Lai Mohammed say troops have met the december deadline to end insurgency

Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed says Nigerian troops have largely met the December deadline given by President Buhari to end insurgency in Nigeria. He said this at a meeting with editors in Lagos yesterday December 30th.

“In a few days, the deadline issued by President Muhammadu Buhari to the military to defeat Boko Haram will expire. Without equivocating, I will repeat what I said that has sparked a firestorm: Our gallant military has largely met the deadline!
I make this assertion with all sense of responsibility and they are backed by facts. Among the areas where Boko Haram has been kicked out is Bama, which was the self-declared headquarters of its Caliphate. From there, it collected taxes, dispensed jungle justice, deposed and installed emirs and hoisted its flag. Today, the town is firmly in the hands of our troops.”he said

He condemned those criticizing him of his assertion that the troops have won the war against the terror group

“The armchair critics, who dispute these facts from the comfort of their living rooms, are free to visit the theatre of war to see things for themselves. Perhaps then, they will be more circumspecting in issuing reckless statements that give nothing but succour to Boko Haram. I have gone to the theatre of war to see things for myself. I did not just stop in Maiduguri, I went to Konduga, Kaure and Bama, which, as I said, was once the headquarters of the Boko Haram Caliphate,”

Biafra: Dutch, Seven Others To Testify Against Kanu

The Federal Government has enlisted a Dutch, Mr. Ronald Stilting, Manager, Golden Tulip Airport Hotel, Lagos, among the eight prosecution witnesses that are to testify against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and founder of Radio Biafra , Nnamdi Kanu, and two others when their trial for alleged treason and other ancillary offences begins next year.

Operatives of the Department of State Services on October 14, 2015, arrested Kanu at the Golden Tulip Airport Hotel, where he allegedly checked into, using a fictitious name.

On December 23, the accused persons were scheduled for arraignment before a Federal High Court in Abuja, but Kanu refused to take his plea to the six counts of treason and other charges instituted against him and his two co-defendants due to what he called his lack of confidence in the presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed.

The judge promptly returned the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, for reassignment to another judge and the three accused persons were returned to the custody of the DSS.

The Federal Government, through the Federal Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Mohammed Diri, alleged in the summary of its case in the newly filed six counts that the IPOB leader checked into the hotel, using the name, Ezebuiro Nwannekaenyi, in order to conceal his identity.

Diri stated this in a document listing the proposed prosecution witnesses lined up to testify against Kanu and the two others.
The DPP stated, “Stilting is the Manager of Golden Tulip Hotel, Lagos.
“He will give evidence as to how the 1st defendant checked into Golden Tulip Hotel, Airport, Lagos.”

The DPP stated that Kanu, a citizen of both Nigeria and Britain, had as his name on the Nigerian passport, Nwannekaenyi Nnamdi Ngozichukwu Okwukanu, while his British passport bore Nnamdi Kenny Okwukanu.
Diri stated, “Nnamdi Kanu is a Nigerian/British citizen, with both Nigerian and British passports.
“The Nigerian passport bears the name Nwannekaenyi Nnamdi Ngozichukwu Okwukanu, while the British passport bears the name Nnamdi Kenny Okwukanu.

“Kanu is the self-acclaimed founder and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, the pedestal on which he is propagating a secessionist agenda, aimed at carving a Republic of Biafra out of the Federal Republic of Nigeria before he was arrested on 14th October, 2015 at Golden Tulip Hotel, Lagos, where he checked in, using a fictitious name of Ezebuiro Nwannekaenyi, apparently to conceal his identity.”

Stilting, in a hand-written statement which he made to the DSS on October 15, confirmed that Kanu was checked into the hotel on the previous day in another name.
He stated, “On the evening of 14th October around 10pm, I was called in my room to assist in solving a problem going on in the lobby at the Golden Tulip Airport Hotel.

“I met the director of SSS (DSS) and a number of agents there who were searching for a Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who was supposed to be lodging in our hotel.
“Nobody was registered under that name in our systems.
“I assisted the agents to check all occupied rooms. Eventually, we found a suspicious person in Room 303, who turned out to be Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who had registered under another name.

“I had never seen the man before and I am not aware of Mr. Nnamdi’s activities.”
Apart from Kanu, one of the two other defendants in the six counts filed by the Federal Government is a Field Maintenance Engineer, David Nwawuisi, who was given the responsibility of maintaining MTN masts in Enugu State.

The other defendant, Benjamin Madubugwu, was said to be living in Ubilisiuzo, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, where he allegedly received custody of a container housing radio transmitters meant for Radio Biafra from Kanu.

In the six counts preferred against the three defendants, Kanu is accused of treasonable felony through his alleged agitation in his broadcasts on Radio Biafra for the secession of Biafra Republic from Nigeria.
The offence is punishable under section 41(c) of the Criminal Code Act.

Kanu is also accused of managing an unlawful society (IPOB) and smuggling into the country a TRAM 50L radio transmitters.
Both offences are said to be punishable under Section 63 of the Criminal Code Act and section 47(2)(a) of the Customs and Excise Management Act.
Madubugwu was also separately accused in count five of unlawful possession of firearms, comprising one Emerald Magnum Pump Action gun, one Delta Pump Action gun and 41 cartridges/ammunition without lawful authority or licence.

The offence is said to be punishable under section 27(b)(1) of the Firearms Act.
Madugwu and Nwawuisi are also accused of assisting in the management of the allegedly unlawful IPOB, an offence punishable under Section 63 of the Criminal Code Act.

Others enlisted as witnesses that will testify against Kanu and his co-defendants when the trial begins are four operatives of the DSS, who are to give evidence on, among others, the circumstances of Kanu’s arrest and the search conducted at Ubulusiuzor, Anambra State home of Madubugwu.

Another proposed witness is an unnamed “security lady attached to the MTN mast at Ngwo Enugu” who is to give evidence on how the defendants negotiated for the mounting of the Radio Biafra transmitter at the site of the mast.

The rest of the two proposed witnesses are members of staff of the National Broadcasting Corporation, who are to testify on recorded broadcasts of Radio Biafra , inspection of the TRAM 50L transmitter.

The fresh charges were filed against the three men barely 24 hours after Justice Adeniyi Ademola in a ruling on Kanu’s bail application on December 17, ordered his unconditional release from DSS custody having been detained for about two months without any valid charges filed against him.

No new date has been fixed for the arraignment of the accused persons.

Ericsson Confiscates Radio Biafra Transmitter On MTN Mast In Enugu

Ericsson Nigeria has admitted that a contract employee working with it was actually responsible for the Radio Biafra transmitter installed on an MTN mast in Enugu.
In a statement signed by its Managing Director, Johan Jemdahl, the firm said it had confiscated the transmitter and had notified the authorities.

