MOPOL And Naval Personnel Clash In Port Harcourt

There was tension and panic among motorists and pedestrians as result of the shootings between Mobile Policemen and some Naval men around Mobile Police, MOPOL, Barracks, off ‘Mummy B’ road, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital at about 6.pm.

It was not clear what led to the clash that led to exchange of gunfire that made motorists and pedestrians who were initially trapped in traffic jam to abandon their cars and took to their heels in different directions.

The sound of gunshots caused traffic gridlock at GRA junction, Port Harcourt /Aba expressway, Mummy B road and Stadium road as motorists and Pedestrians tried to hurry home.
Eyewitnesses said the fracas started over right of way in the ever busy and congested roads in the rush hour traffic.

According to eyewitnesses who called into WAZOBIA/Info.fm radio Port Harcourt, evening programme traffic report said they could not fathom what caused the verbal exchange before they heard of gun shots.

Another eyewitness said: “A man suspected to be a Mobile Policeman sprayed a substance suspected to be teargas on the face of a military man. At that instant the military man cocked his rifle and shot a man in mufti. Within minutes other Mobile Policemen swarm the scene and tried to disarm him. In the ensuing melee shots were fired. I saw a military man running in blood stains.”

A couple of other motorists confirmed hearing several gunshots around the MOPOL barracks area prompting them to take alternative routes home.
The Rivers Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmad Muhammad, confirmed there was an incident between the Police and Naval Personnel but that the matter had been resolved.
He denied that there was casualty in the clash that lasted for half and hour.
Clashes between the military and policemen occur frequently is always a commonplace at resulting to deaths.

Alleged fake syrup producer,Kenneth Chiokwe arrested by NAFDAC

A Federal High Court in Lagos has remanded Mr. Kenneth Chiokwe, an alleged fake codeine cough syrup maker in prison following his arraignment by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC for producing fake cough syrup.

Prosecuting counsel, Umar Shamaki told the court that Chiokwe imported fake products.
Defence counsel, Chukwudi Nneke in his bail application, urged the court to admit the accused to bail because the offence was a bailable one.
The prosecution did not oppose to the bail application but prayed the court to impose stringent conditions.
Justice Dagat, in a short ruling, granted the accused bail in the sum of N1 million and two sureties in like sum.
One of the sureties must be a relative of the accused and the second a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction, with evidence of three years tax clearance.
The court ordered the remand of the accused until his bail conditions are met.

The case was adjourned to April 5 for trial.

L.A. to pay $24 million to 2 men who spent decades in jail for murders they did not commit

Los Angeles will pay more than $24 million to two men who spent decades in prison after they were wrongfully convicted of murder, officials said.  

Kash Delano Register won his freedom in 2013 after lawyers and students from Loyola Law School doubted a key prosecution witness’s testimony.

He was awarded $16.7 million by the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday. It is the largest settlement in an individual civil rights case in the city’s history, according to reports.

Bruce Lisker, who was released from prison in 2009 after a Los Angeles Times investigation into his conviction, will walk away with $7.6 million.

 

Though their cases were unrelated, both men maintained that detectives ignored evidence that proved their innocence.

 

City Councilman Paul Krekorian told reporters on Tuesday the two cases were the “very unfortunate” result of police misconduct in the past, but did not reflect how the department operates today.

“It’s just regrettable that these two individuals spent the better part of their lives in prison as a result of the inadequacy of the investigations that happened back then,” said Krekorian, who heads the budget committee that weighs settlement payments.

Register, now 55, was arrested and charged in the 1979 armed robbery and murder of Jack Sasson, 78, after eyewitness testimony put him at the scene at the time of the shooting, the Times wrote.

 

Witness Brenda Anderson reportedly told police she heard gunshots and that she saw Register running from the scene.

 

Anderson picked him out of a photo lineup, officials said, but her sisters told police that her accounts were untrue.

 

Despite there being no recovered murder weapon, no fingerprints lifted and Register’s girlfriend’s insistence that he was with her at the time of the shooting, he spent 34 years behind bars for the crime.

 

Anderson’s sister, Sheila Vanderkam, reportedly testified that she tried to tell a detective that her sister had lied about seeing Register, but the investigator put a finger to his lips, meaning she should stay quiet.

 

Her other sister, Sharon Anderson, said that she, too, was ignored by police.

 

Register’s attorneys claimed that Anderson picked out Register under the threat of being prosecuted for credit card forgery and a recent theft if she didn’t choose someone.

 

Register was finally freed after a fresh examination of his case, spurred on after Vanderkam read many years later that he was still imprisoned. He was ultimately freed in 2013.

“After almost 37 years, I am more than ready to try to put this all behind me and move on with my life,” he told reporters.

Lisker, now 50, also said he was ready to move forward after spending 26 years in prison for the murder of his 66-year-old mother, Dorka.

 

Though happy to be vindicated, he told the Times:

“How can one place a monetary figure on a lifetime of stolen freedom, of crushed aspirations and a shattered reputation, on my mother’s tragic murder going unsolved and neglected for 33 years and counting? There are no words…”

At the time of the murder, Lisker, who had a reputation for fighting with his mother and a history of drug abuse, told police he saw her lying in the foyer and broke into the home to help her. They did not believe him.

A Times investigation in 2005 raised questions about the case against Lisker, pointing to details that showed the murder investigation was "sloppy and incomplete."

 

During a hearing in federal court challenging Lisker’s conviction, key elements of the prosecution’s case were undermined or disproved, including that a bloody print found in the bathroom was not in fact made by Lisker’s shoes as it was once thought to be. 

 

His attorneys also said that the lead detective ignored evidence that Lisker’s friend may have been a possible suspect.

 

Since his release, Lisker has married.  

How Fake LUTH doctor practising with 7 phony certificates, was arrested

43-year-old Opeyemi Adesina was arrested on Tuesday by the police for allegedly disguising as a consultant gynaecologist with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.
Adesina, who confessed to the crime upon being caught, said he paid N100,000 to buy seven forged certificates he used.

His arrest came about when his landlord, Akorede, sent a distress call to the management of the medical institution weeks ago, stating that a member of their staff who is also his tenant (Adesina) brought home female patients to treat in his house and did abortions for them, among other atrocities, which could implicate him (the landlord).

LUTH authorities in turn could not find such name in the record of their consultants and then forwarded the letter to the police, who in turn arrested Adesina.
In a confessional statement, Adesina claimed the certificates included a fake MBBS certificate from the University of Ibadan, and a fake membership certificate of the Nigerian Medical Association- which he’d been using for three years.

