₦airaland Forum

The people of Umuoke Otulu Ahiara Auton­omous community in Ahiazu Mbaise Council Area of Imo State are still in shock, weeks after 22-year-old Chukwuebuka Umunna allegedly hacked his grandfather, a centenarian, to death.
Umunna committed the horrible and abom­inable act on June 11, 2016, because his grand­father, Anusiem Umunna, had reprimanded and advised him to be of good behaviour.
It was learnt from Chigaemezu Umunna, younger brother of the murder suspect, that trouble started when the deceased instructed Chukwuebuka to fetch bamboo sticks to support yam tendrils in their farms on that fateful day.
Chigamezu said that the suspect ordered him to leave the house or he would deal with him severely.
To avoid a confrontation, he left the house, but when he returned, Chigaemezu said that he found their grandfather dead on his seat with deep machete cut on his head with blood oozing from his nose and his mouth.
Instantly, he raised the alarm, which attracted neighbours who rushed in to witness the sacrilege.
Father of the suspect and second son of the deceased, Mr. Julian Umunna, disclosed that his son dropped out of secondary school and subsequent efforts made by the family for him to acquire vocational skills or learn a trade had failed.
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His words: “Chukwuebuka has been uncon­trollable and stubborn and he smokes Indian hemp openly and bullies anybody who cautions him. He was quarrelling with my father when I was going to work that morning. I was shocked to hear a few hours later that he had killed my father with a machete. It was a very sad incident because such a thing had never happened in this entire village.”
First son of the deceased, Columbus Umunna, who also spoke wondered what could have gone wrong with Chukwuebuka, whom, he said, was the favour­ite grandson of his late father.
Recalling the moments after he got the terrible news, he said: “I had to rush down from Aba, Abia State as soon I was informed of the unfortunate incident and the first thing that crossed my mind was what could have happened between the two because I know that Chukwuebuka is the favourite grandson of my father. But I was devastated when I heard of the abominable incident because my father was about a 100 years.”
He continued: “The entire family is still in shock because nobody would have expected such an ugly incident. I know that Chukwue­buka is a stubborn young man but no one would have thought that he would kill his own grandfather in cold blood. Right now the body of my father has been deposited at the Madonna Hospital mortuary.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Imo State Police Command, DSP Andrew Enwer­em, while confirming the incident said: “This is a murder case and the police are still investigat­ing the matter and as soon the investigation is concluded the suspect will be charged to court.

In the bid to expedite agricultural revolution in Nigeria, the Provost of Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Dr. Adeola Odedina, has said that cassava farmers in the country could yield 50 to 60 tonnes per hectare in their plantation to maximise their profit. READ MORE visit,www.facebook.com/developagriculture

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has assured that his administration is committed to agricultural development as a means of alternative revenue and ensuring food sufficiency in the state.
The governor gave this assurance when members of the 5th joint Federal Government of Nigeria/world bank implementation support mission on third national FADAMA development project (FADAMA III) paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Alausa, Ikeja.
While commending the World Bank and the Federal Government for selecting Lagos as one of the states for rice production, he assured that the State will play its part by providing funds and infrastructure to meet the needs of farmers in the state and ensure that the project succeeds.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Idiat Adebule, said the state’s government commitment to ensuring food security and enhance food production in the state necessitated its signing of memorandum of understanding on agriculture with the Kebbi state government, assuring that the positive effects of the collaboration will soon be felt by Lagosians.
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Ambode, while expressing confidence that the partnership would enhance food processing, production and distribution in the state, said his administration recognizes the importance of the agricultural sector in wealth and job creation as well as in growing the economy and has thus made the sector one of its cardinal programmes.
The task team leader, World Bank, Dr. Adetunji Oredipe, in his opening remarks said the FADAMA project was set out to assist small scale farmers and other groups in the provision of production assets, infrastructure, capacity building and advisory services.
He said that the World Bank, through FADAMA, identified rice, cassava, sorghum and horticulture as priority staple foods for support under the 200 million dollars FADAMA III Additional Financing aimed at scaling up production and increasing income of farmers.
“Lagos State has been selected for rice production under the current project because of the success stories of FADAMA parent projects in the state.
“The state has a huge market, population and also the States in the South West region of the country rely mainly on the Lagos market for the sales and purchase of agricultural produce, it is therefore, a commendable foresight for the World Bank and the Federal Government to have picked Lagos State for this special support,” he added. For more Visit,www.facebook.com/developagriculture

Former president Obasanjo urges African leaders to find a lasting solution to youth unemployment in their regions
Obasanjo calls for inclusiveness as he hosted ECOWAS president
He says ECOWAS was established 41 years ago, the sub-regional body were yet to be met Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria has urged the African nations to urgently address the lingering youth employment.
According to Obasanjo, should the African countries not address the issue of unemployment, there might be an outburst of violence. Obasanjo made this known when he played host to the newly appointed president of ECOWAS Commission, Marcel Alain de Souza, who led a four-man delegation to his residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.
He said: “On the issue of unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, I have maintained that all of us in West Africa, in our different countries and indeed in Africa, we are sitting on a keg of gun powder for as long as we do not pay adequate attention to youth unemployment.
“A situation where more than 50% of our youths are unemployed is extremely dangerous. We now have a situation in part of West Africa where people now are dying of starvation.
“Is it that we are not producing enough food or if we are producing what we produced evenly, whatever it is it is shameful, it has led us to be begging international community for supply of food to any part of West Africa, it is not right‎?”
According to Obasanjo, who is currently a special envoy of ECOWAS to Guinea-Bissau, the expectations from the sub-regional body when it was established 41 years ago were yet to be met.
ALSO READ PHOTOS: Buhari vs Obama in Serving Food To People, Who Did it Better?
He said: “So the attention that we should have paid to the original objectives which is economic integration, economic development, socio economic, economic progress, we have been diverted. “Of course peace and security is the foundation of any socio-economic development and growth. Of necessity we have to pay attention to base on security.
“My involvement in Guinea-Bissau was an enduring involvement. “I have been in that development when I was in government as President of Nigeria and Nigeria and ECOWAS appointing me as special envoy that kept my involvement and my interest.
“I want to say this that most of these conflicts, most of these causes of insecurity or breach of insecurity were because adequate attention had not been paid to what I will call inclusiveness, inclusiveness in terms of political, economic and social development of all our countries, inclusiveness gender wise, inclusiveness social wise, inclusiveness religious wise, inclusiveness ethnic wise and we must appeal to our leaders in our sub region to take these issue of inclusion seriously.”
Meanwhile, Obasanjo had on Tuesday, June 21 rued that the 774 local government areas across the country have been rendered “impotent”and almost “bastardized,” following the massive encroachment into their affairs by the state governors.
He said the glaring injustices and overbearing influence of the governors which they hand down routinely to the LGAs are such that they cannot tolerate it should the Federal Government elect to treat them the same way.

M4gunners:
I think when they were about to mark one year in office they brought out 2 girls from nowhere and claim they are chibok girls. I say it again vhibok girls is a scam. Why can't they rescue the rest since then?

hahahahh na So!!!

