Saraki’s acquittal shocking – Sagay

The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), said on Wednesday he was shocked by the acquittal of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

Sagay said he followed the case closely and was convinced that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to secure a conviction.
The PACAC chairman said he was concerned about Saraki’s acquittal based on a no-case submission, especially coming soon after Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, who was accused of corrupt enrichment, was also similarly discharged.

A no-case is a term in criminal law whereby a defendant seeks acquittal without having to present a defence.

It refers to a submission made by a defendant or an accused in a court, which states that the claim or prosecution is not sufficient for conviction or judgment. The defendant supports his/her submission by pleading that the case is based on insufficient legal grounds.

Sagay said he was “thoroughly shocked” that the CCT did not consider the prosecution’s evidence weighty enough as to reach a guilty verdict.
Asked if he was bothered that Saraki’s acquittal on a no-case submission came soon after that of Ademola, Sagay said: “Of course I’m concerned.”

The PACAC chairman added: “To start with, I’m shocked, because a lot of materials were put before the court. And for a court to uphold a no-case submission means that there was no prima facie case made.
“That’s why I’m a bit shocked because I followed the proceedings very closely.

“But there’s going to be an appeal. We’ll just wait and see happen then, but I’m thoroughly shocked, yes.”

A former chairman of the Lagos Branch of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Chijioke Okoli (SAN), said the Federal Government seemed to be losing high profile cases involving politically exposed persons.

He attributed it to a “multiplicity of factors,” including shortcoming on the part of the prosecution and the ability of high profile suspects to hire the best defence lawyers.
Okoli, however, said the federal government had secured some convictions as published by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently.

He said: “We don’t have exact statistics to deal with (on loss of high profile cases). I’m aware that recently, EFCC chairman reeled out some impressive number of convictions they have secured.

“However, from an anecdotal evidence based on what we read in the papers, it does appear that the politically exposed persons seems to be getting away scot free.

“One may ask: ‘If the vast majority of politically exposed persons are getting acquitted, then is it the man on the street or you and I who are the perpetrators of this much vaunted bribery corruption?’

“So, it’s something that does not lend itself to a straight forward answer. A number of it (losses) may well be due to the system. I don’t want to believe that the prosecution is inept as some people say.” - The Nation

Woman lodged 19 sewing needles in her chest and stomach

A woman walked into the emergency department of a Dublin hospital with 19 sewing needles lodged in her chest and stomach – two of which penetrated her heart.

The needles had been inserted by the woman, 32, in an apparent attempt to deal with anxiety brought on by paranoid delusions. She was later diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The details of the horrific incident are contained in a case report by three doctors attached to the emergency department at Connolly Hospital and published in the Irish Medical Journal.

The patient attended the emergency department reporting that she had a single needle lodged in her chest, but a subsequent x-ray detected at least 19 foreign objects in her body.

She was urgently transferred to the Mater Hospital, where she later underwent surgery.
A needle that was penetrating the right ventricle of the patient’s heart was removed, along with two needles that had been lodged in her abdomen. The operation was completed without complication.

The report notes that the woman did well after the surgery and was referred to psychiatry services for further management and was found to have a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

“Although an innocuous presentation, this was a life-threatening injury,” states the case report authored by Dr Fareeda Borhan, Dr Nafisah Borhan, and Dr Brian O’Riordan.

“Even though a foreign body is only partially inserted into the heart, it can become completely embedded in the wall due to strong cardiac contractions.”
The movement of such objects into the chambers of the heart can be fatal, according to the report.

Usually, the type of injuries described in the case report would cause chest pain and other symptoms. However, the woman who presented at Connolly Hospital displayed no obvious sign of distress.

“Our case is unique in that the patient presented to our emergency service with multiple needles to the chest and abdomen but without such serious complications,” states the report. - Irish Mirror

Ticket to Europe? Nigeria girls lured into sexual slavery

In Benin City, Nigeria's capital of illegal migration, no one says the word "prostitution". The word on the street for the young girls who leave for Italy or France is "hustling".

About 37,500 Nigerians arrived in Italy by boat in 2016, more than from any other African country, and most of them were from the southern city, the capital of Edo state.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has recorded an explosion in the number of Nigerian women trafficked into Europe.
In 2013, there were 433 but the following year, it rose to nearly 5,000. There was a "substantial increase" in "more easily-manipulated" under-age victims, the IOM says. Most are destined for sexual slavery.

"Why Edo? Why Benin City? I am trying to understand and it gives me a headache," says Sister Bibiana, who helps young women when they return from Europe, voluntarily or otherwise.
"But they're itching to go back."

- 'Like Jesus' -

The benevolent smile of Jesus radiates down on the meeting room of Sister Bibiana's small charity in Benin City.
"In Europe, people are good people. They are like Jesus," says one woman, Miracle, explaining why she left Nigeria in 2012.

"I pray to God every day. I ask him to find me a way to go back."
Miracle returned from Italy two years ago. The story she tells is sketchy. She claims only to have been a sex worker for a few weeks before being rescued.

But the nun who knows her background insists Miracle was a prostitute from when she arrived in Europe until the time she left.
The women, who come from poor backgrounds with little education, do not have the means to get to Italy.

But in Benin City, "cartels" of human traffickers are everywhere. Women need only find a "madame" to organise the trip and get false papers, with the promise of a job.
Some believe they will become hairdressers, others that they will be high-class prostitutes in big hotels. Few ask questions.

