How Boko Haram kill our people, strip our women – Borno community

Community leader, Mairi-Kuwait community in Jere local government area of Borno state, northeast Nigeria, Malam Usman Yaya has lamented the level of insecurity and constant attacks on community members who had to go to farm in order to have food on their table.

Speaking with DAILY POST in Maiduguri, Malam Yaya said the community buries between two and three people on a daily basis.

According to him, the community hosts more than 7,500 Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs and has a total population per household of 12,765.

“Those days when the military were patrolling the forest behind the university, there were very little chances for the insurgents to come around the farms nearby where the people work for their livelihoods. Now, we are relying on the strength of the youths civilian JTF and hunters, who are being supported with only five soldiers.

“You know this community is virtually at the fringes of Sambisa forest. Now, there are no activities here for people to live on except farming to keep body and soul together. But going out to the field is a matter of concern because going out is dangerous and not only dangerous but also suicidal,” he said.

He said that in the last six years, since returnees troop back home, the level of poverty in the community has skyrocketed because there was no arrangement from government and no organisation in the name of NGO that came for any intervention.

According to him, burying people every day is becoming a normal trend but calls for concern, as such, they are calling on the government to send more soldiers to dark spots and forest linking Sambisa in order to curtail the activities of insurgents in the area.

” If Boko Haram get our women, they beat them and asked them to go naked and they would send them home naked. For the men they slaughter them,” he said.

- DAILY POST

Outrage as police free Port Harcourt real estate scammer

About 1,000 people who paid for plots of land after advertisement on radio by a Real Estate Developer, Livelihood Homes, popularly called De-Villa Homes, have accused the Rivers State Police Command of compromise by granting bail to the suspect, Dr Kelly Nworgu.

He was arrested on Friday 25 October but released on Sunday 27 October.

Nworgu was arrested after about 70 persons sent a “Save Our Soul”, SOS, petition to the Commissioner of Police, alleging that he duped them after paying to acquire land at APO in Omagwa in Ikwerre local government area and Etche Local Government Area since 2018.

More than a year after they paid, no land has been allocated to them. They were apparently scammed and have demanded a refund of the money they paid.

A 71-year old man, Pa Amadi Lawrence, who said he paid N1,020,000 for a plot of land lamented that he had to save up his retirement benefits to pay, hoping to build a house to retire into or possibly hand over to his children.

He expressed disappointment that Police could discharge Nworgu, after duping them. He said he would seek natural justice.

Uloma Jane Ekwusigo, a 29 year-old said her fiancée who works abroad had sent her the money to buy the land. She said ever since the land issue began he had lost trust and confidence in her.

She said the situation has also led to a loss of faith with her fiancee’s family as no one believes her.

Uloma was disappointed that the Police granted bail to Nworgu when it’s known all over the country that Police do not grant bail on Sunday.

She asked: “Why the hurry?”

Ibezim Michael, another victim of Nworgu’s scam said, “I suspect that De-villa man may have bribed the police. Do you know the man has a sweet mouth? He may have used his charm on the Police. But believe me, one day he will meet his Waterloo. Imagine collecting money from over one thousand people for 100 plots of land. What was he thinking if not to dupe people.But the police just let him off the hook like that. You see why crime is thriving in our country ?”

Rivers Police Command Spokesman DSP Nnamdi Omoni, also a lawyer, explained to journalists that the suspect was released on Sunday after he met his bail conditions and provided sureties for his bail.

Omoni said the crime allegedly committed by Nworgu is a bailable offence, which was why the Command granted him bail and released him.

The commissioner of police Mustapha Dandaura ordered Nworgu’s arrest.

The Police Boss CP Mustapha Dandaura also ordered that all adverts on De-villa home should be stopped in all Radio and Television stations across the state to ensure that others don’t fall prey to the antics of fraudsters who disguise as real estate owners and developers

During an interrogation of Dr Felix Nworgu, the CP said he discovered that the three Truckloads of Mobile Policemen attached to the De-villa boss were allegedly gotten through the back door as documents presented to him on the police security guard were all forged signatories which emanated from the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

The CP ordered that all the Police aides attached to De-Villa, Felix Nworgu, be withdrawn with immediate effect and commanded that the officers report to the headquarters on Monday for profiling with their ammunition seized by the state command.

Some of the petitioners including senior citizens told P.M. News that they invested in the land as a means of owing property to build a retirement home in the city and did not envisage that the transactions were going to be fraudulent.

Mrs. Eva Brown said: “I paid N2,040,000,(Two million forty thousand naira) for two plots at the rate of one million twenty thousand per plot, since August 2018, “one year since after my purchase I am yet to get any plot allocated to me. It’s been come today or tomorrow. I just want a refund since I cannot get the land I paid for.”

Some others said Nworgu allocated one plot to five different persons.

