At Last Patience Jonathan To Return Today

After close to two months of undergoing treatment abroad, wife of Nigeria's President, Patience Jonathan has been scheduled to return to the country today (Thursday).

According to presidency sources, arrangements were made on Wednesday night to bring the First Lady back into the country early Thursday, barring any unexpected developments.

An online report said a presidential jet was scheduled to fly out of Abuja on Wednesday night to bring her back to the President villa in Abuja.

Patience was flown overseas nearly six weeks ago after developing complications from a cosmetic procedure she had undertaken in Dubai.

Upon returning to Nigeria from Dubai, the President’s wife was allegedly flown to Germany in an air ambulance following an emergency during which she was allegedly diagnosed with “food poisoning”.

According to reports, investigation revealed that her condition was more complicated and precarious. In the early stages she was said to have lost her power of speech for four days.

President Jonathan had on Saturday visited his wife in Germany in company with two of their children. The visit was aired on the Nigerian Television Authority on Sunday evening. In the short footage, Patience was seen to be in high spirit as she took photographs with the children as well as her husband and members of his delegation.

It would be recalled that her spokesman, Ayo Osinlu, had earlier told journalists that the President’s wife was only resting abroad after the stress of hosting the African First Ladies conference.

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35-year-old Man Arrested For Alleged Theft Of Landlady’s Underwear

A 35-year-old man, Azuka Mbadugbe, was on Monday docked before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly stealing his landlady’s eight pants valued 80 dollars (about N12,480). Other items allegedly stolen by the accused include six leggies valued at 160 dollars (N24,960), one Canon camera phone worth N250,000 and 36 pieces of umbrella costing N12,600. Mbadugbe who lives at 2, Igi-Olugbi St., Bariga, Lagos, is facing a one-count charge of stealing.

 The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecutor, Insp. Kemi Adeniran, told the court that the accused had on Sept. 8 at about 4:30 p.m. burgled his landlady’s apartment at No. 2, Igi-Olugbi St., Bariga, Lagos, and stole the above-named items totalling N300,040. Adeniran said that the items belonged to one Mrs Adeola Alowonle. She said that the accused had been living in one of the boys’ quarters for the past three years. 

 The prosecutor explained that the accused unlawfully broke into the complainant’s apartment when she was on a foreign trip. “When the landlady came back, she discovered that her apartment had been broken into and subsequently discovered that some of her properties were missing,” she said. The prosecutor said that upon investigation, the duplicate key to the landlady’s apartment was found with the accused. 

 She said the offence contravened Section 285 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011. Magistrate I.O Afunwa granted the accused bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like and adjourned the case till Oct. 22. What will cause a 35 year old man to steal his Landlady’s underwear.

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Police IG redeploys 18 Commissioners

There was a major shake-up in the police force on Monday.

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, redeployed 18 police Commissioners.

The redeployment, which takes immediate effect, according to the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, affected Commissioners of Police (CPs) in Borno, Adamawa, Gombe, Sokoto, Imo, Kebbi, Kaduna and Oyo States.

The new CPs have been charged to ensure effective policing of their states and act as agents of positive change and guide against all acts inimical to the fundamental rights of the citizenry.

Similarly, Abubakar has called on citizens of the affected states to give the new police commissioners their maximum support.

Under the new arrangement, Godfrey Okeke is now the new CP for Adamawa, while S.L. Gambo, has been posted to Sokoto.

Adisa Bolanta is to resume duty in Imo State, while Tonye Ebitibituwa is the new boss for Kebbi State and Mbu Joseph Mbu, is CP, Oyo State.

Others are Abdullahi Yaguda. Borno; Olufemi A. Adenaike, Kaduna; and Mohammed  Iyanda Sule, Gombe.

Also on the list are Dokumor CP (SARS), Force CID; Sunday Ogbonna. CP “C” Department, FHQ; Mgbakor Ogugua, CP Criminal Central Record, FCID Annex, Lagos; Mark A. Idakwo, Provost Marshal, FHQ, Abuja; Y.G. Ardo, CP, MDS “F” Department; Mohammed Ibrahim, CP Special Protection Unit (SPU); Sylvester Umeh, CP Border Patrol; Suleiman O. Lawal, Deputy Commandant, Police Academy, Kano; and Idris Faruk Umar, CP Anti-Fraud, FCID.

Others include Edgar Tam Nanakumo, CP Inspectorate “E”Department; and Sunday A. Ogbonna, CP Admin “C” Department, FHQ.

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We Thank Allah For Helping Us Send Many To Their Graves –Boko Haram

The mindless k*llings recorded in several parts of Northern Nigeria over the weekend, newsmen has gathered, was the handwork of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram. 

 The sect has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Damaturu, killing in Maiduguri as well as the attack on Gombe, many of which led to the death of innocent Nigerians. 

 Below is a statement by Abul Qaqa, spokesman of the Boko Haram: 

“All gratitude goes to the Almighty Allah. On Saturday around 6pm, the warriors of Almighty Allah were on a mission but were attacked by a detachment of JTF operatives at Kaleri area of Maiduguri.

