Access Point Network Blog: March 2014

Monday, 24 March 2014

Boko Haram bombs market, kills 29 in Borno

SUSPECTED members of the violent Islamic sect,
Boko Haram, have again bombed a market in
Nguro-Soye, near Bama, Borno State, killing no
fewer than 29 persons.
Reuters reported on Sunday that the attack on the
market was said to have been carried out on
Saturday night.
“I travelled to Bama to buy bags of beans.
Suddenly, there was a deafening bang at the
middle of the market. It was in the late afternoon
and commercial activities were at their peak,” said
Shuaibu Abdulahi, a trader at the market. He
estimated the death toll to be as high as 29.
Abba Tahir, a bus driver who was said to be
offloading passengers at the market during the
incident, said he counted 20 bodies.
“People were helping in evacuating the corpses
after the confusion had died down. Some people
who were injured were taken to the general
hospital,” Tahir added.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack
yet as of the time of this report.
Borno State Police Commissioner,, Mr. Lawal
Tanko, who confirmed the incident, was quoted as
saying, “An explosion in the market in Nguro-Soye
killed 17 people.”
Bama is a border town and the headquarter of the
Bama Local Government Area of Borno State. It is
about 135 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state
capital.
The town is not new to attacks by the Boko Haram
insurgents. The 202 Army Battalion Barracks
located in the town was hit by Boko Haram in
December 2013.
Several women and children, mostly wives and
wards of soldiers, who battled the insurgents for
over seven hours, were killed in the attack
launched at about 3 am.
On February 19 this year, the insurgents also
attacked Bama.Confirming the February attack,
Governor Kashim Shettima had said the attackers
“inflicted a lot of damage on the town.” A Borno
State senator, Ahmed Zanna, had then told the BBC
that the attack on Bama lasted for five hours.
Boko Haram has killed well over 1,500 people in
the North-East zone since the sect launched its
war against the Federal Government.
In the course of their bombing campaign, the
insurgents have attacked military and police
facilities, worship houses, markets and drinking
joints.
At the height of the Boko Haram notoriety in May
last year, the Federal Government slammed a six-
month state of emergency on three north-eastern
states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno.
The emergency measure was renewed for another
six months in November but while the military
claimed to be having the upper hand in the battle
against the insurgents, the sect members
continued to launch attacks with devastating
consequences on the civilian population.
On February 24, the insurgents attacked the
Federal Government College, Buni Yadi,in the Gujba
Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Yobe State Police Commissioner, Sanusi Rufai, had
then said that 29 male students were killed during
the attack but at least 40 students were believed to
have been murdered.
The insurgents, who reportedly severed the heads
of many of the victims, also burnt down buildings
in the school.
The development forced the Federal Government
to announce early in March the closure of its five
unity schools in the North-East.
Meanwhile, security agents in a church in Jos,
Plateau State, on Sunday prevented an attack on
worshippers by gunmen suspected to be Fulani
herdsmen.
The gunmen were said to have targeted the church
located at the Rantya low cost area of Nyago Gyel
district in the Jos South Local Government Area.
They had descended from the hills and were about
to launch the attack when a member of the
church’s security team spotted them.
Though the gunmen, in their hundreds, immediately
started shooting sporadically in the direction of the
church, they were repelled by men of the Special
Task Force.
An eyewitness, Mr. Godwin Okoko, told one of our
correspondents that but for the vigilance of the
police and soldiers attached to the STF, who
responded to distress calls by the worshippers, the
gunmen would have succeeded.
Okoko said about 1,000 people were in the church
at about 10am preparing to commence Sunday
worship “when the gunmen started descending
from the hills and started shooting but were
swiftly repelled by men of the STF.”
Okoko is the country coordinator of a non-
governmental organisation, Apurimac Onlus.
Plateau State Police Commissioner, Mr. Chris
Olakpe, confirmed the incident to our
correspondent on Sunday.
He said that no life was lost and nobody was
arrested.
“My men got a distress call that some gunmen
were planning to attack a church as the
worshippers were about to commence service. We
stormed the area and there was a heavy exchange
of gunfire between the gunmen and a combined
force of policemen and STF.”

Keshi in Lagos for TomTom event

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, is among top
dignitaries that will grace the TomTom Go-To-
Brazil media launch scheduled to hold on Tuesday
in Lagos.
The African Coach of the Year, confirmed to the
organisers, HotSports that he would be at the
event.
He said, “I will be in Lagos for the TomTom Go-
To-Brazil media launch God willing.”
He commended TomTom for its support for
Nigerian football through different initiatives. He
maintained that the brand’s support to the
country’s national teams, particularly the Super
Eagles, has been a source of encouragement for
them.
“I commend TomTom for its enormous support for
the country’s national teams, particularly my team,
the Super Eagles. It is an encouragement to us. I
urge the brand to keep this up and I hope other
companies would emulate this,” Keshi said.
He added that he and his team would do their
utmost best to perform well and make Nigerians
happy at all times with Brazil 2014 in sight.
The TomTom Go-To-Brazil project is a consumer
reward initiative where some lucky Nigerians will
win all-expense paid round trip to Brazil.

Immigration tragedy: Moro may appear before Senate Tuesday

THERE were indications on Sunday that the Senate
Committee on Interior had invited the Minister of
Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, and the Comptroller
General of the Nigeria Immigration Service’s, Mr.
David Parradang, to appear before it on Tuesday
(tomorrow) over the NIS tragic recruitment two
Saturdays ago.
An aide to the Senate President, who spoke with
our correspondent on the condition of anonymity,
said that though there were pressures on his
principal from some elders in his state to save
Moro, he maintained that Mark would not interfere
in the probe process.
He said Mark would subject the report of the
committee to an extensive debate by the senators
before demanding for votes from members to
show his neutrality in the entire process.
“It is a known fact that the Interior Minister is from
the same state with the Senate President but that
does not mean he would not perform his legislative
duties to Nigerians,” the source said.
No fewer than 19 job seekers lost their lives during
stampedes that occurred in the various centres for
the NIS recruitment across the country.
The Senate had directed its Committee on Interior
to carry out a public investigative hearing on the
tragedy.
The Senate, presided over by the Deputy Senate
President, Ike Ekweremadu, had equally asked the
committee to submit report of its investigation
within one week with a view to unveiling and
recommending for prosecution those responsible
for the tragedy.
The Senate outrage and resolutions followed a
motion moved on the issue by the Chairman,
Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Atiku
Bagudu (PDP Kebbi Central), and 10 other senators
on Tuesday last week.
Meanwhile, a Presidency source on Sunday told
one of our correspondents in Abuja that it was
already clear to the President that Moro should
take responsibility for the avoidable loss of lives
and embarrassment to the administration.
The source said it was based on this conviction
that the President warned all ministers and heads
of government departments and agencies at the
last Federal Executive Council meeting, that he
would not hesitate to order the arrest and
prosecution of any of them under whose watch
such an incident recurred.
Moro’s fate, the source said, would be decided on
the President’s return from his current three-
nation trip, which he started on Thursday.
However, The PUNCH again learnt on Sunday that
the March 15 tragedy could have been averted if
only the Ministry of Interior had not ignored a
proposal by its steering committee on recruitment.
Investigations in Abuja indicated that the
committee headed by the Director/Secretary of the
Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration, and Prison Service
Board, S.D Tapgun, had recommended that the
recruitment exercise be shifted to either the last
weekend in March or second week in April, 2014
for proper arrangement to be made for a
successful exercise but that the ministry ignored
the suggestion.
The recruitment committee proposed that N5m
should be budgeted for hiring of ambulances and
buying of water. It also suggested that the exercise
be staggered to accommodate the huge number of
applicants, but these were not heeded.
At its last meeting held on March 7, 2014, the
committee reportedly raised a memo to the
minister on its recommendations, but it was
apparently ignored.
Further checks also revealed that the 16
committee members were drawn from the CDFIPB,
NIS, Ministry of Interior, and Drexel Tech Nigeria
Limited.
The membership included Tapgun, CDFIPB; Deputy
Director (A&P), CDFIPB, JaeI Kpatuvvak; Asst.
Director (Admin), CDFIPB, Okhamera A. I.; Asst.
Director (A&P) CDFIPB, Bello Torankawa; Asst.
Director (IMM) – CDFIPB, Hamid AbduII-Iamid;
Asst. Director (D&GP) – CDFIPB, Aduku, M. M; and
CIS (APU), NIS Oyedeji, T.V.
Others are Abubakar A. A. – interior ministry;
Chukwu O. C., – Rep. Asst. Director (F&A) –
CDFIPB; I. M. Makama – LA – CDFIPB; Nasiru
Yusuf -ICT Unit – CDFIPB; Shehu Mohammed –
Deputy Director (D &GP) – CDFIPB; Mukah O. S. -
Chief Admin. Officer (FFS); Theodore Maiyaki –
Drexel Tech.; Wiiiiam Butau – Drexel Tech. and
Abioye Bankole – Drexei Tech.
Further investigations showed that Parradang had
earlier written to the CDFIPB and kicked against
the recruitment exercise.
In the letter dated September 9, 2013, a copy of
which was obtained by The PUNCH, the CG
protested the decision of the board to recruit
personnel into the NIS without formally informing
him about it.
Part of the letter read, “I wish to draw your
attention to an advertisement which has just been
brought to my notice, calling for application of
suitably qualified persons for appointment into
Categories’ ‘A’ (Superintendent Cadre) and
‘B’ (Inspectorate Cadre) of the Nigeria Immigration
in today’s Daily Trust – Monday, September 9,
2013 on page seven (7)
“I wish to further state that this advertisement for
employment took me by surprise and the Agency
which I head (i.e. the Nigeria Immigration Service).
I am aware that the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration
and Prisons Service Board Act CAP: 12, 2004
confers Powers of Appointment on the Board,
however the same Act equally delegates such
powers (i.e. recruitment) to the Services —
particularly recruitment into Category “B” , which
has been the case up till this moment.
“The said publication or advertisement for
appointment of persons into the Nigeria
Immigration Service without consultation or any
input whatsoever from us is to say the least,
surprising and embarrassing to me. I feel NIS
should be taken along in this issue regarding staff
recruitment into Category “B” in particular, which
is usually conducted and supervised by the
Service.”
The board in its reply dated October 29, 2013
apologised for not informing the CG about the
recruitment exercise and told him that the power
delegated to the service had not changed.
The letter signed by Tapgun, however, said the
recruitment would proceed and applications (for
junior personnel) that fell under the purview of the
NIS would be forwarded for action.
Our correspondent learnt that the contract for the
recruitment had been awarded to Drexel Tech by
the minister, before Parradang assumed office.

