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Post Date : April 7, 2021

IGP: I’ll improve the police… our best has not been good enough

Usman Alkali Baba, the acting inspector-general of police (IGP), says he will work hard to improve the force. Baba was appointed in an acting capacity by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday. Mohammed Adamu, the former IGP, handed over to him in Abuja on Wednesday. Speaking after the ceremony, he said Nigerians should expect an improvement in the security situation in the country. Baba said the police have tried their best in securing the country, “but it’s not enough”. “You will see improvement on where my predecessor has left. I came in at a very challenging time. I know it. I recognise it and I will work on how to improve from where my predecessor has left,” he said. “I have been a member of the management team. We have tried to do our best, but it’s not enough. There is room for improvement. “Nigerians should expect improvement on the security situation. And Nigerians should also collaborate and cooperate with us. With all the inadequacies we have, we still require everybody to be part of policing in this country.” Baba said he will build a police force that will protect human rights, adding that he is mindful of the yearnings of Nigerians. He acknowledged that his appointment comes at a time the country is experiencing security threats such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, secessionist agitation, and organised crimes. “Much as the challenge of leading the force to address these threats in the shortest possible time frame, restore security order, and return our beloved nation to the path of national unity may appear daunting, I am inspired by the fact that from my extensive years of service, I can confidently say that the Nigeria police is endowed with some of the finest, courageous and patriotic officers who, undoubtedly, shall support me to advance the internal security vision of Mr. President,” he said. “I am also encouraged by the fact that the outgoing IGP has laid a solid foundation and entrenched a culture of professional efficiency in the Force. These will stimulate me in my capacity as the new acting IGP, to strengthen our strategies and provide the requisite leadership that will change the narratives in relation to our operational approach to the current security threats.” Baba said he will provide “the highest possible level of professional and responsive leadership” while on the job.

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Post Date : April 7, 2021

Kano LG Chairman Appoints 55 Aides

The Chairman of the council of Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano state, Hassan Garban Kauye Farawa, has appointed 55 Special Advisers and Assistants. While swearing them into office, Farawa said their appointment is in line with the mission of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to eradicate poverty. He urged the new appointees to discharges their duties diligently and with dedication to move the local government forward. “The appointment of the 55 aides is as a result of the efforts of Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, of eradicating poverty among youth and to boost the kano State economy more especially during these hard times,” he said. The chairman called on the appointees to be good ambassadors and avoid anything that will tarnish the image of Kumbutso Local Government and Kano State. The councillor of Gurungawa Ward of the Kumbotso Local Government had recently appointed 18 aides, an incident that sparked outrage. Daily Trust reports that the councillor said he had donated his first salary to empower 100 people living with disability in his ward.

