Police rescue armed robber from lynching

  

The PPRO for Lagos State police command, Ngozi Braide.
| credits: File copy

Policemen attached to the Ketu Division on Thursday rescued a member of a robbery gang from being lynched by robbery victims in the Mile 12 area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect and some others at large stormed Adeyeye Street around 2.30am and went from house to house dispossessing residents of their valuables.

“The robbers were able to rob at least five people in the area. They threatened to kill anybody who refused to cooperate with them,” an eyewitness said.

It was learnt that on getting to one of the houses, the robbers turned the place upside down and told the victims to lie face down.

One of the victims was said to have summed up courage and snatched a pump action rifle from one of the suspect.

Policemen on patrol were said to have arrived the scene at the time. On seeing the police, the remaining suspects immediately fled.

The victims, however, beat up the suspect to a pulp and would have lynched him if not for the intervention of the policemen led by Inspector Kachi Maduebo.

The policemen were said to have taken the suspect to the Critical Rescue Centre, Tollgate, where he was given a first aid treatment.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said the suspect had been transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja.

Braide said efforts were on to apprehend other members of the gang.

Jonathan, Obama among first speakers at 68th UN General Assembly

Jonathan, Obama among first speakers at 68th UN General Assembly

 
President Goodluck Jonathan has been listed among the first four speakers at the 68th session general debate of the UN General Assembly which is due to hold from September 24 to 28 in New York, United States.
There are reports by the UN Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria  that Jonathan would speak along  Presidents Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Barack Obama of U.S. and Abdullah Gul of Turkey.
This will be recorded in the history of the  UN General Assembly session that Nigeria would be the fourth country to address the assembly.
Vanguard reports:
Brazil had always been the traditional first speaker during UN General Assembly debate sessions.
In the past, Nigeria had addressed the UN session either in the afternoon or evening. In 2012, during the 67th session when the president addressed the assembly in the evening as the 29th speaker, the hall was virtually empty.
The president is also expected to have a lunch meeting with Nigerian professionals with `solid achievements’ in U.S. on Sept. 22 in New York. According to the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora in America (NIDOA), Mr Ganiyu Dada, the lunch meeting is aimed at discussing the solutions to the national development of Nigeria.
Dada added that the professionals should be willing to participate in the national development of Nigeria. He noted that NIDOA had been asked to submit about 500 names of `super Nigerian professionals’ with solid achievements in U.S. from where about 250 Nigerian Professionals would be chosen.
“They are expected to have Lunch Meeting with President Jonathan on Sunday Sept. 22 in New York from 1p.m. to 4p.m. This list will be submitted next week to the Nigerian Embassy which has the final say on who is invited to have lunch with the president.
“NIDOA is only to compile the list from the 50 States of USA including the Nigerian Professionals that are not yet members of NIDOA.
“You can attend lunch with the President without being a member of NIDOA, but there are a lot of benefits to join NIDOA,’’ Dada said.

Rivers crisis: IG ordered us to redeploy Governor Amaechi’s security details- Police

Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi

The Rivers Police said it only acted on orders from Abuja.
The Rivers State Police Command on Friday defended its role in the ongoing Rives crisis, saying it was the Inspector General of Police, IG, Mohammed Abubakar, that ordered the redeployment of the security details of Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
The Rivers State Government on Thursday night through a statement signed by the Commissioner of Information and Technology, Ibim Semenitari, raised an alarm that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Joseph Mbu was taking measures it believed were endangering the life of Mr. Amaechi.
The state accused Mr. Mbu of making curious, discreet inquiries about the governor’s movements; and redeploying the police officer in charge of Mr. Amaechi’s convoy for failing to furnish Mr. Mbu with details about the governor’s movement.
While responding to the claims by the Rivers government, the spokesperson for the Rivers Police, Angela Agabe, told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Abubakar ordered that all escort commanders, camp commandant and all other details attached to every state government house across the nation cease to bear such titles and thus be redeployed and replaced.
“A signal from the Force Headquarters said that all officers occupying such posts should, with immediate effect, be redeployed and replaced and it is not only in Rivers state, its applicable to the 36 states in the country,” Ms. Agabe said
The state government also accused Mr. Mbu of compromising the governor’s security and safety on various occasions, saying that the police boss in May allowed ex-militants to barricade the gate into the Government House after parading major streets of Port Harcourt; thus proving that Mr. Mbu held the governor in disdain.
Ms. Agabe denied the accusation and insisted that the police commissioner could not have allowed militants to attack the governor and would not do anything to jeopardise the governor’s security.
However, the Rivers Information Commissioner, Ibim Semenitari, on Friday, countered Ms. Agabe’s “excuses”; saying they were hard to believe. She said they were not the same reasons given when the governor’s Escort Commander and the Camp Commandant were summoned to the police headquarters; and when the governor personally called Mr. Mbu to complain about the removal of his escort commander.
“Even if, for the purposes of argument, it were indeed factual that the Inspector General of police ordered the redeployment of Governor Amaechi’s Escort Commander, wouldn’t the courteous thing be for the Commissioner of Police and the police high command to inform and explain this to Governor Amaechi?” she asked.
She then insisted, “On matters of his personal security, a governor reserves the right to reject or accept security details as he may be comfortable with.”
She stated that the Rivers government was reluctant to accept what it considers a lame and unsatisfactory argument by the Rivers State Police Command.
Meanwhile, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, who speaks for the Nigerian Police and Mr. Abubakar, is yet to confirm the reasons offered by Ms. Agabe. Phone calls and text messages to his phone were not answered.
Mr. Amaechi, had, at the onset of the Rivers crisis, called for the redeployment of Mr. Mbu from Rivers accusing the police chief of bias in the political crisis in the state and of relative incompetence in the discharge of his duties.

