The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Category: Crime

  • NDLEA jails 677 drug traffickers, arrests 3,359, seizes 65,915.891kg of hard drugs in Q1

    Abuja—The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency,NDLEA has said owing to its intensified war against illicit drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria, no less than Six Hundred and Seventy Seven (677) traffickers have been convicted and sentenced to various jail terms between January and March 2022.

    The NDLEA added that a total of Three Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty Nine (3,359) arrests and 65,915.891 kilograms of assorted drugs were seized within the same period.

    A breakdown of further successes against drug abuse showed that, “No fewer than Two Thousand Two Hundred and Twenty Three (2,223) drug users were also counselled through brief interventions and rehabilitated in NDLEA facilities across the country in the first quarter of the year; figures that represent a fair balance between the Agency’s drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities”.

    A statement by Femi Babafemi,Director of Media and Advocacy said, “Lagos has the highest figure of drug seizures with 22,192.62 kilograms of illicit substances recovered from parts of the state, followed by the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Command, Ikeja, also in Lagos, with 8,979.869kg of drugs seized between Jan and March, while Kano and Kaduna led the pack in the arrests of offenders with 194 arrests each within the same period.

    It noted: “A total of 257 hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed in forests across Ondo state, 14.869 hectares suffered same fate in Edo while one hectare was destroyed in Bayelsa state within the same period..

    “A further breakdown of the drugs seized within the first quarter of the year shows Cannabis leading the table in January with 8,205.75kg; followed by Codeine -414.281kg; Diazepam -192.459kg; Tramadol -135.067kg; Rophynol -43.062kg and Cocaine -24.32kg.

    “In February, Cannabis also topped the list of seizures with 20,538.79kg; Codeine -1,848.052kg; Tramadol -540.354kg; Diazepam -137.041kg; Rophynol -80.261kg; Cocaine -15.727kg; Methamphetamine – 6.207kg and Heroin – 4.006kg.”

    “Cannabis also topped the list of seizures in March with 21,583.81kg; followed by Tramadol -8,965.319kg; Codeine -417.207kg; Diazepam -57.755kg; Cocaine -45.082kg; Methamphetamine -7.527kg; Rophynol -6.34kg and Heroin -1.497kg.”

    While appreciating the commitment of officers and men of the Agency for a commendable performance in the first quarter of the year, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, retd, urged them not to rest on their oars.

    He assured them that every outstanding performance would always attract commensurate commendation and/or reward.

    (Vanguard)

  • Osun APC mourns as gunmen kill party chair

    Osun APC mourns as gunmen kill party chair

    Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has been thrown into mourning following the assassination of the party’s chairman for Atakumosa East Local Council Development Authority, Gbenga Ogbara, by some yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

    According to sources in the party, Ogbara was attacked in his home in Igangan in the early hours of Monday by some assailants, who shot him dead and injured his wife and one other person said to be a child of the deceased.

    Media Adviser to Osun APC state Chairman, Kola Olabisi, confirmed the incident, saying the party had been thrown into mourning.

    Also, Osun police Command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, said the deceased was killed in his house by some yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

    She said, “he was killed in his home in the early hours of Monday. More details will be provided later but we have immediately commenced work to unravel the mystery behind the incident.”

    Details later…

    (Punch)

  • Iniubong Umoren’s alleged rapist, killer denies ever meeting her

    Iniubong Umoren’s alleged rapist, killer denies ever meeting her

    Iniubong Umoren’s alleged rapist and killer, Uduak Akpan, has denied ever meeting her.

    Mr Akpan said this on Wednesday at the State High Court in Uyo, while opening his defence in his trial for murder and rape of the late woman.

    “My Lord, I do not know Miss Iniubong Umoren. I only came to know that name when I was served with the proceedings of this trial at the Prison,” Mr Akpan said during cross-examination by the prosecution.

    He also said: “For the second charge of rape, my Lord, I do not know anything about rape. I have never raped anybody.

    “I pleaded guilty because I had fever on that day and my IPO’s influence in the court.”

    Mr Akpan was evasive while in the dock. He rambled each time the prosecution asked him a question.

    The judge, Bassey Nkanang, in the proceedings, advised Mr Akpan’s lawyer to bring his client back to “the case that brought him to court”.

    The prosecution counsel refused to cross-examine him further, while Mr Akpan’s lawyer, Samson Adula, said he had one more witness to present.

    The case was adjourned to April 11 for continuation of trial.

    Major victory for prosecution

    Mr Akpan’s denial may not be helpful to him in the case, anyway.

    The court had admitted as exhibits his three confessional statements.

    The suspect had admitted raping and killing Miss Umoren, in his confessional statements, to the anti-kidnapping unit of the State C1D, the homicide section of the police, and the State Security Service (SSS), Akwa Ibom State.

    An SSS officer, Ama Okeke, in his evidence before the court in a previous proceeding, said Mr Akpan had confessed that when he overpowered Miss Umoren, she begged him to use a condom if he must rape her.

    “The first accused person (Akpan) also told the investigation team that in the process of having sex with the deceased, he removed the condom and the deceased started struggling with him again. He said while he was still on top of the deceased, she carried an iron, and hit him on the forehead.

