Crime Facts

Judicial Panel: I’m Unaware Nigerian Army Called Lekki Shooting ‘Fake News’ On Twitter — Brig.-Gen.Taiwo

Brig.-Gen. Ahmed Taiwo, Commander of the 81 Division, Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island has said that he was unaware that the Nigerian Army Headquarters had described the shootings at the Lekki Tollgate as “fake news” on Twitter. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Taiwo made the disclosure on Saturday while being cross-examined at the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry for Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters. Responding to questions from Mr Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), the counsel for some of the #EndSARS protesters, Taiwo said he was unaware of the denial by the headquarters of the Nigerian Army because he did not own a twitter account. BE AWARE!!! PIC.TWITTER.COM/PBY5MHQMX1 — NIGERIAN ARMY (@HQNIGERIANARMY) OCTOBER 20, 2020 “Why did you tell lies, why did the army deny being at the scene?” Olumide-Fusika queried. Taiwo denied telling lies and said that the Nigerian Army made the first statements because they did not have the full facts and the army was not sent to Lekki to break up the protest. “I have not seen the denial that the Nigerian Army on twitter called their presence at the tollgate as fake news,”he said. Following the General’s denial, Olumide-Fusika questioned him further about the Army’s denials. “There is controversy between you and our Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, when you (Army) denied saying that it was fake news and the governor came out to say he saw some footage. “Based on the Army’s tweets, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) said the people that went to the tollgate must be hoodlums in army uniforms. “Are you aware of the Army HQ handle on twitter? If you go to your HQ’s verified twitter account right now the denial is still there. I challenge you to go online now to see it. “Are you not aware that information posted on the Nigerian Army twitter handle on Oct. 21 still exists till this day, aren’t you an intelligence officer?”the SAN queried. Responding, Taiwo said Sanwo-Olu had made the assertion about seeing some footage before the army made any verification. “I’m not aware of what the AGF said, I’m not on twitter. I’m speaking here as the most senior Army officer on ground and on behalf of the 81 Division. “I’m not aware of the Nigerian Army HQ twitter handle, I do not follow it because I’m not on twitter,” he said. (NAN)

Gbajabiamila Visits Family Of Vendor Shot By Security Aide

Speaker Gbajabiamila condoles with the family of the late vendor at Kwata village The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Saturday visited the family of the slain newspaper vendor, Ifeanyi Okereke, who was shot by his security detail. The speaker was accompanied by spokesperson of the house, Benjamin Kalu, and some aides. Mr Gbajabiamila condoled with the wife and family of the late vendor at Kwata village, Madalla-Suleja, Niger State. Members of the Association of Newspapers Distributors led by their president, Benjamin Obute also called at the home of the deceased. The victim who was rushed to the national hospital by his colleagues after being hit by the bullet had died upon arriving the hospital. Mr Gbajabiamila had in a statement vowed not let the matter slide. He promised to cater for the family of the deceased. Meanwhile the security detail has been detained by the DSS.