Man on bail in cocaine smuggling trial re -arrested for heroin ingestion

The man was first arrested in 2009 for smuggling cocaine.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a man who has been facing trial for cocaine smuggling at a Lagos High Court for possession of heroin.
Nnaemeka Anayo, 36, was re-arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, for testing positive to heroin ingestion during the inward screening of passengers on an Etihad flight from Pakistan, last weekend.
In a statement, Friday, the NDLEA said that Mr. Anayo excreted 1.802 kilogramme of the narcotic.
“Preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect excreted some of the drugs in the flight,” said the statement signed by Mitchell Ofoyeju, the agency’s Spokesperson.
Mr. Anayo was first arrested in August 2009 with 1.796 kilogrammes cocaine on his way from Brazil, the alleged crime for which he is still facing trial.
“In 2009, Nnaemeka was caught with Nigeria international passport number A00052663 while in 2013 he was caught with another Nigeria passport number A02349133.
“It was also gathered that the suspect was recruited to smuggle drug for a fee of N4 million,” the NDLEA stated.
According to the agency, the suspect, in his confessional statement, blamed his involvement in drug trafficking on unemployment.
“I am long overdue to be married but I have no wife. I know what I did is bad but it is due to unemployment,” Mr. Anayo said in his statement.
“I was first arrested in 2009 when I went to Brazil to smuggle cocaine. When I came out on bail, there was no job for me to do.
“Although my case with the NDLEA is pending in court, I decided to try again hoping that I might be lucky.
“This time around they promised to pay me N4 million. My intention was to settle down because I want to be working rather than staying idle. I am still single at my age. It is not that I do not want to be married but there is no money and no job,” Mr. Anayo added.
The NDLEA said that Mr. Anayo excreted a total of 100 wraps of heroin.
“While searching his luggage, some wraps of the drug which he excreted on the flight were found on him,” the agency added.
Ahmadu Giade, NDLEA CHAIRMAN, called for stiffer penalties for drug offenders.
“The agency will continue to press for stiffer penalties for drug trafficking,” Mr. Giade said.
“In criminal justice, unless punishment is certain and commensurate to the crime committed, offenders will always be attracted by the financial incentives, he added.

Dangote Attributes Success to Jonathan’s Favourable Policies.

Dangote Attributes Success to Jonathan’s Favourable Policies.

Business mogul, Aliko Dangote, yesterday said his achievements as Africa’s richest man and 25th richest person on earth was due to the favourable policies of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Dangote spoke on Thursday night in Nair

obi when President Jonathan met with the Nigerian community in the East African country.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting was part of the activities lined-up for the three-day visit of President Jonathan to Kenya which began Thursday.
Dangote, who was on the President’s entourage told the gathering that Jonathan had done a lot to improve business climate in Nigeria.
He said, “I want to tell you what the President has been doing in Nigeria. He is very humble and may not want to sing about what he has been doing.
“I will tell you what he has been doing to Nigerians and to some of us who are in business in Nigeria.
“We are very grateful for some of the policies he has introduced.
“As you all know, without the good policies of government, there is no way a person like me from the big town like Kano can rise from a humble beginning to become the 25th richest person on earth.
“Without the policies of Mr. President and also making sure that yes, there is consistency in the policies of government this could not have happened.
“If Government has bad policies, the whole economy will crumble, and if they have good policies people will be able to prosper, and that is what it is happening now.”
Dangote also attributed his success story to the reforms carried out by the Federal Government in the banking sector

Forbes’ list of controversy

Kcee
| credits: File copy

A list of most bankable African artistes released by Channel O and Forbes African Magazine sparks off debate in entertainment circles, Jayne Augoye writes

THE  last few days have shown  that nobody can undermine the power of the spoken or written word. Who would have thought that the word, “bankable,” which simply means, “guaranteed to bring in money,” can generate so much controversy as witnessed recently? This is after the meaning of the  word and context in which it was used had been misconstrued.

