Crime Facts

Insecurity: It seems nobody is in charge in Nigeria – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has decried the poor security situation in Nigeria. Obasanjo said it seemed nobody was in charge in the country, especially with the bickering, infighting and confusion in the nation’s security high command. He said: “There has been embarrassing paralysis and ‘katakata’ in the nation’s security house as if we have nobody in charge. If it had happened before, it was not so brazenly in the public domain. This type of situation cannot do credit to us as Nigerians and it can only sap confidence in the security architecture for people to say, ‘no wonder’. The President must accept the challenge and the responsibility. Obasanjo made the assertions on Saturday while speaking at the 1st Memorial Lecture for the late founder of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Frederick Faseheun. The former leader said security and political structure were of great concern to Fasehun. According to Obasanjo, the first duty and responsibility of a leader of any human community or organization is security of life and properties of all the members of the community, the organization or the society. He said there is no doubt that the national security architecture, apparatus, system and arrangements in Nigeria today have failed to measure up to the needs of the citizens in different parts of the country. Obasanjo noted that even President Muhammadu Buhari himself confessed that he was shocked to learn that things were this bad. Obasanjo observed: “The Governors in different States of the country as the Chief Security Officers of their respective States were taking measures to enhance and buoy up security for their citizens. These measures vary from paying off bandits, to hunting them down with vigilantes and hunters and innovative joint efforts like Amotekun. “What these Governors have shown was that they were concerned and they cared. I would not know if any of them was shocked but most of them took steps as they deemed fit to enhance the security of life and property for their citizens and to augment the failing and inadequate security provided at the national level. “Whatever we may feel individually or collectively by these different measures, these Governors must be commended and where necessary, they should be helped to refine and make robust and efficient the effective measures they have taken; from Katsina to Zamfara, from Adamawa to Benue and from South East to South West. From my personal observation as I talked to people and people across board talked to me, nothing has united the people of South West like Amotekun since independence except independence itself. Not even the civil war was such a unifier. “I commend the Governors of South West for their bold and courageous measure taken beyond political party affiliation to improve security architecture and care for their citizens. I particularly commend Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for his leadership on this matter and for sharing their thoughts with me. Security measures are never static and security is the responsibility of all of us but by appointment and elections, some have more responsibility than others.” Obasanjo also noted that the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of Sultan of Sokoto, became extremely worried about the level of insecurity in the country and then called on President Buhari to declare a state of emergency for security in the country. He continued: “The NSCIA has followed the line of other organizations, institutions and individuals who have expressed dismay and disappointment at the level of insecurity and criminality all over the country as if there is no government in charge in this country. Calling for an emergency is a wake-up call for the Federal Government to know the magnitude of the level of insecurity and to take effective measure or measures to stem the tide. “The Northern Elders Forum has spoken out on the pervasive insecurity in the nation. The Governor of Borno, Babagana Umaru Zulum, has pointed out that in his eight months in office, Auno, a community in his State, has been attacked six times. “The Governors of South West acted, believing that Amotekun is one of the necessary measures. And most people of the South West support them. I will strongly advise that Amotekun and other measures put in place should continue to be refined and improved upon to serve as adequate complement and enhancer of present, disappointing and inadequate, national security architecture.”

Border security freed 295 smuggled petrol tankers without authorization – Buhari

.Affected personnel to face sanctions The Presidency has condemned the unprofessional conduct of some security personnel charged with the enforcement of the border closure policy of the Federal Government. This was contained in a statement by the presidential spokesperson, Mr. Femi Adesina while announcing the commissioning of ‘Operation Swift Response’, a border drill exercise to checkmate the illegal activities of smugglers across our borders. “The President commends the security agencies for a job well done. He, however, finds it disheartening to learn that 295 smuggled petroleum tankers were released without due authorization on 17th December, 2019 by some security officials charged with the responsibility of protecting our borders. “Sequel to this act, the National Security Adviser (NSA) was directed to set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate the crime, and it was recommended to the President that all officials (civilian or security operatives) found to have connived to undermine government’s efforts should be withdrawn from the border drill and severely sanctioned by their respective organizations. “The President has accepted the recommendations and directed the immediate withdrawal and replacement of all those found culpable. He has also directed that their respective organizations should take immediate and appropriate disciplinary actions againt them”, the statement added.