Robbers invade church, steal phones, N2m

No fewer than 15 armed robbers invaded the Christ
Apostolic Church in Alagbado, Lagos State, stealing
about 40 phones and money estimated at N2m.
The robbers, who operated for about 20 minutes,
were said to have also attempted raping some of
the church members before they left the church
premises.
It was learnt that the men came around 2am
penultimate Friday while the over 450 congregation
was engrossed in a prayer session.
A member of the church, who craved anonymity,
said some of the members had observed a strange
man making phone calls while the vigil was on.
He said, “The vigil actually started around 12
midnight. Some of us observed a man who came in
around 1.30am. He was seated in the women’s
section. About four persons tried persuading him to
change seat, including the pastor, but he refused.
So they left him.
“I observed him going out several times to make
phone calls. At about 2am, I overheard him saying,
‘start coming, they are praying’. Few minutes later,
I heard a gunshot.”
The head usher of the church was said to have
been shot at close range, when he tried closing the
door against the robbers, who he originally thought
were arriving late for the programme.
The bullet was said to have shattered the glass at
the entrance, and landed on the pulpit.
When the gun men got in, the church members
were said to have been ordered to lie face down,
while they started ransacking them.
One of the church leaders said, “They positioned
themselves at the church’s major entrances. They
collected money, phones and recharge cards.
They started shouting, ‘where is your pastor?’
They took the church offering and wanted to rape
some of our women. In the 20 years of my being in
the ministry, I have never seen such effrontery
before.”
Our correspondent gathered that the robbers,
however, did not know that there were two other
exit doors in the church.
The pastor was said to have sneaked out through
the exit and dodged behind a window, where he
viewed everything going on.
It was learnt that the gang leader, who wore a
mask, suddenly became angry and started arguing
with a member of the gang over a phone that was
snatched from one of the church members.
The source said, “It must have been God working
at that point. During the argument, this young man
suddenly pulled off his mask and started fighting
the other robber. They had a heated argument over
a phone they had just snatched without knowing
that the pastor was looking at them.”
PUNCH Metro gathered that the pastor of the
church alerted the police who arrived at the scene
just after the robbers left.
An elder in the church told our correspondent that
the members of the church, however, held on to
the stranger in the church who appeared to have
been the robbers’ informant.
He said, “Apart from me, there were three other
people who saw him. A particular member of the
church even told us that he was the one who
grabbed her phone while the robbers were stealing
items. He wanted to follow the robbers when they
were escaping, but we held him till the police
arrived.”
He was handed over to the Ojokoro Police Division
for interrogation. He was said to have aided the
police in apprehending the other robbers.
Our correspondent gathered from residents of the
area that the same gang of robbers had been
terrorising the area for a long time.
A resident, who did not want his name mentioned
for security purpose said, “After they left CAC that
day, they robbed in about eight other streets –
Baruwa, Tebun Fagbemi, Sunday Fadipe, Idowu
Oya, Ayobola, Balogun, Alhaji SL and Taibat Banire
Estate.”
Investigations by PUNCH Metro revealed that the
gang leader, who led the church operation and
angrily pulled off his mask, was the son of a
traditional ruler.
Our correspondent gathered that the young man,
identified simply as Ade, had been arrested, but
there had been high-powered influences seeking
his release from police custody.
The pastor of the church, who identified him, was
said to be under pressure to withdraw his
incriminating statement from the police.
The residents said they were apprehensive as the
state command’s authorities had withdrawn the
matter from the police team originally handling it at
the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public
Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said the matter
was being investigated at SARS.
Braide said, “The incident took place around 2am
and some people were arrested around 4am. The
matter is currently under investigation and the
suspects, including the son of the traditional ruler,
are in police custody.
“It will, however, be unreasonable for anyone to be
apprehensive and insinuate things against the the
command’s authorities in a case in which they
have no interest. Justice is what we stand for and
justice is what we are going to do in this matter.”

Private jet: Reps probe oil minister’s N10bn expenses

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed
a resolution to probe an alleged spending of N10bn
by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, to charter and maintain a
jet for her personal use.
The resolution indicated that the minister spent
500,000 Euros or N130m monthly to maintain the
aircraft in the last two years.
“Thus, in the last two years, the minister has
committed at least N3.120bn to maintaining the
private jet, which is used solely for her personal
needs and those of her immediate family, which is
an appalling act”, the sponsor of the motion, Mr.
Samuel Adejare, told the House.
He alleged that other “wasteful” costs associated
with the minister’s frequent trips with the jet were
“currently estimated at N10bn, which include
payment of allowances to the crew for trips,
hanger parking and rent based on the lease
agreement.”
The All Progressives Congress lawmaker from
Agege Federal Constituency in Lagos State, argued
that, at a time of dwindling resources, it was a
“breach of public trust” and “impudence” for a
government official to fly “all over the world,
obviously for leisure.”
Members endorsed the motion in a unanimous
voice vote and directed the Committee on Public
Accounts to conduct the investigation within three
weeks.
In another resolution, the House observed that the
Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas had not remitted
revenue to the Federation Account since 2004.
It resolved that its Committee on Gas Resources
should investigate the issue within three weeks as
well.
A member from Kano State, Mr. Aminu Suleiman,
had brought the matter before the House.
Part of Suleiman’s motion reads, “The House notes
that the NLNG Bonny, in flagrant disobedience and
breach of Section 162(1) of the 1999 Constitution
has not remitted funds accruing to it to the
Federation Account from 2004 till date.
“That the non- remittance of funds accruing to
NLNG Bonny from 2004 till date has adversely
affected the Federation Account to the detriment of
Federal, States and Local Governments.
“That the unpatriotic actions of those in charge of
the NLNG Bonny from 2004 till date has resulted in
loss of huge revenue that ought to be shared to all
tiers of the government form the Federation
Account for both recurrent and capital
development.
“That, the non-remittance of funds that accrued to
NLNG Bonny to the Federation Account from
2004till date has badly affected all critical sectors
of the Nigerian economy and constitutes an
economic crime.”

Government should stop giving actors money — John Okafor

POPULAR actor, John Okafor has decried the
absence of adequate structures in Nollywood.
Also he criticised the recent visit of the Actors’
Guild of Nigeria to President Goodluck Jonathan,
which did not appear to go down well with some
people who queried the motive in the first place.
For these critics, the actors only went to grab a
‘piece of the national cake.’ And though the actors
concerned have since defended their decision to
pay the President a courtesy visit, popular Nigerian
comic actor, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr.
Ibu, is still not pleased.
According to the actor who rose to prominence
after his breakout role in the 1997 movie, Agony,
where he portrayed an imbecile, the Federal
Government has yet to set its priorities right with
regard to Nollywood.
“The government should stop giving Actors’ Guild
cash, because we don’t know how to handle it.
Some people will go to the office, process the
money and squander it and we (actors) never
benefit from such goodwill.
“If they (government) can give us a structure or
land, we (actors) can go ahead and secure funds
from investors to build five-star hotels and other
facilities on it, because it will be a tourist haven.
We can bring the Nigerian Censor’s board into the
same arena.
“How can we be paying N50,000 to have one
movie censored and then generate N5m from over
100 movies produced in a month and yet there
aren’t any structures in place for Nollywood? “With
such amount of money, government should be able
to cater for us. If this is done, the industry will
make a giant stride.”
Besides the lack of infrastructure, Okafor also
drew attention to what he described as an ‘ugly
trend’. “Homosexuality is very rampant in our
industry and it is one thing that aggravates my
anger many at times,” he reveals.
Okafor would not go into details when this
correspondent probed further. Although he made a
name for himself playing ‘unserious roles,’ Okafor
said many fans were unable to tell when he was
serious.
“Many people do not take me seriously because of
the kind of roles I play in movies. But the truth is
that those who know me very well know that I am
a very focused and principled person.
“In fact, I teach and mentor many upcoming actors
and also organise workshops and seminars
regularly for them.”
The actor said his love for acting dated back to his
childhood days and that the streak ran in his
family.
“I think I got the gift of acting from my grandfather.
I discovered this in the early 70s. My grandfather
was a foremost comedian in his own right. Back in
the days, he would take me to places where he
performed. Growing up, I realised that I was going
to become an actor somehow,” he recalled.
The journey to the top was not an easy one for the
determined actor. Having worked as a hairdresser,
butcher, wait-and-get photographer and soft
drinks seller at various points in life, he claimed to
have found fulfillment in the world of make-
believe.
The year 1994 proved to be the turning point in his
career after he landed his first movie role in the
movie, Rolling Stone. Okafor was paid a paltry
N5,000 to star in the film, but that was then. Today,
he has emerged one of the most sought-after and
highly paid Nollywood actors who charges ‘six
digits’ to feature in a film.
He said of his new status, “Acting has not made
me rich, but I’m very comfortable. I am able to feed
and adequately take care of my family; neither do I
borrow money.
“It has also opened many doors for me and it has
taken me far and wide beyond my wildest
imagination. It has exposed me to certain level
where I can say that God has done it for me.”
Despite his ‘unserious’ and hilarious imbecile roles,
Okafor is one comic star who is blessed with a
very beautiful wife. Although this is peculiar to
most Nigerian comedians, the Institute of
Management and Technology, Enugu, Mass
Communication graduate, is of the opinion that she
saw through his innate attributes before making a
choice.
“First and foremost, I am man in all ramifications
and she has seen that in me,” Okafor said coyly.

