Senate, House of Representative order probe of Nigeria Immigration recruitment deaths

Senate in session

The senate rejected calls for the removal of interior minister, Abba Moro

The Senate and the House of Representatives have ordered separate investigations into the death of more than a dozen job seekers at recruitment centres organized by the Nigeria Immigration Service Saturday.

About 18 job applicants died on stampedes after hundreds of thousands of people clogged at the venues for the screening across the country, sparking calls for the removal of the interior minister, Abba Moro, and head of the immigration, David Parradang.

Mr. Moro has accused the applicants of “impatience”, and said 520 thousand people jostled for about 4,000 openings.

The senate rejected calls for Mr. Moro’s sack, but mandated its committee on Interior to within one week, investigate the exercise and the circumstances that led to the deaths.

The senate also urged the Federal Government to come up with a `”marshall plan’’ to address Nigeria’s shocking level of unemployment.

Separately, the House of Representatives mandated its committees on Interior, Labour and Productivity, Public Service Matters and Justice, to conduct investigations.

Both houses will hold public hearings on the recruitment.

Senators spoke with rage about Saturday’s tragedy, and canvassed bipartisan support to tackle what they called a “national emergency”.

The chairman of the senate committee on interior, Atiku Bagudu, who raised the motion, said more than 700 thousand applicants were registered for the recruitment, and all of them charged N1,000, which was purportedly paid to a consulting firm.

“It is a security breach for a para-military organisation to contract a consultant for its recruitment exercise. This does not augur well for our national security,’’ said Abdulkadir Jajere said, a member from Yobe State.

APC Senators want minister dismissed

In an earlier statement, the caucus of the All Progressives Congress senators said the interior minister, Mr. Moro, should be immediately fired.

“We are calling on the Minister of the Interior, Hon. Abba Moro to resign his position, because he can’t be absolved from the activities that eventually led to this monumental tragedy,” a spokesperson for the caucus, Babafemi Ojudu, said in a statement.

The lawmakers lambasted the federal government for doing nothing about the growing unemployment and allowing its agencies to charge job seekers.

“Employment into government agencies has always been a social service and never a mercantilist aberration. But the President Goodluck Jonathan administration has redefined the concept, giving it a new, capitalist meaning altogether. It was hitherto unheard-of that government agencies would be requesting poor, unemployed youths to pay in whatever form before they could be offered employment.

The lawmakers also criticised the government’s failure to tackle unemployment.

“As in the past years since the current administration came into power, budgetary proposals for recurrent expenditure in the 2014 appropriation are three-quarters of the entire document. The budget is loaded with proposals for spending that are clearly frivolous – the Presidential fleet, travels and trainings, Office of the Secretary to the Federation, questionable welfare and purchases of computer software and vehicles, among many others. There are also repetitions of purchases that have become a yearly affair. So while the Executive has sustained its extravagance, attention to vital areas that could address the unemployment problem has direly suffered. So the problem has been inevitably degenerating,” the caucus said.

Governor Amaechi of Rivers State Swears In New Chief Judge

Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Justice Peter Nwoke Chukwuma Agumagu

By Saharareporters, New York

Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State today swore in Justice Peter Nwoke Chukwuma Agumagu as the state’s new Chief Judge. The event took place in Government House, Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State.
The swearing in ceremony took place after a Federal High Court dismissed a case seeking to bar Justice Agumagu’s appointment. Numerous interested parties in the state had attempted to prevent the governor from nominating Justice Agumagu as the chief judge. The new CJ had previously served as the President of the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal.

At the ceremony, Governor Amaechi alluded to the series of legal disputes, but called on the new Chief Judge not to let the acrimony becloud his judicial decisions. The governor enjoined the state’s top judge to endeavor to be fair to all litigants.

Speaking further, Mr. Amaechi stated that he was “a bit worried with the way people in the judiciary fought over who would be the Chief Judge of the State.” He added that he was disturbed by efforts from some quarters to strip him, as state governor, of the prerogative of nominating a Chief Judge.
He expressed gratitude to the Federal High Court in Rivers for ensuring that justice was done. He then told Justice Agumagu not to view the opposition to his appointment as unusual, reminding him that appointments into every major office in Nigeria, including that of bishops, is often marked by tussles.

In a veiled reference to Abuja-based politicians from the state suspected to have masterminded the legal battle against the new CJ, Governor Amaechi said, “I would on behalf of Rivers State thank the Federal High Court for helping us out of this bondage.  I would say to the Federal High Court that our brothers who [have the] privilege of their position in high office should not abuse their office again.” He stated that appointments should be based on merit instead of cronyism, adding that he would like to see an end to political interference in matters of judicial appointments.
On his part, Justice Agumagu told reporters that he would focus on rendering justice, adding that he would work towards a reinvigorated judiciary. He also pledged to ensure that workers in the judicial sector have improved conditions.