Recession: SERAP Asks Buhari To Cut Cost Of Governance, Not Public Services

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him “to put the country’s resources at the service of human rights, and to support the less well-off to enjoy an adequate standing of living through cutting the cost of governance and implementing bold transparency and accountability measures in your government’s response to Nigeria’s second recession in five years.” In the letter dated 21 November, 2020 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “This economic crisis provides an opportunity to prioritise access of poor and vulnerable Nigerians to basic socio-economic rights, and to genuinely recommit to the fight against corruption. The country cannot afford getting back to business as usual.” SERAP said: “Implementing human rights, transparency and accountability measures would save money, address projected adverse human rights impacts of the recession, and fast-track the economic recovery process. It is not too late to take urgent measures that would put the country’s wealth and resources to work for the common good of all Nigerians.” According to SERAP: “Decades of mismanagement and corruption, and deep-seated deficiencies in public financial management have directly contributed to higher levels of borrowing and public debts, and consequently, the economic recession. Successive governments have squandered the promise afforded by the country’s natural wealth and resources.” The letter, read in part: “The paltry resources Nigeria invests in essential public goods and services that would benefit ordinary Nigerians can be partly explained by the high spending of public funds to finance a life of luxury for members of the National Assembly, state governors, and other powerful politicians.” “The country’s resources appear to have been used almost exclusively for the benefit of the political elites rather than on projects that would ensure the right to an adequate standard of living, the maximum welfare, prosperity, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality.” “SERAP is seriously concerned about the adverse consequences of the economic crisis on the human rights of poor and vulnerable Nigerians, including denying them access to essential public goods and services such as healthcare, education, clean water, and regular electricity supply.” “We would be grateful if your government begins to implement the recommended action and measures within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then as to the steps being taken in this direction, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to implement these recommendations for the sake of human rights, transparency and accountability.” “Nigeria has been poorly governed for many years, with systemic and widespread corruption at all levels of government, contributing to failures by successive governments to deliver essential public goods and services to Nigerians, contrary to the country’s constitution and human rights and anticorruption obligations.” “Huge budgetary allocations to fund security votes, renovate the National Assembly complex, pay jumbo salaries and allowances to members of the National Assembly, and life pensions to former governors and their deputies, as well as massive corruption in ministries, departments and agencies [MDAs] contribute to low provisions for health, education and other essential public goods and services.” “Prioritising the human rights of poor and vulnerable Nigerians means providing public goods and services free of charge for those who cannot afford them. This is the time to prioritise poor and vulnerable Nigerians, and to ensure that any response to the recession goes well beyond bailing out large companies and banks.” “Our requests are brought in the public interest, and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], and Nigeria’s international obligations, including under the UN Convention against Corruption, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the UN Guiding principles on human rights impact assessments of economic reforms.” “Your government ought to have taken full advantage of court judgments ordering the full recovery of stolen public funds, recovery of life pensions collected by former governors and their deputies, and mandating your government to hold to account corrupt electricity contractors and companies that collected billions of naira but disappeared with public funds without executing any projects.” “The continuing failure to enforce these judgments has contributed to increasing level of borrowing, and in the process, the inability to fulfil the country’s anti-corruption and human rights obligations to progressively realize the human rights of poor and vulnerable Nigerians, including their rights to affordable and decent health care, clean water, adequate sanitation, and education.” “As the National Bureau of Statistics stated, the country’s GDP recorded a negative growth of 3.62 per cent in the third quarter of 2020. The country had earlier recorded a 6.10 per cent contraction in the second quarter.” “SERAP therefore urges you to prioritise citizens’ socio-economic rights and undertake comprehensive reform to stem grand corruption including in MDAs, hold corrupt electricity contractors to hold, fully recover all stolen public funds, and life pensions collected by former governors and their deputies, and ensure a transparent and accountable spending of any recovered public funds on projects that will directly benefit poor and vulnerable Nigerians.” SERAP also urged President Buhari to: Increase investment in public health, the healthcare system, education services, provision of clean water and other basic public goods and services that will benefit majority of the population; Re-direct budgetary allocations to renovate the National Assembly complex and take urgent steps to ensure that essential public goods and services are available to poor and vulnerable Nigerians; Improve transparency and quality of information in government budgets and reform public financial management to bring it in line with international standards, and safeguard the right of media and civil society to speak out against corruption and human rights abuses; Direct the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to urgently undertake a downward review of remuneration and allowances of all political office holders including President, Vice-President state governors and their deputies, and members of the National Assembly, consistent with the provisions of paragraph N, 32[c][d]