He said: “I bought the certificates from Kolawole in Ibadan. That was three years ago. I bought them from him for N100,000. He printed the seven certificates.”
“I do not know where he stays. We did not meet in any specific location. We usually met at fast food joints or any agreed place. For instance, it was at Agodi Gate area that I gave him the money and got the certificates. I decided to use another name on the certificates.”
“I forged them because I dropped out of the university. I was actually studying Medicine. However, I dropped out in the 500 level due to financial reasons.”
“I married my wife about five years ago. She thought I was a certified doctor. She actually came to me for treatment in the Ketu area and that was how we met. We have a child. Three years ago, I decided to get the certificates just to cover up for the failure to finish my university education.”
“It is not true that I brought women to treat at home. The truth of the matter is that I have a laboratory and the women came there. I usually did tests for them and by the time the test results were out, I would ask them to visit a hospital for treatment.”

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigation was over.
“Upon a written petition from the management of LUTH, Idi-Araba, the suspect was arrested for falsely practising as a medical doctor and consultant gynaecologist. He confessed to have been in the practice for three years, and seven certificates were recovered from him. He will be charged to court soon.”

[Graphic Pics)] UNIOSUN Graduate “A Corper” Shares His Terrible Accident Experience Along Ore Road, 8 People Died

 A Naija (Graduate of Uniosun, Abati Olamilekan) sent this in for us:-

My name is Abati Lekan, a graduate of Osun State University. I am a corp member serving at Abia State. I had an accident on my way to Aba (my place of ppa) along Ore road last week Tuesday (O5/01/2016)...

 On that fateful morning, prior to the accident, the driver made up his mind that didn’t want to drive the bus again, because he had a disagreement with his company ‘OHLOMA LINE’ (Abule-Egba), Lagos State about logistics and loading fees. After a while, they reached an agreement with the driver, so we kick-started our journey some minutes after 8am.

 When we got to the normal stop-over at Ore Park, Ondo state. I approached him and told him that “Oga nawa oo, u no want stop for us before abi”, all he responded was “Wetin I do?” He then frowned and left my sight, even before then, he was driving like someone who knew he was going to die that particular day, with his indecent driving. Four minutes after we had all eased ourselves, we continued our journey.

As we were approaching Benin, I told the person seated next to me that I was scared, that the driver was making me restless. Not long after that, a jeep ran hit us hard, the jeep was said to be approaching Ore, as explained by Road Safety Officials. They explained that the driver slept off so he unconsciously swinged from his lane to our own lane.

All I knew was a vehicle hit us hard, and all I heard was ‘Gbaaah!!!’ When I woke up everywhere was dark, it was like I was dreaming, I couldn’t help myself out, three people were on me, I couldn’t breathe easily, and I was crying and shouting repeatedly for an helper, not even knowing two of those three people ontop of me were lifeless..

The breath I was breathing out was the same I was breathing in, it was a very tough decision to make, whether to give up fighting for breath or not. Then I began to shake my leg continually, someone outside noticed the bus was shaking, so he had to break the rear glass and pulled me out.

When I eventually got out of the vehicle, I then realised it wasn’t a dream, we had lost 5 people in the bus, including the driver, the person sitted next to him, we also lost a corper at that spot and two beautiful children lying lifeless in the gutter.

I began to cry, i couldn’t hold my emotions, and couldn’t believe my eyes still. On Thursday (06/01/16) three people were again confirmed dead (We lost another corp member, making it two dead corp members). It was really a terrible experience for me, but God brought me out alive, I should have shared this before now, but I was just discharged at the hospital.
May the souls of the dead Rest In Peace!!!!

Man sells 3 year old girl for N20,000

A three-year-old girl, Success Onyeisi was kidnapped from her home on December 22, 2015 and hasn't been seen since then.
The toddler was allegedly kidnapped by a neighbour and supposed family friend, Emmanuel Okpara, who during the search of missing 3 year old, helped the toddler's father,  Godwin Onyeisi, look for the girl, until he was accused by people who saw him with the child about the time she reportedly went missing.

Her father, a commercial motorcyclist said he has spent all his savings, about N60,000, on police investigations and other logistics to no avail.

Based on the accusation, Okpara has been arrested and transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, where he allegedly confessed that he sold the toddler for N20,000 but didn't say who the buyer was or where he could be located.
The little girl's father, Godwin Onyeisi said:

“The worst part is that he (Okpara) followed me to all the places I went to in search of my daughter, with the same clothe he wore when he kidnapped her.

“He followed me on my motorcycle to all the palaces of the Baales, all the streets and all the police stations we visited, until people who saw him with her about the time she went missing, told us and the police that he was the kidnapper,” Onyeisi said.

He continued:

“My older children went to fetch water at the well in a nearby compound. They went with other children in our yard. So, because we were planning to travel, my wife left Success who was watching cartoon in the room and rushed to the market.

“She was the one who called me  that they have been looking for Success and have not seen her. Initially I didn’t really take her seriously because I did not think anyone will want to harm me or my family.

“When I came back and they have not seen her yet, I started going round the neighbourhood asking questions.

“As we were going round to ask people, the Baales were sending messages through town criers that anyone that saw her should come forward with the information.

“For two days, we went round in search of my daughter and my neighbour was with me all through the period. He was wearing the same red T-shirt that people saw him with while he took my daughter away. But he was following me as if he did not know anything about her disappearance.

“From December 23, we started hearing information that he was seen with my daughter, but I did not believe it because Success is very close to him. I have been very good to his family; I even connected my generator to his house to give them light.

“Whenever my daughter is given  food, she will take it to eat with him. Once we bath her, she will take her clothe to him to wear for her. She usually slept in their house, so I did not want to believe that he was behind her disappearance.

“But three women later came to our house, among the three was a woman he bought bottled water from while he was with my daughter. So, the woman now said he saw him with my daughter and that after drinking from the water, he gave my daughter to drink and they left.

“I still did not believe what they were saying. I told them to stop lying against him until my wife got angry and went and reported to the police that I was also a suspect. That was how I was arrested with him on December 25 and we slept at the station.

“He was still denying it, until the women and all those who saw him with my daughter came to the police station and identified him.

“They even described the clothe he was wearing, which happened to be the same clothe he wore while he was following me about. That was how the police detained him.

“After some days, he confessed that he was the one who took her and that he sold her for N20,000 through somebody else to a man who lives in Okota.

“He said he cannot remember the man and the middle man who took the baby to the buyer usually stayed at a woman’s house here in Coconut.

“I have been going from church to church and they keep telling me that my daughter is alive.

“Okpara should let me know if he has killed my daughter. If my baby is still alive, he should say where she is. How can a man like that kidnap a little girl and since then he doesn’t want to say where she is? Police need to put pressure on him to say where my baby is.

“I have spent all my savings on the investigation of this matter. I have been giving the police money so that the case is not slowed down. Now I don’t even have money to pay for the school fees of my other children,” he said.

The woman in whose house the middleman usually slept was arrested but later released because she  didn't know anything about the case.

