EFCC Docks Company Representative for N12.8m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday 12th June, 2017 arraigned one Nelson Igboelina Chukwunekwu before Justice.  C.I Nwobodo of the State High Court Enugu State on a 5-count-charge bordering on forgery and stealing to the tune of N12, 832,103 (Twelve Million, Eight Hundred and Thirty Two Thousand, One Hundred and Three Naira Only) contrary to section 343(F) of the Criminal Code Law Cap 30 Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004, and Punishable under section 353(H) (v) of the same Law.

Igboelina allegedly forged some company’s documents which he used to extort and convert N12, 832,103 to his personal use.
He pleaded not guilty to the five count charge preferred against him
One of the particulars of offence reads:
“Nelson Igboelina Chukwunekwu, on or about the 20th day of May, 2013, at Enugu within the jurisdiction of this honorable court did commit a felony to wit; Stealing, by fraudulently Converting to your personal use, the sum of Twelve Million, eight Hundred and Thirty Two Thousand, One Hundred and Three Naira(12,832,103.00) being property and Money of Castleberg Nigeria Ltd. Paid into your First Bank Account Number 3030060231, for procurement of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and thereby committed an Offence.”
In view of the accused person’s plea, the prosecuting counsel Innocent Mbachie   applied for a trial date. 

The defense counsel C.C Echete on the other hand applied for bail of his client
Justice Nwobodo granted the accused bail in sum of N1, 000,000 (One Million Naira) with one surety in like sum. The surety must be a resident of Enugu who must submit two passport photographs. The Judge equally ruled that the surety must depose to an affidavit of means and his or her address be verified.  

Ignoelin has been remanded in EFCC custody pending when the bail conditions are met.
The case was subsequently adjourned to 27th July, 2017 for trail

See the House of Representatives Member Who is Backing Ultimatum for Igbos to Leave the North (Photo)

Aminu Suleiman, a member of the House of Representatives from Kano State has backed the call by the Coalition of Northern Youths that all the Igbo should vacate northern Nigeria before three months or be forced to leave.

 

According to DailyTrust, the lawmaker stated that people from eastern part of the country have held Nigeria to ransom through their secession threats and other activities.

 

“I have read the statement of the Northern Youths Coalition. I may not completely say I share their vision 100 per cent; but they have found a supporter in me, because the people of eastern Nigeria have taken this country to ransom.

“They have been causing serious problems to this country; they caused the civil war, which brought backwardness in this country. They have been using provocation to attract more attention than other parts of the country,” he said.

 

Suleiman is the chairman of House Committee on Tertiary Education, also condemned calls by some northern elite, especially the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, for the arrest of the northern youths.

 

“People like el-Rufai just played to the gallery. I condemn him entirely for coming out to issue arrest warrant against the northern youths. Where was el-Rufai when IPOB and other secessionist groups in the South East were calling for secession? Don’t they have governors? Don’t they have elders? Why didn’t they caution them"

After Melaye’s Assassination Claim, Kogi Gov. Fires Back, You ‘Murdered’ A Student Today (Photos)

Here’s a Press statement released shortly after the Senator announced on Twitter that he narrowly escaped another assassination. May God let peace reign in KOGI.

PRESS STATEMENT: GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO CONDEMNS SENATOR DINO MELAYE FOR THE BRUTAL MURDER OF KOGI STUDENT

The Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello sadly condemns the unruly conduct, political violence and needless crisis orchestrated by Senator Dino Melaye in a bid to foil his recall from the National Assembly which led to the brutal murder of Saka Seidu, a student of the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja.

The Governor sincerely regrets the unfortunate incident and calls on the people, youth and students of Kogi to remain calm, law-abiding and refrain from taking laws into their hands in the face of imminent threat to their life and security, whilst assuring them of continued safety and maintenance of security in the State.


He urges the embattled Senator to desist from further plunging the State into needless political crisis capable of threatening the peace and security of the people in the State.

He is appalled that despite his commitment towards ensuring safety and security for the indigenes and inhabitants of the State and endeavour to rid the State of insecurity and political thuggery, the embattled Senator remains hell-bent on causing mayhem in the State in a bid to save his drowning political career. He hereby reiterates his firm commitment to ensuring continuous security and safety of lives and properties in the State as he vows not to relent in his administration's lofty strides in securing the life of every inhabitant in the State.

The Governor calls on young people to desist from being readily available as cheap tools to malicious politicians' devilish use and manipulation. He reiterated that their lives are precious and should not be sacrificed on the altar of any selfish politician's political expediency.

He recalled that the State Government had petitioned the Presidency and the Inspector General of Police in January of 2017 on the likelihood of such an outbreak of violence but wonders why no action was taken. He called on the authorities to expedite action on the petition to ensure there is no repeat of today's unfortunate incident.

He thus urged the Senator with a notorious antecedent for political violence from further plunging the State of Kogi into needless political violence and security crisis whilst advising him to honour his constituents' rights to exercise their constitutional obligations.

Signed:
Petra Akinti Onyegbule,
Chief Press Secretary to the Kogi State Governor.

Photos: Gang of eight drug dealers including two Nigerians jailed for over 30 years in the UK

A gang of eight drug dealers who peddled drugs on a Waltham Forest estate have been jailed for a total of over 30 years.

The gang members including two Nigerians Harry and Collins Olabode, were sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, 9 June in relation to various drugs and firearms offences after a protracted investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Trident Central Gangs Unit.

