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Post Date : March 19, 2024

N300m fraud’: EFCC re-arraigns ex-PDP chairman Haliru Bello

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned Haliru Bello, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over allegations of money laundering and criminal breach of trust. He was re-arraigned on Monday alongside his company, Bam Projects and Properties Ltd. At the resumed court session, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the four-count amended charge. Kanu Agabi, Bello’s counsel, prayed the court to allow his client to continue on existing bail granted by Ahmed Mohammed, the previous judge, who handled the case. The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said Bello did not flout the earlier bail conditions granted him. Although Oluwaleke Atolagbe, EFCC counsel, did not oppose Agabi’s application, he pointed out that the first defendant’s bail was once revoked for breaching the terms. Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, allowed the defendant to continue on the bail terms previously granted. The judge then fixed May 7 and May 8 for trial. The case was reassigned to Lifu after the previous judge was elevated to the court of appeal. Bello is among those being prosecuted by the EFCC for complicity in the arms purchase saga. The anti-graft agency in December 2015 arraigned Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA); Bashir Yuguda, former minister of state for finance, and Attahiru Bafarawa, former governor of Sokoto, at the federal capital territory (FCT) high court, Abuja, for multiple counts of alleged criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of funds and money laundering. Bello is alleged to have received N300 million meant for the purchase of arms from Dasuki. He is a former defence minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan and was appointed acting national chairman of the PDP in May 2015. Abba Mohammed Bello, son of the former PDP chairman, was arraigned alongside his father in 2016. However, Abba died in January 2023.

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Post Date : March 19, 2024

5 to die by hanging for murder of Rivers vigilante leader

  A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, has convicted and sentenced five people to death by hanging or by lethal injection until they are confirmed dead. The verdict came following the prosecution and sentencing of the five convicts over the murder of the Omudioga Security Planning and Advisory Committee, OSPAC, Commander of Omudioga community in Emohua Local Government Area of the state, Umezuruike Alex. The victim, Umezuruike Alex, was in 2021 killed, beheaded and dismembered by cultists. The police had commenced investigation into the killing and arrested six people in connection with the crime. They were prosecuted by the police. The convicts, Okechukwu Orji from Atali Community, Obio/Akpor LGA; Igwe Promise, Iheanyi Igwe, Morrison Igwe from Omudioga in Emohua LGA in Rivers State, and Goodness Monday from Akwa Ibom State were found guilty on the 10 counts of conspiracy, cultism, murder and illegal possession of firearms preferred against them by the police. The trial tudge, Justice Sika Aprioku, in his judgment, however, discharged and acquitted the sixth defendant in the charge, Alex Deiwe. Justice Aprioku ruled that the prosecution counsel, Essien Edet, proved his case against the five on conspiracy, cultism, illegal possession of firearms and murder. He, therefore, convicted and sentenced them by hanging or by administration lethal injection until they die. The court further held that the convicts did not only murder the Omudioga OSPAC commander, but were also involved in kidnapping and other criminal activities in parts of the state before their arrest and prosecution.

