TERRIBLE !!! Chairman of Credit Switch Technology, ‘hacked to death by cook’

Ope Bademosi, chairman of Credit Switch Technology, a Nigerian tech company, was murdered in the early hours of Wednesday.

THISDAY quoted some witnesses, as saying the father of four was murdered at his residence In Ikoyi, Lagos, by his cook.

Bademosi was reportedly found in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds.

“I heard a scream from the wife, so I ran outside to their flat and saw her screaming outside with people holding her as she said that her husband had been murdered. When we got inside, we saw the man in a pool of blood with the volume of music increased to the highest level,” a neighbour reportedly said.

“Already we had called the attention of the estate police before going in and they arrived just on time. According to the wife, she said she left her husband very early this morning to do some transactions in the bank. On her way back, she called her husband and couldn’t hear what he was saying as his words were barely cohesive, and was just muttering words before the call dropped.

“She attempted to call him back but he wasn’t picking up his phone. On getting home, the security was still asleep and couldn’t even respond to her car horns till she got down from her car, to bang on the security’s window; that was when the security eventually woke up to open the gate for her. But unfortunately, on entering, she met her husband lying in a pool of his own blood and couldn’t find the cook who just resumed work on Sunday anywhere.

“That was when she screamed out for help and sent the security to help her run to see if he can still apprehend the cook. Perhaps because of fear, the security who was just employed on Sunday as well, also took to his heels upon the news that his new boss had been murdered”.

In an interview with a homicide investigation officer, a source who pleaded anonymity, said: “This is very wicked. In fact, that guy must be a devil itself. He stabbed the man in multiple places. I was the first to enter the apartment. In fact, the music was so loud that even if you were to be killing 20 people here, no one would hear them scream. I was the one that put off the sound upon entering.

“After committing the act, the guy went to the toilet and pulled off the white uniform meant for cooks he was wearing because it was all stained with blood. He also left the knife he used inside the toilet there. If you see the knife, it’s a very strong, long and sharp knife that could only be authorised for military personnel. Afterward, he ransacked the whole apartment and carted away all valuables he could lay his hands on including an unaccountable sum of money, jewelries and the deceased phone.

“What baffles us more is that, no one seems to know anything about him because he was only employed few days ago and brought from Ondo state to resume just this last Sunday. And they only know him by his first name, which is Sunday. Again, we went through his things and found some old pictures of him putting on a camouflage belonging to republic of Benin military. Also he was in a group picture with all of them wearing Benin Republic military uniform, which suggests that he could be an ex-service man in Benin Republic.”

Mustapha Tijani, divisional police officer (DPO) of Ikoyi division, said an official statement would be issued by the police as soon as investigation is over. - THECABLE

Eight feared dead as rival youth groups clash on Lagos Island

Residents and traders in some parts of Lagos Island, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria are now living in fear as eight youths have reportedly died during a renewed bloody clashes between Onola and Okepopo boys at weekend.

Several others including one Almajiri man were learnt to have sustained fatal injuries during the attack and counter attack by the miscreants.

Also, many traders lost their goods in the mayhem as the fighting youths used the opportunity to break into shops and carted away anything met in the shops.

According to reliable source, the Okepopo boys invaded Onola area on Friday night after the release of their point man call ‘FALAPA’ by the Police.

“It was during the attack that the Okepopo boys shot and matchete a boy who was sleeping inside Keke-Marwa at the front of Iga Faji to death while some boys and a beggar from the north were seriously wounded during the invasion,” he narrated.

As a result of the incident and sympathy for the deceased, Onola youths and their symphatisers mobilised and launched attack on Okepopo area where four of the earlier invaders were killed.

The Okepopo boys who again launched another attack on Sunday night met hard resistance from Onola youths who had laid a siege for them, which led to the death of another youths from Okepopo.

It was also gathered that some traders whose shops had been burgled joined forces with Onola youths, the deal with the Okepopo boys who were alleged to have turned the constant fight to looting and robbing innocent people of their personal belongings.

Efforts by the Police teams from Area ‘A’ Command, Adeniji Adele, Jankara and Lion Building Divisional Stations to end the constant mayhem proved abortive as the weapons brandished by the conflicting youths were too sophisticated.

“When Police team patrolled the affected areas and return to bases, the Okepopo boys launched attack and within 10 to 15 minutes, they do the operation and went back to hiding again”, a source revealed.

The attack and counter attack had reduced since Tuesday night when some military personnel join the Police team to patrol the affected areas and arrested some of the boys.

When our correspondent went round the affected areas,which includes Itafaji, Isale-gangan, Princess, Anikantamo, Evans, Massey, Okepopo, Koilo, Atiko and other adjacent streets, few shop owners opened to customers, even with fear noticed in their eyes.