Mr. Ibezim Uche said: “Look at the four of us sitting here. We were allocated to the same plot of land. We are tired of fighting each other, we decided to come together to fight our common enemy, which is the man that sold one plot of land to five of us. This DE villa man has finished us honestly. Instead of coming to fix the problems he created, he wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State that we were threatening his life. Now that we are here, let him give us our money because there is no other means to get to him. If you go to their office at Mgbouoba in Port Harcourt, the number of armed Mobile Policemen will not even allow you to come close to the office.”

The alleged fraudster, Dr Felix Nworgu, in response admitted that all the documents presented by the protesters were genuine but that the money has been used to purchase land somewhere else to be able to meet their demands.

- PM NEWS

CBN cashless policy in trouble as filling stations suspend use of POS over new charges

Most filling stations within Abuja environs have suspended the use of Point of Sales, POS, terminals in their dealings with customers, DAILY POST observes.

Their reasons are not unconnected to the new bank policy where they have to charge customers paying for their products using POS.

Following CBN’s recent directive to charge applicable taxes and duties on individual electronic transactions, filling stations now charge customers N50n per transaction as being charged by the bank.

Prior to this directive, the fee paid by merchants on the aggregate PoS transactions carried out on a particular period was never passed to customers, but with the new policy, customers would have to pay more.

However, during a trip to some of the filling stations around Abuja environs, DAILY POST observed that the use of PoS terminal has been suspended by most of the fuel stations.

Some of the filling station managers who spoke to DAILY POST, explained that the use of PoS terminal was suspended due to the charges which customers were not happy paying.

They explained that customers were complaining and angry about the new development, hence the need to stop the use of PoS terminal.

A management staff at AYM Shafa, Bwari Area Council of Abuja who wished not to be named said: “We had to stop the use of POS because we now charge customers directly for each transaction which was not the case before. If you notice, customers formerly don’t pay any extra charge for POS usage but now we do and they are angry and unwilling, hence the need to stop. The problem is not from us but the policymakers.”

At Eternal filling station in Jabi area of Abuja, one of the pump attendants, who wished to be anonymous also linked the suspension of PoS to CBN’s new directive.

“We have stopped it because customers are not willing to pay the extra charge for using PoS,” the attendant who was unwilling to comment further on the matter had said

- DAILY POST

Messi sets record as Barcelona hammer Valladolid to go top

Lionel Messi netted twice in a 5-1 win over Real Valladolid at Camp Nou on Tuesday, to fire Barcelona back to the top of LaLiga.

Messi struck in either half, with his second being a landmark 50th career free-kick.

Clement Lenglet opened scoring for the hosts, before Kiko Olivas levelled in the 15th minute.

Messi then set up Arturo Vidal to give Barca the lead, before curling home an exquisite free-kick himself.

The Argentina captain added one more after the break, while Luis Suarez also got on the scoresheet.

The three points ensured Barca leapfrogged Granada back to the top of the table, with a seventh straight win in all competitions.

- DAILY POST

Allow us import rice, Vietnamese government lobbies Nigeria

Vuong Dinh Hue, the Vietnamese deputy prime minister, has requested that his country be allowed to increase rice imports into Nigeria.

Speaking on Tuesday during a meeting with Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the All Progressives Congress, the diplomat said his country would like to increase trade cooperation with Nigeria.

Soha, a Vietnamese news platform, quoted Vuong Dinh Hue as saying both countries have to strengthen their relations by cultural and sports exchanges.

Other agricultural items that the Vietnamese made a case for were cashew, seafood, leather shoes and textile.

Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, Oshiomhole said he told the delegation that the government’s decision to restrict forex for rice importation will not be reversed.

“Nigerians should unanimously back the decision of the federal government to close the border until our neighbours try to respect the laws of fair and free trade. Nigeria must not and can’t be a dumping ground for imported food, imported rice and other smuggled chemicals and drugs from other countries,” he said.

“I think this is one policy that Nigerians across the party divide, across primordial sentiments, should salute the courage of President Muhammadu Buhari in closing down the borders.

“For too long, Nigeria has been a big brother to our neighbours. Now, that big brother is hurting and hurting very, very badly. We must secure ourselves as in the way you board an aircraft that if oxygen fails, and they drop the mask, you help yourself before helping others. This is the moment. We must close the borders even if we do it for two, three years, it doesn’t matter. So that our neighbours will begin to respect the rules of international engagement and trade.

“What has happened is that people relocate out of Nigeria, target Nigerian market, use our neighbours to compromise our own trade policies.”

- THECABLE

Lagos set to auction 53 vehicles impounded for one-way drive

The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Taskforce) has concluded arrangements to auction vehicles of 31 traffic offenders already convicted by the court for driving against oncoming traffic as well as 22 automobiles that were abandoned for over six months after their arrest.

Chairman of the Agency, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi disclosed that owners of the impounded vehicles who abandoned their cars have contravened the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law 2018, stating that public notice has been issued for owners of both the court forfeited and abandoned cars to identify their vehicles at the Agency’s car parks in Ikorodu and Bolade, Oshodi.

“At the expiration of the one month verification exercise, the Agency shall apply to court for an order of ‘Public Auction’ where members of the public would have opportunity to buy any of these vehicles,” the Chairman said.