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Post Date : March 19, 2024

Soldiers’ Death: No Reprisal Attack, Army Assures Delta Community

  Following the killing of 16 military personnel in the Okuama community of Delta State, the Nigerian Army has assured residents of the area of no reprisal attacks. The military personnel were gruesomely murdered in the community last week, sparking fears of reprisal after the area was razed. But on Monday, the Nigerian Army through its Director of Public Relations Major General Onyema Nwachukwu called on residents of the community to go about their normal activities without fear. “While law-abiding citizens are assured that there will be no reprisal on the part of the troops, we enjoin all to go about their normal activities, even as ongoing efforts are scaled up to positively identify and isolate the criminals to account for their atrocious deeds,” the Nigerian Army said. It, however, accused the community of resorting to media propaganda in the wake of the killing. “This again is a clear indication that the murder of the troops was a communally orchestrated attack against legitimate forces. “The falsehood being peddled by these criminals and their cohorts to whip up sentiments and sway the public to cover, endorse, or support the outrageous criminal acts of their armed youth gang should be disregarded in its entirety, it is only a ridiculous attempt at justifying their crime, rather than turn in themselves to security agencies. There is no amount of propaganda that would arm-twist the narrative, they are complicit and must be ready to face the wrath of the law,” the army maintained. Major General Onyeama said the Chief of Army of Staff Lt Gen Toareed Lagbaja is consoling the families of the victims and is committed to apprehending those behind the gruesome act. “Troops are determined to get to these criminals, there is certainly no hiding place for them,” he said. READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW RESORT TO PROPAGANDA BY THE OKUAMA COMMUNITY IN THE FACE OF THE GRUESOME MURDER OF TROOPS ON A PEACE MISSION IS CALLOUS AND TOTALLY CONDEMNABLE The unfortunate killing of troops of 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army (NA), while on a peaceful and mediatory mission, after a reported case of a communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba Communities in Ughelli South and Bomadi LGAs of Delta State respectively is not only despicable but should be unreservedly condemned by all. These were troops committed to peace and security of lives and property of citizens and non-citizens alike in the Niger Delta Region, murdered in cold blood by an armed youth gang of Okuama Community, in the most gruesome, heartless, and cruel manner and went ahead to sacrilegiously debase their remains by ripping out their hearts by the very people they were there to protect. Regrettably, the community complicit in this dastardly act has resorted to media propaganda and shenanigans, rather than engage in a positive effort to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime. This again is a clear indication that the murder of the troops was a communally orchestrated attack against legitimate forces. The falsehood being peddled by these criminals and their cohorts to whip up sentiments and sway the public to cover, endorse or support the outrageous criminal acts of their armed youth gang should be disregarded in its entirety, it is only a ridiculous attempt at justifying their crime, rather than turn in themselves to security agencies. There is no amount of propaganda that would arm-twist the narrative, they are complicit and must be ready to face the wrath of the law. While law-abiding citizens are assured that there will be no reprisal on the part of the troops, we enjoin all to go about their normal activities, even as ongoing efforts are scaled up to positively identify and isolate the criminals to account for their atrocious deeds. The Chief of Army of Staff, Lt Gen Toareed Lagbaja, while commiserating with the families of the officers and soldiers who lost their lives, has directed that no stone should be left unturned until the perpetrators of this gruesome acts are apprehended to face the full wrath of the law. Troops are determined to get to these criminals, there is certainly no hiding place for them. ONYEMA NWACHUKWU Major General Director Army Public Relations 18 March 2024

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Post Date : March 19, 2024

Akwa-Ibom lovers arrested for faking kidnap

  Officers of the Akwa Ibom Police Command have arrested a self-kidnap suspect, Imaobong Sampson, and her boyfriend, Beltus Ebong, in Mbierebe Obio village, Ibesikpo Asutan Area of the state. This was disclosed by the spokesperson for the state police command, Odiko Macdon, on Monday. Macdon said the suspects were nabbed in their hideout by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad after the case of kidnapping was reported by someone who identified herself as a relative last week Monday. “On 11/3/2024 at about 10:00hrs, a report was received from one Enobong Sampson ‘F’ of Nung Oku Village in Ibesikpo Asutan L.G.A that her sister, one Imaobong Francis Sampson, was kidnapped and that the kidnappers were demanding for a ransom of four million naira. “As a result, operatives of Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the command embarked on an intense and intelligence-driven investigation so as to track down the perpetrators and rescue the victim. On 12/3/2024 at about 23:15hrs, the said purported victim, one Imaobong Sampson ‘M’, and her boyfriend, Beltus Ebong ‘M’, were arrested in their hideout at Mbierebe Obio Village, Ibesikpo Asutan L.G.A,” he stated. Macdon said the suspect, Imaobong, confessed that the kidnap was staged between her and her syndicate for the purpose of extorting money from her aunt. “She confessed to having conspired with her boyfriend, one Beltus Ebong ‘M’, Dominic Friday Charlie ‘M’, her sister, Enobong Sampson ‘F’, and Inyene Ime Akpan now at large to proclaim her kidnap in order to raise money from her aunty who is based abroad,” he concluded. PUNCH Metro earlier reported that the Ogun State Police Command arrested one Olumide Openaike, a staff member of a Microfinance Bank, Kemta Oloko, who was reported missing. He staged his abduction over a N1.7m debt and was found in Mokwa, Niger State.

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Post Date : March 19, 2024

Undersea cable cut: 90% of voice, internet services restored — NCC

  The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that voice and data services are 90 percent restored after disruptions caused by the undersea cable cuts. This was revealed in a statement signed by Ruben Muoka, its director of public relations, on Monday. On March 14, banks’ services and telecommunications networks were disrupted due to the cuts in subsea cables. Giving updates on the repair, Muoka said 90 percent of the network has been restored and efforts are ongoing to return to normalcy. “Following the disruption on March 14, 2024, which affected data and voice services due to cuts in undersea fibre optics along the coasts of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, we are pleased to announce that services have now been restored to approximately 90% of their peak utilization capacities,” Muoka said. “All operators who were impacted by the cuts have taken recovery capacity from submarine cables, which were not impacted by the cuts and have thus recovered approximately 90% of their peak utilisation capacities. “Mobile Network Operators have assured the Commission that data and voice services would operate optimally pending full repairs of the undersea cables as they have managed to activate alternative connectivities to bring back the situation to normalcy.” NCC also appreciated telecom consumers for their patience and understanding during the downtime caused by the undersea fibre cuts.