Jonathan admits treating terrorism with kid gloves

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday
admitted that his administration had hitherto been
treating terrorists in the country with kid glove.
Terrorists, especially members of the Islamic sect,
Boko Haram, have hold sway in the North-East
zone in the past three years, killing thousands of
citizens in attacks on villages, military and polie
facilities, worship houses and drinking joints.
The President said his government had now
decided to be more forceful in its approach
because of its desire to stamp out terror groups
from the country.
He spoke in Windhoek, Namibia, during a bilateral
talk with President Hifikepunye Pohamba.
“Initially, we handle it (terrorism) with kid glove,
but now we have decided to be a little more
forceful because we must thrash out these terror
groups. We must not allow it to continue to slow
down economic growth in that part of the country,”
Jonathan said.
Jonathan told his Namibian counterpart that a
terror attack on any part of the world is an attack
on everyone, saying terrorism has become a
global phenomenon though the intensity might vary
from one country to the other.
He cited the case of Nigeria where he said
terrorism was being witnessed in only three North
Eastern states out of the 36 states of the
federation.
He said the Federal Government had resolved that
it would not allow terrorism to continue to hinder
economic growth in the affected states.
The President said, “We must not allow it to
continue to slow down economic growth in that
part of the country.
“With the terror attacks in that part of the country,
the rest of the country feel it because Nigerians
live everywhere.
“In these other parts, there is always the fear that
if you do not tackle it, it will infiltrate in these other
parts.
“We will work together to ensure that terror attack
is stamped out globally and in Nigeria we are
committed.”
Jonathan thanked Pohamba for his country’s
support to Nigeria on its election as a non-
permanent member of the United Nations.
He made a case for at least two seats for Africa in
the UN Security Council.
Jonathan said, “I also believe in your philosophy
that if by God’s grace, the UN Security Council will
be restructured, that is, if the super powers will
allow it to be restructured, Africa should be
considered at least for two positions to represent
the interest of African people.
“I always say it that we cannot talk of democracy
when the strongest institutions globally are not
democratic but dictated to by one country alone.
“If we must practice democracy and emphasise
that all countries must be democratic, we need to
start from these powerful UN institutions that all
parts of the globe must have a say there.”
Pohamba had said that his country would forever
remain grateful to Nigeria for its contribution and
sacrifice towards the attainment of independence.

Nigeria Customs Service at work!!!

A bus loaded with cartons of 30,000 pieces of live
cartridges but concealed with tubers of yam and
bags of yam flour was on Tuesday, March 10 been
seized by the Nigeria Customs Service.
But the customs officials working along Saki-Ago
Are, led by Superintendent of Customs A. Okoi,
proved that they were well-trained, as their eagle
eyes caught the conveyer of the unwholesome
products while the men alleged to be the owners
fled on sighting the customs officials.
Speaking during a press briefing, the Area
Controller, Mr Richard Oteri, said that the driver of
the bus with registration number KW 286 SHH was
intercepted in the early hours of Monday, March 10
in which the live cartridges were discovered. The
driver, Adegoke Abdulrahman, was also arrested.
Crime Reports learnt that Saki town has routes that
could be used to link other countries such as
Republic of Benin, Togo Republic and Burkina Faso.
Many illegal routes along the borders of the
countries have been used to bring in arms and
ammunition into Nigeria. Similar seizure of 56,750
live cartridges was also made by the area
command on May 18, 2013 along same Saki route,
Mr Oteri revealed.
Speaking with Crime Reports after the press
briefing, the bus driver claimed that he was ignorant
of the content of the bags, as he was just hired by
the owners to convey them to Ibadan.
According to the indigene of Ago Amodu residing in
Saki, both in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, "on
Monday March 10, I was at Ago Amodu town to get
foodstuff for my brother's child naming ceremony
taking place in Lagos State on Tuesday. As some
people were helping me to slaughter and cut the
ram we wanted to use, I went to Oje Owode area
where I saw two men. One was a Yoruba man while
the other was Igbo.
"They told me they had goods they were taking to
Ibadan, saying they vehicle with which they were
conveying the goods broke down. I asked them the
kind of goods they wanted me to convey and they
said they were bags of yam flour and tubers of
yam. I told them I wanted to go and settle some
things first but they urged me to them follow and
view the goods.
"I took my vehicle and followed them. I saw the
goods at the back of a pick-up van. I told them to
wait until I concluded my brother's errands but
again, they urged me to drop my vehicle,
volunteering to load the goods into it themselves.
They said they would have finished before I would
return. We negotiated the fare and after sizing up
the goods at the back of the van, I asked them to
pay N30,000.
"They pleaded that I should collect N25,000 from
them. We agreed on that and I left for Saki. By the
time I returned, they had finished loading the goods
and I was given N5,000 as advance payment, with
them promising to pay me the balance when we get
to Iwo Road area of Ibadan after they must have
withdrawn some cash from an Automated Teller
Machine. They told me the goods would be
offloaded beside a petrol station at Iwo Road.
"I also picked four women as passengers before
we proceeded to Ibadan. At Iseyin, one of the
women said she wanted to buy drinks and bread,
so I parked. That was where a patrol team of
Nigeria Customs Service came to meet us. They
demanded to know what was in the bus and I told
them it was bags of yam flour and tubers of yam.
"The Igbo man came and told me to open up to
them that there were 10 bags of rice and cartons of
cartridges among the goods. I exclaimed in fear,
telling him that I could not speak on what I did not
know about. But he assured me that the customs
officials only needed to be settled.
"When we got to the customs' office, I relayed what
the Igbo man told me and they asked me to follow
them to their office. As we were going, I turned
back and noticed that the owners of the goods had
fled. Other passengers had also left. This is the
first time I will be experiencing this kind of thing. I
have never done it before."