Egbeyemi clarified that the owners of the vehicles forfeited to the government pleaded guilty before Magistrate Omobola Salawu of the Lagos State Mobile Court at Oshodi after their arrest for driving against traffic.

He affirmed that in addition to forfeiture of the vehicles, each traffic offender was sentenced to 100 hours of ‘Community Service’ at any public institution.

The Chairman, however, maintained that with the State government’s zero-tolerance for violation of the law, the Agency would continue to prosecute traffic offenders until sanity was restored on state roads and law abiding citizens were allowed to commute without being impeded by unlawful individuals.

Meanwhile, CSP Egbeyemi also confirmed that over 7,350 impounded motorcycles were presently in custody of the agency for plying restricted routes, including highways and bridges across the State.

He stated that the Agency was awaiting further directives from the government in respect of the impounded motorcycles, disclosing that the motorcyclists were apprehended around Agege, Pen-Cinema, Apapa, Ikorodu, Mile 2, Obalende, Oyingbo, 2nd Rainbow, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ojota, Maryland, Yaba, Oshodi, Ikorodu Road, Apongbon, Ikeja and Iyana-Ipaja.

- PM NEWS

Benin-based Pastor Solomon accused of sexual abuse of children

Benin-based Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, who said he is on a self-proclaimed mission to help humanity, creating the International Christian Centre for Missions (ICCM), is facing accusations of physically and sexually abusing children seeking refuge in his church’s camp.

The camp he runs in the ancient city claims to provide accommodation, medical care and education for 4,000 children, “most of them orphans”, as well as 500 widows and missionaries, using funding from local institutions, NGOs and churches abroad.
But witnesses according to an AFP report — children, their relatives, former missionaries and social workers — paint a far darker picture of the pastor and the treatment of those in his care.
“At first he’s very subtle, quiet — like somebody who wouldn’t hurt a fly,” one former church worker said of the charismatic preacher. I loved him, I loved his charisma.”

But during months of interviews, witnesses detailed how those living at his 30-hectare (75-acre) facility frequently go hungry and thirsty and endure atrocious hygiene conditions.

Some of the Boko Haram children who ended up in Solomon’s camp

All accused the pastor of physical abuse, while some accused him of sexual harassment.
Pastor Solomon, aged in his 50s, admits having problems with food and sanitary conditions in the camp but denies any mistreatment.
“There is no bad treatment here. We don’t do abuse,” he told AFP.
“Feeding them is a challenge… but we don’t have anything to hide. We are helping humanity.”
Concerns about the camp have a long history. Three years ago, the UN children’s agency UNICEF sent an assessment team to the site, who filed a report with damning conclusions.
“Pastor Solomon runs this camp as if it is his ‘kingdom’. He controls the movement and actions of every person in the camp through a group of ministers and specially selected children,” the team wrote in the confidential report, seen by AFP.
The UNICEF investigators said what they saw, coupled with interviews with children, caregivers and NGO workers, prompted “strong concerns regarding the possibility that Pastor Solomon may be engaged in sexual activities, or at a minimum, displaying grooming behaviours with girls in the camp”.

Oshiomhole and wife with Pastor-Solomon

Witnesses also told AFP that around a dozen young girls work for the pastor as his personal servants and receive preferential treatment.
“A girl who refused to work for him was punished and starved. When he beat you, he wouldn’t stop until you bled seriously,” said Rahila, a 16-year-old girl who left the camp several months ago.
“He had names that he called different girls… He would comment on the size of my butt, and he would say our chests looked like pineapples or stuff like that,” she said.

He had names that he called different girls… He would comment on the size of my butt, and he would say our chests looked like pineapples or stuff like that,” she said.

All the witnesses’ names have been changed to protect their identities.
Other children and adults said that those who upset the preacher were treated brutally.

“I was always hungry, there was never enough food or water. When we complained we got beaten with anything he could lay his hands on,” said 12-year-old Hauwa.

Pastor Solomon with Governor Obaseki

“No one leaves Pastor Solomon without a scar — whether it is psychological or physical,” a former follower told AFP after hesitating at first to talk about his ordeal.
Convincing people to talk about their experiences with Pastor Solomon is a painstaking task. Some have refused to speak out for 20 years.
“Most of the girls were coming from poor homes. They would sleep with him and in exchange he would pay for their school fees,” said a former female follower who was at the church in the late 1990s.

She said her going to the authorities about the abuse she experienced and witnessed was out of the question in a country where powerful men are rarely brought to justice.
She was also scared of juju, the traditional black magic widely feared by people in the region.
“I was scared to talk. He uses juju, people told me I would die.”
Evangelical preachers draw fanatical followings across the deeply Christian south of Nigeria. Pastor Solomon’s power stems greatly from his beliefs.
“He says he’s sent by God. To confront him is like confronting God himself,” a former church worker said.