When Channel O and Forbes Africa magazine released the list of Top 10 Most Bankable Urban African Artistes on Sunday, little did they know that it would cause a stir. On the list, which is, predictably, dominated by Nigerian artistes, such as Don Jazzy (No. 2 on the list), P-Square (3), D’Banj (4), Wizkid (5), 2face Idibia (6), Ice Prince (9) and Banky W (10), are Africa’s most bankable stars.

The number one spot went to the Senegalese international super star, Akon.

According to the authors, the criteria for selection included endorsement value, popularity, show rates, sales, awards, YouTube views, appearance in newspapers, investment, and social media presence, among others.

Despite this caveat, the list has continued to generate more questions than answers for the fifth day running.

 The ‘uproar’ appears to be fueled by the fact that some fans and music critics who are yet to come to terms with the final cut, think the list had to do with just how much money the artistes have in their bank accounts.

Some failed to read between the lines and put into consideration the fact that other factors come into play besides jewellery, cars or gadgets, which these artistes display on their Twitter, Instagram or Facebook accounts.

Riding on this premise, Cool FM on air personality, Freeze; and Tiwa Savage’s manager/fiancé, Tee Billz, took to Twitter to express their grievances over the list.

Billz screamed blue murder, adding that his lover was, indeed, richer than those mentioned on the Forbes list.

His tweet reads, “That Forbes list. Hmm@TiwaSavage Bank tell you how many she has more than $$$.”

Freeze, on the other hand, blamed it on what he described as the Nigerian mentality.

 “Mr. Forbes, on the contrary, it’s not your fault; it’s Nigerians.’ We believe the daftest things as long as they come from an American source,” Freeze said.

He added, “Mr. Forbes, when we are doing things, let’s be using our sense. Kwam1, Asa, Femi Kuti, and Flavour are amongst many other bankable artistes.”

When one takes a cursory look at the debate on Twitter, it appears that some respondents think Iyanya may pass for the richest Nigerian musician at the moment. They hinged their argument on the fact that he bagged a whopping N100m contract this year alone.

 Others say the Ghanaian star, Sarkodie, shouldn’t have been placed ahead of the Koko master (D’banj) and Ice Prince. They add that the authors compiled their list based on Twitter washings and bogus wealth display by these artists, as splattered on entertainment blogs.

As though corroborating some of these claims, when contacted on the phone, Limpopo crooner, Kcee, said, “Most times, people just talk about something they know nothing about. They say they adjudged based on album sales. So, who gave them (Forbes) the records? Is it the Alaba boys?

“There are so many artistes who were left out of that list that ought to be there in the first place. The truth is this, the richest and most travelled Nigerian artiste performing at tours and concerts at the moment is Flavour, yet you do not hear anything about this.

“I am quite close to him and you can imagine how much returns he makes from all of these. This is simply because he doesn’t want you to know or have the figures. The list is incomplete and incorrect as far as I am concerned.”

After all said and done, it is believed that most times, hype is all an artiste requires to be considered as major success in the industry and not necessarily whether or not he or she is bankable.

2015: Ex-militants caution ‘New PDP’ against stopping Jonathan

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
| credits: File copy

SOME former militants in the Niger Delta have cautioned the ‘New Peoples Democratic Party’ and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi against stopping President Goodluck Jonathan from having a second term in office.

The ex-fighters, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital,  on Thursday, expressed anger over the emergence of a new PDP, adding that the development was targeted at preventing Jonathan from being re-elected in 2015.

The ex-militants who spoke under the aegis of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative, described the action of the breakaway politicians in the new PDP as a ‘dissident act.’

National President of the group, ‘General’ Reuben Wilson, a.k.a Pastor, who signed the statement with three other former militant leaders said that they would adopt lawful means to stop those fighting against Jonathan’s second term bid.

The statement read in part, “Niger Delta freedom fighters, who have now regrouped under the aegis of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative are angry with the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi and the break-away members of the Peoples Democratic Party for their dissident act, which is targeted at preventing President Goodluck Jonathan from being re-elected in 2015.

“We will adopt every available lawful means to stop those who are fighting against the second term agenda of the President. As former freedom fighters in the Niger Delta, we are aware that oil production figures have risen appreciably because we accepted the amnesty agenda of the administration in which Mr. President was a key player in his capacity as Vice President at that time, and now as President.

“But because oil revenues have appreciated, all sections of the country have got some good revenue for their states. Unfortunately, these funds are being used for deadly and selfish political fights that are not in the best interest of the country.”

They accused members of the new PDP of working against the interest of the Nigerian masses and working to smear the character of the President.