 As our lord pleases, our warriors succeeded in sending many of them to their graves. “Similarly, we succeeded in k*lling six soldiers during an encounter with them in Gombe town. 

 “Again, we triumphed in Damaturu today (Sunday), around 12 noon when JTF operatives attempted to stop one of our warriors in his bomb laden vehicle at a checkpoint. After realizing their intention, he did not waste time in crashing into them,” the statement said.

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Nigerian Leaders Are Visionless

Retired archbishop of Lagos His Eminence Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie has expressed grave worry on the quality of leaders in the country. They are visionless and have therefore failed the country, he said.

 The versatile clergyman, who spoke at the installation of Most Reverend Alfred Adewale Martins as the new archbishop of Lagos, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, blamed the country’s underdevelopment on visionless leaders who, he said, failed to take corrections.

 The vocal priest said: “By my handing over I have bowed out of the office as the archbishop of the Lagos Archdiocese and I give God the glory who kept me on in the Lagos metropolis as the Archbishop for 39 years. ‘‘Although government has come and gone in the country, both military and civilian, most of them did not have the interest of Nigeria or Nigerians at heart .

 They were in power to sustain their own personal agenda and their activities revolved around their own narrow circle of friends and appropriations outside government. “ As a result, we were constrained on a number of occasions to be on the side of the oppressed and longsuffering Nigerians. Our interventions were misconstrued as confrontational by those in authority.

 We were not confrontational, we only wanted to tell those in authority to deliver good governance”. In his goodwill message read by the coordinating priest, the Lagos State governor Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said: ‘‘We formally welcome Alfred Adewale Martins to Lagos and applaud his elevation to this esteemed position. We have seen a long period of steady growth and development in the archdiocese of Lagos. 

Continue to grow from strength to strength and from glory to glory.” In his response, the new archbishop His Grace Most Reverend Martins said though the shoes of his predecessor who ordained him as a priest were too large to step into, he would try to live above board in the discharge of his duties . 

 Born on June 1, 1959, in Abeokuta to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Obasola Martins , he had his primary education at St. Augustine Catholic Mission School , Itesi, Abeokuta, before proceeding to St. Theresa Minor Seminary , Oke-Are , Ibadan, for his secondary education from 1971 -1976. 

 He holds a diploma in Religious Studies from the University of Ibadan, a bachelor’s degree in Theology from Pontifical Urban University, Rome , a master’s degree from the University of Ibadan and a second master’s of letter’s degree in Philosophy , University of St. 

Andrews , Scotland. As the bishop of Abeokuta, he was reputed to have grown the diocese from nine parishes to over 30 parishes, even as he established new hospitals, health centres and Catholic educational institutions both primary and secondary schools. 

The ceremony was graced by eminent dignitaries which included the Lagos State governor Mr. Babatunde Fashola , Minister of power Professor Barth Nnaji (who represented President Goodluck Jonathan), traditional rulers and clergymen from various denominations. 

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Dokubo-Asari EXPLODES - i was detained in underground cell for 10 months & no charge.

The story of Mujahid Dokubo-Asari is open for every body to carry out intense investigation and scrutiny. If Dokubo-Asari has benefited from kidnapping, oil bunkering, or from the government the evidence can easily be obtain. Instead the government of Nigeria has arrested me and detain me more than 46 times. Up till this moment I have a treason charge hanging over my head. 

I have not pleaded with President Jonatha (GEAJ) to discontinue the proceedings against me. Even when Ijaw elders and leaders have continue to call on the government to lift the charges against me. I have always maintain that I do not want any pardon or amnesty from an occupation government that have confiscated my land and resources. Whenever I make superior argument against their porous positions they resort to baseless allegations which even the Nigerian government in her desperation has not made against me. 

The government has all the chances to bring charges on thief, armed robbery, oil bunkering, kidnapping, extortion and other criminal charges against me they couldn't because I have never committed such crimes they went on an endless voyage of discovery still they could not prove their charges against me they kept me in prison for 22months, 10 months 11 days in their underground dungeons. I did not give up my believe in the morality and justice of my course. It is laughable when ignoramus makes claim that my struggle was selfish. I ask them how? 

Today, I am not a member of the ruling PDP even though I support GEAJ because he is an Ijaw like me. I own my ijawness that not because GEAJ or those around him have reciprocated that support, it is not my problem, it is not GEAJ I support, it is the Ijaw nation I support. if GEAJ is not an Ijaw most certainly I would not have supported him. He GEAJ represent the little gains of our collective struggle against the Nigerian occupation. 

 For this support I am ready to stake my life not because of what i will gain from him or have gained from him how many of the mouth watering and juicy contracts has GEAJ awarded me? In Rivers State there is a governor who control a budget that is bigger than the budget of Ghana, Togo and Benin till he is not my friend we hardly relate talkless of contracts. So where is the selfishness? Anybody is free to visit the oil companies and investigate and scrutinize their books and see how many contracts I have like all other people I work hard to earn my income in areas where others ignore.

