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Two suspected members of a kidnap gang were shot dead on Thursday as they engaged operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad in a gun battle in Odeda area of Ogun State.
The FSARS had gone to rescue the wife of a pastor allegedly kidnapped by the suspects when they engaged the operatives in a gun battle.
The woman, who boarded a taxi going to Eleweran, was forcibly taken to a bush in Kila village in Odeda, where she was held hostage.The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said trouble started at about 1pm on the fateful day when a distress call was made to the police that one Mrs. Ajayi, a pastor’s wife, had been kidnapped along the Abeokuta-Ibadan Road.
He said the kidnappers from the location put a call across to Ajayi’s husband, informing him that his wife was in their custody and demanded a N2m ransom.
Oyeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said the pastor quickly informed the police, after which the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, directed the officer in-charge at FSARS, Uba Adam, to go after the gang.
Adam led his men to the bush where the suspects were traced to and engaged them in a gun battle which lasted about 45 minutes.
He added that at the end of the encounter, two members of the gang were shot and arrested but they died on the way to hospital.
Oyeyemi, who said the victim was rescued unhurt, however, explained that one of the policemen was injured and currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.
He said two locally made single-barrelled guns and four live cartridges, were recovered from the hoodlums.
As the search for the kidnapped Dapchi schoolgirls continues, a human rights activist, Aisha Wakil, has claimed that she was contacted by a Boko Haram faction that confirmed that it had the missing girls.
Wakil, who is popularly called Mama Boko Haram, was a member of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, which was set up during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Wakil made the claim in a video interview with the News Agency of Nigeria that has gone viral on the social media, saying the terrorist group had made contact with her on Thursday. She is believed to have communication links with the leadership of the sect and also believed to have played some roles in negotiations between the Federal Government and Boko Haram insurgents that resulted in the release of persons kidnapped by the group in the past.
Earlier in the week, Wakil had pleaded with the abductors of the schoolgirls to release them so that they could reunite with their families.
But in the fresh video, Wakil said, “They are even the ones that called me and said Mama, we heard what you have said and told me that they are with the girls and they are going to release them.
“I begged of them and said please let this not be another 1,000-plus days of Chibok girls, and they laughed and said no. I asked them where I can come and stay with them (girls) for two days, but they did not say anything.
“I can assure Nigerians that so far they are with my son, Habib, and his friends; Habib is a nice guy, he is a very nice boy. He will not harm them, he will not touch them, and he will not kill them. He is going to listen to us, and so far, he indicated interest that he loves peace. And I love them for that and believe what they said on this.
“They will definitely give us the girls. All I am begging Nigerians is to calm down, be prayerful, everything will be over in God grace (sic).”
The Federal Government had on Tuesday released the names and other details of the 110 girls who had yet to be accounted for, following the recent attack on the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, on February 19. The missing girls are believed to have been kidnapped by the group.
Search for missing girls extended to neighbouring countries -FGIn April 2014, 276 girls were similarly abducted in a school in Chibok, Borno State.
Dapchi SchoolgirlsMeanwhile, the ongoing search for the missing girls has been extended to the neighbouring countries, the Federal Government has said.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said top military and security officials on Thursday travelled to the North-East to add more urgency to the search, which has now been extended beyond the North-East.
The officials include the nation’s top military officer and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; Chief of Army Staff; Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Alhaji Lawal Daura.
Mohammed said these officials joined the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who had earlier relocated to the North-East, as well as the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), who had also visited the theatre.
The panel set up by the Federal Government to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls was inaugurated on Thursday by the NSA.
Our strategies leak to B’Haram, says DHQ
The Defence Headquarters, Abuja, said on Friday that the military henceforth would not disclose its strategies on the missing Dapchi schoolgirls to the media as such information got to the Boko Haram insurgents and gave them room to re-strategise.
The Acting Director of Defence Information, Brig. –Gen. John Agim, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, and Service Chiefs as well as the Director-General, Department of State Services, met in Maiduguri, Borno State, and reviewed the ongoing operation to rescue the Dapchi schoolgirls.
Agim said one of the recommendations after the meeting was that the military, henceforth, would discuss only its successes in the rescue operation, rather than its strategies.
The DDI said, “During the meeting, the pattern of information management in all the military operations was reviewed. It was sadly observed that the military operation strategies have always been in the media, thereby giving the terrorists an opportunity to re-strategise. It was recommended that, henceforth, the military will be communicating the successes rather than strategies.
“It is also very important to be mindful of speculations that could jeopardise the ongoing efforts as well as put the lives of the schoolgirls at risk. For instance, the speculation that fishermen and farmers have been employed by the military to search for the abducted girls is misleading. Even though the military is soliciting useful information to facilitate its operations, the fishermen and farmers have not been singled out for this assistance.”
JNI directs Imams to hold special prayers in mosques
Muslim clerics from across the country have, however, called for special prayers for the missing girls.
