A luxury bus conveying secondary school girls from Enugu to
Lagos State was attacked by armed robbers at the Okeodo end of Ore-Sagamu Expressway,
Ogun State on Saturday.
The students numbering 42 were of Holy Cross College, Enugu
and had hired the bus belonging to Ekene Dili Chukwu Group of Companies with
registration number Lagos XW 875 LSR, for their travel to Lagos.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the assailants dragged the
students into a nearby bush and beat them before robbing them of their
belongings. Unconfirmed reports however said a few of them were raped.
It was further learnt that the incident occurred around
11:40pm.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the students had departed
for Lagos early in the afternoon on Saturday but were held up in traffic and
had to continue the journey into the night.
The report said the bus developed some faults along the way
and had to park at Oke-Odo.
It was while the occupants of the bus were waiting for
another bus from Lagos that the robbers struck, it added.
It was learnt that families of the victims, who were
already at the Lagos office of Ekene Dili Chukwu, to pick up their children
were anxious when they learnt that the bus developed fault.
Our correspondent was told that news of the robbery caused
a mild protest as they panicked.
Calm however returned to the terminal on Sunday morning
after the distraught girls arrived in Lagos. Meanwhile, parents and relatives
of the victims have threatened a show-down with the transport company.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Command,
Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the attack, told our correspondent that
policemen had rescued victims and recovered the vehicle.
He said, “Around 7:30am on Sunday, one Friday Odi, a driver
working with Ekene Dili Chukwu, Nig. Ltd, who drove the vehicle with
registration number, Lagos XW 875 LSR, reported that at 11:40pm, on Saturday,
while conveying 42 female students of Holy Cross Rosary College, Enugu to
Lagos, armed men in Oke Odo area, along Ore-Sagamu Expressway stopped their
vehicle.
“The hoodlums drove them to a point in the bush where they
were robbed. Policemen traced the hijacked bus, rescued and evacuated the students
to their Lagos destination. They towed the vehicle to the station and released
it to the owner on bond. Nobody was injured.”
PUNCH Metro learnt that the matter was also reported
at Sabo Police Division, Lagos.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Mr.
Joseph Jaiyeoba, however told our correspondent that the case would be handled
by the Ogun Police Command under whose jurisdiction the crime took place.
A member of the National Union of road Transport Workers,
attached to the Jibowu terminal, who spoke with our correspondent on the
condition of anonymity, said the relatives of the victims picketed the Lagos
office of the transport company on the grounds that some of the victims were
raped.
“Some of the parents claimed that their daughters were
raped. I think a 13-year-old girl was raped by the hoodlums,” he said.
The police in Lagos and Ogun states, however, said that
they were unaware of any rape.
Money laundering: Senators, Reps slam FG !
The National Assembly has accused the Federal Government of
lacking the political will to deal with offenders under the Anti-Money
Laundering Act.
The Senate and the House of Representatives said it was the
government’s lack of the will to go after money launderers that was responsible
for the non-enforcement of the Act.
Nigeria’s name is still on the list of Financial Action
Task Force, a global watch dog on money-laundering, because of the Federal
Government’s alleged poor record in combating the scourge.
The FATF de-listed Nigeria from the list of Non-Cooperating
Jurisdictions and Territories in June 2006.
Nigeria, however, returned to the obnoxious list of
countries with weak enforcement of money laundering laws in February 2012,
where it shares the inglorious fame with 14 other nations.
Revelations at the recent probe of the pension scheme by
the Senate showed that billions of naira were reportedly lodged in private accounts,
in breach of extant financial regulations.
Also, the probe by both chambers of the National Assembly
on fuel subsidy revealed shady financial transactions by phoney companies
believed to have been floated by influential Nigerians.
Commercial banks are obligated by law to report any cash
lodgement in excess of N1m and N5m respectfully for individual and corporate
bodies to anti-graft agencies for monitoring.
But pension scam lodgements and similar others were not
reported to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and sister agencies.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Drugs/Narcotics and
Anti-Corruption, Senator Victor Lar, and his counterparts in the House of
Representatives, Mr. Adams Jagaba, said the Act was being regularly flouted.
They argued that either the banks failed to notify
anti-graft agencies on the breaches or the agencies simply failed to go after
the offenders.
Lar, who spoke with one of our correspondents in Abuja,
observed that there was “poor supervision and negligence of duty by relevant
law enforcers.”
He added, “There are so many good laws today that are not
being implemented. This is not because the laws are defective, but because some
persons charged with that responsibility are not working.”
According to him, the Anti-Money Laundering Act provides
that an alert be sent to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency Unit,
whenever major lodgements are made into any account.
“We do not know if such is being followed strictly; if not,
it means that someone is not working or the technology involved is faulty,” he
remarked.
Similarly, Jagaba noted that government was aware of the
daily huge cash deposits in banks in breach of the law but had not reacted to
the situation.
The lawmaker cited the Central Bank of Nigeria, a key
federal agency, “which also has a responsibility of monitoring these banks, but
does not do anything.”
He stated, “Government has no political will to implement
the law. The major problem is that Nigeria keeps making laws that are neither
obeyed nor implemented. The anti-money laundering law is one of them.
“Why can’t government sanction the banks? The CBN is not
doing its work because it also has the responsibility to monitor the operations
of these banks.
“They see stolen money passing through the banks and
nothing is done about it. People who flout this law are left to go scot-free.
“Nigerians have to look in and be united to fight
corruption, irrespective of tribe or religious differences.
“Nigerians celebrate thieves; that is why it is difficult
to sanction the banks.”
The CBN Governor, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, had last Tuesday said
special examiners from the apex bank would soon be sent to all banks to
determine their level of involvement in the pension scam.
He explained that the issue had been discussed with the
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and that errant banks would be
severely sanctioned.
The Pension Task Force team had recovered N151bn pension
funds looted by government officials. About N35bn idle pension funds were
reportedly located in various bank accounts.
One of these accounts was traced to a bank in Benue State.
Jagaba said that though the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim
Lamorde, was still taking his time to settle down in office, the commission
should swing into action in view of the revelations from ongoing probes in the
National Assembly.
“The EFCC should sanction the banks and go after those who
steal these huge funds,” he added.
Lar stated that his committee would soon organise a
roundtable to identify the areas where the Act could be amended for effective
implementation.
He said the roundtable would afford the committee an
opportunity to benefit from the knowledge of experts who could identify the
loopholes in the implementation of the laws on financial crimes.
The Senate’s probe of the pension scam revealed that funds
belonging to the pension offices were moved through various accounts without
recourse to extant financial regulations.
At the Senate hearing, Okonjo-Iweala had confirmed that two
accounts were opened in Fidelity Bank and United Bank for Africa, for the
Police Pensions Office. The sums of N8bn and N3bn respectively were paid
without recourse to the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The AGF’s office is empowered to approve the opening of
accounts for any federal agency.
The Pensions Reform Task Team also gave graphic details of
how N2bn was fraudulently paid into an account of a school teacher, who was an
agent of the cartel at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the
Federation.
There were also allegations that officials of the pension
offices placed funds meant for pensions in fixed deposits in banks instead of
paying them directly to pensioners.
The interests accrued to such lodgements were not declared
by the individuals, who allegedly connived with banks to carry out the illicit
transactions.
No fewer than 10 former governors are facing trial for
money laundering offences committed while in office.
Some of the cases have lingered for over six years, with
little progress.
A former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, was
convicted by a United Kingdom Crown Court in London last month after
pleading guilty to fraud and money laundering.
Curiously, a Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, the Delta
State capital, had in December 2009 struck out the 170-count charge of
corruption preferred against Ibori by the EFCC.
Easter: Security alert at NNPC HQ • FG deploys soldiers •Defence building barricaded
The nation’s capital, Abuja, is on the alert over the
possibility of an attack by the Boko Haram sect on sensitive installations in
the city at Easter.
A week to the Easter celebration, the Federal Government on
Sunday tightened security around the Defence Headquarters and the corporate
headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in the Federal
Capital Territory.
Armed soldiers from the Presidential Guard were deployed
around the building known as the ‘NNPC Towers’ located on Herbert Macaulay Way,
Central Business District in the FCT.
Security was also beefed up at the Defence Headquarters in
Area 8, where a part of the carriageway was barricaded with concrete slabs. The
same security measure was noticed at the Zone 7 Police Headquarters at Wuse,
also in the FCT.
THE PUNCH learnt that the measures were taken as a
result of an intelligence report that indicated that Boko Haram could be
planning to attack the towers.
On Christmas Day last year, Boko Haram bombers attacked the
St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, near the FCT, killing at least 44
worshippers.
Security was similarly beefed up around the NNPC Towers
late last year, on the heels of fears that the building had been marked for
attack by Boko Haram.
The increased security at the NNPC came on the heels of a
plan by the police to issue an operational mandate to its officers during the
Easter celebration.
The NNPC towers comprises four identical high-rise
buildings of 13 floors each above the ground and three floors underground.
Our correspondents, who monitored the development, reported
that more armed soldiers and riot policemen were deployed in the premises at
about 11.35am on Sunday to join the array of security agents, including members
of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, already on ground.
A truck marked NSR 229 XA was used to convey concrete
barriers used in blocking a lane of the Herbert Macaulay Way directly in front
of the building.
The truck was escorted by a military pick-up van with
registration number NA 1496 B, bearing armed soldiers with the insignia of the
Presidential Guard.
The road was cut off at the NNPC Bus Stop, forcing the
diversion of traffic from the War College/International Conference Centre to
Herbert Macaulay Way and Wuse to one-way at a U-turn opposite a branch of the
First City Monument Bank located on the road.
Also, traffic from Wuse heading leftwards beside the NNPC
Towers to link the National Mosque/Federal Secretariat road was also cut off.
The security lockdown caused traffic jam on the road on
Sunday evening as road users on both sides of the road were rerouted to one
side.
Incidentally, FCT residents on Sunday expressed fears that
the situation might worsen the traffic situation and create panic in the city
when work resumes on Monday (today).
Government had earlier stepped up security around the NNPC
Towers, with the deployment of soldiers and sniffer dogs as well as intense
searches of visitors, to forestall attacks.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh,
described the development as routine and part of general security measures to
protect important facilities in the FCT.
On security arrangement for the Easter celebration, he said
that measures had been put in place to protect places of worship, adding that
an operational mandate detailing the nature of security operations would be
issued on Monday (today).
