Ex-pension boss declared wanted by Interpol

One of the officials of the government of Goodluck Jonathan, former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, was declared wanted by the International Police Organisation (Interpol).

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on November, last year declared Maina wanted for his supposed role in the fraudulent biometric contracts in which himself and former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye, and two others were blamed for stealing over N2billion of pension funds.

The anti-graft commission wrote to the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, seeking his help “to issue an Interpol Red Alert” on Maina, who had been charged to the Federal High Court on July 10, 2015.
However, Maina faulted EFCC, said he can’t be declared wanted without charge.

In an answer to the anti-corruption agency, Olushola Subair, Commissioner of Police, Interpol, in a letter dated from 11th January, 2016 and addressed to the EFCC boss Ibrahim Magu, informed the commission that its demand had been handled and a notice duly unveiled by the Interpol.

Interpol stated that: “Be informed that the Bureau has taken necessary action on the wanted fugitive as requested with Interpol General Secretariat, Lyon, France. He has been published on the INTERPOL Red Notice accordingly.”

Another Boko Haram attack reported near Maiduguri

Reports just reaching Naij.com indicate that the deadly Boko Haram sect has attacked outskirts of Maiduguri, Borno state capital.

Eyewitness reports that the attacks occurred in Bulabulin-Umarari, two kilometers outside of Maiduguri, and Muna Garage within the city.

Security operatives have deactivated another bomb in Maiduguri, yesterday, February 1.

Two explosions were also reported barely 24 hours after the Nigerian army confirmed that about 100 people had been killed following an attack by insurgents on Dalori village in Borno.

The heavy battle between the military and the insurgents Nigerian occurred in Borno state capital on January 30.

On Friday, yet another suicide bomber detonated a suicide vest at a crowded market in Gombi town in Adamawa state.

However, the details are still sketchy.

Bianca Ojukwu lay sole claims to late Biafran General’s home

– There is a battle raging in the house of late Biafran General’s, Odimegwu Ojukwu
– His wife, has made controversial claims as the trial heats up.

Bianca Ojukwu, wife of late Biafran General, Odimegwu Ojukwu, has made highly controversial claims in an ongoing legal battle which is threatening the peace of the late warlord’s home.

The widow of the late Ikemba of Nnewi, made her claims on Monday, January 1, at the trial which held in a Lagos state High Court sitting at Igbosere.

In the tussle between her and Ojukwu’s brothers over the family estate, Mrs Ojukwu in her evidence in chief before Justice Abdulfattah Lawal, admitted that neither her nor her children are shareholders or directors in Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL).

She also admitted that Ojukwu has eight children which includes the claimants, Afamefuna and Nwachukwu, adding that she is the only one that was legally married among Ojukwu’s wives, as she engaged in court, Church and traditional marriage.

Bianca, under cross examination also told the court that the suit that was filed before the court is only for the right of her children and not other children of Ojukwu.

The witness further informed the court that some of the OTL properties in question had been in the possession of her late husband before his demise, adding that the rent of those properties were being collected by her husband.

NAN reports that Bianca had on behalf of her two under-aged children, Afamefuna and Nwachukwu (claimants) dragged Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL), and seven others before a the court, over an alleged move by the family to eject her sons from the company’s properties located in Lagos.

She had asked the court to declare that her children are entitled to the possession and occupation of one of the properties known as No 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Ikoyi Lagos until the harmonisation of the management and administration of the assets of the first defendant, OTL.

The defendants in the suit are: Prof Joseph Ojukwu, Engr. Emmanuel Ojukwu; Lotanna Putalora Ojukwu; Dr Patrick Ojukwu; Arch. Edward Ojukwu; Lota Akajiora Ojukwu and Mrs Massey Udegbe (doing business under Massey Udegbe & Company).

In the suit, Bianca, and her two children, had in their statement of claim, prayed the court to declare that the threat of forceful ejection from 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street by the defendants is illegal.