Once in Europe, they find themselves on the streets of Palermo or Paris, selling sex for between five and 10 euros ($5.50-$11) a time to pay back a debt of 50,000-60,000 euros ($55,000-$66,000).
Divinity went to Dubai rather than Italy. She says her debt was "only" 15,000 euros and going overseas had been a long-held dream.

"All my life, I've dreamt to travel abroad and see the world," says Divinity, who was 18 when she left.
But she later realised she would never be free of the people who trafficked her and decided to go to the police. The authorities didn't want to know.
She's now back on the streets of Benin City, where poverty and evangelical churches mix with Western Union money transfer bureaus, where parents pick up money sent by children who left to "hustle" abroad.

Among those who "failed" to make it in Europe, many go back onto the streets when they get home with traumatic tales about seeing dozens of clients per night along country roads, the "sexual practices of white people" and sleeping rough in railway stations.
Worse still, they recount the journey through Libya.

The traffickers tout the European dream to village girls who haven't even been to Lagos, the country''s economic capital, about 300 kilometres (190 miles) away.
They have little idea of the world but are sure life is better elsewhere.

Patience says she moved to Dubai by choice and not because she was forced by a madame.
"I went by myself, by road," she says, explaining she had hoped to find self-improvement and travel opportunities in a country not hit by recession.

- 'Self-recruited' -

Nigeria's economy, over-reliant on oil revenues, has been in trouble since the price of crude slumped on the worldwide market, weakening the local naira currency.
Even a small salary in euros is a huge sum when sent home, and earns more respect among families.

Sociologist Edoja Okyokunu, from the University of Benin City, says many Nigerians don't want to be cut off from the chance of going overseas and escaping poverty in their homeland, even if it means getting involved in human trafficking.
"Who is complaining here? People don't want NGOs against human trafficking to help," he tells AFP .

"I call it self-recruited human cargo, that's why policies are not working. People are not victims of trafficking, they are only victims of poverty."  - AFP

Several people killed in crash on Bollore-run railway in Benin

Several people were killed in a crash of a train operated by a subsidiary of French industrial group Bollore in Benin, authorities said on Wednesday.

The Benirail train was traveling in excess of the speed limit on the railway that runs from the capital Cotonou to the northern city of Parakou when it collided with a bus early on Tuesday morning, Ramani Kassoumou, a senior official at the National Center for Railway Security (CNSR), told Reuters.

Interior Minister Sacca Lafia said the accident caused "several deaths" but did not offer specifics. Hospital sources in the city of Save near where the accident occurred said at least four people had died and another 30 were injured.

Bollore is the operator and largest stakeholder in Benirail, with the remaining stake held by the Benin and Niger governments and other private investors. A Bollore spokesman in Benin could not be immediately reached for comment.

At least 79 people were killed in a crash in Cameroon last October on a train operated by Camrail, also a Bollore unit. The train was traveling at twice the speed limit, the Cameroon government concluded.

Bollore declined to comment on the report at the time. 

CACOL Brands Saraki's Acquittal Product Of Political Expediency, Insists There Is Massive Judicial Corruption

An anti-graft group, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), has described, as a product of political expediency, the acquittal of Senate President, Mr Saraki, of false assets declaration charges by the the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). In a statement signed by Mr. Wale Salami, its media coordinator, the group said Mr. Saraki's discharge and acquittal are very disturbing and a sign of compromise by the federal government.

"We view the judgment as a political one achieved by the so-called anti-corruption-focused APC-led federal government for the purpose of settling its intra-party wrangling and discontent. The ruling is a big indictment on the government’s anti-corruption drive, given that Saraki’s case had been of the most prominent and most vigorously pursued one out of the several corruption cases being prosecuted by the Federal Government," said CACOL.

The group said it had, for long, suspected that Mr. Saraki’s corruption cases were going to be sacrificed on the altar of political necessity because of the manoeuvers and intrigues that characterized it right from the start.

It added that the case also validates the view that the government is corruption-compliant, saying only President Muhammadu Buhari's reputation is beyond reasonable doubt.

CACOL branded the judiciary as a disappointment, accusing it of routinely discharging and acquitting people accused of corruption, particularly its members.         

"At this rate, it appears no publicly exposed persons will ever get convicted regardless of the incriminating charges against them as long they hire high profile lawyers, who will in turn help in navigating through the turf of judicial trials using the lacunae in the justice system to evade justice. The presence of black sheep in the judiciary will continue to render useless all plans and energy vested into flushing the nation of corruption. Justice can never prevail when the lawyers, who are to defend justice and judges, who are to pronounce justice are wearing garments of corruption," it said.


It added that only the victims of corruption can organize a robust fight against graft and prosecute a successful war against graft. CACOL called on to join in the fight to rout corruption and save the country. - Saharareporters

Man kills wife, stepson after sex in bush

A 35 year-old man from Ikot-Okpora village in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State, Okon Ubem, has allegedly killed his wife, Eka Imaobong, after having sex with her in the farm.

The suspect, who will soon be charged to court for murder, is also accused of killing his eight year-old stepson identified as Godswill at the same scene of the incident.

The Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa, stated this in Calabar while addressing journalists.

Inuwa said the suspect was arrested on May 13, 2017 following a tip-off by one John Bassey, adding that he had confessed to the crime and would soon be charged to court.