“I don’t have the details of the operation mandate now; but
they will be issued on Monday. We already have a security arrangement in place
for the Easter celebration,” Jimoh stated.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has revoked 40 contracts
awarded between 2003 and 2005 for non-performance.
The ministry’s outgoing Permanent Secretary, Mr. Linus
Awute, while handing over to his successor, Prof. Nicholas Damachi, also said
it had recovered billions of Naira from the affected contractors.
He noted that the ministry would no longer pay contractors
for work not done.
He said, “Over 40 contracts were evaluated and revoked and
funds running into billions of Naira have been recovered for the government.
“The contracts were awarded between 2003 and 2005 and they
have some effect on the nation’s presence in the African Union Mission in
Darfur (Sudan).
“Personnel increase was not commensurate with logistics,
equipment and other items. So the contracts had to be evaluated and in some
cases revoked.”
Okonjo-Iweala: How I Joined World Bank Presidency Race
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the
Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at the weekend opened up on her historic
entry into the race to become the next president of the World Bank, which she
said was made possible by enthusiastic support of African leaders and the
approval of President Goodluck Jonathan.
The minister, whose bid is gathering support both locally
and internationally, told THISDAY in an exclusive chat in Abuja how Jonathan
called to inform her of the decision by some African leaders to push her
candidature for the World Bank top job.
She also praised the chairman, Federal Inland Revenue
Service, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, whose tenure expires this month for the
way she has improved the nation’s tax base and the integrity she brought to the
process.
More support came the way of minister’s bid for the World
Bank job, in which she is pitted in the race against the United States’
nominee, Jim Yong Kim, as the Peoples Democratic Party and the House of
Representatives threw their weight behind her.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka
Ihedioha, said the Nigerian delegation to the 126th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary
Union meeting would use the opportunity of the forum to rally support for
Okonjo-Iweala, in her bid to clinch the presidency of the World Bank.
Besides the race for the World Bank presidency, the
minister also told THISDAY that she is fully on top of her current portfolio
and committed to playing her part in realising the economic priorities of the
administration, especially with regard to job creation and expanding the
infrastructural base.
According to Okonjo-Iweala, is was President Jonathan who
first intimated her that some African leaders, particularly President Jacob
Zuma of South Africa and President Allassaine Quattara of Cote d’Ivoire, had
been putting pressure on him (Jonathan) to allow the continent field her for
the job.
“Without the efforts of key African leaders and the
gracious acceptance of my nomination by the president, none of this would have
been possible. I am really grateful and highly honoured that Africa has united
behind my nomination.
“I value the opportunity to compete in this contest and the
tremendous support my candidacy has generated but the priority remains the best
interests of Nigeria. Nothing changes that,” she said.
Findings revealed that the support of South Africa for
Okonjo-Iweala was especially significant because the highly respected former
finance minister of the country, Trevor Manuel, had indicated interest in
contesting for the World Bank presidency.
When he, however, got feedback that Okonjo-Iweala was the continent’s
top choice, he decided not to join the race.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, who also had
another candidate in mind before Okonjo-Iweala joined the race, last week
called on African countries to stand behind her candidature as the nominee of
the continent.
Okonjo-Iweala, whose formidable credentials have led
respected publications such as The Economist and the Financial Times, both
London-based newspapers, to endorse her ahead of Kim and Mr. Jose Antonio
Ocampo of Colombia, said she is overwhelmed by the global show of support for
her aspiration.
On what it would mean for Africa if she got the job,
Okonjo-Iweala said the Bank could help to push the developmental agenda of the
continent with her in charge.
“An African presiding at the World Bank knows the problem
confronting the continent and is therefore in the best position to design
workable solutions that will take into account the socio-cultural environment
within which the ideas would be applied, using existing benchmarks. We know where
the shoe pinches,” she added.
She, however, noted that World Bank is a multilateral
institution for all continents, adding that given the potentials she has seen
within the continent, the Bank could play a very critical developmental role in
Africa with the right leadership.
She identified the challenge facing the continent as that
of infrastructure – physical and human. Yet, according to her, there are
resources within the continent that could be deployed, with the right
instruments, to bridge these gaps.
“For instance, pension reforms have created the huge
capital base that the World Bank can help to mobilise by designing instruments
that can help mitigate associated risks,” she said.
On human infrastructure, Okonjo-Iweala said her focus would
be on tertiary and vocational institutions that help skills acquisition.
On her current portfolio in Nigeria, she also said she was
fully committed to her job and whatever the outcome of the World Bank bid,
development of Nigeria remains for her a priority agenda.
According to her, the focus of the Jonathan administration
is job creation, noting, “If you take a look at the global survey, you will
realise that many people are increasingly out of job and it’s the same here in
Nigeria where graduate unemployment is very high.
“What we are doing is to take sectors like agriculture, power, road construction and reforms in critical areas like ports that have the capacity for job creation. Notwithstanding the challenges we face, our economy grew last year by 7.9 per cent. Imagine what would happen if we can remove all the bottlenecks.”
“What we are doing is to take sectors like agriculture, power, road construction and reforms in critical areas like ports that have the capacity for job creation. Notwithstanding the challenges we face, our economy grew last year by 7.9 per cent. Imagine what would happen if we can remove all the bottlenecks.”
On power, Okonjo-Iweala said there is a roadmap being
followed and remained optimistic that the plan would work even though she
admitted there are challenges with gas.
“You must admit that there is measure of stability now that
many people attest to but once we can resolve the issue of cost-reflective
tariffs and other issues, we would make more progress in the sector,” she said.
On the tenure of Omoigui-Okauru which expires this month,
the minister said she had done a good job in FIRS.
“She has done a great job and we hope we can get a
successor who can continue with her legacy. She has raised the tax profile of
the nation threefold but beyond that she has professionalised the FIRS such
that you no longer hear the stories of corruption that more or less defined the
place in the past.”
The minister, however, added, that the nation’s tax base
was still shallow in that it captures mainly government officials and workers
in the formal sector.
“But I understand the psyche of the people who wonder why
they should pay taxes given that the infrastructural support is not there but
the way to look at it is that those things would be provided from revenues
generated from taxes,” she said.
Okonjo-Iweala said she was aware of the difficulty many
Nigerians faced but she remained optimistic that though things may be tough
now, the situation will only prevail for a short time as she expressed optimism
that things would soon turn around positively for the nation and its people.
Meanwhile, the PDP has described Okonjo Iweala as the most
suitable of all the aspirants to the presidency of the World Bank and urged
Africa and the world to support her.
In a statement by the party’s national publicity secretary,
Chief Olisa Metuh, the PDP described her as a global citizen whose critical
roles in global financial circles have positioned her as an eagle on the
tallest iroko in the contest for the leadership of the world apex financial
institution.
“She is without doubt the best person to lead the World
Bank at this material time of global economic challenges. Her decades-long
track record of excellence in financial management, locally and internationally
is an unimpeachable score card, a rare type that the global community is in
dire need of at the moment,” it added.
Also, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, who
is already in Kampala, Uganda for the IPU meeting, said the House resolution
supporting the minister’s bid strengthens her race for the World Bank top job.
According to him, Nigerian legislators attending the IPU
meeting had resolved to engage their counterparts from other parts of the world
in order to secure broad-based support for Africa’s aspiration to occupy the
post.
However, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John
Campbell, has said that notwithstanding the growing support for Okonjo-Iweala,
she might not win the presidency of the World Bank.
According to him, her victory is unrealistic because she
does not have the support of America, European countries and Japan, who have 54
per cent of the voting power.
Campbell, in a memo, also said South Africa has a hidden agenda for promoting Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy.
Campbell, in a memo, also said South Africa has a hidden agenda for promoting Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy.
The World Bank board of directors will choose through a
system of weighted voting in which the US has 16 per cent, the EU states
altogether 29 per cent, and Japan nine per cent.
As the US supported Christine Lagarde of France for the
International Monetary Fund top spot, the Europeans are highly likely to favour
Kim. So, too, are the Japanese. That means Kim could anticipate 54 per cent of
the vote.
Campbell said based on Nigerian journalists’ calculation,
South Africa’s support for Okonjo-Iweala might generate African sympathy for
its candidate for the position of chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Nkosanza Dlamini-Zuma, and soften Nigeria’s opposition to the candidacy of the
former wife of South African President, Jacob Zuma.
Nigeria has opposed her and supported the incumbent,
Gabon’s Jean Ping.
Why Jonathan is yet to sign budget
THE
President is yet to sign the budget because of some technical errors in the
document, The Nation learnt at the weekend.
But
the Budget Office and National Assembly committees may meet this week to “clean
up” the document. After the clean-up, the Budget Office will then advise Dr
Goodluck Jonathan to sign the document or not.
After
harmonisation, the Senate and the House of Representatives on March 15 passed a
budget of N4.88 trillion with a benchmark of $72 per barrel.
The
vote was increased from N4.65 trillion proposed by the Executive.
It
was gathered that although the budget was passed on March 15, the Executive did
not get the details until last Wednesday from the National Assembly.
A
source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The main bill was submitted two weeks
ago, but the government did not get the details until March 28.
“These
details were about 3,000 pages and upon the receipt of these, the Budget Office
and the Ministry of Finance worked round the clock to analyse the details.
“The
Budget Office had completed the analysis yesterday but it noticed some
technical errors in the bill as passed by the National Assembly.
“These
technical errors have to be cleaned up before the Budget Office can advise the
President to assent the 2012 budget or not.”
Asked
to be specific on the technical errors, the source added: “For example, there
are some ongoing projects in the Niger Delta but no money was allocated for
their completion. The funds meant for the projects were put elsewhere.
“Also,
since the National Assembly raised the benchmark to $72 per barrel, it means
automatically that statutory funds for the NDDC and the Universal Basic
Education Commission (UBEC) will go up. But the reverse was the case in the
bill sent.
“We
have many other errors like that which we need to clean up.”
Responding
to a question, the source added: “There is no disagreement between the
Presidency and the National Assembly at all on this budget.”
Another
official in the Budget Office said: “The budget has not been sent to the
President for his signature because of some “irregularities” with the budget
the legislators passed.
“The
irregularities noticed in the 2012 budget by the ministry and the Budget Office
had to do with some components of the budget like the administrative capital
which the Executive had drastically reduced to free up more money for
infrastructure development. The National Assembly retained some of the
Administrative Capital.
“Administrative
capital deals with the funds in the budget set aside for the provision of
office furniture and equipment, which the government believes could be
forfeited to make more money available for other serious capital projects - in
line with the administration’s desire to deliver on social infrastructure.