SHOCKER!!! ANAMBRA COMMUNITY KILLS 70 COWS OWNED BY FULANI HERDSMEN – WHAT GOV OBIANO DID NEXT WILL SHOCK YOU (MORE DETAILS)
Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state has paid compensation to herdsmen for about 70 cows that were allegedly killed by a host community of Umumbo in Ayamelum Local Government Area of the state.
He equally paid compensation to a community in the state whose farmlands were invaded by herdsmen.
This was disclosed to newsmen on Friday by the leader of the Muslim community in the state, Alhaji Garba Haruna, in Awka, the state capital.
Haruna, who doubles as the Special Assistant to the governor on Muslim Affairs, stated that the efforts of the governor have brought peace between herdsmen and host communities in the state.His words, “Our governor can be called ‘the man who saw tomorrow’.
“Before this problem of herdsmen began, Governor Obiano had constituted a committee on the cattle menace.
“The committee is headed by the Commissioner of Police in the state. I’m a member of that committee.
“And at various times, this committee had handled and settled disputes between host communities and herdsmen in the state.
“On one occasion the governor paid compensation for over 70 cows to herdsmen, while host communities whose crops were destroyed were compensated by the state governor.”
Haruna enjoined Muslims not to indulge in any form of killing but to maintain the holiness of the Ramadan season.WHAT DO HAVE TO SAY
Describing his principal as “the man who saw tomorrow”, the aide commended the governor for his foresight in handling the affairs of non-indigenes of the state.

abangaLEE:
he will meet one after 8years let's keep our finger crossed

Before then their will be no life again lol!!

abangaLEE:
he will meet one after 8years let's keep our finger crossed

Before then their will be no life again

The Bring Back Our Girls movement has lamented the inability of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to meet any of its demands, a year after its first parley with the president.
Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari (2nd L) and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (L) listen to coordinator of the Bring Back Our Girls group Oby Ezekwesili (C) as she speaks about the ongoing campaigning for the release of Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram Islamists during a meeting with President Mohammadu Buhari in Abuja, on July 8, 2015. AFP PHOTO
In a statement read Friday during a special sit-out in Abuja to evaluate its achievements one year after engaging with the president, BBOG said it is extremely disappointing that none of the five demands has been completed.
“On 8th July 2015, the #BringBackOurGirls movement, parents of our abducted #ChibokGirls and representatives of the Chibok community had an engagement with the new President, Muhammadu Buhari. This was necessitated by the need to establish fact, the urgency of our cause and dispel misconceptions about our movement, especially considering the treatment we had received from the preceding administration. At the time of that engagement, our 219 girls had been in captivity for 450 days and the President acknowledged government failure with regards to the rights of our girls and victims of the insurgency.
“As part of our submissions to the President, we presented Our crowd-sourced Citizens’ Solution to End Terrorism, Verification, Authentication and Reunification System (VARS), and a List of Demands”, the group said in the statement which w as jointly signed by Dr Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu.
Its initial demands were the implementation of the Verification, Authentication and Reunification System VARS, Protocol of Engagement with the Citizens among others.
“We proposed that a team be tasked with the credible implementation of VARS. The primary task of the team was to work with every abducted victim’s family and community to accurately ascertain the true identity of such individuals. Following their accurate identification, the comprehensive program for Recovery, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Reintegration was to be made available to them. It was also supposed to entail the setting up of a Missing Persons’ Register.
“We requested that the President direct relevant Government representatives to work with the BBOG Family to commence work immediately on an Accountability Matrix, which will define the protocol for obtaining and sharing information with citizens. We also suggested a monthly meeting between security operatives and community stakeholders in communities most affected by these acts of violence e.g. Chibok, Gwoza and Bama. We believed at that time that it would encourage much needed collaboration and information sharing to bridge the identified communication gap.
“We requested that the President direct the establishment of a Commission charged with the task of transparently investigating and reporting on the security lapses that caused their successful abduction and the operational leadership failures that led to their long captivity in terrorist enclave. This Commission was also to review the allegations of corruption within our security services that has hindered its capacity to perform effectively
“We requested that the President direct that the Report of the Presidential Fact Finding Committee of the Chibok Girls and the Presidential Committee on Security Challenges in the North East be made public immediately.
“We suggested that the Government begin, in earnest, a holistic process of proper sensitization and enlightenment to curb this trend of youth radicalization and extremism. The BBOG Family indicated willingness to work with the Government to design the programme. We departed with the hope of re-engaging the administration towards setting clear timelines and deliverables for the five requests.
“A year later, it is extremely disappointing that none of the five demands has been completed. Specifically, a failure to implement VARS means we still do not have a cohesive system of identifying liberated citizens or even a database of those affected. Thanks to an initial partnership between the #BringBackOurGirls movement and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)

The warning, on Tuesday, 5th July 2016 by the United States Mission in Nigeria of planned terrorist attacks on Lagos hotels patronised by foreigners is one which must not be taken lightly.
According to it: “The US Mission in Nigeria advises that groups associated with terrorist activities might be planning attacks on hotels in Lagos frequented by international visitors, including those located on waterfronts, during the Eid el Fitri holidays”.
Buhari observing the Eid el-Fitr prayer at the Mambilla Barrack, Abuja
Today, being the third day of the Sallah holiday declared by the Federal Government, will be characterised by a festive ambience in which large crowds of holidaymakers flock to places of amusement in major cities across Nigeria. It might provide an uncommon opportunity for the agents of darkness and bloodshed to target innocent merrymakers as well as foreign visitors.
The world is still reeling from waves of terror attacks as the Muslim month of fasting (Ramadan) neared its end. Three major Muslim-dominated countries – Turkey, Bangladesh and Iraq – were visited by Islamist terrorists, leaving behind grim harvests of death and destruction.
On June 29, 2016, the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul Turkey, was invaded by gunmen, leaving 41 persons dead and 239 injured. On the 2nd of July 2016, upscale Holey Artisan Restaurant in Dhaka Bangladesh, was also attacked with 21 people (mostly foregners) abducted and later systematically murdered. Two days later on Monday, 4th July 2016, terrorists struck again in Baghdad Iraq, with an estimated 250 killed and over 175 more wounded.
All these attacks were directly linked to groups loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which openly claimed responsibility. The Boko Haram Islamist terror outfit in Nigeria has for long pledged loyaltly to the Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi-led Islamic State. Like ISIS, Boko Haram is also reacting to the sustained bombardment of their enclave in Sambisa Forest by resorting to suicide bombings.
Already, military authorities have confirmed the routine apprehension of escaped Boko Haram fighters in Lagos. Everything, therefore, points to the real possibility of a major security breach, not just in Lagos and Abuja but also other big cities in Nigeria where foreigners frequent.
We,once again, reiterate our call for eternal vigilance, especially during this Sallah day and even well after. We advise Lagos residents to stay away from big hotels, amusement parks and beaches, at least for the time being, while the security agents do their work to ensure the safety of lives and property of the citizenry.
Nigeria has become a terror-endemic country, and we must keep our eyes open to learn from what is happening in other countries in order to stay safe. We must continue to cooperate with the security agencies because collective security is a partnershipp.