APC National Convention holds May 24

All Progressives Congress

APC also condemned the suspension of the CBN Governor.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has fixed May 24 for its first National Convention. The party also stated that its Ward Congresses will hold on April 5, Local Government Congress on the April 12, and State Congress on April 23.

The dates were announced via a communiqué of the 9th meeting of the party’s Interim National Executive Committee, NEC, which held at its National Secretariat Abuja on Tuesday.

The communiqué also stated that the party’s interim NEC has commiserated with the families of the people who died on Saturday at several venues of the job test by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS.

The party also extended its sympathy and prayers to those who were injured in the stampede, and wished them a speedy recovery.

“The needless deaths of our youth, which resulted from a combination of exploitation, corruption, greed and incompetence of the relevant authorities, represent a needless violation of their right to life and dignity. Out of sheer greed, 1,000 Naira each was collected from the over 770,000 unemployed applicants shortlisted,” it said.

Stealing from the jobless

The APC also said the Federal Government under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had used the employment exercise to fleece unemployed youth and their parents of N776 million using a consultant as conduit.

APC said the candidates were only made to suffer as the slots had already been allocated.

“Even then, the available vacancies of about 4,500 have already been filled through the back door by over 3,000 candidates of PDP Apparatchik and government officials,” it said.

The opposition party said “the pervasive corruption and incompetence that have become the hallmarks of the Jonathan Administration paved the way for this unprecedented greed in which hapless job seekers were extorted by the same government that has failed to provide jobs for them.

“Yet, this government has no social security or any form of safety net for the vulnerable army of the unemployed.”

It reiterated its earlier position that the government under Mr. Jonathan encourages corruption.

“It should be made clear that this government encourages and baby sits corruption stealing not only from the Pension fund of Nigerian citizens, but also from the unemployed and from our collective patrimony, the NNPC,” it said.

The party called for a criminal investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the death of innocent Nigerians, to find out who authorized the fleecing of job seekers by a government agency, what happened to the money realized from the heist and why the relevant officials did not ensure a better arrangement that could have saved precious lives.

It added that the job stampede deaths constitute the latest in a series of events that have turned Nigeria into a massive killing field in recent times.

“The orgy of killings in the past few weeks have left hundreds dead and many more maimed in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Kaduna, Katsina and Plateau, just to mention a few. Never in the peace time history of our dear country has there been such a high number of needless deaths,” it said.

Government does not care

The opposition party also claimed that in spite of the unprecedented killing of innocent Nigerians; the PDP-led Federal Government has been carrying on as if all is well.

It said after presiding over a wasteful centenary celebration, Mr. Jonathan has been “gallivanting around the country, addressing political rallies when he should be commiserating with families of the dead in the affected states, especially Yobe where innocent children were massacred by a cowardly band of terrorists, and Katsina which he visited a few hours after hundreds of people were killed”.

Plot to remove APC Governors thickens

The APC also said it has information that the imposition of a total state of emergency is being considered for Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, which, it claims, is a smokescreen to remove the democratically-elected Governors of those APC states.

“We condemn this move unequivocally and urge the President to jettison the idea, if indeed it is being remotely contemplated, because it will not advance the cause of peace in the affected states,” APC said.

It said against the background of the orgy of killings, the party is compelled to say that the Jonathan Administration has lost total control of events in the country, with the result that Nigerians are now being left to their own devices.

“It is clear that the situation in our country today, whether it is in the area of security, job creation, fight against corruption or even growing of the economy, is far beyond the capacity of those at the helm,” it said.

The party also said it has noted a string of ferocious attacks and blackmail mounted against Lamido Sanusi, the Governor of the Central Bank.

It said that someone who publicly disclosed the brazen theft of $20 billion dollars from the NNPC becomes a candidate for character assassination and blackmail is questionable and condemnable.

“Sanusi’s suspension is an affront to law and a threat to Nigeria’s institutional stability,” it said.

“This is also a government of double standard. Why is the Minister of Petroleum, Deziani, still in office when the major agency she superintendents is under investigation over the missing $20 billion?”

The party said, the only salvation for Nigeria is a purposeful and focused party like the APC.

“From the Road-map which we unveiled recently, it is clear that we recognize the enormity of the challenges facing our dear country, hence we made job creation our priority, followed by security and the fight against corruption, among others.

“We urge our compatriots not to despair or give up hope, because salvation is in the horizon. The APC today embodies the hopes and aspirations of our long-suffering people. We have no doubt that this country can and will work again, and we are up to the task of restoring hope to our beleaguered people,” the APC said.

The Interim NEC meeting was attended by members of the party’s Interim National leadership led by Bisi Akande, as well as, Governors Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State. National leaders of the party present include Bola Tinubu, Muhammadu Buhari, Ali Sheriif, Ogbonnoya Onu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Olusegun Osoba, as well as Senators Bukola Saraki, Danjuma Goje and others.

