Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, started giving back to society while waiting to be charged for “facilitating and arranging travel with the aim of exploiting “a 21-year old”, a former inmate, Mr. X, has told The Guardian. He described him as a “simple and nice man.” The Nigerian-born X, however, said he had never heard of the Senator before both met at the His Majesty’s Prison. Ekweremadu, who was sentenced with his wife, Beatrice, and Dr. Obinna Obeta at the Old Bailey last week Friday, got support from people he had helped in the past, the former prisoner disclosed. Speaking with The Guardian inside the Caffè Nero shop opposite Courtroom 1, where the Senator was slammed with over nine years jail term on the day of the sentencing, X said he was at Wandsworth Prison when Ekweremadu was brought there in June last year, after he and his wife were arrested on arrival at Heathrow Airport on June 21. “He was always having a lot of letters,” he said. Asked if the letters were written by the Senator and how he came about them, the former inmate replied with a “no,” adding, “People were writing him from Nigeria. Those he had helped before.” X, who has regained his freedom since late September, after a Southwark Crown Court jury pronounced a “not guilty” verdict on him, also said the Senator read the Bible a lot and prayed during his time Wandsworth. Giving a glowing reference for the former deputy senate president, X disclosed that, “he was lecturing. He was teaching a lot of Eastern Europeans English.” Ekweremadu was later moved to Belmarsh before his trial started at the Old Bailey on January 31.

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained a former Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, over an alleged diversion of N22 billion, PREMIUM TIMES can report. Sources at the EFCC, who are familiar with the case but not permitted to speak publicly, told this newspaper that Mr Mamman was detained Wednesday morning after turning himself in at the commission’s office in Abuja. Mr Mamman served as the Minister of Power from August 2019 to September 2021, when he was unceremoniously removed from office by President Muhammadu Buhari. Providing insights into the case against Mr Mamman, sources said he allegedly conspired with officials of the Ministry of Power during his stint as minister to divert N22 billion in public funds and shared it with them. “From 2017 to date, the former Minister of Power conspired with other staff of the Ministry in charge of the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power Project, diverted over N22 billion naira, and shared it amongst themselves,” a source said. The sources said, “Investigations have led to the tracing and identification of properties in Nigeria and overseas, as well as the recovery of millions of naira and USD.” Investigations are still ongoing over the matter, sources said. They added that the suspects linked to the case would soon be charged in court. Mr Mamman was sacked alongside then Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Sabo Nanono, in what the presidency described as a fallout of the president’s move to “reinvigorate this cabinet in a manner that will deepen its capacity to consolidate legacy achievements.” Removal of ministers and appointees is generally a rarity under the outgoing administration of President Buhari. On a few occasions when that happened, it involved massive infractions that were too weighty to overlook. Curious members of the public had speculated that the reason for sacking Mr Mamman within two years of his appointment was likely to be more than cabinet reshuffling. PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the minister’s time in office was marked by a poor power supply that has seen slight improvement since his removal. His arrest on Wednesday comes about 20 months after his removal from office and less than three weeks to the end of Mr Buhari’s tenure. He was still in EFCC custody as of the time of filing this report Wednesday evening.

  RIVERS State Government has commenced demolition of property owned by the Bayelsa State Government in the Old GRA, Port Harcourt with the demolition squad barring journalists from taking pictures and coming near the scene. The twin structures of 12 flats occupying Plots 34 & 35 (No 5 Akassa Street) and Plot 37 (No 9 Akassa Street ) in the Golf Course Extension Layout, Port Harcourt, serve as the official residence for workers of the Bayelsa Liaison Office in Port Harcourt. The demolition squad of the Rivers Government which moved into the property with armed security operatives Friday began knocking down the buildings, following the expiration of a 14-day eviction notice and intent to demolish on claims that they constitute a nuisance and unbefitting for the urban renewal focus of the government.   Pastor Isaac Board, one of the evicted occupants who had moved out the day before, lamented, “I have no place to stay as I speak to you. I and my family slept in the corridor of a friend’s place last night. We are workers with the Bayelsa State, so let the government come to our aide by giving us a place to stay.” The Administrator Officer at the Bayelsa Liaison office in Port Harcourt, Woseebimu Frank-Oputu said, “It was my pastor that came with a truck to carry my property. I and my family are putting up in the church.”

  The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, on Friday, declared that human rights violations allegations levelled against the Nigerian military by Reuters, were not only shocking but also spurious. Irabor said this when he appeared before the National Human Rights Commission investigative panel on rights violations in counter-insurgency operations by the military in the North-East. The commission inaugurated the panel on February 8, 2023, following the allegations of gross human rights violations contained in the three-part report published in Dec. 2022 on military operations in the North-East by media group Reuters hence the panel. ”The allegations came as a rude shock to me. It is a rude shock to me that someone could orchestrate such a report. ”There are strange allusions, if they say we want to stop the regeneration of Boko Haram children, on what grounds? ”We are not responsible for the stigmatisation of the women who bore children by Boko Haram insurgents, we don’t know them” he said. Answering Reuters’ claims that they interviewed some officers who gave them such information about abortions, he said those officers should be brought to the panel. ”Who are the officers, I will give them immunity to come and testify before the panel on what they have alleged. ”Throughout my stay as a commander, I never heard of who are referred to as wives of Boko Haram insurgents,” he said. He told the panel that the army worked in a hierarchical manner, there is nothing written or verbal about such programmes as claimed by Reuters. ”I never witnessed it, it is a strange allusion to the arrangement within the armed forces. We have disciplined procedures, if the officer saddled with responsibility did not report how do I know? ”The military facility under my control is open. There is nothing secretive going on there. ”Whoever will disparage the men and women of the armed forces who have put their lives in the forefront, is doing a damage. ”We are dealing with a professional armed,” he said. NAN