She is also asking the court for a declaration that her children are entitled to possess the following property, namely: No 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi (now known as No 13 Ojora Road; No 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba, Lagos; No 30 Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos and No 30 McPherson Avenue, Ikoyi.).

Bianca who recently was returned to Nigeria for a memorial of the late Biafran leader which held in Owerri, said the properties were under the possession of late Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, the father of the claimants from the time the properties were released from government acquisition till date.

The claimants stated that throughout the period their father was struggling to retrieve the properties from the government, the second to seventh defendants“never played any role in the struggle nor contributed financially or otherwise to the realisation of the struggle.”

However, the judge adjourned the matter till today, for continuation of cross examination of Bianca.

IPOB faults reasons jugde gave for denying Kanu bail

– Group says President Buhari is bias with Nnamdi Kanu’s case
– IPOB says it is being pushed to the wall
– Justice reportedly believes Kanu is a threat to national security

The United Kingdom branch of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reacted to the bail judgment on its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

The group, according to Vanguard, faulted the reasons given by Justice John Tsoho of the Abuja Federal High Court Abuja for not granting the bail application of the Radio Biafra director Emma Nmezu and Dr Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya who issued a statement on behalf of the group said the justice had three reasons for the judgment.

The statement read: “The reasons according to him are, that Mazi Kanu was a threat to national security, secondly, that if released might commit the same offence again and thirdly, that there was a probability that Nnamdi Kanu might jump bail because he possessed dual citizenship.

“While the first and the third reasons are very clear, but unsustainable statements, we are at loss with the second reason and do not know exactly what the Hon. Justice meant by ‘might commit the same offense again’.

“To the best of our knowledge, Mazi Kanu has not even been tried in the court not to talk of being convicted, therefore, we do not understand the offence he was found guilty of committing and for which he will likely commit again if released, according to Hon. Justice Tsoho.

“Is it a possibility that the Hon. Justice Tsoho misspoke or that he never actually uttered this travesty of a statement. On the first reason adduced, we are yet to get detailed information on what the Judge meant by ‘threat to National Security’ because we know that Mazi Kanu is not associated with Boko Haram or any terrorist organization. Again we are pushed to believe that Hon. Justice Tsoho misspoke.

'We are however shocked on the third reason, to hear that a denial of bail will be based on the accused person’s dual citizenship, even though the Honourable Judge did not mention the other country to which Nnamdi Kanu is a citizen, we know he was referring to Britain.
 
“But we also know that there is extradition agreement between Nigeria and Britain and extraditing Mazi Kanu to Nigeria, should he flee to Britain will not be a problem for the Nigerian government,therefore, we conclude that the judgment of Hon. Justice Tsoho is inappropriate, biased, wrong, and must be overturned by an Appeal Court Judge.”

Emma Powerful, who is the publicity secretary for the Biafran group faulted the denial of bail to Kanu, saying that the entire south eastern Nigeria is being indirectly deprived of their right.

He said: “We are being pushed to the walls, our members who were engaged in peaceful protest in Aba, Abia state and Port Harcourt Rivers State were shot by the Army and taken to Military barracks in Afikpo Ebonyi state and Bori camp in rivers State with bullet wounds.

“The victims are undergoing torture and other inhuman treatments, as they bring them out every morning, torture and engage them in all manners of hard labours and ask them about their missing guns as if IPOB members carry guns.

“We do not carry guns and do not intent to carry in the nearest future, we are therefore calling on Amnesty International, all human rights organizations and the international community to prevail on the Nigerian government respect the rule of law and the orders of the courts, as at the last count our members arrested in Aba are 25 while those in Port Harcourt are 18 in number, totaling 43 people detained in the two Army barracks in Ebonyi and rivers States respectively.”

Reports emerged yesterday that Goran Sluiter, a lawyer at Dutch human rights legal firm Prakken d’Oliveira, filed the complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Friday, January 29 against President Buhari.

