Corruption republic : Group asks EFCC to probe NIA DG, Kingibe over ‘attempt to divert $44m’

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) resource centre has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the alleged attempt by government officials to divert $44m intervention fund belonging to the Nigeria Intelligence Authority (NIA).

In a petition written to Ibrahim Magu, EFCC acting chairman, HEDA said the allegations were made by Muhammed Dauda, former acting DG of NIA, in a brief to a house of representatives committee.

The petition was signed by Olanrewaju Suraju, HEDA’s chairman.

HEDA quoted Dauda as saying he “fought off attempts” by Babagana Kingibe, former secretary to the government of the federation, Rufai Abubakar, incumbent NIA DG, and Abba Kyari, the president’s chief of staff, to steal the intervention fund.

Dauda was quoted as saying that on assuming office as acting DG, he was informed that the said $44 million is part of the NIA’s intervention fund and “should not be touched because it had become an exhibit in an ongoing case”.

The petition read: “It was revealed that not long after Dauda assumed office, the presidential review panel headed by Kingibe started its assignment within the NIA.

“The agency provided the members of the panel with office space, accommodation, food, and other logistics required for its work”.

“Dauda revealed that after his maiden meeting with the panel, Kingibe called him to advise that in his own interest, he should cooperate with them fully and avoid being close with the President’s national security adviser (NSA), Babagana Munguno.

“Kingibe also disclosed that his panel had presidential powers to overrule previous instructions or directives issued by the NSA.”

According to the petition, Dauda said the panel’s activities went smoothly “until Kingibe and Abubakar kept pressuring him for gratification”.

He said the duo allegedly informed him that the said $44 million belongs to the NIA.

“They kept insisting that they had the mandate of the president and that the president had directed the EFCC to hands off the money and that it was legitimately ours,” the petition read, adding that he “reluctantly gave Abubakar $50,000 against my will. I met and gave a lady Kingibe simply introduced as ‘Angela’ money twice at the car park of the Hilton Hotel.

“Once $50,000 and the second time, $20,000 which apparently did not impress him.”

Kingibe and Abubakar were alleged to have threatened Dauda that he “will only get the president’s nod as the substantive DG only if he could immediately make $2 million available”.

According to HEDA, Dauda said: “I told them it was not going to be possible as the only money available was the $44 million and I did not know how to approach the acting DFA.

“They also told me at the meeting that if I cannot sack the DFA, they would send someone to do it soon.”

HEDA said the allegations show the level of “corrupt practices still looming large in our country’s political scenes, even in a sensitive security related office such as the NIA”. - Cable Nigeria

Terrorism : Fulani herdsmen kill 15-year-old boy in Kogi

Suspected Fulani herdsmen over the weekend allegedly ambushed and killed a 15-year-old boy identified as Mahmudu Audu at Guchidan village of kupa district, Lokoja Local government area of Kogi State.

It was reliably gathered on Sunday from one Hon. Abubakar Mahmud that the herdsmen numbering three allegedly butchered and mutilated the young boy to death.

The source disclosed further to DAILY POST that the boy alongside his elder brother, Mallam Abubakar Audu had gone to his father’s farm with a motor bike to set “traps” for petty animals.

“They were ambushed by the Fulani herdsmen,” the source said.

“His brother reported the case to the community and when they got to the farm, they have already killed the boy and then set their motorcycle on fire and escaped from the scene,” he said.

After the incident the community members stormed the farm and arrested one of the suspects, Buba Arbo while two other suspects escaped.

The arrested suspect told the people that it was his father who asked them to kill the boy.

He also confessed at the Police station that they killed the boy for preventing their cows to graze in their farm land.

Mallam Mahmoud Abubakar told newsmen men that the Fulani herdsmen and their parents had been residing with the people of the community for a long time.

He noted that he wondered why the father asked his son to kill the boy.

Meanwhile, when our correspondent called on the Police Public Relations officer of Kogi State Police Command, Mr. William Ayah to confirmed the incident, he said he was yet to get any information about it from the DPO in Kupa under Lokoja Local Government. - Daily Post

PL update : Conte hints at unhappiness with Hazard work-rate in Man Utd loss

Antonio Conte hinted he was not happy with Eden Hazard's work-rate after substituting the Belgium star in Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.

Hazard was brought off in the 74th minute of the contest at Old Trafford with the scores still locked at 1-1.

United scored the winner shortly after with Jesse Lingard heading home a cross from Romelu Lukaku, who added an assist to the goal he netted to cancel out Willian's opener.

Hazard had set up Willian for the Chelsea goal, but Conte suggested that his influential forward had failed to maintain his high standards in the second half and that his withdrawal was merely a tactical decision.