The statement reads: “Illegal FM transmitting equipment was discovered connected to an outsourced MTN mast, managed by Ericsson, in Enugu in Eastern Nigeria. The equipment was immediately confiscated and the authorities were notified. A contractor to Ericsson has subsequently been taken into police custody after his involvement was discovered. He has been discharged from his contracted responsibilities with Ericsson.

“Ericsson views this incident in an extremely serious light. It is the result of a violation of its process that permits access to its mast sites. As a result, Ericsson has initiated immediate action to foil any similar attempts. All mast sites in Enugu and Port Harcourt regions have been audited while FM scanning was conducted. Critical attention was given to all high masts and sites located in mountainous areas, i.e. locations attractive for illegal activities. In addition, the Site Access Process will be reviewed for all employees and third parties.

"We sincerely regret the unfortunate incident, which violates our code of business ethics and code of conduct, contracted responsibilities as well as our company’s values.”

An MTN source had disclosed that the engineer, David Nwawuisi, “was able to install the transmitters because he worked with Ericsson Nigeria Limited, one of the companies to which the telecommunications firm outsources the maintenance of its base stations.”

MTN owns 12,000 base stations across the country, and Huawei, a Chinese networking and manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, is the other company that is responsible for the maintenance of these base stations.

However, Nwawuisi, who is currently standing trial with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, is a field maintenance engineer with the Swedish technology company.

The MTN source, who did not wish to be mentioned, said Nwawuisi’s role was to grant access to IPOB engineers to mount the transmitters on MTN’s masts under his care.
“The transmitters, which were used in boosting the signals of Radio Biafra allegedly transmitted from London, the United Kingdom, were discovered by the security agencies on MTN masts in Enugu and Anambra states,” one of the sources said.

According to him, the second suspect, Benjamin Madubugwu, helped with the installation of the transmitters in Anambra State, also in concert with IPOB engineers.

Both men were contacted by Chidibere Onwudiwe, a suspected IPOB member, for the job, according to court papers filed by the Federal Government.

Drug Baron Recruits Lady Via Facebook Marriage Proposal

A lady, who was unwittingly recruited into drug trafficking by a fiancé she met on Facebook, residing in Malaysia, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The suspect, Gloria Ezeabata, was arrested during screening of passengers on an Ethiopian airline flight on her way to Malaysia at the departure hall.

Ezeabata, who works with an accounting firm in Lagos, admitted having a Facebook relationship that got her involved in drug trafficking. She said: “I met a man on Facebook some months ago who lives in Malaysia. He told me while chatting online that he is from my state, Anambra in South-East, Nigeria. After some months, he proposed marriage and I told him to come to Nigeria to meet my parents as our custom demands. He promised to fulfil every marriage rite. “Months later, he invited me to Malaysia, promising to pay all the travel expenses. After several appeals, I decided to visit him.

The day I was to travel, he told me to take along a bag of foodstuff sent by his mother from the village. I was given the bag at the airport but in the process of checking it in, drug was discovered inside packs of noodles in the bag and I was arrested.”

Substances that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 1.325kg were detected in her luggage.

The drug was concealed in 26 packs of noodles in a bag of foodstuff containing plantain, pepper, melon and other spices.

Further investigation led to the arrest of one Mr. Philip Akpaka, 39, who allegedly coordinated the travel arrangement for Gloria and gave her the bag containing the drugs. NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba said that Gloria was arrested following the discovery of methamphetamine in her luggage.

Akpaka also admitted preparing the travel documents of Gloria on the request of his friend based in Malaysia. He said: “I’m a transporter. My friend in Malaysia asked me to prepare travel documents for Gloria. He also asked me to give a bag to Gloria to take to Malaysia.” Both suspects will soon be charged to court for conspiracy, unlawful possession and exportation of narcotic drugs.

NDA Air Force Cadets apprehended for locking up someone in car trunk

Apprehended Air Force Cadets – Abdullahi Fahad (left) and Peter O. Solomon (right) by Lagos State Governor’s Convoy, for locking a citizen, Dahiru Lawal in the trunk of the car, at Mile 12 on Ikorodu road, Lagos, today Wednesday, December 30. See more photos after the cut...

Dahiru Lawal, who was dehumanized by Air Force Cadets – Abdullahi Fahad and Peter O. Solomon at Mile 12 on Ikorodu road, Lagos, being interviewed by Government House Correspondents, at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Wednesday, December 30, 2015.

Mom of ISIS fighter says-- Our children are not monsters

The BBC talked with one young British woman who was recently contacted by ISIS recruiters. She preferred not to use her name, but she did talk about what first got her interested in groups others might view as radical.
It was the news about three teenage girls, gifted students in east London who slipped away in February to join ISIS.

"Why are they going?" she asked herself. "I guess that sparked a sort of curiosity."

She started tweeting stories about the three girls. She thinks that ISIS recruiters found her Snapchat account in her Twitter bio.

"It wasn't really as cliché as people think it was. It wasn't a sort of 'Hey, come join us!'" she notes. "It was more of a, "Hey sister, how are you doin'?' ... It's like a conversation with a friend. It's like a normal thing."

When the recruitment became more intense, she worried most about what joining a radical group would mean for her commitment to soccer. 

"If I have three kids and a husband, am I really going to be able to continue living my passion?" she asked herself. "The thing about this [soccer] team is everyone's a family, everyone's together. You have somewhere where you are accepted, where everyone does love you. Once you have a place to go like this this, you won't even be brought to think about that kind of thing." 

She now works with The Unity of Faiths Foundation, a group that fights radicalization through soccer. 

In Canada, Christianne Boudreau co-founded another kind of group that works to counter extremism. It's called Mothers for Life, and it's a network for parents like her who have lost their sons and daughters to radical groups.

Boudreau's son Damian died fighting with ISIS in Syria last year. She's moving to France, and expects to find a stronger network of parents there looking to counter jihad. 

"There are a lot more parents that have come open to one another, working together, supporting each other," she says. "Whereas in North America, very much there's still a stigma, everybody's holding back. They're afraid to speak out, they're afraid to reach out for help." 

Boudreau says far too often parents miss the signs of radicalization, in part because popular portrayals of extremists lack nuance. 

"They unfortunately look at our children as monsters, and they're not. They're normal, everyday kids that get caught up in something, make mistakes and don't realize the choices they're making," she says. "They're not all evil like what we see in the media. They're kids having emotional struggles." 

When parents suspect their children are drifting toward radicalization, they should turn to others in their community for help, according to Boudreau. 