State finance commissioners call for fuel subsidy removal

The Forum of Commissioners of Finance of the 36
states of the federation on Thursday in Abuja
passed a resolution for the removal of fuel subsidy.
The Chairman of the forum, Mr. Timothy Odaah, told
journalists shortly after this month’s Federation
Account Allocation Committee’s meeting, that the
resolution was passed following irregularities
observed in the fuel subsidy regime.
The forum passed the resolution just as fuel
scarcity that started last week spread in the
Federal Capital Territory, with many motorists
queuing for hours at filling stations.
The FAAC meeting, which was chaired by the
Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Jonah
Otunla, was convened to consider and approve the
statutory allocations for February.
Odaah, who is also the Commissioner of Finance,
Ebonyi State, said the resolution on the fuel subsidy
regime would be sent to the Nigerian Governors’
Forum for transmission to President Goodluck
Jonathan.
He described the payment of fuel subsidy as a
scam against some states, especially the less
industrialised ones, as it had made “the rich to
become richer, while the poor are becoming
poorer.”
He argued that if Nigerians had not protested
against the removal of fuel subsidy in January 2012,
most states would have experienced significant
level of development by now.
The Federal Government has a budget of N971.1bn
for fuel subsidy payment in the 2014 fiscal year,
same as in 2013.
Odaah, said, “We looked at subsidy on oil as more
or less a solution worse than the problem it is
meant to solve.
“Looking at it presently, you will discover that it is
not solving the problem, which it is meant to solve.
In the first place, the NLC (Nigeria Labour Congress)
and the majority of the Nigerian populace appear to
have been deceived into clamouring for subsidy.
“It is a system that robs Peter to pay Paul by
making the rich to grow richer and the poor to go
poorer.
“There are some states that are fully industrialised
and you use this subsidy in that particular place
and the people who benefit more are those from the
states that are industrialised.”
Odaah added, “The fuel consumption of those
industries uses more of the fuel subsidy unlike the
states that are under-industrialised.
“So, what we are advocating is that the subsidy be
removed so that every state or any member of the
federating unit sharing from FAAC will take his own
money, then decide to use it or grant subsidy in a
level that it will be able to afford.”
The forum also accused oil marketers of taking
advantage of the subsidy regime to engage in sharp
practices, noting that the payment of subsidy was
exerting immense pressure on the Excess Crude
Account.
Odaah said if the issue was not urgently addressed,
it would get to a point where the states would have
nothing to share from the Federation Account as
their allocations would be wiped out by subsidy
claims.
He added, “If you also look at the oil marketers,
they are also not showing the intention of the
Federal Government because it has created a very
big market for them in certain ways because
transparency is not coming up.
“There are some people who are eating on the
subsidy to the disadvantage of others. It is because
of that that we passed a resolution at FAAC because
many states are crumbling as subsidy payment has
eaten so much into the crude reserves.”
Odaah also said the forum frowned on the decision
of the Central Bank of Nigeria to withdraw 75 per
cent of public sector funds from Deposit Money
Banks, noting that this had made it difficult for the
states to access loans at low interest rates.
As a result of this development, he said the forum
called on the Federal Government to reverse the
policy to enable states and local governments to
raise funds for developmental purposes.
He said, “As of today, 75 per cent of the public
sector deposits is taken into the central bank. This
is a deliberate creation of scarcity of funds because
states and local governments cannot borrow money
because the interest rate has gone so high.
“There is a plan by the CBN to raise it to 100 per
cent. If that is done; then, we will be having absolute
scarcity of funds created by a manipulated means.
“So, we are calling on the Federal Government to
look at it and review it by bringing it down so that
cash will be available because the cost of funds is
growing too high and with that, states cannot meet
up.”
But Otunla, who also addressed journalists shortly
after the meeting, said a 12-man committee had
been set up to assess the impact of the fuel subsidy
regime.
The committee, to be made up of six
representatives each of the states’ commissioners
of finance and accountants-general, has one month
to submit its report.
“We discussed the issue of subsidy and we have
set up a 12-man committee comprising six
members from the commissioners’ forum and six
members from the Accountants-General Forum to
help us review the impact of subsidy on the
Federation Account,” he said.
Otunla said FAAC shared the sum of N641.29bn to
the three tiers of government as statutory allocation
for February.
He said during the month, the gross revenue of
N666.75bn was received, which was N125.87bn
higher than the N540.87bn received in January.
He said while an exceptional payment of N82bn was
made by the Nigerian Petroleum Development
Company, which helped to boost revenue for the
month and that the committee transferred the sum
of $1bn to the Excess Crude Account.
This brings the balance in the ECA to $3.5bn.
When contacted, the acting General Secretary,
Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Chris Uyot, said the
union had not changed its decision to resist any
ploy to increase fuel price through subsidy removal.
“We have a position on that; nothing has changed,”
he said.
In a communiqué issued after the March 6
emergency meeting of its Central Working
Committee, the NLC described the current fuel
scarcity as “a cruel conspiracy” between the
Federal Government and the marketers “to impose
hardship and trauma on the poor and hapless
Nigerians with a view to ostensibly increasing fuel
prices”.

I am happy at Manchester United, Van Persie insists

Robin van Persie has insisted he is “very happy” at
Manchester United and has no problems with
manager David Moyes.
Dutch striker van Persie was instrumental in
United’s Premier League title success last season
after arriving from Arsenal in what proved to be Sir
Alex Ferguson’s final campaign in charge.
He has scored 14 goals in 23 appearances for
United this term, but the 30-year-old’s
performances and attitude have come under
scrutiny.
There have been suggestions that van Persie is
unhappy with Moyes’ training methods and could
look to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season.
However, van Persie has moved to set the record
straight regarding his future and confirmed that he
would be willing to extend his contract, which still
has two years to run.
“I don’t mind if my performances get dissected and
people criticise what I’ve done on the pitch,” van
Persie said in the club’s official matchday
programme United Review.
“They can talk about my game 24/7 for all I care…
and a lot of those opinions and criticisms may
actually be right. So I don’t mind that.
“What I need to address are the situations when
people are taking it upon themselves to think for
me, make assumptions, or interpret things as if they
are me.
“Last time I checked, my head was still attached to
my body, so I’m the only one who knows exactly
what I’m feeling and that is not what I or the fans
have been reading.
“The truth is I’m very happy here at this club. I
signed for four years and I’d be delighted to stay
even longer, beyond the next two years I have left
on my contract. This is how I feel, although it’s not
what has been suggested in the media.”
Regarding the claims that van Persie is at odds with
Moyes, the coaching staff and his team-mates, the
former Feyenoord attacker dismissed the
speculation.
He added: “I’m very happy with my team-mates
and I’m very happy with my manager and his staff.
The sessions we have on the training ground are
fantastic and I’m learning a lot from them every
day.
“I’ve been a professional footballer for 12 years
now and there’s no doubt I’m learning new things
and progressing with David Moyes.
“Like I said, talk about my performances or talk
about a tackle that was too late. I don’t mind. But it
goes too far when people start suggesting, amongst
other things, that I have a bad understanding with
the manager. That’s not true at all.
“Over the last few years, I’ve started to look more
closely at the way coaches work to learn from them
– not just here at the club, but with the international
team as well. I’ve worked with some brilliant
coaches and I’ve taken a real interest in all the
methods they use and the choices they make.
“I can tell you that Moyes’ sessions and the things
he says in his team meetings are spot-on. I really
enjoy working under him and I’m absolutely
convinced things will pick up and we’ll turn it
around.
“There is mutual respect between us and the work
environment is actually good. He really wants things
to work here at Manchester United and I want the
same, just like the other players. We’re all working
hard to make this work.”

Kidnappers fed me with garri and oil – Jonathan’s uncle

Chief Inengite Nitabai, President Goodluck
Jonathan’s uncle and adopted father, has been
rescued by the police after 18 days in the
kidnappers’ den.
However, Nitabai, whose abduction had occupied
media space, has sour tales to tell.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of his captors,
Nitabai, a former university lecturer, said his
abductors fed him with garri and oil for the 18 days
he was held captive.
He also said he was blindfolded throughout the
period.
He said he was almost submerged in a swamp
while the kidnappers were moving him from one
spot to another because he was blindfolded.
The already emanciated man, said, “My ordeal in
the hands of my captors was simply horrendous.
“I was blindfolded for those 18 days. So I did not
see my abductors.
“They fed me with garri and oil. There was a day
they were asking me some foolish questions and I
kept quiet. They were upset and beat me up. It was
a miracle I did not die that day.”
Inengite said he had yet to know the motive behind
his abduction.
When reminded that it could be because of his
relation with President Jonathan, he answered that
he could not rule it out.
The septuagenarian, who had lectured at Rivers
State University beforing moving to the Niger Delta
University, where he retired, was abducted by 10
gunmen about 9pm on February 23, 2014.
It took about four days before the kidnappers
opened up channel of communication with the
family.
In one of those discussions, they demanded ransom
of N500m from the victim’s family.
The kidnappers were said to be infuriated when the
family members said they could only afford N30m.
The offer was rejected by the kidnappers, allegedly
saying the amount was “unpresidential.”
However, the police asked the family not to pay any
ransom. This was also supported by the Ijaw Youth
Council.
The police later arrested the father of a man
suspected to be the mastermind of the abduction.
The arrest of the mastermind’s father was said to
caused confusion in the captors’ camp.
The police were said to have used the development
to hit them.
A police source, who craved anonymity, said the
arrest of the mastermind’s father weakened the
abductors bargaining edge.
It was learnt that it was in the midst of the
confusion that the police anti-kidnapping squad
closed in on them.
It was further learnt that the kidnappers abandoned
their captive when they sighted the police.
The Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State
Command, Mr. Hillary Opara, said Nitabai was
rescued in the early hours of Thursday.
Opara said Nitabai was rescued at Ogboma, off
Odioma in Brass Local Government Area.
He said the kidnappers abandoned their captive
when the police anti-kidnapping operatives closed
in on them (kidnappers) in an operation that took
place between Wednesday night and Thursday
morning.
Opara said, “Since Chief Inengite Nitabai was
kidnapped, we have been working with other
security stakeholders to rescue the victim.
“He was rescued at about 12.05am on Thursday.
We applied professionalism in the way and manner
we handled the operation.
“I thank the Nitabais for heeding the advice of the
police not to pay ransom.
“I also wish to thank my boss in Zone 5 and the
Inspector General of Police for their advice and not
stampeding us.”
The commissioner also commended Governor
Seriake Dickson, who he said, funded many trips
that they undertook in the course of the rescue.
Opara said the police had fortified the Ogbia area,
which had been the hotbed of many kidnappings.

Reps uncover fresh missing N35bn

More revelations by the House of Representatives
Committee on Public Accounts indicated on
Thursday that the Office of the Head of Service of
the Federation could not account for N35bn it
collected from the Service Wide Vote within nine
years.
While the records of the Budget Office of the
Federation showed that the OHSF received N52bn
between 2004 and 2012, the Permanent Secretary,
Mr. Remi Adelakun, admitted only N17.6bn.
The committee, which is chaired by Mr. Solomon
Olamilekan, insisted on Thursday that Adelakun
must explain how the N35bn was spent.
At Thursday’s session, the permanent secretary
and officials of the budget office had disagreed over
how much the latter released to the OHSF.
The records of the budget office showed that in
2004, the OHSF received N2.7bn; N9.8m in 2005;
N701.7m in 2006; N896.3m in 2007; N5.3bn in 2008
and another N612.9m; and N70m in 2009.
For 2010, the figure was N17.6bn; in 2011, it was
N13.6bn and N8.5bn in 2012.
However, the OHSF admitted the N17.6bn released
in 2010.
Olamilekan ruled that the permanent secretary must
produce documents on how the balance of over
N35bn was utilised within two weeks.
In a separate case, the committee directed the
Central Bank of Nigeria to refund the N1.015bn it
spent in 2007 to print 65 million ballot papers for
that year’s presidential election.
The committee stated that there were “double
payments” for the ballot papers, which it said the
bank could not explain adequately.
Although the Director, Corporate Services, CBN, Mr.
Dipo Fatokun, who represented the bank, denied the
alleged double payments, the committee insisted
that the bank made contradictory submissions.
Fatokun said, “There was no double payment. When
we first appeared before the committee, we did not
check our records very well and that was why we
thought there were double payments.”