“On May 13, 2017, at about 1500 hours, one John Bassey (male) of Ikot-Okpora village in Biase LGA reported to the Divisional Police headquarters in Akpet Central that one of his tenants, Okon Ubem, went to farm where he murdered his wife, Eka Imaobong, and her eight year-old son, Godswill.
“The suspect confessed to the crime and will be arraigned in court soon,” he said.In an interview with Southern City News, Ubem alleged that he killed his wife because she stole his N40,000.

He admitted that he murdered the stepson because the eight year-old boy insulted him.Ubem, who did not show remorse for the dastardly act, said he murdered the wife after making love to her in the bush.“She stole my N40,000. So, I went to meet her in the farm and killed her. Yes, I made love to her before killing her. I also killed the stepson because he abused me,” he said.

Security agents comb site in new push against Magu

A fresh plot for the removal of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu is being hatched.

Some lobbyists, comprising “powerful” citizens, have allegedly visited London with the names of two likely candidates to succeed Magu, The Nation learnt.

The preferred candidates are a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and an Assistant Commissioner of Police, with the DCP highly-favoured.

Also, some unknown security agents have been combing Magu’s uncompleted bungalow in Karshi, an Abuja suburb, in search of some evidence.

The agents were said to have dug up a soak-away pit at the site – apparently in search of buried cash or some documents.

But the combing of the bungalow yielded no fruit as nothing incriminating was found.

The development, The Nationlearnt, shocked the Acting EFCC chairman who was away in Malawi when the unknown security men invaded the uncompleted house.

There is also panic among investigators, in Magu’s household, and among his associates on the sudden search without warrant.

For the second time on March 15, the Senate rejected Magu as the substantive chairman of the EFCC following the reaffirmation of a report on him by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The DSS insisted that Magu cannot lead the country’s anti-corruption agency. Magu’s rejection has caused some disquiet between the Presidency and the Senate, with the latter demanding that the Acting Chairman should vacate the office.

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo said in the light of Section 171 of the 1999 Constitution, the President can retain Magu without the Senate’s  confirmation.

The Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) led by Prof. Itse Sagay, has also advised the President to retain Magu, based on the provision of the constitution.

Arrayed against Magu are some forces in government, a few governors and members of the National Assembly who are said to be mounting pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari to relieve Magu of his job.

The anti-Magu forces allegedly hinge their advice to the President on the “need to avert a long-drawn crisis with the National Assembly over Magu.”

They are said to be “angry with Magu’s name and shame style” which has created political backlash for the President.

But the main complaint of the forces borders on their “inability of those in government to control Magu when it is necessary to apply the brakes.”

It was learnt that some of those opposed to Magu have secretly visited London with the names of the two candidates who they rate “as efficient as Magu”.

There were indications yesterday that the two candidates were undergoing some checks.

One of the candidates is believed to be close to a principal officer of the National Assembly.

The leakage of the search for Magu’s replacement has ruffled feathers in EFCC and among some government functionaries.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Some powerful forces have decided to prevail on the President to remove Magu, having been rejected twice by the Senate. They said Magu should not be treated as indispensable.

“Some of them are angry that the EFCC has been closing in on them and their associates. Others have outstanding reports against them.

“They are using likely conflict between the Presidency and the National Assembly as an excuse but they are out to protect class interest.

“Some of them have also been uncomfortable with the style of the EFCC chairman. They alleged that it might have political backlash for the President.

“If care is not taken, these powerful lobbyists may have their way. A principal officer of the National Assembly is said to be highly connected with one of the shortlisted candidates.

“The plot has been perfected in a manner that Magu’s removal might be a priority decision of the government before or when the President returns.”

The Nation learnt that there are five options on Magu, including  outright sack or retirement to pave the way for his trial in court over the DSS report; redeployment to the police; foreign posting as a Defence Attache;  and redeployment to Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) as Director of Operations. - The Nation

South African communities give Nigerians quit notice

The Nigeria Union in South Africa on Wednesday accused two communities in that country of ordering Nigerians to quit the territories.

President of the union, Mr. Ikechukwu Anyene, said the Kuruman community in Northern Cape Province gave Nigerians till Thursday to leave the place.

Anyene also said the Klaafontein community, Extension 5, Johannesburg, directed landlords not to renew the rent of Nigerians in the area.
He said the grievance of the South Africans was that Nigerians were responsible for some social vices such as illicit drug trade and prostitution.

Anyene said: “The Nigeria union held series of meetings with the affected communities as well as police and local authorities on the recent threats to Nigerians.

“We have also written reports on these incidents and sent to the Nigerian Mission and the South African police.
“We recommended interventions before the June 16 deadline to the mission and we are waiting for their response.

“The union is worried that any incident involving non -South Africans are attributed to Nigerians.”
Anyene said a Ugandan man, who allegedly raped a girl in Kwazulu Natal Province, was described as a Nigerian in the media.

“The union believes that the Early Warning Unit set up by Nigerian and South African governments has not been effective.

“We are yet to have any meeting since the ministers of the two countries met.
“Since then, there have been sustained media propaganda against our people here,” Anyene added. - NAN

Jega : Presidents should not appoint INEC chairmen

Prof. Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the commission will perform better if its chairman is not appointed by the country’s president.

He said this at a public lecture which the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training organised in Kano.