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Post Date : April 7, 2021

Corruption Allegations: EFCC invites ex-Governor Yari again

Former Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State is billed to face another round of interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) again. This is coming barely two months after he faced several hours of questioning by the agency’s operatives over corruption allegation in February. PREMIUM TIMES reported in February that Mr Yari faced a long interrogation session with detectives at the Lagos office of the EFCC over an alleged attempt to illegally move N300 billion from a corporate account in a new generation bank. Although details of the transaction was sketchy, sources told this newspaper that Mr Yari gave a lengthy statement to the commission’s operatives before he was released late in the evening of February 3. PREMIUM TIMES was reliably informed that Mr Yari, a former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), might be asked to return for further interrogation. Our reporter, late Tuesday, obtained a copy of a fresh invitation letter dated April 6, 2021 which was reportedly served on the former governor, asking him to appear at the Sokoto office of the EFCC on Thursday. PREMIUM TIMES cannot immediately confirm if Mr Yari, who has been previously accused by the EFCC of diverting proceeds of Paris Club refund, is being invited over the same allegations he was questioned for at the Lagos office of the commission in February. But the fresh invitation letter signed by the EFCC’s Director of Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkol, indicated that Mr Yari’s interrogation would centre on allegations of “conspiracy, diversion of public funds and money laundering”. The letter with reference number CR: 3000/EFCC/SKS/DOPS/VOL.1/87 appealed to Mr Yari for his cooperation over the invitation. The invitation letter titled, ‘INVESTIGATION ACTIVITIES: LETTER OF INVITATION’, reads, “The commission is investigating an alleged case of conspiracy, diversion of public funds and money laundering in which the need to obtain certain clarifications from you has become imperative. “In view of the above, we kindly request your presence for an interview with Zonal Head of Sokoto as follows: “Venue 7, Super Quarters, off Sama Road, off Tsafe Road, Sokoto. “Date: Thursday, 8 April 2021. “Time: 1100hrs prompt. “Your cooperation in this regard is highly solicited, please.” PREMIUM TIMES recalls that Mr Yari has been under EFCC’s searchlight over his handling of proceeds of Paris Club refunds, since at least 2017, two years before losing his immunity on completing his second term tenure as governor in May 2019. A court document filed by the commission in 2017 sheds light on the suspicious nature of payments by Mr Yari-led NGF to consultants who were said to have helped the forum to recover funds that were over-deducted from the allocations of the 36 state governments in connection with the London and Paris clubs loan between 1995 and 2002. PREMIUM TIMES recently exposed how six of the “consultants” and “contractors” have been scrambling to be paid about N159 billion awarded in their favour in various court judgments affirming their claims to shares of the Paris Club refunds. Mr Yari, shortly before his exit as the NGF chairman in May 2019, had issued a letter of “Indemnity and No Objection” approving the deduction of the humongous amount of funds from the allocations of the states. His successor as the NGF chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, is against the payment and has been battling to stop it, PREMIUM TIMES report shows. In a court document filed in 2017, EFCC stated that it received an intelligence in January 2017 alleging “conspiracy, criminal misappropriation of public funds involving the sum of N19,439,225,871.11 out of the Paris Club refunds made by the Federal Government in favour of the 36 states of the federation”. The commission had in the court filing, sought an order of forfeiture of N500 million and $500,000 allegedly recovered from Mr Yari. The anti-corruption agency said the funds were found in the accounts of First Generation Mortgage Bank Ltd and Gosh Projects Limited. It said the sums of money were part of N2.2billion “fraudulently transferred by the NGF to BINA Consults and Integrated Services Ltd on December 23, 2016.” Following the ex parte application filed by EFCC, the Federal High Court in Abuja, on June 30, 2017, issued an interim order of forfeiture of the N500 million and $500,000. But, in November 17, 2017, the judge, Nnamdi Dimgba, rejected the commission’s further request for a permanent forfeiture of the funds, and went ahead to set aside the earlier interim forfeiture order. The judge said it could not grant the forfeiture order since different entities had come forward to lay claim to the funds. He added that should the EFCC feel “strongly about the illicit origin of the funds”, it should take steps “to discharge the requisite burdens of proof, rather than resorting to the easy route of a forfeiture afforded by the Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act.” But another judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Ijeoma Ojukwu, on January 26, 2021, ordered the final forfeiture of funds suspected to be proceeds of corruption found in bank accounts linked to Mr Yari. The judge gave the order following an application by Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC). While $56, 056.75 was lodged in Polaris Bank account, the sums of N12.9 million, N11.2 million, $301, 319.99; N217, 388.04 and $311, 872.15 were kept in different Zenith Bank accounts, all in the name of Mr Yari and his companies. The judge held that the former governor did not show good cause why the order sought by the ICPC should not be granted.

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Post Date : April 7, 2021

Imo Jailbreak: Over 80 Inmates “Voluntary”Return To Owerri Prison

No fewer than 😯 inmates have voluntarily returned to the Owerri custodial centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service. Over 1844 inmates had escaped on Monday when gunmen attacked the centre and released them. The gunmen also attacked the headquarters of the Nigerian Police and set ablaze the office of the Criminal Investigation Department after releasing all the detainees. On a visit to the damaged facilities on Tuesday, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had said inmates, who turn themselves in, would not be tried for jailbreak. Our correspondent gathered that about 40 returned on Tuesday, making a total of 82 number of inmates in custody at present. The Public Relations Officer of the Centre, Mr. Joe Madugba, told our correspondent in an interview that the inmates returned between Tuesday and Wednesday. He said, “We have a total of 82 inmates right now. Remember that we have 36 that refused to escape and six that returned. Presently 40 others have joined them. They might have heeded the advice of the honourable minister to grant them amnesty from the crime of jailbreak.” He said that the centre is still expecting more of the detainees to return.