    “He said that, in order not for the deceased to shout, he, Uduak-Abasi (Akpan), now collected a black cloth, stuffed (it) into her mouth, and tied her mouth. He said he then used a standby stabiliser and hit her on the abdomen. From that point, the first accused said the deceased had started bleeding profusely. He told us he became afraid, as if she had already died.

    “The first accused also said he used the jeans-trouser of the deceased to strangle her completely,” the officer said.

    Mr Akpan, in his evidence during Wednesday’s proceeding, named the Chairman of Uruan Local Government Area, Iniobong Ekpenyong and Kufre Effiong as his cousins.

    He said the two met him the day he came back from Calabar, Cross River State, shortly before his arrest by the police.

    But both men, Messrs Ekpenyong (PW1) and Effiong (PW2), in their testimonies before the court, said the suspect admitted to them in the council chairman’s house that he killed Miss Umoren.

    Mr Effiong told the court how he slapped Mr Akpan on the face and accused him of bringing shame to their family when he admitted to the crime.

    Mr Akpan, before now, had pleaded guilty to the charges of murder and rape. He had also confessed to the crime during a press briefing by the police.

    Background

    Mr Akpan allegedly raped and killed Miss Umoren in April last year on the outskirts of Uyo after he lured her with a fake job offer.

    Iniubong Umoren

    Her remains were buried in a shallow grave in Mr Akpan’s family house, where the crime took place.

    The Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State, Uko Sam, is leading the prosecution team.

    The defence counsel, Mr Adula, is the Akwa Ibom State coordinator of the Legal Aid Council, a statutory body which provides free legal services to low-income Nigerians who cannot hire a lawyer.

    (Premium Times)

  • Abba kyari refuses to answer query.

    Suspended Commander of the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, DCP Abba Kyari, who is remanded in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, over his involvement in a 25kg cocaine deal, has refused to officially respond to the query issued him by Force Headquarters.

    This is even as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, threatened to strike out the N500 million fundamental right enforcement suit Kyari filed against the Federal Government.

    It was gathered that the embattled detective was handed the query while in NDLEA’s custody, close to a month ago.

    Rather than answer the query, sources told Vanguard that Kyari said he could not write from where he was.

    “That alone is a reply to the query. He stated that he could not write from where he was. He said when he gets out, he would officially answer the query, as he was not in the right frame of mind to answer officially,” a source said.

    Court threatens to strike out his N500m suit against FG

    Meanwhile, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has threatened to strike out the N500 million fundamental right enforcement suit Kyari filed against the Federal Government.

    He had before his arraignment on March 7, instituted the legal action to challenge his arrest and detention by the NDLEA.

    The applicant, among other things, is praying the court to order the FG to pay him N500 million and also tender written apology to him in two national dailies for the unlawful violation of his fundamental human rights.

    Meanwhile, at the resumed proceedings in the matter, yesterday, the NDLEA, through its Director, Prosecution and Legal Services, Mr. Joseph Sunday, told the court that he was just served a further affidavit by Kyari’s lawyer, Cynthia Ikenna.

    Sunday noted that the agency served its counter-affidavit on the applicant since February 24.

    He argued that going by rules of the court, the applicant filed the further affidavit out of time.

    Responding, Kyari’s lawyer, prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable her to regularize her processes.

    Before he adjourned the matter till April 7, Justice Inyang Ekwo warned that he would strike out the matter for lack of deligent prosecution.

    Justice Ekwo said: “If on next date you are not ready, I will strike out the matter. Put your house in order before the date of hearing.

    “If you have an excuse not to be here on that date, I will take it that you are out to frustrate this matter and I will strike it out.”

    Kyari had in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/182/22, accused the NDLEA of assisting drug peddlers to ship in cocaine into the country, alleging that a corrupt officer of the agency framed him up after he went to demand for compensation for a whistleblower that gave information that led to the arrest of a suspect by the Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT.

    He told the court that the said suspect had been shipping cocaine into the country from Ethiopia, using all the airports, “with the knowledge of the NDLEA officers”.

    In an affidavit deposed to by one Muhammad Nur Usman, who identified himself as his younger brother, Kyari told the court that NDLEA officials usually cleared the drug baron “and even escort him from the airport to his destination”.

    Narrating the circumstance that led to his present ordeal, Kyari, said: “That on that fateful day, the suspect as usual shipped drugs (cocaine) from Ethiopia to Enugu Airport. The officer of NDLEA cleared him within the airport, then officer of FIB-IRT arrested the suspect with the help of an information.

    “That before the informant accepted to work with the officers of FIB-IRT, they both had an agreement to compensate the informant.

    “That officers of FIB-IRT, having noticed that officers of NDLEA were the ones clearing the said suspect with his drugs (cocaine), they immediately took the suspect to NDLEA and also reported those officers involved in the act.

    “That instead of the NDLEA to handle the matter accordingly and bring their officers involved to book, they decided to frustrate the informant, thereby refusing to compensate the informant.

    “That it was at this juncture that the attention of the DCP Abba Kyari was called, who because the NDLEA officer involved is his friend, decided to intervene for the purpose of compensating the Informant.

    “That the NDLEA officer who refused to compensate the informant was the one who framed DCP Abba Kyari up on a trump-up allegation that he was trying to bribe him.