In July 2016 an investigation was launched by the Trident Area and Crime Command, after the officers ascertained that a local gang known as the 'Thatched House Thugs' were dealing Class A drugs on the Avenue Estate, E11 in Waltham Forest.

During the course of the investigation it became apparent that residents were being severely, adversely affected and in one case, the gang had set up their base of operations in the flat of a local occupant against her will.

The operation by Trident Central Gangs Unit led to a number of arrests in October 2016 and ultimately resulted in the following convictions;

[A] Winston Male, 25, of St Albans Avenue, Newham was convicted of Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
[B] Christian McKay, 19, of Victoria Road, Waltham Forest was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment.
[C] Collins Olabode, 20, of Arrowsmith Path, Chigwell was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and blackmail. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment.
[D] Harry Olabode, 18, of Arrowsmith Path, Chigwell was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and false imprisonment. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment.
[E] Musa Streadwick, 18, of Atherton Road, Newham was convicted of false imprisonment and was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment.
[F] Warren Thomas, 21, of Snowberry Close, Waltham Forest was convicted of the supply of Class A drugs and was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

Two 17-year-olds from Newham, London were also each convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, transferring prohibited articles into court and false imprisonment and were sentenced to four years each.

Detective Sergeant Tom Rogerson, from Trident Area Crime Command, said: 

"This investigation shows that the Metropolitan Police Service will actively seek to target those involved in organised criminality and will strive to protect the innocent Londoners who are sometimes caught up in this type of activity. These sentences reflect the severity with which these cases are treated both by the police and by the courts.

Two men arrested for torture after tattooing teenager's forehead with 'I'm a thief' after accusing him of stealing bike

Two men have been arrested for torture after distressing footage emerged of a teenager having 'I am a thief' tattooed on his forehead after allegedly stealing a disabled man's bike.

The 17-year-old look petrified in a video the men recorded as they scraped their permanent message onto the boy's skin during the incident in Brazil.
After tattoo artist Maycon Wesley Carvalho dos Reis and his friend, Ronildo Moreira de Araujo were finished they made the boy show his new inking to the camera, before asking him if he liked it.

The hand-scrawled tattoo read 'Eu sou ladrão e vacilão' in Portuguese - translated as 'I am a thief and a loser'.
The lad ran away after the attack and went missing for over a week, before he was eventually found by his family.

He has denied the theft and is scared to show anybody his face, and doesn't want to leave his home.
Mr Reis, 27, and Mr Moreira de Araujo, 29, were arrested and face charges of torture.

The teenager gave a statement to police denied having committed any theft and was taken to the medical post to be medicated and returned to his grandmother's house.

He is being treated at a psychological care centre and is receiving treatment for his wounds.
G1, a Brazilian news website, spoke to the boy's uncle.

He said: "He's very well-liked in the neighborhood and many people started looking for him, they came to tell us where he was and his friends went to pick him up, and now he's at his grandmother's house, resting."

One of the lad's childhood friends has started a crowd sourcing page to raise funds for the tattoo to be removed.
But he says he has received death threats from the "tattoo community". - Mirror

Policemen Murder Okada Driver Over N50

There is tension as the Police in Enugu State and members of Ikpa-modo, Enugu Ezike, in Igboeze North LGA of the state trade blames over the death of 38-year-old man, Bitrus Chukwudi Ugwuanyi.

It was alleged that Ugwuanyi, who was an Okadama (commercial motorcyclist), was killed by policemen for his inability to pay them N50, after he was arrested at a checkpoint at Ugwu Ekposhi and asked to pay N50, Vanguard reports.

He reportedly said he had nothing on him, as he was on his first trip of the day. An eyewitness said an altercation with one of the officers reportedly led to the killing of Ugwuanyi in the presence of his female passenger. .

It was further alleged that when it dawned on the policeman that his victim was dead, he quickly raised an alarm that the dead man snatched his AK-47 riffle, which led to the arrival of members of the Igboeze North Central Neighbourhood Watch at the scene. .

The Neighbourhood Watch members were said to have fired more shots on the dead body, before they paraded the corpse around the town, celebrating that he was killed for allegedly “snatching a gun from a policeman.” .

Trouble began when Ugwuanyi’s kinsmen protested his murder, saying that he was not known to be of bad character. Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, said that the police would rely on the information that Ugwuanyi was killed in the course of trying to retrieve the AK-47 riffle until the contrary was proved. .

Amaraizu, however, advised the relations of the deceased to raise a petition to the state Police Commissioner, Danmalam Mohammed, if they were sure of their new position.

EFCC’s Presence At The Sun Newspaper

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the early hours of today, June 12, 2017 visited the head office of the Sun Newspaper in Lagos. The visit, which lasted for less an hour, was part of routine efforts to ascertain the state of the assets of the publishing company which is the subject of a subsisting interim forfeiture order. Prior to the visit, the Commission had written to the management of the company to account for its management of the assets for the period of the subsisting court order.

The Commission still awaits the response of the Sun and will not be distracted by any attempt to whip up sentiments by alluding to an appeal which has been pending for ten years. The Commission’s action is without prejudice to any appeal and only meant to verify the integrity of the assets.