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Post Date : April 7, 2021

2 killed as rival cult group clash in Anambra

Ibe Pascal Arogorn, Awka Two people have been killed in a rival cult group on Wednesday at Okpuno in Anambra state. Crimefacts.news gathered that the incident happened on Wednesday afternoon opposite Winners Chapel Okpuno in Anambra state When Crimefacts.news contacted Anambra state police public relations officee, DSP Tony Tovhukwu confirmed the incident he said it an an incident that involved suspected attack by rival cult group. “The victims were rushed to the hospital and confirmed dead by a medical doctor on arrival. “Meanwhile, the Combined team of anti-cult Operatives and divisional police personnel led by DPO B Division Awka is right at the scene, investigation is ongoing to unravel the perpetrators of this barbaric act, ” the PPRO said.

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Post Date : April 7, 2021

Osinbajo Decorates Alkali As New IGP

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is currently decorating Usman Alkali Baba with the rank of Inspector-General of Police (IGP). The decoration ceremony is holding at Vice President Conference Hall at the State House in Abuja. Those present at the event include the former IGP, Mohammed Adamu; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu and his colleague in the office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande. Also present is the Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police Affairs. President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier on Tuesday approved the appointment of Usman Alkali Baba as the Acting Inspector-General of Police. The Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, who disclosed this to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that the appointment was with immediate effect. The Acting IGP replaced Mr. Mohammed Adamu whose tenure expired February 1, 2021, but President Buhari extended his tenure for three months. Until his appointment, Usman Alkali Baba was a Deputy Inspector-General, DIG of Police, and will be in acting capacity pending his confirmation by the Senate.

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Post Date : April 7, 2021

Striking doctors receive N5,000 hazard allowance but senators get N1.2m for newspapers

Did you know? A Nigerian doctor gets N5,000 as monthly hazard allowance while senators are paid 248 times higher (N1.24 million) to buy newspapers monthly. On April 1, members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) embarked on an indefinite strike to protest their poor remuneration and conditions of service, just five months after their last strike in September. When the fresh strike was first announced, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, president of the association, accused the federal government of failing to meet their demands, most of which were contained in an earlier agreement. He had said the doctors are demanding: “Immediate payment of all salaries owed to all house officers including March salaries (regardless of quota system) before the end of business on the 31st of March 2021; immediate payment of all salary arrears including March salaries for our members in all Federal (GIFMIS platform) and State Tertiary Health Institutions; upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 percent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers, as well as payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance especially in State owned-tertiary institutions.” The industrial action has grounded activities in some hospitals across the country, at a time when Nigeria is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 2,000 people out of the 163,000 infected. WHAT CAN N5,000 ALLOWANCE DO FOR HEALTH WORKERS? Okhuaihesuyi confirmed to TheCable that for all the risks they face fighting COVID-19, all the doctors get as hazard allowance is N5,000 ($13 at the current official exchange rate). But what really can that do for a medical doctor? Agwu Nnanna, the immediate past president of NARD at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, told TheCable that the money is next to nothing, when the actual risks the doctors face are considered. “That you get infected today, maybe you get infected with hepatitis, N5,000 cannot even help you buy a drug that you need to take care of yourself and protect yourself. If you put this in context with the economic realities of the country, with how things are, you find out that even the little salaries cannot take care of your needs,” he said. In direct contrast, each senator gets as much as N13.5 million as running cost covering all their allowances, while a member of the house of representatives get N8.5 million for same. This is notwithstanding that 83 million Nigerians are living in poverty, while the country’s unemployment rate hit a new record high at 33.3 percent in fourth quarter of 2020. HOW SINCERE IS THE GOVERNMENT IN ADDRESSING THE DOCTORS’ DEMANDS? The doctors’ grievance is quite understandable. Despite being in the frontline of Nigeria’s response to the pandemic, things appear as though they are being taken for granted. In an interview with TheCable, Okhuaihesuyi said the doctors are angry because despite several promises from the government to meet their demands, there has been no effort to fulfil them. “The government does not honour their memorandum of understanding, so that is one of the major reasons we are where we are,” the NARD president said. However, the federal government, on Wednesday, pleaded with the doctors to suspend the planned industrial action as it has “started solving the issues”. Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, who made the appeal had said: “We have started solving your (doctors’) issues. We put up proposals with given timelines on how to deal with them.” Interestingly, the minister has also started threatening the doctors, saying he would implement the ‘no work, no pay’ policy if they refuse to resume work. EVEN MR. PRESIDENT TAKES CARE OF HIS HEALTH ABROAD Menwhile, as the doctors announced that they were embarking on strike, the presidency disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari will be jetting off to the United Kingdom for a medical checkup. That trip, on Tuesday, was his fifth medical trip abroad. Altogether, TheCable found he has spent at least 171 days treating himself abroad. Meanwhile, Nigerian hospitals continue to struggle with inadequate funds. In April 2020, while speaking on his role as the chairman of the presidential task force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha had said he never knew how bad the situation was in the hospitals until then. “I can tell you for sure, I never knew that our entire healthcare infrastructure was in the state in which it is until I was appointed to do this work,” Mustapha, who is also secretary to the government of the federation, had said. It is day six of the strike and while Buhari is somewhere in the UK undergoing “routine medical checkup”, patients are being deprived of healthcare services in various hospitals — in the middle of a pandemic! The Cable