The military team were seen assemble at Oshodi/Tokunboh junction on the Lagos Island but usually go round with Police in mufti with the aim of arresting the conflicting youths.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Chike Oti confirmed that there was mayhem on the Island at the weekend, but faulted claims that eight people died, adding that only one dead body was recovered after the mayhem.

He said the Police from Lion Building Police Division rushed to the area immediately to quell the crisis, saying that everything was now under control. - PM NEWS

22-year-old lady lures facebook lover out, snatches car at gun point

A 22-year-old girl, simply identified as Sandra has snatched a Toyota RAV4 2011 model SUV with Registration number Lagos KTU 311DV and other valuables from a man suspected to be his Facebook lover.

The man (name withheld) who lives in Oganiru Estate complex, Awka, Anambra State was lured out by the girl while they were chatting each other, using the Facebook messenger.

DAILY POST gathered that Sandra who operates with a gang of three armed men, lured her victim to St Vincent Primary School, Ogidi, Idemili North local government area.

Instead of the love both of them professed to each other, the 30 year old victim, who is said to be a businessman was pounced on by three armed men who dispossessed him of his vehicle, while the girl joined them to flee, leaving the ‘lover man’ victim stranded.

Police Public Relations Officer of Anambra State police command, SP Haruna Mohammed told our correspondent that the vehicle was, however, recovered after police in the area mobilised and went after the robbers.

He said, “Following the incident, Police Patrol team attached to Ogidi Division in conjunction with vigilante group quickly mobilized to the scene and pursued the suspects who later abandoned the stolen vehicle and escaped into the bush.

“Case is under investigation and efforts are ongoing to apprehend fleeing suspects.”

Meanwhile, Police detectives attached to Awada Division have also recovered a Lexus 300 Jeep with Registration number FGG 353 GF snatched at Gunpoint from one Brendam Dike of Orifite Street, Awada.

Mohammed announced this in a press release, saying that the case was still being investigated to reveal the identity of the robbers. - DAILY POST

Gen Alkali: How Army recovered officer’s body from abandoned well

The remains of the missing Senior Army officer, Major General Idris Alkali(rtd) has been found by a team of the Nigerian Army on Search and Rescue Operation. This is coming after the officer had been declared missing since September 2018.

The remains of the officer was found in an abandoned well in a bush at Guchwet village in Shen Du District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The Garrison Commander 3 Division, Rukuba Barrack who also doubles as the Commander of the Search and Rescue Operation, Brigadier General Umar Mohammed, on Wednesday said one of the suspects who took part in the relocation of the corpse was declared wanted and voluntarily submitted self to the Police and led the Joint Team of Army and Police on Tuesday to the well site.

Mohammed said, “You know General Idris Alkali was declared missing on the 3rd of September, 2018, since after that, the Nigerian Army gave us 3 tasks, one was for us to find General Alkali dead of alive, two, to find his vehicle which was a Toyota Corolla, and number three, if anything happened to him, to find those who are responsible for anything that happened to him so that they can be prosecuted.

“On 29 September, 2019 we recovered his vehicle and his personal effects were seen, also a shallow grave was discovered in which General Alkali was initially buried.

“Some people were declared wanted, some have submitted themselves voluntarily and some people who took part in the relocation brought us to where he was relocated.

“And base on that, he was relocated to an abandoned well which is behind me.

“We came in this morning, we drained the water and we were able to salvage the body which is the remains of General Alkali. This means the first two aspects of the tasked have been accomplished”, he explained.

“The 3rd phase is the prosecution of all those who took part in this heinous act.

“Let me tell you that nobody, no matter how connected the person is, whoever is involved in this heinous act will go unpunished”, he stressed.

“For those who did not submit themselves, let me tell them that we are on their trail.

The remains of the officer was kept inside a body-bag and was shown to journalist under strict directives, and were not allowed to snap any pictures.

Also a military parade was carried out at the well site in honour of the deceased before he was taken inside a police ambulance. - DAILY POST

Truck dealer jailed 3 years for stealing N1.6m

An Igbosere High Court in Lagos State on Wednesday sentenced a truck dealer, Okezie Ebele, to three years’ imprisonment for stealing N1.6 million.

Justice Sedoten Ogunsanya convicted Ebele after he pleaded guilty to a count charge of stealing.

The charge was preferred by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ogunsanya held, “In view of the defendant’s plea and facts of the case, the court finds the defendant guilty as charged.”

Following the conviction, defence counsel, Mr Ikenna Ebelebe, prayed the court to show mercy.

“The defendant is a first-time offender.

”He has two kids; he is the breadwinner of his family and the one supporting his aged parents.

“His business is in ruins as he has been in detention for more than 36 months; we propose that he be freed,” Ebelebe said.

