₦airaland Forum

The ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to contest the 2011 presidential election appears to be getting some negative mention in the international security circles, following indications the United States security services have placed him under close watch.

Information at the disposal of the Saturday Tribune indicated that the United States security outfits in conjunction with operatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Mi5 of the United Kingdom are working on certain information relating to Atiku.

Sources claimed that Atiku’s activities came into focus following indications that he was putting his Potomac house on sale and relocating his interests to the UAE.

Diplomatic sources stated that Atiku is under watch after he relocated his wife, Jemilar, from the United States to the UAE.

“The reports are to the effect that Atiku is under watch for a number of issues. There are fresh insights into the Thomas Jefferson case. There are also indications that he plans to sell his house in Potomac, Maryland and relocate the proceeds to the UAE. The house is worth millions of dollars. The movement of funds around him is being watched,” a source close to the development said during the week.

Other sources said that the US is also watching Atiku over reports linking him to alleged acquisition of OPL 245 through an Italian and other associates.

“The Mi5 has worked closely with the UAE authorities in recent years. They are worried about movement of funds into the UAE. They are aware that a number of top Nigerians are fast turning the UAE into abodes and they are settled on the need to track funds no matter the intent,” another source said.

But the spokesman of Atiku Campaign organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu, said in an interview that the former vice president believed that he was being closely monitored by the Nigerian authorities rather than American security operatives.

He said: “Atiku is not an American. He does not own investments in the US. What we gathered was that the Nigerian government plans to uproot all the Obasanjo cases against Atiku and use them to scandalise him.”

Shehu said that the House in Potomac was not on sale and that whoever planned to buy it should beware.

“What is happening is that the Jonathan government has been gathering dirty things about its opponents. We are aware that the legal adviser to the government has asked for cooperation and support from the US government so that they can reopen all those Obasanjo cases against him. And the American government told him that in all those cases, they did not find anything against Atiku and that the US government does not think it is politically wise for them to dabble into local Nigerian politics,” Atiku’s spokesman said.

source;http://tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/front-page-articles/2486-2011-us-uk-security-turn-searchlight-on-atiku.html

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A young Asian man who boarded an Air Canada flight elaborately disguised as an elderly white male was intercepted after emerging from a toilet mid-flight without his silicone mask, according to reports.

Officials were notified of a "possible imposter" on an Air Canada flight originating from Hong Kong on Oct. 29. After arriving in Vancouver, the man was escorted off the flight and he subsequently made a claim for refugee protection.

According to an intelligence alert issued by the Canada Border Services Agency, officers later recovered a "disguise kit" — which included "a silicone-type head and neck mask of an elderly Caucasian male, a brown leather cap, glasses and a thin brown cardigan."

The statement described the case as an "unbelievable case of concealment."
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"The passenger in question was observed at the beginning of the flight to be an elderly Caucasian male who appeared to have young looking hands," the bulletin added. "During the flight the subject attended the washroom and emerged an Asian male that appeared to be in his early 20s."

After being detained at the airport, officials asked the passenger to put on the clothing and mask found in one of three pieces of luggage linked to him.

"The subject donned the 'disguise' for Border Services Officers and they noted that he very much resembled an elderly Caucasian man, complete with mimicking the movements of an elderly person," the alert added. "The subject admitted at this time that he had boarded the flight with the mask on and had removed it several hours later."

The statement said the young Asian man had swapped boarding passes with a 55-year-old U.S. citizen before getting on the plane. He had later used a frequent flier card as ID to board the flight, the alert added.

"As neither boarding passes nor Aeroplan (frequent flier) cards reflect dates of birth, it may not have been very difficult for the very elderly looking imposter to present himself as a 55-year-old man," the bulletin said.

Chris McCluskey, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, said a man is in detention and the matter is before Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board. A spokeswoman for the Immigration and Refugee Board declined comment.

Air Canada also confirmed a passenger on board flight AC018 had been met by border services officials in Vancouver.

"It should be noted that there are multiple identity checks before departure at the Hong Kong international airport, including Chinese government-run Hong Kong passport control, which Hong Kong originating passengers must undergo," Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah said.

John Babcock, a spokesman for Canada's Transport Minister, declined to release details but said airlines have the responsibility to verify the identity of all passengers who appear to be 18 years of age or older.

"That means air carriers are supposed to look at a passenger's entire face to determine if they appear to be over 18 and if so, compare their physical appearance with their travel documents," Babcock said.