For instance, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll -led Jama’atu Nasril Islam has directed all Muslim preachers (Imams) to offer special prayers for the quick and safe rescue of the schoolgirls.
The Secretary-General of the JNI, Khalid Aliyu, told one of our correspondents in Kaduna that the body had directed all Imams to offer special prayers for the rescue of the girls.
Aliyu said the special prayers were necessary to seek divine intervention so that the case of the Dapchi girls does not end up like that of the Chibok schoolgirls.
He said, “Fervent observance of Adhkar (remembrance of Allah) should also be ventured into by all Muslims, as it is a vital tool for easing fears, tension and uncertainties such as the myriad security challenges bedevilling Nigeria.
“Similarly, supplications in Sujood (prostrating position) in all circumstances are also paramount.
“We implore all Muslims particularly Imams to continue Qunootun Nawazil (special prayers at calamitous periods in the last Rak’at of each obligatory prayer and non-obligatory prayers) seeking Allah’s intervention.”
Muslims in Yobe, Taraba, Nasarawa, Adamawa pray for girls’ rescue
Similarly, Muslims in Yobe, Nasarawa, Adamawa and Taraba states on Friday offered prayers for the quick rescue of the abducted schoolgirls.
In Yobe State, the Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Religious Affairs, Ustaz Babagana Mallakyari, told Saturday PUNCH that they were dedicating the day’s prayers to the quick recovery of the girls.
Mallakyari, who is also the Chief Imam of Mokas Mosque, Damaturu, said, “There is nothing more than prayers for now as far as this issue is concerned and that is why since last week, we have dedicated special prayers for the release of the girls.
“The federal and state governments are doing their best in terms of deployment of security for the search of the girls, but they need our prayers. I want to call on all to join in praying for the release of the girls.”
Also, the Fika Emirate Council in Yobe State on Friday directed all Imams, worshippers and mosques to commence rigorous prayers for the safe return of the girls.
In a statement issued in Potiskum and signed by the Assistant Secretary, Fika Emirate Council, Potiskum, Alhaji Ali Gimba Gonki, the Emirate said the prayers would commence immediately after Juma’at prayers at Fika Emirate Central Mosque in Potiskum.
The statement “urged all Muslims in the state to pray for the safe return of the girls.”
In Taraba State, the Muslim Council had directed all Muslims in the state to pray for a safe and timely rescue of the schoolgirls.
The Secretary-General of the council, Alhaji Chindo Mohammed, disclosed this on Friday in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents.
“What we normally do in situations like this is to direct adherents of Islam in the state to pray.
“This is not the first time we are doing this, we have been doing that and in the case of Dapchi, we have also directed our members to pray.
“I want to confirm to you that prayers for the quick rescue of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls have been going on in the state in the past days,” he said.
The Chief Imam, Issa Elele Central Mosque, Ilorin, Kwara State, Abubakar Aliyu-Kamal, also said that prayers were held during Friday’s Jumat for the release of the pupils.
He said, “Why should we not protect our youths today? If we do not protect our youths, we are creating a problem for the future of Nigeria.
“The Nigerian government should deploy more security operatives in that place so as to enhance the security of lives and property as well as achieve peace. Without peace, the nation cannot grow.
“We will pray for Allah’s intervention so that the abducted girls would be released and that they would return safely and peacefully. We will also pray for Yobe State so that peace and harmony will return in the place. We will also pray for Nigeria.”
The Deputy Chief Imam, Bekaji Central Mosque, Mohammed Lawal, also said prayers would be offered by Muslims in Adamawa State for the release of the girls, adding that religious leaders were duty bound to “pray for the success of everyone and peace in the society.”
“We are praying for the rescue of the Dapchi schoolgirls, the President, governors, and the remaining abducted Chibok girls,” he said.
In the same vein, the Modibbo Haruna Buhari Charity Organisation in Nasarawa State called for fervent special prayers by Nigerians for God’s intervention to end security challenges in the country.
Chairman, Board of Trustees of the organisation, Mr. Modibo Suleiman-Masaka, said, “My appeal is to the religious leaders and other Nigerians to offer special prayers for God’s intervention for an end to kidnapping, terrorism, frequent farmers/herdsmen clashes, among other security challenges in the country.”
The Chief Imam of North Bank in Makurdi, Benue State, Idris Musa, said, “Today, we pray for the release of the schoolgirls in Yobe and also the Chibok girls yet to be released.”
Also speaking, the Executive Chairman, Benue State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Sheik Ibrahim, said “We believe God and with prayers, everything is possible,” he said.
Dapchi girls have exposed dark sides of Buhari’s govt – CAN
However, the Christian Association of Nigeria has described the abduction of the schoolgirls as disgraceful, saying it “has exposed the dark sides of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
It, therefore, urged the Federal Government to solicit for international support in the fight against terrorism.
The organisation also called on the Federal Government to “interrogate the entire security apparatus in Nigeria with intent to detect moles and possible collaborators among the officers.”
