Obasanjo is Nigeria’s major problem – Oba of Lagos, Akiolu

The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, has alleged that former President, Olusegun Obasanjo was the major problem of Nigeria.

Akiolu anchored his claim on the fact that while Obasanjo was in government, he failed to focus on the country’s investments.

In an interview with Vanguard, the monarch claimed that the former President was running after Lagos State instead of focusing on Nigeria’s investment.

According to Akiolu, “The major problem of Nigeria today is former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.

“When he was in government, he was running after Lagos while someone was cornering all the blue-chip companies that belong to the country.

“He could not win election in his ward in Abeokuta. He ignored all Supreme Court judgements which were in favour of Lagos State.”

- Daily Post

BIafra struggle : Police parade 33 suspected IPOB members in Anambra

Police on Sunday said they arrested 33 people persons suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who clashed with the force in Anambra on Friday.

DCP Jimoh Moshood, Force Public Relations Officers, who spoke with newsmen in Awka, said those arrested were allegedly responsible for the killing of a police inspector and inflicting injury on a divisional police officer.

He said the people also injured other police personnel, setting ablaze a police patrol vehicle in Nnewi, Anambra, on Nov. 23

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that 20 of the suspects were from Anambra, two from Abia, three from Imo, two from Ebonyi, three from Enugu, one from Delta and two from an unknown state.

Moshood said that the arrested members were suspected IPOB members.

He said they allegedly committed the crime under the terrorism prevention amendment act 2013, adding that exhibits recovered from them included eight motorcycles, five IPOB Flags and five IPOB Caps.

According to the Police, IPOB is a proscribed terrorist group and all activities of the group are therefore unlawful, illegal and terrorist act.

“The 33 suspected IPOB members were arrested for the killing of the Police Inspector, inflicting injury on others and setting ablaze a Police patrol vehicle are now in police custody, they are undergoing investigation.

“The Inspector General of Police has directed the Commissioner of Police, Anambra to carry out intense search operations for the recovery of the two AK47 rifles.

“They are also to recover one Beretta Pistol with the ammunition snatched from the slain Police Inspector and other Police Officers wounded by the proscribed IPOB members.

“They will all be arraigned in Court on completion of investigation under Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013,” he said.

IPOB, through its Media and Publicity Secretary, Mr Emma Powerful in swift reaction, says none of their members was in Police net.

Mr Sunday Ilonze, one of the suspects, said he was arrested in his shop.

“I was in my shop in new motor spare parts when some police men said I should come out and join the vehicle.

“I don’t know what happened, I am an innocent businessman, and they arrested me.

I am a preacher and I can’t lie, they are just intimidating us, I am a good citizen and cannot run,” he said.

Also, Mr innocent Okoroafor said he just returned from the burial of a Rev. Father in Nnewi when he was hounded alongside his apprentice.

Okoroafor, who said he was the chairman of St Michael’s Catholic choir, added he was arrested while trying to close his business for the day.

- PM News

Buhari’s govt ignored intelligence warnings about Boko Haram, says S’African mercenary group

Specialised Tasks, Training, Equipment and Protection International (STTEP), a South African mercenary company, says President Muhammadu Buhari rejected intelligence warnings about operations of Boko Haram in Borno.

STTEP was employed by former president Goodluck Jonathan in January 2015 to assist the Nigerian army in rescuing the Chibok girls.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Eeben Barlow, STTEP chairman, said Nigerian soldiers have been reaching out for help since his company’s services were terminated.

Barlow is speaking out in the wake of the deadly killing of Nigerian soldiers by Boko Haram insurgents.

The latest attack in Melete village, Borno, is believed to have led to the death of no less than 100 soldiers.

Weighing in on the development, Barlow said Buhari’s administration did not allow his company to complete the objective of “degrading and destroying” Boko Haram in Borno.

He wrote: “There is, in a purely military sense, no such thing as a ‘technical defeat’—something the President, as an ex-military man ought to know. Sadly, he also chose to make the successes of 7 Infantry Division and 72 Mobile Strike Force (MSF) his own, when it wasn’t.

“President Buhari and his team were, however, part of the political leader group that led the vocal charge about STTEP’s presence in Nigeria. Indeed, they made it known that the company’s presence would not be tolerated under his office.