“Also,
the budget figures for the Legislature were said to have been jacked up by the
National Assembly. This does not go well with the Executive.”
Despite
these irregularities, the Budget Office official said President Jonathan is
anxious to sign the 2012 Budget into law.
The
official also denied any friction between the executive and the legislature,
stating that “the executive has done its ground work to ensure that there is no
conflict of interest between both arms of government”.
Subsidy probe:100 marketers to refund billions *Top FG officials indicted !
At least 100 petrol marketers were found
to have collected billions of naira illegally in the name of subsidy and should
be forced to make refunds, according to snippets from a report of the House of
Representatives committee that probed the subsidy regime.
Committee chairman Faruk Lawal told
the House in plenary session on Thursday that the panel had completed its
assignment but he did not make the contents public.
Daily Trust sources who are privy to
contents of the panel’s report said fuel importers and government officials
were found to have connived to make overpayments of about N773 billion in
subsidy funds last year.
The report, which is expected to be
submitted to the House later in the month, will say that 100 oil marketers
illegally collected billions in subsidies and therefore should be made to
refund those monies.
A source said at least a quarter of
the marketers failed to appear before the committee during the hearings and
many of those who came lacked requirements for bulk oil import licenses such as
tank farms and retail outlets.
The House ad hoc committee held
series of hearings in January and February to, among others, determine the
exact amount spent on subsidies and to also find if there was fraud as widely
alleged.
The probe was instituted in the wake
of the petrol subsidy removal protests in January, when questions arose as to
what were the exact subsidy payment figures.
Government at the time said up to
N1.3 trillion was spent in 2011, even though officials gave higher, conflicting
figures during the hearings.
Daily Trust learnt that the probe
report will say that the Federal Government was found to have spent a whopping
sum of N2.5 trillion on petrol subsidy in 2011.
A member of the Lawal-led committee,
who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorised to speak on the report, said the panel uncovered the huge spending
by government organs in the name of subsidy.
The source said the report will say
that the N2.5 trillion spent on subsidy in 2011was in contravention of
the 2011 budget which provided only N245 billion for subsidy payments.
Sources in the panel also said
present and past government officials in oil and gas-related agencies have been
implicated in shoddy deals in the operation of the subsidy regime.
In the report, NNPC will be blamed
for illegal deductions of over a N1 trillion as its own share of subsidy
charges from the Federation Account.
The PPPRA was equally not spared by
the committee, as the report will say that it tampered with the oil import
template, licensing of “portfolio or briefcase companies” and other
transactions.
Contrary to what government
officials told the panel during the public hearing, the probe found that the
actual daily fuel consumption is 30 million litres per day.
Subsidy paid on the diverted fuel
stood at about N773 billion, the report will say, according to Daily Trust
sources.
For 2012, while the government
budgeted N656.3 billion for petrol subsidy, the panel will recommend a lower
figure of about N500 billion.
The report will also say the daily
kerosene consumption is eight million litres and not 10 million as given by the
Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Austen Oniwon.
“We spent the last two weeks
sleeping in the office processing the report and…we had to go to Llyods in
London to verify all vessels that were said to have brought fuel to Nigeria,”
one lawmaker said.
The committee will recommend that
anti-graft agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), should prosecute
all government officials and companies found wanting.
The report is expected to be
presented at plenary session on April 17 when the House reconvenes after the
Easter break.
The House probe was instituted on
January 8 after a motion moved by Rep. Yusuf Tajuddeen (PDP, Kogi) and 100
others during an unprecedented emergency session of the House held on a Sunday,
following removal of petrol subsidies on January 1 by the Federal Government.
PDP: Ajimobi pays 1,000 aides N300m monthly
GOVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo
State has been advised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to resign if
he cannot pay the N18,000 minimum wage to workers.
The South-West chapter of the party said it was unfortunate that Ajimobi has over 1,000 political appointees in all the 33 councils with each of them being paid nothing less than N300,000 monthly, totalling N300 million.
It wondered, in a statement signed by the party's Zonal Publicity Secretary, Kayode Babade, why Ajimobi deceived the workers during his campaign that he would pay them the new wage if he was elected.
The South-West chapter of the party said it was unfortunate that Ajimobi has over 1,000 political appointees in all the 33 councils with each of them being paid nothing less than N300,000 monthly, totalling N300 million.
It wondered, in a statement signed by the party's Zonal Publicity Secretary, Kayode Babade, why Ajimobi deceived the workers during his campaign that he would pay them the new wage if he was elected.
Babade said it was the height of wickedness for Ajimobi to deny civil servants the payment of just N18,000 as minimum wage.
Ajimobi had said unless the state government borrows N135 million on monthly basis in addition to the state revenue (both federal allocation and Internally Generated Revenue), it will be impossible for him to pay the workers salary.
However, Babade said: "We, in the PDP, have an advice for him, he should please resign and let someone else, who won't see Oyo State government in terms of naira and kobo, take over the affairs of the state. Let Governor Ajimobi be reminded that former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, who approved the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage, did so in understanding that the state has the capacity and capability to pay.
"If Akala were to be the one in power, he would have been paying the N18,000 as approved since May, 2011. Besides, didn't Governor Ajimobi promised the workers the N18,000 minimum wage during his electioneering campaign?
"So, if it is now difficult for him to meet his obligations to the people of Oyo State, who elected him, why then is he still in office as governor? Isn't resignation the most honourable thing for him to do since he has confessed that he cannot pay the workers, not to talk of executing developmental projects unless he borrows N135 million monthly? Or is it by force to serve the people of Oyo State?"
Also, the PDP Synergy League accused Ajimobi of using regional politics to deny the workers the full implementation of the minimum wage.
A statement signed by the spokesman, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said that it was historic misjudgement for the governor to use the zonal pact signed with his Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) counterparts in Osun and Ekiti states to deal with Oyo workers “when the indices are different”.
Oyelade said in contrast to these two states, Oyo has over 38,000 workers and it is, therefore, derogatory to accuse the state workers of selfishness and representing a miniscule percentage of the citizenry having rode to power on the back of the same workforce.
“The Synergy League contested the statistics dat 92 per cent of state income goes to the payment of workers' salaries and challenged Ajimobi to reign in his political office holders by cutting their bogus salaries to support the workers, who are the labourers for the state wealth”.
Meanwhile, about 5,000 traders occupying the gigantic Agbowo Shopping Complex, opposite the main gate of the University of Ibadan, have kicked against Ajimobi's decision to eject them for the purpose of rehabilitating the complex.
The aggrieved traders, who took to the streets at the weekend to protest eviction and proposed closure of the complex today, expressed doubt that they might be allowed to return to their shops after the renovation.
Ajimobi had about a month ago sent out quit notice to the tenants of the complex, built in 1983 by the administration of the late Chief Bola Ige, saying that they must leave while the renovation would be completed.
Investigation revealed that some structures and facilities within the complex have gone dilapidated, having not ever been renovated since its was commissioned almost 30 years ago.
According to Ajimobi, there was the need to facelift the complex for it to be befitting and to generate higher revenue for the state.
Afraid that the complex might be reallocated to other traders on political party affiliation consideration, wherein many of them may have to lose their source of livelihood, the placard-carrying protesters shut down commercial activities within the complex for over four hours.
On their placards were such inscriptions as: "Respect our rights", "Renovation, yes, eviction no!", "Ijoba Ajumose is our government", Commissioner Omodewu, please don't kill our business", "We are not prostitutes and hoodlums", "An idle mind is the devil's workshop", etc.
To the traders, the planned rehabilitation could be embarked upon while trading activities were on instead of evicting them outright.
The representatives of the affected traders have, therefore, appealed to the authorities to review the eviction order. According to the Secretary, Tenants Association, Agbowo Shopping Complex, Mr. Olayiwola Bayonle: "Government can do the renovation in phases. This will reduce the length of time within which the renovation will take place for each phase. However, we want the government to have a Memorandum of Understanding with us to be sure that we are going to be allowed to return.
"But we sense that government is not ready to sign an MoU with us. We went to Lands and Housing to state our position but we were not given audience. We have no power to fight government but we are appealing for understanding. We don't want to be thrown out of business because we need survival. Government should consider our plight," he said.
To Mrs. Bolarinwa Mayowa, however, the idea of signing MoU was not even reliable.
She said: "We are afraid that this eviction notice might lead to total expulsion from the complex. That is our major fear.
Even if we sign an MoU, I won't still agree that we should move because we are in the era of politics. In the end, they will tell us a different story," she said.
A retired civil servant and trader in the complex, Mr. Kola Fagbemi, said: "I have been occupying my shop for the past 21 years when I retired. I owe no dime. I don't know where to go from here because I have put all my savings in this place. I have 12 people working under me. How do you expect us to cope?", he asked.
The state government, in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to Ajimobi on Media, Festus Adedayo, had said that its decision to rehabilitate the shopping complex was to address the problem of decadence of infrastructure and curb the illegal activities of hoodlums at the premises.
PENGASSAN declares three-day warning strike from April 16 !
PETROLEUM and Natural Gas Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has declared a three-day nationwide warning
strike from April 16, to protest perceived unfair labour practices, anti-union
activities and general insecurity of members at work places and at home.
In a notice to government over the planned
industrial action, the umbrella body for senior employees in the nation’s oil
and gas sector listed not less than 16 grievances affecting members in the
industry which it had reported to appropriate government agencies and
departments to no avail.
PENGASSAN in a petition to the Federal
Government through the Minister of Labour and Productivity, threatened that all
activities in the downstream and upstream sector would be shut during the three
days warning strike preparatory to an indefinite action should government
fail to address its grievances after the warning strike.
PENGASSAN in the petition by its General
Secretary, Mr Bayo Olowoshile, named the association’s grievances to include
“unjustifiable mass disengagement and migration of workers to contract staffing
and casuals in the downstream oil and gas products marketing and distribution
sectors, it said that most of the downstream companies had totally
disengaged members inherited upon privatisation.
The statement said: “Unfair labour
practices and anti-union activities of companies in Onne Free Trade Zone;
failure to engage PENGASSAN on issues in the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB,
before final passage; police authority’s failure to provide PENGASSAN the
reports of its findings on the killings of our two members of NPDC suspected to
have been killed by unknown assailants at a police check-point and government
insensitivity in the handling of Fuel Subsidy Removal Re-investment Programme,
thereby forestalling the anticipated stimulation of investment and business
growth.”