The Christian body, in a statement issued by Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant (Media and Communication) to its President, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, said the Dapchi incident had put Nigerians in a state of mourning about the unsecured future of schoolchildren, most especially the females, given the failure of the government to ensure the rescue of all the Chibok girls.
CAN said, “Our hearts go out to the parents of the abducted innocent schoolgirls as we pray for their safe return and reunion with their families. We call on all security agencies to intensify efforts in securing the release of the abducted girls in the national interest. For us, enough is enough as we demand an immediate end to the kidnapping of innocent girls and mindless killings being recorded across the country.”
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has constantly faced allegations of nepotism and cronyism, but his recent decision to support his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, to succeed him in office in 2019 is considered by many residents as the last straw, GBENRO ADEOYE writes
Since Rochas Okorocha first took office as governor of Imo State in 2011, followed by his reelection in 2015, it must have been a roller coaster ride for the state. The governor did not waste time to announce himself as controversial as shortly after his inauguration, he appointed sultry actress, Nkiru Sylvanus, as his Special Assistant on Lagos Affairs and comedian, Uche Ogbuagu, as his Special Assistant on Comedy.
Some of his activities since then have made some Nigerians, including indigenes of Imo State, to describe his government as full of drama and sometimes, comedic moments.
Okorocha had invited Zuma, who was President of South Africa at the time, to Imo in October 2017 to finalise a partnership between their foundations —Rochas Okorocha Foundation and Jacob Zuma Foundation. But there was a very blurry line between whether the visit was a state and a private one as Zuma was treated to a state honour even though his mission was rather personal since it was about his foundation and Rochas’.And if anyone was still in doubt that Okorocha was controversial, his brazen decision to erect statues for world leaders, including one for the former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, even while he was facing several corruption allegations in his home country, must have ended such uncertainties.
During the visit, Okorocha also conferred on Zuma the Imo Merit Award, which is considered as the highest award in the state, named a street after him and gave him a chieftaincy title: Ochiagha di oha mma of Igboland (The people’s warrior).
Apart from Zuma, an African leader that also had a statue of her unveiled by Okorocha during a similar visit to the state was the immediate former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
A chieftaincy title – Ada di oha mma – was also conferred on Johnson-Sirleaf by Okorocha.
But not long after that, Okorocha appointed his sister, Ogechi Ololo, as the state Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment. Two things regarding the appointment failed to resonate with some members of the public, including residents of the state, leading to the mockery and ridicule of the state government.
One, some people openly expressed their disappointment with the creation of the office, which they considered to be needless and a waste of public funds. Two, many people criticised the action of the state governor, describing it as nepotism, cronyism and favouritism.
So when recently, the governor openly backed his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, to succeed him as governor in 2019, allegations of Okorocha running a government of nepotism and cronyism were once again rife.
Nwosu, who is currently the governor’s chief of staff, is married to Okorocha’s first daughter, Ulomma.Okorocha had said that despite stiff opposition across the state, he would support Nwosu to succeed him as governor in 2019 if he declared an interest in the governorship seat.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, had noted the development recently.
The statement quoted Okorocha as saying, “Uche Nwosu is hardworking, and never gets tired. He is a very humble young man. Not proud. Not arrogant. So, power won’t enter his head. In spite of the position he occupies, you can’t see him quarrelling with anybody or maltreating anybody.
“He does not segregate against anybody whether from Orlu or Owerri or Okigwe zone. He relates with people enviously.”
Okorocha’s push for his son-in-law to succeed him has been described by some political players and analysts in the state as an insult, saying it would be like adding salt to injury. They said it would be the ultimate height of nepotism and cronyism by the Okorocha-led government in Imo State.
For instance, apart from being the governor’s chief of staff, Nwosu was formerly the state Commissioner for Lands and Housing. Okorocha’s sister, Ogechi, who was recently appointed Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment, is also the governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff and his Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, who was the state government’s nominee for the Federal Executive Council seat, is also Okorocha’s in-law as his son, Uzo, is married to the governor’s second daughter, Uju.
The governor had in July 2017, appointed Anwukah’s wife, Justice Christiana Anwukah, as the President, Imo State Customary Court of Appeal.
A lawyer and former member of the House of Representatives, Uche Onyeagocha, however, alleged the situation was worse than being reported.
Onyeagocha, who was Special Adviser to Okorocha on Policy and Strategy and the All Progressives Congress’ senatorial candidate in the 2015 elections, said, “Whatever allegations of nepotism that are reported about him and his appointments are very true. It’s true that his son-in-law is his chief of staff; his youngest sister is his deputy chief of staff and doubles as his special adviser on domestic affairs. She was the one that was recently appointed Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment. The Minister of State for Education (Anthony Anwukah) is also his in-law. The son of Anwuka is married to his second daughter.
“One of his sisters, Geraldine, supplies food and drinks to the government house from her fast food joint, while his elder sister, through her agent, collects market tolls in Imo State.”
