August 2021 – Page 19

Post Date : August 23, 2021

EFCC operatives raided my home at midnight —BBN’s Dorathy

Big Brother Naija Lockdown housemate, Dorathy Bachor, has alleged that armed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission broke into her Lagos residence around 04.45am on Monday. The former housemate in the 2020 edition of BBNaija television reality show took to her Instastory almost immediately after the alleged raid on Monday to narrate the incident. According to the star, the anti-graft officials allegedly broke into her house, saying they were after a suspected internet fraudster. She said the EFCC officials identified her as a BBNaija star and left afterwards. The serial entrepreneur said her aged mother almost suffered a “panic attack” as a result of the incident. The ex-housemate also posted videos showing men in red uniforms in her compound. Dorathy wrote, “What is the need of being a citizen of this country if I can’t feel safe in my own house? It’s 5am and I’m literally shaking and so upset right now. I feel like my head is about to explode, I’m numb. “At 04:45am, I heard a loud sound and voices followed after. I rush(ed) out almost naked to see 5 fully armed @officialefcc men in my living room and one of them saying, ‘oh na that big brother babe be this’. “In my confused state, I’m trying to understand what in the hell was going on, why did they break my door? “Then, one of them said they were looking for someone who ran into my estate and I should lock my door, stay indoors and not say a word. “I’m shaking at this point and so confused because how exactly is this even okay? “Still shaking, I’m trying to close my already broken door when my sister screamed my name and I ran back upstairs to see my mom almost have a panic attack. “I have never felt so helpless in my whole life. “@officialefcc you now break into people’s houses and jump estate fences all in the name of doing your job. Shame on you all.” When contacted, EFCC Head of Media, and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, told our correspondent that he needed to make some findings before making any comment on the matter. “I’ll find out. I can’t react to what I have not seen,” he told The PUNCH on Monday morning. This is not the first time the anti-graft agency would be accused of breaking into people’s homes and hotel rooms in the dead of the night. In July, EFCC operatives arrested at least 30 suspects during a raid on Parktonian Hotel in the Lekki area of Lagos. During the raid, the operatives were alleged to have gained entry into the occupants’ rooms by seizing the master cards from the management of the hotel at gunpoint. When the operatives gained entry into the rooms, it was learnt that some of the occupants were naked under the duvet as the operatives interrogated the occupants. Also, last month, a Nollywood filmmaker, Biodun Stephen, alleged that armed EFCC officials broke into her hotel room in Lagos but apologised to her when they realised that she was not the one they were after.

Post Date : August 23, 2021

Former First Lady Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi dies at 97

Chief Mrs. Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi, wife of late Nigerian Head of State, Major General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi, is dead. The former First Lady died peacefully Monday morning. She was 97 Her husband, and the Supreme Commander of the National Military Government, was killed on July 29, 1966. Following the death of her husband, Chief Mrs. Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi, never re-married. Details shortly…

Post Date : August 23, 2021

BBNaija Shine Ya Eye: Angel will win the show, says Pere

The second Head of House in the BBNaija Shine Ya Eye, Pere has said that Angel might emerge winner of the show. Pere told Angel on Sunday night if she survives major eviction he feels she will win. He said: “What if I told you if you don’t get evicted you will win this show. “If you stay back you are going to pick the money, mark my words and if it comes to pass N10 million is coming to my account because I saw it.” The six nominated housemates were left utterly surprised after the fake eviction night planned by Maria and Big Brother was executed on Sunday. The housemates nominated by Maria were Pere, her closest male housemate, Emmanuel, Angel, Yousef, Jaypaul and JMK. Big Brother had planned during the course of the week with Maria, who happened to be the head of house, to put up some housemates for possible eviction. He disclosed only to Maria that no housemate would be leaving the show but that was only a prank Maria needed to execute, as he promised to reward Maria if the plan was well executed.