According to the petition “we write to
notify the Minister of Labour and Productivity on the frustration and
displeasure of our members in general and the association in particular over
the alarming rate of unfair labour practices, anti-union activities and the
unsavory approach of the relevant Ministries Department and Agencies in
appropriately attending to the reported issues.
Arising from the above, we hereby notify
you of a 3-day nationwide warning strike that would necessitate total
withdrawal of all our members from work locations with effect from Monday,
April 16, 2012.”
”PENGASSAN, despite being unappreciated,
undermined and chastised persistently tried to maintain relative calm in the
hope that Government is fully committed, focused and utmost working in the
manner that will either caution, discourage or prevent the high rate of jobs
losses, unfair labour practices, anti-union activities and misadministration of
national content laws to the detriment of our nationals and employment
situation in the industry.
PENGASSAN has now resolved to embark on
mass campaign and advocacy to bring the attention of the Nigeria public to the
issues in the Nigeria Oil & Gas which point very glooming picture for the
entire nation.”
MI5 'uncovers plot to murder Russian in London'
Security services have uncovered a plot to
assassinate exiled Chechen separatist Akhmed Zakayev in London, the Sunday
Telegraph newspaper has reported.
The claim comes after a gunman shot Russian banker German Gorbuntsov in London on March 20. Gorbuntsov remains seriously ill in hospital.
British intelligence agencies are increasingly concerned about the number of Russians in Britain who could be targeted by political or gangland killings, the Sunday Telegraph said.
The newspaper claims to have seen court documents outlining the MI5 security agency's fears that Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed head of Russia's volatile Chechen republic, wanted former rebel commander Zakayev killed.
"Kadyrov, who had been responsible for the assassination of a number of his opponents, has a black list of individuals, some of whom he wished to have assassinated," the newspaper quoted a judgment as saying.
"Zakayev, a refugee living in the United Kingdom (UK), was believed to be on this list," it continued.
Zakayev, who fought against Russia in both of its wars against separatists in Muslim-majority Chechnya since 1994, told the newspaper he had not been notified of the alleged plot, but was aware of previous assassination attempts.
"There are more Russian spies in Britain today than there were during the Cold War," said the prominent exile, who was granted asylum in Britain in 2003.
The Sunday Telegraph claims Britain's interior minister fought a court battle to expel a Britain-based Russian, named only as "E1", who MI5 believed would organise the killing, but judges have allowed him to fight to stay.
The case is the second in recent months to highlight judges' refusal to remove individuals seen by Britain as threats to security.
Britain continues to attempt to extradite Abu Qatada, a radical Islamist cleric, to Jordan where he faces terror charges, but its efforts have been thwarted by the European Court of Human Rights.
The Delta State
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Otumara, last week descended on a female
nursing officer at the Central Hospital in Warri, Mrs. Akata Oghenero, and
slapped her for taking a phone call.
Nurses at the hospital have reacted to the commissioner’s unprofessional conduct by embarking on a strike action pending when a state-wide strike would commence.
Nurses at the hospital have reacted to the commissioner’s unprofessional conduct by embarking on a strike action pending when a state-wide strike would commence.
Similarly, the
Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence (FJHD) in Delta State, has
threatened to drag the commissioner to court if he fails to tender an
unreserved apology to the nurse or resign from office.
This reporter reliably gathered that the physical assault on Mrs. Oghenero took place at the gynecologist ward of the hospital in front of other nurses and officials of the Ministry of Health who watched helplessly.
This reporter reliably gathered that the physical assault on Mrs. Oghenero took place at the gynecologist ward of the hospital in front of other nurses and officials of the Ministry of Health who watched helplessly.
In her account, a
senior nurse in the hospital who pleaded for anonymity stated, “On 29 March,
2012, while Mrs. Akata Oghenero, a Nursing Officer II at the Central Hospital,
Warri was on duty in the Gynae ward of the said hospital, the Health
commissioner, Dr. Joseph Otumara, and his entourage came into the said ward
and, in the process, Mrs. Oghenero, in company of some student nurses who were
present, immediately stood up to acknowledge his presence, while the
commissioner and his entourage walked through to the maternity ward.
Shortly after a while Mrs. Oghenero received an emergency call on her mobile
phone and she was on the phone all of a sudden she got a severe slap on her
right check. Lo and behold she was shocked on turning her face to discover that
the slap was from the Health commissioner Dr. Joseph Otumara."
The source said
the helpless Mrs. Oghenero at that point “burst into an uncontrollable cry.”
As if that was not
enough, it was gathered that the permanent secretary and the Hospitals
Management Board, Asaba, swung into action by trying to track down the identity
of the nurse and pacify their boss by issuing her a query or possibly firing
her.
Relaible sources
close to the ministry who confided in this reporter disclosed that such
incident was not the first time adding that Otumara is synonymous with such
unholy act.
In a press
statement in Asaba signed by the group’s national coordinator, Mr. Oghenejabor
Ikimi, FJHD disclosed that it has received a protest letter from the Warri
chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives. It
is entitled “Letter of protest: Physical Assault on the person of Mrs. Akata
Oghenero, a Nursing Officer II at the Central Hospital, Warri by Dr. Joseph
Otumara, Hon Commissioner for Health, Delta State,” and was signed by Comrade
Ojei J.O, the Central Hospital, Warri Unit chairman of the association.
According to FJHD,
“Assuming, without conceding that Mrs. Akata Oghenero had committed an offence
while Dr. Joseph Otumara was visiting, slapping a nurse on duty is definitely
not one of the ways to discipline an erring public officer and, as such, we
call on the said Health Commissioner to publicly tender an unreserved apology
to the said Mrs. Akata Oghenero or, in the alternative, resign his appointment
as he is not a fit and proper person to hold a public office.”
The group stressed
that it will not hesitate to enforce the fundamental rights of Mrs. Oghenero on
her behalf and claim damages at large against Dr. Joseph Otumara should he fail
to adhere to their demands.
All efforts by this reporter to contact Dr. Otumara by telephone or text messages to obtain a comment have failed, but one of his aides who did not want his name mentioned in this story said he was unaware of the incident, but asserted that his boss could not have descended so low as to assault a hospital nurse.
All efforts by this reporter to contact Dr. Otumara by telephone or text messages to obtain a comment have failed, but one of his aides who did not want his name mentioned in this story said he was unaware of the incident, but asserted that his boss could not have descended so low as to assault a hospital nurse.
It would be
recalled that in Asaba about five years ago, Dr. Otumara confronted a Vanguard
reporter, Austin Ogwuda, for reporting his inability to recite the second stanza
of the national anthem during his screening as commissioner-designate at the
House of Assembly.
N31b DRUG WARS: The suspects, their cargo and NDLEA’s pains
The handle of that traveling suitcase of
yours can be used to conceal cocaine!
Those cans of tomato paste you are to
deliver to a friend’s cousin abroad could actually contain heroine!
That starched guinea brocade you are required to give your friend’s big uncle abroad may have been treated with cocaine and local starch. These sound strange but they are true stories of how Nigerians are attempting to beat the anti-narcotic officers at ports of exit and entry in Nigeria.
That starched guinea brocade you are required to give your friend’s big uncle abroad may have been treated with cocaine and local starch. These sound strange but they are true stories of how Nigerians are attempting to beat the anti-narcotic officers at ports of exit and entry in Nigeria.
It’s no longer news when drug couriers are
apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA,
at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, or any of the
ports for that matter. It has become almost a daily occurrence. What is
news, perhaps, is the mode of concealment and operatives’ anti-narcotic
offensive in outwitting the couriers.
Apart from the traditional and almost
outdated mode of concealment which is by ingestion, traffickers have had to go
the extra mile in concealing this hard powdery and lucrative substance in hair
wigs, baby sanitary pads, scalp, inside roasted chicken, cassava flour, motor
spare-parts, sole of shoes, GSM handsets, etc.
But in all of these, officials of the
anti-drug agency have always stayed a step ahead of the couriers. But like the
Chinua Achebe’s Eneke the bird in Things Fall Apart which will fly without
perching because hunters have learnt to shoot without missing, drug barons
continue to engage more highly sophisticated mode of concealing their highly
priced ‘substance of death’ even as the nation’s anti-drug agency is poised to
counter their moves.
A recent discovery at the Ikeja airport of
powdery substance which tested positive for cocaine and heroin respectively,
industrially and masterly packed in beverage and milk cans revealed that drug
barons have gone ballistic in their bid to beat officials of the drug law
enforcement agency.
Even the man at the helms of affairs of
the agency, Ahmadu Giade, admitted recently that drug barons are daily adopting
new strategies to beat his operatives but quickly added that his agency is
equally constantly devising means to counter them.
In 2011 alone, the agency seized drugs
worth N31 billion. One of the implications of this is that Nigeria now
appears to be dealing with an unrepentant drug trafficking cartel because of
the monetary gains.
According to Giade, “it is pertinent to
note that drug barons are becoming more and more sophisticated in drug
concealment as a recent discovery (shows). The essence of drug concealment is
to avoid detection and seizure. In order to prevent huge financial losses,
arrests and prosecution, drug barons go the extra mile in hiding their drugs.
Based on our professional and meticulous
search operations, several tricks employed by traffickers were exposed;
especially last year. The use of female handbags, cooking pots, candles and
false bottom of luggage were common ways adopted by drug traffickers to conceal
drugs.
Some of the drugs’ traffickers we arrested
in 2011 even used the metal handles of bags as means of concealment.
Interestingly, we also intercepted liquid cocaine in sachets properly packed to
look like juice sent from Trinidad and Tobago through courier service. Other
items used to hide drugs that were detected are bed-sheets, engine piston,
television sets and tin food packs.
Continuing, the drug czar said, “We have
since discovered that why drug couriers smuggled drugs industrially packed tin
foods is to avoid suspicion. Narcotics have been found inside tin food or
beverage containers in the course of our operation. There was also a special
case of a drug suspect that emulsified cocaine in solvent and immersed clothes
in the solution making it look like starched clothes.
This is the reality of the drug war. Drug
ingestion is about the known commonest method used by traffickers to hide drugs
from our men. Outdated as it may appear, it is equally worrisome because drug
ingestion is suicidal.
It is so bad that many drug couriers have
died due to leakage in ingested wraps of narcotics. But in spite of this
glaring health-risk, drug ingestion remains prevalent among traffickers. While
these modes of concealment are common with drugs like cocaine, heroin and
methamphetamine meant for export and import, several techniques have also been
adopted for inter-state cannabis smuggling.