Contrary to claims in a statement released to the media by the management of the Sun, no staff of the media outfit was molested or intimidated for the few minutes that operatives of the Commission spent in the premises of the company. The claim that “EFCC operatives subjected our staff to crude intimidation, psychological and emotional trauma, even as some of the men accused our organization of publishing pro-Biafra, Boko Haram, and Niger Delta Militant stories,” is strange and clearly the figment of the imagination of the Sun

There was no reason to molest anybody as the commission has always related professionally with the publishing outfit. The attempt also to link the visit to the acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu’s threat to sue the organization over a libelous publication is also diversionary. Magu is pursuing that option in his private capacity and his lawyer, Wahab Shittu, did write the Sun and his letter was widely published in the media on March 31, 2017.


Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
12th June, 2017

Alfa obtains N8.5m, fails to fulfil boosting client’s business

A self-styled Alfa, 45-year-old Adeleke Isiaka, is facing trial at a Federal High Court, Lagos, for allegedly obtaining $50,000 (N8.5m) from a man on the pretext of praying on the money to make his business boom.

The accused is charged with a three-count offence of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences and stealing.

He, however, denied the charge.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr. Sylvester Azubuike, of the Special Fraud Unit, Lagos, told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime in March 2013 at Abdul Oladejo Avenue, Mokore Town, Wawa, off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

He alleged that the accused obtained the sum of $50,000 (N8.5m) from the complainant, Mr. Ismail Abdul, to offer special prayers for Allah’s blessings on the money to enable the complainant to purchase two trucks and for his business to be free from all spiritual problems.

“The accused bolted with the money after collecting it,” Azubuike said.

Justice Muslim Hassan granted the accused bail in the sum of N1m with one surety in like sum and that the surety must provide three-year tax clearance.

He ordered that the accused should be remanded in prison pending when the bail conditions would be satisfied.

Trial has been fixed for September 15. - NAN
 

Al-Mustapha: Those who came to Aso Rock to protest Abiola’s death got money from CBN

Hamza Al-Mustapha, former chief security officer (CSO) to Sani Abacha, former head of state, has alleged that those who staged a protest to the presidential villa in Abuja after the death of MKO Abiola, were bribed with money brought from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Speaking with reporters in Kaduna after brokering a peace deal between stakeholders from the northern and southern parts of the country, Al-Mustapha said Nigerians will still know the killers of Abiola.

Abiola, who was incarcerated for laying claim to his mandate, died before he was to be released.
Al-Mustapha was later arrested over Abiola’s death. He spent 14 years in prison and was later set free.

In the interactive session with reporters, Al-Mustapha alleged that some leaders received bribe from the killers of Abiola.
He claimed to have captured those who collected the bribe on tape and submitted a copy of the video Mojisola Dada, justice of a Lagos high court.

The retired major said he did not want to open the can of worms before, but Ayo Opadokun, renowned political activist, forced him to speak out.

Opadokun had recently tongue lashed Al-Mustapha over a recent interview he granted.
“What came out in the newspaper is his own imagination and falsehood against me. If you know my character, you will know that I will not be scared to say the truth, it does not matter who, it does not matter where, but you will later realise that I told you the truth,” he said.

“Initially, I didn’t want to reply him but now that you have asked, I will tell you what happened.
“A day after Abiola died, he (Opadokun) was invited to the presidency and he came to the villa alongside his friends. He was very angry in the villa. Those who killed Abiola invited him to the villa. At that material time, they came to fight the government, they wanted to set the country ablaze, considering the tone they came with.

“They went into the meeting and came out laughing, yelling and jeering as if nothing happened in the country.

“A day after Abiola’s death, if you remember, the country was on the verge of collapse. But seeing what was going on and the things around Abiola led me to suspect them, I had not handed over the villa to Abdulsalami Abubakar government then, so I decided to videotape what they were doing and I have the tape and I have tendered the tape before a court of law, before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos high court.

“In that tape, money exchanged hands and they traded that with Abiola’s memory, and that is my anger. The tape is in that court, anybody who wants to watch it can get it and watch, it is now a public document. I didn’t want to talk about it before, but money was brought from CBN in my presence and it was shared.

“So, if I talk about Abiola’s well-being and safety and that of his family, I am telling Nigerians what really happened. Why should a person from the same south-west, who is supposed to protect Abiola’s interest now be seen to be angry with me? He should be happy with me for saying the fact so that it will not happen again in Nigeria.

“Now, they have forgotten about Abiola but the moment I talk, they will come to the pages of newspapers and start insulting me. I didn’t want to respond to them, but since you have asked, I have to say this.

“All they have done is that they took money and the moment you talk about Abiola, you become their enemy and they will abuse you in the papers. That is what they are doing to me, but I don’t care.
“Thank you very much, I will speak more on this much later God’s willing.”

When contacted, Opadokun said he could not speak because he was on the road and running late to attend a television programme.
“I can’t hear you well,” he told TheCable on the telephone.

“I am on the way to a programme on TVC and I am running late. Can we talk later?” - Cable Nigeria

Outrage As Woman Strips Naked at Jerusalem’s Western Wall

A 23-year-old woman took off her clothes at Jerusalem’s Western Wall holy site and then made a break towards the men’s section, shocking worshippers.

The Times of Israel reported the woman, who is from the Jerusalem area, was stopped by security guards who covered her and and then detained her, a police statement said.

The streaker prompted shouts and screams from people praying at the Western Wall, the most sacred site in Judaism. “People started to scream and cry and when she started moving toward the men’s section, she was stopped by force,” one witness told Israel’s Channel 2.


Eventually the woman was escorted from the Western Wall’s open plaza and questioned. According to witnesses, she entered the area in clothed and then got undressed in the women’s section. The woman appeared to have come determined to “cause a provocation,” one onlooker claimed.