 I am more entitled to oil blocks than anybody thousands of barrel of crude oil is produced from my land still I don't have an oil block. This porous allegations will not stop me from my struggle to free myself and land from foreign occupation. If anybody have evidence where I made one illegal kobo that I am not entitle to let him come forward with his evidence. - Mujahid Dokubo-Asari.

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ABOMINATION: 2 Top Nollywood Actresses In Lesbianism Act Revealed

In 2011, the Senate passed an anti gay bill kicking against same s*x marriage. The bill called for a 14-year sentence for anyone convicted of homos*xuality. The bill also stipulated a 10-year imprisonment for anyone who aids or "abets" same-s*x unions.

 For these two top Nollywood actresses, the Senates are just bragging because they would not stop to profess an undying love for each other. A source close to these two actresses swore that they have been practising lesbianism whenever one of their husbands was not in town. 

 As we were reliably hinted, one of the actresses involved in this dirty act was married this year. Her wedding had political and society heavyweights in attendance. Her partner in crime was also present at her wedding. 

 This actress being described is not new in lesbianism practices. She has been reported severally to be involved in this ungodly act. Information revealed that whenever her husband was out of town, she calls on her lesbian partner, who is light skinned, to serve as substitute for her absent hubby.

 Her lesbian partner is also married and was once disgraced at a law house in 2011. This actress is pretty and s*xy. She studied in Enugu. She hails from the same state with Ruggedman. Back to the first lesbian actress, she schooled in Imo State.

 She is also from the same state as 2Shortz. She is not the 'lepa' lady but her chocolate colour skin is very attractive. We learnt that the their relationship is so hot that, even other actresses, who also indulge themselves in this ungodly habit, are envious of these two actress lovers. That's how far we can describe them for now.

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Oil bunkering leader arrested

Security operatives, on Friday, arrested  General Cairo, the leader of a network of crude oil thieves in the Niger Delta responsible for several pipeline bombings against oil majors including Shell and ENI. 

Nigeria is the world's eighth biggest exporter of crude oil but thieves siphon off around a fifth of its output by drilling into pipelines, blasting them open or diverting crude at loading stations, sometimes with the connivance of security forces.

The operations, called bunkering, cost Nigeria's government nearly a fifth of its revenue each year, Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said. It is also a major cause of oil spills that often wreck the delta's wetlands environment.

The Nigerian military paraded Seiyifa Gbereke, or General Cairo as he was nicknamed, in front of the media, where he confessed to the crimes. There was no independent confirmation of his story told in captivity.

"He led a gang of eight to destroy Agip pipelines and Shell ones around various communities," in the Niger Delta, security forces spokesman for Yenagoa state Lieutenant Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu told journalists.

The delta is a region of swamps and labyrinthine creeks at the heart of Africa's biggest oil and gas industry that has for decades been plagued by insecurity.

An amnesty in 2009 sharply reduced militancy but criminal gangs tapping oil pipelines is a growing problem.

Royal Dutch Shell estimates that bunkering siphons at least 150,000 barrels of oil per day from Nigeria's production.

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Man, 55, arraigned for parading himself as traditional ruler

 Ganiyu Ajiboye, a 55-year-old man has been arraigned before an Iyaganku Chief Magistrate’s Court, Ibadan for allegedly parading himself as a traditional chief ( Alago of Ago Oja) in Oyo town. 

This was contrary to an earlier order of a court, which had restrained him from doing so.

The charge alleged that Ajiboye committed the offence and through it attempted to cause a breach of the peace in the ancient town.Upon the prosecutor reading the charge to his hearing, Ajiboye pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

Sikiru Ibrahim, the prosecutor, in the charge marked MY/88c/2012, heard by Bose Omotoso of Iyaganku Chief Magistrate Court 10, said Ajiboye on June 7, 2012 allegedly paraded himself as the “Alago of Ago Oja” thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 484 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000”.

The accused on the same day and at the same time “did conduct yourself in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace by parading yourself as “Alago of Ago Oja” when there is court order restraining you from parading yourself as such, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 249 (d)’ of the same law of Oyo state,” the prosecutor told the court.

For allegedly disobeying the restraining court order, the charge noted that Ajiboye committed another offence under Section 133 (9) of the same law.

Having pleaded not guilty to the alleged offences, and granted bail, the magistrate ordered that one of the two sureties must be a civil servant not below grade level 07 while the case was adjourned till July 7 for mention.

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The Pastor who sleeps in a casket

An octogenarian, Samuel Kogberegbe, told journalists on Friday that he has been sleeping inside a coffin for over forty years now. 

Kogberegbe, the founder of Holy Michael Church of the Lord (Aladura), in Egbe, Lagos, who spoke as part of activities to mark the church’s 50th anniversary which holds on Sunday, 3 June, 2012, said he had slept in the coffin to remind himself of life’s vanity and that one day, he would die.

He said his action was also to teach Nigerians to be conscious about death and thus change their negative ways of life. “I believe that death is certain and I am going to end in that coffin,” he said.

The cleric also declared that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was correct to have called Nigerian lawmakers armed robbers at a function in Lagos recently. According to him, Obasanjo’s description of the country’s lawmakers as armed robbers was correct in every sense of reasoning.
He accused the lawmakers of not having any feeling for the suffering masses that voted for them, and warned church leaders to abstain from evil practices, claiming that only through this would they be able to salvage the country.