Nigeria 2015: Jonathan dares Saraki, Governor Ahmed, other PDP defectors

Vowed that the ruling party would reclaim Kwara State

President Goodluck Jonathan, on Tuesday expressed optimism that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would reclaim all the seats it lost through defection of its members to the opposition.

He specifically declared that the 2015 general elections would provide a platform for the test of might between the PDP and the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kwara State.

Five PDP governors defected to the APC last November in what was considered a major political realignment in the country.

The governors are Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Rabi’u Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara).

A number of the party’s senators and its members in the House of Representatives followed suit.

In Kwara State, its governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; his predecessor and serving senator, Bukola Saraki; all the council chairmen in Kwara, and majority of state and federal lawmakers in Kwara left for the APC.

However, the ruling party approached the Federal High Court in Abuja in December, asking it to sack the defected governors.

It argued that the governors should be sacked from office on the ground that, due to their defection, they had forfeited their offices, which they said should revert to the party.

Receiving some PDP elders and political officeholders from Kwara in Abuja at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, Mr. Jonathan said all stolen mandates would be returned to the ruling party on or before 2015.

“In 2015, we will know who owns Kwara and if God gives us the opportunity, which I believe, probably we will even test our strength before 2015,” he said.

“All stolen mandates will return to PDP and those who think that they can run away with our mandates, they should have a rethink.

“We must take over the state structures of the party, the governor and the state assembly; we must take all because it is easy to reach the grassroots through the states than the centre.”

Mr. Jonathan assured that the PDP would recover the state from the APC, adding that the ruling party’s secretariat in Abuja would provide the support to achieve that goal.

He added that some members of the National Assembly who decided not to defect to the APC would not regret their action.

The president, “As a member of the assembly who refused to defect, you will have nothing to regret. Just celebrate it. If they think that PDP will allow them to run away with it, they will see it.

“So, any state we are unable to win, members of the party in that state will continue to live like orphans. So, definitely, we are taking Kwara.

Mr. Jonathan expressed appreciation to the indigenes of the state for the reception accorded him and other members of the PDP during the last February rally by the party in the state.

Earlier, the spokesman of the delegation, Azeez Jimoh, said it was visiting Mr. Jonathan to express their support and solidarity to the president and the PDP.

He also expressed the gratitude of the Kwara PDP for appointing the state indigenes into government positions.

Mr. Jimoh, who spoke on behalf of the leader of the delegation, Bola Shagaya, assured the president that the party would win all elective positions in the state.

Sanusi’s deputy, Moghalu, moves against him; says suspended CBN governor overstepped his mark

CBN Deputy Governor, Kingsley Moghalu

While suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, is trying very hard to clear his name from the indictment of financial recklessness by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) and the presidency, his colleagues appear to be gradually distancing themselves from actions taken during his reign at the regulatory bank.

A deputy governor at the bank and once a leading contender to replace Mr Sanusi,Kingsley Moghalu, told the U.K. Independent newspaper that his boss overstepped his authority.

“The lesson that can be drawn from it is the limits of central bank independence… There is a very thin line between central bank independence and… political posturing,” Mr Moghalu said.

According to the Nigerian presidency, Mr. Sanusi was suspended on the strength a report by the FRCN, indicting him for financial recklessness.

But Mr. Sanusi said he was suspended for exposing the diversion of at least $20 billion oil revenue by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Mr. Sanusi also said that he believed that his suspension was hastened after he threatened to commission a special audit of all Nigerian banks to unravel the whereabouts of the missing $20 billion. He was suspended nine days after he made the threat at a meeting with the heads of Nigerian banks.

Further, in a statement released on Sunday, the CBN governor denied being reckless with the bank finances.

He said some of the “intervention” spendings for which he is being disparaged were actually made at the behest of the presidency.

“The governor began to make very damaging public allegations against the government… allegations that have not been proven, after the president had sent him a presidential query about the finances of the central bank. The government has given a reason for the suspension and that was… to enable an investigation into the allegations against him,” Mr. Moghalu told the Independent.

“Somebody in the central bank was taking on an activist political role. That is not our function. Central banks over the world have clear functions and in your country [Britain] and any other civilised country I know that central bank governors operate within certain expectations and constraints and respect those expectations and constraints.”

Ironically, the FRCN report, which was cited as a reason for Mr. Sanusi’s suspension also indicted the deputy governors of the CBN. Mr Moghalu and his colleagues were also recommended for dismissal and prosecution.

But when asked about his indictment by the FRCN, Mr. Moghalu denied that he’s under investigation or accused of any wrongdoing by the FRCN. He also said he has no plan to resign.

Mr Moghalu also told the Independent that President Goodluck Jonathan has always respected the independence of the CBN.

“The president of Nigeria and the government of Nigeria have never in my knowledge interfered with the function of the central bank. And therefore I think we need to give them credit for respecting [its] independence,” he said.