They added, “The gladiators are all out to smear the character and person of Mr. President and ensure that he does not enjoy a re-election in 2015 so that they can take charge and continue to enslave us as was the case for decades.

“We will not fold our arms and watch a section of the country which believes that it is their birthright to rule Nigeria to chase Mr. President out of office. If their argument is that he is not performing, it would have been understood.”

Others who signed the statement are Henry Binidodogha (Edo), Granville Ideye (Rivers) and Ezekiel Akpasibewei (Delta State).

Reacting, the Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Mr. Tony Okocha, said the ex-militants were wrong in concluding that the President was being prevented from vying and winning the 2015 election.

Fashola bars Molue from Lagos Island

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The Lagos State Government has barred big commercial buses, popularly called Molue, from operating on Lagos Island.

The government explained that it also did not expect the buses to ply  Third Mainland, Eko and Carter bridges, adding that operating in the Central Business District had become history for the buses.

A statement from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority on Thursday said the move was to ensure adequate monitoring of the operations of commercial vehicles and compliance with traffic rules and regulations.

The statement said the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Babatunde Edu, stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting with branch chairmen of the Lagos Urban Bus Owners Association of Nigeria, the operators of Molue buses in the state .

Edu said, “This directive had become effective since August, 2012, but Lagos State Government, being a responsive and responsible government which believes in enlightenment before enforcement, decided to shift the enforcement to September 2013.

“LASTMA officials have been mandated to ensure strict compliance and impound any Molue that is found to have flouted the directive after September 4, 2013.”

The General Manager told the operators that the government had not banned them, therefore they could perform their operations in any other parts of the state apart from the restricted areas.

Edu said, “The government has not banned the operations of Molue in the state. Rather, it has restricted their operations to areas like Orile, Iyana Ipaja, Mile 2 and Mile 12.”

He said the prohibited routes included Iddo, Ebute Ero, Apongbon, Obalende, Idumota and CMS.

The leader of the team, Mr. Taofeek Adesina, commended the government for its effort to restore sanity and order in the state and pledged the readiness of his union to support the new cause.

Court orders CP to produce armed robbery suspect

Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Umaru Manko
| credits: File copy

A Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on Wednesday gave the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, until September 9 to produce a suspected armed robber, Mr. Femi Ilesanmi, in court.

Justice Ganiyu Safari gave the order in a short ruling on an ex parte application filed on behalf of the suspect by his family members, who were apprehensive that the police might have killed him in their custody.

Safari granted the prayer by the family’s counsel, Mr. Taiwo Adedeji, who had urged the court to order for the production of the suspect to allay the relatives’ anxiety.

The suspect’s brother, Mr. Bayo Ilesanmi, alleged in an affidavit in support of the application, that Femi was on June 21, 2013, detained at the Abattoir Police Station, Oko Oba, Agege area of the state, where he was allegedly killed.

He stated that there was “the rumour going round that the applicant (Femi) was tortured and killed extra-judicially” by the police and the other defendant in the suit.

Apart from Manko, the other defendants are the Officer in Charge, Lagos State Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Mr. Abba Kyari, and the Divisional Police Officer Officer, Abattoir Police Station, in whose custody the suspect was said to have been killed.

The fourth defendant is the head of Oodua People’s Congress in Orile Agege, Mr. Wasiu Elemere, who was said to have arrested Femi in Orile Agege on June 21, 2013 and subsequently handed the suspect over to Abattoir Police Station on the same day.

“We have severally requested for the body of the applicant to be released to us even if it is true that he was murdered by the respondents but they have refused to do so,” Bayo’s affidavit read in part.

Bayo stated in the affidavit that his 36-year-old brother was not an armed robber but a businessman, who was “hardworking, resourceful and full of life”.

He claimed that his brother was a victim of “a set up cleverly orchestrated by his rivals in their association who see him as a threat to their ambition of becoming the chairman of the association.”

He added, “The applicant’s rival in the association connived with the fourth respondent (Elemere) being the head of Oodua Peoples Congress to arrest the applicant on allegations that were cooked up against him.”

In the subastantive suit, the lawyer is seeking the court to, among other prayers, award the sum of N100m against the respondents “being compensation for the violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights.”

He said the violations were contrary to sections 33(1), 34(1) (a), 35(1) and other sections of the Constitution.

Moses makes Liverpool squad

Moses

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has included new signings Victor Moses and Mamadou Sakho in his 25-man squad for the new season. Moses signed from Chelsea on Monday, the last day of the summer transfers.

Luis Suarez also features after being linked away from the club over the last few months.

All Barclays Premier League managers had to submit names to the authorities on Wednesday following the closure of the summer transfer window.

Rules state that clubs can have no more than 17 players who are not deemed to be ‘home grown’, but may have as many U-21 stars as they like.