Source:DailyTimes

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Fashola insists he can’t reabsorb sacked doctors

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, urged the sacked striking doctors in the state to channel their appeal through the Health Service Commission, to clear any issue that might have led to their sack, if they were still interested in getting reinstated and put an end to the crisis in the health sector.

He said he had no power to reabsorb the sacked doctors. The governor, at a live broadcast and handing over of Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1FM as part of activities to mark his fifth anniversary and Democracy Day, said the issue between the doctors and the government could best be resolved by the appropriate authorities, who were in charge of their employment and firing.

Fashola appeared on a live LTV interactive session with Deputy Managing Director of  SUN Newspapers, Mr. Femi Adesina; Editor of THISDAY Newspaper, Mr. Simon Kolawole; Talk Show producer, Agatha Amatha and broadcaster, Aderoju Adepoju, and other panelists, to commission the Traffic Radio.

He said the state Health Service Commission was the one  saddled with the responsibility of determining the fate of the doctors, and urged them to take the first step of appealing their dismissal.

He said: “I can’t reverse the sack, it is not in my powers to do so. I won’t be able to do so, just as I cannot effect their promotion, it is the HMC that will promote them and I won’t be here after three years, so it’s not about me, it’s about institutions.”

Handing over Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1 FM to Lagos residents as part of dividends of democracy to achieve a more happy and safe motoring in the state, he explained that the traffic radio will help pedestrians and motorists decide on the best way of getting to their destinations on time, adding that the radio will also avail motorists the opportunity of managing their time and money well.

Meanwhile, Governor Fashola has decried the high level of fraud in private organisations in the state, urging employed youths to desist from sabotaging investors.

Fashola, added that the state Ministry of Justice will begin the prosecution of traders and commercial motorcycle operators who flout traffic laws in the state, especially on the Bus Rapid Transport, BRT, corridors in the state.

At the inauguration of the Murtala Muhammed Way Yaba-Oyingbo-Iddo and the 304 LAGBUS Bus Franchise Scheme, in Lagos, Fashola said the measure will reduce unemployment rate in the state.

He said: “As investors are coming to invest in the country, there was need for us all to remember that without these people’s faith and the efforts of the state government to lure investors to the country, there will be no employment for thousands of youth.

“You are the pioneers, who have got the privilege to work for these investors, do not sabotage them. This is because there are still thousands of unemployed youths in the state, who are looking for the same opportunity that you have today. If these opportunities continue, unemployment will be reduced drastically.”

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Airtel NG and others should stop the indiscriminate sending of text messages to Subscribers

Todaysgist(TG)-Airtel Ng subscribers in the country have been complaining for some time now about the number of text messages they received from the telecoms giant.Todaysgist went round to get responses from GSM users and the result is not very pleasant as 9 out of 10 users think they are being taken for a ride.

 Mr. John,a carpenter said he receives no less than 10 sms from Airtel daily and when his phone beeps he rushes out to reach it thinking it is one of his client but only to get disappointed that it is from Airtel. He said he has been considering changing to another network so he can have rest of mind but was told the others like MTN are still in the business of indiscriminate text message sending.

Mrs Janet,an Office help desk said he nearly got fired when she ignored an emergency text message thinking it most have been one of the numerous text messages from the telecoms people.People are beginning to loose interest in reading their text messages as they are concerned bulk of them are from the telecoms operatives

Todaysgist sent some personnel to the telecoms outfit and they promised to do something about it but in the last 2 weeks it has become worst.I wonder if NCC cannot interfere in matters like this

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How President Jonathan, Ministers And Cronies Shared N155 Billion From Malabu Oil Block Sale Scam-PREMIUM TIMES(A must read)

The presidency, his associates and some ministers have been named in a monumental money laundering scandal, one of the most elaborate in Nigeria's history.

PREMIUM TIMES can reveal today that the N155billion secretly paid to convicted money launderer, Dan Etete, by the Federal Government, on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan, was actually a slush fund, with a huge chunk of it ending in bank accounts of cronies and business associates of government officials and at least one individual with links to Mr. Jonathan.

Our investigation also indicates that in order to cover up what is clearly one of the most elaborate corruption schemes in Nigeria’s history, the president tapped the junior minister in the finance ministry, Yerima Ngama, and Attorney General Mohammed Adoke to hurriedly transfer the funds to Mr. Etete on August 16, 2011, a day before the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, assumed office.

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala was not available Friday to comment on her knowledge of the transaction. Her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, said she was away in Zimbabwe on an official engagement.

This website had on Monday reported how the Nigerian subsidiaries of two multinational oil companies Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited (Agip) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (Shell) paid $1.1billion (N155billion) to the Federal Government in April last year for onward transmission to Malabu Oil whose principal is Mr. Etete.

Our subsequent investigations later showed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had indeed investigated the deal, concluding that the transaction pointed at a “cloudy scene associated with fraudulent dealings.”