Mr Moghalu said the CBN has been able to manage the sharp drop in the value of the naira that followed the shocked suspension of Mr Sanusi.

“Life is back to normal,” he claimed.

Generator Explosion and Fire Ravage Christ Embassy Church In Lagos

Fireball rising over the church in Oregun Lagos

By Saharareporters, New York

The massive generator house at the Christ Embassy Church led by Pastor Chris Oyakilome caught fire after an explosion. Four of the church’s electric  generators were burnt in the process according to a source in the church.
Firefighters  of the Lagos Fire Service that first arrived the scene had a water pump malfunction, therefore, compounding the fire situation. The generator room which houses five generators was reduced to rubbles as the heavy duty generator exploded in thick plumes one after the other before the fire could be brought under control.
The main auditorium of the main church remains intact, but church officials claimed they are yet to assess the full damage done to church properties because the inferno lasted until it was dark.

BREAKING: Pandemonium in Maiduguri as Boko Haram attacks Army Barracks

File Photo: Scene of a Boko Haram attack in Borno

Gunmen suspected to be members of the extremist Boko Haram sect have invaded Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, throwing the city into pandemonium.

The attackers, shooting sporadically at anything in sight, arrived at about 7:20 a.m. Friday through an area called Fori, near the Army’s main base called Giwa Barracks.

The heavy shooting continues as at the time of this report.

An airforce jet fighter arrived exactly an hour after the attack started.

Women, children, men, young and old around the Giwa barracks area were seen running in confusion.

Echoes of gunfire and explosion were heard from the area.

The military jet continued to drop bombs at targeted areas.

Armed policemen have taken over some of the major roads leading to major government facilities.

Those who saw some of the attackers said they were dressed in military uniform.

The Boko Haram insurgents attempted invading the Giwa Barracks, but were repelled by soldiers.

Thick Smokes bellowing everywhere.

The attack is still on.

Details later….

Bayelsa drags EFCC to court over Alamieyesiegha loot

Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson
| credits: transformationwatch.com

Bayelsa State Government has asked an Abuja Federal High Court to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately remit to it the N1.4bn, and another $1.3m recovered from a former governor of the state, Diepreye Alamieyesiegha.

The suit was filed by one Mr. George Uboh, the Chief Executive of Panic Alert Security System, who said he was acting with the mandate of the Bayelsa State Government.

Uboh said in line with the said mandate, he wrote to the EFCC requesting that the funds be remitted within seven days.

He added that, in response to the letter, he met with officials of the EFCC on December 19, 2013, after which the commission assured that the remittance would be made within a short time.

Uboh further explained that, following the EFCC’s failure to remit the funds as promised, the Bayelsa State Government had instructed that a suit be filed against the anti-graft agency in a bid to recover the money.

In a writ of summons issued at the Abuja FHC against EFCC and its Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, the plaintiff alleged that the commission was trading with the seized funds.

The plaintiff in the writ of summons asked the court to declare that the failure of the EFCC to remit the complete funds recovered from Alamieyesiegha and “subsequently trading with the funds by way of funds placement/fixed deposits is an act of corruption and an economic crime contrary to sections 6 and 7 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.”

In the suit, the plaintiff’s counsel, Mr. Anthony Agbonlahor, also asked the court to order the EFCC to immediately remit the funds with the interest.

The plaintiff asked the court to, “direct EFCC to pay to it $400,000.00 being the amount forfeited by its former governor and which funds had since been repatriated by the United States Government to the EFCC.”

Bayelsa State Government also wants the court to order EFCC to pay 21 per cent interest on the N1.4bn and the $1.3m from November 1, 2013, until the final determination of the matter.

The plaintiff equally asked the court to declare that the EFCC chairman should not have allowed the looted funds recovered from Alamieyesiegha to be traded with.

Furthermore, the plaintiff asked the court to declare that Lamorde had violated his oath of office, and was therefore not qualified to continue in office as EFCC chairman.

A hearing date is yet to be fixed for the case, which has been assigned to Court Six of the Abuja FHC.

Woman accuses Onyeka Onwenu of assault, petitions NHRC

Mrs. Olajoke Adesipe

A business woman, Mrs. Olajoke Adesipe, has accused popular musician, Onyeka Onwenu, of assault.

Adesipe, who had petitioned the National Human Rights Commission, also said she was forcefully evicted from her shop at the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja on the order of Onyeka, who is the Director-General of the centre.

Adesipe, in the letter dated March 3, 2014, claimed that Onwenu directed security officers to throw her wares out of her shop, adding that she was assaulted when she took the pictures of the incident, on the instruction of the DG.

The business woman, who sells textiles, said she was a yearly tenant, adding that her current tenancy would not end until December, 2014.

The petition reads in part, “On January 21, 2014, I heard that the DG might likely eject me even when my rent is still valid.”