Atiku to Buhari: We could have avoided this recession had you heed my counsel

Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar says Nigeria could have averted sliding into a recession had President Muhammadu Buhari listened to his counsel. Nigeria officially entered into its worst economic recession in 33 years after the nation recorded a GDP contraction of 3.62 percent in the third quarter of 2020. Commenting on the development in a social media post on Sunday, Atiku said the recession could have been avoided if Buhari had cut down on the cost of governance as advised. He noted that though the COVID-19 pandemic played a negative role in economic development, “we could have avoided this fate by a disciplined and prudent management of our economy”. “This could have been avoided had this administration taken heed to the patriotic counsel given by myself and other well-meaning Nigerians on cutting the cost of governance, saving for a rainy day, and avoiding profligate borrowing,” Atiku said. He further said that now is not the time to trade blames but to focus on ways to manage the situation and called on Buhari’s government to “swallow its pride, and accept its limitations, so that they can open their minds to ideas, without caring who the messenger is”. Atiku proposed that non-essential line items like estacodes, welfare packages, and new vehicle purchases be expunged from the proposed 2021 budget. He further recommended that the federal government should invest in a stimulus package “in the form of monthly cash transfers of ₦5000” to mitigate the effect of the recession on the poor while taxing luxury items and services used by the rich. “The nation is broke, but not broken. However, if we continue to spend lavishly, even when we do not earn commensurately, we would go from being a broke nation to being a broken nation,” he said. “A practical approach to this is to place a 15% tax on all business and first-class tickets sold to and from Nigeria, on all luxury car imports and sales, on all private jets imports and service charges, on all jewellery imports and sales, on all designer products imported, produced or sold in Nigeria, and on all other luxury goods either manufactured or imported into Nigeria, with the exception of goods made for export. “The proceeds of this tax should be exclusively dedicated to a Poverty Eradication Fund, which must be managed in the same manner as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, or the Ecological Fund. “I further propose that a 1% poverty alleviation tax should be legislated by the national assembly on the profits of every international oil company operating in Nigeria, and international airlines doing business in Nigeria, which should also go towards the proposed Poverty Eradication Fund. “And above all, Nigeria must stop borrowing for anything other than essential needs. Again, for the avoidance of doubt, borrowing to pay salaries, or to engage in White Elephant projects, is not an essential need. “This is particularly important as we need cash at hand because the world and our economic and development partners are also focused on helping their home economies overcome the effects of COVID-19. We must be our own saviours.” The Buhari-led administration said it is already taking steps to reduce the cost of governance by implementing the Stephen Oronsaye report. It also removed subsidies paid on petrol, a widely consumed crude oil product.

Nine abducted ABU students ‘regain’ freedom after a week in captivity

Nine students of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna state, who were abducted by kidnappers have reportedly regained their freedom. They were abducted during an attack on motorists along Kaduna-Abuja road on Sunday. The students, from the Department of French, were travelling to Lagos for a programme at the Nigerian French Language Village (NFLV) in Badagry. Dickson Oko, one of the students who escaped but suffered a gunshot wound, said the kidnappers had already reached out to the families of the students to demand N30 million each for their freedom. There are reports that kidnappers reduced the ransom to N1 million for each student. Speaking with TheCable on Sunday, Ashiru Zango, ABU’s chief security officer, said he got information that they have been released but was still awaiting details for the head of the French department. Zango asked this reporter to call back for further details. “I am still awaiting details from the (French) head of department,” he said. “But someone told me that they have been released.” Corroborating Zango’s assertion, Julius Mutum who said he is a brother to one of the victims, tweeted that his sister has been released. “Some of the #ABU9 including my sister have just regained their freedom. Strictly by family efforts. Thank you @TheAbusite for lending your voice when everyone including govt and security agents didn’t care,” he tweeted.

APC Governors’ Visit To Jonathan Affirms Nigeria is Better With PDP, Says Ologbondiyan

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asserts that the visit by governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to former President Goodluck Jonathan has further affirmed that Nigeria, as a nation, is better under the governance of the PDP. Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary said the visit, which is a clear endorsement of the acceptability of the PDP administration, also indicates that the APC, in 2015, only created artificial symbols of misgovernance, corruption and other alleged misgivings just to discredit our party and grab the levers of power to achieve their selfish desires. The statement reads, “It is evident that the Jonathan administration succeeded in office basically because our party understands the nuances of our nation, which we translated into people-oriented polices and programmes, in line with the manifesto of our party, to make life comfortable for Nigerians. “This visit to Jonathan by the APC governors is a direct acceptance of the successes recorded by our party in building a strong nation with a virile economy that was rated as one of the fastest growing economies of the world, ” he said. According to him, “The visit is therefore a subtle step by APC governors into the corridors of the PDP in agreement that our party holds the solution to the myriads of problems brought to our nation by their APC and President Muhammadu Buhari. “The PDP therefore receives the visit by APC governors as an apology by the APC to our party and Nigerians over the lies, beguilements and other irresponsible allegations deployed by the APC to grab power, only to lead our nation on a journey to nowhere. “We therefore caution Nigerians to be watchful of the antics of the APC that have failed in governance and the management of its own affairs. “For us in the PDP, the unity, stability, progress and development of our dear nation remain paramount and as such, we will not allow the failed APC and its pranksters, who have betrayed the trust of Nigerians, to mislead them once again. :