    “That the agent of the Respondent declared the Applicant wanted because of a mere allegation that he was trying to bribe an NDLEA officer without sufficient proof.

    “That the Nigerian Police Force, based on the allegation of the Respondent arrested the Applicant on February 12, 2022, and handed over to the NDLEA.”

    He maintained that his continued detention amounted to an infringement on his fundamental human rights

    (Vanguard)

  • Okowa investigates cause of explosion in Delta; As Tanker explosion rocks Onitsha today’s morning

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State yesterday called for immediate assessment of the cause of the petroleum product tanker explosion, which razed no fewer than 25 houses and destroyed valuables worth millions of naira in Ohoror community, Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state.

    The incident, which occurred on Wednesday night in the community located along Warri-Port-Harcout Expressway, reportedly claimed two lives in the two trucks involved in the explosion.

    Okowa made the call when he visited the scene of the incident.

    He commiserated with the community on the tragedy and gave assurance that government would take steps to cushion the effects of the inferno on victims.

    The governor said no effort would be spared in putting out the fire completely, and directed the director of state’s fire service to remain on the scene untill the fire is completely extinguished and other oil trucks posing a threat to the community are evacuated.

    The governor who was accompanied by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori,and Secretary to the State Government, Patrick Ukah, commended the Fire Service for prompt response and advised the community to keep off from the scene in addition to being vigilant to avoid loss of lives as government was working hard to contain the spread of the explosion.

    Briefing the governor earlier, the state’s director of Fire Services, Mr. Eugene Oziwele, said his men were alerted at dawn and he quickly mobilized to the community.

    He added that fire-fighting trucks were mobolised from Ughelli to ensure that the fire was extinguished completely.

    Also briefing the governor, President-General of Uwheru Kingdom, Macpherson Igbedi, said that no fewer than 20 houses were gutted by the fire and appealed for more efforts in evacuating an abandoned tanker laden with gas from exploding.

    He said two trucks conveying gas and diesel rammed into each other at the Ohoror Junction, before the explosion occurred.

    The Chairman of Ughelli North Council, Chief Godwin Adode, was on hand to conduct the governor round the affected area.

    Meanwhile, a tanker laden with premium motor spirit exploded on Friday morning  at the Upper Iweka junction of Onitsha, Anambra State.

    Many shops and buildings around the scene are feared burnt as a result of the fire from the explosion of the tanker that had broken down along the busy Onitsha-Owerri Road in front of the Relief Market.

    The fire which started at 8.30am had caused a long standstill of vehicles in and out of Onitsha.

    Fire services both from Anambra and Delta states have arrived the scene and are battling to quench the fire amid a shortage of water.

    Details later…

  • NGOs demand justice for Hanifa

     

    Two non-governmental organisations, the Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa and the Unity Project Nigeria have, this weekend, jointly condemned the gruesome murder of Hanifa, a five-year-old pupil who was abducted and eventually murdered by the proprietor of the primary school she attended in Kano.

    Describing the incident as a “harrowing tragedy,” the NGOs demanded that the accused, and others who abetted him, be made to answer for the “heinous crime” which callously terminated the life of an innocent and promising child placed in his care for academic development.

    The groups, in a statement jointly signed by the Executive Director, Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, Mr. John Mayaki and National Chairman, the Unity Project Nigeria, Jennifer Serrano respectively said: “It is most unfortunate that Nigerians are once again made to experience the painful grief of the loss of another child in an environment where children ought to receive the most protection and be guaranteed safe expression.

    “From all accounts, it appears that the accused Proprietor, Mr. Tanko, is a remorseless murderer who must be made to answer for the heinous crime of brutally terminating the life of an innocent and promising child.

    “The death of Hanifa is one too many. Our children, being the most vulnerable in society, rely on our responsible actions as adults for their protection and safe development. A situation where schools, an environment that should ordinarily serve the purpose of intellectually stimulating pupils, become a death scene and hunting ground for predators is certainly unsustainable and calls for urgent actions.

    “The government across all levels must immediately embark on a country-wide assessment of schools to ensure that they remain conducive and safe for learning. Furthermore, they must intensify efforts to curb the spate of insecurity which, perversely, has encouraged opportunistic crimes such as local kidnapping for ransom that endangers the most vulnerable in the society.

    “The measure of any society lies in how it cares for the weak and protects the vulnerable. If our children cannot learn peacefully in school, without safeguards in place to protect them against the criminal tendencies of perverse reprobates like Mr. Tanko, then all hope is truly lost.

    “We must secure justice for Hanifa and lay down a marker that no parent or family will be thrown into such painful sorrow or made to question the decision of enrolling their ward in a school to obtain an education and attain skills necessary for social progress and self-development.

    “The groups also condoled with the family of the late Hanifa, offering prayers that the Lord should grant them strength and fortitude in “what is truly a dark, troubling, and traumatising episode.”

     

    (TheNation)

  • NDLEA seizes cash, arms, ammunitions and narcotics from 7 states

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted about one million, five hundred thousand tablets and capsules of pharmaceutical opioids such as Tramadol, Exol-5 and Diazepam in Edo State.