In a YouTube video of the incident that has subsequently been removed, the woman is filmed from behind slowly walking towards the men’s section. Entrances and areas of prayer are segregated at the Western Wall, as is common in Orthodox Jewish synagogues.

One woman can be seen trying to cover the naked woman with a shawl, but she is pushed away by the naked woman who then makes a dash for the men’s section. She made it as far as the entrance to the male section before she is stopped.Two men are seen carrying her to a nearby bathroom area, not far from a small police station.

The detained woman’s family said she has suffered psychological issues, according to Channel 2.
The Western Wall, one of last remaining structures that formed part of the outer wall of Jerusalem’s Second Temple, is the closest point to where the temple itself stood, and is the holiest place for prayer in Judaism.

It lies in Jerusalem’s Old City, which was captured with the rest of east Jerusalem by Israeli forces during the Six Day War in 1967.

Ghanaian player jailed for raping wife in Sweden

A Swedish court on Friday sentenced a Ghanaian football player in Sweden ’ s second division to two years in prison for raping and beating his wife.

After serving his sentence , 22 -year - old Kwame Bonsu , who played for the Gefle IF club , will be expelled from the Scandinavian country where he has lived in since 2013 , the Gavle District Court said.

Gefle on Friday said Bonsu was dismissed from the team with immediate effect .

He will also have to pay 245 , 000 kronor ( at least 25 , 000 euros , $ 28 , 000 ) in compensation to his wife, who is a Swedish national .

He first met her in 2014 when he was playing in the southern Swedish city of Mjolby . They married the following year .

A few months after the wedding he signed a transfer to the town of Gavle , located about 300 kilometres ( 190 miles ) away from Mjolby .
Bonsu ’ s wife had wanted him to stay to continue his studies .

The victim said the rape and beatings took place in the couple ’ s apartment during an evening in November 2015 when he had refused to let her out.

Bonsu repeatedly denied the charges , but testimony from his wife’ s relatives led the court to believe the victim ’ s version of events. - AFP

June : Osinbajo signs 2017 budget

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday signed the 2017 Appropriation bill into law.
Osinbajo accented the Budget around 4:42 p.m.
The budget was passed by the National Assembly some weeks back while President Muhammadu Buhari left Nigeria for the United Kingdom on 7th May to follow up on his medical consultation with his doctors.

The budget, which was presented in December 2016 before the two chambers of the national assembly by President Buhari, had an estimate of N7.28 trillion but was raised to N7.44 trillion by the Federal lawmakers.

Details of the budget showed that N434.4 billion was appropriated for statutory transfers to the National Judicial Council (N100 billion); Niger Delta Development Commission (N64.02 billion); Universal Basic Education (N95.2 billion); National Assembly (N125 billion); Public Complaints Commission (N4 billion); INEC (N45 billion); and National Human Rights Commission (N1.2 billion).

The National Assembly members who witnessed the signing ceremony at the Vice President’s conference room included the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, Senator Danjuma Goje, among others.

Also at the ceremony are the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, Head of Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang, Senator Phillip Aduda. The Nation

Minivan swallowed by gigantic sinkhole as road caves in amid heavy rainfall (Video )

A minivan was swallowed by a gigantic sinkhole as a road caved in amid heavy rainfall.

Shocking footage captures the vehicle falling into the hole as a massive road caved in on Saturday in Nantong, in east China's Jiangsu province.
The silver van is seen laying on its side in the ditch, as water gushes in from burst pipes.

The video also shows large chunks of the road and pavement collapsing in a scene of absolute destruction.

A tree was "engulfed" by the hole said to be 9m long and 3m wide.

Onlookers stood on the opposite side of the road, watching from afar.

Police rushed to the scene and thankfully no casualties have been reported.
The local government filled in the hole within 24 hours and the reason for the incident is under investigation.

People were shocked to see the scale of the sinkhole when the video was shared online.
Writing on Facebook, Jan Neels said: "How did they fill that in one night?"

Others criticised the infrastructure.
A Twitter user named Global Citizen said: "China's infrastructure and its manufactured goods are doomed to fail." - Mirror

Watch video below; 

Video : Naked Man Arrested After Damaging Police Car

Merkel's G20-Africa meet aims to reduce poverty, migrant influx

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts African leaders Monday for a G20 conference aimed at fighting the grinding poverty driving the mass migrant influx to Europe.

The idea is to team up African nations willing to reform with the world's biggest economies and private investors to bring business and jobs to a continent where instability and corruption often scare off foreign companies.

"The global community has an interest in the better economic development of Africa," said German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.
Merkel is hosting the initiative as part of Germany's presidency of the Group of 20 biggest economies, whose leaders meet in the northern port of Hamburg a month later.

Invited to Berlin are the leaders of Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia, as well as the heads of the World Bank, IMF and African Union.

In Africa -- whose population is set to double by mid-century -- economies need to grow equally fast "and promise a future for young people, which would also help to ease migratory pressures," said Merkel's spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer.

Germany, Europe's largest economy, has taken in more than one million asylum seekers since 2015 -- more than half from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, but also many thousands from Ethiopia, Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa.
Hundreds of thousands more have trekked through the Sahara into lawless Libya, hoping that traffickers there will take them in rickety boats across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde said that "having people flee from many sub-Saharan countries to reach better shores is not a sustainable response".
"Creating the economic circumstances where people can live, grow, be educated and create value for themselves and their families at home is the way to go," she told business daily Handelsblatt.