“The initial 3-phase campaign strategy (known as ‘Operational Anvil’) to degrade and destroy BH in Borno State, was rejected by his advisors.

“Many of the men we trained as part of 72 Mobile Strike Force have remained in contact with us (STTEP), pleading for our return to Nigeria. They have also told us that they have been used to a point of exhaustion.

“Prior to, and following our departure from Nigeria, we issued numerous intelligence warnings to his government. These intelligence warnings were all rejected in favour of a false belief. Neighbouring countries were advised not to listen to us as it was claimed to be a cheap attempt to ‘get a contract’. Chad, Cameroon and Niger are now also reaping the benefits of rejecting intelligence in favour of an agenda-driven narrative.”

In a statement released on Saturday by his media team, the president described the attack as a national tragedy.

- TheCable

PL news : Aubameyang extends Arsenal’s unbeaten run

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to 17 matches with the goal that sealed a 2-1 win at Bournemouth on Sunday.

Unai Emery’s side took the lead through Jefferson Lerma’s bizarre own goal before Josh King equalised on the stroke of half-time at Dean Court.

Aubameyang netted his eighth league goal of the season midway through the second half to lift the fifth placed Gunners within a point of the top four in the battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The north Londoners have been revitalised since Emery replaced Arsene Wenger in the close-season and this was another test passed by the Spaniard.

After three successive home draws against Liverpool, Sporting Lisbon and Wolves, it was essential Arsenal got back to winning ways.

Emery left German playmaker Mesut Ozil on the bench and was without French striker Alexandre Lacazette due to a groin injury.

But Arsenal were still strong enough to consign Bournemouth to a third successive defeat as Emery’s decision to switch to a back three for the first time paid dividends.

Bournemouth thought they were ahead early on, but David Brooks was flagged offside as he slotted home King’s through ball.

Arsenal went up the other end and Lucas Torreira rattled the foot of the post with a fierce shot, with Alex Iwobi only able to lash the rebound high and wide.

Arsenal took the lead in the 30th minute when Lerma accidently volleyed Sead Kolasinac’s cross past Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic as he stretched in a failed attempt to clear.

Iwobi drew a smart stop out of Begovic as the visitors looked to double their advantage before the break, but instead their run of not leading at half-time this season continued.

Cardiff are the only other top-flight side yet to hold a half-time lead in the league this season and King’s smart finish with the last meaningful kick of the opening 45 minutes ensured Bournemouth went in level.

When Aubameyang spurned a good chance after Henrikh Mkhitaryan had rolled in his team-mate, Arsenal fans began to call for the introduction of Ozil.

But the supporters who made the trip to the south coast were celebrating the lead in the 67th minute.

Aubameyang made amends for his earlier miss, sliding in to score from six yards after another Kolasinac cross.

Ryan Fraser shot straight into the arms of Bernd Leno as Bournemouth chased a second equaliser.

Lerma almost atoned for his own goal but struck a post with his low drive before Leno had to be alert to push the ball behind after it looped towards goal off the foot of Sokratis.

- PM News

Cultism: Journalist alerts on increasing female involvement

Ejiro Umukoro, a Broadcaster and Social journalist, has alerted parents in the South-South over the increasing rate of female involvement in cultism in the various secondary schools in the region.

Umukoro disclosed this through an investigative report she carried out tagged: “Getting Inside Me Project” (GIME), made available on Sunday in Abuja.

She said that during the project, it was discovered that Delta state was currently faced with high increase in female cultism recruitment in the region, stating that most of the schools testify to the worrisome development.

According to her, some of the girls, who spoke with her and wanted to leave the cult were from 11 years to 15 years of age.

“There are over nine female gangs in Asaba alone, many others unknown.

“These nine are the most dominant groups; many of them were created as the female arm of existing male-dominated gangs and secret-cults.

“Which are TG Girls (Trigger Girls), Vice Queen (Vipers), F-Tibi (Future Tibi), White Angels (JVC – Junior Vikings), Pink Lady (Apache), Red Devils, Bad Dragon, Blue Birds, and Red Sea.

“They pay recruitment fees from N2,000 to N5,000 depending on the gang, while weekly dues, post recruitment, is been reviewed from N200 to N400.

“I have spoken with some teachers in the government schools, who admitted that a lot of cult activities are invading the secondary schools.

