, Obinna that they will settle the following day. At another location, the Onitsha end of Niger Bridge Head expressway, a source at Intersociety, Nigeria told us that on August 1 2012, Chief Peter Onyenelisi, was ambushed by a group of ASTA operatives.


They forced him to park in the middle of the road and swooped on him in a murderous manner. Onyenelisi, a Kaduna-based Igbo union leader and businessman was forced out of his car, a Gulf wagon with registration number BT 600 GWA. The boys forced him with the car to the office under the Niger bridgehead. On entering, a group of ruffians clutching sticks of Indian hemp descended on him and beat him to a point of terrified submission. They forced him into a hidden corner of the office and dispossessed him of all his personal effects including the sum of N15, 000. They tore his shirt and pockets to ensure that no dime was left and accused him of not having "emblems" for his private car.


As if that wasn't enough, he was threatened with instant death unless he called somebody to rescue him with an extra sum of N20,000. Left with no other choice, Onyenelisi called one of his sisters resident in Onitsha who brought the money and they collected it without any valid receipt. Thereafter, they were beaten and pushed out of the compound . The most shocking aspect of it was that when Onyenelisi threatened to inform his Igbo brothers and sisters residing in Kaduna to stop coming home with their private vehicles, his captors boldly informed him that: "Peter Obi sent us and has asked us to do what we are doing". Before the boys drove him out of the premises, they dropped in his car the state commissioner for transport's plastic bucket containing sundry revenue stickers, permits, badges and receipts totaling 27 in number.

SmoothCrim201S: With what military are you going to fight Cameroon. The one that can't even beat the Boko boys??

Maybe you will throw Fufu at them!

jellyloveb: You might try a better class of woman.You clearly have issues with women in general. I have a career and my hair is down past my shoulders, lol. And I’ll work, like millions of women throughout history have done. And a PRINCESS by the way, can be a woman who thinks that because she got pregnant that the whole world has to take care of her. The kind of women who use men as sperm donors and financial support aren’t likely to be working women. We can support ourselves without trapping some guy into a loveless marriage. Get some help before you meet a good woman and destroy her.