 'Not about hand-outs' 

Merkel last year visited major migration transit countries Mali and Niger as well as Ethiopia, the seat of the African Union, and pledged 27 million euros ($30 million) in aid aiming to stop migrants heading for Europe in the first place.

"The well-being of Africa is in Germany's interest," Merkel said at the time.

Critics have dismissed the latest multilateral Africa initiative as a half-hearted effort without a major aid commitment, but organisers say it could help boost prosperity and reduce the mass flight and brain drain, especially of young people.
Under the G20 "compacts" plan, an initial seven African nations will pledge reforms to attract more private sector investment.

Those countries will then receive technical support from the IMF, World Bank, other development institutions and their G20 partner country, which will also promote the effort to its own industrial sectors.
More than 100 banks, companies and other potential investors are expected at the two-day conference.

"This is not about hand-outs or just money or cheap money, but about the opportunity to attract investment, profits and jobs," said a German finance ministry official.
Germany will team up with Ghana, Ivory Coast and Tunisia, while other G20 members will support efforts by Ethiopia, Morocco, Rwanda and Senegal.

Germany is offering an additional 300 million euros in support for countries that fight corruption, set up transparent accounting and tax systems and protect human rights, said Development Minister Gerd Mueller.
Non-government groups have criticised that the G20 club -- whose only member on the continent is South Africa -- is offering no bigger financial commitments of its own, and that international trade often hurts African farmers and producers.

About 1,000 anti-globalisation protesters marched through Berlin on Saturday, waving signs that said "Africa is not for sale" and decrying the conference as a neocolonial grab for African resources at a time Europe wants to slam the door on its migrants. - AFP

Police arrest three Chinese nationals with 474 iPhones, 350,000 SIM cards

Police on Monday arrested three Chinese nationals in Thailand after being nabbed with 474 iPhones and nearly 350,000 SIM cards which they used to manipulate product information on WeChat.

Police officer Wassapan Sirikulkamonchat said in addition to the iPhones and SIM cards, police also found 21 SIM card readers and nine computers in the raid at their apartment.

He said the three reportedly confessed that they were hired to falsify the popularity of certain WeChat pages selling products in China by boosting social media “likes’’ and page views,.
WeChat is a Chinese social media app with almost a billion users.

Wassapan said that Wang Dong, 33, Niu Bang, 25 and Ni Wenjin, 31, were arrested in Sa Kaeo province, 200 km east of Bangkok, following a tip-off by locals who suspected them of working illegally in Thailand.

The three were charged with working without a permit in Thailand and smuggling electronic gadgets from China.
He said they are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
The officer said that although working without a permit in Thailand could lead to five years in prison, the three men are likely to only pay fines related to their charges and be deported back to China. -  Agency Reporter

I Warned Some South-West Leaders That Buhari’s 2nd Coming Will Be The Greatest Mistake - Adebanjo

Chief Ayo Adebanjo, an elder statesman is a chieftain of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere. In this interview, Adebanjo tackles South West leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who he blamed for not leading the agitation for restructuring. He also said he had warned some of them about voting for Buhari and also spoke about the ultimatum given to Igbos by some Northern youths.

How far do you think Nigeria’s 18 years of unbroken democracy has gone? 

There is no democracy in the country, my friend. Do not deceive yourself. We have only had civilian administration, we have been paying lip service to democracy because the actions of the government have been anti-democracy but they like to make us believe that they are practicing democracy. I do not believe that there is a democracy in Nigeria.

What do you think the present crop of leaders can learn from the legacy of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, whose 30-year remembrance we are marking? 

We have not learned anything. Once you don’t practice democracy, the rule of law and true federalism, you will not have stability because we are not following the footsteps of our founding fathers. That is why you will not have political stability and we can never have political stability until you practice true federalism.


That brings me to the agitation for restructuring, what are your thoughts? 

Without restructuring, there is no Nigeria, if we do not restructure now, Nigeria will break. Restructuring is not a long story; it is just that people are pretending. Restructuring means that the constitution we had at independence, which the leaders agreed to should be used, no more, no less. All other things are just looking for excuses.

Why do you think some Nigerians are against restructuring? 

I said it before the elections that the northern elements are enjoying the present military constitution. The constitution that our founding fathers gave us was fair. All the inequalities in the McPherson constitution had been rectified in 1954 after our leaders went to the London Constitutional
Conference.

They gave us a federal constitution and the constitution of each region was written separately, unfortunately, the military canceled this constitution in 1966. It destructured Nigeria and turned a federal constitution to a unitary constitution calling it federal and that is why people say that our document is a fraudulent document. We described it as a constitution of the people but we did not make the constitution, it was the military that made it. That is why people are clamouring for the implementation of the 2014 recommendations of the National Conference, where we settled almost all the problems of Nigeria.

But opposition has risen against the implementation of the report. Why? 

It is obvious to us. Under the present constitution, the military skewed the constitution of the country in favour of the north. I said it before the 2015 general elections that the military created local governments arbitrarily in favour of the north. Then, they said that the local government they created in favour of the north, must be the basis of distributing Nigeria’s revenue, to which they contributed little or nothing all because they are in the military.

That is where the cheating and fraud lies, that is why the Avengers are crying, that is why Boko Haram is there, that is why Biafra is rising again after 50 years.

What lessons can be learned? 