"Parents shouldn't try to do this on their own," she says. "They're too emotionally connected to their children. And they can end up pushing their youth further away."

Two siblings detained by Spanish police for locking brother in 'inhuman conditions'

Spanish police said Tuesday they had detained two people who kept their 59-year-old brother locked up in "inhuman conditions" in a tiny, roofless room adjoining their home.
The man, who suffers from mental problems, was discovered naked in a tiny room without a roof in the southern town of Dos Hermanas, on a filthy mattress next to which bottles and buckets were laid out for him to go to the toilet, police said in a statement.

Police in the town near Seville made the grisly discovery when they brought his 76-year-old drunk brother back to his home following complaints of disorderly behaviour.

"Once inside the home, they saw a door at the end of a corridor closed with a chain... and padlock," Spain's national police said in a statement.

"After asking the man, he said that was where his brother lived, who had mental problems and whom they kept isolated for his security."

His 61-year-old sister also lived in the house and said she kept him fed and cleaned, and looked after his 1,000-euro ($1,100) monthly pension.

"Due to the strange situation they were faced with, the agents asked both siblings to open the door to check the state of their brother," police said.

"Once they went through, they came across another door closed by a wooden beam."

"After going through both doors, they found a crumbling, narrow staircase that went up to a type of dovecote," they added, before discovering the brother in the tiny roofless hovel.

"His health and cleanliness were deplorable and the state of the place was completely insanitary without access to running water or toilets," police said, describing his living conditions as "inhuman."

The man was taken to hospital, while his two siblings were detained, they added.



Source: AFP

Rape victim forced to call boyfriend, calls 911 instead

Police say quick thinking by the victim of a frightening abduction and assault helped them catch her attacker in the act.
The attack happened early Monday in the back of an adult entertainment store.

Officers say Robert Giles, 27, asked the victim to call her boyfriend so he could hear the assault.

Instead of calling her boyfriend, she called 911. Police say the savvy 911 operator also kept his wits about him and played along unbeknownst to the attacker.

“It was quick thinking on his behalf. In fact, (it) might have saved her life,” Clayton County police Maj. Joe Woodall said.

Officers say Giles kidnapped the victim from Hapeville and brought her to the closed Starship Novelties and Gifts store on Tara Boulevard around 4 a.m. Monday intending to rape her. That’s when he allegedly asked her to call her boyfriend so he could listen to the assault.

Deonte Smith was the only man working as a Clayton County dispatcher early Monday, when that call came through and he played along.

 

The victim called 911 and told her attacker it was her boyfriend. The 911 operator, Deonte Smith, played along.

“She explained to him what the perpetrator had told her; that he was wanting him to listen while she was being raped,” Woodall said.

The operator tried to talk the attacker out of the assault and sent police. Police quickly arrived and say they arrested Giles in the act.

“They were able to stop it right then and there and snatched him right from the car,” Woodall said.

 

Smith told Channel 2 Action News on Tuesday he was just doing his job, but the timing of the call was crucial.

“Honestly I’d say divine intervention,” Smith said. “I was the only guy on the floor that night. The other guy we had had just left not too long before the call came in.”

Smith said the victim deserves credit for her quick thinking while being assaulted.

 

Giles now faces rape, false imprisonment and obstruction charges. Hapeville police are preparing kidnapping charges against Giles.

 

Ex-Miss Pennsylvania Beauty queen who faked cancer pleads not guilty to scam

A beauty queen who shaved her head to con friends and family into believing she was battling cancer has denied pocketing thousands from the scam.

Ex-Miss Pennsylvania International US, Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates, pretended she had chronic lymphocytic leukemia in March 2013.

The 23-year-old is accused of pocketing cash from fundraisers organised by her loved ones to pay for her fake treatment, the last of which raised $14,000 (£8,948).
Following her arrest, Weaver-Gates was charged with felony counts of theft by deception and receiving stolen property.

 She has been held on $150,000 bail at the Centre County Corrections Facility since her arrest.

The student allegedly made friends and family drive her to hospital appointments, leaving them to wait for up to eight hours for her while she went elsewhere.
She posted images on Facebook showing her wearing bandages and surgical masks and with a shaved head.
She also gave extensive newspaper interviews about her cancer and even posted less than three weeks ago about being in remission.

Her alleged fraud was only exposed after police received an anonymous tip-off saying she could not name a single one of her doctors.

State Police Trooper Thomas Stock contacted the hospitals at which Weaver-Gates said she was treated for her cancer - but there was no mention of her anywhere in their records.
Stock called her efforts to make people believe she had cancer "an elaborate scheme".

Following her arrest, Weaver-Gates was stripped of her Miss Pennsylvania US International title.

    "When you deceive the public and take people's money that is under the pretense of fraud, we will not tolerate those actions," said a statement from the pageant organisers Butler's Beauties .

"Ms. Weaver-Gates ... will be required to return her crown and sash upon her release from being detained."

Akwa-Ibom Assembly elects Mrs. Felicia Bassey first female Deputy Speaker

Mrs. Felicia Bassey representing Okobo state constituency and Chair Person, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Welfare Matters, made history by being elected as the first Deputy Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
In a statement released yesterday in Uyo, the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Kufre Okon, said Bassey emerged the first female Deputy Speaker during Tuesday’s plenary, to replace the former Deputy Speaker, Mr. Effiong Bassey, representing Oron/Udung Uko state constituency, whose election was nullified last week by the Appeal Court in Abuja.

The Speaker, Mr. Onofiok Luke, who administered the oath of office on the new Deputy Speaker encouraged  her to live up to the expectation of the sixth Assembly while discharging her legislative duties.
The statement added that other members said that the position was well deserved, and expressed confidence in her ability to discharge the functions of the office to its fullest potential.

Congratulations to her!

BBC correspondent, Martin Patience Joins Nigerian Soldiers In The Combat Region In The North

Now that is what I call a reporter.BBC correspondent Martin Patience was pictured with Nigerian army on patrol in the combat zone in the north in a mission to access the level of progress made so far by Nigerian army in the north ahead of the December deadline earlier given by President Buhari's administration.

He was given utmost security by highly equipped soldiers in jeeps mounted both at the back and front of his convoy as he entered the insurgent zone.His reports will probably be out sooner.

President Muhammadu Buhari Holds Presidential Media Chat Wednesday

President Muhammadu Buhari will hold his maiden media chat on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja.

Sources at the Villa said the chat, slated for 7pm, would be aired live on some television and radio stations as well as other platforms.
Mr. Buhari has come under severe criticism lately due to his frequent patronage of foreign media since assumption of office on May 29 this year.

The president often made important policy statements whenever he travels on official engagements outside the country.