Jega said this desired changed could be achieved if a legislation is made to that effect to make the commission more independent.
The professor of political science said having an autonomous INEC is a critical factor for achieving more credible elections in the future.
According to him, this is especially necessary in the areas of funding and appointment of its chairman and commissioners.

He recalled that an electoral reform committee led by Muhammed Uwais, former chief justice of Nigeria, had recommended that INEC bshould be given autonomy to appoint its chairman and commissioners – a recommendation which was not accepted by the executive.

“Still the president nominates INEC’s chairman,” he said.
“It is important to legislate the appointment of the INEC chairman. Despite the fact that Nigeria had achieved a lot, there was need for more reforms.

“Ghana that we celebrate has the worst process of appointing chairman of its electoral body. Once the president nominates, the nominee will obviously emerge as chairman and will stay on that position until he reaches his retirement age, which is 70.”

He, however, stated that the commission currently enjoys relative autonomy in terms of funding.

“INEC currently has account with the CBN where it controls all its money. This has given the commission relative autonomy in terms of funding; once money is released into its account, it can control it,” he added.

Prized Hong Kong parking space sold for record $664,000

Its property prices are famously sky-high but now a Hong Kong parking space has been sold for an eye-watering HK$5.18 million ($664,200) in what local reports said was a world record. 

The space is on the first floor at a luxury apartment complex near the harbourfront in the west of Hong Kong Island, according to records from the city's Land Registry.

Measuring 188 square feet (17.5 square metres), it was bought by Kwan Wai-ming, an executive director at an investment firm, said the South China Morning Post which called the sale a world record.

It tops the HK$4.8 million paid for a parking space last October at another luxury residential complex.
The sale comes a month after a Hong Kong tycoon paid US$3 billion for a prime commercial lot in the Central business and shopping district, in another record for the city where property prices have become a political issue.

Small businesses are being forced to close due to spiralling rents and many residents cannot afford to buy or rent decent homes, despite a series of measures by the government aimed at cooling runaway prices.

Commercial and residential property prices have been fuelled by an influx of money from wealthy mainland Chinese investors and developers.

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Critics also accuse the government of having cosy ties with developers, rather than prioritising the construction of more reasonable public housing.

Man, 93, Marries Woman, 95, Who Was the Bridesmaid for Late-Wife at His First Wedding

True love happens when it's least expected — just ask this 93-year-old groom from England, who has married his late wife’s bridesmaid.

Margaret Husband, 95, of Oxfordshire, and Bernard Brice, 93, of Cumbria, knew each other when they were younger, but reconnected six years ago at the funeral for Bernard’s late wife.
“(Bernard) collared me afterwards to say he’d always had a soft spot for Mum,” Margaret’s son Robert Husband, 52, told Caters News. “I was a bit taken back when he told me he liked my mum at his wife’s funeral as it’s obviously quite a sensitive time.”

Bernard’s late wife, Dorothy Brice, was friends with Margaret in their youth and Margaret was even their bridesmaid when the pair got married.
This time around, she was the bride at Bernard’s wedding, and walked down the aisle at a local church with posies and ribbons tied to the handlebars of her three-wheeled walker.

“I didn’t think I’d see the day, but it’s really nice they’ve got this loving companionship at their age,” Robert said. “It was a brilliant day. They both had a lot of friends from around the country who went up to celebrate with them.”

Bernard’s 63-year-old son, Graham Brice, stood by his side as his best man, and Margaret was given away by her four sons.

“I wasn’t nervous — I was excited,” the elderly groom said. “I never dreamed I’d get married at this age." - Inside Edition

Rome seeks migrant moratorium, warns of social tensions

Rome's populist mayor called Tuesday for a moratorium on new migrants arriving in the city, warning that setting up additional reception centres risked sparking explosive social tensions in the capital.

In the most significant challenge yet to the centre-left Italian government's policy of distributing across the country the thousands of migrants arriving at southern ports, Virginia Raggi said it was "time to listen to the citizens of Rome."
"We cannot permit the creation of more social tensions," Raggi, a member of the populist Five Star Movement, wrote on her Facebook page.
"That is why I am saying it is impossible, risky even, to think about creating any new reception structures."

Her appeal is likely to fall on deaf ears. The ministry is asking all Italian municipalities to expand their reception facilities for the expected arrival of around 250,000 migrants over the course of 2017, compared with 181,436 last year.
With existing facilities jammed full, Italy is dealing with a mounting backlog of recently-arrived migrants as a result of neighbouring states tightening their borders, making it harder for new arrivals to reach preferred destinations in northern Europe.

As of Monday, Italy had registered 61,903 new migrants in 2017, up from 52,275 in the same period of 2016. Arrivals generally peak over the summer months when sea conditions make it easier for traffickers to launch boats from Libya.

More than half a million people from Africa, South Asia and the Middle East landed in Italy between the start of 2014 and the end of 2016.
Processing records suggest at least 40 percent of them have a valid claim to asylum in Europe or leave to remain on humanitarian grounds.
The others, classified as illegal economic migrants, are liable to be deported but that is often difficult to organise because their countries of origin frequently refuse to take them back.

- Grillo vows Roma crackdown -

It is not the first time Italy's government has been confronted by a local authority threatening not to take its share of migrants.
Previous challenges have been faced down by threats to cut funding from central government. But Rome's move could inspire other major urban centres to follow suit, particularly in northern Italy, where the anti-immigration Northern League is very influential.