Gunmen kill 69 in Katsina

At least 69 people have been killed in simultenous
attacks on four villages in Katsina State.
Witnesses said the attackers, believed to be Fulani
herdsmen, rode motorcycles into the villages –
Mararaban Maigoro, Goran Mota and Ungwan Rimi
– in broad daylight on Wednesday and killed
whoever they found.
A lawmaker from the state, Abdullahi Machika, told
both the Agence France Presse and the British
Broadcasting Corporation that 47 of the victims
were murdered and buried in Mararraban Maigoro.
Machika added that seven were buried in Goran
Mota, seven in Ungwan Rimi and eight in Maigoro.
Machika said, “As I speak, we are still searching for
dead bodies in the bushes. The attackers were not
thieves but killers. They did not steal anything; they
came to kill people. The people, who looked like
Fulani herdsmen killed 69 villagers and burnt scores
of houses between Tuesday and Wednesday.
“This (Thursday) morning, we picked dead bodies in
Faskari forest. In Mararaban Maigoro, we buried 47
people. In Goran Mota, we buried seven people and
in Ungwan Rimi, we buried seven people. And in
Maigoro, we buried eight people. Like I told you, we
are still searching for more bodies.
“For over one year, we have been talking; people
are saying it is about stealing and I am telling you it
is pure killing . It is almost the same thing that
started in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. There
was no response from the police authorities as they
were busy providing for President Goodluck
Jonathan’s visit.”
But the state’s Police Commissioner, Hurdi
Mohammed, who also confirmed the attacks, gave a
lower casualty toll of 30.
He also said the violence was not perpetrated by
Boko Haram insurgents but by Fulani herdsmen,
who had been blamed for scores of deadly raids in
the past.
The latest incident took place barely 24 hours after
Fulani cattle rustlers attacked the convoy of the
Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, in Tse-
Akenyi.
Suswam was on a fact-finding mission following the
continuous invasion of many communities on the
Daudu-Gbajimba road by herdsmen.
Fulani leaders have for years complained about the
loss of grazing land which is crucial to their
livelihood, with resentment between the herdsmen
and their agrarian neighbours rising over the past
decade.
Most of the Fulani-linked violence has been
concentrated in the North-Central, where rivalries
between mostly Muslim herdsmen and mostly
Christian farmers have helped fuel violence.
• Jonathan gives military marching order
President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday ordered
the military high command to deploy troops in Rugu
Forest with a view to dislodging the killers.
He said a situation where insurgents had turned the
forest which was initially meant for economic
purposes, to their hideouts was not acceptable to
his government.
Jonathan gave the order during a dinner organised
in his honour by the state government as part of
activities outlined for his two-day official visit to the
state.
He said men of the Nigerian Armed Forces must
comb the forest thoroughly and rid it of insurgents.
According to him, the forest borders states like
Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna and the
neighbouring Niger Republic.
The President said, “It is unfortunate that the forest
meant for economic purposes has been turned to a
hideout and haven for insurgents who are launching
attacks on Katsina and other Northern states. This
situation must not be allowed to continue. So men of
the armed forces must comb the forest and
dislodge the insurgents.”
Jonathan also directed the National Emergency
Management Agency to ensure swift provision of
relief materials for victims in the affected
communities.
• IG deploys DIG in Benue
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police,
Mohammed Abubakar, has directed the Deputy
Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations
at the Force Headquarters, Mr. Mike Zuokumor, to
personally coordinate security measures aimed at
ending the killings and destruction of property by
cattle rustlers in Benue State.
Zuokumor will be assisted by the Commissioner of
Police in charge of the Mobile Police, Mr. Hosea
Karma, and his counterpart in charge of counter-
terrorism, Mr. Wakama.
The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr.
Frank Mba, made this known to journalists at a
press conference by the Joint Security Information
Managers Committee on Security in Abuja on
Thursday.
Mba also said the police authorities had also
ensured the deployment of huge human and
material resources to the troubled state.
He added that the police were expected to
collaborate with the military and other security
agencies in bringing the state’s security challenge
under permanent control very soon.
According to him, the security operation in the state
would involve aerial surveillance and massive
intelligence gathering.
He said, “You are witnesses to the current state of
challenges we have been recording in Benue.
“I want to reassure the nation, particularly the good
people and government of Benue State, that the
Federal Government is working through the
instrumentality of the military, the police and other
security agencies to bring that situation under
permanent control.
“As I speak to you, the Police High Command has
already deployed massive manpower and
resources in Benue State.
“The operation, of course under the direct
instruction of the IG, is being coordinated by the
Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of
Operations, Mr. Mike Zuokumor, who is leading a
team of other seasoned operational officers to
Benue State.
“In his team, we also have the CP in charge of the
Police Mobile Force, CP Hosea Karma, the CP in
charge of the Counter-Terrorism Unit, Wakama, and
other very senior officers from the operational units.
“Special Forces from the Police Mobile Force, the
Counter-Terrorism Unit and the Special Protection
Unit are already on the ground; and as I speak to
you, the DIG is already on the ground in Benue
State.
“We will also be carrying out aerial patrols in
Benue.This is designed to actually help in boosting
the confidence of the citizens and also providing
massive intelligence for the ground troops.
“We would be working in collaboration with our
counterparts from the military and other security
agencies.”
The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris
Olukolade, who heads the committee, said the
military was determined to sustain the recorded
victory against Boko Haram insurgents in the
North-East.
He said that ongoing reorganisation in the Army was
designed to ensure that the insurgents were
prevented from regrouping.
Fulani herdsmen under the umbrella of Miyetti Allah
Cattle Breeders Association had claimed that they
lost 134 of their colleagues and 11,925 cows to
clashes in the past three months.
They had blamed Suswam for inciting the people
against them in Benue, Taraba and Plateau states.
• Allegation against me baseless – Suswam
But Suswam described the allegation by the
herdsmen as baseless.
The governor said this while receiving his
Nasarawa State counterpart, Tanko Al-makura, who
was in Makurdi, on a solidarity visit on Thursday.
The Director of Press to the governor, Dr. Cletus
Akwaya, told one of our correspondents in a
telephone interview, that Suswam would never do
anything to undermine the state.
He said, “The allegation (by Miyyeti Allah) is
baseless. The likes of Hussaini Bosso (the Miyetti
Allah Cattle Breeders Association chairman), fan the
embers of violence with their comments.
“The governor, as the chief security officer, has
been doing everything to make sure that there is
peace in the state. These attacks are not limited to
one local government area of the state, they have
attacked several places.
“If the people here were killing their cows, it would
have been all over the press which you know is not
owned by the Benue State Government.
“The governor said ‘such people should be
investigated by security agencies because he
(Bosso) seems to know much more.’ He mentioned
that it was the governor, who was sponsoring the
conflict.
“It means that he has information about the
sponsorship; he should come forward with evidence
and help the security agencies.”

Landing gear of US Airways plane collapses

More than 150 people were evacuated from a US
Airways flight after a Florida-bound plane’s front
landing gear collapsed on a runway.
Flights were halted at Philadelphia International
Airport as those on board exited the plane via
inflatable ramps.
One person asked for medical assistance but no
major injuries were reported, airport officials said.
An airport spokeswoman said the plane was about
to take off when the malfunction happened.
The Airbus 320 was carrying 149 passengers and
five crewmembers.
A passenger, Dennis Fee, told local broadcaster
WPVI it was “very windy and when the plane took
off, the nose of the plane went back down, hitting
the runway”.
“We were airborne, then struck back down by the
nose,” Fee said.
The airport spokeswoman, Victoria Lupica, said all
the passengers had been rescheduled on another
flight to Fort Lauderdale.
US Airways spokesman William McGlashen said:
“Initial reports indicate Flight 1702 from Philadelphia
to Fort Lauderdale (Florida) blew a tyre on take-off
and the pilot elected to abort take-off.”
Three of the four runways were reopened later on
Thursday evening.