It was observed that during the past administration, Nigerians were asked to forward questions to the president or call the chat room, but the telephone lines were perpetually put on busy mode, while the questions sent through social media platforms were hardly considered.

It is not clear if the media chat by Mr. Buhari on Wednesday would accept calls from the public, apart from a panel of journalists.

Yangoji unit FRSC returns N.5m recovered at accident scene to owners

The sum of N514, 150:00 was recovered at an accident scene at Kwaita village, on the Abuja-Lokoja road by a rescue team of the Yangoji unit command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Saturday, December 26.

 

The unit commander of the FRSC, Mr. Joseph Ezeh disclosed this to a Daily Trust reporter while handing over the money to one of the survivors of the accident. Mr Ezeh said the money was recovered after two vehicles, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sunny cars collided. The team who rushed to the scene to rescue the victims recovered the large sum. Fortunately, the victims from the two vehicles, including a reverend father came out of the accident unhurt.

"Although, the money was from the two vehicles which did not belong to one person, thank God all the victims involved escaped unhurt before they all came and resolved among themselves that the money be hand-over to one of them,"  Mr Ezeh said.

(Photo of the Acting unit head of operations, Yangoji unit command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Amadi Chika, left, handing the money over to the owners on Sunday, December 27)

 

Source: Daily Trust

Face Of thirty-two-year-old vulcaniser Who Led A 30-man Robbery Gang

A thirty-two-year-old vulcaniser, Jelili Dimeji, has been remanded in prison custody for allegedly leading a 30-man gang to rob his neighbour, Oladipupo Audu, of property valued at N1,750,000.

The suspect and the victim live in Isheri Osun, in the Ijegun area of Lagos.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Audu and a friend were driving on Ijegun Road when Dimeji and his gang member, who are still at large, waylaid them.

They were said to have snatched Audu’s Toyota Camry, dispossessed him of gold jewellery worth about N1,450,000 and a cash sum of N300,000. The car was later recovered at a junction by policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad.

Audu told the police that the suspect cautioned his cohorts, who wanted to kill him because they (he and Dimeji) live in the same area.

He said, “My friend and I were going to buy a ram and foodstuffs around 5am on September 24 when we saw some men flagging down my car. They were about 30 in number. They wanted to kill me, but Jelili (Dimeji) cautioned them and told them we were brothers in the community.

“They collected my car, gold necklace, two gold rings a gold bracelet and a sum of N300,000. But the car has been recovered.”
Dimeji was arrested on October 7 by policemen from the Isheri Osun division after a robbery operation and was transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Ikeja. A locally-made gun, phones and two Automated Teller Machine cards were said to have been recovered from him.

He was subsequently arraigned on two counts of robbery by a police prosecutor, Inspector Benson Emuerhi, before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.

The charges read in part, “That you, Jelili Dimeji, and others now at large on October 7, 2015 at about 03.20hrs at Isheri Osun, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire to commit felony to with: armed robbery, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 297 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.”

Dimeji’s plea was not taken by the presiding Chief Magistrate, Mrs. A.O. Olayinka, who directed that the case file be duplicated and sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

Olayinka ordered that the defendants should be remanded in prison custody pending the release of legal advice from the DPP.

The case was adjourned till January 28, 2015.

FG says Radio Biafra Transmitters Installed On MTN Masts

The Federal Government has said the transmitters for Radio Biafra, which has been accused of spreading secessionist agenda and campaigning for the carving out of a Biafra Republic from Nigeria, were found to be installed on MTN masts in Enugu and Anambra states.

According to the Federal Government, the installation of the transmitters on the telecommunications company’s masts was to ensure wider coverage for the radio.



The headquarters of the radio station is “presumably in London.”

This is contained in the government’s case summary of the fresh six counts of treason and other ancillary offences instituted against the founder of Radio Biafra and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and two others, before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

One of the two other defendants in the six counts filed by the Federal Government is a field maintenance engineer, David Nwawuisi, charged with the responsibility of maintaining the MTN masts in Enugu State.

The other defendant, Benjamin Madubugwu, was said to be living in Ubilisiuzo, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, where he allegedly received custody of a container housing transmitters from Kanu.

On December 23, during the accused persons’ appearance in court for their scheduled arraignment, Kanu refused to take his plea due to what he called his lack of confidence in the presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed.

The judge promptly returned the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, for reassignment to another judge and the three accused persons were returned to the custody of the Department of State Services.

The fresh charges were filed against the three men barely 24 hours after Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in a ruling on Kanu’s bail application on December 17, ordered his unconditional release from DSS custody, having been detained for about two months without any valid charges filed against him.

The Federal Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Mohammed Diri, who signed the fresh charges, the case summary and other processes accompanying them on behalf of the government, alleged that Nwawuisi installed the transmitters on MTN masts “on request by an IPOB member, Chidibere Onwudiwe.”

Diri added, “The 3rd defendant (Nwawuisi), a Field Maintenance Engineer, charged with the responsibility of maintaining MTN masts in Enugu State, was also arrested in the course of the investigation.

“He agreed, on the request of an IPOB member, who is at large, Chidebere Onwudiwe, to install and did install IPOB radio transmitters on MTN masts for a consideration.”

The prosecution alleged that the transmitters were smuggled into Nigeria by Kanu and were discovered during a search in Madubugwu’s residence.

While Kanu was accused of treasonable felony, management of an unlawful society (IPOB), and smuggling of goods, including radio transmitters, into the country, Madubugwu and Nwawuisi were accused of assisting in the management of the said unlawful group.

The prosecution alleged, in the six counts, that the transmitters were installed on the MTN masts between April and May 2015.

The sixth count read, “That you, David Nwawuisi, at Enugu and Anambra states, between April and May 2015 assisted in the management of an illegal society by doing an act to wit: you permitted one Chidiebere Onwudiwe, now at large, to install Radio Biafra transmitters with knowledge that the said transmitters were property of the Indigenous People of Biafra, an unlawful society, with the intention to propagate its secession intention and that you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 6 of the Criminal Code Act, CAP C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.”

Kanu was said to have on many occasions broadcast on the radio, which is said to have as its Mission Statement, ‘The defence of the rights of the Indigenous People of Biafra; and ultimately the actualisation of the Republic of Biafra’, reiterating that “Biafra must be realised.”

The case summary reads, “In one of such broadcasts on August 1, 2015, he called on members of IPOB in the Diaspora to identify children of Nigerian dignitaries, their residences and schools, with a view to taking reprisal action against them in the event of attacks against Biafrans by Nigerian security agents.”

The Federal Government said the proponents of the Republic of Biafra proposed that the republic would consist of “states in the South-East and South-South regions except that in the case of Edo State, only the Igbanke community will be part of the Republic of Biafra as well as the Igalas in Kogi State and the Idomas in Benue State.”