Post Date : August 23, 2021

Tagging 22-year old girl a spy was an afterthought, after police held her as slave for 70 days – RULAAC

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has dismissed as an afterthought, the recent statement of the Nigerian Police tagging 22-year old girl, Gloria Okolie, who its operatives had held in captivity as a ‘slave’ for more than 70 days, a ‘spy girl’. RULAAC strongly feels that the recent statement by the Force’s spokesperson, ‘has more potential of doing further damage to the already battered image of the Nigeria Police than the possibility of burnishing it’. In a statement by the Executive Director of RULAAC, Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma, the group recalled that Gloria was reportedly arrested and kept in secret custody by the notorious Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at their Tiger Base office in Owerri, the Imo State capital, for the past 70 days and her parents did not know her whereabouts until one Izuchukwu Okeke who was also held in custody by the IRT for about six weeks and later released went to inform her parents that she was being detained at the IRT where she was turned to a slave. The group noted also that the IRT operatives denied Gloria’s parents access to her when they came to see her and had continued to extort money from them on false promises to release her before eventually transferring her to the Abuja office of the IRT after several visits by her parents and her lawyer who were denied access. RULAAC regretted that it was not until someone released from the IRT custody revealed to Gloria’s parents that Gloria was in IRT custody and public attention drawn to her unlawful detention and enslavement did the police now resort to the face saving stratagem of issuing a Press Release purporting that Gloria is a ‘Militant’s Spy Girl’, a likely attempt to incriminate her and justify their Illegal and unconstitutional actions. Nwanguma argued further: “Assuming without conceding that Gloria is what the Police now claim she is, why did they not contact her parents upon her arrest? Why did they not facilitate her access to legal representation which she is legally entitled to? Why was she not charged to court and evidence tendered to prosecute her? “Why did the police rearrest the young man who revealed to Gloria’s parents that she was in IRT custody? Where is the young man? Why were the Police intent on keeping the young girl’s detention secret? “70 days after she’s been held in custody, police claims that ‘investigation is being concluded to enable the police arraign her in court for prosecution’. “This is sheer afterthought and an attempt to cover dirty tracks and deceive Nigerians. The police should not destroy the life and future of the young girl just to save face. “And why should we believe the police this time? “The same IRT claimed hours after the killing of Gulak that they had neutralised the suspects who killed him. Not one of the alleged killers was arrested to enable police get useful information from the supposed gang about others who may be involved in the murder. Nothing more has been heard of that tragic murder till date. “The Police especially in Imo State have put themselves in a position where nobody believes anything they say. Even the media no longer trust the statements they issue about arrested persons. Most journalists are now careful about depending on their report as valid account of any incident.”

Post Date : August 23, 2021

I don’t have mental strength to write WAEC, NECO exams, says freed student

ONE of the freed Bethel Baptist School students, Favour Silas, has said she would miss the National Examination Council (NECO) Examination and the West African Examination Council (WAEC) saying, “I am not sure whether I will have the mental strength to write the exam as a result of what I passed through,” she said. She also said that one of the traumatic experiences she and the other students faced was not being served food regularly in the bandits’ camp. “Sometimes, they left us without food for four days; we survived by wandering the bush looking for anything eatable.” Silas also disclosed that another bitter experience was “the bandits asking us to sleep on cow faeces.” Speaking in an interview to Nigerian Tribune in Kaduna after she regained freedom, the Senior Secondary School (SSS3) student narrated also how the bandits beat them whenever they violated any rule assigned to them. “I never thought I would come out of that jungle alive; I thought we were going to perish,” she said. Earlier, the president of the Baptist Church, Reverend Israel Akanji, while handing over the 15 freed students to their parents, thanked them for their patience and understanding during the trial. He said though they were expecting to see all the remaining students freed, the 15 released was still a welcome development. Reverend Akanji said: “We are optimistic that in the coming days, the rest of the remaining 63 students under the care of the bandits will equally be freed.” Fifteen more abducted students of the school regained freedom after 48 days in captivity. The state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend John Hayab, disclosed this when he spoke with newsmen in Kaduna on Sunday. Reverend Hayab said: “Fifteen more students were released on Saturday night and 65 students are still with the bandits.” Spokesperson for the police command in the state, ASP Mohammed Jalige, also confirmed the release of the students. Jalige, however, said that the police were not in the picture if ransom was paid by the parents before the students were released or not.