Today, Rivers State in Nigeria is termed as the ‘Rivers of blood’. To some of us who share a bond with this State, it pains us so much when such description is used for our dear State. Before divulging into the main aim of this treatise and for avoidance of doubt and for clarity, Rivers State is the hub of the oil industry in Nigeria and very rich in hydrocarbons, from which the nation draws its major revenue. The strategic importance of Rivers State in the socio-economic and political future of Nigeria cannot, therefore, be over-emphasised. A recent investigation by theEconomic Confidentiallisted Rivers State among four rich states in Nigeria, including Lagos, Delta, Ogun and Edo.
The fact remains that Rivers State has over the years evolved as the oil and gas nerve-centre of Nigeria. It has a growing population of about 5.1 million (the sixth most populous state in the country) and an impressive GDP of 21.07 billion USD – which is bigger than that of most African countries, such as Botswana, Rwanda, Nambia, Lesotho, etc. The enviable economic and socio-political scorecard of Rivers State has made it a war theatre, occasioned by some unscrupulous politicians that use the youths to cause deaths, mayhem among the citizenry of the state. Sadly, today, the state is confronted with security challenges, especially illegal bunkering, piracy, cultism, oil pipes destruction, kidnapping, armed robbery, political killings, etc.
This article, therefore, is influenced by the rise of kidnapping, heinous murders, criminal activities and other insecurity challenges in Rivers State. And, as a patriotic Nigerian, I intend to examine the causes of the recent rise in insecurity in the state and proffer suggestions on the way forward. This becomes imperative to avoid falling into the trap of late EmperorHaile Selassieof Ethiopia’s famous words: “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”
Genesis of current insecurity in Rivers State
The current state of insecurity in Rivers can be anchored and situated on two principal developments in the politics of the state: the gubernatorial ambition of Chief Nyesom Wike; and the political battle between Dr Goodluck Jonathan, erstwhile President of Nigeria and former Governor of Rivers State and incumbent Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi..
Wike’s ambition and creation of the ‘Rivers of blood’
Chief Wike’s ambition to succeed Amaechi as the governor of Rivers State may be shocking to most political watchers. It started from his days as chief of staff to the then Governor Amaechi. The fact remains that while Amaechi was busy providing dividends of democracy to the people, Wike, on the other hand, was busy undermining Amaechi and using all the connections and goodwill of the Rivers State Government not only to station his men in strategic positions in government, but to empower most of them financially through award of contracts, initiation and other means. He tested the ground of his ambition when he was appointed as the director- general for the re-election of Amaechi as governor of Rivers State in 2011. A position he ensured that only his men were appointed to strategic fields to serve as key mobilisers at the grassroots level. By the time he was appointed minister of state in the Ministry of Education, based on the recommendation of Amaechi to Dr Jonathan, Wike went further with his gubernatorial ambition plot by forming theGrassroots Development Initiative(GDI), a political pressure group he used to deceive the public, that it was formed to assist in the re-election of then President Jonathan; but, in fact, the outfit was formed to pursue his gubernatorial ambition. He used the outfit to formally recruit his foot soldiers for the battle ahead. Under our nose, this body was heavily financed and motivated, and its presence was established in all the constituencies of Rivers State.
It was this group that he used to dislodge over 11 key Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members that wanted to contest the 2015 governorship election under the PDP platform. Those that wanted to play games were properly beaten up and molested at the party’s national secretariat at Abuja. Before this time, Wike, based on political exigency, tactfully suppressed his gubernatorial ambition from public view. Instead, he offered himself as a tool to spearhead the political battle between Jonathan and Amaechi. He gave everything within him to execute this, with the PDP ticket as a target.
How Jonathan and Wike created the ‘Rivers of blood’
Genesis of the creation of ‘Rivers State of blood’by Jonathan and Wike stemmed from claims and rumour developed and spread around by members of their camp to win the hearts of Rivers people to their devious plot. That is, that the then Governor Amaechi will contest the office of the president or vice president with a candidate from the northern part of the country come 2015, thereby truncating the second-term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan who is from the same geo-political zone (South-south). This strategy sold like wide fire in the region. And, based on this evil assumption, Jonathan, using Wike as a tool, resolved to create the type of Rivers State we now have, where lives make no meaning.
Despite Amaechi’s great show of love to former President Jonathan, and in order to humiliate and annihilate him politically, the following steps were adopted. A few instances may suffice: A private jet of the Rivers State Government was grounded for no just cause; the PDP structure in Rivers State was taken away from Amaechi; his election as Chairman of Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), which was duly certified and widely acknowledged, was annulled by President Jonathan and his cohorts; he also supported the destruction of the once vibrant NGF by supporting 16 governors against 19. Besides, on May 27, 2013 Amaechi was suspended from the PDP, a party he so much loved and spent so much to build. They followed this up with his expulsion. Indeed, if not for divine providence, he would have been illegally impeached by five legislators (Chinda, Kelechi Godspower Nwogu (Omuma), Evans Bapakaye Bipi (Ogu/Bolo), Martins Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor I) and Victor Ihunwo (Port Harcourt III) who were loyal to the then Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, in a House of 32 members. Jonathan withdrew the security details attached to Amaechi, As if these were not enough, the president used state power to prevent Amaechi, then a sitting governor, from reaching Ekiti, in the South-western part of the country, to support the re-election of Dr Kayode Fayemi, because they were in the opposition then. Above all, a Police Commissioner by name Mr Joseph Mbu was posted to Rivers State to haunt, harass, torement, insult and abuse Amaechi publicly.
Apart from all the listed humiliating attacks against Amaechi, some oil wells formerly Rivers State were re-allocated to neighbouring sister-states – Baylesa and Akwa Ibom – thereby denying the state billions of naira. And to demonstrate his hatred for Rivers State, because of Amaechi, Jonathan took the proposed biggest dockyard in Africa meant for Bonny in Rivers State to Lagos State. When he lost the election, he revoked the project that was already 40 percent done. He equally stopped the implementation of the cleaning up of Ogoni land, renovation of the Port Harcourt International Airport as well as repair of major federal roads in the state.
Notable reactions to the siege
Prof Tam David-West, an illustrious son of Rivers State and a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, said: ‘Amaechi is an innocent man and his travails illustrate the Nigerian paradox, where excellence is relegated to the background and mediocrity is elevated. I’m particularly worried about the trend, not only because I am a Rivers State elder, not only because I am a strong supporter of Amaechi without any regret, I am also worried as a Nigerian; because what is happening to Amaechi underscores a terrible Nigerian paradox: which I call the paradox of excellence. We support him because those of us who grew up in Port Harcourt as a famous Garden City knew how the city changed to a rotten city. And Amaechi, who is also a Port Harcourt boy, returned the city back to its glorious garden city status. Any person that does not realise this is not only blind, but terrible.’
This great sage reminded Amaechi’s opponents thathe who laughs last, laughs best. He added, with emphasis, that the governor would laugh last, because his first name, Chibuike, means ‘God is strength.’ Though, David-West’s words came to pass as Amaechi ought to be laughing after sending Jonathan's evil PDP packing from the centre, but he is a very sad man as Wike has turned his beloved Rivers State to a slaughter house.

