Land of injustice and oppression !! Seek justice for Zakzaky beyond Nigeria, Amnesty Int’l tells IMN

Amnesty International (AI) has advised the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) to seek justice for  Ibrahim Zakzaky, its leader, and members held in detention by the Kaduna state government, outside the Nigerian judiciary.

Osai Ojigho, AI country director, who spoke in an interview on The Osasu Show with Osasu Igbinedion, asked the group not to relent until it exhausts all options available to it to seek redress.

Ojigho also asked the group to look for help from other organisations other than “faith-based” ones.

“I think they should not relent in their constant agitation for justice in this matter. In recent times, they have taken protests, some in Abuja. Some cases have also been tried to be stopped. But everyone has the right to protest if they feel their rights are being violated,” Ojigho said.

“But they can go beyond that and can now begin to explore beyond the shores of Nigeria. There is the African Commission on People’s and Human Rights, there is the ECOWAS court of justice which is also situated here in Abuja.

“Can the regional mechanisms here in Africa give them an alternative hearing and can the Nigerian state be called to order by these institutions in order to ensure that the rights of El-Zakzaky and his followers who have been illegally and unconstitutionally detained can be addressed at this level.

“I think until those avenues are exhausted, they still have a lot more to do in that regard. And to also get other actors.

“They don’t need to be faith-based because they are a faith-based organisation. Get human right actors, the Nigerian Bar Association to actually look at this issue from a rule of law perspective. From that angle, perhaps, there could be a delegation separate from the Shi’ites, who could say in this matter, we want the rule of law respected.”

Ojigho further the motive of the state government in charging Zakzaky to court in April after holding him captive for so long, despite court orders demanding his release, is unclear.

“We have been consistent in our messaging around the issue. It is illegal and it is unconstitutional and there is no justification for the continued of El-Zakzaky and his wife and all other supports of IMN who have been held incommunicado detention,” she said.

“We are watching this case and actually monitoring the situation in order to see what facts will be brought before the courts and to see how they will prosecute it.

“We find it unusual that it has taken them nearly three years for them to bring a case against him. That is why we are being cautious and we are asking the question, are they bringing the case against him now to show to people that he is actually a suspect who has committed crime or it is just a ploy to distract us from the fact that they have actually held him illegally for this long.” - Cable Nigeria

Again, Obasanjo laments pervasive insecurity in Nigeria

Former President Olusegun Obadanjo has again  decried the pervasive insecurity across the country, saying he does “not know  of any Nigerian living or dead today who could boast of being adequately secured.”

Obasanjo recalled that he met on grounds, challenges of insecurity in the country, but said his administration took proactive measures such as carrying out a lot of reforms in the military and signing into law Acts that formally established the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC).

The arrow head of the formation of the Coalition of Nigeria Movement (CNM) that recently fused into African Democratic Congress(ADC) to wrest power from President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) said he would support an amendment of the NSCDC  Act, if there is any lacuna, to accommodate private security professionals to help curb sundry security threats in the country.

Obasanjo who spoke at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library(OOPL), Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Saturday during the ASIS International 2018 leadership retreat with the theme: Building Capacity for Professional Growth, however said such private security professionals should be effectively monitored, supervised and controlled by the NSCDC.

 ASIS International 2018 is a global body of professional private security providers while the Lagos chapter of it designated as ASIS 206, organised the retreat.

The ex – President identified corruption, bad economy, nepotism, and poor leadership as some of  the drivers of the current security threats in the country.

He also identified four cardinal things that should be in place if the nation expects to witness reduction or cessation of the wave of security threats posed by the insurgents, violent herdsmen,  kidnappers among others.

According to him, good governance, good  leadership, development and reclaiming of Nigeria’s  core values which emphasized honest means of livelihood, would drastically, if not totally, eliminate all of the security threats plaguing the country.

Obasanjo noted that a good leader must have experience both in good and bad sides of life that would help him to strategize on how to handle any threat.

The Chairman of ASIS 206 Lagos Chapter, Oluwaseyi Adetayo said that the NSCDC  law if reviewed, would guarantee professionalism of private security practice in the country as well as  boost the economy in the areas of employment opportunities and securing assets.

 “ASIS International has been providing the platform for networking, education, information on new technology and training for all security professionals all over the world on an as annual basis in the United States,” Adetayo said.

He explained that the theme of the retreat “Building Capacity for Professional Growth” was arrived at in order to attend to one of the major gaps in our industry, which is leadership.