These include the use of foodstuffs like
garri, yams and plantain. Other dealers use government and missionary vehicles
with the connivance of drivers. The use of fake official vehicle number plates
was also detected. Interestingly, the more they tried to hide the drugs, the
more discoveries we made.”
Nigeria is also gaining notoriety as a
transit country where drug barons only import drugs from producer countries
before they are moved to consumer countries. But observers say with the
evolving trends, the country may slide from merely being a transit one to a
consumer nation.
According to the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2011, World Drug Report, about 210 million people use
illicit drugs globally. Almost 200,000 of such users die from negative effects
of drugs addiction.
Reacting to this development, Giade said,
“This is why we must, therefore, continue to take strategic measures in
preventing Nigerian from sliding from a drug transit to a major consumer
country. We are optimistic that the above figures can be reduced to the barest
minimum through the commitment and collective efforts of nations of the world.
Nigeria will continue to complement the
efforts of other countries by deploying sufficient resources to tackle the activities
of drug syndicates within its territory.”
Continuing, the NDLEA boss said, “Despite
the covert nature of the trade in narcotics, Nigeria is making significant
strides in drug control.
The estimate value of narcotics seized in
the country rose astronomically from about nine hundred and ninety million
naira (N990m) in 2000 to about thirty-one billion naira (N31b) in 2011.
Shipments of narcotics meant for export to America, Asia and Europe were
promptly detected and intercepted by our men at the border posts, sea ports and
airports.
Our planned counter-narcotics operations
have disrupted the activities of drug syndicates operating in the country. Drug
trafficking among many societal ills paralyze political, economic and
socio-cultural system of a nation. It smears the image of a country and
provides a highway to criminality and insecurity, terrorism, money laundering
and other forms of illegality are influenced by drug trafficking.
This ultimately, deters foreign investment
and retards development. Students abandon their academic pursuit because of
drugs. It leads to broken marriages, increases unemployment, prostitution, road
accidents, health problems and ultimately premature deaths. A deadly ailment
like HIV/AIDS has also been linked to drug abuse.
This occurs mainly through the activities
of Injecting Drug Users, IDU, who share needles and other paraphernalia of drug
use. Effective drug control is therefore, the solution. Nigeria must continue
to confront the drug barons head-on until they are completely incapacitated.
This is possible and we can do it.”
Giving an insight into the operational
activities in the year ended 2011, Giade blew the agency’s trumpet, saying,
“The agency in 2011 apprehended and invited for interrogation 8,639 suspected
drug traffickers mad up of 8,072 males and 567 females. A total of 195,283.917
kilograms of various drugs were also seized from drug traffickers.
Cannabis Sativa otherwise known as Indian
Hemp constitutes the largest seizure with 191, 847.91 kilograms. Psychotropic
substance are 2,985.45 kilograms, cocaine was 410.805 kilograms while heroin
stood at 39.752 kilograms. Compared with 2010, a total number of 6,788 persons
were arrested with 6,296 as males while 492 were females. The quantity of drugs
seized weighed 178,120,725 kilograms. Cannabis had the highest quantity with
174, 661.59 kilograms. Psychotropic substance came next with 2, 550.622
kilograms. Cocaine followed with 706,433 kilograms while heroin was 202,08
kilograms.
There was an increase of 1,851 in the
number of persons arrested in 2011 over that of 2010. Suspected males arrested
rose by 1,776 while females also increased by 75.
Drug seizures equally went up by 17,
163.192 kilograms over that of 2010. It was observed that seizures of
psychotropic substance like methamphetamine and ephedrine at the airport were
all meant for export. At the Lagos airport alone in 2011, a total of 114.038
kilograms comprising 58.538kg methamphetamine and 55.5kg ephedrine, were
intercepted during outward screening of passengers.
It will be observed that cocaine and
heroin seizures in 2011 fell by 295.628kgs and 162.328 kgs respectively. This
decline is traceable to the multiple seizures made at the sea ports in Lagos in
2010.
The implication is that the seaport
remains a sensitive point in drug smuggling. Therefore, our searchlight shall
continue to be directed at the seaports. We shall also increase our capacity
and ensure effective and efficient maritime drug control.
Statistics have shown that we made the highest arrest in Kano State with 1, 281 in 2011. Lagos came second with 382 persons made up of 339 males and 350 females. Anambra is third with 361 arrests comprising 301 males and 60 females. Kastina state followed with 350 comprising 340 males and 10 females; while Rivers state occupied the fifth position with 349 suspects made up of 314 males and 35 females.
Statistics have shown that we made the highest arrest in Kano State with 1, 281 in 2011. Lagos came second with 382 persons made up of 339 males and 350 females. Anambra is third with 361 arrests comprising 301 males and 60 females. Kastina state followed with 350 comprising 340 males and 10 females; while Rivers state occupied the fifth position with 349 suspects made up of 314 males and 35 females.
The largest seizure of drugs was also
recorded in the South West and South South states. Ondo state had the highest
seizure with 55,473.31 kgs, Edo was second with 40,6233 kgs while Delta came
third with 26,824.14 kgs. In Oyo state, 15,331.37 kgs was seized while Lagos
state emerged fifth with 10,406.1 kgs.
The agency also recorded seizures of
amphetamine type stimulants in northern states of Bornu and Zamfara. This is a
warning that more effort is required to halt the spread of these narcotic
substances in the country.”
But then, sometime late last, the NDLEA
appeared to have goofed when it arrested ace comedian, Babatunde Omidina, alias
Baba Suwe, at the Murtala International Airport, Lagos, for alleged ingestion
of substance suspected to be illicit drugs.
After several days in the agency’s
detention and many rounds of rumours regarding the arrest, Baba Suwe was
ordered to be released by the courts. Upon further litigation arising
from the arrest, a Lagos high Court ordered the agency to pay the comedian N25m
as compensation.
This is one, in many instances where the
agency has had to contend with the effect of public opprobrium in its efforts
to make Nigeria safer from the grip of drug barons.
AAU death: Family of victim blames varsity
When on March 21, 2012, Abigail Iyaogeh matriculated at
Ambrosse Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, her family were elated as the
21-year-old had spent over three years at home since she passed out from
secondary school in 2008.
Abigail was said to be overjoyed by the admission to study
Economics after years of trying.
Unfortunately, the joy of the Iyaogeh family was eclipsed
by tragedy three days later. On March 24, the 21-year-old and six other
students fell into a dilapidated well located in the Kudirat Hostel of the
university. While five people were saved, Iyaogeh and another student,
Angelita, lost their lives.
PUNCH Metro visited the Iyaogehs, at their home in
Ogun State and observed that the atmosphere was gloomy as family and friends
had yet to come to grips with the tragedy.
Daniel, the elder brother to the deceased and a 300 level
student of Economics at the institution, told PUNCH Metro that the
school was to blame for the tragic incident because it lacked
infrastructure.
Daniel, who spoke with an emotion-laden voice, told our
correspondent that if the school had emergency facilities, his sister would not
have died.
He said, “On that particular day, the school authorities
refused to turn on the generator so there was no way we could pump water and,
as a result, people had to resort to other means of getting water.
“My sister, along with six other girls, was fetching water
from the dilapidated well around 7am when the concrete gave way, causing them
to fall into the well.
“Students had to go and get a wooden ladder in order to get
into the well and this took over 45 minutes. Finally, they were able to rescue
five of them but during the rescue operation, the ladder broke and we had to go
and get another one and time was running out because my sister, who was still
trapped in the well with the other girl was already running out of oxygen.”
Emmanuel told our correspondent that because of the
ill-equipped health centre in the school, the students had to take the victims
to a specialist hospital in Irrua, a neighbouring town.
He said, “By the time my sister was rescued, she was in
critical condition. AAU does not have a functional emergency unit so the
students, along with some Red Cross officials had to administer first aid
before transferring them to Irrua Specialist Hospital.
“In fact, there was no ambulance. Students had to use their
cars to convey the victims to the hospital.”
PUNCH Metro learnt that on getting to the hospital,
Abigail was pronounced dead but on getting to the mortuary, she was found to be
breathing again and was taken back to the hospital. When they got back to the
hospital, another girl was pronounced dead.
Our correspondent gathered that students, who were enraged
by the incident, began a protest in the school premises.
In a bid to restore calm in the school, the school
authorities were said to have immediately called the police.
When the police arrived they reportedly fired tear
gas at the students to disperse them.
The school authorities subsequently instructed all students
to vacate the school premises by 2pm the same day as the school would remain
shut for the next couple of weeks.
Abigail’s uncle, Lewis, told our correspondent on the
telephone that the family was pained because of the manner with which the
school handled the situation.
He said, “After Abigail died, the school authorities denied
that anyone died. In fact, the Deputy Registrar of the University, Mr. Chris
Adamaigbo, was quoted in a national daily as saying that nobody died and that
those affected were rescued and receiving treatment in the hospital.
“Days after the incident, the school authorities had yet to
contact the parents of the deceased and in fact, when I went to visit the
Divisional Police Officer, he told me that the school authorities only reported
that students were rioting, they (the school authority) did not tell the police
that students died in the well until five days later.”
Lucky, the deceased’s father, told our correspondent that
the family felt that Abigail’s death could have been prevented.
He said, “Why should students be made to go and fetch water
from a well which is over 30-years-old? Also, why is there no emergency unit in
the school?
“My daughter’s death was avoidable. I loved her so much and
she was loved by many because she was such a loving person who dedicated most
of her life to serving God as she was always going to the Redemption camp which
was like her second home.”
He disclosed that he had settled the hospital bills without
any assistance from the school and his daughter was buried last Tuesday.
The school authorities reportedly claimed that it was the
students that built the well and absolved itself of full responsibility.
Efforts to get a response from the school were abortive as
the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Cordillia Agbebaku, did not pick his call. He also
did not reply to text messages sent to his phone.
‘I was on a revenge mission’
A 29-year-old jobless man, Eme Friday, who
allegedly raped the corpse of a 19-year-old girl he gagged to death in Epe area
of Lagos State has finally opened up on why he committed the offence.
Eme who is presently being interrogated by
detectives at the State Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, Panti, Lagos
told Crime Alert exclusively that he gagged her to stop her from shouting but
the helpless girl tried all she could to save herself by even biting his
fingers until her strength failed her. This, he continued, resulted in
her passing out after which he carried out the act unperturbed.
