Crime Facts

ASUU Strike: FG reconstitutes team to renegotiate 2009 agreement

  The Federal Government has reconstituted a team to renegotiate the 2009 agreements it entered with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Reconstituting the team, the Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu, said there was the need to speedily bring to conclusion all outstanding issues in the 2009 agreements. This, according to the minister, is in order to achieve the desired industrial peace on the nation’s university campuses. Adamu disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday, in a statement by the ministry’s Director of Press, Mr Ben Goong. He listed the chairman and members of the reconstituted 2009 FGN/University-Based Unions Agreements Re-negotiation Team as Prof. Emeritus Nimi Briggs, who is also the Pro-Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, as Chairman. The members are Lawrence Ngbale, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Wukari, as member from the North East, Prof. Funmi Togunu-Bickersteth, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi,as member from South West. Also in the list are Sen. Chris Adighije, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University. Lokoja as member from South East, Prof. Olu Obafemi, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna as member from North-Central. Prof. Zubairu Iliyasu, Pro-Chancellor, Kano State University of Science and Technology as member from North West and Matthew Seiyefa, Pro-Chancellor, Niger Delta University as member from South-South. The minister added that the team would be inaugurated on Monday. He, therefore, called on all advisers and observers in the Federal Government and University based Unions 2009 agreements Re-negotiation Team to attend the inauguration. (NAN)

Electoral Act Is Buhari’s Only Gift To Nigerians – Diri

  Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has described signing of electoral bill into law as the only gift President Muhammadu Buhari has given to Nigerians. Speaking during the state executive council meeting in Yenagoa, on Thursday, Diri applauded the President for signing the amended electoral act bill into law. He said the days of ballot box snatching, rigging, political thuggery and violence were gone as the electoral law has made provisions on how modern elections should be conducted. Diri advised politicians eyeing elective offices not to heat up the polity, but rather quietly embark on consultation with their political leaders. Daniel Alabrah, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Diri, quoted him as saying that signing of the bill was a demonstration that the President wants democracy to thrive in Nigeria. The governor stressed that the peace being experienced in the state should be sustained by all, adding that members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will work together to ensure that those who are destined by God emerge as its flag bearers through primaries. He said: “I like to use today’s Executive Council meeting to acknowledge Mr President and thank him for signing the Electoral Act bill into law. “That has been the bane of our democracy. Elections are the basis of having good governance, of selecting good leaders, and Mr President has demonstrated that he wants democracy to thrive in Nigeria by signing the bill. “So, on behalf of the Deputy Governor and indeed Bayelsa State, we appreciate Mr President for assenting to that bill. “If there is one gift that Mr President has given to Nigeria in his whole eight years, this is it. “We are in a political year and the music has started. The drums are all on. Let me again advise all of us, both members of the state executive council and other appointees, that if you have political ambition, please put in your resignation. “By the Act, ministers, commissioners or appointees that want to contest have to resign six months to the primaries. That is because you will be distracted if that is what you want to do and the office will suffer. “If you want to occupy any of these offices, fair and good. Ambition is everybody’s right but do not let our work to suffer, and we will not be pushed to sack any member of cabinet who has worked very well for this government,” he said.

ASUU Strike: CNG Calls For Education Minister’s Resignation For Walking Out On NANS

  The Student Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG-SW), has called for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, for walking out on the executives of the National Association of Nigerian students, describing his action as “shameful”. The leader of the student’s wing, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, made the declaration while briefing newsmen at the CNG Secretariat in Katsina on Thursday. The group also described the education minister as lacking the capacity and willingness to resolve the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) crisis. While lamenting that the four-week warning strike was already in its third week with no hope in sight, comrade Charanchi said the group will collaborate with NANS as well as other relevant stakeholders to shut down the country if the Federal Government failed to resolve the matter before the stipulated deadline given by ASUU. “While we commend the effort of the apex students’ body, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in calling attention to the implications of such actions, we condemn with all our might the shameful walk out on NANS executives by the Minister of Education. “We see the action of the Minister as a gross show of unconscionable immorality, insensitivity, and impunity abhorrent to the collective sensibilities of the students, parents and indeed the country at large,” he said. The CNG-SW leader expressed concern at the frequency of the disruption of the Nigerian education system, frustrating the ambitions and aspirations of the youth to acquire knowledge, saying the current strike was the second industrial action embarked on by ASUU in less than two years, and the 16th since the inception of the fourth republic democracy in 1999.