The Premier League says, “A Home Grown player will be defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).”

Changes can be made, however, when the window reopens again on January 1 2014.

Moses arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday to play for the Super Eagles against the Flames of Malawi in a Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifier. The match will be played in the city of Calabar on Saturday.

Corporal shoots ASP dead during argument at station

Olusoji
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When on April 6, 2013, Jane and Olusoji Elegbede got married in Lagos State, their joy knew no bounds.

Although Olusoji was a policeman serving in Yobe State, which is fraught with security challenges, Jane did not mind living there with him.

 Their plan was to settle down, have children and grow old together.

Unfortunately, this was not to be as Olusoji, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, was gunned down by a police corporal  in Gashua Bade Local Government, Yobe State, while on duty less than five months after their wedding.

Olusoji’s widow, who spoke while fighting back tears, told PUNCH Metro that she was still in shock over the incident.

Narrating what led to her 39-year-old husband’s killing, Jane said her husband, who was the Administration Officer at Gashua Police Division, was killed by a 53-year-old corporal, Andrew Bitus.

She said, “The station is situated in a barracks and we all live in the barracks. The corporal (Bitus), was dating an elderly woman and they had a quarrel. Bitus wanted to part ways with the woman, so he told her to refund the money he had spent on her but the woman refused.

“The corporal dragged the woman to the station but the Divisional Police Officer intervened, saying it was a civil case and told the corporal to take the matter to the court.

“The DPO travelled some days later, on August 30, 2013 to be precise. The corporal arrested the woman again.

“My husband, who was the most senior officer in the station at the time, reiterated what the DPO said and ordered the corporal to let the woman  go.

“The corporal, instead, started harassing the woman at the station. My husband then told other policemen at the station to register a case against the corporal for his behaviour.”

Jane said the corporal became infuriated and insulted her husband who was over 10 years younger than him.

She said in the ensuing argument, the corporal brought out his rifle and shot the deceased many times.

She said, “I was in my house when I heard gunshots. Initially I thought it was Boko Haram members that were attacking the station. It was a few minutes later that someone informed me that my husband had been shot.

“When I got to the station, I was told by policemen that the corporal brought out his gun and shot my husband in front of the counter. My husband was said to have fled, but the corporal chased him and rained bullets on him. I met my husband in a pool of blood.

“When I asked why they could not stop the trigger-happy policeman, they told me that they had to run for cover for fear of being hit by the bullets.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that Olusoji was rushed to the General Hospital, Gashua, and was taken to the theatre where a surgery was done to remove the bullets from his body.

“The doctors told me that he survived and was going to be taken to the Federal Medical Centre, however, they later opened up to me that he died during the surgery,” she said.

Jane insisted that the corporal must be brought to book, adding that her husband was not involved in any love affair with the woman who was at the centre of the feud.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the killer policeman had been dismissed and was being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Damaturu.

The unidentified woman, who was being harassed by the corporal, had also been arrested.

A cousin of the deceased, Kunle Bajela, said apart from getting justice for the killing, the family wanted his widow to be well taken care of by the police authorities.

“My cousin died in active service and we want those who depended on him for their upkeep are not neglected by the police,” he said.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, told our correspondent on the telephone that he would call later to brief him on the incident.

Breaking: Putin, Obama hold ‘constructive’ meeting on Syria

The Russian President, Vladmir Putin, said on Friday that he held a ‘constructive’ meeting with U.S. President, Barrack Obama, the CNN is reporting.
Mr. Putin said though both men don’t agree, “but we listened to each other.”
Both men met in Russia during the ongoing G-20 meeting of world leaders.
Russia has been the staunchest backer of Syrian Government and has urged the U.S. not to attack the country over allegations that the President Bashar Assad government used chemical weapons against civilians. The U.S. says it has evidence that the Assad government is responsible for the use of the chemical weapons that led to the death of over a thousand people.
American lawmakers will vote next week on whether to authorise U.S. strikes on Syria, while the Syrian government has vowed to defend itself with all legal means against any attack.
Nigeria and several other countries have rejected any foreign attack on Syria and have called for caution while condemning the use of chemical weapons.
United Nations inspectors that investigated the alleged use of chemical weapons by both the Assad government and the opposition are due to release their report within the next two weeks.

We‘ll Encourage Stowaway Boy To Achieve His Dreams – Edo Government.

Meanwhile, the mother of the boy, Mrs Evelyn is at war with the husband, after she was accused of depriving the husband, Osaigbovo access to members of the public since the stowaway saga started, but the family of the woman described the attitude of the husband as disappointing “because he decided to appear now thinking that money is involved but he abandoned the children all these while, it is shameful.”

However, Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Louise Odion, said that Governor Adams Oshiomhole was determined that ensure that Daniel gets the best education, regretting that the seeming crack between the mother and the father affected the upbringing of the boy.

Odion said: “Edo State Government is already taking steps to ensure that Daniel gets not just material but also psychological support to enable him achieve his God given potentials. As a doting parent himself, Governor Oshiomhole has followed the development closely. As a matter of fact, he personally engaged Daniel.

“From his interaction with him and his parents, who unfortunately are separated, it is obvious that there is a deficit in terms of parental care, even though he sounds quite intelligent. We will ensure that Daniel benefits first of all from the intervention of clinical psychologists. His psyche needs to be weaned off destructive anger.”

“Thereafter, we will assist Daniel up to university level consistent with the philosophy of Oshiomhole that every Edo child gets quality education that not only addressed the cognitive, but also the affective and psycho-motor domains as well.”

We Will Begin Process To Impeach President Jonathan - Atiku Abubakar Group.

We Will Begin Process To Impeach President Jonathan - Atiku Abubakar Group.

Leaders of the Atiku's rebeling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) group has come up with another threat that they will begin a move to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan if he refuses step down or declare to them that he will not contest for the office of the President of Nigeria in the 2015 Presidential election.

The PDP rebels claimed that they have started to compile signatures in both House of Representative and the Senate to move against the President if he refuses to meet the four conditions that Atiku Abubakar lead group gave to the President last week.

“We are demanding that he publicly renounce any ambition to run a second term or face impeachment in the National Assembly. The choice is his”, Atiku group said. They want the President to take an undertaking that none of them will be arrested or tried by EFCC for any corruption charge.

The rebel PDP has 6 Northern Governors and Amaechi, 20 Senators and 57 PDP members in the House of representatives as members.
In 2007, Atiku Abubakar left with some state governors, members of the National assembly and some bigwigs of the Ruling PDP party to ACN and he was roundly beaten in the presidential election.

Atiku abandoned those he left PDP with in 2007 to their own fate and begged to be re-admitted back to PDP in 2010.
Three weeks ago, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar through some of his aides registered the PDM as a Political party with INEC.

Text Of Press Conference Delivered By The National Chairman Of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, CON At The PDP National Secretariat On Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Text Of Press Conference Delivered By The National Chairman Of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, CON At The PDP National Secretariat On Wednesday, September 4, 2013.

Bamanga Tukur

  Gentlemen of the press, you are aware of the current developments in our great party.

Our reason for being here is to inform you without any iota of doubt that the Peoples
Democratic Party has no faction and there is neither room nor reason whatsoever for such a claim under any guise.

The PDP has only one duly elected National Executive Committee (NEC) under my Chairmanship. I wish therefore to state with all emphasis that any group of persons parading themselves as leaders of NEC or any other organ of our party are impostors and I
urge all Nigerians, especially the security agencies and other institutions of democracy to regard them as such.

Let me state categorically that the PDP as the sole custodian of the sacred mandate of over 160 million Nigerians and who in the last fourteen years has lifted high the banner of democracy will not fold its arms while some
undemocratic and unpatriotic elements destroy our common destiny by causing divisions and confusion among the people.

Consequently, we shall ensure that any person who is not duly elected into any leadership
position in our great party and has not been duly assigned any role but goes ahead to arrogate such to himself will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

Similarly, all persons elected on the platform of our great party at all levels who identify with these enemies of the oneness and
greatness of our party shall have their seats declared vacant as required by law.

We shall leave no stone unturned to ensure that such persons and indeed any other individual who attempts to subvert the leadership of the PDP shall reap in full, the consequences of such actions.

I wish to emphasize that the PDP has adequate mechanism for internal conflict resolution. All party members are therefore
advised to ventilate their grievances through this medium.

There is only one lawfully recognized PDP and I am firmly in charge.

Thank you and may God bless you

Alhaji (Dr) Bamanga Tukur, CON

Oil wells: Lagos takes over residents’ battle

  

Governor Babatunde Fashola

Lagos State Government has taken over the legal fallout in the arrest of some residents in the Ejigbo area of the state.

They were arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and some soldiers last week.

The residents were arrested over the discovery of some wells containing fuel instead of water in their homes.

The state government had, however, faulted the arrest, saying the NSCDC did not conduct a proper investigation to establish whether the people arrested were actually responsible for the action or whether it was a mere incident.

It was learnt on Tuesday that Governor Babatunde Fashola ordered the Office of the Public Defender to “take up the matter” arising from the arrest, which the governor was said to have described as illegal.

A source within the government said, “The NSCDC last week stormed some buildings at numbers 17 and 30 Aminatu Ilo Street and arrested eight persons, including a pregnant woman, accusing them of diverting fuel into their wells.

“But it was not true. So, the governor ordered OPD to take legal action against the NSCDC to defend the affected people. The governor frowned at the indiscriminate arrest.”