Adesipe said she got a letter to vacate the premises within three days on January 28,2014, adding that another letter was served on her on February 4, in which the centre threatened to go to court.

She explained that she wrote a letter to Onwenu on February 6, and sent her a text message three days later seeking an audience. She said the DG gave her an appointment for the following day.

Adesipe said she met other members of the management team at Onwenu’s office and she narrated her story.

She said the musician apologised and said that a formal apology letter would be written by the centre to her.

She added that Onwenu said she should vacate the shop and promised that she would be relocated to the shopping complex within the premises.

Adesipe said she insisted that she would vacate the shop on the condition that she would be given an allocation letter.

“On February 13, I got a call from Onwenu asking why I had not moved out of the shop and I told her that nobody had given me an allocation letter for the new shop as she promised.

“She said if I failed to move out by February 14, she would send for the State Security Service to chase me out.

“On February 14, I was at the centre early. I heard that Onwenu, in company with her security personnel, had forced my shop open. I ran there and saw her supervising the forceful ejection without any prior court or police order,” Adesipe stated in the petition.

She explained that she took pictures of the scene with her phone and Onwenu directed that her phone be confiscated. She said in the struggle for the phone, she was beaten and dragged on the ground, while her cloth and bags were torn.

The Legal Adviser, Women centre, Mohammed Suleiman, however, explained that Adesipe was not a legal tenant of the centre.

He explained that she occupied a part of the auditorium, which she was not legally allocated though she paid N100,000 to the management of the hotel in charge of the hall.

Suleiman said the centre asked Adesipe to relocate to another shop because President Goodluck Jonathan was visiting on February 14.

He said, “She was allocated shop 0.11 at the Oyibo Odinamadu Mall, but she complained that she would prefer a shop on the ground floor.

“The DG directed that she be given a shop downstairs and she was given shop 0.10. She also declined to take the keys.

“It was apparent that she wanted to create a scene  during the Presidential visit. The security directed that her ware be removed and the instruction was effected.”

How I was raped by seven men – Woman

Tinuke Johnson

A mother of two, Tinuke Johnson, tells TOBI AWORINDE how seven men raped her

One could feel the pain in her heart as thirty-four-year-old Tinuke Johnson (not real names) recounted her ordeal. Showing our correspondent a swollen ankle, she said she would not have been raped if she had stayed indoors on the night of Friday, February 21, 2014.

Johnson told SUNDAY PUNCH that she left home on the evening of that day to visit a friend at a hangout on Babs Animashaun Street, Surulere, Lagos.

“That night, I was waiting to meet a friend, but the person was not around. Then, a young guy in his twenties, who was with his friend, approached me. He introduced himself as Kunle. We chatted for some time. I discovered it was late when I checked my watch. It was 1.30am. He pleaded with me to go with him to his house and after much pressure, I agreed. All the while we spoke, he didn’t introduce his friend. But as we made to go, he followed us,” she said.

Johnson explained that she had taken to prostitution last year, after her shop had been demolished by government. According to the single mother, she needed to take care of her children and other family members.

She said she and the men boarded a taxi to a house located at 36, Abosede Kuboye Crescent, in the Eric Moore area of Surulere. She explained that she decided to give her phone number to the taxi driver, when she noticed that it would be difficult for her to find her way when leaving.

Johnson said, “When I got to the house, there was no sign that there was any other person in the room. Kunle had sex with me and left the room. After he left, another guy opened the door and said he was next. It was my first time of seeing him that night.  While forcing me to lie down, I confronted him.

“He forcefully covered my mouth and said I shouldn’t make a sound. I was so scared, because I didn’t know if he was holding a gun. That was how, one after the other, they kept coming. In all, they were seven. I did not know where they came from. I was traumatised and managed to ‘flash’ the taxi driver, who immediately called back. I quickly told him I was being raped and that he should get help for me. I later learnt he went to mobilise other taxi drivers. Then they called the police.

“The seventh guy, tall and dressed in black, forced me to lie down. I refused; I was so scared. I begged him, but he threatened me, saying, ‘You don’t try me!’ He pushed me down. All the while, the taxi driver kept calling my phone. Somehow, I managed to answer it. He asked me to make a noise, because they couldn’t find which flat I was in. That was when the guy tried to snatch the phone from me. It fell apart while trying to snatch it from me. At that point, the taxi driver could no longer reach me,” she said.

Johnson added that she told the men she wanted to use the toilet and they ordered her to use the one in their flat. According to her, she refused, for fear that they coud harm her there. She said it was at that point she heard the police blowing the siren.

“They said to one another, ‘The police are around! The police are around!’ They ran in different directions. Desperate to escape, I rushed out of the room into the veranda and jumped into the next compound, spraining my ankle in the process. I didn’t even take my clothes. I ran in my underwear.”

The disturbed woman said she hid under a car until 3.30am.