Speaking with journalists, Sluiter said that there has been “an intensification of violence and crimes committed against Biafrans since Mr Buhari became the Nigerian president.”

FG playing politics with Kanu’s detention – MASSOB

 Worried by the continued detention of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Director Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign States of Biafra, MASSOB, has accused the federal government of playing politics with the detained activist.

In an interview with Vanguard in Aba, National Director of Information, MASSOB, Chief Sunny Okereafor, lamented that Kanu’s detention has assumed a political dimension where the federal government appears determined to jail him at all cost.

According to him, “How can the federal government continue detaining Nnamdi Kanu when he has been granted bail? What is the difference between the first bail granted him and now the one denied him last week by Justice Tsoho? It is all about politics. There is no doubt that the federal government is playing politics with his detention. But MASSOB wants to let them know that they are playing with fire.

“How can Nigeria claim to be practicing democracy in this prevailing situation where a court of competent jurisdiction will grant bail only for the federal government to disagree? Since they don’t have evidence to prosecute him, they should set him free. Is it because he is of Igbo stock?

“During the trails, did you not see the discriminatory treatment being given to suspects where people like Olisa Metuh and Nnamdi Kanu were handcuffed while Sambo Dasuka, Jafaru Isa and even the terror suspect, Kabiru Sokoto, were allowed to walk freely? In Biafra, people’s rights will be respected. Nobody will be detained unnecessarily. There will be total obedience to court orders.”

Okereafor contended that the continued detention of Kanu has created problems for Nigeria and warned that the federal government is playing with fire.

“The detention of Nnamdi Kanu has been creating more problems. You can see that all cities and territories of Biafra; Asaba, Ijaw land, Ogoja, Aba, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Ikwerre, Ogoni and others are calling for his release. They should release him. It is just one of the many instances that Ndigbo have been reduced to second class citizens and not wanted in Nigeria.”

On allegation that MASSOB founder, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike is envious of the IPOB leader, Okereafor said: “Chief Ralph Uwazurike is a father. He brought up Nnamdi Kanu and other pro Biafra activist including expelled members like Uchenna Madu. So, how can Uwazuruike now turn around to fight his children? He cannot stoop so low?”

Dickson warns Buhari against political conquest

– Governor Dickson of Bayelsa state has warned that there are hard times ahead of the nation.
– Dickson believes the federal government is not focused on the most pertinent issues besetting Nigeria.
– He has warned President Buhari to

focus on more pressing issues than focus on political conquest.

The governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson, has warned the federal government against majoring in minor, he has advised president Muhammadu Buhari against concentrating on political conquest other than the things which affect Nigerians as a whole.

In a recent interview with The Vanguard, Dickson said that there is an insufficiency and insensitivity that thrives within the federal government, a problem which he says stems from the team put together by President Buhari to manage the affairs of the nation.

Reacting to a question regarding his being worried over dwindling oil revenue and a potential return of militancy in the Niger Delta because of arms not retrieved from youths in the region, Governor Dickson said: “Well, I do know that we are heading to some tough time because of the steady decline in oil prices and revenue in the last one and a half years. It is possible that the APC didn’t see that coming; so I have made this call over and over. What I have rather seen is an insufficient and insensitive team around President Muhammadu Buhari  and his government.

“For example, they seem to have taken their eyes off the economy, they seem to have taken their attention off core-national security imperatives and are now focusing more on political conquest and expansion of the sphere of authority of their party and all the intrigues going on even within their party. I am of the view that the President doesn’t have the best of  advice; I am of the view that the President is not expansive and broad enough. I am seeing a lot of unnecessary restriction, unnecessary concerns about political ego. This President took over the reins of this country at a time that calls for all hands to be on deck. This is when we should be forming national consensus. For example, more people have died in the hands of Boko Haram between when the president took over till date than under the last administration.