Post Date : August 23, 2021

80-year-old mother of Bayelsa SSG freed by bandits — after 32 days in captivity

Betinah Benson, mother of Kombowei Benson, secretary to Bayelsa state government, has regained her freedom after 32 days in captivity. The 80-year-old woman was abducted on July 20 from her residence in Ekeki, Yenagoa, capital of the state. Echeng Echeng, the Bayelsa commissioner of police, confirmed her release on Sunday at the residence of the SSG. The commissioner said that the pressure from the police resulted in her release. “Our message to those involved in such heinous act is that it is a crime and no matter how involved you are, you will be arrested,” Echeng said. NAN reports that three suspects were arrested in connection with the abduction. Commenting on his mother’s release, the SSG said a “token gift of N4 million and two android phones” was given to the kidnappers. The SSG said the kidnappers had earlier demanded N500 million ransom. “Mama is back to the house and I want to give thanks to God and the security team in the state,” he said. “I am so happy that my mother is back. Even if I tell people that ransom was not paid, they will not believe me. “When they demanded for N500 million, I stood my ground. Even when I say I will not pay, I gave them a token to allow Mama return home.”

Post Date : August 23, 2021

We’ve Gone Beyond Looking For Grazing Routes – Falana

Human Rights Activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has faulted the Presidency’s approval to review grazing reserves in 25 states in the country. Falana who was a guest on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, said: “we’ve gone beyond this stage of looking for grazing routes”. “As far as the law is concerned, the President cannot, (with profound respect), be talking of looking for grazing routes in 2021, Nigeria. “The Northern Governor Forum, the Southern Governors Forum, and even the Miyetti Allah group have all come to a conclusion that open grazing is obsolete,” he added. His comments come days after President Muhammadu Buhari approved recommendations of a committee to review “with dispatch,” 368 grazing sites, across 25 states in the country, “to determine the levels of encroachment.” Among other things, the Committee recommended the production of maps and geo-mapping/tagging of sites, analysis of findings and report preparations as well as design appropriate communication on Grazing Reserves and operations. This comes as the nation battles insecurity, including farmer-herder clashes. But efforts by the Federal Government to resolve the age-long crises including the introduction of the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) have met stiff opposition. Many believe ranching is a better approach to the problem. “We need a national resolution of this crisis. We need a scientific solution. We need a modern solution to this problem,” Falana said. “State governors are already investing in ranching”.

Post Date : August 23, 2021

US asks American airlines to aid Afghan evacuation

The United States on Sunday enlisted several major airlines in its frantic evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans, Americans and other foreigners from Kabul following its fall to Taliban extremists. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin activated the rarely-used Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) to aid the onward movement of people arriving at US bases in the Middle East, the Pentagon said. “We’re going to try our very best to get everybody, every American citizen who wants to get out, out,” Austin said in an ABC interview on the evacuation mission, adding that the same applied to America’s Afghan allies. Eighteen civilian craft, from American Airlines, Atlas, Delta, Omni, Hawaiian and United, will aid dozens of military cargo transports involved in the evacuation, the statement said. Rather than going in and out of Kabul, the planes will transport people from US bases in Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to European countries and, for many, onward to the United States. With thousands of troops trying to secure the Afghan capital’s airport, Washington has set a deadline to complete one of the largest evacuation missions the Pentagon has ever conducted by August 31. But Austin didn’t rule out asking the president to extend the deadline. “We’re going to continue to assess the situation. And again, work as hard as we can to get as many people out as possible. And as we approach that deadline, we’ll make a recommendation to the president,” he told ABC. Up to 15,000 Americans need to be removed from Afghanistan, according to President Joe Biden, who says the administration wants to get at least 50,000 Afghan allies and their family members out of the country. — Chaotic exit –Widely criticized over the chaotic exit after a sudden Taliban victory, Biden has warned that the frantic effort to fly Americans, other foreigners and Afghan allies out of Taliban-occupied Kabul is dangerous. There have been reports of Taliban militants intimidating and beating people trying to reach the airport but Austin said the militants had largely been letting American passport holders pass through safely. The situation was further complicated on Saturday when the US government warned its citizens to stay away from the airport because of “security threats.” The Pentagon said Saturday that 17,000 people had so far been taken out since the operation began on August 14, with many flown first to Qatar or Kuwait. The total included 2,500 Americans. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN Sunday that the US military and its partners had flown out a further 7,900 people in the last 24 hours. “In terms of what we’ll be able to accomplish going forward… we can’t place a specific figure on exactly what we’ll be able to do, but I’ll just tell you that we’re going to try to exceed expectations, and do as much as we can, and take care of as many people as we can, for as long as we can,” Austin told ABC. The CRAF has only been activated twice — to fly troops for the 1990-91 Gulf War and again in 2002-2003 for the Iraq invasion. AFP