Onyeagocha also alleged that the Vice-Chancellor of Imo State University, Prof. Adaobi Obasi, is also an aunt to the governor. He, however, added that he believed that Imo people would resist any move by Okorocha to have his son-in-law succeed him, especially as it was against an unwritten zoning arrangement in the state.
The zoning arrangement in the state seeks to rotate governorship seat among three zones- Orlu with 12 local government areas; Owerri, nine LGAs; and Okigwe, six LGAs.
But since the current democratic dispensation started in 1999, only Orlu and Okigwe zones have produced governors and political analysts in the state noted that with Okorocha from Orlu zone, it would be wrong for the state to have his son-in-law, who is from the same zone, to succeed him.
They alleged that Okorocha’s push for Nwosu to succeed him smacked of desperation to leave a trusted member of his family behind to cover up his tracks when he would be out office in 2019.
An Owerri-based lawyer, Mr. Kissinger Ikeokwu, added that Okorocha only trusted his family members because they could satisfy his “quest for praise and adulation.”
Ikeokwu said, “He wants his son-in-law and he doesn’t trust anyone else other than his son-in-law because he is someone who has been driven by his bloated ego and quest for praise and adulation. He uses power wrongly so he knows what it means when you lose power.
“He has a disposition that has made him want to grab so much and that has made him so insecure that he doesn’t trust anyone in the state other than members of his family. He knows that a lot of things that he did will be reversed once he leaves office and someone who doesn’t know him takes over. He has bitten more than he can chew and he doesn’t have good records. He is covering things up and that is why he insists that somebody within the family should take over from him.”
Ikeokwu, however, added that Imo people had allowed “Okorocha’s idiosyncrasies” to continue because of lack of unity among leaders in the state and the opposition.
Also according to Onyeagocha, the governor wants his son-in-law to succeed him “because he has messed up the state.”
He said, “In late 2015, I went to confront him about his plan to have his son-in-law succeed him. I said to him, please don’t do it, he got angry with me.
“In 2016, I went back to him and told him we would resist him, but he said nobody in the state had enough money to fight him. In June 2017, I addressed my first major press conference on the matter at the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ Press Centre in Owerri, where I announced that he wanted to run for governor for a third term, hiding at the back of his son-in-law. I stated that he would be resisted.
“One of the instruments with which you can use to hoodwink people is religion. When the governor came into power, he hid behind religion and made people believe he was a very good Christian. Throughout his first tenure, there was an unwritten rule that whenever it was 12 noon, you had to stop whatever you were doing and pray.
“There were billboards all over the state telling people to remember their 12-noon prayer. He would start every programme with lots of prayers. People were totally and completely hoodwinked by this. At every forum, it was all about praying, singing and dancing in a Pentecostal fashion. But now, the people have woken up.”
In a recent interview with Saturday PUNCH, the state Commissioner for Information, Prof. Nnamdi Obiaraeri, had defended allegations of nepotism against the Okorocha-led government, saying, “Is there any law that stops the governor from appointing the sister?”
He said, “If a governor says I want my son-in-law to take over from me, what is wrong in that? Has he committed murder or has he stolen anything? The young man will go through the processes and if the party allows him, he gets the ticket of the party and presents himself for governorship election and Imo people will vote for him and he will become the governor of Imo State. Has he now become ineligible because he is the son-in-law of the governor?”
But the Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party in Imo State, Mr. Uche Echereodo, who admitted that there was no law against it, however, added that it would “lead to the destruction of public trust in governance.”
He continued, “Yes, there is no established or written law that says that your brother-in-law or son-in-law, for instance, cannot take over from you, but good conscience, equity, fairness and godliness should let any man know that having occupied a position as exalted as that of a governor for eight years, it is sheer wickedness to begin to work towards your relation taking over from you.
“You cannot expect the state commissioner for information to say otherwise, do you want him to lose his job or his source of livelihood as there is so much hunger in the land? He that pays the piper calls the tune. But I know that majority of Imo people are against his son-in-law succeeding him.
“Imo State is under siege by this government; it is a government that came on board through deceit and has dismantled all the good tenets of good democracy. He does not believe in rule of law, due process and telling the people the truth. The government is built and centred on falsehood and deceit.”
According to Echereodo, Okorocha has “taken nepotism too far and the citizenry for granted for too long.”
He said, “This man came in, making people believe that he was a rich man, philanthropist and a fighter of the masses, but his coming to power is now part of Imo State’s ugly history. The Imo Transport Company that he met here has been given out to his brother (to manage). They collect the tolls and he has not added any vehicle to the fleet other than what he met on the ground.
“In Imo State, we have an understanding that one zone governs for eight years and another zone will take over. Former Governor Achike Udenwa, who is from Orlu zone, spent eight years and Ikedi Ohakim, who succeeded him, spent four years. Ohakim is from Okigwe and didn’t spend eight years. Okorocha, who is also from Orlu, wants to spend eight years and he is planning to have his son-in-law, who is also from Orlu to succeed him. It smacks of injustice.”