When our correspondent contacted the OPD, a statement from the office said a team from the OPD, led by its Director, Mrs. Omotola Rotimi, visited the affected area on Monday.

The statement quoted the director as saying that Fashola directed the OPD to render legal aid to the people as he (governor) was displeased with the action taken by the corps against them.

The statement added that the OPD had secured the release of the arrested persons.

Rotimi said a former governor of the state, Bola Tinubu, and Fashola had written to the Federal Government on the issue of ruptured pipelines and seepage of pipelines without response.

She said, “Despite these letters, nothing was done. It would have been more appropriate for NSCDC to conduct a thorough investigation before arrest.

“This is against jurisprudence and human rights. These people are the victims, whose homes, livestock and crops have been destroyed due to the pollution of their wells and environment.

“They should be the ones heading to the courts to enforce their fundamental rights rather than law enforcement agencies harassing them.”

INEC should deregister Tukur’s PDP – Aggrieved govs, others

  

PDP National Chairman, Dr Bamanga Tukur

The  parallel Peoples Democratic Party led by Abubakar Baraje has said the faction of the party led by Dr. Bamanga Tukur should be deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

It hinged its position on what it described as the failure of the faction to complying with Section 222(D) of the 1999 Constitution which requires a political party to notify INEC of any  alteration of its constitution.

The  PUNCH learnt of this on Tuesday shortly after the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenh,  said the seven  governors who aligned with a former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,  and others   to form the Baraje -led faction  had genuine grievances.

The position of the faction known as the ‘New PDP’ is part of the  statement of claims    before the Lagos High Court,Ikeja . The faction is also seeking the declaration of  Tukur as illegal chairman of the PDP on the grounds  that he was not properly accepted as a member of the PDP  after his expulsion by the National Executive Council  of the party  in 2001.

According to the statement of claims, “It will be recalled that the 2009 PDP Constitution was amended which brought about the 2012 PDP constitution.

“Evidence has surfaced to prove that strange clauses which were not part of the proposed amendment to the 2009 Constitution  was inserted into the originally  produced version of the 2012 Constitution and those alterations were not approved by the party’s  convention and the NEC, thereby making the document a forged document which is invalid.

“The forged 2012 Constitution was not equally filed before INEC as required by the  1999 Constitution, thereby making the PDP constitution upon which the 2013 convention was held an invalid document and the outcome of that convention invalid, as it was held with no valid constitution.

“The proof  of these evidences can be seen in the approved memo by the PDP NEC upon which the amendment was done in the 2012 and the original version of the PDP constitution filed with INEC will as well prove these violations.”

On why  Tukur was not capable of presiding over the PDP convention, the statement of claims  noted that, “exactly on  May 31, 2001, the PDP NEC, after its meeting  in Abuja, expelled eight members of the PDP   in accordance with the PDP constitution which gives the NEC the powers to discipline NEC members who breach  the constitution.

“They were expelled after NEC considered and adopted the report of the Iro Dan Musa-led PDP Disciplinary Committee. Alhaji   Tukur,  Chief Don Etiebet, Asheik Jarma,  Edwin Ume-Ezeoke (late), Emmanuel Ibeshi, Harry Marshal and Gbenga Olawepo, were the ones expelled from the PDP.

“Note that Article 10(b) iii of the PDP 2009 constitution and Article 8(17) of the 2012 amended constitution which holds that any member of the party who loses his membership by expulsion can only return to the party with the approval of the party executive at his ward, state and national levels, who shall give him a waiver.

“Since the expulsion of   Tukur in 2001, he has not complied with the above requirement  , meaning that his purported participation at the 2012 convention where he was elected was a fraud and invalid, as he is not yet a member of the party.”

The Baraje’s faction is also asking the court to declare the August 2013 convention   as illegal based on the  participation of “illegal delegates;”   the disqualification of duly elected delegates; and the failure of the party to comply with the provision of Section 85(1) of the Electoral Act.

Section 85(1) of the   Act states, “a registered political party shall give INEC at least 21 days notice of any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of electing members of its executive committees, and other governing bodies.”

Also on Tuesday,  a group,  the PDP Stakeholders Forum, filed a fresh law suit at the  Federal High Court in Abuja,  seeking the nullification of PDP  mini- convention  and the sacking  of  Tukur.

In the  suit, the forum  also asked  INEC to deregister the   Tukur-led PDP faction  for allegedly using a forged 2012 constitution to hold the convention.

The Chairman of the forum,  Chief Ikenga Ugochinyere,  said, “We insist that this act of brazen criminality must not go unpunished. The perpetrators of this heinous crime against the party and the law of the land should be arrested and charged to court.