It was gathered that the middleman gave the child to a chief, who handed her over to his prophet for sacrifice.

All the locations mentioned by Okpara have been visited by the police but the child still hasn't been found.

The Police have launched a manhunt for the buyer and the prophet he allegedly gave the child to. The investigation is supposedly still ongoing.

Driver in Fatal Las Vegas Strip Crash may get 1,000 Years in Prison if convicted

 The woman who allegedly plowed her vehicle into a crowd on the Las Vegas Strip last month, killing one person and injuring dozens more, has been hit with a total of 71 charges, prosecutors said Wednesday, adding up to more than a millennium worth of jail time

Lakeisha Holloway, 24, now faces additional charges after the fatal crash in Nevada on Dec. 20, 2015, according to the Clark County District Attorney. The new charges now reflect her “intentional injury” of 35 people, including nearly a dozen who suffered “substantial bodily harm,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo said in a statement, and she could be sentenced to over 1,000 years in prison if convicted.

“These charges will ensure the protection of our community from the defendant for a very long time,” DiGiacomo said.

Holloway also faces child abuse charges after allegedly striking an 11-year-old with her vehicle while her 3-year-old daughter was sitting in the backseat, authorities said. She was previously charged with murder, child abuse and felony hit-and-run, the Associated Press reported at the time. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson had previously said prosecutors were considering additional charges.

Source: ABC News

Adams Oshiomhole justifies the handcuffing of Olisa Metuh to court

Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomole says handcuffing embattled National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh to court by prison officials yesterday January 19th, was in order. He said this while speaking at the council members of the Edo state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalist NUJ yesterday January 20th

“I want to appeal to the media to join President Buhari in fighting the anti-corruption war because if we don’t, and we allow these people to harass the president to silence, all of us are in trouble. I saw some headlines querying why should Metuh be in handcuffs.
If people who steal he-goats, dried grass cutters are in handcuffs; I have been to the police station several times and I see young men who rob not more than N500,000 naira in handcuffs, they are paraded and made to seat on the floor. Why should certain set of criminals be treated as if they are not suspected criminals and serious crimes at that? When you all reported lavishly how under the former president, the former defense chief set up a military tribunal to try soldiers who ran away from battle field and they were condemned to death, it was only Femi Falana who was consistent in fighting their case. Those are Nigerians who were to be killed for running away because they couldn’t confront a Boko Haram that was well armed while they were asked to go and fight with their bare hands and we were told that weapons, ammunitions and everything had been provided. When Borno Governor said, ‘look, our Armed Forces are fighting with bare hands’, he was told to shut up. Now it is clear from current revelations that the money that would have been used to arm these young men who joined the army with pride and who on a good day have the courage to fight not only at home but abroad, but because they didn’t have arms, they ran away. They were sentenced to death. Thanks to Buhari, some have been commuted now to various terms of imprisonment which I applaud and I think even that one should further be reviewed, they should summit their uniform but remain free people. Now, those who shared that money, this is not the usual security money, this is special appropriation to fight Boko Haram, $2.1 billion, people just shared it, everybody was using their son, co-opting young children into this while other people’s children were sentenced to death. And anybody who partakes in that and they put him in handcuffs, they say, why should he be in handcuff because he is an elite and the media will report it without also showing us pictures of some Nigerians whose fathers are not known, but are not less Nigerian than any of us, who are always not only in handcuffs but are put on the floor in various police stations and paraded even before they are charged to court and we all look at them and turn to the next pictures, it doesn’t attract a commentary. Why should some criminals just be celebrated even when we all can feel the amount of damage, the consequences of their rascality on our collective wellbeing. I think the media should support the President. This is not President Buhari’s fight, and you know he had reminded us that if we don’t kill corruption, it will kill us. Now corruption is fighting back"he said

Army Chief, Buratai, orders all officers to declare their assets

Press statement from the Nigerian Army...

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has directed all officers of the Nigerian Army who have not declared their assets to do so immediately. He gave the directive today during a conference with Principal Staff Officers and Directors serving at the Army Headquarters.

It is to be noted that the Chief of Army Staff has done so soon on his appointment as Commander, Multinational Joint Task Force in May 2015 and also on his appointment as Chief of Army Staff in July 2015. Copies of both are with the Code of Conduct Bureau.

This directive is in order, considering the fact that all military officers are having Presidential Commission and are public servants, as well as subject to both civil and military laws.

In addition, given the current drive of the country for probity and accountability, the Nigerian Army should not only key in but should be one of the key drivers for such laudable project. Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman Acting Director Army Public Relations

Navy Chief --- Warri Pipeline Vandalism Is ‘Sabotage And Terrorism’

The Chief of Naval Staff says that the recent oil pipeline vandalism in Warri, Delta State is sabotage and terrorism and will not be tolerated by the Navy

 

Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas made the statement on Wednesday at a lecture with participants of Course 24 of the National Defence College in Abuja, who came from various security agencies in Nigeria.

He said that a close inspection of the explosion revealed that the intention of the saboteurs was not to steal crude oil but to damage the oil facilities which infringes on a primary mandate of the Navy and would be taken seriously.
While listing the core mandate and challenges of the Nigerian Navy, the naval boss maintained that no efforts would be spared in securing the lives and property of the citizens.
He also proposed the establishment of special courts and tribunals to tackle crimes in the maritime sector.

Also speaking on the importance of strategic information to national security, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mike Omeri, observed that a continuous synergy between the people, government and security agencies was important in the fight against insurgency.
He proposed the creation of a national communication strategy to be used across national spaces, stressing that security orientation and behavioural modification must be sustained to ensure that the right impact was made on the citizens towards lasting security in Nigeria.

The attacks on the pipelines forced the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to shut down the refineries in Port Harcourt and Kaduna, a development that could further worsen the scarcity of fuel faced by many states of the oil-rich nation.
But the NNPC gave the assurance that arrangements had been made to ensure availability of petroleum products while it sought solution.

 Channels

In Akure,Killers of ex-FUTA VC sentenced to death

An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has sentenced 2 persons, Ita Enang & Olayemi Bamitale, to death by hanging, for killing a former Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Albert Ilemobade in June 2015

Enang and Bamitale who were both domestic staff of the deceased, connived and had him killed over financial disagreement.

After killing him, they hid his body in his garage and escaped with his SUV and other valuables.

After one week of declaring him missing, family members found the late scholar's decomposing body inside a sack. Both men were arrested while trying to sell off his SUV and other valuables they stole.

While delivering judgement, the presiding judge, Justice Olamide Williams, said the prosecuting counsel had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused persons killed the varsity don for their selfish gain. She thereafter sentenced them to death by hanging

father rapes daughter because his wife refused to sleep with him

A man  who was arrested for having sex with his 14-year-old daughter shocked policemen when he gave them his reason for committing the abominable act.