Those who have served under him and lived in the camp say the pastor uses the fear of devil to keep people in line.
On the church’s website, in a short biography entitled “I Saw Jesus” — translated into six languages including Russian and Chinese — he claimed that he was saved from Satan by God himself.
Pastor Solomon’s International Christian Centre for Missions has expanded hugely since he founded it in 1990 with just a dozen young female followers.
In 1992, he set up the first “Home for the Needy”, taking in poor children whose parents entrusted them to his care on the promise of an education.

A former missionary said the pastor would sometimes misrepresent the children as orphans to raise sponsorship in Europe or the United States.
Ten years later, the church had grown to more than 200 branches, with missionaries and preachers working across southern Nigeria and funds coming from evangelical churches abroad.
“He was always browsing the internet to look for church organisations all over the world” to target for donations, the missionary said.
“He would send pictures of us or of the children, asking us to look sad. He was saying that white people are so emotional.”

But it was the Boko Haram jihadist insurgency more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) to the north of Benin City that caused a surge in the numbers at the camp.
As the violence displaced millions of people and grabbed global attention in 2013, Pastor Solomon’s group turned its attention to children in the conflict zone of northeastern Nigeria.
“The pastor’s people came (to Maiduguri) and convinced parents to send their children to Benin City where they would have a good education, with free food,” said Rakiya, who allowed five of her six children to go.

“At the camp, parents would be given bags of rice, bus fare, jerrycans of palm oil and the like. So when they returned to Maiduguri they would tell other parents ‘Benin is good’,” she said.

– No records –
No records are publicly available about how many children were brought from northern Nigeria to the camp.
Pastor Solomon told AFP that the Nigerian army and the intelligence service “have a copy of the register”, but this could not be verified.
UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) wanted to set up a programme to reunite children from the camp with their families, but were denied access to their identities.
“At this time, camp management has been unable/unwilling to provide this information,” UNICEF said in its report.
UNICEF maintains that it passed on the report to local authorities in 2016 to make them aware of the “concerns”.

But nothing appears to have been done.
On the contrary, Pastor Solomon had full support of former Edo governor Adams Oshiomhole, now head of Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress.
“With the former governor, we once had a good relationship,” Pastor Solomon told AFP. “When parents wanted to get their children back, he would give them money, he would give them a gift.”
Today, while denying any accusations of maltreatment, the pastor admits that the huge influx of children placed a major strain on the camp and that the church struggles for money.
Camp workers have told local media that to feed the estimated 4,000 children and 500 adults at the camp costs hundreds of dollars a day — and that does not include medicine, water, education and clothing.

“We also have a problem with hepatitis, measles, chickenpox and scabies; we don’t have enough accommodation for them, this is a big challenge,” the pastor acknowledged.
Witnesses said that children sleep on mats on the ground in huge hangars without adult supervision, relieving themselves in the forest, complaining of hunger and thirst and not washing, and that many have died in the disease-ridden conditions.

– ‘It’s our responsibility’ –
While conditions keep deteriorating at the camp, some European and US evangelical groups still send donations and materials to Nigeria.
The congregation of German pastor Gunther Geipel — who describes Pastor Solomon as a “friend and brother” — is one of them.

Geipel dismisses the allegations against the pastor as “tales” from “jealous people”.
“I cannot imagine that this is true,” he told AFP.
AFP put the allegations against Pastor Solomon and his camp to Edo State commissioner for social affairs Maria Edeko, who took up her duties several months ago.
She said she had never heard of the UN report or accusations of abuse and poor conditions at the camp but insisted they would be investigated.

She confirmed the authorities did not have access to the camp registry.
“From now on, I can assure you that my ministry will be on top of the situation. We need monitoring,” she said. “It’s our responsibility.”

- PM NEWS

Five persons rescued as another building collapses in Lagos

Five persons have been rescued after a two-storey building collapsed in Ojuelegba area of Lagos state.

The building located at Rufai street, off Makinde street in the area collapsed in the early hours of Friday.

The state government announced the incident through its Twitter handle.

“5 people were rescued from a two storey building which collapsed in the early hours of today, Friday October 25, 2019 at Rufai Street, off Makinde Street, Ojuelegba,” the tweet read.

It said the Lagos state emergency management agency mobilised its workers to the scene of the incident to rescue those trapped in the debris.

The state government asked residents and commuters in the area to remain calm as its agencies carry out their tasks.

“LASEMA swiftly activated the Lagos Emergency Response Plan for all first responders to move to the site of the collapsed building,” it read.


“Lagosians within the vicinity of the incident have been enjoined to stay calm and allow emergency responders to do their job. The collapsed building has now been brought down to ground zero and the area is now safe.” 

At least four persons were reported killed after a house built on a hill collapsed in Isheri, Magodo area of the state a few days ago.

- THECABLE

The Lagos state police command has invited Boniface Igbeneghu, a lecturer of European languages at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), over the sex-for-grades video, according to PUNCH.

Igbeneghu, a pastor of Foursquare Gospel Church, was recorded by a hidden camera in a 13-minute video documentary released by the BBC Africa Eye on October 7.