Iran dismisses claims on human rights situation

Iran on Thursday dismissed a recent UN report on
its human rights situation, saying the report was
“unacceptable and politically-motivated.”
Iran’s foreign ministry said the recent report by UN
Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon” lacks credibility
and legality, because it used “undocumented and
illegal accusations” against Iran. “Parts of the
released report indicates that the UN chief has not
been impartial, hence tampered.”
The ministry said it expects the UN chief to “act
fairly” and in line with the UN’s mechanisms when
reviewing human rights situation in Iran. It also
called on the UN to avoid interfering in Iran’s
internal affairs.
On Wednesday, Ban criticized Iranian President
Hassan Rouhani for not doing enough to improve the
human rights situation in Iran since he took office
last August.
Increased death sentences, arbitrary detention,
unfair trials, discrimination against minorities and
women, mistreatment of political prisoners, and
restrictions on freedom of speech are examples of
rights violation by the Islamic republic, Ban said in
his report.
He also called for “immediate release” of two
reformist opposition leaders, Mir-Hossein Mousavi
and Mehdi Karoubi, demanding their “urgent access
to medical care.”
Mousavi and Karoubi have been under house arrest
after the 2009 presidential elections. They used to
lead massive rallies protesting what they called
“fraud” in favor of hardline candidate Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad.
Some Iranian hardline officials, including Judiciary
Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, have reacted angrily
to Ban’s report, reiterating that it is an interference
in Iran’s internal affairs.
Larijani dismissed the “claims” concerning
pressures on political prisoners and minorities in
Iran as “part of the enemies ‘ campaign of lies
against the Islamic republic.”
In addition, the foreign ministry also criticized EU
foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton for meeting
with a number of Iranian female rights activists in
her recent visit to Tehran.
“Ashton’s selective approach toward human rights
issues in Iran will only deepen the Iranian nation’s
distrust of the West,” local media said. “Such moves
will deepen our people’s suspicion of the West and
are not helpful to the relations between Iran and the
European Union.”.
The ministry said contacting civil society is
recognized as long as it does not interfere in the
countries’ internal affairs and respects local
customs and values. It said Ashton’s meeting with
the dissident Iranian females, which took place
without prior coordination with the ministry, is
rooted in the Western double- standards.
The ministry has sent an official protest note to the
Austrian embassy in Tehran, which reportedly
organized Ashton’s meetings.
On Wednesday Tehran’s university students also
held a rally in front of the embassy to protest
against the meetings.

e won’t repeal anti-gay law, FG tells UN

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu
Wali, has told the United Nations that Nigeria will not
repeal the law banning same-sex relationship and
marriage.
He urged the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay, who paid him a
courtesy visit on Thursday in Abuja, to accept
Nigeria’s position on same-sex marriage.
According to him, same-sex marriage is against
the way of life of Nigerians who have expressed
support for the government on the anti-gay law.
He said 99 per cent of Nigerians supported the anti-
gay law.
Wali said based on the culture and tradition of the
Nigerian people, they would never accept same-sex
marriage and relationship.
“With time, things may improve, but Nigeria is
fundamentally a very religious society and our
people cannot understand same-sex relationship.
“Personally too, I do not accept same-sex marriage
even though it conflicts with international norms on
human rights,” he said.
The minister chided some members of the
international community for making “a lot of noise”
after President Goodluck Jonathan approved the
law.
He said that Nigeria had always operated a legal
system that did not recognise same-sex marriage.
The minister cited the country’s common, Sharia
and customary laws as examples of the nation’s
laws that prohibited homosexuality.
He assured the UN chief that the law prohibiting
same-sex marriage in Nigeria would not allow
unnecessary prosecution of people.
The minister said that Nigeria had respect for
freedom of speech and human rights, adding that
“we have always had good records in all aspects of
human rights.”
On the Boko Haram insurgency, Wali said that the
Federal Government had consistently protected the
rights of insurgents captured during military
operations, even when they did not deserve such
protection.
Wali said there was no credible case of “extra-
judicial killings or summary executions” of
insurgents captured during military operations.
He said that the captured insurgents were in
various jails in the country, while some had been
subjected to prosecution.
Wali pledged Nigeria’s support for the UN Human
Rights Council resolution to end attacks,
harassment and reprisals against human rights
defenders.
The resolution was adopted in September 2013 by
the UNHRC.
Earlier, Pillay had said that the anti-gay law “is a
violation of the human rights enshrined in the
international covenant of civil and political rights. It
contravenes Africa’s charter and the Nigerian
constitution itself.”
She added that the UN was concerned with the
negative consequences the law would have on
some people.
Pillay argued that it might deter the affected
persons from taking up HIV education, treatment
and care facilities and also hindered government
and the civil society groups.
“I am seeking your good office to see some kind of
moratorium on prosecution at this moment. We can
do much more work to have all Nigerians respect
the human rights of all people, to respect diversity,
to promote values of tolerance, acceptance with
targeted training for law enforcement and other
things.”
Pillay, who noted that Nigeria had improved on
human rights protection, pointed out that the country
was still lagging behind in some of the human rights
reports.
“Nigeria is behind in many of its reports and I am
here to see how best we can support you in
catching up with those reports,” she said.
Citing the resolution adopted by the UN Council on
Human Rights in March 2013, she argued that the
use and abuse of national law to impair and
criminalise the work of human right defenders was
“a contravention of international law and must end.”

Ugandan rights activists challenge anti-gay law

Ugandan rights activists and politicians have filed a
legal challenge to overturn a tough anti-gay law
condemned by Western donors.
The law violated the rights of gay people and
subjected them to “cruel and inhuman punishment”,
they said.
Several cases of “violence and retaliation” have
been reported since President Yoweri Museveni
signed the law last month, the activists added.
Uganda is a deeply conservative society where
many people oppose gay rights.
However, some people are beginning to question
whether punishments proposed in the law are too
harsh, reports BBC Uganda correspondent Catherine
Byaruhanga.
It allows life imprisonment as the penalty for acts of
“aggravated homosexuality” and also criminalises
the “promotion of homosexuality”.
The Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and
Constitutional Law, which represents about 50
groups, filed the petition in the Constitutional Court,
asking for the law to be annulled.
Ruling party MP Fox Odoi, who is Museveni’s
former legal adviser, was among the lead
petitioners.
He broke ranks with his party by opposing the law
in parliament, and said he did not fear a backlash
from voters in the 2016 election, our reporter says.
“I don’t fear losing an election. There is only one
thing I fear – living in a society that has no room for
minorities. I will not live in a society that doesn’t
respect and protect people who are different from
the majority,” Odoi said.
Prominent Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda also
supported the court action.
“This Act not only represents an effort by the
executive and parliament to scapegoat an unpopular
minority for political gain, but we believe it also
violates the highest law of our country,” he said.
Some people known or suspected to be gay had
faced “violence and retaliation” since the law was
signed, the coalition said in a statement, the AFP
news agency reports.
It had documented 10 cases of arrests of people,
and at least three cases of landlords evicting
tenants, the coalition added.
Uganda’s authorities have defended the law, saying
President Museveni wanted “to demonstrate
Uganda’s independence in the face of Western
pressure and provocation”.
The World Bank has postponed a $90m (£54m) loan
to Uganda to improve its health services after the
law was approved.
Several European nations – including Denmark,
Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden – have cut
aid to Uganda to show their opposition to the law.
The sponsor of the law, MP David Bahati, insists
that homosexuality is a “behaviour that can be
learned and can be unlearned”.

Pension thieves cashed 400 cheques in one day – Witness

A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of seven
persons accused of complicity in the over N20bn
police pension fraud, Mustapha Gadanya, has
narrated to Justice Hussein Baba of the Federal
Capital Territory High Court how 400 cheques were
cashed in a day by the accused persons.
Led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Gadanya
told the court on Tuesday in Abuja that he obtained
and analyzed the certified true copy of instruments
used in making withdrawals in the name of
Veronica Onyegbula and the Directors of Police
Pension office, Esai Dangaba, Atiku Abubakar and
Inuwa Wada.
A statement by the head, Public Relations unit,
EFCC, Wilson Uwajaren, explained that Gadanya told
the court that the directors carried out the cheque
transactions without any letter of exemption from
compliance with the e-payment circular from the
office of the Accountant General.
“Over 400 cheques were withdrawn and we got this
information from the bank statement furnished us
by First Bank Plc.
“We discovered that the three directors are all
signatories to the fraudulent cheques. We also
discovered that Mrs. Uzoma Attang, John Yusuf,
Gabriel Ikpe, Mike Okoro and one Mrs Amu
(currently at large), are among those who signed
the cheques,” Gadanya said.
Justice Baba who was apparently shocked by the
revelation, sought to know from the witness what
currency was involved to which the witness
responded, “Naira my Lord”.
Gadanya then went on to state that between
January 31, 2011 and May 6, 2011, over N1bn was
withdrawn and that the sum of N650m was
withdrawn on January 31, 2011.