The man, Edwin Ochieng, from the Migori region of Kenya told the cops that he decided to rape his daughter because his wife denied him sex.

According to reports, the wife had reported to the police that the night previously, her husband had refused to allow their children sleep in a separate house, insisting that his family must spend the night under the same roof.

But a few hours after they had all gone to bed, the man sneaked into the children's room where he forced himself on his daughter.

The mother was awoken by her daughter’s shout for help and went to see what was amiss, only to find her husband on top of the helpless girl.

The area Administration Police Commandant, Samson Ogelo, who confirmed the incident said that the girl who had suffered injuries to her private parts and was taken to Migori County Referral Hospital where she is receiving treatment, while her beast of a father was taken to Migori police station, awaiting to be charged to court.

Kaduna, Port Harcourt refineries shut down over pipeline vandalism--NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), today Wednesday Jan. 20th said they have shut down two refineries, one in Port Harcourt and the other in Kaduna following blowing up of pipelines in the Niger Delta.

"The plants were shut on Sunday because of “breaches” to the Bonny-Okrika supply line to Port Harcourt and the Escravos-Warri pipeline to Kaduna" NNPC said in a statement.

The NNPC said before the closure on Sunday, the Port Harcourt refinery was processing more than 4.1 million litres of petrol per day while Kaduna was producing about 1.3 million litres.

“In response to the unexpected setback, we have activated comprehensive remedial measures to sustain the prevailing stability in the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country,” the company said in a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe.

FG appoints Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah to replace Roli Bode-George as NDLEA head

President Muhammadu Buhari approved the appointment of Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah as the new Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

He replaces wife of PDP chieftain Bode George, Roli Bode-George who was the acting Chairman.

The appointment was contained in a statement issued Monday in Abuja by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal.

The statement indicated that the appointment took effect from January 11, 2016 with 5 year tenure.

Born on November 13, 1954, Muhammad Abdallah is from Hong, Adamawa State. Abdallah is a Professional Security Officer whose public service career spanned over 30 years during which he served in various capacities and strategic positions in the military.

Abdallah, a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Nigeria Army, has a Certificate of Education from Nigeria Defence Academy in 1977, a Bachelor’s Degree in American Politics and Government from Sam Houston State University, Huntville, Texas, USA in 1989, an M. A. Public Administration, LLB and LLM Degrees from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 2005 and 2011 respectively and Bachelor of Law from the Nigeria Law School in 2006.

Wike says 'I Wont Go Down Alone, If I Go Down Everyone Goes Down With Me' - Herald

Some aides and close associates of Chief (Barr) Nyesom Wike, the Governor of Rivers State have expressed fears over what they referred to as the “uncharitable threats” by the Governor. Governor Wike who is said to be troubled by the spate of defections that is on going in his party, the People’s Democratic Party in Rivers State has issued a threat while meeting with selected members of the PDP leadership.

Worried about the defection he said:
“Everybody is running away to APC and they expect me to stay calm and suffer the brunt alone. It will never happen. We were in it together and we must suffer together. If they say I stole money in the Ministry of Education, I didn’t eat it alone. All of you took part. Some of you built the Almajari Schools, some built the Unity Schools, some supplied books, others supervised projects. I have my proofs. Today everybody is shouting Wike killed to get to power. Did I as a person kill any Rivers man, No. They were killed in your LGAs by your boys. Now all of you are planning to run to APC for protection. I called you here today to inform you that I won’t accept that. I must fight back. If I go down, everybody goes down”

“Chief Awuse is now comfortable meeting with Andrew Uchendu. He does not remind us anymore of how Andrew Uchendu fought against him. Rather he has all of a sudden realized that Andrew Uchendu is Godfather to his son. See Ogiri. He is now running around Emeka Beke and sending people to Dakuku. Everyone wants to play safe, even madam. Nobody is talking; nobody wants to be on our side any more. I will fight oh. You see the way Dasuki did his, that is exact what l will do. I will name all of you one after another.”

One of the sources from Emohua Local Government Area who was also at the meeting said the “Governor has become very desperate and feels that blackmail, intimidation and threats can keep people around him.

Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Zinox To Build Database Of The Unemployed

The Ministry of Labour and Productivity has partnered the Zinox Group, an indigenous Information and Communications Technology firm, to build a database of the unemployed in the 774 Local Government Councils of the country.
This is coming on the heels of plans by the Federal Government to create jobs for the unemployed in the country.

The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, had decried the fact that the ministry did not have credible database of unemployment in its various forms, according to a statement by the ministry on Monday.
The minister gave an assurance that the ministry would roll out its programme on employment generation once the 2016 budget was passed.
“By the end of the first quarter, we will hit the ground running,” Ngige was quoted as saying.
While citing Yudala that has employed 420 graduates as an example, the Chairman, Zinox Group, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh, said that a database of the unemployed could be built without incurring expenses.
He explained that Zinox was looking forward to collaborating with the ministry to build a national database where the unemployed in the 774 LGs could register their profiles for easy access to employers.

Ekeh, who led the organisation’s management team on a courtesy visit to the ministry, added that the platform would create avenues for qualified graduates to be located for employment irrespective of where they resided.
He said that his decision to seek collaboration with the ministry was borne out of the need to reduce to the barest the unprecedented rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
Ekeh expressed worry that quite a lot of Nigerians were either unemployed or underemployed.
“The biggest challenge in the industry is to find qualified people; there are graduates but they don’t have skills; we think we can change things around,” he added.

Ngige reiterated the determination of the government to tackle unemployment, adding that the skill acquisition centres spread across the country would be resuscitated for the use of unemployed Nigerian youths to acquire relevant skills.
According to him, the ministry’s is ready to collaborate with any organisation willing to assist in creating jobs, stressing that working with Zinox would in no small measure lead to the creation of jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the country.

Nigeria Earns N3.27trn From Oil In 10 Months

Nigeria earned N3.27 trillion from the oil and gas sector in 10 months, between January and October 2015, data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has revealed.

The CBN, in its Economic Report for October 2015, disclosed that oil and gas revenue in the 10-month period accounted for 55.93 per cent of the N5.847 trillion total federally collected revenue in the period under review.

In addition to revenue from oil and gas, the country also recorded non-oil revenue of N2.577 trillion, representing 44.1 per cent of federally-collected revenue from January to October 2015.

Giving a breakdown of components of the country’s oil revenue, the report stated that Nigeria earned N737.5 billion from crude oil and gas sales; N1.289 trillion from Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT)/Royalties; N1.159 trillion from domestic crude oil/gas sales and N85 billion from other unlisted sources.

On a month-by-month basis, the report revealed Nigerian earned as follows:

January – N486.4 billion; February – N359.7 billion; March – N364.6 billion; April – N286.2 billion; May – N267.2 billion and June – N285.6 billion respectively. Others are July – N369.4 billion, August – N314.9 billion, September – N265.2 billion and October – N271.1 billion respectively.