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Post Date : April 7, 2021

119 villages abolish Osu Caste system practice in Nsukka

The 119 villages in the nine autonomous communities in Nsukka town, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Wednesday, formalised the eradication of Osu Caste system in their communities. The decision which was taken by the monarchs, town unions and other traditional institutions in the communities in collaboration with the Initiative for the Eradication of Traditional and Cultural Stigmatization in our Society, IFETACSIOS, was capped up with an interdenominational prayer session cum declarations and ‘Isu Oho’ by the chief priests and ‘Akpuraruas’ from the three quarters which make up Nsukka town. Speaking during the interdenominational prayer session at the St. John’s Primary School, Ugwuorie, Nsukka, the Catholic bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Godffrey Onah, condemned the reprehensive traditional practice. Quoting Galatians 3:28, the clergy explained that there was no need for discriminatory practices amongst people created by God. The bishop who was represented by the Cathedral Administrator, Rev Fr. Eugene Odo, also said “this is the first of its kind in Nsukka cultural zone. There cannot be development amidst strife and discrimination. The Osu caste system needs to be eradicted to enable all memebers of the society contribute their quota in moving the communities forward because we cannot make progress when we discriminate against ourselves,” the cleric said. He also called for other communities within the Nsukka cultural zone to emulate Nsukka town by initiating steps towards ending harmful cultural practices that are anti people. Speaking to journalists during the event, the President General of Nsukka Town Union, Chief Joseph Onyeke, while commending the nine autonomous communities in Nsukka town for the landmark achievement, said “By history, we cannot forget the efforts of our noble men and women like William Wilberforce, Mary Slessor who, about 200 years ago, volunteered their lives to make sure slave trade was abolished. Even though they achieved great height in securing legal freedom for the enslaved, some deprivations remained in practice till this day. “In practice, discriminations have continued even in this part of the continent. They include denials of intermarriage, title-taking_Oha and Umuada, placement of Oho and Oduatu together and ascending to the height of ‘Onyeishi Aruah among others. The consequences of the above were restiveness and underdevelopment in all sectors of life. “In Nsukka town, the crises of 1946-1955 regarding the discrimination practices worsened the matter, and ever since then, the problems were managed and never solved,” he said. Also in his remarks, the traditional ruler of Ihe Nsukka Autonomous Community, HRH, Igwe George Asadu said , that Osu was a creation of humans and not God. “The segregation lives here on earth and not in heaven. Even the Bible upholds all humans as equal before God,” he said. He also said that with the eradication of Osu caste system, there would be hitch free intermarriage and equal economic rights which hitherto were not the case before now. His counterpart of Owerre Nsukka Autonomous Community, HRH, Igwe Emeka Ugwu, said he was happy over the development, adding that he was the first monarch in Nsukka cultural zone to initiate the move towards the abolishment of the discriminatory practices. In his contribution, the Visioner and Coordinator of IFETACSIOS, Nwada Stella Ogechukwu, while expressing her joy over the abolishment of the practice said “I take full cognizance of other communities that have abolished the caste system, but I call the Nsukka people the pace setters because you came together in strength, might and love to jettison the evil practice. “I know the kind of efforts that go into achieving such a milestone. Your actions towards achieving this feat are commendable and worthy of emulation,” she said. Earlier in his address, the chairman of the committee on Total Eradication of Discrimination between Ohu and Amu in Nsukka Town, Barr Peter Odo, described the development as a new dawn in the communities. “After elaborate deliberations, it was unanimously agreed that the discriminatory practices between ‘Osu and Amu’ be totally eradicated and eliminated,” he announced. He said that the committee set up to effect the abolishment came up with three solutions of “appeasement, compensation and reparation, adding that those who felt wronged and those whose forefathers may have also wronged others have fully forgiven one another.