Hanifa: Wife Of Self-Confessed Killer Testifies Against Him In Court

  Jamila Muhammad Sani, wife of Abdulmalik Tanko, who confessed murdering 5-year-old Hanifa Abubakar, testified against him at a Kano High Court, on Thursday. The court sitting at Audu Bako presided was over by Justice Usman Na’abba. The prosecution witnesses led by the state counsel and Kano state Attorney General, Musa Lawan. Three witnesses were presented on first day (March 2) which include two DSS personnel and a police officer who was the IPO of the case. Presenting more witnesses as promised, the state counsel present one other woman and then Jamila as the fifth prosecution witness. Standing before the court, she identified Abdulmalik Tanko as her lawfully wedded husband and the second defendant, Hashim, as his friend ever since she knows him. “He brought the girl to my house and told me that her mother is a teacher in his school and had gotten a job in Saudia Arabia and will be going to Abuja to sign some papers. “She came with school uniform and school bag. I asked where is her clothes and received her and remove her uniform. “The following morning till evening I asked him the whereabouts of the mother, he said she did not call but he called and she said the queue was much so she’s not coming back that day. “She spent the next two days, he said she called and said her money has finished she’s in Kaduna. “From there I stopped asking him because he said doesn’t have money to come back. The day he brought her she started crying and he then introduced Hanifa to his children Safiya and Aisha. Hanifa is fair, beautiful girl, tall around 5-6 years.” She identified Hanifa’s picture as the child brought to her. “After 5 days, he said he’s going to take her back. It was at night, I then took her uniform back to her. They were all asleep. I told him to allow for the following morning, her Friends are also asleep but he insisted. It was 7-11pm. He took her out around 11pm. “Before he came back I was asleep. When he came back and didn’t know the time. She identified the badge, Hijab and the uniform Hanifa was wearing when she was brought to her and when she was killed. That’s all I know.” Counsel to the defendants led by M. A Usman then cross examined Jamila before the court discharged her. While answering questions from the defence counsel, she further informed the court that, “he told me Hanifa’s mother name is Murja. “We don’t mingle with neighbours unless there’s an event (occasion). Never brought anything or anyone home except Hanifa. “She was brought on Saturday and stayed till Thursday. My eldest child is 4years old attending Northwest Preparatory school. “We were married for over 6 years. I never knew that Hanifa was missing until DSS came to us. A total number of eight prosecution witnesses were presented to the court. The case has been adjourned till 9th and 10th March, 2022 for further hearing.