He appeared to be sexually harassing an undercover journalist who posed as an admission seeker.

The lecturer had invited her to his office for a number of tutorials, before delving into sexual conversations with her.

In a letter signed by Yetunde Alonge, deputy commissioner of police, the lecturer was asked to report at the D10 section of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department, Yaba.

Alonge, however, said Igbeneghu has not honoured the invitation despite the fact that it was sent through the university.

“We are still waiting,” the newspaper quoted the deputy commissioner of police as saying.

Due to the widespread condemnation that greeted the video documentary, the university suspended Igbeneghu and Samuel Oladipo, a lecturer in the department of economics, implicated in the video.

The Foursquare Gospel Church also asked Igbeneghu to step down from all “ministerial assignments”.

The church dissociated itself from the conduct of the lecturer.

- THECABLE

10 conditions you must fulfil to obtain UK tourist visa

To apply for a travel visa to United Kingdom requires the following documents:

 A: Filled out and signed United Kingdom tourist visa application form
 B: Original, signed Nigeria passport with at least 6 months of remaining validity.
 C: Passport Photo: 2 Include a passport style photo, with a white background, taken within the last 6 months. You may also choose to upload a photo to your order for us to print. There is a surcharge associated with this service.
 D: Visa application form. Visa application form filled out in detail(block letters) and signed by the applicant.
 E: Itinerary. Copy of round trip tickets or itinerary.
 F: Property papers. Property papers if possible
 G: Bank Statement. Copies of bank statements from the past 3 months.
 H: Employment Letter. A letter from your employer/school (on business letterhead, with contact details), stating that a leave of absence has been granted and that you will be returning to your current job. If you are self-employed, include a copy of your business license and tax return. If you are retired please submit proof of your retirement fund.
 I: Hotel Reservations. Copy of the Hotel Reservations, OR
 J: Personal Invitation. If visiting friends or family, you must provide letter of invitation with the contact information of the host and visitor, purpose and duration of the visit, confirmation of accommodation including the address, signature and date. You will also need to provide proof of the host’s status in United Kingdom ie. copy of their United Kingdom passport’s information page, or, if they are not a citizen of United Kingdom, copies of their United Kingdom residence permit and their national passport’s information pages.

PM NEWS

Mourinho to become Arsenal manager

Former Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho could reportedly be back to the Premier League as Arsenal manager, according to The Times.

The former Chelsea manager’s last job was in Manchester United where he was sacked last November.

The Portuguese, however, could return to the Premier League as several reports are linking him to Arsenal.

The 56-year-old was seen at the Gunners Europa League match against Vitoria SC
 Arsenal are having a difficult start to the Premier League this season as they are currently 5th in the table.

The newspaper reports that manager Unai Emery could be sacked if the North London club don’t make the Champions League next season.

- DAILY POST

Atlanta-based Nigerian Abegunde jailed for $15m cyber fraud

US Federal prosecutors said an Atlanta, Georgia-based Nigerian, Olufolajimi Abegunde has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for his role in an internet fraud scheme that stole an estimated $15m through computer and wire fraud.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Memphis, Tennessee, said on Thursday that the 32-year-old Abegunde was sentenced Tuesday for wire fraud, the second Nigerian to be sentenced in less than a week. Last week in Missouri, another Nigerian, Segun Prosper Otaru was also jailed for cyber fraud.

After his arrest last year, Abegunde lied to Nigerian officials that his arrest was based on mistaken identity and asked for help to get him out of the FBI jaws.

But court documents showed otherwise.

Prosecutors said the Atlanta resident and several other people created fake business emails and profiles on dating websites to trick victims into sending money to bogus bank accounts. Funds were laundered and wired to destinations in Nigeria, Ghana and some other West African countries.

The scams caused about $15 million in losses for victims.

Abegunde’s role was that he helped launder money through a compromised business email of a land title company located in Bellingham, Washington, and a real estate company in Memphis, Tennessee.

The case against Abegunde by US Department of Justice:

 A citizen of Nigeria residing in Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 78 months in prison yesterday for his role in an international cyber fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee.

Olufolajimi Abegunde, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheryl L. Lipman of the Western District of Tennessee who also ordered Abegunde to pay $57,911.62 in restitution to the victims of his offense. Abegunde and Javier Luis Ramos-Alonso, 29, were convicted in March after a seven-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Ramos-Alonso previously received a 31-month sentence for his role in the scheme.

Abegunde and Ramos-Alonso participated in a criminal organization in which members “spoofed” emails and created fake profiles on dating websites in order to fool victims into sending money to bogus bank accounts under the control of members of the conspiracy. The proceeds would be laundered and subsequently wired out of the United States to destinations including West Africa. The organization as a whole is believed to have caused more than $10,000,000 in damage to U.S. citizens and businesses.