“What this means is that, contrary to the public proclamations, Boko Haram threat remains a serious challenge. Our men and women in uniform are doing their best and we should all give them support, but what it means is that the national security team needs to have their eyes on national security instead of concentrating on political conquest. The President’s men should show more interest in the economic downturn the country is facing, how to make progress in 2016 and going forward and not wasting time on issues that are myopic and less beneficial to Nigerians at the end of the day.

“Now with Iran getting fully involved in oil trade again, we are going to have more oil glut in the market with attendant reduction in the current price of crude. That is a serious matter because it will have an impact even in the maintenance of law and order, because a hungry man is an angry man. If the economy is weak, it may make it difficult for states to pay salaries of workers while the Federal Government might find it equally difficult to pay its workers, soldiers, law enforcement agencies and judicial officers.

“These are the real challenges facing the country and I am surprised and shocked that, in spite of all these challenges, what we see is that people are more interested in battles rather than making friends and building national consensus. After elections, no matter how you feel about the candidates and parties, you address the problems of the state and country and move forward. But, sadly, that is not happening and I am very concerned, therefore, the way the country is going in the area of security; not just in the Niger Delta but across the nation.

“In the Niger Delta, I don’t think the approach of being selective in law enforcement and deployment of military and security personnel is the solution,” Dickson opined.


Adding that: “Security agencies should promptly arrest and punish those who use youths to cause mayhem in the Niger Delta and other parts of Bayelsa to discourage others from engaging in criminality. There are different accounts of  how Boko Haram started and one account is similar to this and I keep raising the alarm that security agencies should pick up these guys, cause investigation and deal with them appropriately. However, no action has been taken.”

Dickson who called for understanding and for support from the federal government said his was in a bid to aid “keep Bayelsa and the country safe again.”

“Economically, Bayelsa is in a better position now than when I started my first term. The good thing in Bayelsa is that we have spent the first term laying the foundation and we are now moving to consolidate the achievements we recorded in the first term. We have completed 90 percent of our schools with heavy investment made in infrastructure. For instance, our airport is about 70 percent ready. We just need to monitor and see to its completion.

But then, there are challenges of meeting the recurrent obligations and of expanding social security that has been going on in the form of paying school fees, WAEC forms, GCE, NECO, scholarships and all those people as all those things will be unfortunately affected. But, let’s get it clear, our country is in a very difficult economic situation with the drop in oil revenues and that again calls for seriousness on the part of the federal government to bail the economy out of the doldrums,” Dickson noted.


Dickson who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, stressed that to win an election, one has to go to one’s people because he believes that the power comes from God as well as the people. Hence, the government must be people centred, stressing that it is in there satisfaction that one can say he has ruled through service.

Boko haram is embarrassing my govt-Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday said that Boko Haram sect was embarrassing his government with their renewed onslaught against the people of the north-east.

 

Speaking against the backdrop of plethora of suicide bombings in Chibok market, Dolari Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) camp in Borno State and the Gombi market in Adamawa State in the passing week, president Buhari said that the insurgents had become more desperate, saying that the recent bombings were attempts to gain public sympathy and attention having suffered terribly in the hands of Nigerian military.

President Buhari said the terrorists had been rendered weak, confused and homeless after repeated bombings and ravaging of their camps and hide outs by the military, forcing them to find their way back into the society to wreak havoc, like the case of the Dolari IDP.

The President also noted that the materials for the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were locally sourced by the insurgents.

He therefore urged Nigerians especially residents of the north-east region to be more vigilant and circumspect.

“Having lost the war, they are seeking ways and means to gradually find their way back into society. They are not returning to contribute but to cause more havoc. They are so desperate to embarrass the government and the people that they have no qualms attacking isolated communities and markets.

“I urge all citizens wherever they live to own the war against terror and to be part of the fight because it is the only way we can finish the remaining work that needs to be done to make our country safe again,” the President said.

A statement by the senior special assistant on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu stated that President Buhari “extended his condolences to all the people of Chibok, Gombi and Dolari who lost loved ones in the recent attacks and prayed that the Almighty God will comfort them and grant the injured persons quick recovery.”