“Tukur is ab-initio not a bonafide member of the PDP that is capable of being elected into the office he currently occupies. Alhaji  Tukur was expelled by the National Executive Committee of the party after being indicted for “high level anti-party activities” alongside five others in May 31, 2001.”

Tukur   however denied the allegation that he was not a member of the party.

Speaking through his aide, Mr. Oliver Okpala, he  asked  for  evidence that he was  no longer a member of the party.

 “Tukur is among the founding fathers of the PDP. He has paid his dues and the allegation that he has been suspended should be ignored. Let those making the allegation show evidence that he is no longer a member of the party,” he said.

Meanwhile, the PDP BoT Chairman,  Anenih, has  said  the seven  aggrieved  PDP  governors had  genuine grievances.

Anenih,   in   a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, also said that the Tuesday (yesterday) peace talks between President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP governors, including the aggrieved ones, had been postponed till next Tuesday.

He explained that the shift was at  the  instance  of the aggrieved governors, adding that   the peace talks   would continue next Tuesday after selected party leaders of the party would have met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday as part of the wider consultations demanded by parties to the crisis.

He said,  “I believe some of them have genuine grievances; but I have hope that, once the grievances are addressed, they will come back.  I am happy that the PDP has an internal mechanism for effective conflict resolution. At the end of the day, the problems will be addressed and the PDP will come out of the crisis stronger.

“Part of the wider consultations is the meeting of selected party leaders with Chief  Obasanjo on Friday morning and thereafter, we will meet with the governors on Tuesday, next week.”

He disclosed that the aggrieved governors told the Presidency and the PDP leadership that they needed more time to make wider consultations. Anenih  explained that the Presidency and the PDP leadership were taking advantage of the postponement to also consult widely on how to amicably resolve the crisis.

The BoT chairman, who read out the resolution of the marathon meeting that held in the Presidential Villa from Sunday night till the early hours of Monday, expressed optimism that the problems would be resolved.

Anenih had at  the end of the  meeting read  a short resolution   to the hearing of the  PDP governors.

Oni, PDP case stalled in Ekiti

  

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni

APPEARANCE of two different sets of lawyers for the defendants on Tuesday stalled proceedings in the suit filed by former Ekiti State governor, Chief Olusegun Oni; and a Peoples Democratic Party leader, Mr. Ireti Oniyide, to stop the party from conducting election into its South-West Zonal offices.

Two weeks ago, two sets of lawyers similarly announced their appearance for the PDP when the matter came up for hearing before Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi, the vacation judge who was handling the matter.

When the case came up for hearing before Justice Emmanuel Ogundana of Ado-Ekiti High Court on Tuesday, different sets again announced their presence for the state Chairman of PDP, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe; Chairman, PDP Special Convention Organising Committee, Prof. Jerry Gana; and the party.

Mr. Olalekan Olatawura and Mr. Femi Olojede appeared for Oni, ex-Vice-Chairman of the PDP in the  South-West zone; and Oniyide, former Zonal Financial Secretary.

Also, former Commissioner for Justice in Ekiti State, Mr. Obafemi Adewale, leading four other lawyers, announced their appearance for the defendants with another set of lawyers, led by another former justice commissioner in the state, Mr. Owoseni Ajayi, representing the second and third defendants.

Ajayi said the National Legal Adviser of the party, in conjunction with the National Chairman, directed him to handle the matter.

 “My team does not know who among the sets of lawyers to regard as the authentic representatives of the defendants,” Olatawura said.

He recalled that the same scenario occured during the previous hearing and urged the defendants’ lawyers to sort themselves out before further hearing of the case.

Ogundana said he noticed the stalemate in the court records by the vacation judge and, therefore, called on the parties to agree on a date for adjournment in order to address the logjam.

The judge adjourned the matter and all pending applications to September 19.

SSS hands over teenage stowaway to Edo govt

  

Daniel Ohikhena

The Department of State Security Services on Tuesday handed over teenage stowaway, Daniel Oikhena, to the Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Daniel, it was gathered, was brought in from Lagos two weeks after he was discovered in the tyre compartment of an Arik plane on a flight to Lagos from Benin. He was, however, denied access to his mother, Mrs. Evelyn Oikhena.

Daniel had been in the custody of the DSSS in Lagos, before his release to the Edo State Government.

Journalists and family members were denied access to the teenage boy at DSS office in Benin, as he was being handed over to ministry officials amidst tight security, at about 12pm.

The mother, it was further gathered, was not allowed to see her son when she visited the ministry.

Speaking with journalists, Mrs. Oikhena lamented that efforts by her to meet with the son was rebuffed by the ministry officials.

She said, “I was not allowed to see my son at the SSS office when I was told he was there. I went there but they said they have taken him to the ministry of women affairs. I was given a number to call, but I have been calling the number but there has been no response.”