Gunmen open fire on Benue gov’s convoy

Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam narrowly
escaped death on Tuesday when his convoy was
attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
Suswam’s convoy was on its way to Gbajimba in
Guma Local Government Area of the state when the
incident occurred.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria , the
governor was on a fact finding mission following the
continuous invasion of many communities on the
Daudu-Gbajimba road by herders.
NAN which did not provide detailed information
about another attack on Tse-Akenyi, reported that
there was about an hour exchange of gunfire
between the bandits and Suswam’s security aides.
Suswam, who confirmed the incident, told the
victims of the attack in Gbajimba, that the situation
was disturbing.
He added that people must defend themselves if
security operatives failed to do their job.
The governor said, “I salute each and every one of
you for your courage and steadfastness throughout
this period. This is beyond the herdsmen; this is a
real war.
“On my way to this place, they exchanged gunfire
with us for over one hour before we were able to
get here.
“My people are being butchered and their homes
destroyed. So, if the security agents, especially the
military, cannot provide security for us, we will
have to defend ourselves.
“I cannot abandon you people at this point in time to
die. You voted me to provide security for you and
that I must do for you.
“These Fulani are not like the real Fulanis we used
to know. Please return to your homes and defend
your land. Do not allow anybody to make you slaves
in your home land. ’’
The Guma LGA Chairman, Mr. Frank Adi, condemned
the killings and destruction of homes by the
herdsmen.
Adi, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Godwin
Viashima, appealed to the government to provide
them with security operatives.
When contacted, Suswam’s Director of Press, Dr.
Cletus Akwaya, said the attackers killed some
people in the sacked villages.
He said “His Excellency went to the crisis area to
look at the level of destruction when he was
attacked. Schools in this area have been closed
down since the crisis started in 2011.
“The marauders sacked the villages and some of
the schools are now being occupied by their cows.
They sacked villages in Gwer, Guma-West. Some
bodies were recovered from some of these areas
without bullet wounds.”
Akwaya added that government officials suspected
that the invaders were insurgents who moved into
Nigeria from Mali.
He said, “There are suspicions that the marauders
may have used chemical weapons. They may be
people who moved from Libya to Mali and they are
here now.
“What they are doing in the North-East is what they
are trying to bring to the North-Central states of
Benue, Plateau and Nassarawa . It is not what the
state government alone can handle.”
He, however, said there was no casualty among
members of the governor’s convoy.
Meanwhile, suspected members of Boko Haram
have attacked the convoy of Gwoza LGA Chairman,
Hamman Ahmadu, destroying two vehicles and
leaving three policemen and two drivers missing.
It was learnt that Ahmadu and his convoy ran into a
siege laid by the sect members near a bridge on the
Bama-Gwoza Road at about 4.35pm on Monday.
Narrating the incident to journalists on Tuesday,
Mallam Baba, a driver attached to Borno State
Government House in Maiduguri, said, “On reaching
the bridge, after returning from Gwoza, and Barawa
on an official visit, we were surrounded by several
gunmen at the destroyed Firgi Bridge.
“They shot from all directions and that made three
drivers to reverse and escape. Two other vehicles,
including my Toyota Hilux, were abandoned. I had
to crawl for about 300 metres to escape from the
insurgents.”
Asked to give the number of people killed, Baba
said, “It is only God that saved our lives yesterday
evening (Monday), including the council chairman.
Three policemen and two other drivers are
missing.”

Mother sells three-day-old baby for N260,000

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested
a nursing mother, Imaobong Udoh, for allegedly
selling her three-day old baby girl.
Also arrested along with Imaobong were four
persons for allegedly participating in the theft of the
baby.
They are the buyer, Mrs. Regina James; her
husband, Mfon James; the traditional birth attendant
who delivered the baby, Mrs. Comfort Henry; and
Mr Emmanuel Okon, a homeopathic doctor, who
arranged the sale.
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Gwadabe, said in
Uyo on Monday that the father of the baby had
reported the theft to the police, leading to the arrest
of the suspects.
Gwadabe said, “On March 3, 2014, a case of child
stealing was reported by Mr. Eteobong James, of
No. 33 Urua Ekpa Road, Itu Local Governmnet Area,
to the police, where a three-day-old baby girl was
sold for N260, 000.
“Based on the report, the suspects were arrested.
“Mr Emmanuel Etim Okon, was the one that
arranged the infamous deal and personally
conveyed the baby from the point of delivery at
Nna-Enin in Uruan Local Government Area to the
buyers at No. 37 Church Road, Uyo.”
The police boss explained that Regina allegedly paid
N150,000 to the mother of the baby and N110,000
to Okon, the homeopathic doctor, for his services.
The commissioner stated that the accused would
soon be arraigned in court and warned child thieves
to steer clear of the state.
He explained that the state would not be conducive
for their illicit trade.
Husband of the buyer, James, who spoke with
PUNCH METRO said when his wife told him she
was pregnant, he gave her money for ante-natal
care, but was surprised to hear that she bought the
baby.
He said, “l am a trader. My wife, Regina, told me
she was pregnant and I gave her money for ante-
natal. One day, she told me she was in labour and
later informed me that she had been delivered of a
baby girl.
“I did not know she bought the baby since she has
given birth to four children, though three died.”
However, the homeopathic doctor said Regina
brought the mother of the baby, Imaobong, to him so
that he could take care of her during ante-natal.
He said Regina had explained to him that the father
of the baby was not financially buoyant to take care
of her.
He denied collecting N110,000 from Regina, stating
that he only collected N30,000, which was the cost
of delivery of Imaobong’s baby.
“When Regina brought Imaobong to me, she told me
that the man responsible for the pregnancy was
unable of take care of her.
“The N30,000 I collected from her was for the
upkeep of Imaobong before and during delivery of
the baby. I did not collect N110,000.”

SOURCE: PUNCH NIGERIA

We won’t attend NGF retreat, says Jang group

Factional Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum
who is also the Governor of Plateau State, Mr.
Jonah Jang has dissociated members of his faction
from the planned retreat being organised by the
Forum under the leadership of the Governor of
Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi.
The NGF has scheduled a retreat for March 13 and
14 in Lagos where issues like corruption,
agriculture, education, security and others are to be
discussed by eminent Nigerians and scholars.
Invitations by Amaechi for the event were sent to all
the governors, including the faction being led by
Jang.
However, Jang in a statement released in Abuja
and signed by the Media Officer in charge of his
faction of the NGF, Mr. Kassim Yakubu stated that it
has come to his knowledge that there is a program
in circulation naming its members as participants in
the said retreat.
The statement further described the action as a
cunning attempt to give the retreat credibility
following what he described as “the dismal showing
of the first one held in Sokoto last year.
“They have realised that Nigerians now know that
they are an opposition governors forum and the only
way to get credibility now is to invoke the names of
governors who clearly do not belong to their group
nor share in their vision of turning the Governors
Forum into an anti federal government body.”
He said the first retreat was an anti-Federal
Government and that Nigerians would want the
governors to stick to their primary roles of
governing their states instead of attending retreats.
“The first retreat turned out to be an anti federal
government venting exercise and did not gain any
traction with the general public who want the
governors to stick with their primary functions of
running their states and the objectives of the
Nigeria Governors’ Forum which is to work in
cohesion with all other tiers of government to
deliver needed development to the Nigerian people”,
the Jang group further said.
The statement predicted that the planned retreat
would turn out to be another federal government
bashing get-together where the opposition script
would be acted out.

Ugandan rights activists challenge anti-gay law

Anenih appeals to South-West PDP on unity

As the battle for the 2015 general elections draws
nearer, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the
Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Annenih has
appealed to members of the party in the South-
West to unite in order to enhance the chances of the
ruling party.
Apart front this, he noted that reconciliation among
members of the party in the zone was also very
important.
Anenih spoke just as the Secretary to Government
of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim, said all parts
of the federation had a stake in the continued
stability and political development of the country.
The PDP BoT chairman spoke when he received
executive committee and members of the South
West Network, a pressure group within the ruling
PDP, at his residence in Abuja on Tuesday.
The BoT chairman said it was imperative for the
group to work with elders of the party at the states
and the national levels in order to stem the
dwindling fortunes of the party in the zone.
The former minister of works commended the
initiative of the group and pledged his support for its
determination to ensure victory of the party at the
forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti and Osun
states and other future elections.
He said, “You must brace to remain steadfast
because some other people will try to attack you,
but since your goals are noble and genuine, then
you have my blessing.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of the SWN, Senator
Hosea Agboola, said the group was formed to
redress the sliding relevance of the South-West in
the Nigerian political space, adding that disunity,
continuous bickering and leadership vacuum had
contributed to the maginilisation of the zone.
He said the group was embarking on reconciliation
of leaders and providing the platform to rally round
the South-West members of the PDP to take their
rightful position in the scheme of things.
Agboola , who is also Deputy Chief Whip of the
Senate, commended Anenih for his leadership and
relentless effort to stem the crisis in the party,
adding that a new lease of life was returning to the
party, which had helped the reconciliation process.
When the group visited Anyim, he told the its
members to continue to sensitise the people of the
zone on the need to see themselves as important
segment of the federation and contribute to the
empowerment of the people at the grass-roots
The SGF said, “Your group should look beyond the
elections and contribute to developing the
consciousness of the people towards the
transformation agenda of the present
administration.
“From the calibre of the members, your integrity
and level of achievement, your group possesses the
capacity and credibility to represent the interest of
the South-West.”
Agboola said the group had also visited former
President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Deputy
Chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George, and Chief
Shuaib Oyedokun.