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Post Date : March 19, 2024

Defence HQ Releases Names Of Military Personnel Killed In Delta State (FULL LIST)

  The Defence Headquarters has released the list of 17 military personnel killed in an attack in Delta State. The military personnel were killed last week in Okuama, a community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State after a peace mission. Days after the gruesome murder, the Defence Headquarters said 17 personnel including the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain, and 12 personnel of the battalion were among those killed. “May The Souls of the Departed Rest In Peace,” the Nigerian Army wrote on its X handle alongside a photo collage of the personnel on Monday evening. The Defence Headquarters gave the names of those killed as: – Lt Col AH Ali, the Command Officer, 181 Amphibious Battalion, Nigerian Army. – Maj SD Shafa (N/13976) – Maj DE Obi (N/14395) – Capt U Zakari (N/16348) – SSgt Yahaya Saidu (#3NA/36/2974) ADVERTISEMENT – Cpl Yahaya Danbaba (1ONA/65/7274) – Col Kabiru Bashir (11NA/66/9853) – LCol Bulus Haruna (16NA/TS/5844) – Lal Sole Opeyemi (17NA/760719) – LCpl Bello Anas (17NA/76/290) – LCpl Hamman Peter (NA/T82653) – LCpl Ibrahim Abdullahi (18NA/77/1191) – Pte Alhaji Isah (17NA/76/6079) – Pte Clement Francis (19NA/78/0911) – Pte Abubakar Ali (19NA/78/2162) – Pte Ibrahim Adamu (19NA/78/6079) – Pte Adamu Ibrahim (21NA/80/4795). Tinubu Orders Manhunt Of Killers   Following the killing, the Okuama community was razed but the Nigerian Army has assured residents of the area of no reprisal attacks. “While law-abiding citizens are assured that there will be no reprisal on the part of the troops, we enjoin all to go about their normal activities, even as ongoing efforts are scaled up to positively identify and isolate the criminals to account for their atrocious deeds,” it said. The gruesome murder has continued to draw condemnation from authorities in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu described it as an attack on the nation and gave marching orders to security agencies to fish out the masterminds of the attack. “As the Commander-in-Chief, I join all well-meaning Nigerians and the men and women of our armed forces to mourn and express my profound grief over the needless death of our gallant soldiers,” Tinubu said. “I extend my profound condolences to the families of these fallen soldiers, their colleagues, and their loved ones. The military high command is already responding to this incident. The cowardly offenders responsible for this heinous crime will not go unpunished.” ‘Innocent People Cannot Be Attacked’   While human rights lawyer Femi Falana condemned the attack, he is also faulting the razing of the community. “There are innocent people in Okuama who are as angry as the government in ensuring that the criminal elements are brought to justice but when you go and set their houses on fire and attack innocent people, you have offended domestic laws because it is right in our country that there is no vicarious liability in criminality,” Falana said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. “Nigeria domesticated the Geneva Convention in 1960 and under Article 33 of the Geneva Convention, collective punishment is prohibited. Innocent people cannot be attacked, even in a war situation”.

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Post Date : March 18, 2024

Report claims over 11 corpses found after irate solders allegedly invaded Bayelsa community

  Report has claimed that troops of the Nigerian Army have invaded Igbomotoru community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, razing houses and allegedly killing about 11 people. This Followed last week’s killing of 16 soldiers and officers at Okuama Community in Delta State, According to DailyTrust, soldiers in five gunboats reportedly stormed the community, razing houses suspected to be the hideout of a militant leader said to be involved in the killing of the military men who were on rescue mission in Delta. Daily Trust had reported how an Army Commander, two majors, one captain and 12 soldiers were killed in Okuama. The deceased officers and soldiers were of 181 Amphibious Batallion in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta. Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, had directed the immediate investigation and arrest of those involved in the heinous crime. Days after the order, residents of Okuama community fled to neighboring Ughelli for fear of a reprisal by soldiers. Houses were burnt in Okuama at the weekend and after that, soldiers stormed neighbouring Bayelsa. A source said immediately the troops stormed the Bayelsa community, they opened fire on some residents relaxing at the jetty before proceeding to set ablaze the three buildings suspected to be the hideout of the said militant leader. He said the community had been able to recover 11 corpses from the attack, while still searching for others as at the time of filing this report. According to him, “The military invasion has affected the people gravely. Lives have been lost, properties have been destroyed. Even after the attack, I am sure that life in the community will never be the same. “This weekend was scheduled for the burial of one my late uncles. We had paid for food, drinks, music, speedboat and canopies. And now because of this, the burial can no longer hold. “In fact some of the people we paid money are saying that if the date changes, we would have to pay extra money. Is that not a huge loss on its own? So we would have to start looking for more money, that is if there will ever be peace in the community. “I am appealing to the Federal and State Government to as a matter of urgency intervene in this matter. We do not have a hand in whatever transpired in Delta State. The international community should come to our aid.” When contacted on phone, the spokesman for Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) headquarters, Major Adenegan Ojo, terminated the call after hearing it was a journalist who called. He, however, refused to answer subsequent phone calls.