    The banned substances were loaded in Onitshga, Anambra State, heading to Yauri, Kebbi State.

    This is even as a total of 425,000 Diazepam tablets were recovered at Segemu, Kano.

    In addition, a total of N1,413,344 was seized along with firearms and ammunition from a suspected bandit and a drug kingpin in Plateau State, while over 137.754 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs were recovered during interdiction operations across seven states in the past week.

    A statement by the director of media and advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said operatives of the agency in Edo, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a trailer from Onitsha going to Yauri on January 14.

    A thorough search of the truck led to the discovery of psychotropic substances concealed under legitimate goods. The drugs seized included: 394,480 capsules and 3,000 tablets of Tramadol weighing 83.707kg; Exol-5: 647,500 tablets weighing 203.315kg; Diazepam: 12,500 tablets weighing 2.05kg; Bromazepam: 1,500 tablets weighing 0.45kg; Codeine based syrup: 999 bottles weighing 134.865kg; Pentazocine injections: 4,000 ampoules weighing 16.64kg.

    The driver of the truck, Bashir Lawali, 30, was arrested along with Abubakar Sani, 30, and Ali Abubakar, 19, while the exhibits in Kano were seized from one Sa’idu Yahya, 31.

    “Attempts by drug traffickers to export 73 parcels of cannabis (34.05kg) concealed in foodstuff plastic containers to the United Kingdom through the NAHCO export shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport(MMIA), Ikeja,Lagos, were frustrated by operatives on January 8, same way another 50 parcels of cannabis consignment, 27.25kg, meant for the United States was also intercepted at the export shed of the airport on Tuesday January 11Jan and at least three suspects so far arrested.

    “In reverse bid, moves by illicit drug merchants to bring into Nigeria 94 parcels of cannabis indica (Colorado) weighing 43.4kg through the Tincan seaport in Lagos were crushed on January 13, when operatives intercepted the drug inside a 40ft container from Canada. The exhibit was concealed inside a Toyota Camry car. This came on the heels of a similar seizure on January 11, of 59 parcels of Colorado (17.3kg), concealed in a Mercedes Benz vehicle imported from Canada.

    “In Plateau state, a fake security agent, Babagana Maaji has been arrested through a controlled delivery of 5.6kg cannabis from Lagos. The suspect based in Damaturu, Yobe state, was nabbed following the interception of a commercial bus bringing the consignment from Lagos to Gombe in Mararaban Jos on January 8.

    “On Tuesday, January 11, operatives of the Plateau command of the agency also arrested a suspected bandit, Abdullahi Usman Ahmad, 28, at Hwolshe with one Beretta pistol; seven rounds of live ammunition; two empty shells; 12 grammes of cannabis sativa; a pair of handcuffs and N1, 136,344, suspected to be ransom money as well as an Opel car with registration number ZAR 35 LQ.

    “In the same vein, leader of a cocaine distribution ring in Plateau, Chibueze Okoro John, 42, has been arrested along Zaria road, Jos, with quantities of cocaine and Tramadol recovered from him as well as a Sienna Bus (BWR 584 AL), Toyota Camry car (RBC 461 BF) and N 277, 000, which the suspect offered to the narcotic officers as bribe but was rejected.

    “In Delta state, the bid by 38-year-old Ejike Obiora, to smuggle different quantities of cocaine and heroin into the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South local government area , was foiled on January 8, when he was discovered to have concealed the drugs in foodstuffs meant for an inmate.

    “This is even as 598kg cannabis was recovered during a raid in Owo area of Ondo state with the two owners: Arataye Raimi, 41, and Tope Osinnuwa, 36, eventually arrested in follow up operations.

    “While one Abdullahi Mohammed was arrested in connection with the seizure of 48.5 blocks of cannabis in Potiskum, Yobe state, another fake security agent, Dike Davison was nabbed at Aliade, Benue state with 50grams of cannabis and 29 rounds of live ammunition of 7.62mm caliber

    “In Abuja, FCT, a buy and bust operation on Friday January, 14, led to the arrest of Habib Yusif, 41, with a total of 28.2kg cannabis recovered from him, while in Osun state, the trio of Samuel Joseph; Francis Ujor and Sola Johnson were arrested in Onikoko village Area 5, Ile-Ife, with 100 bags of cannabis weighing 1,530 kilograms recovered from them on Thursday January 13.

    “While commending the officers and men of the various commands for their remarkable efforts, Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Retd) assured them that their sacrifices, dedication to duty and exceptional feats would not go without commensurate commendation and rewards.

    (Sun)

  • Police confirm killing of EbubeAgu operative in Ebonyi

     

    The Ebonyi State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Loveth Odah, said the incident occurred on Saturday night in Igweledeoha, Amagu, in Ikwo Local Government Area.

    According to her, the DPO of Ikwo Police Division said that he received a phone call from a source at Igweledeoha that one ESN operative had been murdered, that he was partially burnt by unknown persons in his beer parlour on Agubia Road.

    “The DPO said that he quickly mobilised a team of police operatives to the area but the culprits had deserted the place when they got there.

    “He said the corpse has been taken to the General Hospital for preservation and autopsy,” the police spokesperson said.

    According to the Police Spokesperson, two suspects had been arrested in connection with the crime.