Court further adjourns Fayose’s trial

  A Federal High Court in Lagos, on Thursday, further adjourned until May 17 for continuation of trial of embattled former Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti, facing money laundering charges. The trial, scheduled for continuation on Thursday, was adjourned at the instance of defence. When the case was called, Mr J.A. Obafemi announced appearance for prosecution while Mr S. Olowolafe appeared for defence. He held brief for Mr Ola Olanipekun (SAN). Olowolafe informed the court that the defendant was unavailable in court on health grounds, and prayed for an adjournment. Olowolafe informed the court that the defendant was unavailable in court on health grounds, and prayed for an adjournment. Following absence of any objection, the court adjourned the case until May 17, 18 and 19 for continuation of trial. Fayose is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged N6.9 billion fraud and money laundering. He was first arraigned on Oct. 22, 2018, before Justice Mojisola Olatotegun alongside his company, Spotless Investment Ltd., on 11 counts bordering on fraud and money laundering. He had pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on Oct. 24, 2018, in the sum of N50 million with sureties in like sum. The defendant was, however, subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on July 2, 2019, after the case was withdrawn from Olatoregun following a petition by EFCC. He had also pleaded not guilty to the charge, and was allowed to continue on the earlier bail granted. The commission has since opened its case before Aneke, and is still leading witnesses in evidence. In December 2021, EFCC called its 11th witness, one Mrs Joanne Tolulope, who narrated how Abiodun Agbele, said to be an associate of Fayose, allegedly bought property worth millions of Naira crime proceeds. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that during trial before Olatoregun, prosecution called witnesses from several commercial banks, as well as a former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro. According to the EFCC, on June 17, 2014, Fayose and one Abiodun Agbele illegally took possession of N1.2 billion for purposes of funding his gubernatorial election campaign in Ekiti. The commission said that the defendants reasonably ought to have known that the sum formed part of crime proceeds. It alleged that Fayose received cash payment of five million dollars (about N1.8 billion) from the then Minister of State for Defence, Obanikoro, without going through any financial institution. The commission also said that the former governor unlawfully retained 300 million in his bank account and took control of the aggregate sums of about N622 million. The EFCC added that the defendant unlawfully procured De Privateer Ltd. and Still Earth Ltd. to retain aggregate sums of N851 million. Besides, the ex-governor was alleged to have unlawfully used aggregate sums of about N1.6 billion to acquire property in Lagos and Abuja. He was also alleged to have illegally used N200 million to acquire a property in Abuja with the name of his elder sister, Moji Oladeji. The alleged offences contravene the provisions of Sections 15(1), 15 (2), 15 (3), 16(2)(b), 16 (d), and 18 (c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act of 2011. (NAN)

250,000 Passports Uncollected In Nigeria – Aregbesola

  The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday, lamented that, at least, 250,000 passports are awaiting collection in the country. The minister disclosed this at the unveiling of the enhanced electronic passport facility and commissioning of the passport production centre at the Enugu passport office. “Their owners will probably be among those complaining they are yet to receive their passports. “Nevertheless, many applicants are not going to have their passports because of the errors in their applications, which delayed processing. “They may not know because they applied through touts and other illegal channels,” he said. The passport production centre, inaugurated three months after the commissioning of that of the Southwest in Ibadan, is to serve entire Southeastern Nigeria. Aregbesola, who said the federal government was working to phase out the old electronic passports, said its issuance in the Southeast stopped on Thursday 3rd March 2022. He said the introduction of the enhanced electronic passports was to eradicate scams, racketeering and all other forms of corruption in the application process of the document. While warning Nigerians not to patronise touts and Nigeria Immigration Service officials, he said that all transactions must be done online. Speaking at the event, the acting Comptroller General of NIS, Isah Jere Idris, said the new enhanced electronic passport is of a polycarbonate technology with additional 25 security features over the old electronic passport. “It is the latest passport technology…It is difficult to forge as the improved security features will make any attempt not only impossible but also easily noticeable,” he said. According to the NIS CG, Nigeria is the first country in Africa to migrate to the type of passport. The enhanced electronic passport comes in three categories; the 32-page five-year validity, the 64-page five-year validity and the 64-page 10-year validity.