The manhunt for the perpetrators of kidnappings and violent crimes in Akwa Ibom State, yesterday, yielded results as detectives from the State Security Service (SSS) and the anti-kidnapping squad of the State Police Command arrested five persons who confessed their involvement in the kidnap of the wife of Group Captain Sam Ewang and Mrs Lakshmi Tom Bush, an Indian Head Teacher of the high profile Mobil Pegasus School.

Of the 18 kidnap suspects arrested bymen of the State Security Service, five have so far confessed to be members of a kidnap gang that participated in the kidnap of the wife of a gubernatorial aspirant in Akwa Ibom State, Mrs Comfort Ewang, the Head Teacher of Mobil Pegasus School,an Indian, Mrs. Lakshmi Tom Bush, the brother of Air Marshal Nsikak Eduok and the wife of a councilor in Ibesikpo Asutan, Mr. Ndifreke Thompson.

The suspects who were paraded incuded Eno Mfon Aniekemauwem aka Eze, Ime Bassey Akpanaka Sara, Itoro Mkpouto Bassey aka IT, Anieitie Donald Oko aka Ratty and Emaeyak Sunday Titus. Also paraded was one Moses Nkang who had allegedly sent text messages to the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Mr.Walter Rugbere and the state Director of the SSS, Mr. T. C. Minti threatening to kidnap them if they did not pay a certain amount of money.

According to the SSS director, Mr. Minti, the arrest of about 18 suspected kidnappers in the operation by the Service was as a result of renewed offensive against the hoodlums whom he said had given the state a bad image. He vowed to work with the government and other security agencies to rid the state of criminals.
Mr. Minti also said that from investigation of the Service most of the cases of kidnapping so far busted were done for economic reasons and with criminal intentions.

This assertion put paid to allegations by Group Captain Ewang who hitherto ascribed political undertones to the kidnap of the wife. Ewang had alleged that one of the conditions the kidnappers gave him before they would release his wife was that he should renounce his gubernatorial ambition. But a source at the SSS office who pleaded anonymity said there was nothing political in the kidnap of Mrs.Ewang.

According to the source, “there was nothing political about the unfortunate incident. Rather, it was purely a criminal act. It was even more disturbing coming from Group Captain Ewang who threw caution to the wind with his wild allegations and politicization of what was purely a criminal affair,” he said.

source;http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/nov/05/national-05-11-2010-026.htm

The guy is singing from all sides, hope he is not trying to manipulate investigators by pointing at another direction.


Former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, arrested on terror charges after bombings in Abuja on Independence Day said yesterday that a man identified as the mastermind of the attack is also living in South Africa.

Okah, who denied the terror charges, spoke of the suspect in an affidavit submitted in court during a bail hearing yesterday. Okah said police misidentified one of the suspects as Chima Orlu. He said he knew the man as Justin Malcolm Umejesi and that he provided accommodation to Umejesi in Johannesburg after they became friends.

He said he believed Umejesi took advantage of his hospitality to spy on him for the Federal Government. “I have an interesting history with this person,” Okah said in an affidavit. Okah said after he caught Umejesi taking photographs of people in his house, he determined Umejesi was reporting to the Nigerian consulate in South Africa. Okah said he ended their friendship in April 2007, and that Umejesi did not deny spying when confronted.

The Associated Press quoted Azuka Okah, the wife of Henry Okah as saying that she recognized the picture of one of the alleged masterminds in a Nigerian newspaper and originally pointed it out to her husband. Police had published the names and photos of two suspected masterminds of the bombings in Osun Defender newspaper.

As at press time, reports said Nigeria’s foreign ministry could not be reached for comment. South African police did not respond to queries about whether they were searching for Umejesi. Nigerian police say they had no information about Orlu using another name or living in South Africa.
The court would decide on Tuesday whether to grant bail to Okah. Magistrate Hein Louw scheduled his ruling for November 9 after lawyers presented their closing arguments yesterday in the three-week-old bail hearing.

Source; http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/newsonthehour/2010/nov/05/newsbreak-05-11-2010-001.htm

I happen to live here, it was a pathetic sight, a huge man squeezed into the boot of his own car like a bag of potatoes. Unearthing he killers is 'easy' if the police is serious about it.

I remember eating one kind cereal 'formula 2' in place of garri, which became very expensive then. I was in primary 5 then. IBB must be stopped!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it should be Ekiti. I served there and virtually every street had about 4 to 5 Professors living there, although most of them are from the Humanities or Social Science (Religion, History, Philosophy etc). There's a real dearth of Science teachers there.

50k

someone with a good HP or Dell lappy around Port Harcourt should contact willyluv101@yahoo.com or 08038770210. Cash is ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

where is your location, I would like to come check the lappy, am very much interested.

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