    She said the Commissioner of Police, Mr Garba Aliyu, expressed dismay over the killing and promised to bring the perpetrators to book.

    Tension in Okigwe, Ehime in Imo

    Some of those who spoke to Vanguard from Okigwe town said it is almost becoming a daily occurrence.

    A bus driver, Ejike said that God will continue to protect people driving through Owerri- Okigwe road as many evil things are happening especially at night.

    “Small boys with guns will just stop you and collect your money.”

    Also, a former local government Chairman from Imo North Senatorial district, who does not want his name mentioned for security reasons told Vanguard: “Before it gets late on the security situations in Okigwe and the entire Imo North Senatorial district, I will advise the Imo State Commissioner of Police to move his men to Okigwe.

    “I beg the security agencies to come now and secure Okigwe zone before what happened in Orlu local government will start happening here. These bad boys are moving into our villages and towns. They are now committing armed robbery activities.

    “Every day, you hear bad stories about stealing from the market, snatching of vehicles or killings and sometimes, these hoodlums will come out and shoot indiscriminately to scare people and cause panic. I beg something should be done now.”

    An intelligence officer who spoke to Vanguard said it has been observed that the hoodlums who were displaced and dislodged by security agencies have relocated to Okigwe to form a camp.

    According to him, “We know that the reason Orlu was somehow quiet was that these hoodlums have moved to other areas especially Okigwe local government area.”

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • New converts stab RCCG pastor to death in Lagos church

    New converts stab RCCG pastor to death in Lagos church

    New converts stab RCCG pastor to death in Lagos church

    Suspected hoodlums have attacked and killed a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in FESTAC Town, in the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    Our correspondent gathered that the victim, Pastor Babatunde Dada, was killed inside the RCCG Chapel of Resurrection on 13 Road, 6th Avenue, FESTAC Town.

    The killing, which happened on Thursday, December 2, was said to have been perpetrated by two new converts who came to the church for the first time a Sunday before the incident.

    The two youths were said to have come out during an altar call and surrendered their lives to Jesus.

    The church accommodated them on its premises after they claimed to be stranded.

    They had barely spent a week in the church when they reportedly stabbed the cleric to death.

    A senior pastor in the church, Akin Odejare, declined comment on the incident when contacted by PUNCH Metro.

    However, the wife of the pastor, Bose, told our correspondent on the phone that she called her husband on the day of the incident and he promised to come home to rest.

    She said, “My husband was killed on December 2 at the church. He was the admin/accounts officer, as well as the parish pastor. I was not with him when he was killed, but I was told that they collected money from him. I heard that those who killed him were new converts.”

    A family member, who is also a security expert, Mr Abolarinwa Olatunbosun, told our correspondent on Wednesday that the pastor was killed after withdrawing money from a bank.

    He said, “The pastor went to a bank to withdraw some money and went to rest on the first floor of the church. Two persons said to be new converts went to meet him upstairs, broke his head and killed him.

    “The matter was reported to the police and one of the suspects, who ran to Ilorin, has been arrested.”

    Olatunbosun said the killing might be for ritual purposes, adding that the assailants were suspected Internet fraudsters, aka Yahoo boys.

    The expert said criminals were beginning to attack churches and pastors because they believed there was money in church.

    He advised religious centres to be security conscious and put in place strategies that could stop criminals from killing, kidnapping and robbing leaders and worshippers.

    A friend of the slain pastor, Fred Enemigin, who is the founder, Highflyers International, Lagos, said in a Facebook post that the pastor was stabbed multiple times.

    He wrote, “Two boys had come to church last Sunday and they responded to the altar call by giving their lives to Christ. After church service, they waited to see the head pastor and told him that they were stranded without any place to stay.

    “On compassionate grounds, the pastor allowed them to stay somewhere within the church premises pending when they would be resettled. Pastor Tunde Dada, who had for almost a decade been the accountant of RCCG Chapel of Resurrection Parish, was assigned to provide needed welfare for the boys until their matter would be sorted.

    “On the fateful Thursday, Tunde was seated in his office and the boys targeting that they were alone on the church premises with him, entered his office and attacked him with knives and other sharp weapons. He was stabbed multiple times and places until they had him killed right there on the spot.

    “Our minds are still searching for what the rift between the boys and Tunde was considering the fact that the Tunde we knew was a very gentle soul. Could they have asked for more welfare than what was approved for them and Tunde declined? What on earth would warrant this brutal killing by those who were recipients of a server of the church’s benevolence? There are many more questions that we have not found answers to.”

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said he had yet to be briefed about the case.

  • Ebonyi Construction Site Abduction; Arrested suspects confirm killing, burial of victims as Gov. Umahi suspends civil servants from area

    Ebonyi Construction Site Abduction; Arrested suspects confirm killing, burial of victims as Gov. Umahi suspends civil servants from area

    Ebonyi Construction Site Abduction; Arrested suspects confirm killing, burial of victims as Gov. Umahi suspends civil servants from area

    “I can rid the hoodlums within 72hours, and the stakeholders should heed to the directive to prevent a different story on Effium community,” he said.

    Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi has announced the immediate suspension of all civil servants from the conflict-torn Effium community in the Ohaukwu local government area over the killings of five construction workers.