The evidence presented at trial showed that Abegunde, who received an MBA from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, engaged in black-market currency exchanges over the life of the conspiracy. Purporting to hold himself out as a legitimate businessman, Abegunde claimed association with a business entity that was not yet operational in late 2017, so for his primary source of income he relied on his off-the-book currency exchanges. Through this network, Abegeunde played a key role, along with Ramos-Alonso, in laundering fraud funds from an Oct. 3, 2016, business email compromise (BEC) of a land title company located in Bellingham, Washington. The proceeds of another BEC perpetrated in July 2016 upon a real estate company in Memphis, Tennessee, also moved through parts of the same criminal organization.

Abegunde, who faced numerous account closures from banks in the United States, used a complicated network of third-party bank accounts to disguise his illicit activity. The proof at trial established that Abegunde told people that he could not receive payments into accounts that could be “tracked,” and that he preferred to engage in cash transactions because they were easier to clean and “eliminated the risk.”

In addition to his financial activities, Abegunde also engaged in a conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. Abegunde was married during his studies at Texas A&M, but divorced his wife in 2016 to marry a U.S. service member through whom he could obtain immigration and health care benefits and also open new bank accounts. He continued to live with his first wife in Atlanta while his U.S. service member wife was deployed to South Korea. While incarcerated and awaiting trial in the Western District of Tennessee, Abegunde continued his conspiratorial activities, trying to convince his fake spouse, who has since filed for divorce, to refuse to testify against him. Abegunde also engaged in witness tampering by sending a self-written Motion to Dismiss bearing his former attorney’s name and professional attestation. The evidence at trial established that Abegunde drafted and sent the motion, which his attorney expressly did not authorize, to his faux spouse in an effort to deceive her into not testifying against him.

Five other individuals have pleaded guilty to being involved in the scheme. Additionally, several foreign nationals are awaiting extradition to the United States to face trial. Others are still at large.

Accomplices of Abegunde:

Alexander Duimont

 Andrew “Andy” Jackson

 Ayodeji Olumide Ojo

 Babatunde Martins

 Benard Okorhi

 Brianna Lee

 Brianna Morrison

 Carolina Nkomo

 Christian Hinds

 Dana Brady

 Daniel Elya

 Daniel Roberts

 Dennis Miah

 Dr. Dennis Brown

 James Dean

 James “Jim” Roy

 James Yorke

 Javier Luis Ramos Alonso

 Joey Hammond

 Jon Bunyan

 Marc Richards

 Maxwell Peter

 Olufolajimi (FJ) Abegunde

 Peter Maxwell

 Rob Phantom

 Sandra Lin

 Sherry Jupiter Martinez

 Sual Derrell

 Sumaila Hardi Wumpini

 Tammy Dollan

 Tammy Henry

 Victor Daniel Fortune Okorhi

- PM NEWS

Sexual assault: Pastor Omotosho’s trial in South Africa postponed again

The trial of Nigerian pastor, Timothy Omotoso in South Africa for sexual assault suffered fresh hiccup today as his defence attorney said Omotoso would approach the highest court in the country, in a fresh appeal.

The embattled Nigerian pastor failed in his appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal against a Port Elizabeth judge’s decision to allow the trial to be heard in the court.

On Monday, state prosecutor Nceba Ntelwa told Judge Irma Schoeman that the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) had dismissed Omotoso’s application to appeal her decision to have the trial heard in Port Elizabeth. Ntelwa said the state was ready to begin the case.

But Omotoso’s lawyer Peter Daubermann said that in the interest of justice, his clients’ instructions were to bring an application to appeal the SCA’s judgment to the Constitutional Court.

“My instructions are to apply for a postponement to allow my clients to exercise these rights,” Daubermann said.

He told the court on Monday that he anticipated he needed at least two weeks to prepare the application for the appeal to the Constitutional Court.

Schoeman postponed the matter till November 21.

Omotoso and his two accomplices, Lusanda Sulani, 36, and Zukiswa Sitho, 28 are facing multiple counts ranging from human trafficking to rape and sexual assault.

They are yet to take a plea. Omotoso has been remanded in prison.

It was the second time Omotoso, 60, and his co-accused, had lost a petition to the Supreme Court of Appeal. 

It was also the umpteenth time the case will suffer some adjournment.

In its judgment, the SCA ruled that the application for leave to appeal Schoeman’s decision was dismissed on the grounds that there were no reasonable prospects of success, and that there was no other compelling reason why an appeal should be heard.

In August, defence attorney for Omotoso and his co-accused, Peter Daubermann, argued that the Port Elizabeth high court did not have the authority to hear the entire matter as some of the alleged offences took place elsewhere in the country and abroad.

Daubermann claimed the authorisation certificate to centralise the case was invalid as some of the alleged offences took place outside the court’s jurisdiction..

- PM NEWS

Ex-Man City boss reveals club to win Premier League title after Liverpool’s 1-1 with Man United

Former Manchester City manager, Stuart Pearce, has said that Liverpool will win the Premier League title ‘comfortably’ this season despite their slip up against Manchester United on Sunday.

Liverpool are currently sitting at the top of the table with six points.