EFCC seeks permanent forfeiture of Saraki’s Kwara property

.Saraki: Application, an abuse of court process The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has sought permanent forfeiture of two houses in Ilorin, Kwara State belonging to former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to the Federal Government before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos. Crimefacts.news reports that the EFCC had, on December 2, 2019, obtained an order temporarily forfeiting the houses, Plots No. 10 and No. 11 Abdulkadir Road, GRA, Ilorin, Kwara State, to the Federal Government. At Friday’s sitting, the Commission urged the Judge to order the final forfeiture of the buildings on the grounds that they were built with funds allegedly stolen from the coffers of Kwara State. The Commission also told the court that Saraki diverted not less than N10bn belonging to the state and that the sum of N1.09bn spent on the two buildings was part of the alleged stolen funds.   In an affidavit filed before the court, Bilikisu Buhari, one of the counsel to the applicant, EFCC, said investigation revealed that Saraki allegedly diverted N100m on a monthly basis from the federal allocation to the state when he was in office. “My Lord, the N100m was usually diverted from the Kwara State Government account to the account of the Kwara State Government House.   “Upon the transfer, one Mr Afeez Yusuf, acting on Saraki’s instructions, usually went to withdraw the money from the Kwara State Government House account and took it to the Government House. “After the funds were stacked in the Kwara State Government House, the money would then be fraudulently dissipated and taken away in cash by Messrs Abdul Adama, Ubi Ofem and Ubi Austin, acting on the instructions and direction of Dr. Bukola Saraki in breach of public trust. “In this scheme of fraud alone, about N10bn was fraudulently diverted from the treasury of the Kwara State Government. “That part of the proceeds of the aforementioned fraud were reasonably suspected to have been co-mingled with other funds used for the development of the property sought to be forfeited.” However, Kehinde Ogunwunmiju, SAN, counsel to Saraki, opposed the motion seeking the final forfeiture of the properties to the FG. Ogunwunmiju said the houses were built from his client’s legitimate earnings. “The sum of N252.2m out of the N1.09bn used for developing the property represented what Saraki was paid for the development of a five-bedroom apartment, which he was entitled to as a two-term governor of Kwara State.”   Ogunwunmiju, therefore, drew the attention of the Judge to the Governor and Deputy Governor (Payment of Pension) Law 2010 of Kwara State, which stipulates that an elected two-term governor of the state is entitled to a five-bedroom and four-bedroom duplex, respectively, at any location of their choice within Kwara State. “But rather than allow the state to build the house for him, Saraki chose to collect N252.2m, so he could add money to it to build the house to his taste,” he said. Ogunwunmiju also contended that if the allegation that the document leading to the release of the N252.2m was forged by an official of the Kwara State Government, “the payment to Saraki was not illegitimate because it was provided for under the law.”   Ogunwunmiju, therefore, urged the court to dismiss the EFCC’s application for what he described as an abuse of court processes, adding that the same issues had been taken before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court where Saraki was vindicated.   However, counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, insisted that inasmuch as Saraki could not explain the source over N700m, which he added to the N252.2m to develop their houses, the houses were liable to be forfeited. Justice Aikwa adjourned to April 27, 2020 for judgment.  

Where is Babachir Lawal, is he still on trial?