Mrs. Gibson (not real name), who lives in the compound which Johnson jumped into, told SUNDAY PUNCHthat when she first saw her on Saturday morning, she mistook her for a mentally challenged person. She said Johnson wore only underwear, had a swollen ankle and her body was covered in dirt.

“She explained that she was not mad and she had been raped. Her eyes were bloodshot, as if she cried all night. She begged me to help her. After listening to her story, I cleaned her up, gave her some clothes, and went to the neighbourhood association chairman to report the incident,” Mrs. Gibson said.

Chairman, Alaka Estate Extension Residents Association, Mr. Tunde Kuboye, said Gibson brought the matter to the notice of the association the next day during the association’s meeting.

He said, “Like any other last Saturday of the month, the leaders of the association were meeting on February 22 when Gibson stormed the venue. She was distressed. She told me what happened and I decided to inform the police. I called the Divisional Police Officer of Bode Thomas Police Station, Mr.Oliver Esirim, who soon sent some officers. The policemen took her (Johnson) to the police station, where she made a statement.”

Kuboye said the policemen returned with Johnson about an hour after to identify the house.

One of the residents in the house where the rape took place, Mr. Adekunle Adeniyi, promised to ensure that the suspects’ were ejected and arrested.

“I learnt one of the occupants and some of his friends raped the lady. I was infuriated, so I went back to confront them but they had escaped. As I was telling the guard to find them, Kuboye came in with the lady and some policemen. They were the ones who explained the whole matter to me.

“After the lady had confirmed the suspects’ apartment to the policemen, I ensured that the guard threw out the belongings of the boy who brought the lady. He is not a tenant. He was given the accommodation free of charge by a relation of mine, who is his family friend. I have had enough of him. I live here with my wife and kids. In the middle of the night, he and his friends would be quarrelling and making a noise, disturbing other occupants. On a number of occasions, I have had to come out to warn them,” he said.

The taxi driver who took Johnson and the two men to the house, Mr. John Okon, said he left after waiting for over an hour and the men did not come out to give him his money as promised.

Okon said, “I told a fellow taxi driver what they had done, when I spoke with the lady. It was then we decided to inform the police. When we got to the house with the policemen, we couldn’t identify the place. The lady’s number also didn’t go through. We didn’t know she had jumped into the next compound,” he said.

A senior policeman at the Bode Thomas Police Station told our correspondent that the DPO had given instructions that the house should be constantly monitored, in order to arrest the suspects.

When contacted, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Lagos Police Command, Mr. Damasus Ozoani, said he was unaware of the incident and promised to respond with details. But at the time this report was submitted, no response was received from the deputy PRO.

Former council chairmen disown nominees to National Conference

The former council chairmen say their list of representatives, submitted to the SGF, was manipulated.

Former chairmen of local government areas in Nigeria under the aegis of Former Elected Local Government Chairmen Association, FELGOGAS, have protested nominees listed as its representatives at the proposed National Conference.

Ahead of the inauguration of the conference, the federal government last Thursday released the names of 484 of the 492 delegates that would be in attendance.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, is yet to nominate its two representatives at the conference. Also, Rivers, Delta, Oyo are yet to fill all their slots just like the Forum of Former Governors and Academy of Social Sciences, all of which have one slot each.

According to the list, FELGOGAS, which was given six slots would be represented by Felix Akhabue, Nasiru Junji, Abubakar Ahmed, Igheri Nweme, Emmanuel Isamdu and Shola Ebiseeni.

However, the group has disowned the names released by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, saying they were not the ones it forwarded.

In a letter dated March 7 and signed by its National President, Iliyasu Danmusa, the group demanded that the names released be replaced by those it sent in an earlier letter to the SGF, Pius Anyim on February 7.

It said in the earlier letter, it nominated Hassan Kafayos (North East); Bala Lokoja (North Central); Martias Ekweremadu (South East); Emmanuel Soroku (South South); Adesegun Adekoya (South West) and Mr. Danmusa (North West) as its representatives.

It alleged that the list it sent to the SGF was manipulated and that the nominees were imposed on the association, which was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.

The March 7 letter titled “Reminder/Observation” which was also signed by the National President of FELGOCAS said: “Reference to our nomination of national delegates to the National Conference representing our association of Former Elected Local Government Chairmen which was submitted to your office on 12th February, 2014 and acknowledged.

“See attached acknowledgement copy but to our dismay the published names in today publications was not reflection of our submissions.

“We are the legitimate registered members under former elected local government chairmen association (FELGOCAS) with the Corporate Affairs Commission. See attached certificate with the CAC.

“We hope our reminder and observation is treated accordingly.”

Speaking on the issue, Mr. Adekoya, a former chairman of Kosofe local government area in Lagos state, said members of FELGOCAS would not condone the manipulation of the delegates list.

He said the association would do everything legally possible, including mobilization of former and incumbent council chairman, to protest hijack of the delegates list.