    Mr Umahi announced this on Tuesday in Abakaliki during a Security Summit organised by the state branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and founders of the state.

    The governor alleged that the killers in the area were funded from both within and outside the state.

    “The coordinators of the two local government development centres from the area are removed from office while salaries of permanent secretaries from the area have been suspended,” added Mr Umahi. “I will approach the state House of Assembly on the way forward concerning the chairman of the council and the two assembly members from the area.”

    He explained that the political officeholders could not receive salaries, which would go into sponsoring killings and destruction of people’s property.

    Mr Umahi regretted the reported killing of five construction workers in the state’s ring road, which passed through the area by unknown assailants.

    “These workers who knew nothing about the conflict were on that site to help the state actualise the road project. The suspects arrested over the incident have confessed that the workers have been killed and buried, and we sought to know the location of burial to pacify the victims’ families,” the Ebonyi governor explained. “The police team which visited the area for investigation were ambushed, and two offlcers have been reported missing or killed.”

    Mr Umahi urged stakeholders of the area to handle the situation within seven days as it has reached a stage that warrants the federal government’s decisive action.

    “I can rid the hoodlums within 72, and the stakeholders should heed to the directive to prevent a different story on Effium community,” he said.

    (NAN)

  • 2021 Budget: ICPC discovers 257 fake projects worth N20 billion

    2021 Budget: ICPC discovers 257 fake projects worth N20 billion

     

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said, yesterday, the review of the 2021 budget has led to discovery of 257 duplicated projects worth N20.138 billion.

     

    Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, made the disclosure at the third national summit on Diminishing Corruption in Public Sector, with the theme: Corruption and Coat of Government New Imperatives for Fiscal Transparency, organised by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

     

    Breaking News, Nigerians can now work in Nigeria and get paid in US Dollars Click here to apply today .

     

    He said the commission also uncovered a syndicate of corrupt individuals within the service which corruptly employed unsuspecting Nigerians, issued them fake letters of employment, fraudulently enrolled them on IPPIS and post them to equally unsuspecting MDAs to commence work. He said ICPC was already prosecuting one of the leaders of the syndicate from whose custody led to the retrieval of several fake letters of recommendation purportedly signed by Chief of Staff to the President, ministers, federal civil service commission and other high ranking Nigerians.

     

    Owasanoye added that ICPC’s projects tracking covered 1,083 projects across entire country with exception of Borno and Zamfara due to security challenges.

     

    He said the exercise verified implementation of executive and zip projects of legislators. He added that so far, action has been initiated against 67 contractors and forced them back to site and ensured completion of 966 projects worth N310 billion some of which were hitherto abandoned.

     

    The ICPC boss added that there was a mini civil wars going on between the Board and management and sometimes within the board. He added that the squabbles were as a result of abuse of power prohibited by ICPC Act and unreasonable demands by some Board members for privileges contrary to extant circulars and laws and government’s resolve to minimise cost of governance.

    He identified illegal recruitment, illegal and unilateral increase in wages and remuneration by some MDAs as some of the factors responsible for high cost of governance and rising personnel budget. Other factors, he said, were indiscriminate local and international travels, unreasonable demands by some political appointee board members of MDAs and budget padding.

     

    According to him, ICPC is investigating some cases of illegal recruitment forwarded to it by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

     

    He said the Ministry of Labour and the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and some employees of other MDAs had been implicated in illegal recruitments.

     

    “This abuse of power is consummated with complicity of compromised elements in IPPIS. These cases are currently under investigation. At another level, a syndicate of corrupt individuals within the service corruptly employ unsuspecting Nigerians and issue them fake letters of employment.

     

    However, President Muhammadu Buhari has threatened that his administration would not hesitate to punish heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that fraudulently present new projects as ongoing projects  in the budget.

     

    This is even as he warned that his administration would sanction those who bring in personnel into the public workforce by illegal recruitment, pad their payroll and retain ghost workers.

     

    “We reduced the cost of governance by maintaining our promise to complete abandoned or ongoing projects commenced by previous administrations and have ensured that MDAs do not put forward new capital projects at the expense of ongoing projects.

     

    ‘‘Government has, however, noted from the activities of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that some MDAs have devised the fraudulent practice of presenting new projects as ongoing projects.

     

    “Necessary action and sanctions will continue against the heads of such errant MDAs. I am confident that ICPC will continue to maintain the vigilance required of her by the ICPC Act in this regard,” he said.

     

    But reacting to the ICPC’s allegation, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, said he was the one that initiated an investigation when he discovered the employment scam in his ministry.

     

    A statement by the Deputy Director Press and Public Relations in the Ministry, Charles Akpan, said the case was an old but ongoing investigation which the ICPC ought to have completed since Senator Ngige reported the matter, upon re-appointment as  Minister in August  2021.

     

    “Yes, there was an illegal recruitment perpetrated between May 29, 2019 and August 2019 when the president dissolved his first term cabinet and Senator Ngige temporarily out of office.  However, upon re-appointment and resumption of duties in August 2021, Sen. Ngige  discovered the illegality and promptly raised it at the Federal Executive Council, necessitating  a preliminary investigation by the office of the Head of Service of the Federation.