“I also spoke with some school counsellors, who told me that parents in the region must wake up to this reality and watch their wards closely.“

Umukoro, however, said that these students were exposed to drugs, sexual abuse and other social vices from peer pressure.

She called on parents and other stakeholders to participate in the fight against cultism in the region by being more attentive and developing a healthy relationship with their children.

She said that parents have a major role to play in helping their kids abstain from such association and also help them in renouncing such gangs.

“Children who are forced to join cults can get out by signing an Affidavit at the magistrate court and take same to the State Anti-Cult Unit, which now enables them to sign a renunciation certificate,“ she said.

- PM News

Rape: Psychiatrist decries cultural tendency of keeping cases secret

A Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Tomi Imarah, has identified the cultural tendency to keep sexual assaults and rape cases secret, as some of the major issues hindering the fight against sex crime in Nigeria.

Imarah, who runs an online Mental Health Counselling Service, “Dr Tomi’s Haven” via her facebook page, @drtomihaven, made this known on Sunday in Lagos.

She spoke on the commemoration of the 2018 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women marked annually on every Nov. 25.

Wikipaedia, an Online publication, says “the United Nations General Assembly has designated Nov. 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134).

“The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence.

“Furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden.”

According to Imarah, statistics have repeatedly shown that almost two third of the perpetrators of rape are acquaintances, with one third of these figures being family members.

“It is disheartening that girls and young women can readily identify their assailants; yet, these people walk around free.

“Let us not forget that there are cases of young boys being sexually assaulted too; often, we choose to keep silent because a rapist is our uncle, brother, or family friend.

“We do not want to wash our dirty linens in public or we do not want to embarrass anyone,“ she said.

The consultant psychiatrist said that such culture of silence would only hurt the victims of rape and inadvertently, make things worse on many levels.

Imarah said: “Firstly, we have communicated to the victim that protecting the reputation of the rapist and the entire family is more important than her own rights.

“If she is young and vulnerable, without the means to pursue justice for herself, this action has set the stage for deep seated resentment against everyone involved.

“The psychological sequelae are likely to be more severe and long lasting than cases in which justice was pursued.

“Secondly, we have used our silence to endorse the crime; when we let a rapist go free without repercussions or with just a slap on the wrist, there is a psychological reinforcement of the behaviour.

“They learn that they can get away with anything, with the right amount of pleading and display of remorse.

“This emboldens them to keep on committing the crime, probably with a clever cover up plan next time; this can be called so.“

She urged victims of rape or sexual assault to report those family members who commit sex crimes to the appropriate authorities instead of keeping silent.

According to her, the cover up of sex crime is as bad as the crime itself.

“I know it is tough to turn friends or family members over to law enforcement agencies, but we have to try to be upstanding citizens.

“Parents and guardians should not plead with the victims to ‘let go and let God’; do not say ‘what happened has happened; Way forward is what we should be discussing.

“No, the way forward is for us to step away from the situation, seeing we are emotionally invested and let neutral parties take the lead.

“Also, it is better for victims to speak up for themselves in a way that they are comfortable with. Speaking up does not erase what has happened to you and does not guarantee the perpetrator will be prosecuted.

“However, speaking up is a symbolic act of taking back control over your life and also helps with the healing process,“ she said.

Imarah said that the complications of rape might outlast the traumatic experience.

According to her, victims may experience physical effects such as painful sexual intercourse in the future, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B, genital warts or gonorrhea.

“They may experience psychological effects such as Post-traumatic stress disorder (with possible flashbacks, nightmares, or avoidance of reminders).

“Depression (with possible low mood, low energy, loss of interest, or feelings of hopelessness), suicidality, or sleep disorders.

“Also, emotional changes that may persist include distrust of others, anger, numbness, feeling a loss of control, sense of vulnerability, fear, or guilt.

“These complications have serious impact on victims’ lives and their interaction with other loved ones,“ Imarah said.

The expert identified preventive strategies to reduce the incidences of sex crime in Nigeria.

She said: “Awareness campaigns, promoting healthier societal and cultural norms, and educating adolescents about safe social interactions as some of the strategies that can help.

“In the society at large, we have to keep pushing public enlightenment; the mainstream media has been at the forefront of creating awareness about rape.

“However, all of us should lend our voices to awareness campaigns across the nation.