Ambush for Blessing
In what looked like a planned action, he
revealed how he had laid ambush for Blessing in the bush for two hours and
struck when he sighted her with a bowl, with which she brought cassava from the
farm, a means that has been sustaining her family for years.
Surprisingly, the suspect was discovered
to be an in-law to Mr. Long John said to be married to the late Blessing’s
elder sister, a marriage that, however, hit the rocks nine years later.
Narrating how he raped and eventually
murdered Blessing, Eme said, sounding remorseful: “I had told her several times
that I wanted her to be my lover but she refused. So, on March 10, 2012, I
slept in their house because I always frequented there. And in the evening, I
approached her again wanting to sleep with her, but she raised an alarm which
attracted her parents.
And before them, she told me to leave
their house, not caring where I would sleep that night. I left for the farm
which was just a stone throw from the hut they lived. I was embarrassed by her
behaviour because I expected her to tell me off politely, after all she was not
better off than I am. I guess she refused me because I do not have money. I
only attended primary school and left my state for Lagos last August in search
of greener pasture.
How I strangled her to death: So the next
day, a Sunday, I saw her with a bowl coming to the farm. I stopped her on
the way and told her I would like to have carnal knowledge of her which she
bluntly refused.
I felt bad and recalling the embarrassment
of the previous night, I grabbed her. But I realized she was very strong, as
she tried to put up resistance. She said I should leave her alone so that we
would not create a scene. But I took a wood I saw and hit her on the
head. I then held her in the throat and realised she was chocking. At
that point, she fell down and I had my way.”
Asked if he noticed that Blessing was dead
at that point, he replied, “yes, I noticed she was still but I thought it was
because of my firm grip on her he neck. I had her twice. I honestly loved her
and wanted to marry her.”
On noticing the magnitude of his
deed, Eme said he remained in the bush for four days, apparently to
avoid people from seeing him around and attribute Blessing’s death to
him.
But unknown to him, other farmers who were
on their way home, sighted him and the deceased . A disclosure they made when
Blessing was found dead.
Asked if he had any regret, he looked at
this writer, trying with difficulty to say yes. After some interminable
moments, he said: “I regretted that she died. I have been praying to God to
forgive me since I have been here. I also thank God I did not die when I
attempted to leave my hiding place the third day, for her people had mobilized
themselves by combing the bush for me. When they sighted me, I ran for dear
life because they were armed with cutlasses.
After four days, I went to one of my
brothers who handed me over to the police.”
Victim’s parents speak: Meanwhile, back in
their hut, apprehension had set in for Mr Long-John and his wife, after waiting
for hours without the sight of Blessing or the cassava she was sent to go and
get. Mr Long-John decided to go and find out the cause of the delay only to be
greeted with the unexpected sight of his daughter in the bush path, stone dead,
with Eme still on her.
Hear him: “When it was 7pm, I decided to
go and look for her because they were supposed to leave for Epe town that day,
in preparation for school the next day. They usually come on Fridays to this
hut where we farm and leave every Friday.
“But what caught my attention first, was
the way the bush path was scattered as if animals had fought there. I called
out to my daughter Blessing but there was no response. Then, to my shock, I saw
Eme on my daughter and I shouted.
But I could not lay my hand on him because
he immediately took to his heels and I could not run at the same pace with him.
I went to call one of my sons who rushed down where we still found my daughter
lying still. I shook her, called out her name but there was dead silence.”
Hurried burial because of lack of funds:
Policemen from Epe were contacted, following which the remains of Blessing was
removed and deposited at the Epe general hospital mortuary. But Mr Longman’s
inability to meet up with the mortuary bills prompted the bereaved father to
bury her daughter.
He said: “When we got to the mortuary, I
was told to pay the sum of N12,000 that very day and thereafter will be paying
the sum of N1000 per day. But I did not have that amount of money.
“Again, I was told that I would have to pay for the autopsy report. After much
thought, I applied for the release of my daughter’s corpse for burial because I
do not have that amount of money to pay for the expenses.”
However, this is not the first time the
65-year-old farmer is witnessing the death of a child. A similar incident, as
gathered, occurred in 1995 when he lost his second child, Gift. But the impact
of death of Blessing was felt more, not just because of the fact that she
was the last child but she was described as a promising child.
“Ah!”, Mr Monday exclaimed. “See what this
boy has done to me. He has snatched my precious daughter away from me. Blessing
was the only child who desired to further her education to university level.
Her siblings are all into skilled jobs.
“All through her years in school, she took
first and second position. She was very intelligent and was a promising child.
She had always promised me she would work hard and end our years of sufferings
when she started working. In fact, she would always beg me and her mother to
live long for her to keep her promise,” he said, trying hard not to betray his
emotion.
But little did Blessing realized she
would never live to fulfill her dream of paying her parents the dividends of
parenthood. The suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation
Department (SCID), Yaba from where he would be charged to court.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
How
foreign airlines fleece Nigerians
Indications emerged, weekend, that the argument
often put forward by foreign airlines that high airport and navigational
charges in the country were responsible for the astronomical fares they charge
Nigerians may not be tenable after all, as Vanguard gathered that the charges
are even higher in Ghana, where the price of air tickets are far lower.
The Federal Government had been in a
running battle for foreign airlines operating into the country to dismantle
their fare disparity to make fares paid in Nigeria equivalent to those paid in
other countries on the West Coast.
Vanguard gathered that while the landing
charge imposed by international airports in Nigeria per landing is $0.00909 per
kilogramme, it is $7 in Ghana.
It was also learnt that while no charge is
imposed for lighting at international airports in Nigeria, the charge for a
similar service in Ghana is $187.5.
Also, parking charge in Nigeria is
$0.00114kg per hour, while in Ghana, it is $0.15, even as the passenger service
charge, PSCs, is $50 in Nigeria against Ghana’s $100.
The charges are collected by the Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN.
However, a peep into the table of
navigational charges collected by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency,
NAMA, indicated that they were higher in Nigeria than Ghana.
While overflying charges in Nigeria is $75
per kilometre flown, it is $200 (minimum) per kilometre flown in Ghana and $600
maximum.
At Nigerian airports, terminal charges
come to a unit rate of $199, while no such charge is imposed in Ghana.
Vanguard learnt that there is only a
marginal difference between the price of aviation fuel or JET-A1, a key
component in commercial airline operations, between both countries.
While the product sells for naira
equivalence of between N180 and N182 per litre in Ghana, it is sold for between
N190 and N200 in Nigeria, depending on which part of the country it is sourced.
It is costlier sourcing it in the North.
Similarly, en route charge in Nigeria is at the rate of $70 against Ghana’s none.
Similarly, en route charge in Nigeria is at the rate of $70 against Ghana’s none.
Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah,
had penultimate week issued foreign airlines operating in the country a 30-day
ultimatum within which to dismantle disparity between fares charged in Nigeria
and countries on the West Coast or face ban.
Transmission Misery Worsens Power Crisis
Inadequate transmission capacity is hurting the power
situation in the country – in addition to the administrative and logistical
problems delaying the completion of plants across the country – THISDAY can
report today.
Although the gas supply problems are being gradually addressed by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the country still has a long way to go to achieve stable power supply under the prevailing circumstances.
The transmission misery is further worsened by the suspicion of sabotage by those said to be opposed to the liberalisation of the power sector.
Security agencies strongly suspect that the current nationwide reduction in power supply is the handiwork of saboteurs working against the sector reform.
Among the new developments, which seem to lend credence to the suspicion, is the explosion which occurred at 4.15am on Friday, March 23, at the Benin Station of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), one of the 18 firms created out of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
Although the gas supply problems are being gradually addressed by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the country still has a long way to go to achieve stable power supply under the prevailing circumstances.
The transmission misery is further worsened by the suspicion of sabotage by those said to be opposed to the liberalisation of the power sector.
Security agencies strongly suspect that the current nationwide reduction in power supply is the handiwork of saboteurs working against the sector reform.
Among the new developments, which seem to lend credence to the suspicion, is the explosion which occurred at 4.15am on Friday, March 23, at the Benin Station of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), one of the 18 firms created out of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
The explosion and fire outbreak re-occurred on Sunday, March 26, on the same facility.
But the Edo State Chairman of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Mr. K. O. Idahosa, told THISDAY at the weekend that he was not aware of the incidents, disclosing that such could have triggered system collapse and plunged the entire country into complete darkness.
“If there was system collapse, the entire country would have experienced darkness, but there was no such thing, to the best of my knowledge,” he said.
THISDAY gathered that the explosion, which occurred at one of the transformers, caused a fire outbreak which led to prolonged power failure in many parts of the country.
“Everything about the time of the explosion and the fact that it happened at the Benin Transmission Station should arouse tremendous curiosity,” a security source told THISDAY.
According to him, “we have taken cognisance of the fact that it happened at the time of the day when only about two persons were on duty, and they must have grown too tired to put out the fire immediately it broke out.”
He described as curious the system collapse which occurred only two days after the Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, travelled out of the country for the first time in a year.
The minister was in South Korea as part of the Nigerian delegation to the international conference on nuclear energy, and later went to London to sign a $10-billion deal with General Electric of the United States.
The suspicion that the incidents might have been the handiwork of saboteurs was heightened by the occurrence in the Benin Transmission, one of the most critical electricity facilities in Nigeria.
It was learnt that apart from the 330KV line from Onitsha in Anambra State, there is also a 330 KV line from the Delta Thermal power station in Delta State, which goes into the Benin station.
THISDAY gathered that two 33KV lines from Geregu station in Kogi State and another 33KV line to the Egbin power plant, Nigeria’s largest electricity producer, which is located in Ikorodu, Lagos State, also pass through Benin Transmission line.
There is also another 330KV line, which goes from Benin to the Omotosho thermal station in Ondo State, and continues to the Ikeja West transmission Station in Lagos State.
It was also learnt that the explosion and fire at the Benin Transmission Station caused the Bus Bar Protection, which enables the station to avoid a complete disaster, to open all the lines into and out of the transmission station.
This is further worsened by the fact that less than 48 hours after the Friday incident, a similar incident occurred in the same station on Sunday, leading to another round of blackout.
Accusing fingers are being appointed at a section of electricity workers, who are opposed to the ongoing privatisation of the sector.
Both NUEE and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies have vowed to renew their campaign against the privatisation.
The NUEE General Secretary, Joe Ajaero, could not be reached at the weekend but another top official of the union told THISDAY that it was unfair for the security agencies to insinuate that the union could sabotage the power sector.