The lesson is that we must go back to basics. I have been saying it. Why are the Avengers crying? All the minorities in the north too are crying. We do not want all these disabilities. Those of us clamouring for restructuring are the constitutionalists and we are the people who want Nigeria to remain in peace.

The people in government, Buhari and the APC, and all those opposed to restructuring are the people paying lip service to the unity of Nigeria because the Constitution made the president the most powerful person in the world.

If you are serious about the country being united, you will not be creating actions that separate you; you will not make appointments that will make a section of the country to be discontented.

There is no peace all over the country now because of the lopsidedness of the Buhari administration. We are under a one man dictatorship and I will proof it.

When have you heard the APC holding a National Executive Council or a National Convention? It is a serious matter. The party in government must meet to decide the policy they are going to implement.

Having said this, what are the dangers you foresee? 

I foresee that the country will break; we do not need a crystal ball for that. The herdsmen have been invading all parts of the country, what has the Federal Government done? The herdsmen kill, maim and they burn but not one single arrest, they turned a blind eye. One day the people they are oppressing will react.

The court gives an order that Dasuki and others should be released, you say you are fighting corruption. He (Buhari) is just paying lip service and you swore that you are a born again democrat. Can we have democracy without the rule of law? You use the pretense of fighting corruption to do things against the rule of law. Nobody is opposed to corruption being wiped out, nobody will be happy if our resources are being stolen by a few individuals but there should not be any pretense to rule like a dictator.

The moment you rule without the rule of law, then nobody is safe, there will be anarchy. That is the licence they used to break into the houses of judges at night under the guise of fighting corruption. Is that the way to fight corruption? It is just pretense.

What do you make of the ultimatum issued by some Northern youths to the Igbo living in the North to vacate the region by October 1? 

That was an unfortunate statement to make. They are blowing the whistle for war; they are blowing the whistle for the disintegration of the nation. This is not the time such a thing must come from the north when we are accusing them of dominating the country.

They are doing everything to irritate other ethnic groups in the country that is not from the northern region. You are saying that all ethnic groups resident in the north should leave. What does that imply? What is the implication of that? We are in a very precarious situation and it is very unfortunate.

What steps can be taken to ensure Nigeria gets back on the right track? 

With the situation now, the Federal Government should summon all ethnic groups in the country and decide how to part because we cannot continue like this without people reacting. So, instead of causing violence, let us part in peace.

But the Federal government has insisted that Nigeria’s unity is non-negotiable… 

You belong to a club when you believe you have an advantage but when the club is oppressing you, then what is the point of remaining there other than to get out? That is why the Biafra people are saying they want to opt out, do not blame them? Ask them why they want to opt out from a country they have lived all these years? If they have been satisfied and enjoyed the unity of this country, they will not like to leave.

I say categorically, don’t let us deceive ourselves, Buhari and the APC are not serious about keeping the country together, they are only paying lip service. If that statement is not correct, there is a lot the president should do to show that he welcomes everybody.

All they are saying to us is that if they are going to remain in the country, it must be on the terms favourably to the northern region, that is the only condition and they are building it. I don’t believe those who made that statement did not have the backing of their people.

For all the youths in the north to call for a press conference and say that a section of the country should leave their area when they know they are also in other areas; they are only calling for war. They believe because their people dominate the security forces in the country, they believe they are ready for a fight. It shows they only want to dominate the rest of the country. I say this, with all the statements emerging from the north, there is no reaction from the Federal government.

What does it show? It shows the other parts of the country can go to blazes because they are in power. With all the complaints we have been having, the president has not gone on air to condemn all these actions. Not even a single arrest has been made.

Some of those now in the APC government were in the forefront of the June 12 struggle. Is this what we bargained for? 

This is a one-man rule. Members of the APC, who are democrats, are conniving and colluding with this autocratic regime. People like Tinubu and other South West leaders, who are in the APC, should talk now. This is not what we bargained for. Is that the change we want? Is this what you led the South-West to do? They have sold out and I am sure the electorates in the South West and South-south, who were led into the APC, are not dunces.

The South-West played a prominent role in a return to democratic rule, what are leaders like you doing… 

(Cuts in) What can we do? The solution to the country is to go back to federalism.

Which was what was fought for during the June 12 crisis? 

Not only that. There should also be a return to the constitution which all the leaders in London agreed to before independence. The constitution we are talking about was canceled by the army, dominated by the north. There can be no peace. I warned some leaders from the South-West that Buhari’s second coming is the greatest mistake you will make if you vote for him. 

How Condoms Fell Out from My Pocket During Testimony in Church - Man Shares Sad Story

Popular Lagos-based Psychologist and Relationship therapist, Joro Olumofin, has taken to his Instagram blog page to share the story of a young man who face the humiliation of his life in Church.

 

According to the man he attended his Church's mid-week service and was called to give a testimony, as he made way to the pulpit, some condoms accidentally fell of his pocket and his pastor's wife gave him an 'evil' eye.

 

The man is crying out for advise as he is having difficulty going back to church to serve the Lord as the congregation already think he is a possessed demon.

 

 Here's the e-mail he sent to the Love Doctor;

 

Nigerian man arrested for raping Nigerian beauty queen in Kenya

A Nigerian man who has been identified Daniel Entony Daberechukwu, has been arraigned in court for allegedly raping a 19-yea right-old campus beauty queen, Miss United States International University Africa (USIU), Nneka Enyantu Obi.