“As many of us have grown to strategic leadership level in our various businesses, it is only important that we back professional and technical knowledge with required leadership skills,” he state. - The Nation

20-year-old house help disappears with widow’s N600,000 in Delta

One house help, Happy Edom in Asaba, Delta state, has disappeared from where she works around Ogbeosowe quarter with N600,000 belonging to her boss, Mrs Anne Adigwe.

Adigwe, a widow, who narrated her ordeal in the hands of the Happy to DAILY POST, said “I lost my husband a year ago and my children are grown up”.

“None of them in the house, they are all married and left the house. They gave me a house help from Akwa Ibom. She was humble initally until she started following men.

“On a Saturday morning , someone brought the N600,000 for me because of our meeting. I handover the money to her to keep.

“But around 4:30pm she claimed she was going to make her hair. Unknown to me she left with the money in a bag.

“Around 5pm, my meeting member came, and I called her GSM line to no avail. I started searching for her before I went and reported to the police”.

The police spokesman in the state, DSP, Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed that the matter was reported at the state CID.

“We are investigating the disappearance of the house help. Her GSM line is not going through, but the police are making efforts to visit her parents in Akwa ibom, we will get her at all costs”, he told DAILY POST.

Sources said the house help may have gone to African country as she had once told a friend that if she had her way, she would go leave the country so to assist her poor parents who could no longer afford her education.

Happy was said to have dropped out college in SS1. - Daily Post

Failed system !!! PDP accuses Buhari govt of corruption, seeks probe of N1.4trillion oil subsidy

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday, accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s government of corruption.

PDP said this in reaction to the N1.4 trillion naira spent of fuel subsidy.

PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, demanded probe of the alleged fraud as well as revenue collecting agencies under the presidency.

In his words, “Such inquest, which is already backed by state governors across board, will not only expose humongous corruption but also show the world that our African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption champion had not been totally spotless.

“We invite Nigerians to note that the demand by governors to probe all subsidy deals since 2015 is a direct indictment on President Buhari as the Minister of Petroleum, particularly, following allegations that the stolen funds are being warehoused to fund his 2019 re-election bid and the opulent lifestyle in the Presidential Villa.

“The party notes that if President Buhari allowed the inquest, it will reveal how our president, who had queried the genuineness of the oil subsidy payments by PDP administration and described the process as a fraud, had secretly engaged in underhand oil subsidy deals.

“Nigerians will also understand how the cost of fuel geometrically rose from the PDP subsidized cost of N87 to N145, representing a criminal N58 tax, per liter of fuel.”

The opposition party further recalled that it took over two years of secret oil subsidy deals under President Buhari before it was exposed last December.

PDP noted that since then, the Presidency and the NNPC have been seeking ways to cover the fraud which include claims that local consumption suddenly jumped from 28 million liters per day to 60 million liters per day.

The party claimed that it was a fabrication to cover the billions being stolen as subsidy, even when statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics and the reality of the retarded purchasing power of citizens, under the prevailing economic recession, do not validate such claims.

It stated: “Nigerian therefore deserve to know who authorised the payments and the identity of the beneficiary companies, if any.

“The PDP is happy that state governors across board and the National Assembly are on the same page with our party in condemning the humongous fraud going on under President Buhari’s fuel subsidy.

“The PDP therefore demands that the inquest covers the alleged the N15 billion stolen from the NHIS, the N18 billion stolen from the PINE initiative, the alleged leaked memo of N9 trillion corrupt oil contracts at the NNPC, the reported diversion of N1.1trillion worth of crude last year and why indicted Presidential cronies and fronts have not been prosecuted”. - Daily Post

People order for my guns across Nigeria, says suspect

Niger State Police Command has intercepted and arrested a four-man gang, which allegedly manufacture firearms (dane guns) at Zungeru in Wushishi Local Government.

The suspects include 54-year- old Badamasi Umar, 45-year-old Adamu Aliyu, 40-year-old Kabiru Tukura and 40-year-old Isyaku Madaki.

Umar said he had been in the business for long, as people from other parts of the state and country ordered for his guns.

“I’m known in my area as someone who manufactures local guns. People from other parts of the state and country order my guns. I have been in the trade for four years.

“I produce local guns and sell to anyone that needs them. I am not interested in what the person uses the gun for. It may be for hunting or for security purposes. I sell the guns to make money to maintain my four wives and pay my children’s school fees,” he added.

Umar said vigilance groups and security companies “buy our guns”, adding that he never knew there was a ban on illegal firearms, as he would have stopped.