PLS I NEED YOUR why is nigeria actors ad actress .....
Nollywood icon Bukky Ajayi dies at 82
Nollywood icon Bukky Ajayi has died a day after her 82nd birthday, family members announced in Lagos on Wednesday.
Her death drew the curtain on an eventful career that culminated in her being awarded the 2016 AMVCA Industry Merit Award. AMVCA stands for African Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
The Industry Merit Award was given to the late diva alongside another veteran actor, Sadiq Daba, for their contributions towards the growth of the Nollywood.
A standing ovation greeted the announcement of the paralysed 82-year-old actress as she was wheeled to the stage to receive her award in the night of March 5 at the upscale Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
With tears rolling her cheeks, the octogenarian actress pleaded with anyone she may have offended to forgive her just as she had forgiven anyone that had offended her. Her speech was emotional as silence enveloped the hall while it lasted.
Bukky Ajayi was born a Christian but converted to Islam in the early eighties and chose the name Zainab.
Her love for the theatre started as a young girl when her father used to take her to the cinemas.
She used to tell her dad that one day she’s going to be like one of those actresses, but unfortunately he never lived to see her become an actress.
When she was a very young girl, her interest for acting was so much that she used to do a cardboard sort of cinema for children, and used to charge them half a penny to come and watch.
Later, the opportunity came for her to study in England. She was abroad for six years, as a Federal government scholar.
She left England and came back to Nigeria after her education in 1965 and started out working in Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) as a presentation assistant in 1966.
Afterwards, she became a presenter and then a news reader.
She presented a couple of children’s programmes and ‘Nigerian’s Sketches’, a programme which was all about Nigerian culture, and Diran Ajijedidun of blessed memory was her producer.
She was later transferred to Port Harcourt and later back to Lagos, and it was at that time she started her acting career.
She started with the ‘Village Headmaster’ in the 70s, and she later got a role in Amaka Igwe’s ‘Checkmate.’
She has featured in so many home videos that she has lost count.
•Background material from Thenet.ng. Photo shows late Bukky Ajayi.

Dino Melaye, the Senator representing Kogi West constituency in the national assembly, says no Nigerian including the president and governors – should have immunity.
A lot of judicial drama has been going on since the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) froze the Zenith Bank accounts of Ayo Fayose, governor of Ekiti state, with Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), saying governors can be arrested.
The senate has also put forward claims for immunity of senators, but Melaye, who weighed in on the issue while speaking to Osasu Igbinedion on The Osasu Show, has a different outlook.
“As an individual, speaking as Dino Melaye, I do not support immunity for any Nigerian irrespective of status or office. I am one of those actually propagating that the immunity clause be completely deleted in our constitution,” he said.
“The president should not have immunity, the vice president should not have immunity, the governors should not have immunity, their deputies should not have immunity.
“That would be a very, very wonderful way of fighting corruption, and also instituting fear in those who have been indoctrinated with corrupt initiatives.
“I understand also, the frustration of my colleagues that are asking for immunity clause for the senate president, and the speaker of the house of representatives and their deputies.
“I understand their frustration, and their frustration is coming from the fact that it is a deliberate effort to undermine and also subject the institution of the National Assembly to become a surrogate of the executive.”
FORGERY CASE PROOF THAT CCT HAS FAILED
Melaye also expressed his thoughts on the forgery case “unjustly” levelled against the senate president and his deputy, saying it is being orchestrated because of the failure of the CCT trial against Saraki.
“What the senate president is going through in the CCT from my own myopic point of view, is not prosecution but persecution.
“We all know that he’s suffering because he had ambition to become the senate president and a man should not be punished for having ambition.
“Ambition is something every individual who wants to make progress in life should have. In fact, our president is a very ambitious person, that’s why he contested for the presidency of this country, four different times.
“So it’s not a crime to be ambitious and Bukola Saraki should not be punished for been ambitious. So the CCT trial, for as far as I’m concerned is a persecution and the case is already falling like pack of cards under cross examination and I want to believe it is because of the failure of the CCT ongoing trial that an orchestration was made for the forgery case in the High court.”
MINISTERS SCREENED WITH ‘FORGED’ RULE BOOK
Melaye said the same rule book that is being regarded as forged is the same that was used for screening ministers and passing budget 2016.
“We are senators of the 8th Republic; the document (rule book) we were given by the bureaucracy — 48 hours clear before our inauguration — is the document we work with.
“And with that same document, we have received the president into the national assembly twice. With that same document, we had a joint section with the president in attendance, with the president of South Africa.
“With that same document, we screened the ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; with that same document, we screened the chairman of INEC; with that same document, we screened the DGs.” (TVC)

Constitutional lawyer, Fred Agbaje, on Tuesday said embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki should refrain from blaming the presidency and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for his woes over t his arraignment alongside three others for alleged forgery of the Senate Rules .
Agbaje in a chat said the claim by Saraki that he is being witch hunted is completely false.
According to him, though Saraki may have internal issues with the leadership of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Attorney- General is only carrying out his constitutional duty as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.
“Saraki is free to say whatever he likes against the presidency. Anybody in Saraki’s shoes will make the same allegations; moreso, when the man is being battered front, back right and centre. But again, who is to blame for the battering? It is Saraki only. When you carry a worm-infested stick, you must be ready to welcome the presence of animals that will come and prey on those worms”.
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“But let me say this from the point of law: Saraki said he is being witch-hunted. I don’t think so. An accused must always have someone to blame for his misfortune and that is what Saraki is doing. He has forgotten when he was playing with maggot-infested stick; he clearly didn’t remember the consequences. He may be having a running battle with his party, APC but that is not to say that he is being hunted by the Attorney-General of the Federation” .
“The AGF is merely carrying out his constitutional duty. As the AGF, he can prosecute anybody. He can take over any prosecution and he can even enter a nolle prosequi against Saraki and those involved in the case at the end of the day. In other words, that does not make the AGF abuse the doctrine of separation of powers. All that should guide him is the public interest. That is what the constitution says,” he said.