Raggi's move came on the same day that Five Star's leader, Beppe Grillo, announced a crackdown on ethnic Roma migrants from eastern Europe living in makeshift camps in the Rome area.

"Now the music in Rome changes," Grillo wrote on his blog. "Anyone who declares themselves penniless and drives a luxury car will be out. Anyone who begs in the metro with kids in tow, is out. Surveillance against pickpockets in the metro will be increased."

Political rivals said Grillo's outburst and Raggi's move represented a tilt to the right in the populists' agenda after the young party's advance stalled in local elections at the weekend. The polls setback cast doubt on its ability to win national power in the next general election, expected in early 2018.
The pressure on Italy's refugee system has been exacerbated by its EU partners reneging on promises to take in asylum seekers under a scheme aimed at relocating 160,000 people from Italy and Greece to other EU states.

As of June 5, only 5,694 people had been relocated from Italy and several eastern European countries are refusing point blank to comply with the scheme.

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The European Commission on Tuesday began legal action against three of them, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, over the issue. 

Zambia suspends 48 opposition MPs for snubbing president's speech

Zambia's parliament suspended 48 opposition lawmakers on Tuesday for boycotting a speech by the president, widening a political rift that has alarmed rights groups.

Parliament's speaker barred the United Party for National Development (UPND) politicians from taking their seats for 30 days, a move that banned them from the building and stopped their pay.
Their party, which was defeated in August elections that it said were rigged, called the suspensions unconstitutional.

The lawmakers boycotted President Edgar Lungu's address at the official opening of the assembly in March, saying they did not recognize him as leader.

A month later, the UPND's leader, Hakainde Hichilema, and five others were arrested and charged with treason after a column of opposition vehicles failed to make way for Lungu's motorcade.

Amnesty International has said the treason charges are "trumped up" and called for the politicians' release.

On Tuesday, parliament's speaker Patrick Matibini told the opposition lawmakers: "I challenge you to resign on moral grounds if you do not recognize that there is a legitimately elected government."
The suspensions affected 48 of the party's 58 MPs. The remaining 10 had officially excused themselves from attending parliament on the day of Lungu's speech and were not included in the suspension.


Hichilema was moved from a prison in Lusaka to a maximum security facility outside the capital on June 9. - Reuters

Police arrest 124 rapists, sodomites in Kano

A total of 124 suspected rapists and sodomites have been arrested by the police within three months in Kano state.

Parading the suspects before newsmen, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Magaji Musa Majia said the police had recorded 115 cases of rape, sodomy and other acts of gross indecency in the state between April and June, 2017.

DSP Majia explained that 128 victims were involved in the crimes out of which 124 suspects had been arrested, 94 cases charged to courts, while 13 cases were under investigation.

The police spokesperson expressed sadness over the increasing rate of such crimes across the state, assuring that the police would continue to do their best to curtail the situation.

He said, “The state Commissioner of Police, Rabi’u Yusuf has promised that police will use professionalism and diligence in investigating any case bordering on rape and sodomy. Anybody that is found guilty in such crimes will be prosecuted in the court of law.”

He, therefore, urged the general public, especially parents and guardians, to be cautious and guide their children against the ugly trend.

He also appealed to religious leaders, traditional rulers and other well meaning members of the society to join hands in fighting the social vices.

Aisha Buhari Did Not See The President During Her London Visit, Source Says

President Muhammadu Buhari was not allowed to see his wife during her recent visit to the United Kingdom, presidency sources informed SaharaReporters on Tuesday. In the stunning disclosure, the sources affirmed that the president has been kept away] from several of his aides and even those bodyguards who supposedly traveled with him.

The President's Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari who also frequents London to take care of himself, is still the manipulator-in-chief, according to the sources.  

Furthermore, SaharaReporters learned that Mr. Buhari has not spoken to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo for several weeks following his departure from Abuja for a second round of medical treatment for an undisclosed medical condition suspected to be cancer.

The sources gave the example of Wednesday last week when members of Buhari's cabal called the Acting President and asked him to await a call from the ailing President, pointing out that no such call was received except one that was just a few seconds of hellos before the person hung up the phone.

SaharaReporters also learned that the public declaration by Orji Uzor Kalu, a former Governor of Abia State, that he met Buhari in London is a complete fabrication as Buhari did not at any time receive the Mr. Kalu, who recently decamped to the president’s All Progressives Congress party.   One particular presidency source told SaharaReporters they suspect Kalu was using that gimmick to intimidate the judge who is trying him for corruption, considering that he wore a turban to court a few days later.

Our sources confirmed that Buhari is incommunicado, and is only reached by two aides, Tunde Saburi and Sarki Abba, who have maintained stoic silence about his condition.
It is notable that when Mrs. Buhari returned from her recent trip, she sent messages to her family members in Adamawa claiming her husband was recovering fast but asked for intensification of prayers.

The cabal reportedly reduced access to Buhari in an effort to control information leaks to the public. They cabal reportedly as far as forging Buhari's signature so as to give the impression that he is still in control even after Buhari himself had handed over power to his vice, trying to create the impression that he is still in charge.

Mr. Kyari is said to be in charge of all the behind-the-scene moves.  It was he, they claimed, who a few days ago passed a fake document to Garba Shehu, one of Buhari's spokespersons, claiming that Buhari had given Osinbajo the go-ahead to sign the 2017 budget.  
According to their account, Osinabjo had already decided on the date he would sign the budget, a decision that was delayed only by a last-minute discussion to include some projects such as the Lagos-Apapa Port road repairs.   They said they were not surprised at Mr. Shehu's fake statement claiming Buhari sent a letter granting the Acting President the right to sign the budget.