"No Hazard [is not injured], no," he told a news conference. "It was a tactical decision. 

"You have to keep the same performance for 90 minutes, we didn't have a great balance, and every single player has to try to work with the ball, without the ball, otherwise we lose our balance.

"I think he'd finished his energy because the first half he ran a lot. The second half he started the same away, but when I see a player is a bit tired, my task is to find a different solution."

Conte opted to start with Alvaro Morata up front instead of going with Olivier Giroud or employing Hazard as a false nine as he did in the midweek Champions League draw against Barcelona.

The Spain striker hit the crossbar and had a goal harshly ruled out for offside, but Morata – who is without a league goal since December – again largely underwhelmed.

Explaining his decision, Conte said: "He played for 90 minutes, like the other players they tried to put everything [in] and give their all.

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"For sure he can improve. I can take different decisions game by game. I took this decision to find the balance." - Goal

Usain Bolt : I've signed for a football team

Athletics great Usain Bolt claims he has signed for a football team and will announce the club in question on Tuesday.

Bolt, who brought his glittering sprint career to an end following the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London, has frequently talked up his footballing prowess and revealed last month he was set for a trial with Borussia Dortmund in March.

The 31-year-old Jamaican has also repeatedly expressed an interest in turning out for Premier League giants Manchester United, the club he supports, while he also recently offered his services to David Beckham's new Major League Soccer franchise, Futbol Miami.

On Sunday, Bolt announced on Twitter that an update was on the way regarding his bid to carve out a footballing career.

"I've signed for a football team," wrote the winner of eight Olympic gold medals. "Find out which one this Tuesday at 8am GMT." - Goal

PL news :Jose Mourinho hails Lukaku display against old club Chelsea

Mourinho hailed the performance of striker Romelu Lukaku after he scored one and created the other in a 2-1 Premier League win against former club Chelsea on Sunday.

After Willian gave the Blues the lead at Old Trafford, Lukaku hauled United level by slotting in from close range after good combination play from Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial.

Lukaku then crossed for substitute Jesse Lingard to head in the winner for United, capping an all-action display with a powerful driving run to release pressure in added time.

While the goal was Lukaku's first against a top-eight Premier League club this season, it took him to 22 strikes in all competitions since joining United from Everton and Mourinho highlighted the Belgium international's performance.

"He played fantastically well. At first he didn't find the right timing and lost the ball at times," Mourinho told a post-match news conference.

"But then he went together with the team and finished the game and people go home with the image of the run where he could have gone and got a goal. It was important for us to open the gap."

United cut the advantage rivals Manchester City hold at the top of the Premier League table to 13 points, with Mourinho's men now six clear of fifth-placed Chelsea in the battle for Champions League qualification.

And although United conceded the first goal, Mourinho felt his side delivered a high-class performance against his old employers, where the Portuguese won three Premier League titles across two spells at Stamford Bridge.

"We want always the perfection. We are always the best when we have the pen and paper, but sometimes on the pitch it was different," Mourinho said.

"The work of Scott [McTominay] and [Nemanja] Matic was exceptional. We needed Paul [Pogba] and Alexis [Sanchez] to give us some balance in front of them. The players needed some time to adapt but I am really happy because from then they were intelligent.

"They understood the change of Lingard and [Eric] Bailly, when they brought on [Olivier] Giroud. I am very happy and a great attitude as well. We have four important matches at home and today was a good start.

"You can only win against the top teams with that humble attitude. It can happen, the attitude has to be really special and the players showed that. 

"The beginning of the game was blue, we took some time to adapt to some new positions on the pitch, the players in the midfield took some time to press [N'Golo] Kante and [Danny] Drinkwater, but we found that balance. 

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"In the second half we were solid, we didn't create a lot of chances as against Chelsea that is not possible." - Goal 

Church built on Jesus tomb shut over Israeli tax

Christian leaders took the rare step on Sunday of closing Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built where tradition holds Jesus was buried, in protest at Israeli tax measures and a proposed property law.

It was not clear how long the closure of the church, announced by Christian officials at a news conference and which began at around noon (1000 GMT), would last. Church officials said only that it would be until further notice.

The church is considered the holiest site in Christianity, built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, and is a major pilgrimage site.

“As a measure of protest, we decided to take this unprecedented step of closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Catholic leaders said in a statement read out in front of the church’s large wooden doors.

They said recent Israeli measures seemed to be “an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem”.

The decision to close the church was extremely rare.