The judge noted that Ebele had spent more than three years in detention after his arraignment on Oct. 6, 2015.

“I have seen the plea bargain; the court is not bound by your plea bargain agreement.

“The defendant has spent over three years in custody; he is hereby sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with effect from Oct. 6, 2015,” she held.

Earlier, EFCC counsel, Mrs Fadeke Giwa, filed an amended charge against Ebele.

Giwa told the judge that the commission amended the charge from two counts of stealing and issuance of dud cheque, for which Ebele arraigned on Oct. 6, 2015, to only stealing, following a plea bargain agreement.

She said Ebele obtained N1.6 million from a customer, Mrs Prisca Nene, in 2014, under false pretences of helping her to purchase a truck.

She said that Ebele, with intent to defraud, stole and converted the money to his own use and never delivered the truck.

Giwa added that after a petition was filed to the EFCC against him, Ebele paid back N350,000 to Nene.

“He also issued three Access bank cheques to cover the balance, but the cheques were returned for lack of sufficient balance in his account.

“In the course of his trial on the former two-count charge, Ebele paid back the full sum,” she said. - PM NEWS

BudgIT: $10bn rise in public debt stock is not a full story

BudgIT, a civic organisation, says Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s comments on Nigeria’s public debt stock does not tell the full story.

In a statement released on Tuesday,  the organisation said the vice president’s statement that the country’s debt has only risen by $10 billion is misleading.

“The Debt Management Office figures showed that FG external debt alone grew from $7.34bn in June 2015 to $17.83bn in June 2018, that’s an additional $10.49bn in 3 years,” the statement read.

“Domestic debt of FG as at June 2015 was N8.39tn while it stood at N12.15tn as at June 2018. That’s another increase of N3.76tn in 3 years. At an exchange rate of N305/$, that’s $12bn. This means the total increase in external and domestic debt is $22bn.”

BudgIT said the $10 billion debt statement did not take the recent naira devaluation into consideration.

“Those who put forward $10bn are comparing the wrong values without adding the important information that exchange rates for the times are different.

“From our research, we have observed that this administration (FG alone) borrowed $22bn in three years but due to naira devaluation gains but total public debt stock (for the entire Federation) increased by $10bn, which makes current claims true.

“However, it is important to state that it is true that public debt is now $73bn, grew by $10bn, because FG domestic debt in USD terms was $42.63bn in June 2015 and $39.75bn as at June 2018.

“This does not mean that FG borrowed less domestic debt in 3 years. It only goes to show that the domestic debt of FGN grew from N8.39tn to N12.15tn from 2015 to 2018 respectively. Devaluing exchange rate from N196.95/$ to N305.7/$ made the domestic debt in 2018 relatively smaller in USD terms.

“For a clearer understanding, let’s use this analogy. It is like borrowing N1,000 in 2015 which is $5 at N200/$. If you borrow additional N500 at a new exchange rate of N300/$, you now owe N1,500 but you still owe an equivalent of $5. It can then clearly be shown that the Naira equivalent of the total debt has risen from N12.1tn to N22.4tn, a growth of N10.3tn.

“It is important to classify debt into two categories considering that external debt will be paid in USD or other currencies while domestic debt will be settled in Naira. This invariably has consequences for debt servicing costs in the near term.

“It is hoped that this “marginal” increase in debt in USD terms does not unleash excessive borrowing by the Federation considering that public revenue in USD equivalent has also severely shrunk.

“States’ domestic debt rose from N1.69tn in June 2015 to N3.477tn in June 2018. Adjusting this for USD also does not tell the full story. States debt costs are deducted in Naira equivalent at prevailing “official” rates. However, devaluation provides adjusted gains especially for monies earned in USD such as oil & gas revenues but losses for those earned in Naira such as CIT & VAT, when converted to USD.”

According to BudgIT, the income of Nigerians have shrunk severely in naira terms and exporters of non-oil products have seen relative gains.

“BudgIT believes that acquiring debt is not bad if put to judicious and profitable use for the citizenry but we request more transparency on self-liquidating capital projects that such borrowings are tied to.” - THECABLE

NHIS ES sent on ‘administrative leave’ as FG probes corruption allegations

The federal government has set up a panel to probe the allegations levelled against Usman Yusuf, executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Olusegun Adekunle, permanent secretary (general services office) for the secretary to the government of the federation, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari had approved that Yusuf proceeds on leave immediately in order to allow the panel carry out its task without interference.

Ben Omogo, a director in the office of the head of the civil service of the federation, has been deployed to oversee the affairs of the scheme in Yusuf’s absence.

“The federal government has observed with deep concern the growing tension between boards and chief executives and their attendant implications for governance,” the statement read.

“For the avoidance of doubt, government will neither tolerate acts of indiscipline from any appointee nor will it habour any acts of corruption. Government will however ensure that due process is followed strictly in trying to maintain discipline and probity in public service.