Buhari is said to be rather unaware of his environment, his memory somewhat affected.  For instance, on his way to the UK, he was said to have asked if he was on his way to Sokoto.  Our sources said that the cabal working with Buhari might bring him back the same way he was returned in February, in a scheme to use his presence to perpetrate more fraud and control power. - Saharareporters

Chelsea told that £45 million not enough for Insigne

Lorenzo Insigne’s agent has claimed his client is fully focused with Napoli, despite interest from Premier League champions Chelsea, according to talkSPORT.

The 5ft 4’ winger impressed for Napoli in Serie A during the campaign, scoring 18 goals and registering nine assists in 37 appearances.
Reports have suggested that Chelsea have placed a £45 million bid for the Italian as Antonio Conte looks forward to a first season in the Champions League with Chelsea.

Insigne’s agent claimed that the rumoured £45 million offer “would be low.” Franco della Monica added: “The priority for Lorenzo, though, is to be wearing the Napoli shirt and be rewarded in an important way by his team.”

The Italy international signed a new deal with Napoli in April keeping him at the Serie A club until June 2022. Speaking about the new deal, the winger said: “I’m happy my childhood dream has finally come true.”

Colombian surgeon rebuilds acid victims' lives

Angeles Borda ignored the cat calls as she walked past the building site. But she couldn't ignore the nitric acid that her tormentor then threw in her face.

A decade on she is still disfigured. But help is at hand.
In Colombia, said by authorities to be one of the countries worst affected by acid attacks, a campaigning plastic surgeon is helping -- for free -- to rebuild victims' faces and lives.

Borda, a 32-year-old mother of three, has had the ninth operation on her face at Alan Gonzalez's pristine surgical clinic.
"I know that in a few months I will look better," she says.

She has never been sure who was behind the attack, though an ex-boyfriend has been suspected.

Rebuilding faces

Previously used to treating soldiers wounded in conflict, Gonzalez, 46, has since 2010 specialized in helping women disfigured by acid.
"Plastic surgery is not the surgery of vanity, but of life. The challenge is to give them back their hopes and dreams -- and above all, their smiles," he says.

"We don't just rebuild faces, we rebuild lives."
Official figures indicate that about 100 women get disfigured in acid attacks every year in Colombia, most of them in romantic disputes.
The country last year passed a law specifically targeting such crimes.

Struck by the "ignorance and intolerance" of such violence, Gonzalez helped set up Rebuilding Faces, an organization to help victims.
Since late 2010 he has rebuilt the faces of 15 women in some 300 separate operations.

Reason to live

Victims typically contemplate suicide, Gonzalez says.
On top of the trauma of the attack, they suffer discrimination and struggle to find work.
Borda works selling sweets on buses.

"I had two choices: sit there crying or go out and be seen the way I am," she says.
"What happened to me is very sad, but it is possible to live with the consequences. I have dreams, I have goals, and I have the strength to move forward."

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Another patient, Luz Nidia Mendoza, 37, says she has not worked since suffering an acid attack in 2011.
She was blinded and is missing seeing her children grow up.
"I hear them, I feel them, I touch them. But I cannot see them," she says.

Like Borda she says she would have killed herself if it had not been for her children.
"It is because of them that I am here."
She has had 25 operations, with more yet to come, to rebuild her cheeks, forehead, mouth and nose.

She is also hoping for a corneal transplant to be able to see again.
"Doctor Alan is an angel for us. We owe him a lot," says Luz. "He gives us courage. He gives us joy." - AFP

Anti-Graft War: EFCC Enlists Support of Compliance Officers of Banks

Mailafia Yakubu, the head of operation, Benin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC  today June 13, 2017 charged compliance officers of banks in the zone which comprises Edo, Delta, Ondo and Anambra states to collaborate with the EFCC in tackling economic and Financial crimes.

Yakubu stated this at  his maiden meeting with the compliance officers of banks, said the meeting became imperative due to the unscrupulous activities of some bankers who connived with fraudsters to defraud innocent people of their hard earned money.

 

He said there have been cases in the past where bank officials deliberately ignored EFCC's Post No  Debit, PND, orders on suspects account or inform  suspect about the PND to enable them make withdrawals using their ATM cards.

 

He further charged the bankers to uphold the tenet and principles of banking as making excuses after an offence had been committed will not be condoned.

 

"I am not here to intimidate anyone but to seek for your support in curbing  corruption. Whatever I do will be according to the law. Corruption is a cankerworm that is threatening our existence as a nation.

 

The earlier we join hands to deal with it, the better for us all."

 

In his response, Emmanuel Obanla, Compliance Officer, First Bank of Nigeria, commended the EFCC for the initiative. He said the banks were willing  to work with the Commission to ensure a seamless relationship so that corruption can be fought to a stand still.

Corruption: Justice Nganjiwa's Absence Stalls Arraignment

The arraignment of Justice Hyeladzira Ajiya Nganjiwa, one of the judges recently recalled by the National Judicial Council, before Justice Akintoye of Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, was today stalled owing to the absence of the defendant in court. 