However, former City manager, Pearce believes Liverpool remain ‘clear favourites’ despite their poor performance at Old Trafford.

And he says a six-point lead is still enough to pile the pressure on the defending champions Manchester City side.

Pearce told Monday’s Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, “I think Liverpool will win the Premier League comfortably this year.

“I’m not sure they’ll go unbeaten, but I can’t see them losing more than two games. They’re still clear favourites.

“Those could be against Manchester City, potentially, but if you go into the game against your nearest rivals with a six point buffer, it will put real pressure on Man City to come out and play.

“That might just suit Liverpool.”

- DAILY POST

Zimbabwe Game Park loses 55 elephants to hunger

Zimbabwe wildlife authorities says at least 55 elephants have died of hunger and thirst in the country’s largest natural reserve, Hwange National Park, to the west of the country.

The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, confirmed the deaths to State broadcaster, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation on Monday.

He said the situation at the game reserve was desperate and the authority was looking for funds to sink more boreholes in the game reserve.

“We can confirm that a total of 55 elephants have died at the national park over the past two months due to starvation. The situation at most of our parks is dire due to the climate change-induced drought,” he said.

The game reserve depends on groundwater pumped from several boreholes.

Another wildlife management official, Samson Chibaya, said the available boreholes were not enough to meet the water demand.
“While we have made efforts to try and convert some of the water pumping stations from diesel to solar-powered pumps, we have seen that some of the water pans are drying up. We are calling for more resources for the installation of diesel pumps to complement the solar pumps,” he said.

Zimbabwe – with more than 84,000 elephants – has the second biggest herd in the world after Botswana but can sustainably manage about 56,000 of them.

- PM NEWS

Riot as customs allegedly kill man in Ogun

At least, one person has been shot dead by an officer of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) at Owode Yewa area of Ogun State, as many sustained various degrees of injuries.

The death, DAILY POST learnt, was as a result of the fracas that broke out between some suspected smugglers and officers of the NCS around 2 am on Monday.

The situation, it was learnt, has generated protest from people of the area.

The killing, DAILY POST recalls, is coming barely two weeks after three students of Ojumo Community High School were reportedly killed, while market women were injured when Customs officers were conveying a ‘tokunbo’ vehicle they said was smuggled into the country.

Ihunbo is a few kilometres from Owode, the scene of Monday’s incident.

But the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 1 Command, said the officer who fired the shot acted in “self-defence”.

A statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, said officers of the NCS had earlier seized some ‘prohibited items’ from the suspected smuggler, who he said took to his heels.

According to Maiwada, the suspected smuggler later came with his ‘mobilized compatriots’ to attack armed Customs officers.

“In the process, the suspected smuggler and owner of the smuggled items engaged an armed officer in a physical battle in a bid to disarm him in the ensuing struggle.

“The officer appropriately exercised his superior power in self-defence, leading to the death of the yet to be identified smuggler.

“As at the time of filing this report, the deceased have been deposited in an undisclosed mortuary, while the exhibit is secured in Government Warehouse pending further investigation,” Maiwada said in the statement.

- DAILY POST

Judge: I’m concerned that no one is willing to stand as Sowore’s surety

Ijeoma Ojukwu, the judge presiding over the case of Omoyele Sowore,convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, says she is concerned that the activist has not meet the bail conditions granted to him.

While ruling on the application for variation of the bail conditions on Monday, Ojukwu said: “Considering the pedigree of the first defendant as observed in his application, it is rather unfortunate that no one is willing to stand as his surety on those terms.

“On the other hand, it creates an assumption that despite the pedigree of the first defendant, none of his best associates is willing to stand for him. This poses a cause for concern.”

She explained that bail sum is not required to be deposited but when a court makes an order for security, the secure money is later returned to the owner (surety).

The activist has been in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since August 3 when he was arrested in Lagos.

Femi Falana, Sowore’s counsel, had approached the court seeking a variation to the previous bail conditions which he said could not be met.

Ojukwu reviewed Sowore’s bail conditions and set aside the previous order which directed one of Sowore’s surety to deposit N50m.

She also reduced the bail sum of Olawale Bakare, the second defendant, to N30m instead of the initial N50m.

However, she refused to vary all the other conditions for bail.

Among the other conditions of the for bail are two sureties who must be resident in Abuja and have landed properties within the federal capital territory (FCT).

The court had held that the sureties must deposit original documents of those properties in the court registry.

The judge barred him from travelling outside Abuja and also stopped him from addressing any rally.

- THECABLE

My husband rapes me – Nollywood actress opens up

Nollywood actress, Bose Oladimeji, has disclosed why she wants her marriage of two years dissolved.

Bose revealed that her decision to seek divorce was because of the domestic abuse she has been subjected to over the years.

According to Bose, her husband beats and rapes her each time he comes home drunk.

Speaking to Vanguard, she said: “Yes, I’m ready to go, in fact, I’m not with him right now. I just have to run for my life, my life is very precious to me.