By Fredrick Nwabufo This is where the fatal failure of Buhari’s war against corruption lies – selective prosecution! There are those in the president’s fraternity who have corruption allegations hanging on their necks, but the EFCC is yet to crack up a case against them. Even the case of the former SGF is clearly bereft of diligent prosecution. On December 14, 2016, the Nigerian Senate asked Babachir Lawal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation at the time, to immediately resign from office. This followed the recommendation of its ad hoc committee on the humanitarian crisis in the North-East, which had investigated the management of funds for internally displaced persons in the region by the Presidential Initiative on the North-East. PINE at the time was under the SGF. But on January 17, President Muhammadu Buhari wrote to the Senate, saying he would not sack Lawal because he was not given fair hearing. The President dilly-dallied and shilly-shallied over the issue for weeks.  Shehu Sani, chairman of the committee which probed Lawal at the time, alleged that the SGF awarded contracts to companies owned by cronies and relatives of top government officials. He revealed that Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company, with Lawal as director, for instance, was awarded a consultancy contract. The company’s major role, according to him, was the removal of invasive plant species in Yobe State. He said the former SGF violated all procurement activities and laid-down rules. Sani also said most of the contracts awarded had no direct bearing or impact on the IDPs who were living in deplorable conditions. On January 21, two days after Buhari embarked on a medical peregrination to London, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo sacked Lawal and ordered his prosecution.  But the Lord of the Manor returned months later – and it was business as usual. Lawal was not arrested or arraigned until a few days to the 2019 general election. It is obvious now that this was an artifice by the Buhari administration to win political advantage and to tout its doped up anti-corruption scorecard.  In fact, Aso Rock whisperers say Osinbajo’s axing of Lawal Daura, former DSS DG, and Lawal formed the crux of the opposition against him at the presidency. Since February 12, 2019 when the former SGF was arraigned on charges of fraud, his case has sputtered, and it is petering out. Nothing! No progress! I will not be surprised if the charges are eventually withdrawn.  Lawal, who once asked in arrogant conviction, ‘’who is the presidency’’, has no need to worry about any trial. In fact, I believe he knows it is all smoke by the way he totes himself around – granting media interviews and making definite pronouncements on the 2023 election.  In October 2019, he convened a news conference where he ‘’crowned’’ a chief partaker in Nigeria’s cock-up president. Hear him: “By 2023 when Buhari’s tenure will be over, he’ll go back to Daura to face his cows like I am doing. But you see, every leader must leave behind a legacy. I will like to see that he leaves behind a legacy of achievement. “Bola Tinubu is my friend of many years. Buhari is my big boss. Bola Tinubu without prejudice that he’s my friend; will make a good president. Other issues notwithstanding, he (Tinubu) will make a good modern president because the presidency these days is scientific. Nigerians, by convention, seem to have agreed that there should be rotation of the presidency.” Last week, in another news conference, he sentenced governors to the rear quarters and said they are all parasites. I guess he is right. He should know better because he is alleged to have diverted N500m while fighting parasites in Yobe. In its 2019 corruption perception index published on Thursday, Transparency International ranked Nigeria 146 of 180 countries studied, two points lower than 148 the country was rated in 2018. Based on this rating, Nigeria is the second most corrupt country in ECOWAS. TI speaking through Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, its chapter in Nigeria, noted one-sided/selective anti-graft war as one of the core reasons for the plummet. It said the rich and the powerful “do not play by the rules”, and that prominent personalities in politics and business are “untouchable” despite evidence of corruption against them. “The pre-election period witnessed mind-blowing scandals, which stayed without consequences. Politicians stashing millions of dollars in kickbacks or having corruption charges upon them just need to switch political parties or stay loyal and charges are dropped against them,” it said. This is where the fatal failure of Buhari’s war against corruption lies – selective prosecution! There are those in the president’s fraternity who have corruption allegations hanging on their necks, but the EFCC is yet to crack up a case against them. Even the case of the former SGF is clearly bereft of diligent prosecution.  Please do not get me started on how the administration is fighting corruption by ‘’diligently prosecuting’’ the expendables and unnecessary baggage (Orji Kalu and Joshua Dariye) in the All Progressives Congress. I guess when the Buhari administration starts to take Babachir Lawal’s case seriously, Nigerians will begin to take a less passive interest in its fight against corruption. Fredrick Nwabufo is a writer and journalist Twitter: @FredrickNwabufo

CUPP to Buhari : Don’t mismanage Coronavirus threat like you mismanaged security

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has expressed shock over the declaration that Nigeria has recorded its first Coronavirus case in the populous city of Lagos. The opposition coalition has therefore charged President Muhammadu Buhari, as a matter of urgent public safety, not to mismanage the country’s response to the virus the way he has mismanaged the nation’s security. This was contained in the text of a press conference signed by the spokesman of the CUPP, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and made available to Crimefacts.news . The coalition says it is alarmed like other patriotic Nigerians or groups by the report of the confirmation of the first case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria despite the Federal Government’s widely publicized claims of  having put necessary strategies in place to ensure that the dreaded disease does not find its way into the country. The group notes further that the undetected passage of the virus carrier, an Italian citizen, who entered Nigeria on the 25th of February from Milan, Italy, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, is a big threat to our nation’s survival, and the development must be handled with the seriousness it deserves. The CUPP is still at a loss how the virus got into Nigeria despite the fact that the Federal Government had enough time to prepare and of course ensure proper screening of passengers at the airports. The statement read in part: “We believe very strongly that the government, the Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and other relevant agencies being funded with tax payers’ money have questions to answer on this very unfortunate development. “As responsible Nigerians, we in the CUPP are again advising the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to stop all flights originating from countries with confirmed high cases of the virus, designate an airport for landing of flights from highly infected nations or set up special 14 days quarantine centre for passengers from infected nations. “We urge this administration not to mishandle this case of Conovarius threat the same way it has been handling the issue of insecurity across the country. “This call becomes necessary to avoid mass murder of millions of innocent Nigerians who have already suffered enough under this administration because of its remarkable ineptitude.” CUPP recommended 14 days of quarantine for travellers entering the country from nations with high incidents of Coronavirus before allowing them to join the general population. It urged Nigerians and public places managers to activate and adopt strong preemptive health safety protocols to avoid the spread of the virus. “In doing this however, we urge Nigerians and other residents not to panic but adopt high rate of hygiene and protect themselves from this dreaded virus”, the statement read.