Justice Nganjiwa was to be docked on a 14-count charge bordering on unlawful enrichment and giving false information to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The judge allegedly received $260,000 and N8.65 million through his bank accounts between 2013 and 2015 from suspicious and inexplicable sources.

 

When the matter was called today Justice Ngajinwa was conspicuously absent. His counsel, Robert Clarke SAN, who apologized for the absence, told the court that Justice Ngajinwa could not travel from his base in Bayelsa State due to flight problems, while promising that his client will be in court at the next adjourned date. The learned silk however drew the court's attention to the failure of the EFCC to attach the title 'Justice' to his client's name on the charge sheet, saying he had already filed a notice or preliminary objection to challenge the charge.

 

Prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo  expressed disappointment at the absence of the accused,  which he claimed is tantamount to disrespect for the court as the defendant was duly served.  "We are extremely disappointed by the willful refusal of the defendant to appear before Your Lordship. On the 9th of June, the defendant was served with the charge, which he acknowledged. He was also duly informed of the proceedings before My Lord today. It is an act of disrespect for the defendant not to appear before this court."

 

On the failure to attach the title 'Justice' to Nganjiwa's name on the charge sheet, Oyedepo said the status of the defendant is not an issue before the court. "As a matter of fact, all animals are equal. The status of the defendant has nothing to do with his appearance before Your Lordship. His decision not to appear before Your Lordship is deliberate and is an attempt to frustrate the expeditious trial of this case,"he said.

 

However, Clarke urged the judge to disregard Oyedepo's claim that his client deliberately refused to appear in court today.

 

Consequently, Justice Akintoye said she would give the accused the benefit of the doubt.

 

Clarke, while arguing his client's preliminary objection to the charge, contended that Justice Akintoye lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the case because, according to him, only the National Judicial Council had the power to deal with the kind of allegations brought against Justice Nganjiwa, a serving judge, by virtue of Section 158 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

Oyedepo disagreed. He argued that Justice Nganjiwa had no immunity from  criminal prosecution.

 

The case has been adjourned to June 23, 2017 by Justice Akintoye, who ordered the defense counsel to produce Justice  Nganjiwa in court.

 

Update : Notorious kidnapper, Evans names victims (pics)

The notorious kidnapper arrested at the weekend, along with six members of his gang in Lagos, by police operatives from the intelligence teams has named some of his victims.

Chukwudidumeme Onuamadike, alias Evans, told detectives that though he could not remember the number of people he kidnapped or the amount of money he collected as ransom, he was, however, able to mention a few.

In Edo and Lagos states, he remembered kidnapping Mr. Mbarikatta William Uboma at Festac Town on June 16, 2012, where the sum of N20 million was collected as ransom before he was released.

A police classified document containing Evan’s confessional statement revealed that Mr. Paul Cole from Ohafia in Abia State was also kidnapped by the gang on August 23, 2012, at Festac Town where N20m was also paid.

Mr. Mohammed Jamal, a Lebanese, who was kidnapped on August 19, 2012, at Ajah, paid N17m at Ojo area of Lagos to regain his freedom.

Evan’s gang also kidnapped Mr. Kingsley Nwokenta on September 19, 2012, after he left Lebanon Bar in Festac Town and he had to pay N15m in addition to his black Toyota Venza car that he forfeited to the gang before he regained his freedom; just as the gang also claimed responsibility for the kidnap of Mr. Anthony Ozoanidobi on October 10, 2012, along Marwa Road in Satellite Town where N15m was paid before he was taken to Apple junction, Amuwo-Odofin in Lagos and released.

Evans further stated that his gang also kidnapped Mr. Leo Abraham in Lagos on August 20, 2012, and dumped him at Badagry Road in Lagos after he paid N15m.

However, Ojukwu Cosmas, who sells Toyota parts at Aspanda Trade Fair, who was kidnapped on January 21, 2016, at Festac Town was not too lucky as he had to pay $1m to secure his release.

James Uduji who was kidnapped by the gang at Seventh Avenue, Festac Town late last year paid $1.2m after being held for six weeks before he was released, while Chief Raymond Okoye Odu-Na–Ichida who was kidnapped in 2015 also paid $1m to regain his freedom after two months in captivity.

Uche Okoroafor, a trader at Alaba International Market, Lagos, was kidnapped by the gang in 2015 and held captive for three months before he was released after paying $1m, just as Elias Ukachukwu, who was kidnapped by the gang in November, 2015 also paid $1m for his release.

Francis Umeh, a spare parts dealer at Aspanda, was kidnapped in July 2016, at Raji Rasaki Estate and released after paying $1m to secure his release.

The gang, however, recorded a fatal loss when in 2013, in its attempt to kidnap Chief Vincent Obianudo, the owner of Young Shall Grow Motors, met with stiff resistance from the policemen attached to the chief. The police opened fire and killed two members of the gang. Though the gang also killed a policeman and some of its members escaped, Chief Obianudo, who sustained bullet wounds during the attack, survived after several surgeries.

The last known victim of the gang in Lagos before it was smashed is Mr. Donatus Dunu, a pharmacist and importer of drugs, who was kidnapped on February 14, 2017, in Elupeju area of Lagos. The sum of N150m was paid by the victim’s family to secure his release, but Evans collected the money and refused to release the victim, insisting that an additional N300m must be paid.

The gang regretted that Dunu escaped from Evans’ detention camp in Igando on May 12, 2017, without paying the additional ransom.