In terms of federally-collected revenue on a month-by-month basis, the CBN report showed the country collected for January, February, March, April and May, the sum of N692.1 billion, N554.8 billion, N808.7 billion, N472.2 billion and N462.5 billion respectively.

While N462.6 billion, N679.3 billion, 682.6 billion, N533.1 billion and N499.4 billon were collected in the months of June, July, August, September and October 2015 respectively.

In its analysis of the financials, CBN said the N499.37 billion collected in October was lower than both the monthly budget estimate and the receipt in September by 38.7 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively, which it attributed to the shortfall in receipts from oil and non-oil revenue, during the month of October.

In addition, the CBN stated that Nigeria’s crude oil production, including condensates and natural gas liquids, stood at an average of 2.02 million barrels per day (mbd) or 62.62 million barrels (mb) in October. It added that this represented an increase of 0.04 mbd or 2.0 per cent above the average of 1.98 mbd or 59.40 mb, recorded in the preceding month.

(photos) Fans Blast Korede Bello For His Police Advert,Say He Is Ignorant

Last year, Mavin Records’ youngest Korede Bello landed an endorsement deal as the first Youth ambassador for the Police Forcein Nigeria.

Yesterday, the 18-year old Godwin crooner shared a snippet of a new campaign by the Police force tagged ‘Everyone is a police’ and looked almost unrecognisable in a police uniform with his signature curls covered under a beret. The campaign addresses the need for Nigerians to work collectively to ensure safety in the country and reiterates that the Nigerian Police is not the enemy.

However, fans of the singer took to his page to criticize the campaign and call him out for being ignorant. They also stated that the police will always be corrupt, adding that they are never anyone’s friend

Nigeria’s Oil Fields Face Shutdown Amid Price Slump

This is an uncertain period for the Nigerian economy due to the continuing fall in the price of crude oil, the nation’s main revenue earner, and projections for the petroleum industry are indeed grim, ’FEMI ASU writes

With crude oil trading around $30 per barrel in the international market from a peak of $114 in June 2014, production from Nigeria now faces a decline as some fields face an imminent shutdown if the low oil price persists.

Industry players say operating some of the fields in the country is becoming uneconomic, with the selling price of oil being driven down close to the production cost level.

The price of the Nigerian crude oil, Bonny Light, has fallen to $29.47 per barrel, according to the latest data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“When oil price drops, we are all in serious trouble, because if the oil price and your unit operating cost are almost the same, it means that when you sell the oil, there is little profit or you are at a loss. Many companies are not far from there,” the Project Director for the Uquo gas field development, a joint venture project by Frontier Oil Limited and Seven Energy, Alhaji Abdullahi Bukar, told our correspondent.

“The unit technical cost of many of our producers is not far from $30 per barrel. So many companies are in trouble,” he added.

According to Bukar, the average production cost for many of the fields in the country is $24 to $25 per barrel.

“For some fields, the production cost is well above $25, maybe $28. For some fields, it is well below $20 and $25. Many of the older fields, which are mostly with the International Oil Companies, have got high production costs,” he said.

Global financial services firm, Morgan Stanley, on Monday joined banks such as Goldman Sachs, City Group and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, in warning that prices could slide to $20 per barrel.

Bukar said, “The production in Nigeria is going to suffer. In the last five years, we have not invested as much as we should to develop additional reserves. Once, we keep going like that, whether there is price change or not, the amount of oil Nigeria is going to be producing will go down.

“When the price drops as low as $20-$30 range, people who have got those old fields or fields where oil production cost is above the selling price will shut them down. There is no point in producing oil to sell at a loss.”
Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, relies on crude oil for most of its export earnings and government revenue. Oil production in the country has continued to hover between 1.9 million barrels per day and 2.3 million bpd in recent years.

President Muhammadu Buhari had projected crude oil production of 2.2 million bpd for this year’s budget, down from 2.2782 million bpd in the 2015 budget, with oil-related revenues expected to contribute N820bn.

Industry experts also say the continued decline in global oil prices would stall a number of deep-water projects in the country

An energy expert and Technical Director, Drilling Services, Template Design Limited, Mr. Bala Zakka, said with oil at $30 per barrel, the profits and projects, including Corporate Social Responsibility activities of many oil firms would be negatively affected.

“Major deep-water projects will be affected because they are very expensive. If oil continues to fall, a lot of exploration and drilling campaigns will reduce. A lot of marginal field operators will not be able to drill new wells. There is every possibility that companies will retrench to be able to stay afloat,” he said.

The Head, Energy Research, Ecobank Capital, Mr. Dolapo Oni, said, “Our production is really having issues, and I think it might be worse in 2016. Our production is likely to reduce this year.

“There are not as many fields likely to come on stream this year. Most companies just want to focus on their existing production. So, it is possible we won’t see as much new production come on stream to reverse the trend of decline in major fields we have. That might make production go down.”

Oil prices could reach as low as $10, Standard Chartered warned, stating, “Given that no fundamental relationship is currently driving the oil market towards any equilibrium, prices are being moved almost entirely by financial flows caused by fluctuations in other asset prices, including the dollar and equity markets.”

Wood Mackenzie, the energy consultancy firm, said in a report last week that since the oil price collapse in 2014, 68 major upstream projects containing 27 billion barrels of oil equivalent had been deferred.

This, it said, amounted to $380bn of capital expenditure deferred by total project spend in real terms.
High cost deep-water fields, particularly those in Angola, Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico, requiring heavy upfront investment, account for more than half of that deferred production

Jan.15th 1966: A Night of Blood & Slaughter by Femi Fani-Kayode

Read his article below...

On the night of January 15^th 1966 a coup d’etat took place in Nigeria which resulted in the murder of a number of leading political figures and senior army officers. This was the first coup in the history of our country and 98 per cent of the officers that planned and led it were Igbo. From the political class those that were killed included the following:  Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Prime Minister, who was abducted from his home and whose body was dumped somewhere along the Lagos-Abeokuta road.

Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the old Northern Region, who was killed in the sanctity of his own home together with his wife, his driver and his security assistant. Chief S.L. Akintola, the Premier of the old Western Region, who was gunned down in the presence of his family and Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, the Minister of Finance, who was brutalized, abducted from his home and whose body was later dumped in a bush. 

From the ranks of the military those that were murdered included Brigadier Zakari Maimalari, who had held a cocktail party in his home a few hours earlier that evening which was attended by most of the young officers that participated in the coup. Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun who was shot to death in his matrimonial bed along with his eight-month pregnant wife.  Others included Col. Ralph Shodeinde, Col. Kur Muhammed, Lt. Col. James Pam, PC Yohanna Garkawa, PC Haga Lai, Lance Corporal Musa Nimzo, Sgt. Daramola Oyegoke, PC Akpan Anduka and Ahmed Ben Musa.     