The Nation learnt the suspects were trailed and arrested by the Joint Task Force patrol deployed in Zungeru.

Spokesman Muhammad Abubakar said the suspects had confessed to the crime, adding that 12 dane guns were recovered from them. - The Nation

Terrorism : Fulani herdsmen kill soldiers, kidnap two in Benue LG, Logo

No fewer than five soldiers have been reportedly killed and two others kidnapped after suspected herdsmen clashed with some personnel in Logo LGA of Benue State on Sunday.

The attackers also burnt down Army patrol vehicles during the clash.

DAILY POST gathered that the herdsmen had wanted to attack a village in Logo but where foiled by the Army men.

The confrontation resulted into fire exchange between the herdsmen and military personnel.

A resident of the area hinted our reporter that the herdsmen overpowered the soldiers and whisked away two others. - Daily Post

Sick nation ! Buhari’s cash gift tears Christian leaders apart

The National Christian Elders Forum, (NCEF) has accused the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of corruption and abuse of office.

In a memo reportedly obtained by Vanguard, NCEF alleged that a CAN delegation led by Samson Ayokunle, its president, collected “transportation money” from President Muhammadu Buhari, when they paid him a visit in November.

The NCEF said while CAN officials said they collected N25 million, sources claimed they received up to N40 million from the presidency.

The forum recommended punishment for those involved.

In the memo, titled ‘NCEF Protests: Is NEC of CAN Guilty of Negligence?’, signed by Solomon Asemota, on behalf of some members, the NCEF called the national executive council (NEC) of CAN to immediately convene an emergency meeting to investigate the issues raised.

“On the 10th of November, 2017, a delegation of CAN, led by the President of CAN, Rev. Dr. Ayokunle, met with President Muhammadu Buhari and, after the visit, collected ‘transportation’ money,” the memo read.

“While informed sources claim it was N40 million, CAN officials insist it was N25 million and it was alleged to have been shared by somebody who is not an official of the national secretariat of CAN.

“NCEF insists on proper investigation of how the money was shared and how much each person received. In addition, NCEF insists on proper sanction of every Christian leader that took part in sharing money from President Buhari.

“It is unethical and very insensitive for Christian leaders to collect money from the man every Christian is aware has compromised security to the detriment of the church.”

The group also called on its NEC to investigate alleged “high-handedness” of Ayokunle, while calling for his immediate suspension until he is cleared of all the allegations.

The forum demanded a probe into vehicles purchased at “questionable prices”.

They urged the NEC to ensure that the investigation looks into the activities of other officials of CAN on “whose heads allegations of wrong doing and misconduct hang”.

“In all, N43 million was spent to purchase four second hand vehicles in Cotonou,” the statement read.

“This allegation  is too big to be swept under the carpet. (This vehicle is parked at the National Christian Centre, Abuja).

“The auditor presented a financial report to CAN that did not include the N43 million spent on vehicles in Cotonou. Where did N43 million disappear to?”.

The Christian elders argued that it had the statutory right to “make its position public to all Nigerian Christians and alert them that, if Christianity is destroyed in Nigeria or Christians continue to get slaughtered, the present NEC of CAN should be held responsible.”

Reacting to the claims, Ayokunle described the allegations as “a catalogue of lies” designed to smear his reputation. - Cable Nigeria

Nicola Sturgeon says she will ‘restart’ debate on Scottish independence in coming weeks

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First minister, has said she will “restart” the debate on Scottish independence debate in the coming weeks.

The comments from the SNP leader came as her party prepares to publish its economic growth commission, presenting its findings on economic policy options for an independent Scotland.

She said the commission, chaired by the former SNP MSP Andrew Wilson, set up in 2016, would offer the opportunity for a debate on Scotland’s future based on “ambition and hope”.

Ms Sturgeon added that she would consider the timing of a second vote on independence in autumn when the UK has some “clarity” about the Brexit outcome and the future UK-EU relationship.

In the aftermath of the EU referendum in 2016 after Scotland voted to Remain inside the bloc, the SNP leader had said a second independence referendum was “highly likely”. In 2017 she then called for a fresh vote.

But her demands were dramatically scaled back in the wake of last year’s snap general election after her party suffered a string of defeats and lost 21 seats from the 56 they won at the 2015 election.

Asked about the timing of a second independence referendum on ITV’s Peston on Sunday, Ms Sturgeon said: “Once we get some clarity, which hopefully we will in the autumn of this year, about the Brexit outcome and the future relationship between the UK and the EU then I will consider again this question of the timing of an independence referendum.