Post Date : August 23, 2021

Rivers judgement: Continue to pay VAT to us, FIRS tells taxpayers

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has directed taxpayers in the country to continue to pay value-added tax (VAT) to the agency to avoid facing penalties for failing to do so. Abdullahi Ahmad, FIRS spokesperson, stated this in a statement on Sunday. The directive followed a recent judgment obtained by the Rivers State at the federal high court, Port Harcourt, which ruled that states, and not the federal government, are constitutionally empowered to collect VAT. The FIRS said it had appealed the court judgement. Despite the appeal filed by FIRS, Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, signed a bill on value-added tax (VAT) collection into law on Thursday. Wike maintained that the judgment of the federal high court had sufficiently addressed the illegality perpetrated by the FIRS. But FIRS said both parties are aware of the appeal and stay of execution on the judgment and advised taxpayers to continue to pay VAT to it. “The attention of the Federal Inland Revenue Service(FIRS) has been drawn to the trending report that, on 19/08/2021, the Government of Rivers State took steps to enact a Value Added Tax Law for Rivers State following the Judgment of the Federal High Court Port Harcourt Division on 9th August 2021 in Suit No: CS/149/2020,” the statement reads. “The suit was about who has the constitutional duty for the collection of VAT and Personal income tax in Rivers State. “We wish to inform the general public that, before the above-mentioned steps taken by the Government of Rivers State, FIRS had lodged an appeal against the above judgment and had also filed an application for stay of execution of the judgment as well asking the Court for an injunction pending determination of the appeal. “All parties to the suit are aware that both applications were heard on the 19th and 20th August 2021 and are awaiting the decision of the Court. “Given that the Court of Appeal is yet to rule on the Appeal from the Judgement of Federal High Court and that the Federal High Court is yet to deliver a ruling on FIRS’s applications for stay of execution and injunction, members of the public are advised to continue to comply with their Value Added Tax obligations until the matter is resolved by the appellate courts.” TheCable had also reported how FIRS is lobbying the national assembly to include value-added tax (TAX) collection in the exclusive legislative list.

Post Date : August 23, 2021

Stop Giving Voice To Secessionists, Masari Tells Media Professionals

The Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, has urged media professionals to stop giving voice to those agitating for secession. He said calls for breakup of Nigeria are unpatriotic. The governor spoke in Kaduna at the weekend while receiving two awards from Nagarta, a Kaduna-based Amplitude Modulation (AM) radio station. He said the media had played a great role in the development of Nigeria and should not mess up its achievements. Masari, who was represented by Katsina State Commissioner for Information, AbdulKarim Yahaya Sirika, said the media has a greater role to play to keep Nigeria united amidst calls for a breakup. “God in His wisdom brought us together and there is beauty in our diversity, just as there is strength in our population, hence the need for us to remain united. “Those calling for the breakup of this country are either ignorant or enemies of Nigeria. Therefore, the media should stop promoting them and giving them a voice to spread hate and disunity,” he said.