Yuletide: Igbo Leader urges Obiano to Lift Suspension Placed on Traditional Rulers

Ahead of the Christmas and new year season, the spiritual leader of the Igbo nation, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka (Ogilisi Igbo) has appealed to the Govenor of Anambra State Chief Willie Obiano to lift the suspension placed on some traditional rulers in the State as part of government Christmas and new year gift to the people of the State. Recall that Governor Obiano placed suspension on 12 traditional rulers following their trip to Abuja at the expense of billionaire businessman Prince Arthur Eze to meet President Muhammadu Buhari over an issue that was said to be against the interest of Anambra State government. Ezeonwuka, a member of the Board of Trustees of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) while lending voice on the matter pleaded with Governor Obiano to toe the path of a true Christian he is, as a Papal Knight of St Gregory the Great, and forgive the rulers in the spirit of Christmas and new year. This will enable them unite with government and their subjects for the joy of Christmas and new year, He stated. Ogilisi Igbo told Governor Obiano that the situation is like the popular Igbo saying that “if you use the right hand to slap a child for offense he committed, you equally turn round to use the left hand to console him because the slap has invariably served its purpose, which is bringing caution to the mind of the child” noting that the suspension has served its purpose. He added, ” let use this opportunity to make it known to Christians generally that Christmas gift is not just about sharing money and clothes or bags of rice and cows, it also includes love, peace making and forgiveness and that is why I am asking the Govenor to forgive the rulers and lift the suspension on placed on them”

FENRAD: Federal Roads in Southeast Makes the Region a Rathole

Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development, FENRAD (as acronymed), being an environmental rights, a pro-democracy and not-for-profit group, laments the deplorable state of many federal roads in the Southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As a pro-enviromental rights group, FENRAD had observed with dismay that the continued neglect of these roads – especially as the Yuletide season approaches – constitutes serious threat to life and limb; businesses also. Majority of these federal roads now turned abandoned projects were conceived, in most cases, before 2015 and were equally captured in previous federal budgets yet remain derelict and bare without tar coating. This situation, as bad as it is, makes accidents imminent as December approaches – when usually sons and daughters of the region within Nigeria and in diaspora return home for the season’s celebrations and festivities. Since 2017, Otuocha-Anam-Kogi road has yet to breathe after it was abandoned. The federal minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fasola, SAN had visited Aba-Ikot Ekpene and Enugu-Port Harcourt roads on many occasions with promises, (re)affirmations and (re)assurances of federal government’s willingness to fix the roads yet work still remains tardy and delayed to date. While the Enugu-Okigwe-Umuahia axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway could be said to be fair, the Lokpanta spot (precisely Umuchieze area) remains yet a hellhole! The Aba-Port Harcourt end of the entire project is a mess and has impinged on the ease of doing business, causing serious problems to livelihoods, even. Time and time again, vehicles – worst of these sights being latched and unlatched containers and other articulated lorries – fall along the major thoroughfare or by the wayside hindering communication, vehicular and human movements. Equally do many of such vehicles break down due largely to the muddy and sorry plight of the road. This has become everyday story. Sad story, too. The Onitsha-Awka road, FENRAD recalls, once was impassable so much so that motorists and other road users devised a route through nearby villages. This too is not peculiar to that road as many other federal roads are in the region where owing to their deplorable state daily commuters and travellers suffer this plight with needless prolongation of already torturous and arduous journeys. Aba-Ikot Ekpene road has remained “work in progress” for yonks and eons. Many small scale enterprises including some large scale businesses like filling stations, FENRAD notes, have gone under. That road is crucial to the region because it connects Aba, the industrial hub of the Southeast to Akwa Ibom thence to Cross River State from where the Aba manufactures feed through to as far as Cameroon markets! This is a serious setback to not only local but international trade beyond West African subregion! Another nightmare is 9th Mile-Makurdi raod which links the Southeast to the Middle Belt region of the country. At a time it was a theatre for armed robbers. Onistsha-Enugu express road remains yet a metaphor for abandonment as the forlorn look of that road speaks volumes of competent neglect. FENRAD wonders what the federal government had been doing SUKUK Bonds which it has held for years. FENRAD, however, laments that at a time, the sum of N16.75 bn (SUKUK Bond) was set aside to rehabilitate Onitsha-Enugu expressway and also for rehabilitation of sections 1, 2 and 3 of Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway with nothing to show for all this to date. Release – in the way of money too – was made through Presidential Infrastructural Development Fund, PIDF for the Second Niger Bridge, completion of which had tarried like the second coming! Never, FENRAD recalls, was any of the said projects completed in record time as almost all are lying fallow in some cases. While FENRAD bemoans the plight of federal roads, it also decries the state of ruin some state roads are in too. FENRAD is in the know and privy to the fact that state governments receive monthly allocation from the federal accounts allocation committee, FAAC and also through the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC (for the regional states of Abia and Imo, that is) yet many roads within the five states making up the region are still waiting repairs, even construction. States under the existing arrangements have access to World Bank’s RAMP (Rural Access Mobility Project) to help them build arterial access and linkage roads across rural areas to enable local (mostly agricultural) produce find market in cities and as well bridge the demographic disparity and gap noticeably hindering urban and rural commercial nexus/exchange/flow. FENRAD urges the five state governors to live up to the Infrastructural needs of their people; to even intervene in some of the federal roads where and when event is right. FENRAD calls also on Southeast senators and Representatives (the so-called Southeast legislative caucus) to see that it does its utmost putting pressure on the federal government and also lobbying where necessary to ensure that the roads are done to boost, revitalize and reawaken many slumbering businesses. It is damnable that of all the six geopolitical zones across the nation, the federal roads in the Southeast remain hell and deathtraps given the crater-sized potholes dug by sheer neglect, the allure of death.