The EFCC investigation also clearly established that Mr. Etete’s Malabu only served as a money laundering machine, as substantial parts of the funds was later transferred to various accounts owned by “real and artificial persons” suspected to have links with the presidency and other government officials.

Presidency sources familiar with the matter say the EFCC intimated President Jonathan and Mr. Adoke of its findings.

“But I can tell you that the investigation has suffered a setback since the presidency got wind of it,” one of our sources said. “There is high-level complicity in the deal and there is therefore high-level cover up. The report is gathering dust on the president’s desk.”

Mr. Jonathan’s spokesperson, Reuben Abati, could not be reached on his mobile telephones to comment for this story Friday. And so also was Mr. Adoke. Mr. Ngama did not return calls to his mobile telephone.

Relying on court papers in the United States (where some consultants have sued Malabo for breach of contract), checks at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and on its own investigations, the EFCC established that “a prima facie case of conspiracy, breach of trust, theft and money laundering can be established against some real and artificial persons.”

The beneficiaries

At the heart of this brazen theft of public funds is one Abubakar Aliyu, a man whom top presidency and EFCC sources described as “Mr. Corruption” and who has very close business ties with Diepreiye Alamiesegha, convicted former governor of Bayelsa state.

Mr. Alamiesegha, the self-styled governor-general of the Ijaw nation, is the man who picked Mr. Jonathan as his running mate in the 1999 governorship election in Bayelsa state and whom Mr. Jonathan succeeded in office after the former was impeached over corruption charges.

The disgraced former governor played a major role in Mr. Jonathan’s election last year, serving as both an adviser and a top campaign official.

Mr. Aliyu, through companies co-owned by him, received direct payments of $523mn (N81bn) from the largesse. Investigators believe that the businessman, introduced to the president by Mr. Alamieyeseigha, was Mr. Jonathan’s front in the transaction.

Mr. Aliyu is however not new to corrupt deals. One of his companies was recently found to be involved in a shady deal which involved the buying of a landed property from a government agency (NITEL) for N1billion and then reselling the same property to another government agency (CBN) for N21billion.

He allegedly used his links with late President Musa Yar’Adua and President Jonathan to broker the deals, and then reportedly paid kickbacks to some government officials.

Mr. Adoke, the current Justice Minister was named in that deal too just as sources believe he played a major role in the sharing of the N155billion largesse.

Sharing the money

On August 16, 2011, Mr. Adoke and the Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Ngama, coordinated the payment of a first tranche of $401.5million (N60billion) into a First Bank account 2018288005 belonging to Malabu.

Another $400millionn (N60billion) was, based on the duo’s instructions, transferred into a Malabu Bank PHB (now Keystone bank) account 3610042472 from a Nigerian government account with JP Morgan International Bank. The balance of the funds was reportedly lodged into Mr. Etete’s account with Zenith Bank.

Immediately Malabu received the money, the distribution began. Rocky Top Resources Limited, co-owned by Mr. Aliyu received $336 million (N50bn) from the Malabu Keystone Bank deposit. Other companies that got money from the Malabu curious transfers include A-Group Construction Company, also co-owned by Mr. Aliyu. It received $157mn (N24bn), while Novel Property and Development Limited, also co-owned by Mr. Aliyu got $30 million (N4.5bn).

Companies not linked to Mr. Aliyu but got money from Malabu include Mega Tech Engr Co. Ltd, which received $180 million (N27bn) and Imperial Union Limited, $34million (N5.1bn).

Sources say these companies, like Mr. Aliyu’s, simply acted as fronts for political office holders, who helped to facilitate the transfer, as they have no basis to receive such huge sums of money from Malabu. The EFCC has also not identified what task these companies performed to deserve the payments.

“Reasons for this payment is yet to be ascertained,” the commission said.

Long before the largesse was shared however, Malabu had become a company renowned for shady deals.

A history of fraud

According to investigators, through “conspiracy, forgery, uttering forged document, criminal misappropriation and money laundering,” Mr. Etete and Malabu Oil had been involved in illegalities since its formation.

Formed on April 24, 1998, Malabu Oil had three shareholders: Mohammed Sani (Abacha, son of late military dictator Sani Abacha), Kweku Amafagha (who was representing Dan Etete on the board), and Hassan Hindu (representing her husband, Hassan Lawal, a former Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK). Mr. Sani owned 10 million of the 20 million shares in the company; Mr. Etete six million and Mr. Hassan, four million.

Five days after the company was formed and registered at the CAC, it got two oil blocks awarded to it by the then military government: OPL 245 and OPL 214.

Mr. Etete was petroleum minister at the time.

Controversy however trailed the oil blocks as President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2001, revoked the allocations, giving OPL 245 to Shell.

After several court cases in Nigeria and overseas between Malabu, Shell, and the Federal Government, the oil blocks were re-awarded to Malabu in 2010.

Scheming out Abacha

Following a secret resolution on the oil block with the Federal Government, Mr. Etete decided to edge out Mr. Abacha from the ownership of Malabu. It is not clear if this is one of the conditions the Federal Government gave to Mr. Etete during the negotiations.