SAPELE- FORMER Member of the Delta Waterways Security Committee, DWSC, Warri, Delta State and ex-Itsekiri warlord, Comrade Omolubi Newuwumi, aka ‘Gentle General,” has warned that the Itsekiri ethnic nationality would defend itself if the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, does not desist from the provocative bombing oil and gas installations in its (Itsekiri) territory.
Avengers & Newuwumi
Newuwumi, the Itsekiri equivalent of Ijaw‘s Tompolo and former Commissioner for Youths in the state , told Niger Delta Voice: “The bombing of oil and gas facilities in Itsekiri territory is absurd; it is an act capable of provoking the Itsekiri nation and personalities like me.
I am categorically saying that if they continue, they may force us, Itsekiri, to protect our territory, especially if the present administration fails in their responsibilities to protect lives and properties. “
Bombings of oil installations
He said: “We will be prepared to assist the government to end the bombings of oil installations in our area just like the role of the civilian JTF in the north, which has yielded successful results. As I said before, the destruction caused us by the Ijaw, which wanted to wipe us (Itsekiri) from the earth’s surface is still there, years after the crisis ended.
“The memories are still fresh in our mind for those of us who lived to tell the sad tales of woes and wanton destruction and killings in our communities. We will not fold our hands this time to let them destroy us as they did before. “The then federal and state governments failed to protect us from the Ijaw until we decided to take our own destiny into our hands and defend ourselves. I just hope this present government will not abandon us to our fate,” he added.
Why Itsekiri youths are not throwing bombs:On why Itsekiri youths were not carrying arms and bombing pipelines in the creeks like their Ijaw counterparts, he said: “Itsekiri people are a group of intellectuals, peace -loving and law- abiding people, hence carrying guns is not a way of life for them. If you look at history, you will find out that it was an Itsekiri man, the late Justice Atake that first started the intellectual struggle for resource control even before Ken Saro Wiwa.
“So the struggle is not a new thing for us, it is just that we are not used to militancy, kidnapping and other forms of criminality in our fight for true federalism and equality for the region. Anyway, we are soon coming out with a formidable platform to tackle all these issues because the Itsekiri have kept silent for a while now.
New group:“Very soon, a new group, which is non-political called the Niger Delta Patriotic Front, NDPF, will emerge and come out with its agenda and demands. There will be no genuine negotiation without the full involvement of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality because in Delta for example, the numbers of oil wells in Itsekiri land is much more than that of any other tribe,” he asserted.
Encounters with Tompolo:On his attitude towards the struggle and what makes it different from Tompolo’s, ‘Gentle General’ said: “We share different ideologies. In the war (referring to Ijaw/Itsekiri war), the Ijaw, which Tompolo led was more like the aggressor, but I only rose to lead my people in defense when the government of that time failed to defend us against our more formidable opponents for more than two years.”
Total annihilation
Newuwumi said he had met with Tompolo on two occasions in the Benin River and his defunct Camp 5. His words: “Yes, during the battle to save my people from total annihilation from the surface of the earth, we met during the Warri crisis. I remember an occasion in the Benin River when I was coming from rescuing my people stranded in Ogheye community. I will tell that story at a later date.
“However, beyond that, we both represent different things to different people. Maybe we might be fighting the cause of liberating the people of the region from socio-economic slavery in the midst of plenty, but we sure have different ideologies and different ways of looking at things. “I for one, I repeat once again, abhor violence, kidnapping and destruction of government and oil companies’ installations to get even with government, but maybe he has a different approach.
“The choice of non-violence is a personal decision, which I have taken for a long time, but that does not mean that we, as Itsekiri, are weak, we only look at things from different perceptive. I am still a gentle general, as my people know me very well. It is just that I choose to remain calm and peaceful. “My second encounter was when we met also in his Camp 5 when we agreed to put an end to the crisis between the Itsekiris and the Ijaw. Like my first encounter, I will tell the story of my second encounter on a latter day.”
Avengers formed to destabilize Buhari govt:Scrutinizing the NDA and its mission, he said: “The pattern of their operation is very clear and an indication that it was formed to frustrate the present administration. The destruction of pipelines and oil installations is unmistakably terrorism and economic sabotage. Simply put, they are faceless, senseless and partisan in nature, and an orchestrated attemipt devised by corrupt individuals and politicians to frustrate the present administration’s resolve and determination to fight corruption in the country.”
He went on: “They are only using fighting for resource control for the Niger Delta as a means to achieve their egotistical desires because if not for their own selfish desire, why are they asking the federal government to release some individual found to be involved in corrupt practices.”
Newuwumi added: “Another aspect of the Avengers is the deliberate attacks on oil installations, which apart from killing the already Nigeria fragile economy is also destroying the region’s environment and its ecosystem. The destruction affects the immediate environment and health of the people the Avengers claim to protect.”
He also said: “Like the name, Avengers, I think it was primarily formed to avenge the prosecution of their brothers and some corrupt Nigerians, who are facing criminal charges, if not, what are they avenging and who are they avenging for?”
Attacks on Ayiri Emami
On the attacks by Ijaw people on Itsekiri leader, Chief Ayiri Emami, who has been very vocal against the Avengers, he said: “Without mincing words, those who are blaming him chose to run away from the obvious fact. The Niger Delta area is a peculiar terrain, where everybody seems to know each other. Nobody, I repeat nobody or group of persons will dare carry out such nefarious activities in backyard of the person he is pointing fingers at without his knowledge or him knowing them.”
Whom do Avengers represent?
Commenting on the plan to negotiate with Avengers, he said: “It just a pity that the Nigeria government has concluded arrangements to negotiate with them just like the amnesty deal. But to me, it is very unfortunate, especially with some of the conditions in their demands like the release of Col Sambo Dasuki (retd) and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu , which has no bearing whatsoever with the Niger Delta struggle.
“Well, let them negotiate with them; let us see what their demands are really and the persons behind the masquerade. It will also let us know or confirm if the person they said Ayiri is pointing fingers at is behind the whole arrangement. However, beyond all these, the question on my mind are who do they want to negotiate with, for whom are they negotiating and is it for the ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta or for only the Ijaw?
“Who are those to go there to negotiate with government? In whose interest, I do not think the negotiations will work because already the components of the formation of the group, NDA, is faulty, their demands are faulty and did not articulate all the demands of the Niger Delta people. “Just like the amnesty program, which made some individuals super rich and a particular ethnic group very rich, the negotiation is bound to fail unless the Federal Government do what is right for the people of the Niger Delta,” Newuwumi declared.

By Chidi Nkwopara
OWERRI—The national leadership of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, NCSU, and the Imo State branch of Association of Senior Civil Servants, are spoiling for war with the Governor Rochas Okorocha-led Imo State government over the compulsory leave slammed on the six management staff of the State Board of Internal Revenue, BIR, including the establishment’s Chairman, Mr. E. I. Onunaku.
Gov Rochas Okorocha
Similarly, labour is irked that the state Head of Service has equally approved the immediate redeployment of 132 officers and staff, whose grade levels range from 12 to 14, to other ministries.
Labour is of the opinion that “the state government’s action grossly violated both public service rules and labour laws.”
The position of the labour union was contained in a letter addressed to the Acting BIR Chairman, by the Assistant General Secretary of NCSU, Mr. Luke Dahang.
“We maintain our earlier opposition to deliberately disregard the extant laws and regulations guiding BIR operations.
“We must also state in clear terms that any attempt by individuals or group of persons, to forcefully eject BIR staff, who are members of our union, will be met with stiff resistance,” Dahang stated.
Continuing, the union warned that should the resistance result to unpleasant situation in the workplace, the state government would be held responsible.
While expressing worry that government had issued three circulars on the same subject matter, Dahang also said that this has created serious doubts in the minds of workers.