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Post Date : March 18, 2024

Internet disruption: Network now stable, but repair still ongoing, says MainOne

  MainOne, a West African digital infrastructure service provider, says there is stability on its network across the region. In a statement on Monday, the service provider said it worked with regional partners last week and over the weekend to reroute traffic with restoration capacity. “We worked with regional partners late last week and over the weekend to reroute traffic with restoration capacity and our observations are that we have stability on our network across the region this morning,” MainOne said. These developments, it said, represent a significant milestone to ensure continued connectivity for the West African business community. However, MainOne said repair is still ongoing and it is actively working with its maintenance partners, vessel owners and permitting authorities to expedite the restoration of the subsea cable. It expressed optimism that the cable will be repaired as planned and services fully restored, so it can continue to operate with continued integrity of the submarine cable. “We want to assure the West African business community and the public that the region remains open for business,” MainOne said. On March 14, subsea cable providers were affected by major cuts to undersea submarine cables, disrupting internet traffic in major parts of the continent. This disrupted the services of banks and telecommunications companies in Nigeria. In a statement on March 15, MainOne said repair would take between one and two weeks. An additional two to three weeks of transit time may be required, according to the company, for a vessel to pick up the spares of submarine cables and travel from Europe to West Africa. Speaking on the cause of the network outage, MainOne said findings showed the fault occurred due to an external incident that resulted in a cut on its submarine cable system in the Atlantic Ocean offshore Cote D’Ivoire, along the coast of West Africa.

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Post Date : March 18, 2024

Two die in okada riders, Delta task force clash -Police

  The Delta State Police Command has confirmed that two persons died during an altercation between okada riders and the state task force on Sunday night. It said the unrest recorded in Delta state capital, Asaba, on Monday was a fallout of the altercation. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, disclosed this on his X handle on Monday. According to Edafe, motorcycle riders were protesting against the fatal altercation by damaging property and assaulting individuals, prompting the police to deploy officers to control the situation. He wrote, “There was a violent protest this morning by Okada riders who had an issue last night with the state task force that led to the death of two persons. “They mobilised in their numbers this morning, destroying property and beating people. Hence, our men were deployed to control the situation before it turned into something else.” PUNCH Online had earlier reported that videos circulating on social media revealed a state of chaos reported to be happening at Okpanam Road axis, Midwifery, in Asaba. One of the videos revealed a scene where policemen fired gunshots, while another video showed a group of people blocking the road with motorcycles.

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Post Date : March 18, 2024

NLC Backs NASU, SSANU, Demands Immediate Payment Of Salaries

  The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has said it is in support of the ongoing protest by the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational (NASU) and associated institutions of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and has demanded an “immediate” payment of the withheld salaries of the aggrieved workers. In a statement signed by the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero on Monday said there had been no credible reason or explanation for withholding those salaries in the first place. “We join our affiliate unions, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational (NASU) and Associated Institutions and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in demanding the immediate payment of the withheld salaries of their members,” the statement read in part. Ajaero said the withheld salaries had plunged the members into indescribable hardship. “Much worse, it defies logic to try to subject members of these unions to discriminatory treatment. By so doing government is courting avoidable industrial disputes. “At a time confidence is being restored to the public universities the least government could do is not engineer another strike. “The toll on all the parties will be unacceptably high, especially for students and parents who bear the burden of movement on our dangerous roads,” the statement read in part. The NLC urged the government, to expeditiously pay up the outstanding salaries, advising not to take for granted the maturity of the unions. The unions on Monday, flagged off a 7-day warning strike in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Members of the SSANU at the University of Abuja had blocked the entrance to the gate of the university in compliance with the 7-day warning strike.

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