     

    “The minister subsequently empaneled an internal investigative committee in the ministry to unearth how 752 senior  and 532 junior staff members  were recruited in the ministry without ministerial and Head of Civil Service of the Federation approval, as stipulated in the extant circular on recruitment  .

     

    “Unfortunately, the activities of the Committee  were stalled by the then Permanent Secretary who claimed that the ICPC had stepped into the matter .

     

    “The onus, therefore, lies squarely on the ICPC to break the syndicate which the Minister appropriately reported first at the Federal Executive Council and subsequently  taken over by the ICPC two and half years ago.

     

    “This is the right step instead of rehashing  an old development and singling out for bad publicity, a ministry whose Minister decided to  blow the whistle on fraud  as the Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Salaries saddled with the responsibility of bringing down undue personnel cost , especially via illegal recruitment .

     

    “The ministry wishes to further note that every recruitment, especially  of senior civil servants,  passes through the Federal Civil Service Commission, in fact, solely authorized by it. The ICPC should therefore  expand its investigation into the Federal Civil Service Commission to break the syndicate, a commendable step in this direction, no doubt.

     

    •60% of overhead expenditure on travels, stationery, reveals SGF

     

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, in his opening remarks said in three years, 60 per cent of its overhead expenditure were on travels, maintenance, welfare and stationery in three years.

     

    He said it was no longer acceptable for the country’s resources to be expended on frivolities, fake projects and meaningless capital projects.

     

    He added that the Federal Government is working towards reducing the cost of governance and utilising its resources efficiently.

     

    He added that the Buhari’s administration has so far demonstrated and still continues to demonstrate its determination to fight corruption and improve governance no matter what it takes and howsoever corruption fights back with the stolen resources at its disposal.

     

    He urge Nigerians to support the anti-corruption agencies in its fight against graft, because it is a collective responsibility.

     

    •746 corruption cases dispensed with –CJN

     

    In his good will message, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, said the judiciary has been in the forefront in the fight against graft.

     

    He said despite the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in virtually the whole of 2020 and a better part of 2021, 746 corruption cases were dispensed with.

     

    “Similarly, the number of forfeited non-cash recoveries made, include 51 Automobiles, 16 Real Estates, 11 Barge/Tug Boats and 2 Schools. Between 2nd January and 14th November, 2021, a total number of 1,144 suspects were convicted of various corruption and financial related crimes, while the number of non-cash forfeited assets has also risen to include: eight Aircrafts, seven Filling Stations, 48 Real Estates and 149 Vehicles, amongst others. Similarly, various cash forfeiture were made in hundreds of millions of Naira. We shall not rest on our oars until every trace of corruption and undue exercise of influence to negatively secure unmerited advantage over others is stamped out of our clime.

    “It is my fervent belief that if all of us work in harmony with one voice and renewed determination, corruption and allied vices will certainly be on their way out of our beloved country and our voice shall, once again, be loudly heard and respected among the comity of nations.”

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: wwwsunnewsonline.com

  • 16 Days In Northwest Nigeria: Excerpts From A Conflict Reporter’s Diary 1

    16 Days In Northwest Nigeria: Excerpts From A Conflict Reporter’s Diary 1- HumAngle Media

    The day is Sunday, May 30, 2021. I’ll be going to the field again. And this time to another part of the country entirely facing a different, yet similar, set of challenges. It’s exciting. But a bit terrifying too. The region has changed a lot over the past months. Bandits, it seems, are spreading by the day. And nowhere is safe, not the roads, not the schools, not the communities. So, one has to be careful.

    I read Abdulkareem Haruna’s kidnapping experience chronicle and realised I just could not afford to have any pictures on my phone that could portray me as having a lot of money. I hope my potbelly does not betray or paint a misleading picture of me.

    There was a story on FIJ I read too about how the kidnappers just kill their victims and sell their body parts if they’re unable to raise a sizable ransom. By the time I land at the Abuja airport about three weeks from now, goodness! I will be so glad. Can’t afford to give my rent money to any bandit. Or maybe I’m overthinking all this and it’s really not this bad if you stick to the safe routes (which I plan to do). Wish me luck.

    I

    Sokoto — The glass in the cabin wasn’t very clear and I had the bad luck of being assigned to the middle seat, so I couldn’t see much when the plane started to descend. But it was mostly desert land, with shrubs and occasional neem-like trees. There were streams too. Or were they stagnant lakes? The ride in the last 10 or so minutes was quite rough and turbulent. It seemed as though the pilot started descending for a minute and then the next he changed his mind. I accommodated the playful thought that he was perhaps trying to avoid being shot down by terrorists.

    Checking WhatsApp, one of the first things I see is a message from Zainab. It’s a Nigeria Travel Advisory developed by PR24 for the month of May. The report classifies 12 states in Nigeria as high-risk places and I happen to be visiting three of them. Only three states are riskier: predictably, Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe. I thank Zainab, who has no idea I was travelling, for the thoughtful gesture.

    The heat in this city is scalding. My phones were overheating almost every minute I spent outdoors. I have no idea how I’ll conduct interviews successfully if they’ll be done outside, without my phones going to sleep or shutting down.