By Daud Olatunji
ABEOKUTA — Ogun State Deputy Governor, Chief Yetunde Onanuga, yesterday, escaped death in Ibafo in Obafemi-Owode when suspected Niger Delta militants engaged the security teams accompanying her to some borderline communities between Ogun and Lagos states, which were sacked by militants. The deputy governor accompanied by the service chiefs in the state had embarked on an inspection visit to Imushin, Elepete and Igbo-Olomu where some people were killed by suspected militants when the incident happened.
Onanuga was said to have been asked by Governor Ibikunle Amosun to visit the place to reassure residents of the commitment of the authorities towards providing adequate security for lives and property.
But the situation changed at Akoka Ebute area of Ibafo, in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area when suspected militants opened fire on the security operatives that accompanied the deputy governor.
However, there was no casualty during the gun battle which lasted for about 20 minutes.
Scores of people last Friday lost their lives when the militants launched violent attacks on some communities in the state.
Worried by the militants attacks, traditional rulers from the affected communities went on a “save our souls” mission yesterday and held a meeting with the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Taiwo Adeoluwa, in Abeokuta.
After the meeting, a state delegation led by the deputy governor visited the affected communities.
As an advance security team was approaching the Ibafo creeks where the suspected militants were believed to be hiding, a barrage of gunfire ensued, forcing the law enforcement agents to take cover.
Vanguard gathered that the security operatives, comprising soldiers and policemen , responded swiftly and repelled the suspected militants, who later retreated deeper into the creeks and escaped in the process.
The state delegation later made a detour from the troubled area after the deputy governor had assured the residents of commitment to their safety.
Reacting to the gun battle, the SSG expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the affected communities and called for urgent Federal Government’s assistance.
He said the exchange of gunfire between the security operatives and the daredevil criminals in broad daylight was regrettable.
Adeoluwa said, “It is a thing of regret that things have gone so bad in our country; at this level, the teams led by the deputy governor of the state were not able to have access to a part of our state. It means that without mincing words, the Federal Government needs to get involved in this.
“This is something that is beyond the capacity of the police. We need military task force like the one we have in Niger Delta; It’s necessary and desirable. As we can see in Elepete, Igbo-Olomu and Imagbon, nothing can be compared with the violence here in Ibafo.

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Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola
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Chineme Okafor writes that the sabotage of critical oil and gas infrastructure by militants is compelling reason for the federal government to accelerate policies to diversify Nigeria’s electricity generation sources to ensure energy security
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola recently declared that the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta was taking a great toll on the country’s electricity system, and that Nigeria’s economy was being made to pay for this acts.
Describing it as an unwholesome act, the minister in a disappointing voice, which sounded quite overwhelmed by the development, stated that the government was being forced to think fast on expanding the country’s sources of electricity.
“Repeated acts of vandalism have rendered us vulnerable and we have to proactively move to overcome that one single source of supply,” he said.
He explained that developing new and existing sources other than gas could take time but would eventually pay off and guarantee security of energy for her.
“We have seen from events that started around February 14 this year, repeated acts of vandalism of our gas pipelines that render us clearly vulnerable to one source of fuel for our energy development.
“That has challenged us to develop options and alternatives like solar in particular, and of course, hydro power plants in more quantitative response. So, we will be accelerating work on projects like Gurara Hydro Power Plant – phases 1 and 2, work has started on Zungeru Hydro Power Plant.
“We will also be accelerating work on Mambila Power Plant, which will give us the biggest single electrification source over a period of seven years that it is estimated to have it concluded.
“So, for us, this is a journey of diversification, a journey of electricity security for Nigeria and it is a journey that will ensure that in future it will be impossible to hold this country to ransom by controlling any particular source of fuel for electricity” he stated.
He noted when he launched the Building Energy Efficiency Guideline (BEEG) for Nigeria, that sustained sabotage of the country’s petroleum pipeline in the Niger Delta by militant groups has rendered the country’s public electricity supply system extremely vulnerable.
“I have always asked myself, why should I damage an asset that serves me because I am angry? It is a matter of public ownership and collective trust that anyone who tampers with it tampers with all of us and so no matter how angry you are, you must find another way to ventilate your anger, otherwise, it just doesn’t make sense to me,” he said in reference to the breaks.
According to the minister, because of such frequency in breakage of pipelines that feed gas to thermal power stations that produce more than 70 per cent of the country’s electricity, the federal government would be stepping up works on alternative supply sources like hydro, biomass, solar and wind.
He noted this effort would be more on accelerating works on several hydro power projects that have been on the drawing board, as well as other energy sources with the potential to minimise the impact that such cuts in gas supply exert on the country’s electricity sector.
He however did not rule out the fact that gas was about the most efficient energy source for Nigeria, but reiterated that unless new energy sources are brought to the grid, militants and other criminal elements could continue to hold the country at ransom with frequent pipeline breaks.
The minister stated that in line with such plans to ensure energy security, Nigeria would soon concession about eight small hydro power plants to private operators to build and operate.
Expectedly, power generated from these SHPs may have to be domiciled in cluster zones around them, thus sidestepping high transmission and distribution losses, which are prevalent in the country’s electricity system.
He equally disclosed that works on other bigger hydro plants like the Zungeru, Kashimbila and Mambila would be accelerated.
For Zungeru, he said work had resumed on it after issues related to its unplanned interruption was settled.
Mambila, he said could take up to seven years to come on stream if work begins on it soon, it however stands to give the country up to 3050 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
As at today, Nigeria has an installed electricity capacity of 13,308MW but only about 3,000MW to 4,500MW of power is generated and transmitted to its homes and industries which suffer the impacts of the shortage.
Due more to unavailability of gas to power turbines; pipeline breakdowns as it is today; water shortages in hydro dams up north; as well as systemic grid constraints from poor funding of transmission projects, the recent decision by the government to privatise the power sector has been questioned by its citizens.
A 2015 report by the Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP) indicated that altogether, up to 2700MW of power generation capabilities are regularly lost to gas constraints, as well as another 500MW to poor water management.
The NESP report also stated that several hundred megawatts of electricity are regularly lost due to line constraints.
As a support programme for the sector and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the NESP noted that there are opportunities the government should explore in on-grid renewable energy, energy efficiency and off-grid rural electrification to upgrade the country’s capacity.
Less talk, more action needed
Already, Fashola has admitted that the government’s talk about expanding Nigeria’s electricity sources would need more work than talk. This in essence suggests he understands what it would require to achieve the goal.
As it stands, experts who spoke with THISDAY on this subject stated that the government’s plan can only be taken serious when it matches it with tenable acts.
They said for example that the Renewable Energy Master Plan (REMP) which was in 2005 drafted by the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and reviewed in 2012 has not been articulated by the government as a potential tool for upgrading the immense contribution of the renewables to the country’s energy mix.
Although, the REMP was in May 2015 thought to have been replaced by the National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy (NREEEP) which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
According to them the REMP document spells out in clear terms, Nigeria’s vision and strategies for increasing the role of renewable energy in the mix.
Specifically, the NESP report stated that the REMP does not precisely differentiate between on-grid and off-grid generation, but refers to integrating renewable energy into buildings, electricity grids and other distribution systems.
Industry experts state that government can begin by adopting the REMP which targets higher electrification rates, from 42 per cent in 2005 to 60 per cent in 2015 and 75 per cent by 2025.
The NESP report noted for example that the REMP has still not been signed off by the government or formulated into a law to govern renewable energy development in the country.