She continued: ”I'm not going to say more about that in advance of that moment arising.

“But of course over the next couple of weeks we will, I suppose, restart a debate about why independence for Scotland is an opportunity and what those opportunities are.”

Referring to the publication of the commission’s report, she added: “I think that’s quite an important moment, because if you think about the last couple of years in the UK it has been very much a debate about how we cope with the damage of Brexit.

“What I think Scotland now has the opportunity to do is look at how we seize the opportunities that lie ahead, so a debate based very much on ambition and hope not a debate that's based on despair, which is how the Brexit debate so often feels.”

Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, however, said the report demonstrated the union “remains under threat”.

Writing in the Financial Times, she claimed that it was “unlikely” that the latest drive would be met with enthusiasm, but warned against “complacency” and “indifference”.

“As long as our future relationship with the EU is in flux, it would be foolish to assume that the current trends on Scotland remaining in the UK will hold and that the threat of separation has gone away,” Ms Davidson said. “The SNP is in power north of the border and will use that clout to drive a wedge between Scotland and the rest of the country. - The Independent

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“So we unionists must work hard to bolster our case for the union.”

Patience Jonathan won’t need lawyers to keep her dollars if PDP wins in 2019 - Garba Shehu

Garba Shehu,  presidential spokesman, says “changing the change” in 2019 would reverse all the achievements of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In an article he titled ‘The Real Price of Changing the Change (1)’, Shehu said Nigerians needed to understand the implication of voting out President Muhammadu Buhari.

Shehu said members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have only been calling for changing the change “without defining what exactly that means”.

But Shehu said “the real meaning and cost of the “Changing the Change” is a reversal of the victory gained against corruption.

Shehu claimed that Patience Jonathan, former first lady,  will be the happiest person if PDP regains power.

“As the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) gears up to celebrate the completion of three years of the Buhari government in the centre on May 29th, Nigerians need to be reminded of what the reversal of the achievements of this administration will amount to,” Shehu said.

“The main reason for the defeat of the PDP in 2015 was corruption. The present administration at the centre led by President Muhammadu Buhari has so far presented a corrupt-free image of itself. It has also succeeded in abolishing grand corruption at the top.

“The list of people who oppose the Buhari government and yearning to ‘‘change the change’’ include a number of parliamentarians, policemen, customs officials, immigration officials, civil servants now rooting for other political parties, not leaving out those various businesses and platforms owned by these political parties directly or indirectly.

“The beneficiaries won’t like that the security threat is eliminated. Yes, for them, “Changing the Change” is an opportunity for a resumption of business as usual.

“But the happiest of them all will be Mrs. Jonathan, who will get the first priority when the refunds start coming for obvious reasons. The former First Lady would not anymore need lawyers to keep her mountain of gifts, counted in huge millions of dollars, billions of naira, hotels and buildings.

“The Buhari win in 2015, and the possibility of four more years have crumbled their dreams of endlessly looting the state and the growing list of achievements of the administration is not doing any good for them… Buhari is bad business for them.”

Shehu further listed the casualties of changing the change to include initiatives like the whistle blower policy, Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme ( VAIDS), ease of doing business.

“Changing the Change means that we will go back to the old ways of doing things,” he said. - Cable Nigeria

PL news : Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is without a UK visa

British authorities have not issued a new visa to the Russian oligarch and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich and it is not clear whether one will be granted, according to Russian media reports and people who know the businessman.

Abramovich, who is the 13^th richest man in Britain with a net worth of £9.3bn, according to the Sunday Times, held an entrepreneurial visa to the UK that expired several weeks ago. He has filed for a new visa, but has not yet been granted one.

He was not seen at Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Chelsea over Manchester United.

A person who knows Abramovich said he had not been denied a visa, but that it was taking longer than usual to renew and it was unclear why.

A representative for Abramovich declined to comment on the reports, calling it a “personal matter”.

The delay was first reported by the Russian news agency the Bell, which wrote on Sunday that Abramovich’s visa had expired three weeks ago and that his private Boeing 767 last travelled to London on 1 April. The report cited three people who know Abramovich.

A second person who knows Abramovich told the Guardian that the report “looked correct”, but emphasised that the Russian businessman had not received a firm answer yet from British authorities.

Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 and has helped bankroll the club during a period of unprecedented success, including five league titles. - The Guardian 

Failed nation : Two teachers, four others murdered by herdsmen in Benue

At least six persons, including two teachers of the Makurdi Local Government Education Authority, have been reportedly killed by Fulani herdsmen near Ikpayongo, Gwer Local Government Area of Benue State.