Reps reject bid to regulate overseas education for children of public officials

  A bill seeking to regulate the overseas education of public officials’ children has suffered a setback at the house of representatives. The bill failed to pass second reading during the plenary session on Thursday. Leading the debate, Sergius Ogun, an Edo lawmaker and sponsor of the bill, said the proposed legislation would strengthen indigenous institutions and provide efficient educational services. Ogun said the bill seeks to stop public officials from utilising public funds to sponsor the education of their children or wards abroad. He said the proposed legislation seeks to reduce brain drain, ensure good welfare conditions for indigenous academics, experts and professionals. “Unfortunately, as a result of the inability of the government to provide quality education in its public educational institutions, Nigerians have resorted to private schools and foreign schools for their education. “The bill does not prevent public officers or private citizens from sending their children/wards for studies abroad, it only seeks to ensure that a public officer who desires to send his/her child/ward abroad, does not divert public funds to so do. “Thus, such public servant must first show that he/she has the legitimate means to sponsor his/her child/ward on such foreign education trip. “The bill will help in fostering the development of our educational institutions as it will instil accountability and seriousness into public servants at all levels who are saddled with the responsibility of implementing the policies and programmes of government. “The bill when enacted will help to redirect the huge funds that fly out to other countries, into the relevant sectors of our economy. It will bring about better facilities in our national life. “This bill when passed into law will foster the fight against corruption which is one of the cardinal policies of this current administration.” However, parliamentarians rejected the bill, saying it violates the rights and freedom of Nigerians. Toby Okechukwu, deputy minority leader, expressed reservations on the provisions of the bill. “My challenge essentially is within the realm that makes it look like all public officers that have their children overseas are corrupt and are doing so by assessing public funds,” he said. “We have sent a number of our public officers to other jurisdictions as public servants. We have ambassadors, we have people who are in the diplomatic corps, who ordinarily in the course of their duty, would be occasioned to have their children’s school oversees. “Secondly, is it likely that children schooling overseas is the reason why our educational institutions are not working effectively? We must make a distinction between hiring competent people who should man offices, who is responsible based on knowledge as against legislating for things that may not cure the problem.” On his part, Chinyere Igwe, a lawmaker from Rivers state, said the bill breaches the provision of the constitution. “It is with utmost duty and survival of Nigeria that I stand to oppose this bill. This bill offends the constitution and is null and void,” he said. He said rather than address issues from the surface, the country should carry out a reassessment and reorientation to “determine the things that are affecting our public infrastructure in this country. It is not only education, the health sector, the roads and security”. Nicolas Ossai, from Delta state, described the bill as “discriminatory”. He said the bill is against the provisions of the 1999 constitution and should not be passed. “This bill is against the constitution in terms of discrimination. I can’t be discriminated against or my children because I am in a position of authority,” he said. “They have a right to be educated anywhere in the world. This bill offends the constitution, it is against the grand norm, it is against the operational compass upon which all laws lay their claims in Nigeria. This bill should not see the light of the day.” TheCable had reported how Ogun was forced to step down the bill in the eighth assembly after lawmakers spoke against it.

2022 UTME: Over 500,000 candidates have so far registered, says JAMB

  OVER 500,000 tertiary institutions admission seekers have so far registered to sit for the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said. The board which disclosed this, Thursday, through its registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, said its target was to register a total of 1.5 million candidates before its deadline fixed for March 26, 2022. Oloyede, who spoke while monitoring the registration exercise in Bwari, Abuja, said the board also plans to register at least 50,000 candidates per day. Açcording to him, it has succeeded in registering about 70,000 two days ago, adding that the exercise has been mostly successful and 99 per cent of the problems encountered by candidates were self-inflicted because they played into the hands of fraudsters. While appealing to noncandidates to keep off registration centres, he urged parents to allow their children to read the registration instructions and follow, warning candidates not to divulge their codes to third parties as fraudsters could use them to manipulate their profiles to their own detriment. “So far so good, we have registered over five hundred candidates. We are expecting about 1.5 million or thereabout. We still have more than twelve days to go. And if things continue to move smoothly, we plan to register 50 thousand per day. Two days ago, it was over seventy thousand per day. We believe today we should be able to register seventy thousand. Yesterday there was a little glitch in the system. “I am happy you were able to talk to candidates who had problems. You saw that 99 per cent of the problems are self-inflicted and it is because they play into the hands of fraudsters. You can see the gentleman who said he was just a do-gooder and was doing a wrong thing on their profile. He will cease the profile and they would go back to check, blackmailed them,” he said. Speaking on the quality of CBT test administered by JAMB, “which of the biometric centres are they using that is as good as this one you have seen here? And yet we do it at N3,500 yet people are still not complying with simple instructions. You can see that everything is going on well. “Even outside Nigeria, West African College of Physicians and West African College of Surgeons, people from outside the country are coming here to patronise us because we are doing the right thing for them. So, if the quality of work is not good, they wouldn’t be coming from all over. On those whose SIMs are missing, he said JAMB is doing something about it but cautiously, in order not to open up candidates to manipulation by fraudsters. “We are working with the telcos in such a way that when that happens, we are putting a system in place, telephone update, where you would use your thumbprint to show that it was the same thumbprint then we would allow the system to change to another sim for you. “But if at the point of testing your thumbs, the fingerprints are not coming up, we would leave you to go back and get your welcome back. We are doing this but we have to do it with caution because that can open students to unnecessary exposure of their personal data. “We are not asking them to wait we are saying, we are looking into the possibility of what we can do. He added that JAMB will talk to all agencies involved in the registration process as if you register in your name, it is beyond JAMB, because every candidate has been marked, not only with the registration number but with the phone,” he said. According to Oloyede, “It is like doing internet banking. The phone number with which you are doing internet banking is very critical to your banking. If you just flippantly change the number and you give instruction from another phone, you know the damage that you would do. “The phone is a marker and once the phone is misplaced, please go and get it replaced and when you get it replaced there must be a procedure to get you into our system so that you don’t replace somebody wrongly. He said the board has found three or four vendors wanting and are currently undergoing interactions with the appropriate office, adding that some of the directors are interrogating the vendors and once JAMB is convinced that they have done the wrong thing, it would blacklist the agents and also warn the vendor. On the new approach of candidates filling and submitting hardcopy forms before commencing registration, he said the new method was introduced because candidates come and waste a lot of money trying to change correct names and when you ask them, they say though I approved of it but I was not the one who type. He added that after filling the form, candidates must confirm that everything is right and the form would be uploaded in the candidate’s handwriting, which explains why at registration points, JAMB has double screens, one facing the candidate and the other facing the official carrying out the registration.