However at an extraordinary general meeting of Malabu on June 9, 2010, Mr. Abacha and a company related to him, Pecos Energy, were removed as shareholders of Malabu. The new owners (believed to be fronts for Mr. Etete) became Munamuma Seidougha and Amaran Joseph, both of whom had 10 million shares each.

These changes, the EFCC stated “gave rise to a lot of moral and ethical question that can necessitate an objective and full blown investigation into the matter.”

Mr. Abacha however fought back fiercely. Sensing that he had been schemed out and aware that Mr. Etete was already negotiating with Shell and Agip, he decided to act.

The Shell, Agip, FG, Etete conspiracy

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Ednan Agaev, an international counsel hired by Malabu told the Supreme Court of New York in an affidavit that he was appointed by Malabu to find an investor for OPL245.

“One John Coplestone of SHELL, a party to the negotiation informed him that Mohammed Sani (Abacha) is laying claim over OPL 245,” the EFCC stated. An AGIP official also told Mr. Agaev that “in view of the new claim by Mohammed Sani (Abacha), a direct deal with Malabu would not be possible.”

Mr. Agaev then informed Mr. Etete of the new development and suggested a way out.

To put off Mr. Sani (Abacha) from realizing his claim, “The FGN (should) take back the oil block from Malabu, transfer the rights to ENI AGIP/Shell and pay Malabu a compensation from the payments made by ENI AGIP and Shell,”

The oil companies agreed accepted the proposal. “By the end of March 2011, the FGN seemed to have acted with the suggestion,” the EFCC said.

This new evidence gathered by the EFCC contradicts the claims of Shell, who through its spokesman, Precious Okolobo, denied knowing that Malabu was to be the recipient of its payment.

“Shell was not aware that that money was to be paid to Malabu,” Mr. Okolobo had told PREMIUM TIMES.

SAHARA

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What is wrong with Nigeria

I once raised the issue in a piece in the past, and frequently ask eminent citizens on what they think is actually the problem that Nigeria is, pitiably still, crawling when in fact, the country should be walking with pride. I am glad that President Goodluck Jonathan revisited the matter last Friday in Enugu. 

I agree with him that something is, indeed, wrong with the country, but my point of disagreement with the President is on the fact that he partly hinged it on the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates by the then British colonial masters. The amalgamation culminated in the birth of the Nigerian federation. It formed the building plank for the country at independence in 1960.

 It was this same structure that was used by the progenitors of modern Nigeria to lay a solid and sound foundation for the country, particularly in the defunct Western region. So, it was naturally expected that subsequent leaders would build on the foundation in human capacity building, infrastructure, and other fundamentals capable of propelling the country to the next level. 

 Perhaps, the question we must ask ourselves is why were those political leaders able to turn what some now perceive as bad situation into fortunes and ray of hope for a better tomorrow for coming generation? That’s the key issue now. Did those men come from another planet to serve this great country at its embryonic stage, which should have posed more challenges than in subsequent years because of the teething problems often associated with institutions like nation-building?

 I am sure the present crop of political leaders are not just realising any inadequacy or lapse in the almost a century-old amalgamation to the grounding malaise confronting the country today. But what did they do in the past to address the anomaly when they came face to face with the reality? Did they muster enough courage to tackle it frontally or merely paid a lip service by telling the nation’s leadership only what it naively wanted to hear and believe? 

 The point is that our land is now faced with the dearth of great men such as the ones that laid their lives to design and build the beautiful architecture that many had hoped held bountiful promises for coming generations. Instead of having heroes, our country is now hugely populated by a bunch of political charlatans and demagogues, who parade themselves as great men and women. We do not have political leaders whose primary concerns are to build institutions and empower the people. 

We do not have people in the mould of great thinkers and philosophers like Mahandas Ghandi of India, a nationalist that ensured freedom for, and guaranteed the destiny of all generations of Indians. Neither do we have great men like Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican, who evolved the concept of Back to Africa, which was popularised by many reggae artists of Jamaican descent.

 He, like Ghandi, espoused passive resistance against man injustice against his fellow human being regardless of colour or creed. Martins Luther King Junior remains global idol because of his principled campaign against injustice which led to the holistic sanctity of human rights and civil liberties in the United States, as on August 18, 1963 in Washington D.C, he proclaimed his dream for equality and unity in that country. 

 Whereas many Nigerians are used to the phrase, Man is, by nature, a political animal,” it is doubtful if many of us know the originator. Aristotle, the master of philosophy coined the phrase. One of his works, Politics, remains an authority in political dialectics. We lack his like among the current generation of the ruling political elite. The US could boast of elder statesmen like Franklin Roosevelt in politics, Britain is proud of distinguished statesmen like Winston Churchill. 

They influenced their country, and indeed the world, for good. They were able to made a difference in the affairs of men through their clear perception of what is good for their countrymen and women, and with an eye on the future. At home, we also had a number of unforgettable statesmen like late Herbert Macaulay; Bishop Ajayi Crowder, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and a whole lot of nationalists, who laboured vigorously to gain independence for the country. 