Sadly the mutineers came to our home that night as well and they brutalized and abducted my father, Chief Remilekun  Fani-Kayode, the Deputy Premier of the old Western Region. What I witnessed that night was traumatic and devastating for me and my family and, of course, what the nation witnessed that night was horrific. It was a night of carnage, barbarity and terror. The events of that night set in motion a series of events which changed our history. The consequences of the events of that night are still with us till this day. It was a sad and terrible night: one of blood and slaughter.

What I witnessed was as follows.  In the middle of the night, my mother came into the room which I shared with my older brother, Rotimi and my younger sister Toyin. I was six years old at the time. The lights had been cut so we were in darkness and all we could see were lights from three large vehicles. The official residence had a very long drive so it took the vehicles a while to reach us.

We saw three sets of headlights and heard the engines of three lorries drive up the drive-way. The occupants of the lorries, who were uniformed men and who carried torches, positioned themselves and prepared to storm our home whilst calling my fathers name and ordering him to come out. My father went out to meet them after he had called us, prayed for us and explained to us that since it was him they wanted he must go out there. He explained that he would rather go out to meet them than let them come into the house to shoot or harm us.

The minute he stepped out, they brutalised him. I witnessed this. They tied him up and threw him into one of the the lorry. Interestingly, the first thing they said to him was “where are your thugs now?” My father’s response was “I don’t have thugs, only gentlemen.” I think this made them brutalise him even more. They tied him up, threw him in the back of the lorry and then stormed the house.

When they got into the house, they ransacked every nook and cranny, shooting into the ceiling and wardrobes. They were very brutal and frightful and we were terrified. My mother, Chief Mrs. Adia Adunni Fani-Kayode, was screaming and crying from the balcony because all she could do was focus on her husband, who was downstairs.

“Don’t kill him, don’t kill him!!” she kept screaming at them. I can still visualise this and hear her voice pleading, screaming and crying. I didn’t know where my brother or sister was at this point because the house was in total chaos. I was just six years old and I was standing there in the middle of the house, surrounded by uniformed men who were ransacking the whole place and terrorising my family.

Then out of the blue something extraordinary happened. All of a sudden one of the soldiers came up to me, put his hand on my head and said: “don’t worry, we won’t kill your father, stop crying.” He said this thrice. After he said it the third time I looked in his eyes and I stopped crying. This was because he gave me hope and he spoke with compassion. With new-found confidence I went rushing to my mother who was still screaming on the balcony and told her to stop crying because the soldier had promised that they would not kill my father and that everything would be okay. 

I held on to the words of that soldier and that night, despite all that was going on around me, I never cried again. They took my father away and as the lorry drove off my mother kept on wailing and crying and so was everyone else in the house except for me.

From there they went to the home of Chief S.L. Akintola, the Premier of the Western Region, a great statesman and nationalist and a very dear uncle of mine. My mother had phoned Akintola to inform him of what had happened in our home. She was sceaming down the phone asking where her husband had been taken and by this time she was quite hysterical. Chief Akintola tried to calm her down assuring her that all would be well.

When they got to Akintola’s house he already knew that they were coming and he was prepared for them. Instead of coming out to meet them, he had stationed some of his policemen and they started shooting. A gun battle ensued and consequently the mutineers were delayed by at least one hour. According to the Special Branch reports and the official statements of the mutineers that survived that night and that were involved in the operation their plan had been to pick up my father and Chief Akintola from their homes, take them to Lagos, gather them together with the other political leaders that had been abducted and then execute them all together. 

The difficulty they had was that Akintola resisted them and he and his policemen ended up wounding two of the soldiers that came to his home. One of the soldiers, whose name was apparently James, had his fingers blown off and the other had his ear blown off. After some time Chief Akintola's ammunition ran out and the shooting stopped. His policemen stood down and they surrendered. He came out waving a white handkerchief and the minute he stepped out they just slaughtered him.

My father witnessed Akintola's cold-blooded murder in utter shock and horror because he was tied up in the back of the lorry from where he could see everything that transpired. The soldiers were apparently enraged by the fact that two of their men had been wounded and that Akintola resisted and delayed them. After they killed him, they moved on to Lagos with my father. When they got there, they went to the Officer’s Mess at Dodan Barracks.

When they took my dad away everyone in our home thought he had been killed. The next morning a handful of policemen came and took us to the house of my mother’s first cousin, Justice Atanda Fatai Williams, who was a judge of the Western Region at the time. He later became the Chief Justice of Nigeria. From there we were taken to the home of Justice Adenekan Ademola, another High Court judge at the time, who was a very close friend of my father and who later became a Judge of the Court of Appeal.

At this point the whole country had been thrown into confusion and no one knew what was going on. We heard lots of stories and did not know what to make of what anymore. There was chaos and confusion and the entire nation was gripped by fear. 

Two days later my father finally called us on the telephone and he told us that he was okay. When we heard his voice, I kept telling my mother “I told you, I told you.” Justice Ademola and his dear wife, Auntie Frances, were weeping, my mother was weeping, my brother and sister were weeping and I was just rejoicing because I knew that he would not be killed and I had told them all.

I never got to know who that soldier was (that promised me that my father would not be killed), but I believe that God spoke through him that night. I also believe that he may well have been an officer because he spoke with confidence and authority.

These individuals who carried out this coup were not alone: they got some backing from elements in the political class who identified with them. Some have said that it was an Igbo coup whilst others have said that it was an UPGA (referring to the political alliance between the Action Group and the NCNC) coup but that is a story for another day.

Whatever anyone calls it or believes two things are clear: the consequences of the action that those young officers took that night were far-reaching and the way and manner in which they killed their victims was deplorable and barbaric. Such savagery had never been witnessed in our shores. There has never been another night like that and the results of that night have been devastating and profound. 

In my view not enough Nigerians appreciate this fact. Some in our country cannot forgive those who participated in the mutiny and, though I do not share that sentiment or disposition, this is understandable. Others believe that those young men (they were all in their 20's) did the right thing and they say that those killings were necessary and heroic. This is a sentiment which I not only despise but which I also find unacceptable and appalling. There is nothing heroic about rebellion and the murder and carnage of innocent and defenseless men and women. .

The coup affected the country in an equally profound manner because the events of that night led to a counter-coup six months later. It was a devastating and disproportionate response. Sadly after that came the horrendous pogroms and slaughter of the Igbo in the North which eventually led to the civil war in which millions of people died, including innocent children. This was also horrendous and deplorable.