“I can’t just allow someone to kill me like that and I want to address some ladies out there that they should not love a guy because of what he gives them.

“They should be sure the love is genuine and not be fooled by money and comfort. I’m leaving right now, I need to run away for my life. I need to save myself. My life will be in danger if I continue to stay with him, so I’m leaving right now,” she said.

“Whenever he’s drunk he’s out of his senses and starts misbehaving, beating me. He acts very crazy.

“He was taking good care of me and that was one of the reasons I fell in love with him. But what I found odd about him is the forceful way he has sex with. No foreplay, nothing, just to jump on me and forces his way through. No affection, no cuddling, no romance just brutal sex. I was raped like this most nights, and usually followed by beating and insults

“Any weapon he sees around he uses it on me but when he is sober he starts to regret whatever he has done. What I’m saying is that in the process of beating me what if I collapse and die or get injured, what will people say?” Bose said.

- DAILY POST

Court orders forfeiture of Saraki’s houses in Lagos

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, Monday ordered the temporary forfeiture of two properties located in Ikoyi area of Lagos State belonging to the immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to the Federal Government.

The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in an ex parte application filed by the Commission’s Lawyer Nnaemeka Omewa approached the Court, seeking an order of interim forfeiture of the properties located at No. 17A McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos, alleging that they were acquired through proceeds of unlawful activities.

The anti-graft spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

He said, part of the reliefs sought by the EFCC included ” An order of this honourable Court forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria landed property with appurtenances situate, lying and known as No. 17A McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State found and recovered from the respondent which property is reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activity.

“The Commission in supporting affidavits, alleged that the former Senate President acquired the two properties with proceeds of unlawful activity; that while serving as governor of Kwara State, he withdrew over twelve billion cash from the account of the Kwara Government and paid same into his accounts domiciled in Access and Zenith Banks through one of his personal assistant, Abdul Adama, at different intervals.”

In his ruling, Justice Mohammed Liman, ordered the interim forfeiture of the two properties.

He also instructed that the EFCC should publish the order in a national newspaper within fourteen days, for anyone with interest in the properties to show cause, why they should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.

- DAILY POST

18-year-old arrested for allegedly stealing tithes, offerings from church in Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested an 18-year-old Elikor Ehud, in Ejigbo area of the state for allegedly stealing tithes and offerings belonging to Chosen Vine Ministry, Furniture Avenue.

 DSP Bala Elkana, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in the Lagos Command, made this known in a statement in Lagos on Sunday.

Elkana said that one Pastor Moses Nwoke of the said ministry had reported at Ejigbo Police Station about the stolen tithes and offering from the church altar by unknown persons.

“After a thorough and painstaking investigation conducted by Ejigbo police station, the suspect, Ehud was arrested.

“He confessed stealing the sum of N670,000 from the church boxes and also mentioned one Lucky as his accomplice.

“Efforts are on to apprehend the said accomplice. The suspect will be charged to court,” NAN quoted him as saying.

- DAILY POST

Under-5 mortality high in Nigeria – NPC chairman

Mrs. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, Acting Chairman, National Population Commission (NPC) on Monday said that under-five mortality was high in the country with an average of 132 deaths per 1,000 births.

Salu-Hundeyin said this during a news conference on the commencement of the data collection for the 2019 Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) survey in Abuja.

She said that as a follow-up to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), 3,215 under-five mortality cases were selected, of with 31 percent were Neonates and  69 percent, children.

According to Salu-Hundeyin, the regional spread of occurrence of death during the period are 614 (20 percent) of total deaths in Southern Nigeria, while 2,601 (80 percent) occurs in the North.

The NPC boss explained that the most common causes of neonatal deaths were birth asphyxia, severe infections such as pneumonia, septicemia, and meningitis.

She, however, ascribed some causes of infant death to religious beliefs, socio-cultural practices, age and education of mother and socio-economic status of the household.

Salu-Hundeyin, who reiterated the preparedness of the commission to promote healthcare of the Nigerian child, called for the deployment of available tools to combat and curb the menace.

The NPC chairman added that the commission would, through the exercise, generate reliable data on causes and determinants of neonatal, infant and child mortality in Nigeria.

She reiterated the importance of the exercise, assuring that it would be used by policymakers and other stakeholders to formulate policies that would reduce Neonatal and child mortality to the barest minimum.

The data collection for the Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) survey, which commenced on Oct 19 to Dec 18, was last conducted in 2014.

- PM NEWS

Suspected Fulani herdsmen attack farmer, cut off her hand in Benue

Suspected herdsmen have reportedly attacked a farmer, one Mrs. Grace Zeku and amputated her hand at Gboogyo village, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

DAILY POST gathered that Mrs. Zeku, was working at her farm when the herdsmen attacked her.

Narrating her ordeal, she said the herdsmen asked her to place her hand on a log of wood before cutting it off.

Zeku added that the herdsmen took the hand and ran away.

The farmer, who also sustained machete cuts on her head is currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Center, Apir, Makurdi, Benue state.

- DAILY POST