Though Daniel has denied raping Nneka, however it was gathered that suspect reportedly committed the offence on March 19, 2017,after the complainant attended a friend’s birth day party at Thika Road Mall alongside the raped beauty queen.

SDE reports that Police allege that all the friends attending the party were drinking alcohol and enjoying the music until 11pm when they switched clubs around the campus. The court heard that around 1.30am, the complainant and Daniel left for the hostel.

It is then that Daniel allegedly offered to escort Nneka to her room since she was too drunk. Police allege that he started kissing her along the corridors. It is reported that instead of taking her to the room, he took her to his room.

She woke up to find herself on his bed, while Daniel was on the floor. It wasn’t until she reached her room that she realized her panty was missing and her privates were in pain.

Daniel has since denied the charge and was set free on Sh500,000 bond and ordered to deposit his passport in court. The matter comes for hearing on June 9, 2017.

Lawmaker mistakenly hands out document with porn references

A Rhode Island lawmaker is acknowledging he mistakenly gave his colleagues a handout that showed open web browser tabs referencing pornographic content.

State Rep. Ramon Perez brought printouts of a Wikipedia article Wednesday to give to House Finance Committee members as part of his testimony in favor of a bill.

The screenshot reportedly showed multiple open browser tabs with titles referencing pornographic material. No images could be seen.

A House spokesman confirmed Perez gave the document to the clerk, who made copies and distributed them. The clerk collected the handouts from members when the tabs were discovered. Perez submitted a new handout the next day.

Perez says the incident was "a mistake." He says the handout was provided to him by a friend whom he'd asked to research the information. - AP

Welder Arraigned For Duping Former Ambassador

A welder, Chinedu Iwuayanwau, on Monday appeared before a Jos Upper Area Court for allegedly duping a former ambassador of N6 million.

Iwuayanwau is standing trial for duping Nelson Uba of N6 million on March 12.

The prosecutor, Yakubu Audu, said that the accused collected the money to construct doors, burglar proof and other items but converted the money to his personal use.

”The accused was to construct metallic doors, double doors, stair case rail, a tower tank, kitchen windows, toilet windows and other items,” the prosecutor told the court.

When his plea was taken, Iwuayanwau denied the charge.

The Magistrate, Yahaya Mohammed, remanded the accused in prison and adjourned the case till June 30. 

June 12 1993 And The Lessons Of History By Joe Igbokwe

Those who were not born before June 12, 1993, may not know what is all about. For record purposes, June 12, 1993, was the day Nigerians from the East, West, North and rose voice, in amity, in unity, in concord and tandem to elect Chief M.K.O as the president of Nigeria. But on 21st June 1993 the former military president, retired General Ibrahim Babangida annulled the historic election and set Nigeria on the path of crisis, leading to many deaths including the winner and the wife , Kudrirat Abiola.

In my book, Heroes of Democracy (1999) the struggle for the revalidation of that mandate and the consequences was documented for posterity and generations yet unborn. Today I want to talk about the historical importance of that election, the pains, the sacrifices, the losses and the lessons.
Recall that the consummate winner of that historic election, a Yoruba first class leader, a Chartered Accountant of note, an international scholar, and a very successful businessman was hounded and incarcerated for five years and was eventually poisoned on July 7, 1998. The wife, Kudirat Abiola was shot in Lagos on June 4, 1996. It was a calculated attempt and carefully planned work to provoke the Yoruba to war in order to destroy the economy Lagos but did Yorubas play into their hands? NO!  A lot of high profile Yoruba leaders including the late Chief Abraham Adesanya, the late Chief Bola Ige, Ayo Adebanjo, late Olaniwun Ajayi, Ayo Opadokun and others were incarcerated, some like Suliat Adedeji, Admiral Omotosho , Admiral Elegbede, Toyin Onagoruwa etc were killed. Former president OBASANJO was sent to jail for an alleged phantom coup.

Great minds like Professor Wole Soyinka, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kayode Fayemi and many others were chased into exile .Yoruba leaders were abused, humiliated and ridiculed but did they resort to self-determination, abuse, hatred and ethnic bigotry? No! with pen and paper, and with common sense, sound education and civilization they faced those who planned to decimate them. No wonder the presidency was zoned to them in 1999 even though they did not allow them to use their choice, Chief Olu Falae. The powers that be chose Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. That singular mistake almost made Nigeria to lose almost everything in 16 years of PDP. Obasanjo was not prepared for leadership. He just came out from prison with no agenda, no plans, no strategy.

Then came the late Umaru Yar Adua who died in office and then Jonathan and in those 16 years Nigeria, many including this writer still talk about it as the years of the locusts. Now the questions people like us have been asking is whether Nigeria would have been where it is today had Chief Abiola been allowed to rule Nigeria at least for 8 years?  Abiola would have brought to bear his cognate and very deep experience in the business world to transform Nigeria. Chief Abiola would have set the template for a prosperous Nigeria, he would have brought the hope he promised Nigerians, he would utilized our oil revenue to transform Nigeria as a Chartered Accountant and he would have changed for the better Nigeria's course of history.

Denying Chief Abiola his mandate caused Nigeria a great and monumental setback in 18 years .Today 24 years after, the annulment of that mandate is still haunting Nigeria.