Yet the bitter truth is that if the new Head of State, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, had done the right thing and actually prosecuted the ringleaders of the coup, who were Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, Major Anufuro, Major Ademoyega,  Major Timothy Onwuatuegwu, Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi, Captain Okafor and all the other young officers that planned and executed the coup of January 15th after it was crushed, there would have been no northern revenge coup six months later. 

I have not added Major Emmanuel Ifejuana (who was actually the leader of the coup) to the list because he could not have been locked up or prosecuted by General Aguiy-Ironsi simply because he ran away to Ghana immediately after the mutiny in Lagos failed and after he and his co-mutineers were routed by Lt. Col. Jack (Yakubu) Gowon. 

For some curious reason after the coup was successfully crushed, General Aguiyi-Ironsi just locked these young mutineers up and he refused to prosecute them. This bred suspicion from the ranks of the northern officers given the fact that Aguiyi-Ironsi himself was an Igbo. The suspicion was that he had some level of sympathy for the mutineers and the fact that they did not execute him or any other Igbo officer on the night of January 15th during the course of the mutiny only fueled that suspicion. 

The northern officers also felt deeply aggrieved about the wholesale slaughter of their key political figures that night. In my view that, together with Aguiyi-Ironsi’s insistence on promulgating the Unification Decree which abolished the federal system of government and sought to turn Nigeria into a unitary state, made the revenge coup of July 29th 1966 inevitable.

The revenge coup was planned and led by Major Murtala Mohammed (as he then was) and it was supported and executed by other young northern officers like Major T.Y. Danjuma (as he then was), Major Martins Adamu and many others. This is the coup that was to put Lt. Col. Jack Gowon (as he then was) in power and when they struck it was a very bloody and brutal affair. 

The response of the northern officers to the mutiny and terrible killings that took place on the night of January 15th 1966 and to General Aguiyi-Ironsi’s apparent procrastination and reluctance to ensure that justice was served to the mutineers was not only devastating but also frightful. Hundreds of army officers of mainly Igbo extraction who were perceived to be sympathetic to the January 15th mutineers were killed that night including the Head of State General Aguiyi-Ironsi and the Military Governor of the old Western Region who was hosting him, the courageous Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi. This was very sad and unfortunate.

What happened on the night of January 15^th 1966 was unacceptable and uncalled for. I completely disagree with those who think that there was anything good about that coup, the coup of July 29th 1966 or indeed any other coup which took place in the history of Nigeria. This is because blood calls for blood: when you shed blood, other people want to shed your blood, as well. The minute that the shedding of blood in the quest to get power becomes the norm we are all diminished and dehumanised: and this applies to both the perpetrators and the victims.

The January 15th coup set off a cycle of events which had cataclysmic consequences for our country and which we are still feeling today. Coups may have happened in other countries in Africa, but it did not mean that it had to happen here. In any case, the amount of blood that was shed that night, the number of innocent people that were killed was unacceptable. It arrested our development as a people and our political evolution as a country. Had it not happened our history would have been very different. May we never see such a thing again.

Yet regardless of the pain of the past I believe that we should do all we can to put these matters behind us. We must not allow ourselves to become prisoners of history. Rather than being propelled by pain and bitterness and becoming victims of history, we must learn from it, be guided by it and move on. We must learn to forgive, even if we do not forget and, equally importantly, we must first establish the truth about those ugly events and understand what actually transpired.

What happened that night traumatized the nation. None of us has been the same since. I identify with that, because I was a part of it, I witnessed it and i was a victim of it. Yet by God’s grace and divine providence, my father's life was spared: not because he was special but simply by the grace of God. Every day I think about those that were killed that night and I remember their families. We share a common bond and we are all partakers of an ugly and frightful history. I tell myself: “were it not for divine providence, my father would have also died and I would not have been what I am today, because he was the one who educated me and did everything for me.” If nothing else I know there was a purpose for that.

We must resolve among ourselves that never again will people be attacked in their homes, dragged out, abducted and shot like dogs in the middle of the night. Never again will women, wives and children be slaughtered in this way. Never again shall we witness such barbarity and wickedness in our quest for power. Never again must any Nigerian suffer such brutality and callousness. May the souls of all those that were murdered on January 16^th 1966 continue to rest in peace. 

N.Y. woman faces jail for calling former in-law 'stupid' in Facebook post

A US woman is facing a one-year prison sentence for violating a protection order by tagging victims in a Facebook post and making derogatory comments about them.

Despite being divorced from her ex-husband Rafael Calderon and issued with a protection order preventing her from contacting her ex-husband or his family, Maria Gonzalez of New York decided to tag her former sister-in-law Maribel Calderon in a Facebook post and call her 'stupid', according to the New York Law Journal.

Gonzalez also tagged Calderon in another post saying: "You and your family are sad ... You guys have to come stronger than that!! I'm way over you guys but I guess not in ya agenda."

 

Protection orders, also known as restraining orders, are court-issued orders that require one person (the one being restrained) to stay away from the person requiring protection, and this means specifically that the restrained person is not to hurt, threaten or communicate with the protected person at all.

 

You might think it should be obvious that "no communication" would include SMS text messages, phone calls, emails, IM chat messages and any form of contact through social media networks, but

 

Gonzalez argued in court that the protection order "did not specifically prohibit [her] from Facebook communication" with her ex-husband's family.

Unfortunately for Gonzalez, who was charged with second-degree criminal contempt, Acting Westchester County Supreme Court Justice Susan Capeci disagreed.

"The allegations that she contacted the victim by tagging her in a Facebook posting which the victim was notified of is thus sufficient for pleading purposes to establish a violation of the order of protection," Capeci wrote in the decision The People v. Gonzalez, 15-6081M, upholding the charges.

Capeci stated in her ruling that Facebook is considered to be a viable form of communication, citing a 2014 decision made by the New York Court of Appeals in the case of People v Horton. In that case, the judge presiding ruled that Facebook messages are equivalent to emails, after a defendant was found guilty of witness tampering by trying to "out" a confidential informant on Facebook and then sending her Facebook messages with threats intended to induce her not to testify against the defendant.

 

Gonzalez' court-appointed lawyer Kim Frohlinger told the New York Post that she would not be appealing the ruling.

 

Although such a case hasn't surfaced in the UK yet, it would be advisable for everyone to note that any form of digital messaging or communication over social media does in fact count as a form of communication, regardless of whether the message is sent privately or publicly.

Kashamu--- ‘Buhari makes treasury looters shiver and return their loot'

The Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has yet again, expressed his support for the anti-corruption efforts of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Kashamu, however, said he’s not supporting the war against corruption for selfish reasons and/or gains while adding that it is normal for the present administration to ‘first clear the Augean stable before settling down for the onerous task of governance’.

In an interview with Vanguard, Kashamu said the anti-corruption war has yielded positive results within a short time of commencement.