“Whoever is suggesting that it is sabotage is very unfair to us. We are Nigerians and not foreigners. The worsening power situation affects us more than other Nigerians. When we push out energy that is supposed to last for one hour and it lasts for four minutes, it affects our revenue. Besides, the workers at the transmission end are well taken care of and have no reason to get involved in sabotage. The minister has also said that he is investigating the incidents and I think this suggestion of sabotage will pre-empt the outcome of the investigation,” he said.
The labour unions have a frosty relationship with the Federal Government since President Goodluck Jonathan renewed the implementation of the 2005 Electric Power Reform Act which will see the private sector become the main driver of the sector.
Despite repeated assurances by the government that the reform would open enormous employment and business opportunities as witnessed in telecommunications following its liberalisation, trade unionists have insisted that it would lead to job losses in the power sector.
In a related development, four power stations are currently losing 977.5mw to gas supply shortages.
While the National Integrated Power Project plant in Olorunsogo loses 337.5mw, the second station at Olorunsogo, which is owned by PHCN, is losing 152mw to inadequate gas supply.
NIPP Sapele Station is losing 112mw; PHCN Geregu Station, 276mw and PHCN Ugheli Station, 100mw.
Gas supply infrastructure is not available in some of the stations, while others that have gas supply facilities do not have gas to fire the plants.
Nnaji has, meanwhile, summoned the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all the PHCN distribution companies to an emergency meeting.
The meeting, scheduled for noon today, will discuss major issues that have led to the worsening electricity problems as well as fashion out ways to address them.
A highly placed power ministry source told THISDAY last night that the minister, who returned yesterday, expects the CEOs to offer some explanations regarding the current reduction in electricity supply nationwide and what they are doing to remedy the situation.
He listed three major issues hampering electricity supply currently as: gas shortfall, grid instability and low water levels at the dams.
Although the Ministry of Petroleum Resources was said to be working hard to ensure availability of gas for power generation, the source said chief among the problems hampering supply was inadequate gas to power the gas-fired stations.
For instance, he said power generation from the Olorunsogo Power Station was being hampered by gas issues, as only one or two units of the plant were currently functioning.
Besides, the Papalanto Power Station, built more than five years ago, is still lying fallow because there is no gas pipeline to transport gas to the station.
However, a document obtained by THISDAY last night showed that Sapele Power Station, one of the NIPP projects, is operating below installed capacity due to constraint of gas.
Similarly, Geregu, which belongs to the PHCN, is also producing at low capacity due to intermittent gas supply. Only one unit, according to the report, could run due to gas supply restriction. The second unit is out on bi-annual maintenance, the document revealed.
In the case of Olorunsogo, construction of gas pipeline earlier scheduled for completion by last month end has suffered set back. It was learnt that the earlier scheduled inauguration of the project for this month will be delayed till August.
Also, PHCN Ugelli Power Station is experiencing restricted operation due to limited gas supply.
The document also revealed erratic and poor quality gas supply from Ughelli east, which resulted in the eventual shut in of 100mw for nozzle clearing.
The source also said the Shiroro Hydro Power Station is completely down due to the current low water level at the dams, while Jebba and Kainji are functioning at low levels.
On the grid challenges, he said the Ministry of Power had developed the grid to generate 4000mw, but that at the moment, it could not generate up to 3200mw due to these challenges.
THISDAY learnt that except urgent steps are taken to boost supply of gas to the stations and the Ministry of Water Resources takes steps to ensure adequate water at the dams, the situation may further worsen as the generating capacity of the nation's power stations has continued to drop drastically.
But a power ministry source allayed these fears, saying today’s meeting would fashion out ways to urgently address the problems.
Also a petroleum ministry source said last night that the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, was personally supervising the various gas projects to ensure availability of gas for domestic use.
POLITICS
Dakingari wins Kebbi re-run guber poll
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
yesterday declared Alhaji Saidu Dakingari of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
the winner of the Kebbi re-run governorship election held last Saturday.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Suleiman Bilbis, said Dakingari scored 875, 492 votes to beat his Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) rival, Alhaji Abubakar Abubakar, who scored 17, 918 votes.
Bilbis, the deputy vice chancellor of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, also announced that the ACN candidate, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu, scored 4, 555 votes to place third. No fewer than 15 political parties, including the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), whose candidate, Alhaji Suleiman Musa Argungu, withdrew from the race 24 hours before the election.
Ten days earlier, candidates of CPC and ACN had withdrawn from the race and joined PDP.
The election was necessitated by the nullification of the victory of Dakingari in the 2011 general election by the Supreme Court following a petition by the CPC candidate, Abubakar. CPC had announced its boycott of the election because of the refusal of INEC to allow it to field a replacement for Abubakar.
The CPC had accepted defeat in last Saturday’s re-run governorship election and blamed its poor performance on intra-party crisis. “The CPC has no problem with the result and shall not contest it in any court,’’ the party Secretary, Alhaji Bashir Matawalle, said in reaction to the outcome of the election. “The controversy over CPC’s withdrawal from last Saturday’s governorship re-run election should not be blamed on INEC because the CPC did not put its house in order,’’ Matawalle added.
The party scribe decried the confusion in the party and pointed out that the withdrawal of CPC from the race was not formally communicated to INEC, while the state chapter of the party was not aware of the decision.
The ANPP candidate, Alhaji Suleiman Agungu, however, dismissed the re-run election as a sham. “Going by the low turnout of voters, the general apathy to the exercise and the lopsided nature of the results, it is clear that the election did not meet expected standards’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Dakingari, the governor-elect, said the fresh mandate he received was an indication of his acceptance by the people of Kebbi. Malam Alhassan Musa, the media adviser to Dakingari, said yesterday the new mandate was an indication of the popularity of the governor-elect’s policies and programmes over the years.
He promised to bring the opposition on board in efforts to develop the state.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Suleiman Bilbis, said Dakingari scored 875, 492 votes to beat his Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) rival, Alhaji Abubakar Abubakar, who scored 17, 918 votes.
Bilbis, the deputy vice chancellor of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, also announced that the ACN candidate, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu, scored 4, 555 votes to place third. No fewer than 15 political parties, including the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), whose candidate, Alhaji Suleiman Musa Argungu, withdrew from the race 24 hours before the election.
Ten days earlier, candidates of CPC and ACN had withdrawn from the race and joined PDP.
The election was necessitated by the nullification of the victory of Dakingari in the 2011 general election by the Supreme Court following a petition by the CPC candidate, Abubakar. CPC had announced its boycott of the election because of the refusal of INEC to allow it to field a replacement for Abubakar.
The CPC had accepted defeat in last Saturday’s re-run governorship election and blamed its poor performance on intra-party crisis. “The CPC has no problem with the result and shall not contest it in any court,’’ the party Secretary, Alhaji Bashir Matawalle, said in reaction to the outcome of the election. “The controversy over CPC’s withdrawal from last Saturday’s governorship re-run election should not be blamed on INEC because the CPC did not put its house in order,’’ Matawalle added.
The party scribe decried the confusion in the party and pointed out that the withdrawal of CPC from the race was not formally communicated to INEC, while the state chapter of the party was not aware of the decision.
The ANPP candidate, Alhaji Suleiman Agungu, however, dismissed the re-run election as a sham. “Going by the low turnout of voters, the general apathy to the exercise and the lopsided nature of the results, it is clear that the election did not meet expected standards’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Dakingari, the governor-elect, said the fresh mandate he received was an indication of his acceptance by the people of Kebbi. Malam Alhassan Musa, the media adviser to Dakingari, said yesterday the new mandate was an indication of the popularity of the governor-elect’s policies and programmes over the years.
He promised to bring the opposition on board in efforts to develop the state.
CRIME FILE
Bomber dies while trying to set up explosive device in Kaduna
Barely
two weeks after Boko Haram men stormed Ungwan Sanusi area of Kaduna metropolis
to pick a runaway member, a deafening bomb blast yesterday evening rocked its
neighbouring Ungwan Muazu, killing a suicide bomber and leaving two others
seriously injured. The explosion, occurred at about 6:40pm when a suspected
suicide bomber drove out of his house to plant bombs in an unknown place.
An eyewitness said: “The explosion happened in my presence, I was coming out of Ungwan Muazu when I heard the sound behind me, when I turned back and saw people running but I moved to the place and discovered the bomb killed the person who carried it and injured two persons at the scene”. Meanwhile, when our reporter visited the scene, the area had been cordoned off by security operatives even as residents scampered for safety.
However, the state Police Command spokesman, DSP Aminu Lawal, confirmed the explosion. “Yes, the explosion happened and we have mobilized our anti-bomb squad men to the area. I can tell you based on the report I got from the place that one person suspected to be carrying the bomb died instantly”, he said.
An eyewitness said: “The explosion happened in my presence, I was coming out of Ungwan Muazu when I heard the sound behind me, when I turned back and saw people running but I moved to the place and discovered the bomb killed the person who carried it and injured two persons at the scene”. Meanwhile, when our reporter visited the scene, the area had been cordoned off by security operatives even as residents scampered for safety.
However, the state Police Command spokesman, DSP Aminu Lawal, confirmed the explosion. “Yes, the explosion happened and we have mobilized our anti-bomb squad men to the area. I can tell you based on the report I got from the place that one person suspected to be carrying the bomb died instantly”, he said.
Nigerian jailed in Ghana for registering as voter
FOR registering as a voter, 35-year-old
Nigerian businessman, Monday Chukwu Ebere, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment
by a Koforidua Circuit Court in Ghana.
Chukwu, who pleaded guilty for deceiving a public officer, would be deported after serving the sentence.
Police Inspector Patrick Adzadza told the court, presided over by Ms Wilhelmina Hammond, that the complainant is a police officer, stationed at the Koforidua Central Police Station while the accused is from Imo State, Nigeria but resides at Nsukwao, a suburb of Koforidua.
Chukwu, who pleaded guilty for deceiving a public officer, would be deported after serving the sentence.
Police Inspector Patrick Adzadza told the court, presided over by Ms Wilhelmina Hammond, that the complainant is a police officer, stationed at the Koforidua Central Police Station while the accused is from Imo State, Nigeria but resides at Nsukwao, a suburb of Koforidua.
Inspector Adzadza said on March 27, Chukwu with voter Identity Card (ID) Number 2327681 in the name of Emmanuel Osei Kojo went to Tanaso South Registration Centre at Nsukwao to register and mentioned his name as Emmanuel Osei Kojo and showed his previous voter ID as a proof.