Mr. Adekoya, who is also the FELGOCAS National Vice chairman (South West) explained that there was only on legally recognized umbrella organization of former elected council bosses in the country and wondered where the office of the SGF got the list it published.

He said, “We don’t have two registered association of former elected local government council chairmen in the country and the list forwarded to the office of the SGF was approved by both the Board of Trustees and National Executive committee of FELGOCAS, so who submitted the list of delegates published.”

“Were the delegates to represent other associations like the labour movement, Nigerian Bar Association, civil society groups handpicked by unknown person in the SGF’s office? We will not take this and we are ready to mobilize all former and incumbent council chairmen to protest this manipulation.”

Bury my books with me – dead OAU student

OAU gate Inset: Ige

The last note by a part-four law student of Obafemi Awolowo University, who allegedly committed suicide, Dipo Ige, was that his books should be buried with him.

Ige was said to have committed suicide in his private hostel penultimate Saturday at Ashiefa, Ibadan Road, Ile-Ife and was buried at his hometown in Iree, Osun State on Sunday.

While controversy still surrounds Ige’s action, the deceased in the note also cautioned that his girlfriend should not be blamed for his death.

It was gathered that Ige and his girlfriend had a misunderstanding before his death.

Also, in the note obtained by our correspondent, Ige said his valuables should be distributed to certain people.

Part of the note read, “As I plan to end my life, please bury my books with me. My reason for this action is best known to me. Please don’t blame my girlfriend (name withheld). She knows nothing about this. Share my properties accordingly to…”

Fresh facts, however, emerged on Sunday that Ige sent a message to his mum before his action. It was learnt that due to network problem, the message did not get to the recipient until over an hour after it was sent.

A close friend to Ige, who pleaded anonymity narrated, “That day about 9pm, Ige sent a text message to his mum. He told her to come to Ile-Ife immediately, adding that any delay could mean that the mum would meet him dead.

“When she eventually got the message around 10pm, she immediately alerted his close friend, Bola Okiji, to check on him. Unfortunately, Okiji was not in Ile-Ife, he was at Ilesha.

“The mum sent another lady living close to him to check him. The lady met Ige’s door locked. She peeped through the key hole and saw Ige, who appeared lifeless. She screamed, broke the door and raised the alarm, which attracted the neighbours.”

However, Okiji insisted that his friend hung himself because of “academics love.”

He said Ige was a brilliant student in second class upper grade before his death.

Police nab trader for having 25 bank accounts

Okonkwo Nwachukwu
| credits: SFU

The Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos State, has arrested a 39-year-old trader, Okonkwo Nwachukwu, for allegedly opening multiple accounts with Zenith Bank, under different identities.

The police said the action was meant to defraud financial institutions and unsuspecting members of the public.

A statement by the SFU Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ngozi Isintume-Agu, said the SFU Commissioner of Police had received a petition from the bank on February 12, 2014.

It reads in part, “The petition alleged that Nwachukwu had appeared at the Amuwo Odofin branch of Zenith Bank to open a savings account and presented an already completed savings account opening package with the name, Obiozor Ifeanyi, and identified himself as such with a National Identity Card.

“While the Customer Service office was checking the documents, Nwachukwu allegedly went to the Marketing Unit and collected another savings account opening package and completed same with another name, Ogueji Nnamdi. He allegedly returned to the Customer Service Desk and presented same for account opening with another National Identity Card bearing Ogueji Nnamdi.”

Nwachukwu’s attempt to open another savings account within minutes with another identity was said to have aroused the suspicion of the Customer Service Officer.

Upon searching the bank’s system with Nwachukwu’s phone number, the customer service officer was said to have discovered that he already possessed about 25 savings accounts at various branches under different names.

The statement added, “It was further alleged that Nwachukwu also operated a corporate account with number 1012000129, belonging to Chukon Integrated Limited, and he also identified himself as Okonkwo Nwachukwu when he opened the said account.

“A native of Okija Ihiala LGA of Anambra State, Nwachukwu is into cargo business and owns an office at Block 4, Shop 169 A.P.T. Market Trade Fair, Lagos.”

PUNCH Metro gathered that Nwachukwu explained that the multiple accounts he opened was to enable him run his business successfully.

He claimed that the cashless policy of the CBN did not permit him to withdraw a huge sum of money in one account and as such, he was advised to open multiple accounts to spread his money.

He added that he had N50,000 each in 15 different accounts, while the remaining ones had N20,000, N10,000 and N5,000 respectively.

Nwachukwu also said the National Identity Card and PHCN bills were forged by one Pepper who was at large.  The suspect came back from China on January 27, 2014 and started the multiple account opening from February 5, to 7, 2014 when he was apprehended.

SFU Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zubairu Muazu, commended the management of Zenith Bank for their discovery and advised other banks to be at alert to such scammers “who work as a syndicate to defraud members of the public.