“We should be patient with the government and perform our civic responsibilities as patriotic citizens. For instance, I endorse the ongoing anti-corruption campaign. It is one effort that must be supported by all and sundry irrespective of ethnic, religious or political affiliations. My support for the ongoing anti-corruption campaign is neither meant to rubbish anyone, curry favour from any quarters nor join the ruling party.”

“My support for the anti-graft campaign is borne out of my genuine desire to stand up for what is right, just and equitable in order for the masses to weigh whatever I say and be able to take informed decisions rather than being brainwashed. For, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“Naturally, the current anti-corruption campaign would affect a lot of those who played active roles in the immediate past administration, especially at the federal level. Therefore, it is only normal for the government of the day to first clear the Augean stable before settling down for the onerous task of governance. In the course of doing that, if anybody’s name is found in the books, the anti-graft agencies have a duty to do their job. But, such a job must be done, according to the Rule of Law. It is only the court that can say whether someone is guilty or not. Indeed, it is an aberration for a creation of the law to violate the law.”

“Yet, if the truth must be told, within the short time that this anti-corruption campaign began, there are positive results to show that the government is on track. The President rode to office on account of his integrity and goodwill. No matter what anybody says his integrity is intact. He is a focused President whose body language is making treasury looters shiver and return their loot to the government’s coffers. Put simply, his anti-corruption record is infallible. In view of the dwindling oil revenue, we need all the money we can get to fix our infrastructure and develop our economy.”

Kyari Abubakar--- ‘Dambazau did nothing wrong by allowing a orderly clean his shoe’

Following the widespread condemnation of the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahaman Dambazau (retd) for allowing his orderly shine his shoes during a public event, a group of Northern youths- under the aegis of North-east Youth Peace Development Empowerment Initiative- have supported his action.

According to the National President of the group, Alhaji Kyari Abubakar, the Department of State Services officer was simply carrying out his job description.

In a statement released in Lagos on Monday, Abubakar said: “I don’t think the minister has done anything wrong by allowing his Orderlies to clean his shoe during a public function in Abuja recently.”

Abubakar revealed that Dambazzau had earlier attended a function that made his shoes get dusty and when the official attached to him noticed it, he decided to clean it without the request of the Minister.

The group said those who understood the responsibility of the job of Orderlies ought to know that the officer didn’t do anything strange.

“If you are enlisted into the job of a body guard, it is your duty to ensure that your boss dresses properly in public and when you notice something wrong in his dressing, you correct it immediately.”

Militants-- We’ll stop bombing oil pipelines if these conditions are met’

Militant leaders, who have engaged in a series of oil pipelines bombing in the Niger Delta and major oil depots in the South-West, have issued conditions that must be met before they would stop their destructive activities.

The bombing of major oil installations in the Niger Delta began last week, as militants blew up major oil and gas pipelines in the area.

Speaking with Vanguard on Monday, the militants said they would stop the oil pipelines destruction once the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, meets and negotiates with them.

The position was arrived at after a secret meeting of militant leaders. One of the top leaders, described as General Levi, was quoted to have said the bombing will persist until the Minister of Petroleum secures amnesty for their members to avoid being persecuted by security agencies.

The militant leaders said the would track and expose those inclined to carry out further destruction to pipeline installations, only after getting the audience of Kachikwu.

“We are ready to drop our arms and denounce hostility with the government on the condition that the Minister of Petroleum will meet with us and hear our own side of the story. We are not against the government but we have genuine issues yet to be addressed by successive administrations in this country.”

“We are ready to commence discussion and denounce association with this present situation. From now henceforth, we are ready to block any channel for anyone not to go through to bomb oil pipelines.”

Prophet TB Joshua files fresh application to stop trial over death of 116 persons

The Registered Trustees of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations, founded by Prophet TB Joshua, have filed another suit to stop the Lagos State Government from going ahead with their prosecution before the Lagos High Court in Ikeja over the death of 116 persons on September 12, 2014 when a six-storey building collapsed on the premises of the church in Ikotun area of the State.
In the fresh suit filed before Justice Kazeem Alogba of Ikeja High Court, the Trustees o
f the church are asking the court to stop their proposed arraignment before Justice Lawal Lateef-Akapo of the same court.

The Lagos State Government had had filed 111 counts against the Registered Trustees of SCOAN, two engineers and two companies over the death of the 116 persons.

The arraignment of the accused had been scheduled for Tuesday, January 19, 2016  before Justice Lawal-Akapo.

But in their fresh action, the applicants are urging Justice Alogba to call for the record of proceedings of a Lagos State Coroner Court, presided by Mr. Oyetade Komolafe, which indicted them and recommended them for criminal prosecutions.

Komolafe, who conducted an inquest into the death of the 116 victims of the SCOAN’s building collapse, had on July 8, 2015 decided that the building which killed them was built without approval, adding that its collapse was due to structural defect.

But SCOAN and its engineers - Messrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun, had rejected the verdict, describing it as unreasonable and one-sided.

In September 2015, Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos had dismissed two similar actions filed by the engineers to squash the coroner’s verdict and prevent their arraignment.
In their fresh suit before Justice Alogba, they are seeking a judicial review of the Coroner’s proceedings, for the purpose of quashing it.

They are also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, or any officer under his authority from taking any step to enforce the recommendations of the Coroner, including their prosecution.
When the matter came up on Monday before Justice Alogba, the case could not go on as Magistrate Komolafe was absent in court and was not represented by any lawyer.
But a lawyer who represented the Attorney General, Barr. A. O Idowu however pleaded with the court for time to file a response to the suit, while Justice Alogba adjourned till February 4, 2016 for hearing.
Meanwhile, the State Government has vowed to challenge the fresh suit, as government was desirous of pursuing the issues relating to the matter to a logical conclusion.  

SIGNED

BOLA AKINGBADE

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PUBLIC RELATIONS

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

JANUARY 18, 2016

500 Women Defect To PDP In Edo state

About 500 women from the Social Democratic Party and the All Progressive Congress in Udaba community, Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party.

The women said they were joining the party that would take Edo to a higher level.State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who receive the defectors said a PDP government in Edo would prioritize women empowerment and welfare.

Chief Orbih encouraged them to become apostles of change in the state by mobilizing support for the PDP.Orbih said the PDP would neutralize Governor Oshiomhole’s plan to replace himself with another stranger as the governor.

He said Oshiomhole was a stranger in the state who would be leaving hardship and huge debt burden on the state.Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu said the Afemai people would not lose anything after Oshiomhole hands over in November.

A former commissioner for Lands and Survey under Oshiomhole, Donald Boi Osikena, disclosed that he resigned because his responsibilities as commissioner were usurped by the governor.

Osikena, who defected to the PDP last year, said, “My ministry was being run from the government house. Approvals for lands and certificate of occupancy were being issued from government house without informing me. I reasoned that I didn’t want to go to jail early in life, so I left.”