Army to judicial panel: If we are attacked with stones, we respond with bullets

Ibrahim Taiwo, commander of the 81 division, military intelligence brigade of the Nigerian army, says the military responds to stone attacks with gunshots. Speaking when he appeared before the judicial panel the Lagos state government set up to probe the shooting incident at the Lekki tollgate, on Saturday, Taiwo said soldiers came under attack immediately they arrived at the scene. He said the soldiers did not have the intention to disperse the protesters but were on patrol to clear up the Lekki, Eti-Osa corridor. Taiwo said the soldiers were, however, attacked by hoodlums around the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, and one of them sustained injuries. He spoke while being cross-examined by Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Adeshina Ogunlana, counsels to #EndSARS protesters. “We had men and materials – vehicles and rifles for shooting. A portion of the force were carrying live bullets in case they are attacked. Another portion will carry magazines charged with blank ammunition,” he said. “The soldiers will be using both live and blank bullets and in this particular case, we saw that this protest had been infiltrated by hoodlums. “We had peaceful protesters no doubt, but there were hoodlums who sought to take advantage of the protest. “They were pelted just before Oriental Hotel, their response was to fire blank ammunition. They (soldiers) were stoned just as they dismounted. “By the time they fired a few shots in the air, the hoodlums hightailed it. Our mission was not to clear the protest, we were just on our way to ensure normalcy on the Eti-Osa corridor. “One officer was wounded, he was stoned on the lips. If we are attacked with stones, the only option is gunshots.”

Zoning: Nobody Can Dictate, Threaten Us Over 2023 Presidential Ticket – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has stated that it will not allow anyone to blackmail or threaten the party over where it should zone its 2023 presidential ticket to. The ruling party which reacted to statements by some southern leaders; Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Mbazulike Amaechi, and Idongesit Ikanga, advised Southern leaders to lean to lobbying as there is no need to overheat the polity with the ticket for 2023. APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Nabena Yekini said in the statement; “They don’t have any right to tell people what to do. It is not by force, threat or intimidation but by negotiation. If they feel strongly about the ticket, they should form their own political party and give their ticket to whichever zone they want to produce the president in 2023. “It is called politics because you cannot impose anybody on any person. It is a game of numbers. T he Southeast must lobby and tell other regions what they have for them. By the way, it is even too early to talk about zoning in 2023. Instead of heating up the polity, they should resort to alliance, lobbying and consultations.”