A show promoter based in Barcelona, Oluwatosin Oketumo, fondly known as T-Cash, is currently living in fear simply because a show which was supposed to feature Olamide flopped.
According to the show promoter, he contacted Olamide through his tour manager, Alex Ozone and they had an agreement of €8,500 to have the artiste perform at the event. Although he was unable to cough out the whole amount, T-Cash told Saturday Beats that he gave Olamide’s camp €4,000 but despite paying the money Olamide did not show up for the performance. Now people are posting his picture with the caption RIP.
He admitted that although he did not meet up with the terms and conditions of the contract, he ought to be refunded since the singer did not register his presence at the event.
“Olamide was in his room and they did not allow me to talk to him. By the time I went to the venue to talk to the crowd, people had scattered everywhere and before I got back to the hotel, they had already taken a cab to the airport and travelled to Germany. I have been trying to reach them but they are not saying anything and people have begun to rubbish my name. Some people have been saying that they paid me and I absconded with their money but it is a lie. No one contributed a dime for me to stage this show. It was just me and three of my friends that came together to make it happen.He said, “The name of my outfit is T-Cash International Promotion and I am based in Barcelona. I had a deal of €8,500 with O3 Media, Alex Ozone who is Olamide’s tour manager but I was unable to meet up with the whole money as of the time of the event. The initial agreement was that I was going to pay for the flight ticket and hotel reservation of five people from Prague, the Czech Republic to Barcelona, at the end of the day, I was told to add two more people to the list making it a total of seven people. I did not object. They were supposed to arrive on Friday but I booked the ticket a day before so that we could have a massive publicity for the show. At the end of the day, the turnout was not as massive as I expected but I was able to gather €3,000. With that money, I went to the hotel to talk to Ozone to plead with him to have €3,000 and I promised I would give them the full payment after the show. At the end of the day, they collected €3,000 plus the €1,000 I had given them earlier. After I had begged, he said that he went to talk to Olamide and the singer said that he would not perform if his fee was not complete, and that’s how everything went wrong and they left Barcelona.
“Now I am trying to reach them to ask for my €4,000, even though I know I may not get the refund for the tickets I bought. Right now, I am facing a lot in Barcelona just because Olamide did not perform as I promised. Many people are writing nasty things about me with some posting my picture and writing Rest In Peace on it. My life is in danger as I am being threatened constantly. I am facing a lot right now just because of the show and it is also spoiling my business. I contacted Olamide through Ozone because he is his tour manager. I am not thinking of taking legal action but I just want them to return my money and I would know how to sort the mess out,” he said.
When Saturday Beats reached out to Olamide’s tour manager, Ozone, he simply said that they had a deal but T-cash did not meet up his end of the bargain. “Did he tell you we had a contract prior to the concert?” Ozone queried. “He didn’t meet up, that’s why I didn’t allow Olamide to perform. So how would I have got the balance? He didn’t pay as agreed, so we had to leave. The contract stated that he would pay €8,500 and provide flights and accommodation for five people.
“I have a right to sue him for breach of our contract. The dude made me lose €5,000 for that show. He did a live video on his Facebook page where he even apologised for using me,” Ozone said.
Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with General Theophilus Danjuma, at his hilltop mansion in Minna, the Niger State capital.
A source on Friday said the meeting lasted about three hours.
Danjuma, who refused to speak with journalists after the meeting, drove straight to the airport at about 4:05pm.It was gathered that Danjuma arrived at the Minna airport at exactly 11:45am and was driven straight to Babangida’s house.
A source said, “I am very sure that they must have discussed the general situation in the country – security and political.
“Danjuma left the house shortly after the meeting and was taken straight to the airport. That is all I can tell you about the visit.”
```JAMB HAS JUST POSTPONED ITS 2018 EXAMINATION SLIP RE-PRINTING
This is to inform the general public and prospective JAMB UTME/DE CANDIDATES that the JOINT ADMISSIONS AND MATRICULATION BOARD JAMB has just postponed Examination slip reprinting to later date.
WHEN IS JAMB RE-PRINTING COMMENCING?
Jamb examination slip reprinting has been rescheduled to begin on the 6th of march 2018. Sorry for the inconvenience this might have caused, as final preparations are underway to ensure that the JAMB 2018 examination will be successful both on the part of the students and the board.
Thank you.```
dward Kallon, the United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, has condemned Thursday night’s killing of three aid workers in Rann, Borno State, during an attack by Boko Haram on military facilities next to the town. Three aid workers were also injured in the attack, while a female nurse is feared abducted.
The condemnation was expressed in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to Mr. Kallon, aid workers risk their lives daily to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable members of the societies wracked by insurgency.
“Aid workers put their lives on the line every single day to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable women, children and men. Our deepest condolences go to the families of the victims and our brave colleagues and we call on authorities to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice and account,” said Mr. Kallon.
The statement explained that the two of the deceased aid workers were contractors with the International Organization for Migration. They were said to be working as coordinators in a 55,000-capacity Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. The other deceased aid worker, added the statement, was a medical doctor employed as a third- party consultant with UNICEF.