“Let everyone know it is a new era and all forms of sexual assaults will no longer be condoned or covered up.

“Let us all foster norms that reflect respect for the dignity of women and work on the depth of our regard for consent.

“Men ought to be allies, speaking up for all women and teaching the young boys to respect people’s rights to say “No”.

“We can educate our children, young nieces and nephews, cousins and friends about the risks of exposure to sex crime and how to avoid the danger.

“Even, rape is not the victim’s fault, we can do our best to keep our young ones safe,“ she said.

- PM News

Boko Haram attack: SERAP writes Buhari, seeks probe of military spending

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP) has sent an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari requesting him to use his good offices and leadership position to urgently set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the spending of defence and military budgets between 1999 and 2018 in order to promote transparency and accountability in the sector.

SERAP said the probe would: “ensure that the funds meant for military operation are spent for that purpose and end the vulnerability and killings of Nigerian soldiers such as the reported death of several Nigerian soldiers in the recent Metele Boko Haram attack.”

The organization also urged President Buhari to: “immediately refer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursuant to article 13 of the Rome Statute, all allegations of corruption in the spending of funds meant to purchase arms to empower Nigerian soldiers to fight Boko Haram, including the apparent diversion and sharing of the over $2 billion under the former government of President Goodluck Jonathan and approved spending by your own government.”

In the letter dated 23 November, 2018 and signed by SERAP’s Senior Legal Adviser, Bamisope Adeyanju, the organization said: “We believe that referral of the cases to the ICC would serve as a deterrent and ensure that Nigerians, particularly those in the Northeast of the country whose human rights including to life, to human dignity, and to an adequate standard of living have been violated are not denied justice and effective remedies.”

The organization expressed “concern that several billions of naira allocated to the military to defend the country have neither contributed to improving the ability of Nigerian soldiers to fight Boko Haram and other armed groups nor provided the much-needed security especially for Nigerians in the North-east of the country.”

The organization urged Buhari to: “move swiftly to implement these recommendations as a way of demonstrating your government’s commitment to end the perception of lack of transparency and accountability in the spending of military budgets in the context of the conflict in the Northeast and to ensure the safety and security of our solders and all Nigerians in that part of the country.”

The letter read in part: “The military’s inability to respond adequately to the Boko Haram insurgency suggests among other things a mismanagement in the spending of the country’s defence budgets. Establishing a commission of inquiry to investigate how defence and military budgets have been spent since 29 May 1999 would help Nigerians to know if the funds meant to defend the country and for purchase of arms to empower Nigerian soldiers to fight Boko Haram have been transparently and accountably spent.

“The proposed commission should be led by a retired justice of the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The activities of the commission must be open to the public and all those who have been responsible for the spending of the country’s defence and military budgets should be summoned to give a public account of how the money was spent.

“Testimonies should be taken in a way that ensures that specific military operations are not disclosed and national security not compromised. The commission should make recommendations including on the prosecution of those found to have mismanaged and/or stolen public funds meant to fight Boko Haram.

“SERAP is concerned that many cases of those alleged to have diverted and shared funds meant to purchase arms to empower Nigerian soldiers to fight Boko Haram have stalled. Given the continuing delay in the prosecution of such cases, and the need to send a strong message that corruption in the spending of funds meant to fight Boko Haram insurgents will not be tolerated, we urge you to immediately refer all such cases for investigation and prosecution by the ICC.

“SERAP notes that article 13(a) of the Rome Statute of the ICC provides a basic right to states parties including Nigeria to refer to the ICC prosecutor cases such as those involving mismanagement and/or stealing of funds meant to purchase arms to empower Nigerian soldiers to fight Boko Haram.

“Opacity and deficiencies in the way arms purchases are decided and controlled if not urgently addressed would continue to expose our soldiers to risk of attacks and killings; displace people and destroy their means of livelihoods and render them homeless, thereby undermining human rights, including the right to life, right to personal security, right to education and right to livelihood.

“Nigeria is a state party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and a range of international human rights treaties and therefore has a duty to respect and protect human rights including a duty to protect people against human rights abuses by third parties.

“SERAP notes that in 2014 about N340billion (US$1.7billion) was allocated to the military. Also, a number of offices had budgets allocated to them in relation to the Boko Haram conflict. The military received the largest funds in the federal budget in 2014. In October 2014, the National Assembly approved a request to borrow US$1billion as an additional amount for purchase of military equipment. In 2015, about N375billion (US$1.8billion) was allocated to the military in the federal budget.