  Saturday 13 May 2023 How coffin makers laugh all the way to the bank Reuters reports against army false, CDS tells panel Fines: NBC hasn’t seen restriction order, says DG Buhari congratulates Adeleke at 63 Five FCT Residents File Suit To Stop Tinubu’s Inauguration Idris Wase Declares For House Of Reps Speakership, Calls For Unity Musk Picks Linda Yaccarino As Twitter CEO More Bodies Dug Up As Kenya Cult Death Toll Climbs To 179 Court Asserts Jurisdiction, Adjourns Case Against Abure Killings: Southern Kaduna Leaders Meet El-Rufai In Peace Move Wike, Other G5 Members Absent As Atiku Meets Incoming, Outgoing PDP Governors Presidential Election Tribunal: Atiku, Sambo Call For Unity In PDP To Foster Victory Bayelsa Govt Kicks Amid Demolition Of Its Properties In Rivers Mother Arrested For Kidnapping Daughter, Demands N3m Ransom From Hubby No Shortcut To Wealth, Bawa Tells NYSC Members North roars on APC: Grant us leadership of NASS or we’ll withdraw support for party, govt How we’ll change INEC’s declaration — Obi, Atiku Journalists barred as Rivers govt begins demolition of Bayelsa govt property Obi: I must be Nigeria’s president — it might be today or in future Police: How Doctor Who Raped Patient In Kwara Was Secretly Recorded Archbishop Fined For Traffic Violation Days After Anointing King Charles Concerns over Buhari’s last minute contracts, loans Customers to face USSD hitches as telcos disconnect banks over N120b debt ‘2,167 repentant insurgents graduate from rehabilitation programme’ ‘Ekweremadu taught English in Wandsworth Prison’ el-Rufai embarks on demolition of illegal structures in Kaduna Labour Party crisis deepens as court affirms Apapa chair FG ends feeding of inmates in 2024 Confusion over Emefiele’s alleged application for study leave NBC to appeal High Court judgment that removes its power to fine 2,246 Nigerians evacuated from Sudan – NiDCOM EFCC detains Buhari’s former minister Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  Gunmen have killed Ex Army Captain, Tony Enoch, the Presidential Campaign Council Chairman for APC (Ahmed Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima) 2023 Presidential election in Oru-East. Our correspondent gathered that Enoch was also a kinsman of the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma. Enoch, who is also the Coordinator for the Grow Orlu Project, a political structure of the Senator-elect of the Imo West Senatorial District was reportedly shot on his way from the APC Stakeholders meeting held at the Oru- East council headquarters on Tuesday. It was gathered that the gunmen after shooting the slain party chieftain on Tuesday night around the Awomama Technical School area of Oru-East dumped his remains in his car boot. A community source revealed that the deceased was ambushed by armed men, who forcefully ordered him to park his car before he was shot dead and dumped inside the boot. It was also gathered that the deceased appeared to have been killed by three gunshots to his head at the time his lifeless body was found on Tuesday night. The lifeless body of the deceased was found by passersby who saw traces of blood under a parked car before raising an alarm that attracted the residents of the community When contacted, the spokesperson for the police in the state, Henry Okoye, said that he had yet to be briefed on the murder incident.

  The authorities of Imo State University, IMSU have banned graduating students from driving recklessly on campus premises after final exams. In a document dated 10 May 2023 and signed by Prof. Philip Ogbonna, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), he said that it is proper to celebrate and felicitate after final exams but dangerous to see students drive recklessly with vehicles within the school environment. His words, “I write to call the attention of Deans and Head Of Departments (HODs) of the ugly and unethical conduct of graduating students who are being trained in character and behavior. “It is proper to celebrate and felicitate after final exams but dangerous to see students drive recklessly with vehicles within the school environment. Prof Ogbonna warned that henceforth, the management forbids celebrating with vehicles. He sated that any defaulter will face disciplinary actions. “With this meno, Dean’s are to communicate to all HODs who will drive the message to their respective students.

  The Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Reverend Justin Welby, has been fined more than £500 for over speeding in London, the United Kingdom. Justin Welby was also given three penalty points for the same offense. Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court ordered Welby to pay a £300 fine, a £120 victim surcharge, and £90 in legal costs, as well as adding the penalty points to his driving licence. The Archbishop, who anointed King Charles III as King of England three days ago, was recorded driving at 25mph in a 20mph zone in his Volkswagen Golf last year in 2022. The 67-year-old had been going along the Albert Embankment towards his official residence at Lambeth Palace. BBC reports that Welby had admitted the offence in writing and was sentenced at a private magistrates’ court hearing. The report said that the archbishop was prosecuted through the single justice procedure. Single justice procedure is a method that allows courts to deal with cases without the defendant having to go to the hearing. Welby pleaded guilty online on Wednesday, the same day he appeared at the House of Lords to condemn the government’s Illegal Migration Bill. But a spokesperson for Lambeth Palace said the archbishop was not aware that the case might be dealt with in court. The spokesperson said, “He has tried to resolve this and pay the fine three times. He has all the paperwork to prove that he has tried to pay. Admin errors seem to be causing problems.”