The statement added that the UN is also concerned about other civilians, who may have been injured or killed in the attack.
The humanitarian crisis arising from the almost decade-long insurgency has spilled over into the Lake Chad region. It is described as one of the most severe in the world and has left 7.7 million people needing of humanitarian assistance in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in 2018. Another 6.1 million people are targeted for humanitarian assistance.
“Now in its ninth year, the crisis shows no sign of abating. Close to 80,000 people, including 55,000 internally displaced persons, currently reside in Rann and are supported with humanitarian assistance,” said the UN.
The UN and non-governmental humanitarian organizations are working across the North-Eastern part of the country to provide food, safe water and medicines to about 6.1 million people. About 3,000 aid workers are currently working in affected areas, with the majority being Nigerian citizens.
Efforts of former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd) to stop his trial over $2.1 billion fraudulent arms deal using as pretext, Nigerian government’s contraventions of court orders for his release failed at the Supreme Court on Friday.
The apex court ruled that the detention of former National Security Adviser Colonel Sambo Dasuki was not at the instance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that is currently prosecuting him over fraudulent deals.
FCT High Court had on February 15 adjourned hearing in the trial of the former NSA to await the Supreme Court ruling on a suit he filed to stop his trial by the EFCC over failure of the Federal Government ordering his release from detention.
Dasuki, is standing along former minister Alhaji Bashir Yuguda, former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Shuaibu Salisu, a former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, his son, Sagir and their family company Dalhatu Investment Limited.
They are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) , on a 22-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and fraudulent diversion of public fund to the tune of N19.4billion.
Dasuki had in his application asked the Supreme court to suspend his trial in the alleged money-laundering charges brought against him by the Federal Government pending the time the government obeyed the bail orders granted in his favor by the court.
Justice Hussein Baba -Yusuf, adjourned the trial, after Dasuki’s counsel, Mr Adeola Adedipe drew the court’s attention to an application dated Nov. 3, 2017 for an adjournment, pending the outcome of a Supreme Court judgment slated for today, March 2.
Other defense counsels in the matter also aligned with their submissions.
But while ruling of Dasuki’s application, the apex Court held that the bails granted Dasuki in respect of criminal charges brought against him by EFCC have been obeyed having being implemented by the Controller of Prison Kuje on December 29, 2015.
Justice Ajembi Eko said that the EFCC cannot be held responsible for the continued detention of the Ex-NSA since the detention was carried out by the Department State Service (DSS) in the unanimous judgement.
The Judge noted that since the bail order was implemented by the Prison Controller it has been obeyed as far as the charges against him at the FCT High Court was concerned.
The Apex Court said that from the claims and counter-claims of Dasuki and EFCC, it was clear that he Dasuki was rearrested at the premises of the Kuje Prison on December 29, 2015 by DSS.
The Supreme Court therefore affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal and the FCT High Court which had in their separate decisions held that EFCC cannot be held responsible for the detention of Dasuki by DSS.
Justice Eko said the appeal brought by Dasuki lacked merit and constituted abuse of court process and therefore dismissed it.
The Court therefore ordered Dasuki and EFCC to go back to the FCT High Court to continue with the trial in the charges brought against him by the anti-graft agency.
It will be recalled that a Federal High Court under Justice Adeniyi Ademola, FCT High Court under Justice Peter Affem and another FCT High Court under Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf had at different times granted bails to Dasuki following his arrest by the Buhari administration.
But Dasuki was re-arrested after his release from Kuje Prison on December 29, 2015 by operatives of DSS and has been held in detention since then.
The Senate and House of Representatives have differed over the passage of the bill establishing the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit as an independent entity.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, at the plenary on Thursday, raised a point of order accusing the House of non-cooperation and warning that failure to pass the bill ahead of the next Egmont Group meeting would cause a major economic crisis for Nigeria.
Among other conditions, the Egmont Group had demanded that the NFIU should be pulled out of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Utazi recalled that Nigeria was suspended from the group at its last general meeting in July 2017, with a threat to expel the country if the unit had not been given autonomy by its next meeting holding on March 11.
He said, “The expulsion has dire consequences for this country. Our financial institutions cannot do anything. Our credit cards will no longer amount to anything. Nigeria will get on the list of high-risk nations. We will be degraded to a high-risk nation. The Corruption Perceptions Index (of the Transparency International) that we are complaining about is a child’s play to what we are going to face in few days to come.
“This Senate, being very responsive and responsible, passed this bill within a record period of eight working days, because of the urgency and what it portends for this country if we do not do so. That is the first bill that has got such a quick passage because we understand the import (of the matter).”
He added, “First of all, I came with a motion explaining the issues and the motion was in about five pages, which is unusual. I did that to explain the issues so that everybody will understand what is on the desk. And the Senate, having understood me, followed me when I came with the bill.