    II

    Good morning. Time to delete my bank transaction alerts. Good enough, I just found that there’s a way to archive the SMS thread, so it’s hidden but still available to the patient, knowledgeable eye.

    About an hour into the journey, we sighted a group of young men, about a dozen, on both sides of the road, holding all sorts of machetes and cutlasses. Suspecting my fear, my fixer, Hamisu, quickly explained they were loggers, looking for trees, not humans, to amputate. “But where are the trees?” I asked, seeing mostly desert land and shrubs in the landscape. “Oh, they are inside inside,” he replied.

    So, let’s see how many security checkpoints there are between Sokoto and Sabon Birni town. Around Achida, at 8:15 a.m., we come across the first one. One potbellied Mobile Police (MOPOL) officer with an assault rifle is on the road and there’s a patrol van belonging to Operation Puff Adder close by. “We have security on this road,” says Hamisu. Till Sabon Birni? He answers yes. At 8:28 a.m., we meet the second checkpoint. This one has fit-looking military personnel that number at least 10. At 8:58 p.m., we get to another place that’s supposed to be a MOPOL checkpoint but no officer is there. “They comot,” Hamisu explains. “They dey for house.”

    One of the men I met in Gatawa, one community in Sabon Birni LGA, passes a snide remark about people living in the state capital. They are afraid to travel down to areas like Gatawa, he said, because they have an exaggerated perception of the crisis.

    You know what is frightening here? Sudden motorcycle movements, first of all. Then when a crowd of people start shouting, especially during an interview.

    It’s 6:37 p.m. and we’re just leaving Kurawa. It’s rush hour for people running for their lives. It seems the later it is in the day, the more frequently people tend to wish you “safe journey” and “Allah ya kiyaye” (May Allah protect you). It’s the most ominous “safe journey” I’ve ever heard.

    We’re no longer going to Sabon Birni town, it’s simply too late. We’re heading directly to Sokoto! Apparently, that alone is still two to three hours long. Allah be with us. We came using the shorter Isa Road, but we’re returning via the Sabon-Birni-Guronyo Road, which is safer.

    At 7:15 p.m., I receive a text that welcomes me to the Niger Republic from the local telecoms network, Zamani. We’re still in Sabon Birni, but the road is said to be just about 1 km from Niger, which is on our right side.

    At 7:21 p.m., Hamisu takes his hands off the wheels, utters a silent prayer, rubs his palms together for a second or two, and then rubs them on his face. Maybe I should pray too.

    At 7:25 p.m., we’re back at the military checkpoint before Goronyo. The personnel on duty is listening to “Ariwo Ko” by the artist formerly known as Adekunle Gold. He flashes his light and approaches to see who is in the vehicle. “Yaya hanya (how is the road)?” he asks before waving us off.

    At 79km to Sokoto, the road is extraordinarily lonely. It’s a literal ghost town. Occasionally the headlight catches a fly or a bird swimming in the space before us. More rarely, we see a frog struggling to cross while avoiding getting crushed by the tires. Even more rarely we see a rat darting across. And then humans. Maybe settlements.

    III

    At 9:30-something in the morning, it is time to set out again from the 16°c comfort of the hotel room to the over 30°c discomfort of the harsh Sokoto weather. I imagine the sun is the reason a lot of cars here have tinted glasses. They probably don’t even need permits to have them. The heat is enough license.

    Looks like today is market day in Achida, the community in Wurno LGA before Goronyo. No wonder I’ve been seeing trucks after trucks and cars and bikes full of cows and goats and people and watermelons and firewood and raffia palms and hefty sacks containing farm produce. We had to take an untarred alternate route to avoid the traffic.

    The police are the same everywhere in Nigeria. Just saw one doing that sleight of hand thing with the driver of a truck full of firewood. There are more security checkpoints today, obviously illegal and mostly set up by men of the Nigeria Police. They’re everywhere. It’s 11:43 a.m. and I’ve counted about five already (before the junction leading to Rabah), some without vans, some with unpainted vans, many wearing ill-fitting uniforms. Hamisu confirms that the multiplication is because of the market day. That could be because they are providing more security for traders or simply to seize the opportunity to extort commercial drivers on the unusually busy road.

    Hamisu’s elder brother, who had seven children, was killed by bandits last year. Now he is the one taking care of his descendants. He himself has five children of his own and two wives.

    “How many people were killed in Gatawa?” he asks rhetorically. “Past 20! They just come and fire everywhere. Gaga-gaga. Everywhere there is bullet.” We sigh and shake our heads.

    After we pass a military checkpoint, I comment that it is not easy to wear army fatigue under the hot Sun, and Hamisu says: “It is only soldier that can go to the far side of Gatawa. If you pass Gatawa into Burkusuma, wallahi you can die. Even for afternoon. You will see bandits everywhere, on their motorcycles, with all types of guns hanging on their necks.”

    I saw the camels up close for the first time during my visit to Rabah. There are tons of donkeys too. And cows. A camel trudged along at least five times while I was there. They were either carrying leaves or multiple sacks tied together. A boy who could not be more than three or four was even pulling one along. Camels are a mighty animal to behold. Though super slow. But, no one here is really in a hurry to do things anyway.

    To be continued….