No new date has been fixed for the arraignment of the accused persons.

60-year-old man arrested for defiling a 12yr old girl in Ogun state

 A 60-year-old man identified as Adewale Enoch has been arrested by the police for allegedly defiling a 12-year-old girl. A statement made by the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi to journalists on Monday, disclosed that the incident occurred on Saturday, at Moborode area, Abigi, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State.

"The police operatives attached to Abigi Division of the Ogun State police command have arrested one Adewale Enoch,60, for having unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl,12, on 26th December at 150hrs," he said

According to the statement, the suspect was arrested after the father of the victim reported to the police.

"The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State CP Abdulmajid Ali has directed that the case be transferred to the Department of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence, Eleweran, Abeokuta for further investigation and prosecution for the command has credible evidence to arraign the suspect," DSP Adejobi said.

"The police boss also appealed to parents and guardians to monitor their children or wards, as all hands must be on deck to eradicate this criminal, barbaric and inhuman act in our society," he added.

The Commissioner of Police on his part promised to continue the fight against child abuse, gender violence and other social vices that can expose children to dangers.

Lagos, Ogun Bank Robbers’ Arms’ Suppliers Arrested (photo)

Detectives attached to the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (SIRT) have arrested suspected arms dealers who supplied Niger Delta militants cum robbers that attacked banks at Lekki, Ikorodu and Festac in Lagos State and Agbara area of Ogun State.

The police arrested eight suspects, including an Army lance corporal, for allegedly supplying arms and ammunition to the bank robbers. Aside the arrest of the arms suppliers, SIRT also arrested seven members of the robbery gang.

The crackdown on the arms suppliers was led by Mr. Abba Kyari, a Chief Superintendent of Police and officials of Defence Intelligence. Six automatic pump action rifles, a pistol and some cartridges were recovered from the suspects.

Detectives gathered that most of the arms sold to the robbers were used for bank robberies, kidnapping and pipeline vandalism. A member of the robbery gang told SIRT operatives that his gang received large supplies of arms and ammunition from the soldier.

The soldier was posted to Borno State to fight the Boko Haram. It was also revealed that the soldier used to conceal weapons inside food items heading to Lagos from Borno. The gang, which was also involved in pipeline vandalism at Ikorodu and Ijegemo areas of Lagos, would receive the ‘goods’ at a designated venue. The gang would later credit the soldier’s bank account. The robbers used to come through the waterways, dressed in military camouflage uniforms. They had attacked different banks, where they carted away millions of naira after blowing up banks entrance doors with dynamites.

In most of their operations, they killed women, children and policemen. According to the police, the eight suspects, Opeyemi Balogun, Ayodeji Famileye, Michael Adebayo, Edward Paul, Bayo Olaoye, Ahmed Mosuru, Olamilekan Omopeji and Emmanuel Ebo (the soldier), were picked at various locations in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Borno states.

A police source said: “The lance corporal was picked at his duty post in Maiduguri, Borno State by men of the Defence Intelligence. The officials received intelligence report of his activities from the police.

He is currently undergoing interrogation at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.” The arms suppliers were alleged to have sold no fewer than 15 automatic pump action rifles, a pistol and several cartridges to the gang members.

Stating their own side, the arms suppliers insisted they did not know the arms and ammunition bought from them would be used for robbery. According to them, they thought the robbers were soldiers as they were normally seen clad in military fatigue.

Famileye, 40, the link between the robbers and arms dealers, said he sold an automatic rifle to the gang for N230,000 and he made over N60,000 on each rifle.

He said: “I used to demand extra N30,000 from the gang to procure firearms’ licence for each rifle sold to the gang. I’m not an arms dealer. I have a friend in Oyo State, Mike. He sells arms. I don’t know whether he is a licensed dealer or not.

“In 2012, during the fuel subsidy protest in Lagos, I went to Ikorodu to buy fuel and met Opeyemi Balogun. Balogun sold fuel to me and during our conversation; he told me that he was into security.”

NDLEA arrests 40 years old man at Lagos Airport with cocaine inserted inside his anus

Agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Dec. 26, arrested a 40-year-old man, Ikeh Maxwell Obumneme at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, for drug trafficking.

The NDLEA Commander attached to the airport Mr. Hamisu Lawan, who confirmed the arrest revealed that Obumneme was nabbed with substances that tested positive for cocaine inserted in his anus.

According to Lawan, the suspect was arrested on his way from Brazil with the drugs packed in six wraps weighing 120 grammes inserted in his anus. While reiterating the agency's vision to eradicate illicit traficking in narcotics drugs, the Commander said the case is currently under investigation.

Fayose saysLai Mohammed must explain Borno, Adamawa Boko Haram attacks

Read the press statement below...

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described the Sunday and Monday’s Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Adamawa States as disheartening and an indictment on the All Progressives Congress (APC) federal government, saying that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed must explain to Nigerians how the same Boko Haram that he said had been “technically defeated” could carry out such daring and deadly attacks.

The governor, who commiserated with the government and people of Borno and Adamawa States, especially those who lost their loved ones in the attacks, said; “in other countries of the world, the government would have taken responsibility for deceiving and misleading the people and apologised.”

In a release issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose asked; “If Boko Haram had indeed been technically defeated as Lai Mohammed made Nigerians to believe, what do we call the Sunday and Monday attacks in Maiduguri, Borno State capital and Madagali, Adamawa State? “Should we say that the ‘technically’ defeated Boko Haram insurgents attacked Borno and Adamawa States, killing close to 100 Nigerians and injuring several others?

“Only Lai Mohammed who told Nigerians that Boko Haram had been technically defeated can tell us what happened and he must have to explain how ‘technically defeated’ insurgents could carry out such deadly attacks.”

Governor Fayose, who urged the APC-led federal government to stop deceiving Nigerians, especially on the Boko Haram insurgency and its anti-corruption fight said; “This governance by deceit must stop. Nigerians deserve to know the truth concerning how they are being governed.”

He challenged the federal government to tell Nigerians how much had been spent on security matters since June, this year, saying; “As it is today, they are just using the anti-corruption fight to shift the attention of Nigerians from their failure to fulfil the promises they made while seeking votes.

They are deceiving Nigerians while diverting Security Vote under the pretence of fighting Boko Haram insurgency. “It has therefore become pertinent that they are told expressly to stop behaving as if they are still the opposition. They should realise that election is over and it is already seven months that they assumed office.”

Rita Ora's nipples hit the beach (photos)

The 25-year-old pop star was spotted on vacation in Miami where she donned a very sexy swimsuit that accentuated her curves and put her nipples on display. See more photos after the cut...