“Investigation is ongoing to unravel more about the suspect’s motive behind the multiple account opening,” Isintume-Agu added.

Nigeria: Court orders Okonjo-Iweala to disclose budget details of National Assembly, others

Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

For years, statutory government bodies have refused to make their spending public.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to immediately make public details of all appropriations and statutory transfers in the 2014 budget, in the public interest.

The order was issued by Justice Abubakar Abdu-Kafarati in his judgment on February 25, 2014, in the legal application No. FHC/ABJ/CS/301/3013 filed by the Centre for Social Justice against the minister.

Mr. Kafarati asked the minister to release to the group and the general public, details of releases in the budget to some key government agencies, specifically, the National Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC; National Judicial Council, NJC; Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC; Universal Basic Education, UBE and National Human Rights Commission, NHRC.

Under the amended Nigerian constitution, the listed offices are considered statutory bodies, whose funding are drawn directly from government treasury, to foster their independence. Their budget details have also not been made public since 2011.

The Executive Director of Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekwere, said the group approached the court to compel the minister to respect the law and release the information pursuant under the Freedom of Information and the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Mr. Onyekwere said that following observed acts of impunity and fiscal lawlessness by government, namely the expenditure of several billions of Naira in the budget without appropriation, fraud and illegal allocation of revenues under various questionable sub-heads, it became necessary that details of such allocations be revealed to the people, who are the owners of the budget under democracy.

But, he said in spite several requests since 2013, the Minister of Finance has continuously refused to comply, accusing her of shielding from sanctions officials in charge of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs where ghost workers have shown up on their payrolls.

“Government has always claimed it has served billions of Naira from its efforts to rid ghost workers from the system. But, we have always asked, without any response, for details from each MDA prior to and post-verification, including the numbers and names of the accounting officers, in terms of Permanent Secretary, Head of Personnel and Accounts/Payroll officers,” Mr. Onyekwere said.

He said the Personnel Officers are those responsible for certifying that the payroll was consist of genuine workers, while the Accounts officers prepare the vouchers for the Permanent Secretary to signs off, before the authority to incur expenditure, AIE is raised for the final payment.
Citing the case of the Budget Office of the Federation, BOF, where it was found recently that prior to the verification, it had more than 1,000 staff on its payroll every month, only for the figure to crash to only 251 afterwards, he said the problem would be resolved if the Minister agreed to expose the perpetrators.

“All we have is a Minister of Finance who has refused to bring out the details of these scandalous findings. Yet, we talk about the commitment to fight corruption. Nigerians are entitled to know. We cannot continue to run a system where some people simply come to loot the treasury and they want everyone to clap for them to go on,” Mr. Onyekwere said.

He condemned the continued appropriation of funds in the budget under Service-wide votes, noting that any allocation for any MDA that cannot be included in its approved budget was subject to misappropriation or diversion.

Mr. Onyekwere said the provision of about N118 billion as personnel cost under service-wide vote in the budget was suspicious and questionable, as this no agency or department of government called “service-wide votes” that has workers that should be catered for separately.

Other questionable appropriations under the service-wide vote include about N21 billion to INEC for “elections logistics and support”, apart from about N45 billion already provided for it in the budget, as well as an additional N1.8 billion for pilgrimages.

Apart from the N150 billion appropriation for the National Assembly, he said the provision for another N100 billion under service-wide vote for constituency projects was fraudulent, as most of the projects neither follow set national vision nor government development agenda.

He frowned at the penchant for government officials to capitalize on the current insecurity in the country to manipulate the system to their selfish ends.

He drew attention to the inclusion of about N475 million and N600 million in the National Orientation Agency, NOA and the Office of the Minister of Finance, respectively, for security equipment.

Another N882.237 million is provided in the Finance Ministry’s budget for rehabilitation/repairs of residential buildings.

“In God’s name what has the NOA and Minister of Finance got to do with security? Does NOA need security equipment to enlighten the people on government programmes? Or does the Minister of Finance need security to prepare the budget or get it approved?

“With government monetization policy, where the perks of office of these high ranking officials should be converted to cash, whose residential buildings does the Ministry of Finance want to repair? Mr. Onyekwere said.

But, the spokesperson to the Minister, Paul Nwabuikwu, said he totally and completely disagrees with the mindset by government critics that it only engages in wastes and corruption.

Mr. Nwabuikwu did not comment on the court order on his boss. But he criticized critics of the budget for always seeing only the flaws, saying this might be as a result of ignorance or politics.

“Government is a human construct, as such can never be perfect. It can only improve. And since a budget is put together by human beings, it cannot be perfect. Let’s stop this culture of negativity and look at the big picture of the budget,” he said.

He said criticisms that do not include the achievements of the administration in the areas of railway rehabilitation, roads construction, privatization in the power sector, and job creations were totally incomplete.