Alas, two years to the centenary celebration of the Nigerian federation, we are vainly grappling with ascertaining the true heroes of several generations of Nigerian, born after the 1983 military coup. For the purpose of this piece, we should benchmark a generation simply as roughly 30 years “between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring.” 

So, who among the current members of the political class and to be precise, ruling class qualifies as a great political leader, who deserves all accolades for his vision that may have created institutions and legacies reminiscent of our heroes past? None bestrides the political arena like a colossus reminiscent of the times of the founding fathers of the country. None looks like a true giant that cuts the image of a role model and commands the aura of statesmanship.

 Therefore, we should be concerned that the country now parades mostly a generation of self-styled great men that think about self alone and have continued to mortgage the lives of many generations of their fellow compatriots. This is part of the critical problems that have turned the country into a perceived entity where nothing works.

 While he was the governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande used his old model Toyota Crown as official car and lived in his private residence in Ilupeju, just as his compatriot, Chief Bisi Akande built the imposing N2 billion Osun State secretariat in Osogbo, the state capital with proceeds from internal generated revenue. These are some of the signs of great men.

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It's Now The Turn Of FRSC,As Police Tortures Road Safety Officer To Death..Read Where And How

The Bayelsa State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps was on Wednesday thrown into grief after its official, Mr. Bassey Inoyo, was allegedly tortured to death by policemen. It was learnt that Inoyo, a senior FRSC official, was due to proceed on retirement leave in November. 

An eyewitness told our correspondent that trouble started on Tuesday morning when a police officer from Special Anti-Robbery Squard Unit felt aggrieved over the conduct of a road safety official. He said, “The road safety official who is serving in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state was blocked by a car. 

He was waiting for the car to be driven out before driving in. In the process, he temporarily blocked the narrow road. “But the police officer who was in mufti hooted his horn many times signaling the road safety officer to clear the road for him to pass. Eventually, the road safety man drove in and parked but already the police officer in mufti was aggrieved. 

He came down from his vehicle and descended on the road safety official.” The source alleged that the policeman tore the FRSC official’s rank and his uniform and then engaged him in a fight.

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No More Discrimination As Court Grants Nigerian Police women Right To Marry Men Of Their Choice

The provision of the Police Act, which prohibits a female officer from marrying a man of her choice without the permission of the Commissioner of Police in the command where she is serving, has been declared illegal and unconstitutional by a Federal High Court in Ikeja, Lagos. 

Trial judge, Justice Steven Adah, rejected the arguments of the Attorney-General of the Federation and held that Regulation 124 was illegal, null and void due to its inconsistency with Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution. The court declared the Regulation unconstitutional and proceeded to annul pursuant to Section 1(3) of the Constitution. Women Empowerment and Legal Aid Initiative, WELA, had brought the suit, challenging the constitutional validity of the said Regulation 124. 

The said Regulation states: “

A woman police officer who is desirous of marrying must first apply in writing to the Commissioner of Police for the state command in which she is serving, requesting permission to marry and giving name, address and occupation of the person she intends to marry. Permission will be granted for the marriage if the intended husband is of good character and the woman police officer has served in the force for a period of not less than three years.” 

WELA counsel had arguing that it was illegal to ban a woman police officer for three years before entering into a marriage and that seeking permission of a Police Commissioner was an infraction of her fundamental right to dignity and freedom of choice. The group had contended that since a male police officer was not subjected to the same inhibitions, Regulation 124 was inconsistent with section 42 of the constitution and Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which have prohibited discrimination on the basis of s*x. 

The group had asked the court to expunge the said Regulation from the Police Act, as it was not justifiable in a democratic state such as Nigeria, which had domesticated the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW.. 

Attorney-General of the Federation, through his counsel, had contended that the said regulation was designed to protect women police officers from falling into the hands of criminals, adding that the purpose of the law was to prevent women police officers from marrying men of bad character.

 The AGF further contended that the three-year ban was meant to ensure that a woman police officer was not pregnant “during the rigorous training she must undergo after her employment.”

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Evil Minded Kidnapping Couple Nabbed In Lagos..How They Made Millions

A couple suspected to be serial kidnappers of international dimension has been nabbed by the men of Lagos State Police command. Mr. Nwangwu Emmanuel and his wife Beatricial Nwangwu were arrested recently by the operatives of the State Anti-Robbery Squad(SARS) after a long search. The suspected evil couple according to police source, were arrested in Abuja where the husband was working as a driver to a retired military officer.

 Before their arrest, the couple had thrown several families into trauma, pains and tears by kidnapping their children and carried them across the border to Ghana where they demanded and received ransoms in millions of naira. Before the police made what was been described as a major breakthrough in the quest to unravel the mystery behind several incidents of unreported cases of kidnapping in the state, the couple had earlier been declared wanted by the Interpol, Force CID, Abuja, Lagos State command, SARS, Zone 2 and Lagos. 

 Speaking on the arrest, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko who described the couple as notorious noted that most of their victims were children of the families where the wife had served as housemaid. He explained that after kidnapping the children they would run to Ghana and start demanding for ransom running into several millions from their victims. 