Chris Ngige,Minister of Labour & Employment speaks on those that will benefit from FG's N5k stipend

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige says unemployed graduates, market women and the Civilian Joint Task Force in the north-east are those that have been targeted to be beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s N5,000 stipend.

Ngige gave further clarifications in Abuja during an interview with journalists today December 28th. He explained that the N5,000 stipend would be disbursed through a social security scheme.

K. Michelle gets butt reduction

Singer K. Michelle said she was going to reduce her butt implant because it was taking attention away from her and her talent, and she's started the process. She's had her first booty reduction surgical procedure and reportedly removed a gallon of fat from her butt. She will remove more. She shared photos of the size of her new butt. Read what she wrote and more photos after the cut...

ISIS 'female Gestapo' kill and mutilate mum for breastfeeding

Islamic State's 'female Gestapo' mutilated and killed a mum - because she was breastfeeding her son.
The innocent mother covered her son with her burqa to hide him, but members of the Al-Khansa brigade spotted her and meted out their barbaric punishment.
Al-Khansa is a special brigade set up to enforce the terror group's strict Islamic views.

Aisha, a former resident of Raqqa in Syria who now lives in southern Turkey, told the Sunday Times: "An Isis policewoman took the baby, gave it to another woman, and then killed the mother.”

Harrowingly, pro-ISIS social media sites revealed she was mutilated before she died.
Al-Aqsa is a special brigade set up to enforce the terror group's strict Islamic views.
They bite and whip any woman who steps out of line and force girls to become sex slaves.
As many as 60 British women are thought to be members of the brigade, which operate in ISIS' self-proclaimed capital Raqqa.

The city is ruled by fear, with torture, stoning and crucifixions common.

All women are prohibited from going outside or travelling without a male relative.

ISIS imposes a strict dress code demanding all females from puberty upwards wear two gowns to hide their body shape, black gloves to cover their hands, and three veils so their faces cannot be seen, even in direct sunlight.

Women have been publicly buried alive in sand for breaking the code.
One former Syrian schoolteacher trapped in the city opened up to Channel 4 in a documentary, titled: Escape From ISIS.
She said:

"We have no freedom. We cannot go out on the balcony or look through the window. They will arrest a woman if she wears perfume or raises her voice. A woman’s voice cannot be heard."

The teacher told of her horrifying capture by the city’s ruthless all-women police unit, the Al-Khansa brigade.

"They said my eyes were visible through my veil. I was tortured. They lashed me. Now some of them punish women by biting. They give you the option between getting bitten or lashed."

Female Suicide Bomber kill family of 15 in Maiduguri

A female suicide bomber attacked the home of a village head, Bulama Isa in Maiduguri yesterday evening, killing his three wives and their 10 children yesterday December 27th. The incident happened as Boko haram members engaged the Nigerian troops in a gun battle earlier yesterday evening.
Eyewitnesses say the woman pretended Boko Haram was chasing her, as she ran into the compound of the village head.

“She ran into Bulama Isa’s compound shouting ‘Boko Haram, Boko Haram. When the families of Isa all came out of their rooms to meet the woman in the center of their compound, the woman simply detonated the bomb she had under her garment killing the man his three wives and ten children” a witness said

Bulama Isa who had not returned home yet at the time his home came under attack managed to survive another suicide attack at the entrance of his home. Sources said another female suicide who was lurking in the dark as the grief struck head of the family walked into his attacked compound, jumped out and detonated herself: but the village head was lucky again.

He was able to escape with minor injury, but the blast had succeeded in killing a woman with her baby.

NNPC says 75% of fuel in Nigeria will still be imported in 2016

Group Managing Director NNPC and Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, during his tour of Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company, KRPC, yesterday, said the country will still rely on 75 per cent importation of fuel throughout the whole of next year.

According to him:

“The future is that, Nigeria is still going to import fuel in 2016 and beyond. Best case situation is 25 per cent local and 75 per cent importation. Worse case is what we are experiencing now.

“Until we begin to get individuals who can co-relocate, we are going to be doing a mixture of local and importation of fuel to meet up demands. In the next few weeks, however, queues will disappear in fuel stations.”

The minister said that the Kaduna refinery will soon be producing more than two million litres per day capacity as soon as an Fluid Catalytic Cracking, FCC, unit is fully on stream.
He said:

“We need to get it back to re-kit it to work well. We will do that with some level of production going on. Our concern is to have a consistent production and provision of products at all times.”

“We will not be fluctuating prices, we will take an average. Today no subsidy, in January we will look at the situation and announce it.”

In regards to privatization, he said:

“President Muhammadu Buhari has not approved any policy about selling the refineries.”

Vanguard

Pilot of Malaysia Airline didn't know he flew in the wrong direction

An investigation has been launched after a Malaysia Airlines plane took off from Auckland Airport on Christmas Day and surprised the pilot with the direction it started flying.
Just eight minutes into the direct flight to Kuala Lumpur, MH132's pilot queried why his Airbus A330 was heading so far south.

He wondered why the plane was heading towards Melbourne and not taking a more direct flight path to the Malaysian capital.
It is understood passengers on board the flight, which left at 2.23am Christmas Day, were not alerted to the mix-up.
During discussions with air traffic controllers at the Auckland Oceanic control centre, the pilot was informed of the flight plan his airline had given to Airways, which manages air traffic control for New Zealand and South Pacific.

He then continued across the Tasman Sea before heading northwest to Kuala Lumpur.
Although there were no apparent safety concerns with the confusion, Airways yesterday confirmed it was investigating.
"We have an internal safety team who will investigate it," a spokeswoman said. "The flight plan the airline filed with us was going to Kuala Lumpur but via a slightly different route than the pilot was expecting."

Airways will "work closely" with the much-maligned carrier to find out how the confusion came about, the spokeswoman said.

Last year, 577 crew and passengers lost their lives on two separate Malaysia Airlines flights. Flight MH370 disappeared between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing for unknown reasons in March and MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made missile over Ukraine in July.

New Zealand aviation commentator Peter Clark praised the pilot for his actions.

    "The pilot has done a very good job by noticing it, querying it and not just blindly flying off and ending up in the Southern Ocean," he said.

He said if Malaysia Airlines was now a responsible airline, "which I hope it is after everything that has happened", it would ask for an explanation and investigate.
Flights on the route often travel around the bottom of Australia to avoid bad weather or head-winds, Clark said.

    "The pilot was probably not used to going that far south."

WeatherWatch head analyst Philip Duncan said he flew out of Auckland this week in "perfect conditions". A large high was settling across the Tasman Sea.