It was gathered that the victims were among the 10 persons who had gone to their farm for rice cultivation under the umbrella of a cooperative society.

Four of the teachers managed to escape with wounds, while six others were killed and their bodies dismembered by the herdsmen.

It was gathered that the remains of the deceased were found on Thursday with the assistance of some security operatives.

Sources from the area gave the names of two of the deceased as Mr. Stephen Tavaku, head teacher at St. Mary’s Primary School, North Bank, Makurdi, and Mr. Christian Anankpa, a PhD student of ABU, Zaria, who was the Basic Science teacher, St. Mary’s UBE Junior Secondary School, North Bank, Makurdi.

Emerald Anyaogu, a close associate of Tavaku, while confirming the incident to journalists, said “I never knew that my meeting with Mr. Tavaku in his office that day was going to be the last.

“I went to see him with some journalists about an issue in the school. He looked so excited that day and attended to them well. He was such a nice man.”

A colleague of Anankpa said, “Ten people, four of whom were teachers, formed the cooperative and went to assess the farmland when the herdsmen pounced on them.

“Four people were able to escape, but on Thursday, we discovered the bodies of the victims. Two of them were teachers.” - Daily Post

Gunmen abduct housewives in Kaduna

There was terror  and confusion  as armed bandits  on Sunday morning abducted the three wives of Alhaji Adamu Nakwana,  a businessman in Maganda Village,  Birnin Bwari local government area of kaduna Kaduna state.

The attack was said to have occurred around 2.00am.

This development comes six days after the Chief of Army staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai visited Birnin Gwari and ordered  his troops to hunt down kidnappers unleashing mayhem in the axis.

Efforts to reach the PPRO  of Kaduna state Police Command, ASP Mukhtar Aliyu to confirm the development proved abortive, as he did not respond to phone calls as at press time.

A resident of Maganda who preferred anonymity told our reporter that : “The bandits, who came in scores and  locked down the whole town when they attacked on Sunday morning.”

Narrating the ordeal, the source  explained that: “They went straight to Alhaji Adamu’s house and took away his three wives. They did not harm any person but people are fleeing as they do not know if they will come back for another attack.”

“The bandits later released one of the women and gave her a number instructing that Alhaji Adamu should call them probably to negotiate for payment of ransom for the release of the women.” - The Nation

Two Nigerians fraudsters sent to UK jail after stealing more than £1m

Two Nigerians, Emmanuel Mmaduike and Olawale Kashimawo, both 31, who operated a London-based cyber crime group have been jailed after stealing more than £1m.

The two Nigerians spent the money on “a lavish lifestyle”, according to the UK National Crime Agency.

According to a report by Sky News, the pair hired a helicopter and drove “flash cars”, and “posed for photographs of themselves with wads of money, expensive watches and drinking champagne”.

They ran their scams from southeast London after obtaining thousands of business email addresses and passwords – which they used to divert payments away from legitimate companies to themselves.

Known officially as “business email compromise” (BEC), the attack involves the criminal impersonating a senior executive and attempting to convince the victim to transfer funds.

UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said BEC scams are one of the fastest growing forms of cyber crime. According to a 2017 report by networking company Cisco, cyber criminals made $5.3bn (£3.9bn) from BEC in just three years.

 Mmaduike’s role was to access the victim’s email accounts and change invoices so that payments were directed to mule bank accounts run by Kashimawo.

His collaborator then laundered the cash by arranging withdrawals and international bank transfers which were carried out by other fraudsters.

The pair are believed to have carried out more than £1m of fraud and money laundering between April 2015 and November 2015, according to the NCA.

Mmaduike was jailed in March 2017 for six years and 10 months after he admitted money laundering and fraud.

He also admitted perverting the course of justice in relation to a sham marriage to a Dutch national.

On Thursday, his accomplice Kashimawo was jailed at Kingston Crown Court for six years and nine months after admitting two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The head of investigations at the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU), Tony Adams, said: “UK businesses should exercise caution when authorising significant transactions – particularly if there is a last-minute change of account details.

“If in doubt speak to the intended recipient of the funds on the phone prior to making a large payment.

“Keep passwords safe and do not use the same passwords for multiple online accounts.

“The NCA and our partners are continuing to tackle business email fraud and money laundering. It is imperative victims report such compromises as soon as possible and retain all evidence.”