Anti-Corruption war: I’m prepared to waive my immunity – Makinde

Oyo State governor, Eng. Seyi Makinde, has said that he will not hesitate to waive his immunity if called to question concerning corruption. Crimefacts.news reports that the governor, who spoke at the commissioning of a new state office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Ibadan, said that his decision would help set the tone for an effective anti-corruption fight in the state. Makinde, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun, stressed that the fight against corruption must be taken seriously by all stakeholders to address the many problems it has caused Nigeria. He said, “We cannot really go far in achieving our objectives if we allow corruption to maintain its hold on the system.  ‘That is why we are not mincing words on this issue to waive my own immunity if there is any reason to call me to question.” The governor also commended ICPC, observing that the Commission had set a high standard in fighting corruption which should be emulated by other federal government agencies in the state. According to him, “I must commend ICPC for the studious methods it has adopted in carrying out its three-pronged mandate of enforcement, prevention and public education. This has led to the conviction of many public officers and the prosecution of many more. ‘I have been made to understand that in the area of prevention, ICPC has carried out system studies and corruption risk assessment of a number of government agencies” He said the state was adopting ICPC’s approach in deepening the anti-corruption war especially the setting up of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units (ACTU) in ministries and departments in the state. Also commenting on the new office, the governor said it was a testament of ICPC’s resolve to diminish corruptive tendencies within the state. Earlier, ICPC Chairman, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, said that the new office was the beginning of a process that will end rental of office accommodation across the 15 states where the Commission was present. Owasanoye added that two new prototype offices were at advanced stages of completion in Sokoto and Adamawa states respectively. The new office is a one-storey building with a conference room and five other purpose built office rooms that include investigation room and detention facilities. Present at the commissioning were chairmen and members of the National Assembly Anti-Corruption committees, top security heads including the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General A. B. Omosogie, Attorneys – General  of Oyo, Ogun and Osun States, Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly and many other top state government functionaries.

Measures to address insecurity in North-West Nigeria inadequate – French Envoy

Head of Cooperation, Embassy of France in Nigeria, Mr. Ellien Helios, has said that efforts to find sustainable solutions to the spate of insecurity in Nigeria particularly in the North-West is inadequate, tasking all concerned authorities and stakeholders to step up actions to effectively define and tackle the menace. This is just as stakeholders on the matter have warned that insecurity may escalate deeper to other regions in Nigeria and the country is at risk of underdevelopment, food shortage among others if not addressed. Helios who represented the Ambassador of France in Nigeria, Mr. Jerome Pasquier, made this call in Abuja on Wednesday at a workshop on “Addressing Rural Insecurity and Violence in North-Western Nigeria” convened by Pastoral Reserve (PARE) in collaboration with Search for Common Ground (SFCG), Nextier SPD and the French Embassy. The envoy said the workshop presents a unique opportunity for stakeholders to develop a better understanding of the issues and strategize appropriate response. He said: “There are many factors affecting the northwest region for years now, there are also many actors, but I don’t think there is enough being done by the actors to have a better understanding of the situation and try to find some appropriate solutions to the insecurity and the subsequent sufferings.  “We have a unique opportunity to work and listen to people that are gathering the best expertise on these issues, so let’s seize this opportunity as a starting point to get humble, but to also develop a better understanding of the issues , strategize response, develop a coordinative approach and increase action.” Speaking also, the Senior Research and Policy Lead, Nextier SPD, Dr. Ndubuisi Nwokolo, pointed out that the insecurity bedeviling the north should not be seen as a northern problem only, warning that the entire nation could bear the consequences of collective negligence. Nwokolo warned that the entire country is at risk of food insecurity due to the unresolved insurgency in the north and advised that dialogue and a regional approach be implemented to permanently address the problem.  “A very critical thing that we should all know first is that Zamfara and the North-Western states are our food basket, if we don’t sort them out, Nigeria will face a food security problem. What is happening now is that the youths are running away from communities where their skills are needed in agriculture, but we find them now as ‘Okada riders’ in the cities or unemployed because they cannot stay in their communities. “Why do you think some states are banning ‘okada’ and tricycles? So, we need to sort these things out, the better we sit as a people and talk about how to solve this pockets of conflict, else we cannot get out of it. And, if we sort out the North-East and we don’t sort out the North-West, it will move diagonally  to that place, so as we are handling the North-East we should be talking about the North-West,” he advised. In the same vein, the Country Director SFCG, Mr. Sher Nawaz, stressed that it was important is to look at the crisis at a regional, geographic level and develop a regional approach rather than focusing on a singular state. Meanwhile, the Commissioner, Security and Home Affairs in Zamfara State, Mr. Mohammed Dauran, while giving a brief on the experience of the State government in addressing rural violence and insecurity since 2011, regretted that banditry activities has led to daily loss of lives, destruction of properties and food insecurity. According to Dauran, 95 percent of the states population in farming activities are no longer going to farms for fear of being attacked. The commissioner who was represented by Mr. Muhammad Adamu, regretted that the situation has made Zamfara, which used to be the most peaceful state now unattractive to investors. He further disclosed that over 2000 people (reported cases) were kidnapped by armed bandits which translated into low level of income of larger percentage of rural dwellers who were relegated to the background “Example, in one emirate of Dansadau, about N75,000,000.00 has been paid as ransom by families of kidnapped victims,” he said. He however revealed that, in addition to dialogue, peace-building efforts, the unconditional release of about 525 kidnapped victims from both bandits and armed militia group between July – December, 2019 restored see level of peace to the state. To this end, the Commissioner called for more support from government and non-governmental agencies to rehabilitate and empower victims. He also called for more deployment of security agencies which is currently “not enough”. Earlier, the chairman of the workshop from PARE, Mr. Abubakar Jauro, stressed that the North-West Nigeria is not only facing insecurity problem, but development challenges that needs intervention of all. “Food shortages are imminent, joblessness has risen, hundreds of families are homeless and access to school and health services have been further impeded,” he said. Jauro added, “Strategic interventions are urgently required from all stakeholders to support Peace-building and restoration and to assist in addressing the developmental challenges of poverty, infrastructure deficit, poor health service delivery, malnutrition and unemployment among young people. He expressed hope that the workshop will provide another avenue to share experiences on how best to respond to the multispectral and multifaceted challenges. “It is hoped that the deliberations will contribute valuable suggestions and recommendation on the way forward. We are confident that with collective actions, the problems will soon be history,” he said. Source – PRNigeria