“The same year, an interim report of the presidential investigations committee on arms procurement under the former president Goodluck Jonathan administration revealed an extra-budgetary spending to the tune of N643.8 billion and an additional spending of about $2.1 billion under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

“SERAP also notes that Nigeria is a key member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has ‘accountability, economic and social justice’ as part of the fundamental principles contained in its Revised Treaty. Nigeria is a member of the Commonwealth, which has as its core principles ‘transparency, accountability, legitimacy, and responsiveness.

“Article 1(c) of the UN Convention against Corruption which Nigeria has ratified states the purpose of the treaty as including: ‘to promote integrity, accountability and proper management of public affairs and public property.

“According to reports, at least 118 soldiers and officers were killed when the terrorist Boko Haram sect attacked Nigeria’s 157 Task Force Battalion in Metele village of Borno State on November 18. 153 soldiers reportedly remained missing in action. Nigerian troops fighting on the frontline of the Boko Haram conflict have also reportedly deplored the poor state of their equipment, including outdated vehicles.

“More than 27,000 people are reported to have been killed in the many years of Islamist insurgency in the North-east of the country that has triggered a humanitarian crisis and left 1.8 million people without homes.”

- PM News

Hoodlums attack farmers in Ondo, threaten to wipe out family over missing Indian hemp

A farmer, Martina Akpan and her family are still in shock with palpable fear evident on their faces following an attack by hoodlums suspected to be Indian hemp merchants over missing bags of Indian hemp allegedly kept on their farm.

The hoodlums, who allegedly threatened to wipe out the family, were said to have attacked Isaac Akpan, the younger brother of Martina while working on their farm at Bolorunduro, in Akure North local government area of Ondo State.

It was gathered that the suspected Indian hemp traders numbering about 40, who were armed with dangerous weapons, invaded the farm where they allegedly beat Akpan to a pulp after he was said to have been queried over the disappearance of bags of Indian hemp kept on the family’s cocoa farm. 

According to Akpan’s sister, Martina Christopher, who was on her way to the farm on the said day, she met the hoodlums with her brother forcefully sandwiched on one of the motorcycles.

Martina, who rushed back home, alerted her father, Joseph Akpan, 72, about the incident, as both later traced the hoodlums to Ilu-Abo, few kilometers from Bolorunduro where they met Akpan in a lifeless state after series of torture.

Martina, who was also attacked at the residence of the hoodlums, narrated the experience she and her father went through, which she described as harrowing.

She said, “I went to the farm very late on the fateful day because I just had a miscarriage and was tired but decided to join my husband and brother at the farm because we had left the farm unattended to for some days because of my father in-law burial.

“I saw about 40 of them on 15 motorcycles, and I saw my brother who had been beaten and injured tucked into some two persons on one of the bikes, I had to turn back and I was told he had been taken to Ilu-Abo.

“I went there with our father, only to find my brother has been beaten injured and immediately they saw us, they descended on us and beat my father to coma, demanding to know where the bags of Indian hemp were kept.

“My father fainted and as I tried to touch him, they matchetted me while some of them beat me with sticks and I also fainted because I have lost a lot of blood.”

She further explained that the hoodlums who boasted that they cannot be arrested, threatened to wipe out the whole family if they failed to produce the bags of the Indian hemp, disclosing that some officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, were invited to the scene “who advised them to hand us over to police”.

Martina also revealed that the quick intervention of her husband, Augustine Christopher and the Akwa Ibom community in the area, who reported the case to the police saved her life as they were taken to the hospital where she said they were revived.

While speaking on the attack, the husband of the victim, Augustine Christopher, 42, said “We are cocoa farmers and have nothing to do with Indian hemp. I am calling on the security agents to fish out these people, though two of them have been arrested but we still have many of them across the communities in Ogbese, Bolorunduro and other communities around here who have been a pain in the neck to ordinary farmers”.

Confirming the incident, the State’s Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Femi Joseph, who disclosed that some arrests have been made in connection with the development, maintained that investigation is still on to apprehend others involved in the crime.

He also confirmed that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Gbenga Adeyanju, has ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, CID.

- Daily Post