“ They would tell the victims to pay ransom to a bank account in Ghana and they would later instruct them to collect their children at a particular hotel in Ghana.” CP Manko said some policemen in Ghana were dismissed from their job because they collected some illegal money from the couple. The police in Ghana later declared the couple wanted for using their country as a country of collecting ransom from victims of the kidnappers. The police in Ghana was also said to have frozen the account of the suspects Manko added that it was a female DPO who got the number of the suspects and that it was after that, that he tasked the SARS to go to Abuja and arrest the suspects . 

 The husband told his story to Crimewatch “I am from Enugu State and I grew up in Ghana where I stayed for ten years. In 2008, I was employed by Mrs Folake Coker in Ikoyi Lagos and I was being paid the monthly salary of N25,000. One day I deceived one of the house maids to buy something for me pretending to be sick. Then I used the opportunity to kidnap the 2years old daughter of my boss.

 quickly took a cab to Mile 2 before taking a drop to Ghana. “ I later called my boss and she recognized my voice. I demanded a ransom of N22million. The money was paid to my bank account in Ghana. I dropped the daughter in one hotel in Ghana and told them to pick her up there. I used the money to buy cars which I was selling in Ghana. Nwangwu explained that in 2009 his wife was employed as housemaid to Mr Alfred Edozie and that after just one month, the wife kidnapped one of her boss’s daughter. 

“My wife just called me one day that I should bring a taxi to the estate that she has kidnapped one of the daughters of her boss. Immediately we took the daughter and passed through Mile 2 and took a drop to Ghana. We called the family of the girls and we made a demand of N15million as ransom, but they paid N12M to my wife’s bank account in Ghana. We didn’t know that the Interpol were already monitoring us. “When we went to withdraw the money the bank manager first paid her N6m and told her to come back the following day for the remaining ones.

 The Interpol officials from Ghana cornered my wife and told her that the Nigerian police would soon arrest her. My wife gave the police officer N6m and he took my wife to an hotel in Ghana and later told us to escape. The bank in Ghana closed our account ., That was how we lost the N12m in Ghana,” he said. Nwangwu said when they moved back to Nigeria his wife delivered and he began to search for a job. “Later I got a job in Abuja as a driver to a retired military officer in 2012. 

After I and my wife moved to Abuja. One day I just saw policemen who came and arrested me in the presence of my boss.” Also speaking, the second suspect, his wife said it was easy for her to kidnap because she pretended to be a housemaid and when she is employed after some days or weeks she will kidnap the kids of her employer.. CP Manko said the investigation is still ongoing in the matter and that when it is concluded they will be taken to court.

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Explosions rock two primary schools in Kano

Multiple explosions Wednesday night, hit two primary schools in Jayin and Hotoro Arewa in Kumbotso and Nasarawa local government areas respectively in Kano municipal. An eyewitness told Vanguard that the attackers who came on a motorbike ordered watchmen at both schools out of the premises before attacking the schools. 

 The source further explained that the attack triggered pandemonium and forced night life to a halt as residents scampered to safety. However, at Jayin primary school, a newly renovated building was damged while no fewer than ten cars parked within the premises of the school were badly damged. 

 The midweek attack on the two pro-western educational institutions is the first of such attacks in the city since Kano came under attack on January 20, 2012. Meanwhile, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but authorities said; “investigations have commenced to unravel the perpetrators”. 

 Confirming the incident in a telephone conversation with Vanguard, JTF spokesman in Kano Lt Iweha Ikediche explained that “some IED’s went off within the premises of two primary schools last night” Iweha disclosed that “counter terrorism personnels were deployed to the scene for necessary actions.” He however, refused to divulge further details regarding the extent of damages. 

 Also confirming the incident, the outgoing spokesman of the Kano State police command, ASP Magaji Musa Majia revealed that “few cars parked within the premises of Jayin primary school lost their windscreens.” He however, assured that the Command will in due course issue a comprehensive details about the incident.

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Exclusive Pictures From PH Explosion

While conflicting reports fly around as to the real cause of the explosion this morning.,what cannot be contradicted is the actual explosion as captured here..The number of casualties and real cause of the explosion that has been alleged involved a fully loaded passenger bus in the first picture is still

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How handset was used as sanitary pad to cheat during exams

THE Registrar and Chief Executive, Joint Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Dibu Ojerinde, on Wednesday, spoke of his experience of how ingenious Nigerians could be with examination malpractices. 

 Sharing his recent on-the-field experience with the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, during a visit on the latter, Ojerinde said “there is this particular case of a woman in Ikirun, Osun State. During the examination, a search was conducted on her and the scanner gave indication that there were foreign metal objects in her body.

 “All entreaties to her to bring out what was on her failed, until a woman supervisor had to take her to a closet and undress her, only to discover that a handset was prepared just like a pad in her private part. “It was that bad. If we had not used the scanner, we couldn’t have detected it.

 Even at that, I am sure there were people that still went away with it.” He also disclosed that in the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), two individuals who designed bathroom slippers that accommodated handsets were arrested. He asked EFCC to offer assistance to the board in curbing myriad of malpractices plaguing the conduct of public examinations in Nigeria.

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