Breaking: EFCC arrests Fayose's close aide
– The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly arrested the close aide of the Governor Ayo Fayose of the Ekiti state
– Source reveals that Abiodun Agbele was accused of diverting public funds and distributing them to Fayose
– The spokesman of the Ekiti state governor confirmed the arrest, but denied that his boss received any money from the office of the former national security adviser
Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state
Premium Times has obtained information that Abiodun Agbele, a close aide of Governor Ayodele Fayose was arrested by the operatives of the EFCC in Lagos.
The insiders said that he is currently being detained at the Lagos office of the anti-corruption agency.
The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest but did not give further details. “It is true that we arrested some men who were fronting for governor. They are in our Lagos Office. That is all I can say for now,” he said.
READ ALSO: Stop intimidating Fayose, Ekiti state national assembly tells FG
At the same time Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, confirmed the development.
Olayinka said: “Our attention has been drawn to the arrest of Mr Abiodun Agbele by the EFCC and we wish to say that we encourage the EFCC to carry out its investigations without politics as it is being done now.
“It must be pointed out that at no time was Mr Abiodun Agbele invited by the EFCC, and if he had been invited, he would have honoured the invitation. Therefore, there is nothing to celebrate in his arrest if it is not political.
“As already pointed out, Governor Ayodele Fayose does not have anything to do with any fund from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). He has stated how his election was funded and Zenith Bank that he said funded his election has not denied doing so.
“Also, the person said to have been arrested is an adult and will defend himself when the time comes. Subjecting him to media trial as EFCC has been doing since the inception of this government will only give our adversaries momentary sense of joy.
READ ALSO: God is angry with the Buhari-led government – Fayose
“We await reports of EFCC investigations and we hope that the anti-corruption agency will be civil enough to allow an open and transparent trial in competent court of law and not media trial just to get at Governor Fayose because of his uncompromising stance against the misrule of the APC/Buhari led federal government.
“Whatever stories being circulated by the EFCC and its political allies can at best be regarded as rumour as we were all in Nigeria when Nigerians were told that $700m cash was found in the House of Mrs Diezani Allison Madueke and the story turned out to be lie.
“Finally, like we have maintained, Governor Fayose will remain resolute in making his opinions known on national issues and will not be intimidated.”
Agbele was reportedly arrested for assisting Fayose to handle over N1.219bn during the Ekiti state governorship poll in 2014.
The N1.219bn was said to be part of the N4.7bn that was stolen from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser and put into the bank account of a company belonging to the sons of ex Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.
The EFCC had last Monday frozen the bank accounts of the Ekiti governor in connection with an ongoing investigation.
On his own part, Mr. Fayose, who advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to see himself as a saint, supposed that the president’s wife, Aisha, was fingered in a money laundering scandal during the Olusegun Obasanjo government.
More visit www.starmediangbaseblogspot.com

– Charles Okah who has been in detention for the 2010 independence day bombing reportedly escape
– He allegedly escaped from from Kuje prison by scaling the prison walls
– The Nigerian Prison Service has however denied the escape and insists he is still in detention
According to Sahara Reporters, Charles Okah who is a member of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) has escaped from Kuje prison.
Okah who is the brother of Henry Okah who was the leader of the group escaped on Friday, June 25 by scaling the high fence of the prison walls.
Okah has been on trial for the 2010 Independence Day bombing that killed 27 people during the country’s 50th independence anniversary.
The escape happened around 7:30 pm and he reportedly jumped the prison walls with another inmate.
READ ALSO: Charles Okah appears in court without wheel chair
Security operatives have begun a massive manhunt to apprehend him.
Henry who is the senior Okah has since been convicted by a court in South Africa.
MEND which used to be a notorious militancy group eventually accepted the federal government’s amnesty and stopped the destruction of pipelines and kidnap of oil workers.
However, Daily Trust has reported that the news of Okah’s escape from Kuje prison is not true.
FrancisEnoborewho is the public relations officer of theNigerian Prisons Service claimed he was in touch with security operatives on ground and that Okah was still in detention.
The prison wall
He said:“It is not true, Charlse Okah is still in custody. I have been in touch with our men in the prison facility and there is nothing like that [Okah escaping].”
He however admitted that there was an incident at the prison on Friday.
“Yes there was an incident yesterday, but Henry Okah was not involved.”
Okah infamously tried to commit suicidein court in 2015 after he addressed Justice Gabriel Kolawole and claimed that former president, Goodluck Jonathan was responsible for his travails.
He had said:“I have been incarcerated for about five years now, and I have a family to cater for.‎
“My children would grow up without feeling the warmth of their father. ‎I am tired of this endless trial.”
Earlier this year, Okah embarked on a hunger strike to protest against harassment by officials of the Kuje prison.

…battle Algeria, Cameroon, Zambia
The Super Eagles will play Zambia’s Chipolopolo, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions and Algeria’s Fennecs in the final round of qualification series for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.
Nigerian national football team poses during the African Cup of Nations qualification match on March 25, 2016 in Kaduna.
In what is already dubbed the group of death by pundits, the three-time African champions, who will not play in next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, face a tough route to qualify for Russia 2018 given the high quality of their opponents in the group.
The draw conducted at the Cairo Marriott Hotel put all former African champions in the same Group B, with reigning continental champions Cote d’Ivoire to tackle Gabon, Mali and Morocco in Group C.
Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles head Group A that also includes Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea, and Ghana’s Black Stars will do battle with the Pharaohs of Egypt, Congo’s Red Devils and Uganda’s Cranes in Group E.
Senegal’s Teranga Lions, which reached the World Cup quarter –finals in its debut in 2002, head Group D that also includes South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, Burkina Faso’s Etalons and Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks.
“It is a tough draw, but then I have always said that you have to beat the best to get to the World Cup. Now we have the draw, we know how to prepare. The preparation has to start right now and we must make good use of every single day leading to the kick –off of the series. “The other pools are tough as well, because for me, you can never afford to under –rate any team these days. Now we must quickly sort out the issue of Head Coach and his assistants and put every other thing in place in good time,” NFF president Amaju Pinnick said.
Algeria knocked Nigeria out of the race to the 1982 FIFA World Cup, but Nigeria also overpowered Algeria to qualify for the 1994 finals in USA.
Read more visit www.starmediabaseblogspot.com

…battle Algeria, Cameroon, Zambia
The Super Eagles will play Zambia’s Chipolopolo, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions and Algeria’s Fennecs in the final round of qualification series for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.
Nigerian national football team poses during the African Cup of Nations qualification match on March 25, 2016 in Kaduna.
In what is already dubbed the group of death by pundits, the three-time African champions, who will not play in next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, face a tough route to qualify for Russia 2018 given the high quality of their opponents in the group.
The draw conducted at the Cairo Marriott Hotel put all former African champions in the same Group B, with reigning continental champions Cote d’Ivoire to tackle Gabon, Mali and Morocco in Group C.
Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles head Group A that also includes Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea, and Ghana’s Black Stars will do battle with the Pharaohs of Egypt, Congo’s Red Devils and Uganda’s Cranes in Group E.
Senegal’s Teranga Lions, which reached the World Cup quarter –finals in its debut in 2002, head Group D that also includes South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, Burkina Faso’s Etalons and Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks.
“It is a tough draw, but then I have always said that you have to beat the best to get to the World Cup. Now we have the draw, we know how to prepare. The preparation has to start right now and we must make good use of every single day leading to the kick –off of the series. “The other pools are tough as well, because for me, you can never afford to under –rate any team these days. Now we must quickly sort out the issue of Head Coach and his assistants and put every other thing in place in good time,” NFF president Amaju Pinnick said.
Algeria knocked Nigeria out of the race to the 1982 FIFA World Cup, but Nigeria also overpowered Algeria to qualify for the 1994 finals in USA.
Read more visit www.starmediabaseblogspot.com