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Post Date : April 7, 2021

How cultists kidnapped soldiers, dismembered their bodies in Akwa Ibom

The bodies of five soldiers were dismembered by suspected cultists in Essien Udim LGA of Akwa Ibom state, military sources have told TheCable. The soldiers were part of the joint operation Delta Safe deployed in the area. In the past weeks, there has been a series of attacks by gunmen, especially on security personnel in the area. As part of its efforts to curb the attacks, the military had sent in troops, but the attacks continued. On Tuesday, however, the military returned with heavy force to comb the area. Senior military officers who spoke with TheCable Wednesday said about 10 soldiers had gone missing, before the troops went back and “found five bodies from those missing”. “The military had to storm the area, and this time, with air strikes when about 10 of our soldiers got kidnapped,” one of the sources said. “We flushed the criminals out, and while ground troops were combing the area, we found bodies of our soldiers, dismembered. It was shocking. We put their bodies together.” Another source added that they ensured “no civilian was killed in the operation”. Mohammed Yerima, army spokesperson, in a statement, said the suspected criminals were neutralised in the air strikes. “The miscreants exploited various avenues to acquire weapons to perpetrate their heinous crimes. In the past few weeks, the group has attacked various security agencies which resulted in the loss of lives and carting away of weapons. The last incident led to the killing of some Policemen including a CSP,” he said. “The hoodlums continued to terrorise law abiding citizens through extortions and infringement on their rights. “Consequently a combined team of Military and Security Agencies in the State conducted a clearance operation at Ntak Ikot Akpan to in order to flush out the miscreants. “The operation was successfully executed and resulted in the dislodgement of the criminals while fleeing hoodlums were neutralised by the Air Component.” As against reports that there is still crisis in the area, Yerima said normalcy has been restored while the police have assumed full control and carried out normal duties. He asked members of the public not to panic but to remain calm and continue to support the security agencies.

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Post Date : April 7, 2021

Wailing won’t stop Buhari from medical trips, says FG

Presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie, has said the right of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to see his personal doctors cannot be taken away. This is as criticisms continue to trail the President’s decision to have a medical checkup in London. The criticisms have led to a series of protests at the Abuja House in London where the President is lodged. A fresh protest organised by Revolution Now convener, Omoyele Sowore, has been scheduled for today in London to force Buhari to go have his medical checkup in Nigeria where doctors are currently on strike. In an apparent reaction, Onochie disclosed that no amount of wailing can stop Buhari from embarking on medical trips which he has been doing for years. She tweeted, “Next year, Pres. @MBuhari will go for a routine checkup. “We have been here since 2016. It’s been the same wailing. So the response will also be the same. “At least, once a year, people across the world see their personal doctors especially one they have seen for about 40 years. “@MBuhari won’t dump his doctor of about 40 years so that wailers can be happy. That’s blackmail. Thankfully, he doesn’t pay blackmailers. “In 2016, I ran from one media house to the other, educating us on the psychology of the bond between a patient & his/her long-standing doctor “He went for #CheckUp in 2017, 2018, 2019 & in 2020, just before the pandemic. Same wailing and same explanations. “The fact remains that if @MBuhari chooses, he will go for checkups in 2022 & 2023. He will continue to go. It’s his choice to go or not to. “I don’t know any man who will accept a different barber to cut his hair if the one he is used to, is not available “Wailing cant take away his rights to see his personal doctors so wailers must get ready for two more years of wailing and fooling around. God bless Nigeria.”

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