The weather between New Zealand and Kuala Lumpur was "fairly calm", but Duncan said thunderstorms across northern Australia and Papua New Guinea may have influenced Malaysia Airlines' preferred route.



Source: New Zealand Herald

Teen dies after dad accidentally shoots her in face while cleaning his gun

 A teenage girl died on Boxing Day after her dad accidentally shot her in the face with a gun he thought wasn't loaded.
Kaitlyn Pullam, 17, died two days after her family made the heartbreaking decision to switch off her life support machine on Christmas Eve.

The youngster was shot on December 20 at her home in Ohio. Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs told KFVS news her father thought the gun was not loaded and it went off by mistake.
Cops found Kaitlyn in her bedroom unresponsive and a what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to her face.

She didn't have a pulse when officers arrived.
Paramedics rushed her to hospital where her heart restarted, but she remained in a coma until her family were forced into their desperate decision on December 24.

Witnesses said the black powder rifle went off and shot her through the wall.

Pastor David Stewart said:

    "They [the family] just greatly appreciate everything that people have done. "They've have been surprised by the number of people who've wanted to be involved and connecting. "They've been overwhelmed by the amount and outpouring of generosity."

Pastor Stewart described Kaitlyn as an intelligent girl who had dreams of working in forensics.

    "She had goals, she was driven, she was going to accomplish those," he said. "In fact, she really had already graduated, but was going to hang out for just one more semester just to walk with everybody else."

The family plans to donate Kaitlyn's organs.

Cleric to Buhari: ‘Release Nnamdi Kanu, otherwise the Heavens will strike’

A cleric, Prophet Anthony Nwoko of the Church of God, says Heaven will fall if President Muhammadu Buhari doesn’t release Radio Biafra Director, Nnamdi Kanu, with immediate effect.

Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, is still being detained after a Federal High Court granted him bail from the custody of the Department of State Security.

While addressing a press conference at the end of a Prayer Summit organised by 24 pastors in Enugu, Prophet Nwoko chastised the leaders of the South East whom he described as selfish.

“I cannot find any clean political leader from the South East. The governors are selfish, self centered, and have never pursued any action that will uplift the overall well-being of Igbo nation.”

Furthermore, the cleric said the continued detention of Kanu was an act of injustice. “Buhari must release Nnamdi Kanu with immediate effect, otherwise the heavens will strike.”

Prophet Nwoko also described himself as the anointed savior sent on a special mission for the glory of God in Nigeria.

“The religious leaders saw the glory in the country but could not deliver the message to the nation, the judgment will be upon them for denying Christ, his glory. I was spiritually crowned for the nation and the world and was sent on a special mission for the glory of God.

“They should allow this light to materialize, if not crisis will overrun the nation as a whole, Prophet Nwoko is a chosen prophet, Igbos should seek for the prophet. The truth is finally here, but Nigeria finds it difficult to believe, the nation refuses to recognize the presence of the anointed saviour of the world because of tribalism.”

“The nation has gone against God’s will, they hide the truth about Jesus because of what they will eat, the spirit has advised Nigerians to crown the king of this nation for the world to bear witness of the second coming of the Holy One.”

Ban on ATM card use abroad can’t be reversed – CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria says it has no power to reverse the restriction placed on the use of Automated Teller Machine cards abroad.

The apex bank said it’s in support of the Deposit Money Banks’ decision to place a restriction on the use of ATM cards abroad.

The CBN said the move which will help in reducing the pressure on the naira, became necessary due to a scarcity of foreign exchange.
Director, Monetary Policy Department, CBN, Moses Tule, while speaking with journalists over the weekend, explained that the restriction may continue until the country is able to increase its foreign exchange earnings.

“The limitation on the use of debit or credit cards outside the country was not a limitation that was placed by the CBN.

“They were restrictions that Deposit Money Banks placed because they have to settle whatever transactions you make with your debit cards with their corresponding banks in foreign currency. And if the banks do not have the foreign currency to do that, then you create a liability problem for them.”

“Given the level of current flow into the reserves, by the time we meet these priority areas, you will discover that people who are using their debit cards overseas for shopping can never be on the priority list,” he added.

“If you read the budget speech of the President, there was one sentence there where he said we must make hard choices in 2016. The budget is designed to open the growth potential of the economy and the President has said we must make hard choices.

“As policymakers, we are going to make those hard choices so at the right time, the CBN will take the appropriate decisions that will strengthen the foreign exchange market.”

Obasanjo's message for rich and successful Nigerians

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged wealthy Nigerians to participate in the development of their local communities.

Obasanjo said rather than wait for the government to develop every region of the country, the rich can assist in rural development.

The retired politician made the call over the weekend, while delivering a goodwill message at the 2015 edition of the Ibogun-Olaogun Day, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun state.

“Successful individuals who have made it in life will be doing the country a lot of good in reducing the menace of unemployment, only if they can interact with the rural areas and establish businesses in the rural communities without waiting for government.

“We don’t need to wait for government before developing our communities, particularly some of us who were raised from the village. We should not wait for any government ticket.

“Let us think of what we can do for ourselves and our communities; what we can do for ourselves to make our rural communities more habitable for us.

“When I was growing up in this community, there was no latrine, no bathroom, and no clinic. But today, there are over a dozen of people who would have died if the clinic we constructed through the community’s self-effort had not been in existence.

“Each of us can encourage village renewal; we don’t need to wait for government if we don’t want to tarry for too long. The need to raise fund for our community secondary school is borne out of the need that we cannot wait for government to do it all. We have to carry our load by ourselves before we say government should come to our aid. That is the reality today.”

Military Treated Buhari Badly Under PDP — Presidency

The Presidency on Saturday said Nigeria’s military hierarchy did not treat President Muhammadu Buhari well during the tenure of Goodluck Jonathan as president of the country.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Garba Shehu, in a Facebook post, described the military’s action as shameless.

In the run in of the March 28 presidential election, the Nigerian military claimed that it did not have the record of President Buhari’s West African Examination Council result.

Reacting to online criticisms against Buhari for receiving some vehicles from the embattled ex-National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, Shehu stated that the President was entitled to what he received.

“Cars are just a few in a litany of entitlements written in that law, although it is contestable to say that General Buhari had been given his due entitlements by successive administrations as provided thereunder. Regime after regime treated him as if he was not a former Head of State.

“The military in particular treated him so badly that its leaders kept silent when the PDP charged that he didn’t have WAEC papers. One shameless Army Records officer said the former Head of State had no records at all under their system.”

Shehu added that Buhari went without a full complement of armed guards from the Army until the April bomb attack on his convoy.