Woman drags hubby to court for allegedly ‘stuffing’ tissue-paper in her private part

  A civil servant, Mrs Esther Anaagu, on Thursday, dragged her husband Emmanul, before a Customary Court in Jikwoyi, Abuja for allegedly ”stuffing” tissue-paper in her private part. Anaagu, in her petition, said:” my husband stuffs a lot of tissue in my private parts after sex. ”I summoned the courage and confronted him one day about this. He denied doing that. “So, one day, I set a trap for him and caught him wrapping the tissue paper on his private parts before sex,” she said. She said that she had always suspected her husband of making attempts on her life. The respondent, Emmanuel, who is a taxi driver, denied the allegations. The presiding judge, Mr Labaran Gusau, advised the couple to explore all available means of settlement, for the sake of their children. Gusau adjourned the matter until March 24, for report of settlement or hearing. NAN

MASSOB accuses FG of secretly killing pro-Biafra leaders

  The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign state of Biafra on Thursday, accused the Federal Government of “clandestinely” and “surreptitiously” annihilating leading figures of pro-Biafra independence groups. It said that struggle for self determination for Biafra had reached to a point of no return, adding that the consciousness and reality of Biafra had sunk very deep in the minds and thoughts of every Igbo person irrespective of his or her political, economical, social, religious and business affiliation or services with Nigeria. MASSOB leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, stated this in a statement on Thursday, titled ‘Nigeria has expired under President Buhari’, which was made available to our correspondent in Enugu. He alleged that the planned islamisation and ‘fulanisation’ of Nigeria has entered the last stage of its full operation on every sector of the country. Madu noted that the inability of the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) to grant referendum for Biafra autonomy had brewed more devastative and destruction for Nigeria. The statement partly read, “The pro-Biafra groups that were pushed to arms struggle because of President Muhammadu Buhari’s nonchalant and mass killings of Biafrans in Nigeria have resolved to intentify their onslaught against Nigeria security agents. “They vowed not to relent until justice is done to the innocent people of Biafra killed in Nigeria. “MASSOB reiterated our total commitment on the actualisation and restoration of the sovereign state of Biafra. We started with non-violence methodology, and we shall continue to maintain our principles irrespective of several push from the security agents of Nigeria state against us to resort to arms struggle. “We shall not succumb to the antics of our oppressors, because we respect the sanctity of human lives. MASSOB shall maintain the principles of non-violence and civil disobedience.” It added, “MASSOB believed that the state of Biafra can be actualised through non-violence methodology because black Americans and India achieved their freedom through it. We shall remain consistent, unshaken and resolute in all our approaches towards our freedom from Nigeria. “MASSOB condemned the clandestine and surreptitious moves of Buhari’s regime to clampdown and annihilate the leading figures of pro-Biafra independence groups.”