“Now, this bill has been passed by the Senate. The House of Representatives took time to pass it. Now, the conference committee has been constituted and I have been calling my colleagues in the House of Representatives to come for the meeting.
“Today, he told me that he was going for the 2018 budget defence. I sent him a text message to that effect and I told him that his committee work should not take precedence over this issue if he knew what was at stake.“The first one (meeting) was called but they said the leadership (of the National Assembly) was meeting on this issue. We called the meeting the first and second time and each time I called this meeting, my counterpart in the House of Representatives would always tell me that he was attending one meeting or the other.
“So, I am bringing this issue to public knowledge that this Senate is doing this job and I am not sleeping on duty. I want to say that if anything happens by the 11th of March; if the Egmont Group decides to expel Nigeria, it will not be as a result of the Senate not carrying out its duties.”
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who expressed surprise that the conference committee had yet to meet and harmonise the versions of the bill passed by the two chambers, said he would intervene in the matter.
He said, “This matter had been taken up at the leadership level and we directed that you hold your conference committee meeting. I am surprised that the meeting has not held. I will have an opportunity to see the Speaker (of the House) later today and remind him of the decisions we took, so that he can direct your counterpart, so that both of you can hold this meeting urgently and so that we can transmit this to Mr. President before the deadline, which is the next Egmont meeting.
“It is in the interest of this country that we do not get expelled. Your explanation is noted and we will take action accordingly.”
The Chairman, House Committee on Financial Crimes, Mr. Kayode Oladele, however, dismissed Utazi’s submissions, saying that he was feeding the Senate with lies.
Oladele told The PUNCH that Utazi was not only “economical with the truth,” but also tried to set him up by creating the impression that he was the one delaying the bill.
Oladele cited an example of an encounter between him and the senator last week to buttress his point.
He recalled how Utazi called him on the phone on a Monday to ask whether they could meet the next day (Tuesday) if he was not travelling to France for a meeting of the FATF.
Oladele said he replied that he would indeed travel to France.
A 53-year-old man has been convicted of murder attempt, as he was believed to have mixed rat poison into his parents’ meal.
A court in Ingolstadt, Germany, on Friday sentenced a farmer to nine and a half years in prison for attempting to kill his parents with rat poison.
The court condemned the 53-year-old on Friday for two counts of attempted murder.
Doctors at University Hospital in Regensburg were able to save his now 77-year-old mother and 81-year-old father.According to the judges, the man ordered the rat poison from China and mixed it into his elderly parents’ food at the end of 2016.
The man told the court he was not a poisoner, while he admitted that he had ordered the poison from China over the internet but said he immediately threw it away.
The man suspected his sister committed the attack on his parents, leading the defence to request his acquittal.
Residents of Idi-Oro, Mushin, have accused operatives of the Lagos State Police Command of invading 14 streets and vandalising no fewer than 200 vehicles.
But residents who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Thursday alleged that the operatives aside from damaging vehicles parked by the roadsides, also entered into mechanic workshops and destroyed the cars they found there.However, the police command denied the allegations, saying hoodlums resisting police arrest damaged the vehicles with stones.
At least 40 generators belonging to residents were allegedly taken away by the policemen, whom residents claimed wanted to avenge the death of a police sergeant, Abam Mohammed, who was killed during a shootout with drug dealers.
PUNCH Metro had reported that a drug dealer had taken delivery of hemp valued at N7m on Monday.
On Tuesday, a police team from the Area D Command, acting on intelligence, stormed the community and recovered the hemp.
Hoodlums and some residents allegedly attacked the policemen with broken bottles and stones, as the operatives retreated and returned with reinforcements.
In a shootout that ensued between the two sides, the police sergeant and three others were killed.
On Wednesday, some residents alleged that policemen invaded their streets, looted property and damaged their vehicles.
When our correspondent visited the area on Thursday, the residents lamented their loss.The affected streets, according to them, are Alhaji, Ogunmokun, Awoyejo, Umoru, Elegba, Alhaji Lasisi, Smith, Amodu, Ibrahim, Akala, Ojo, Anuoluwapo, Opeloyeru and Adegbite.
A trader on Alhaji Lasisi Street, Kike Ajiboye, who sold drinks, said her car was vandalised and three coolers of drinks emptied.
She said, “My car is my moble shop. I use it to sell drinks at parties. The policemen, who were in uniforms, came in around 7.30pm on Wednesday. There were many trucks. I was surprised when they started breaking windscreens. They vandalised my car and took all the wines in three coolers. After they emptied my coolers, they punctured the four tryes. The money I made that day, which was in the car, was stolen.
“I took my goods on credit from LAPO (microfinance bank). How do I pay back over N100,000? There is an armoured tank and a police patrol van at the junction and I thought that would guarantee our safety. They threw bottles at us because they knew we were watching from inside.”
Another trader, Mrs Adebisi Adetula, alleged that the cops damaged her Ford car and ruined her family business.
She said, “We could not come out. My Ford car that was destroyed was my family’s means of livelihood. My son, who graduated four years ago, uses it to supply gas in the neighbourhood. Now, what will he use?”