“With specific reference to recent developments at the National Health Insurance Scheme, Mr. President has after due consideration approved the establishment of an independent fact-finding panel to investigate the alleged infractions by the executive secretary and report back within two weeks.”

The terms of the panel headed by Hassan Bukar are to investigate the alleged infractions listed by the NHIS governing council, identify, investigate and make recommendations with regards to issues that led to the unhealthy relationship between the board and the CEO; investigate and make recommendations on the extent of involvement of staff unions’ within the institution as to the current impasse between the governing board and executive secretary; and examine all governance challenges in the NHIS and make appropriate recommendations.

Earlier in the month, the board suspended Yusuf over allegations of corruption and financial infractions.

While announcing Yusuf’s suspension, Enantu Ifenna, chairman of the NHIS governing board, accused him of mismanaging the agency’s funds.

She accused the ES of allegedly inflating the scheme’s 2018 budget, “fraudulently inflating the cost of biometric capturing machines”, and “attempt to illegally execute N30 billion in federal government bonds”.

The board also alleged that Yusuf carried out unauthorised staff travel “in defiance to council directive”, “superfluous arrogation of project vehicles”.

But Yusuf had said he was innocent of the allegations and also argued that his suspension was illegal.

Last year, Isaac Adewole, minister of health, had suspended Yusuf but he was reinstated in February following the intervention of the house of representatives.

His reinstatement triggered criticisms but the federal government had said the development would not stop his probe by the anti-graft agencies.

When he resumed, Yusuf vowed to fight back, accusing some hospitals and insurance companies of ganging up against him for opposing some sharp practices.

He vowed that no amount of smear campaign would deter him from bringing healthcare to the people. - THECABLE

Another 141 Nigerians including pregnant women return from Libya

No fewer than 141 Nigerians including 11 pregnant women have voluntarily returned from Libya to Nigeria with the assistance of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU).

Segun Afolayan, Chief Planning Officer, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Afolayan said the Nigerians arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, at about 10.45pmon Tuesday aboard a chartered Al-Buraq aircraft with registration number UZ189.

He said that, “After profiling, we have 71 female adults, three female children and three female infants.

“Also, there were 53 male adults, six male children and five male infants; among them were two medical cases and 11 pregnant women.

“majority of the returnees are from Tripoli, the capital of Libya which has become volatile in recent times.

“Truly, you had bad experiences differently, collectively and individually but these should be the motivation for you to make a positive decision to see the brighter future ahead of you.

“This is because no one can tell the story more than you and making better use of your lives are essential.

“The Federal Government is urging you to be ambassadors of positive change by taking the anti-irregular migration campaign to those still aspiring to take the dangerous journey.

“You can talk to them in the language they will understand most.”

Afolayan further advised the returnees to become more focused in life and not allow the unfortunate experience to negatively impact on their lives. - DAILY POST

TERRIBLE !! 88 million Nigerians now living in extreme poverty

Over 1.1 million Nigerians have slipped into extreme poverty in just four months, TheCable can report.

This has brought the number of Nigerians living in extreme poverty — or below $1.90 a day — to 88 million.

In June 2018, the Brookings Institution named Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, with 86.9 million extremely poor people.

Nigeria overtook India as the world poverty capital, despite being six times smaller in population than the Asian country.

According to the World Poverty Clock, created by Vienna-based World Data Lab, 88,011,759 Nigerians are currently living in extreme poverty.

The World Bank, IMF, United Nations, and major development institutions across the world forecast that Nigeria will not hit the 2030 target for ending global poverty.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also suggest that West Africa, primarily, Nigeria will host 40 percent of the world’s poorest people by 2030. - THECABLE

INEC urged to introduce e-voting in major elections

Mr Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) has called on the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to adopt electronic voting system for major elections in the country.

Sesan made this disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

E-voting or electronic voting refers to using computerised voting machines to cast ballots instead of the conventional ballot papers.

According to him, voting electronically reduces election rigging especially in areas where inaccessible by the electoral officials.

He said that technology had been infused in our lives and adopting e-voting was important in ensuring that everyone was carried along in the electoral process.

“Many years ago as a student in the university I will go and look for my lecturers to sign a form.

“We don’t need to do that anymore in schools registering for courses are now automatic because everything is done online.

“ I finished less than 20 years ago, life has moved on, things change so we are agitating for e-voting.

“ 20 years from today nobody will be arguing about e-voting, because we don’t have a choice,’’ he said.

He said that there was no way INEC can manage elections effectively without the use of e-voting.

“ So if there is a credible institution called INEC that really wants to get the job done, it has to introduce electronic voting to ensure that all areas are captured during elections.’’ - PM NEWS