He said Chukwu was registered and his voter ID card number being 1342004130.
Inspector Adzadza said the police, who were on their usual rounds gathering intelligence on the exercise at various centres in the New Juaben Municipality, had information that Chukwu was not a Ghanaian and had only arrived in the country about a year ago.
Her said Chukwu was arrested, where he confirmed his identity and was charged with the offence after investigation.
Ms Hammond, before passing sentence, said Chukwu was enjoying the peace that is prevailing in the country and that he should have been law abiding to sustain the peace since he had been able to establish his business and was living in harmony.
She asked Chukwu if he was aware that his actions could have jeopardised the peace in the country, adding that the long sentence would serve as a deterrent for others.
Expatriate Dies in Abuja Hotel
An
unidentified expatriate has been found dead at the Commandos
Hotel, in the upscale Wuse 2 area of Abuja.
Pointblanknews.com learnt the cleaning staff raised an alarm when on several visits to clean his room, the male guest, who has been staying in the hotel for weeks, did not answer the door.
The staff alerted the manager, who used a spare key to open the door where the man was found sprawled on his bed , and apparently not breathing.
Pointblanknews.com learnt the cleaning staff raised an alarm when on several visits to clean his room, the male guest, who has been staying in the hotel for weeks, did not answer the door.
The staff alerted the manager, who used a spare key to open the door where the man was found sprawled on his bed , and apparently not breathing.
A
staff of the hotel, who did not want his name in print because he was not
officially authorized to speak on the incident, said that the man had been a
guest for a while, and appeared healthy before he checked into the hotel.
Even
though the information about the incident was scanty as atthe time
of filing this report, the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT), Police Command
said homicide detectives have launched an investigation into the
incident.
The
FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh, told
Pointblanknews.com that the identity and nationality of the man had not
been ascertained, adding that an investigation would reveal the causes of his
death.
He
stated that some of the hotel workers had been invited for questioning over the
death of the guest.
Last December, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police in-charge of investigations, Mr. Ganiyi Ali Dawodu, died in a Lagos hotel after a romp with a female DIG.
Dawodu died in a hotel room in Lagos, after he represented the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr. Hafiz Ringim, during the commissioning of Crime File, organized by Bi-Communications, producers of Crime Fighters: Police and You, held at Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja, on Thursday, December 15, 20011.
In November 2008, the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Michael Edokpayi was found dead in a hotel room. He gasped to death in the room of his hotel located in Area 11, Abuja, after he reportedly slumped.
Last December, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police in-charge of investigations, Mr. Ganiyi Ali Dawodu, died in a Lagos hotel after a romp with a female DIG.
Dawodu died in a hotel room in Lagos, after he represented the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr. Hafiz Ringim, during the commissioning of Crime File, organized by Bi-Communications, producers of Crime Fighters: Police and You, held at Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja, on Thursday, December 15, 20011.
In November 2008, the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Michael Edokpayi was found dead in a hotel room. He gasped to death in the room of his hotel located in Area 11, Abuja, after he reportedly slumped.
SPORTS
EPL: Adebayor, Cisse Shine in Spurs, Newcastle Wins
Emmanuel Adebayor grabbed two late goals as Tottenham beat
Swansea 3-1 on Sunday to move level on points with north London rival Arsenal
in the battle for the third Champions League spot in the Premier League.
The Togo striker planted home headers in the 73rd and 87th
minutes to take his tally for the campaign to 13 and end Spurs’ five-match
winless run in the league that was jeopardizing their hopes of a top-four
finish, reports The Associated Press.
With seven matches remaining, Tottenham is behind Arsenal
only on a goal difference and five points clear of Chelsea and Newcastle.
Netherlands playmaker, Rafael van der Vaart had given the
hosts the lead at White Hart Lane in the 19th minute, only for Gylfi Sigurdsson
to equalize just before the hour mark for mid-table Swansea.
And in the earlier kickoff, Papiss Demba Cisse scored two goals for the second straight weekend to guide Newcastle to a 2-0 win over 10-man Liverpool on Sunday, maintaining his team’s unlikely challenge for European football next season.
And in the earlier kickoff, Papiss Demba Cisse scored two goals for the second straight weekend to guide Newcastle to a 2-0 win over 10-man Liverpool on Sunday, maintaining his team’s unlikely challenge for European football next season.
The Senegal striker kept up his stunning form since joining
Newcastle from German side Freiburg in January, taking his tally to seven goals
from seven games with well-taken strikes in the 19th and 59th minutes at St.
James’ Park.
The win kept Newcastle level on points with fifth-place
Chelsea and reduced the gap to third-place Arsenal to five points with seven
matches remaining, a situation which appeared highly improbable at the start of
the season after losing Jose Enrique, Joey Barton and captain Kevin Nolan in
the summer.
“If someone said, ‘You are going to be in the Europa
League,’ I would snap their hands off,” Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew said.
To add to Liverpool’s misery, the visitors had goalkeeper
Jose Reina dismissed late on for appearing to headbutt Newcastle defender,
James Perch. The Spain international will now miss the next three
games—including the FA Cup semi-final against Merseyside rival Everton at
Wembley Stadium on April 14.
The fallen giants of English football have lost six of
their last seven matches to slip to eighth place in the standings, behind Merseyside
rival Everton, to pile more pressure on manager, Kenny Dalglish.
“The boys have shown frustration and that’s probably why
Pepe Reina was sent off. It was the frustration of being behind,” Dalglish
said.
Wenger accuses his players of complacency
Arsene Wenger has slammed the poor
performance of his players after they surrendered their 7-game unbeaten run at
Loftus Road yesterday.
“We made defensive mistakes and our
performance was not good enough to win this kind of game.
“It was frustrating because they left us the
ball and waited for our mistakes — and we made mistakes. Complacency? It is
difficult to say but why not?”
Thomas Vermaelen was responsible for the
two goals scored by Taarabt and Diakhite, but Wenger did not want to make
anyone a scapegoat.
“I do not want to single out anybody but
we did not need to give the points away today.
“We played against a team who fights for
survival but we missed something. In the duels they had a bit extra commitment.
“The pitch was bad, but that does not
explain our poor performance.
“The performance of QPR explains our poor
performance.”
Odemwingie blamed over dressing room fight
WEST BROM manager Roy Hodgson felt
Peter Odemwingie was in the wrong after the striker exchanged heated words with
goalkeeper Ben Foster as frustrations bubbled over late on.
The hosts were in front when Leon
Osman's shot took a wicked deflection off Gareth McAuley for an 18th minute own
goal and Victor Anichebe's second half effort sealed the points.
But the talking point of the game from Albion's point of view came towards the end of the game when the Baggies stopper felt the Nigerian should have picked up his marker from the short corner and gave him an earful which resulted in a strong exchange ofwords.
But Hodgson immediately backed his number one, saying: "We made sure before the game that it was his job (Odemwingie) that he went out when mere was a short corner and he would be joined by Billy Jones and he didn't do the job and he was told that he wasn't doing the job but that*s one of those things. That was emotional.
"To be fair Odemwingie worked very hard during the game and sometimes when people tell you even if they're telling you things that are not the truth and things you should be able to take as criticism, sometimes you get a bit upset.
"It's an unfortunate thing and I don't like seeing these things but it's all been quickly sorted out and it all just shows that the players still care a lot and we do still want to finish the season in the right way."
And on the game itself, Hodgson felt it was always going to be a tough test against an in-form Everton side at GoodisonPark.
He said: "To be fair, we knew it was going to be hard to get points up here today, but mere were long period in the game when I thought we were going to be capable of it, until the second went it and mat tended to pull the shutter down on our chances.
"But, there are seven games to go and if we keep working hard, we're getting players back for injury as well, I should have quite a few players to choose from and so we have got to hope that we get a winning eleven on the field in some of those last seven games."
But the talking point of the game from Albion's point of view came towards the end of the game when the Baggies stopper felt the Nigerian should have picked up his marker from the short corner and gave him an earful which resulted in a strong exchange ofwords.
But Hodgson immediately backed his number one, saying: "We made sure before the game that it was his job (Odemwingie) that he went out when mere was a short corner and he would be joined by Billy Jones and he didn't do the job and he was told that he wasn't doing the job but that*s one of those things. That was emotional.
"To be fair Odemwingie worked very hard during the game and sometimes when people tell you even if they're telling you things that are not the truth and things you should be able to take as criticism, sometimes you get a bit upset.
"It's an unfortunate thing and I don't like seeing these things but it's all been quickly sorted out and it all just shows that the players still care a lot and we do still want to finish the season in the right way."
And on the game itself, Hodgson felt it was always going to be a tough test against an in-form Everton side at GoodisonPark.
He said: "To be fair, we knew it was going to be hard to get points up here today, but mere were long period in the game when I thought we were going to be capable of it, until the second went it and mat tended to pull the shutter down on our chances.
"But, there are seven games to go and if we keep working hard, we're getting players back for injury as well, I should have quite a few players to choose from and so we have got to hope that we get a winning eleven on the field in some of those last seven games."
Redknapp: Manchester City Interest Could Tempt Modric
Harry Redknapp admits he is worried Luka Modric could leave
Tottenham this summer amidst interest from Manchester City.
The Spurs maestro, who joined the club for 16.5 million
pounds in 2008, was forced to stay with the north London side last summer after
chairman, Daniel Levy rejected his request to move to Chelsea, reports
Goal.com.
And it is now believed Levy wants to tie down the
26-year-old to a new deal at White Hart Lane, but with Redknapp’s future in
doubt and the possibility of Spurs missing out on a Champions League place,
Modric is wary to commit.
With the summer transfer window on the horizon and City
keen on acquiring the midfielder’s services, boss Redknapp is concerned that
Modrics’ head will be turned once again.
“I would think if someone is going to offer him 200,000
pounds a week it could probably turn his head a little bit," he told
reporters. “Only Luka knows what he wants to do. We want to keep him here. We
need to.”
City boss, Roberto Mancini admitted his admiration for
Modric, who has scored three goals in the Premier League this season, hailing
him as “one of the best in the Premier League,” but understands that Spurs
would be reluctant to sell.
“Luka Modric is an outstanding footballer, a great
player," Mancini told reporters. “He is definitely one of the best in the
Premier League.
“But it is by no means easy to get him because he plays for
a big club, Tottenham. It is unlikely that they would let him leave."
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