A transport worker, Taofik Ojedele, whose bus was vandalised, claimed that he saw the policemen with knives with which they punctured vehicle tyres.
A food seller on Elegba Street, Jelila Kareem, showed our correspondent her store, which she alleged was razed by the cops.
“As we were trying to put out the fire, they chased us away with guns. Everything was burnt,” she added.
A mechanic, Semiu Jimoh, said seven vehicles, including Lexus, Mitsubishi, Kia, Toyota Corolla, Toyota RAV4, belonging to his customers, were vandalised.
Jimoh, who said he was initially arrested by the policemen, alleged that they broke into a workshop where he kept some of the cars and damaged them.
“They were more than 200. They were broke into houses and took property. They came to my house and arrested me as well. They broke the fence of my workshop and damaged the four cars there. I don’t know what to tell the owners of the cars. I am in serious debt,” he added.
He said many residents took away their cars because the policemen threatened to return.
A trader on Amodu Street, Bintu Rosulu, alleged that her noodles shop was burgled, saying drinks and phones were taken away.
An 80-year-old woman, Alhaja Rabiu Titilayo, said her house door was broken down by the policemen around 9pm.
“When they came in, I told them not to take away my grandchildren who were taking care of me. They asked me to sit down. They collected my torchlight and some phones in the house. One of the children they arrested was released after we paid N8,000,” she added.
Some other residents on Amodu Street claimed that the policemen broke the doors and carted away bags of rice and money they made from sales.
“They took away my bag of rice,” a housewife, Shakirat Abdulsalam, said.
A woman who had a provision store on Anuoluwapo Street, Mrs. Raheem Mariam, said the policemen took bottles of drink in the three freezers in the shop.
A home video shop beside her, owned by her son, was reportedly vandalised as well.
“They took toothpastes, canned fish, eggs and drinks. They opened the video shop with an axe and took phones and power banks,” she said.
A landlord on the street, Folorunsho Oladele, who claimed to be ill, said the operatives hit him with the butts of their guns.
“They were saying, ‘Na you kill police.’ There were three of them. They beat me up and collected the N25,000 I wanted to use for a surgical operation. They spent about two hours on the street,” he added.
The head of a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church in the area, Pastor Joshua Oluwagbemi, said a service was on in the church when the operatives stormed the street.
He said he ended the service and was left with a few members.
He said, “The policemen came in and asked what we were doing. I told them we were in a church. They shouted at me to close the door. Suddenly, they started shooting outside. They turned off my generator. Next, they smashed the windscreens of vehicles on the whole street. They didn’t take anything from my car. They only damaged the windscreen and side glasses.”
A food seller, Mrs. Akiyode Iyabo, said the policemen took away seven phones from the shop, adding that all the money made from the day’s sales was taken.
“My brother was about to turn off the generator when they held him. They beat him to a pulp and took all the phones in the canteen. Aside from the money we realised from sales that they took, they collected about N70,000 meant for a daily contribution. The policemen were in uniform and were heavily armed,” she said.
A resident, Oluwadamilare Adele, said a car he bought in December was damaged.
Two other traders said pieces of meat and bottles of wine were taken from their shops by the cops.
PUNCH Metro learnt that a resident was shot and was taken away by the policemen.
A man claimed that his wife, Taiye Amodu, was arrested in the house, while a mechanic, Taiwo Hassan, was arrested shortly after he returned from work.
Our correspondent also saw a bet shop and a barber’s that were vandalised.
The cops allegedly entered into the adjoining shop of the bet centre by breaking the wall.
A resident said, “More than 200 vehicles were vandalised on the streets. Many people have taken away their cars because the policemen said they were coming back.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, said the police raided the community on Wednesday and arrested 255 suspects.
He said hoodlums, while resisting arrest and throwing stones at the police team, broke the windscreens.
He said, “The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Edgal Imohimi, on Thursday paraded the 255 suspects arrested during the raid on Akala-Mushin and Idi-Oro areas of Lagos State.
“The raid on criminal hideouts in these areas became pertinent because of the brazen nature criminals living among the people attack residents and law enforcement officers.
“Sequel to this, the CP ordered a raid on identified criminal enclaves in Akala-Mushin and Idi-Oro. During the raid, the criminal elements resisted the police by hurling stones and different types of missiles at them, breaking windscreens of some vehicles parked by the roadside.
“This did not deter the police from arresting 255 suspects, comprising 246 males and nine females, and seizing 39 big bags of weed, suspected to be Indian hemp, and recovering two pump-action rifles and ammunition.
“The CP vowed that the command would not rest until drug peddlers, cult members and armed criminals are rid from the streets of Lagos. The command advises parents, guardians and stakeholders to warn their children and wards to stay off criminal enclaves and avoid mingling with criminals. The CP added that the raid would continue in all places identified by police intelligence unit as black spots.”
He said investigation into the case had been concluded and all the suspects had been charged to court.