An ex-police corporal, Christ Oboko, who is also a pastor and leader of a notorious robbery gang terrorizing Port Harcourt City, Rivers State, for a long time, has been arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT. The suspect who was attached to a special criminal squad code named C4I, in Rivers State, was arrested alongside three others.
Victor & Oboko
They were said to have confessed during interrogations of having stolen several vehicles, within Port Harcourt city, which they sold to buyers in Owerri, Imo State.
Oboko who resides at Police Barack in Borokiri area of the city was said to be the gang’s armorer who provided the guns which the gang used in its operations. He also provided cover for them while moving the stolen vehicles to the buyers
Police sources disclosed that members of his gang while terrorizing Port Harcourt city enjoyed full protection from Oboko, who normally secured bail for them and defended them whenever they were arrested by the police. A police source disclosed that Oboko normally produced fake vehicle documents for each vehicle that was snatched and he also changed the vehicle engine and chassis numbers before transporting to the buyer.
When Crime Guard interviewed Oboko, he confessed snatching eight vehicles and selling them to one Victor based in Owerri. 35-year-old Oboko, who is a native of Onitcha Ugbo in Delta state lamented that his informant lured him into crime; “I am married with children and I reside at Police Barracks on Iche Street, Borokiri, Port Harcourt. I joined the Nigeria Police Force in April 2003 and I have served at Boroki Police Division.
From there I went to Special Anti-Robbery Squad SARS before joining C4I. I started the business of car snatching in 2015 when I meet Amandi. He was he our informant and he lured me into robbery. It all started when Amandi brought two vehicles and gave them to Victor Nwogu to sell. I met them during the negotiation and from there I offered to join them.
Our exploits
I robbed a Toyota Camry car at D-line area of Port Harcourt . We took the car to Victor in Owerri. I sold the car to him for N200,000. Three of us were involved. I took N70,000 and gave Amandi and Kelvin the balance to share. On the second operation, the three of us also went to D-line where we stole three Camry cars from the park. We took the vehicles to Victor in Owerri who paid us N360, 000. I got N150, 000 as my share.
We also snatched a Toyota Corolla, from Elelanwan area with a gun and took the car to Victor who paid N250,000. I took N80,000 and I gave the rest to Amandi and Kelvin to share. We also snatched a Toyota Spider at GRA, from its owner at gun point and parked it inside Borokiri sand field. But before we arrived in the morning the car had been removed.
Aiding, abetting criminals
I was always going to secure the release of my gang members whenever they were arrested by the police and I don’t know what came over me. I am the resident Pastor of Battle Axe Assembly church at Chuba Allo area of Port Harcourt and I have a calling. I just don’t know what pushed me to go and join Amandi in his evil business.
On his part, his partner in crime, Amandi, a 27-year-old native of Bayelsa State, opened up on their exploits too. He said; “I was a commercial bus driver before I went into robbery and I started by snatching cars. One of my friends, Kelvin, who we normally call Side-Mirror, a fellow commercial bus driver led me into my first gang headed by one Okute, who is from Edo State.
Side-Mirror and I were both drivers but he was always looking better and spending more money than me. When my wife became pregnant and I needed money to arrange for her delivery, and things were not working well for me, I approached Side-Mirror for assistance and he revealed that bus driving wasn’t the only job he did He took me to his boss, one Okute at Diop area of Port Harcourt area and since I was a good driver, I was accepted into the gang. When I joined I discovered that Okute had several boys working for him . Whenever my boss wanted to go for an operation, he would come to our base at Market Junction in Port Harcourt, and pick anyone he wanted to work with.
We stole five cars in one night operation
“I went to five operations with him and in our first operation, we stole a Toyota Camry at Market Junction. My boss saw the car where it was parked and liked it, he then stole it in the night and took it to Owerri and gave it to one Kabiru, a uniformed man. In my second operation, we stole five cars in one night. Three of us were involved in that operation and we first stole a white colored Toyota Corolla from Elekoyo Estate, Port Harcourt. We also stole two Nissan Sunny vehicles from Artillery area of Port harcourt as well as two Toyota Camry cars from D-line area of Port Harcourt.
We parked all the cars at Diop and the next day, we called Ifeanyi, an ex-policeman to assist us drive the cars to Owerri, and hand it over to Kabiru, who paid N500,000 for the two Camrys while Okute alone went and collected the balance . He gave me N60, 000 as my share. Side-Mirror and I became angry with Okute. Two weeks later he came to Port Harcourt with a Toyota Corolla and he asked us to watch over it but Side-Mirror made away with it and appealed to him to give us the balance from the five cars we took to Owerri, but he lied that he had not been paid.
My encounter with Corporal Oboko
Two of my friends, who kidnapped a former local government Chairman in Bayelsa State brought two of the man’s cars to me to sell in Port Harcourt, and when I was checking the cars in Nembe Waterside, Corporal Oboko and one of his colleagues confronted us and took the cars away from us. He didn’t take the cars to the station but converted the cars to his own use. Three months after, he saw me on the road and asked me to forgive him saying that he would like me to work with him.
He took me to his boss at C4I and told him that I was highly resourceful and I can give them information about armed robbers operating within Rivers state. His boss promised to reward me handsomely if I assisted them and I accepted. I gave them information that led to the arrest of big armed robbers and they recovered assorted arms and ammunition.
I was rewarded as promised but after some month, Corporal Oboko called me and said that the car he took from me was giving him trouble and he needed another car and wanted me to get it for him. I told him that I had stopped stealing cars since I started working with them, but he insisted and said that he would follow me to wherever I wanted to steal the car and would ensure that I was successful.
Robbery operations with Oboko
We both went out on the first operation and we stole a Honda end of discussion. He then gave his father the old car and started riding the new one. He then suggested that we should go for more robberies. He also established contact with a stolen vehicle receiver in Owerri, and we started stealing cars from parks around Port Harcourt at night.
We stole several cars and took them to the receiver in Owerri and we shared the proceeds equally. We were very close to the extent that when ever I was arrested, my people would call him and he would come to the police station and tell them that I was his boy and I worked for C4I and the policemen would release me. At a point, Oboko said he was tired of operating at the dead of the night and he wanted to start using guns to snatch cars whenever he needed them.
I thought he was joking , but few days after he said this, he brought two pistols, which he claimed he bought. We did several operations together around Port Harcourt, but at a point, Oboko started cheating me. After snatching a car he would take it to the receiver, sell it and refused to give me my share. He also stopped carrying me along and was working with some other boys he knew through me. Not long after then, I was arrested and I led the police to apprehend him.

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