Army Corporal goes berserk, kills four soldiers, injures two, commits suicide

A Corporal of the Nigerian Army serving at the Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole, Army Super Camp 15, located at Malam Fatori went ran amok Wednesday morning and opened fire on his colleagues. According to statement signed by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Musa Sagir, the Corporal killed four of his colleagues leaving two others injured before shooting himself. According to the statement, the injured duo are currently in stable condition in a military hospital in Maiduguri. The statement read further: “Efforts are ongoing to contact the families of our gallant colleagues who paid the supreme price in the line of duty. May their gentle souls rest in peace. Meanwhile, investigation into the case has since been instituted to determine the circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident.”

Allah will judge Buhari: While victims live like animals, Boko Haram terrorists are treated like dignitaries

By Attorney Patryk Utulu  “The bloodthirsty rapists, murderers are fed, clothed and released by Buhari to rape and murder all over again”  The sustained policy of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to rehabilitate and release captured Boko Haram terrorists back into the Nigerian society while the war against the terror organization rages with huge casualties and damages randomly inflicted on Nigerian civilians and soldiers alike, has continued to draw outrage from Nigerians at home and overseas. A legal practitioner who could not hold it down any further, bemoaned what he illustrated in words as a vicious circle that guarantees that the war may not end any time soon, while law abiding Nigerians are made the biggest victims of the ‘dirty’ war. Hereunder is his brief depiction of the pardon for terrorists under Operation Safe Corridor: HERE IS THE SCENARIO A young man in Northern Nigeria has two choices. He can be law-abiding and watch his family beheaded, his mother raped to death and his village burnt down.  HE CAN JOIN BOKO HARAM…with immediate reward  such that  *He can Kill with Impunity *He can Rape any man or woman he desires *He can Kidnap little girls for sexual slavery *He can murder Christians (and Muslims who oppose him) *He can kill our soldiers who have no guns to fight back AND IF HE GETS INJURED/CAPTURED *President Buhari will quickly intervene and  *Warn Nigerians not to seek revenge or justice *Buhari will immediately feed the terrorists *Treat their injuries and house them at government expense  *Clothe them with better uniform than Nigerian Police Force officers  *Give them money and much more THEY WILL JUST ASK THEM TO RECITE OR MUMBLE A FEW VERSES OF THE QURAN… Then Buhari will publicly declare them to be “repentant” , “pure” and “good boys” He will then release the terrorist rapists, murderers back into the Nigerian society to maraud, rape, kidnap and kill all over again. He will then release the terrorist rapists, murderers back into the Nigerian society to maraud, rape, kidnap and kill all over again.