“It was at this time that the Chief of Army Staff (at that time) thought it necessary to reinstate the armed convoy to protect him. When they brought the two cars within a few days of his being bombed, the staff of the General were merely informed that this was from the Federal Government in fulfillment of its obligation to him,” he said.

Doctor dies after attending to patient in Lagos

A Lagos-based medical doctor identified as Dr Akingbade of Veritas Clinics Limited, College Road, Ifako-Ijaiye Lagos died inside his office shortly after attending to a patient recently. According to a report by Vanguard, family sources say he might have died from exhaustion and stress but also had a history of hypertension. ‎One of the nurses on duty, Toyin Ifesan, while narrating what happened said

“Our boss died at about 10.30pm shortly after he had closed for consultation. He went to see a patient on admission. Thereafter, he retired to his office and sat down. A nurse later went in there to ask him to go upstairs, where we have sleeping facilities, to sleep, having been working since morning.
‎ On getting to the office, the nurse spoke to him but she got no response. She then pushed him, only to find that Dr Akingbade had passed on. The situation attracted everybody in the clinic. He was not sick before death. The only thing we noticed was that, on that day, he was not jovial as he used to be. Unlike him, he talked to the staff without looking at their faces. He looked at the floor while talking to the staff. Our late boss was a very jovial person. He joked a lot with the staff as well as with patients before attending to them. He would ask the patient where he came from, and when he told the place the patient came from, always had one or two things to say about the patients place and people. He was a problem solver when it came to illnesses. If you cry to his office, you will smile coming out. He hardly attended social functions because of the fear that a critically ill patient that may be bought to his clinic may die before returning. So, he was always in the clinic most of the time. Even anytime he hired a doctor to help attend to patients, most of patients still preferred his consultation because of his wide experience. Some would wait, no matter how long, to see him. Others would go and come back.”she said He will be buried early next year.

President Muhammadu Buhari-- Jonathan’s Govt Provoked Soldiers Into Mutiny

President Muhammadu Buhari has accused the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan of deliberately provoking Nigerian soldiers into mutiny by its actions and turning round to arrest and prosecute the soldiers.

He said the past administration, while fighting terrorists, sent soldiers to the battlefield without arms and ammunition.

Buhari made the accusation in an interview he granted the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation and monitored by The PUNCH.

He said his administration’s investigation into the activities of the immediate past government revealed that instead of procuring arms and ammunition for the soldiers, funds meant for the equipment were shared by government officials.

He said, “We investigated and discovered how funds that were pencilled down for arms procurement were diverted and shared by government officials who served the last administration.

“The government at that time sent the soldiers to the battlefield without arms and ammunition to prosecute the war. That was what led some of them to mutiny. They were arrested and detained because of this.”

Despite the December deadline he had earlier given the military to end terrorism in the affected part of the country, Buhari admitted that the country might not win the war completely by the end of the month.

He however said a lot of progress had been made by the military.

He said the terrorists themselves were aware that they could no longer take over communities and local governments like they were doing under the past administration.

“If people are going to be fair to us, they themselves know that the Army is winning the war. You can no longer find any huge number of Boko Haram members in Adamawa and Yobe; only may be, in about three local governments of Borno in the area around our borders with Chad Republic. They are no longer in position to threaten the country, so we have won,” he added.

Justifying the arrest and ongoing prosecution of arms scandal suspects, Buhari said the government would use documents that were already in its possession to prove to the courts that the suspects stole.

He added that their ill-gotten wealth would be confiscated and they would be jailed.

On the economy, the President said out of the nation’s N2.2tn debt, his administration inherited N1.5tn domestic debt while foreign debt accounted for N0.7tn.

He restated his position that Nigeria was not poor, but said the country was rich, lamenting that corruption remained the bane of development.

The President added that that was why his administration had been busy plugging the leakages in the revenue-generating agencies such as the Nigerian Customs Service and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation among others.

He explained that the money saved from the exercise would be properly utilised to run the country, especially in this era of dwindling oil price.

On the N5,000 monthly his administration promised to make available to the unemployed and the most vulnerable Nigerians, Buhari admitted that not all those who were in need of the money would get it.

He said governments at all levels would collaborate to identify those who would benefit.

In his reaction on Sunday, however, Jonathan said he didn’t plan to lose the Boko Haram war as being suggested by Buhari’s comments.

Rather, he said he tried to protect the constitution, which he said he sworn to defend when he assumed office.

The former President spoke through his Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman, in a text message sent to one of our correspondents.

The former minister said the ex-President did everything within his power to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

He said, “No responsible government would strategise to loose a war. President Jonathan sworn to defend Nigeria sovereignty and territorial integrity and he did everything possible to achieve that height in the fight against the insurgents.

“It is unfair therefore for Mr President to perceive such efforts by his predecessor as criminal and treasonable.

“The President should, in an attempt to build this country, make such pronouncements that would further unite us as a people than that those that would divide us. Posterity will judge everybody.”

IMF- Crude Oil Price Could Fall To $20 In 2016

Nigeria may be in for harder times than previously envisaged as the International Monetary Fund has predicted that crude oil prices may slump to as low as $20 per barrel in 2016.

In the ‘IMF Executive Board Concludes 2015 Article IV Consultation with Iran’ report, the body highlighted that the price of crude oil could drop by between $5 and $15 in 2016, cableng.com reports.

As of Thursday, the price of crude oil in the international market averaged $37. On December 17, the price fell to $36 per barrel.

The Federal Government 2016 budget had based the 2016 budget on a benchmark oil price of $38 per barrel. If the IMF prediction comes true, the country will be in serious trouble as there won’t be any buffer for the budget.

Crude oil revenue accounts for about 90 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings. Nigeria is projected to produce 2.2 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2016. If it sells at $38 per barrel, it will generate around $83.6m daily or $30.51bn in the entire year. At $20 as predicted by the IMF, Nigeria will generate $44m daily or $16.06bn next year. This will mean that the country will get at least 47.4 per cent less revenue from oil than what is projected, adding more pressure to the nation’s need to go borrowing in 2016.

According to President Muhammadu Buhari, oil related revenues are expected to contribute N820bn to the economy, while the budget deficit, which is projected at N2.22tn, will be funded by foreign and domestic loans.

If the N820bn expected from oil revenues is cut by 47.4 per cent as a result of the IMF projected decline in oil prices, the nation’s budget deficit will climb by N388.68bn to N2.59tn.

photo of Benita Okojie All Grown

Remember the little girl who charmed the world with her melodious voice years ago when she turned Gospel music to house hold jams with top hits like, Osamudiame, Emmanuel and many more.

A graduate of Redeemers University, Benita started singing at age 12, but has grown up to become a beautiful young lady.