In 1990, Christian sites including the Holy Sepulchre were closed for a day to protest the installation of Jewish settlers near the church, located in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Christian sites were shut again for two days in 1999 to protest the planned construction of a mosque near Nazareth’s Church of the Annunciation, where tradition holds the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary she was to become the mother of Jesus.

Christian leaders have been angered over attempts by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem to enforce tax collection on church property they consider commercial, saying exemptions only apply to places of worship or religious teaching.

Separately, Christian leaders say legislation being considered by Israel’s government would allow church property to be expropriated.

“This reminds us all of laws of a similar nature which were enacted against the Jews during a dark period in Europe,” the statement said.

An Israeli ministerial committee on Sunday delayed action on the bill for a week.

Confused tourists stood in front of the church’s closed doors in Jerusalem’s Old City after the announcement, as tour guides sought to explain why they could not visit.

One man knelt and prayed as workers began putting metal barriers around the entrance.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said in a statement that the city was due 650 million shekels ($186 million/152 million euros) in uncollected taxes on church properties, which he called “illegal and irrational”.

Barkat stressed that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and all other churches were exempt from the taxes and would remain so, with the changes only affecting establishments like “hotels, halls and businesses” owned by the churches.

Christian leaders say the measure jeopardises their ability to conduct their work, which includes not only religious but also social services to those in need.

According to Israeli media, the foreign ministry has been critical of the Jerusalem mayor’s decision on church taxation, with officials saying the move was harmful to a decades-long status quo.

A separate bill seeks to allay fears of Israelis who live in homes on lands previously held by the Greek Orthodox Church and which were sold to private developers, according to Rachel Azaria of the centrist Kulanu party, who is proposing the legislation.

Recent land sales by the Greek Orthodox Church — a major landowner in Jerusalem — to unknown buyers have drawn fire from both Israelis and Palestinians.

Palestinians fear the sales will favour Israeli settlement construction in east Jerusalem, while Israelis are concerned over private developers’ intentions for the land. = The Nation

Shocking !!! Man kills own 4 children, sister In-law, commits suicide in Onitsha

A middle aged man, whose name was not immediately ascertained, Saturday night stabbed four of his children and his sister in-law to death in Awada Area of Onitsha, Anambra State.

The incident, which happened at No 18 Ntueke Street, Awada at about 8pm drew scores of sympathizers to the scene, just as the man was said to have also committed suicide by drinking a poisonous substance.

DAILY POST gathered that the man, who residents of the neighbourhood said returned recently from overseas has been having disagreement with his wife, a nurse at Chizoba Hospital in Awada, and who also operates a chemist shop few metres away from their residence.

Residents of the area told journalists on Sunday morning that the wife escaped death because she was on night duty at the hospital when the incident happened.

“I think it was a planned deal, the man sent out their house help with N50 to buy satchet, and when she left, he shut the door and used what we think was a kitchen knife to stab his four children and the younger sister of his wife who were in the house to death,” a resident of the area who identified himself as Okwudili told DAILY POST.

Another resident, Miss Amaka said, “He had already killed the children and faced his sister in-law who had ran to the bathroom, when she started screaming, attracting our attention, but before people could force their way into the flat, he had completed his mission and also drank poison and died.”

Eyewitness said the entire apartment was full of blood when neighbours forced open the door, while the children who aged between 4 and 12 years laid dead.

It was gathered that as at the time neighbours gained access to the apartment, the man was not completely dead as his hand and legs still moved, but later died before he could be moved to a hospital.

A source said he had left a suicide note atop a refrigerator in the house, but added that the note was quickly taken away by police officers from Awada police division who deposited the corpses in an undisclosed morgue.

DAILY POST gathered from residents of the the area that the man who was said to have returned from overseas over a year ago has been having disagreement with his wife, though it was not immediately ascertained the cause.

A source in the area said the man’s decision to send the house help away before embarking on his mission may not be unconnected to the good relationship that existed between him and the little girl.

“As for his sister in-law, I think she is always taking side with her sister each time there is an altercation between him and the wife, the reason he decided to kill her too,” the source said.

Though the man is also said to be mentally unstable as he was said to have indulged in drug intake, but our source said that the main reason for the action may be the wife’s infidelity, which saw her making and raising children even while he was overseas.

The public relations Officer of Anambra State Police command, Mrs Nkeiruka Nwode who confirmed the incident to journalists could not disclose the content of the suicide note dropped by the man.

She said that investigations had already commenced, and that the content of the note would not be disclosed until after investigation if there was need to do so.

“That is beyond me. I can not tell you what is on the note for now, but all I can say is that we have commenced investigation, and if there is need to let you people know, we will reach out to you after investigation,” Nwode said. - Daily Post