In Edo State, the gang kidnapped Mr. Ohunyon Ernest in November 2011 and he had to pay N85m, just as Mr. Dan Odiete who was also kidnapped by the gang in Benin City in 2013, paid N100m to regain his freedom.

The owner of Uyi Technical who was kidnapped by Evan’s gang in Benin City in 2013 paid N100m before he was released, while Tom, kidnapped in Benin in 2012, paid N100m to the gang.

The owner of Kings Paint was also kidnapped in Benin City in 2010 by the same gang and had to pay N40m to regain his freedom even as Mr. Randeki, who was kidnapped by the gang in 2010 paid N30m for his release.

Evans, who was nabbed by a combined team of police officers and men from the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU) at his private residence in Magodo, Lagos, on June 10, was described by the police as a very intelligent suspect.

Other members of the gang that were also arrested at different locations include Felix Chinemerem, 36, from Arochukwu in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, and Nwosu Chikodi Chukwuma, aka Sudo, 42, and is said to have over 20 years experience in armed robbery and about eight years experience in kidnapping.

Other arrested members of the gang are Uchechukwu Amadi from Anambra State who the police described as the head of Evans’ detention camp, a female, Ogechi Amadi, said to be the woman that rented the house and cooks for the kidnappers and their victims in the camp.

The rest are Suoyo Paul, aka Nwana, 42, a native of Bayelsa State, and is said to be the one supplying the gang with rifles and ammunition, while Ikenna Emeka, 28, from Anambra State, said he participated in four kidnappings in Festac Town with Evans before Evans sacked him from the gang for stealing an expensive wrist watch and a ring from a victim without informing him. - Daily Post

Hundreds hospitalized after breaking Ramadan fast

Food poisoning at a camp for displaced residents of Mosul has made more than 700 people sick, with hundreds hospitalized, Iraqi officials said Tuesday.

The incident at the Hassan Sham U2 camp, about 20 kilometers (13 miles) east of Mosul, has become part of the ongoing dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Saudi media accused a Qatari charity of supplying tainted food to the residents of the desert camp.

Iraqi Health Minister Adila Hamoud told The Associated Press that 752 people in the camp became ill following a Monday night iftar — the meal breaking the dawn-to-dusk fast by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan. At least 300 people remain in serious condition, he said.

The Health Ministry reported that no one had died from food poisoning. Two deaths cited earlier were from other causes. The provincial governor said there had been one death. The U.N. refugee agency at first reported one death but later said nobody had died. The conflicting reports could not immediately be reconciled.

Amira Abdulhaliq of the UNHCR said it was unclear when the meals had become contaminated, whether it was during its preparation, packaging, transportation or distribution.
"So far, we have received around 800 cases. Around 200 have been transported to the hospitals in Irbil," she said.

Irbil Gov. Nawzad Hadi said the food was prepared in an Irbil restaurant by a local NGO, Ain el Muhtajeen, and funded by a Qatari charity known as RAF. In Saudi Arabia, which has been leading a recent campaign to isolate Qatar, state media quickly seized on the issue with coverage that implied Qatar was poisoning refugees deliberately.

On Twitter, Saudi state television accused RAF of supplying tainted meals and posted images it said showed the camp's children "poisoned by the terrorist Qatari RAF organization."

An Iraqi lawmaker who visited the camp overnight also accused the Qatari charity of providing the tainted food.
At midday Tuesday, medics were treating patients in a large tent at the edge of the camp. About 20-30 patients, mostly children, lay on blankets on the floor as several more serious cases were taken away in ambulances. Most were suffering from stomach cramps and dehydration resulting from vomiting and diarrhea.

Raad al-Dahlaki, chairman of the Iraqi parliament's immigration and displacement committee, visited the camp overnight and said the meal contained rice, a bean sauce, meat, yogurt and water. He put the number of sick at 850.
Al-Dahlaki said the food was distributed by RAF, adding that Iraqi officials were to meet those from the organization later Tuesday. The Doha-based charity did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

At a joint news conference in the camp, Irbil Police Chief Abdulhaleq Talaat said seven people were arrested in connection with the incident.
Since a diplomatic crisis between Qatar and other Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia began June 5, Arab media across the greater Persian Gulf have unleashed a daily barrage of reports highly critical of Qatar. Those reports include stories that alleged Qatar has tried to undermine regional security, often presented without attribution or evidence.
RAF is the acronym for the Qatar-based Thani Bin Abdullah Al Thani Foundation for Humanitarian Services, a charity that collects donations for aid work around the world, including meals for needy families during Ramadan.

RAF is also among 12 organizations and 59 people put on what Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini officials described Friday as a list of terrorist entities and individuals.
On Qatari state television, a repeatedly aired program has discussed how the ongoing diplomatic dispute has stopped it from providing meals to Syrian refugees at a major camp in Jordan.

The Hassan Sham U2 camp houses thousands who have fled their homes in and around Mosul after a U.S.-backed Iraqi offensive was launched in October to dislodge the Islamic State group from Iraq's second-largest city. According to the U.N. refugee agency, it is home to 6,235 people.

Mosul fell to IS in the summer 2014 as the militants swept over much of northern and western Iraq. Weeks later, the head of the Sunni extremist group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

Months after the start of the offensive, IS militants control only a handful of neighborhoods in and around the Old City, located west of the Tigris River, which divides Mosul into western and eastern sectors. - AP