What happened from June 12, 1993, to July 7, 1998, provoked the Yoruba nation to hate other Nigerians especially the Hausa- Fulani and Igbo for decimating a free mandate given to their illustrious son and killing him thereafter. But did the Yoruba go to war? Today southwest is the richest zone in Nigeria. In fact, the IGR of Ogun state is bigger than that of the entire South East States. Lagos IGR is bigger than that of 33 states in Nigeria put together. If Yoruba had gone to war where would they have been today? What would have happened if Igbo or Hausa-Fulani had suffered what Yoruba went through? I have no doubt in my mind that they would have gone to war but see what tact, common sense, education, intelligence, civilization and power of critical thinking can do in the life of a wise people. The same Yoruba was later to form an alliance with Hausa – Fulani in 2014 to box Igbo and their collaborators in the South South to a corner in 2015 general elections.

 Now, what are the lessons? There are no permanent foes or friends in politics. If you can wait and not tired of waiting the world and everything in it belong to you. Chief Abiola would have given up his mandate and still be alive but he chose the path of human dignity to liberate his people. Chief Abiola's supreme sacrifice gave rise to May 29 we now celebrate as Democracy Day. I do not know any Nigerian multi-billionaire today who will do what Chief Abiola did yet other people think Yorubas are cowards. Perish the thought. They are the toughest and most advanced Nigerians I know today.


Today, is South West not better than those who seek to humiliate and destroy them? Those who seek to destroy and decimate others suffer more than their victims.  June 12 lives on. Chief M.K.O Abiola lives on. - Joe Igbokwe, Lagos

US senators oppose Trump’s bid to sell fighter jets to Nigeria

Cory Booker and Rand Paul, US senators, have opposed the sale of attack aircraft to Nigeria, saying the country must investigate cases of alleged human rights abuses before sealing the deal with the US.

In a letter dated June 8 and addressed to Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, the senators expressed concern that Nigeria’s acquisition of these aircraft would “spur unrest and violence, particularly in the north-eastern part of the country.”

They said that if the aircraft are sold without any indication of Nigeria’s commitment to the protection of human rights, it would go contrary to the US security objectives.

While citing the Shi’ites “massacre” allegedly carried out by the Nigerian army and the accidental Rann bombing by the Nigerian airforce, they said there were allegations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct in the military.
Booker was part of a bipartisan group of senators that voted to block a weapons sale to Saudi Arabia “because of concerns over the country’s targeting of Yemen civilians”.

“We request that before you approve this sale, you brief us on the steps Nigeria has taken to investigate and hold accountable those that have committed human rights abuses. We believe the security threats Nigeria is facing are very real but that a sale of this nature, and at this time, is ill-advised,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

“Boko Haram – a 5,000 to 10,000 strong insurgent force with ties to the Islamic State – will not be defeated through expanded air power alone.
“At the same time, there continues to be additional allegations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct throughout the Nigerian military. While some soldiers have been released or retired, there has yet to be any real or meaningful accountability for the systemic challenges that have plagued Nigeria’s security forces for decades.

“Without addressing these problems at an institutional level, reform is merely cosmetic and will only perpetuate long-standing patterns of abuse, which could serve as propaganda for Boko Haram and other insurgent groups seeking to discredit the Nigerian government.

“We are concerned that the decision to proceed with this sale will empower the government to backtrack even further on its commitments to human rights, accountability, and upholding international humanitarian law, which in turn could spur greater unrest and violence, particularly in the north-eastern part of the country.

“Accordingly, we strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to sell A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to Nigeria without any meaningful reform or any clear safeguards in place. Instead, we recommend you make clear to Abuja that the sale of these aircraft can proceed only if there is positive and measurable progress on reforming the security institutions.”

In April, Washington Post reported that the administration of President Donald Trump Trump had agreed to sell 12 fighter jets to Nigeria at $600 million.

Quoting some officials, the newspaper had said congress was expected to receive formal notification of the deal within weeks. - Cable Nigeria

Court in Pakistan sentences man to death for ‘blasphemous’ Facebook post

A 30-year-old Muslim man has been sentenced to death for posting ‘blasphemous’ content on Facebook in Pakistan.

Taimoor Raza was sentenced in Bahawalpur in eastern Punjab province after being arrested in 2016 for posting offensive content about Sunni leaders and the wives of Prophet Mohammed on the popular social networking platform, the Associated Press reports.

A Shia Muslim, he had previously been arrested by the counter-terrorism force after a complaint was made that he was showing people offensive material on his phone at a bus terminal.

Pakistan has strict anti-blasphemy laws, and anyone accused of insulting God, Islam or a religious leader can be sentenced to death.
This isn’t the first time the harsh sentence has been handed out in the Sunni-majority country. In 2014, a Christian couple were found guilty of sending a text message insulting the Prophet to the imam of their local mosque.

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are a violation of human rights, and are often used against religious minorities, according to a new report by Amnesty International.

Audrey Gaughran, a director of the charity, said: "Once a person is accused, they become ensnared in a system that offers them few protections, presumes them guilty, and fails to safeguard them against people willing to use violence.”

Police are able to arrest the accused without checking to see if the charge makes sense. In the case of the Christian couple this is an especially salient point. The duo were accused of sending the text in English, despite the reports they are illiterate.

As of yet, no one convicted of blasphemy has been executed, however the deeply conservative nature of the country means that even an accusation is enough to invite mob violence.

In 2014 distinguished human rights lawyer Rashid Rehman was shot dead in his office and a pamphlet distributed around his place of work which said he was killed because he had tried to “save a blasphemer.”

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has clamped down on Internet freedom of speech and ordered “blasphemous” content on social media to be removed or blocked, and warned posting such material will be “strictly punished”.  - The Independent