Lagos Bar: Where homosexuality thrives

There is no doubt that pockets of gay people in the
country would be living in fear as a result of a
recent law that criminalises homosexuality in
Nigeria, with the possibility of 14 years
imprisonment.
But Saturday PUNCH investigation shows that a bar
by the roadside in Agege, Lagos might be offering
comfort to members of this community.
Our correspondent visited the bar.
Aware of how dangerous this kind of curiosity could
be, our correspondent went under the guise of being
a model looking for where to have fun and also
“organise” young men and women for his
homosexual clients.
The bar, which is located next to a popular petrol
station in the area, brings to mind the popular
saying that the best way to hide anything is to put it
in plain sight.
Dressed casually to blend with the crowd, our
correspondent learnt on getting to the bar that a 24-
year-old young man owns and runs the place.
Stoutly built with an average height of about five
feet, the bar owner’s (name withheld) feminine
disposition seemed to suggest that he might be gay.
Still apprehensive about a possible raid, our
correspondent asked if the place had ever been
raided by the police.
“No, my shop is very safe and has not been raided
before,” the owner replied.
Outside the bar, left-over decorations used during
the last Christmas hung on the grey double-leaf
metal door outside.
To any observer, the bar is like any regular hang-
out spot but visitors would immediately be
conscious of the peculiarity that would suggest that
this might be a gay bar.
Our correspondent learnt that on a good business
day, homosexuality, prostitution and Indian hemp
smoking thrive in the bar.
But during our reporter’s first visit around 8pm, the
pub was not full. It had just three young men who
were in their early twenties in it, apart from the
owner.
Two of the men seemed to be the bar owner’s
friends from the way they acted, and the fourth, a
dark-skinned, scruffy looking man wearing
dreadlocks sat by the wall, enjoying the music
blaring from the only two speakers in the pub.
The squalid cubicle-size bar can only
accommodate a table with about ten chairs
arranged round it.
The coloured lights in the bar made it impossible to
determine the colour of the interior. Even though
there was no television, guests had to manage the
non-stop party music. It was later learnt that those
who could not get inside the bar stay outside to
have their drinks.
The small bar is divided into two sections, the
section is where the drinks are inner and
sometimes used for quick romance as observed by
our correspondent. The outer part is where the
table and chairs are arranged for customers to sit
and have a good time.
Immediately our correspondent settled in the bar,
the owner came to sit close.
“I think I saw you earlier in the day strolling around,
or was it not you?” he asked.
“Yes, that was me. I actually noticed you were
looking at me and that’s why I decided to come and
hang out here. I came to see a friend and I would
leave here in some days,” our correspondent said.
It was a cue to earn his trust.The conversation
ended there.
Barely five minutes after the brief conversation, the
bar owner astounded our reporter as he kissed one
of his friends on the mouth before he briskly went to
attend to another male customer that had just
walked in.
When he came back, he sat playfully on the laps of
his friends before finally settling down in the middle
of the two men.
The young man whom the bar owner kissed wore a
shirt with the inscription ‘T-boi Swag.’ He stood up
and started dancing seductively. It was not clear
whether the theatrical gesture was for the benefit of
our correspondent or the bar owner’s.
He was at it for a long while before he finally
stopped.
Shortly after, another young man walked in and
ordered a drink. As if jolted from a long sleep, the
scruffy looking dark skinned guy with the
dreadlocks ordered a can of energy drink, dipped
his hands in his pocket and brought out a roll of
Indian hemp which he smoked as he drank.
This reporter invited the young man who came in
last to sit with him and started a conversation to
determine if he was a part of the happenings in the
bar.
He looked puzzled.
“I only came to see a relative around here and I
decided to come here to have some drinks out of
boredom,” he said.
He left shortly after.
Another scenario played out when one of the young
men was eating diced pineapple. The bar owner
asked to be fed some and when his friend opted to
feed him, he shook his head signalling that he
wanted a mouth-to-mouth feeding with his friend.
Without hesitation, his friend obliged and a brief kiss
was shared.
Some other three young men walked in, all ‘sagging’
their trousers, ordered drinks and brought out their
stash of Indian hemp. A smoking session soon
began as they puffed on their stuff freely.
Just when this reporter thought he had seen it all, a
set of four girls dressed in skimpy and tight-fitting
clothes walked in and greeted the bar owner in a
very familiar manner.
It was later discovered that they were commercial
sex workers. They ordered some drinks.
Few minutes before this reporter left, another pair of
commercial sex workers came into the bar.
Our correspondent spent three hours at the bar.
Before leaving, he called the bar owner outside for a
brief discussion and to get his phone number. The
young man initially hesitated.
But when the bar owner was told that there was
money to be made if he could arrange men for
orgies for our correspondent’s homosexual clients
his disposition became friendly and receptive at this
point.
He told the reporter that he was also a make-up
artiste and asked where the reporter was headed.
“I close around 12.30am. When you are done, you
can come and pick me and we would have a nice
time. I will call my aunt to tell her I am not coming
home tonight,” he said.
This reporter never showed up till a few days later.
The next time our reporter visited the bar, it was
around 1pm, but the bar was locked.
While pondering on what to do, he noticed a light-
skinned lady staring at him. Just when he wanted to
turn and leave, the lady and her friend came and
tapped at his car glass, asking if he wanted to see
the bar owner.
“I recognised you from your first visit,” she said.
The ladies got into the vehicle and took him to the
bar owner’s house.
The young man came out 10 minutes later with
signs that he must have been sleeping.
Our correspondent and the bar owner drove away
from the compound.
In the car, both our correspondent and the bar
owner had an extensive talk, which was secretly
recorded.
Our correspondent said he was a model based in
South Africa. The bar owner was asked to handle
the business our correspondent had told him about
during the previous visit, promising that he could
make between N50,000 and N70,000.
He was also asked how safe his bar was for the
business as no interruption by the police would be
needed. He said his bar had never been raided by
the police since he had been running it for about
five years.
The bar owner later opened up on his life as a gay,
his bar and how he deceived his parents into
thinking that he had a normal sexual orientation.
When asked about the kiss with his friend, T-boi, he
said it was a normal thing but he was not in a
relationship with the young man. He said that he
was in a relationship with a boy and a girl. The girl
was to serve as decoy to friends and family, so they
won’t know his sexual preference.
He said, “I just kissed him that day but there is
nothing between us. I am in a relationship with a
guy and a girl; both of them.”
He explained that whenever his friends, the
commercial sex workers, wanted to go out and
have a good time with their customers, his bar was
always the first point of call.
“They come to my bar first, drink, smoke shisha or
weed if they want. From my bar, they go to their
various destinations,” he said.
The bartender said that he also organised young
ladies and men for interested clients. He said that
for clients with a normal sexual orientation, he
charges between N10,000 and N15,000. But
homosexual clients pay more.
“Yes, I have girls that can have sex with other girls.
If there is money, they can do anything. If they want
to do two some, not with lesbians, sometimes they
collect N20,000 or N30,000 for the night. T-boi, on
the other hand, does it for money. They always give
him money. The guys I have collect about the same
amount. If you give the girls about N20,000, they
would be interested in being with a lesbian partner
but if it is a normal day that they are not going to
club, you can give them about N10,000.”
He told Saturday PUNCH that he would rather be
with someone who has a normal sexual orientation
and wait till the person flirts with him than with
someone who already knew he was gay.
The young man said he was more of a romantic
person and would not readily want to have sex with
another man for money. He, however, said if he
needed the money, he would take it.
He said, “I am always scared when I go out with a
complete stranger. I am always careful when I
meet people for the first time. I don’t know what the
person could be up to; that is why I am scared.
“I really don’t like people that are openly gay; I
prefer people who have a normal sexual orientation
and do not know about my sexual orientation but
make advances.
“I like them like that, but if people that are gay like
me offer to give me money, I don’t accept it. I would
rather introduce them to another guy. I have friends
that would be interested mostly because of the
money,” he said.
He believes that being a homosexual is his destiny.
He said he embraced it wholeheartedly about three
years ago when he turned 21.
The young man told Saturday PUNCH that there
were tell-tale signs that he was homosexual when
he was young as he always mingled with the
opposite sex. He said it was his nature and that was
the way he was created.
He said, “While growing up, I was always mistaken
for a girl till I began to grow beards. Now, I’m
attracted to men instead of women.
“I believe it is the nature of my body and my
destiny. I cannot deceive myself anymore because I
have more feelings for men than women,” he said,
making feminine mannerism.
“I count myself lucky because when people come
from South-Africa, they come to my shop. I don’t
know how they know my shop. This thing is natural,
you cannot hide it. I was still a kid when I knew I
was gay. Then, I used to play with girls and I was
always involved in girls’ games like ten-ten, playing
with dolls and the likes.
“Back then, people used to ask me to take money or
bet on whether I was a girl or a boy. It was not until
I started growing beard that they knew I was a man.
While growing up, my girlfriends would always
come to my house to invite me to play with them.”
The bartender said that he did not like the location of
his shop as the neighbourhood sometimes scared
away his customers. He told Saturday PUNCH that
when he got more money, he would establish a
hotel with a much bigger bar for his customers.
“I want to move because there are times when I
meet some clients and I give them the address of
my shop and they are scared to come because of
the location. Most times, they like me but the
location of my shop discourages them,” the
bartender said.
The last born in a family of four, he said that he
came from a good Christian home and none of his
family members was aware of his sexual
orientation. He said he once impregnated a girl to
prove that he was not a homosexual.
He said that the baby had a striking resemblance
with him and that he had been responsible for the
child as the mother insisted on keeping the baby.
“My family confronted me about whether I was gay
once but when I got the girl pregnant, they stopped
doubting me. People in my area were the ones
feeding them with all sorts of rumours,” he
explained.
The young man who said that he could play the role
of both a male and a female in a relationship, gave
hints on how to know who is the “king or queen” in
a homosexual relationship.
He said, “In a homosexual relationship, it is easier
to know the king than the queen. For example, the
king in a lesbian relationship is the one that acts
like a man. She likes men’s sports, dresses like a
man and even fights like a man.
“The queen is not so easy to spot. If a girl is naked
before her, once she sees her nipples, she would
become aroused and attempts to touch the nipples.
That’s when you would know the person is a
lesbian. I play the two roles of both a male and a
female.”

SOURCE: SATURDAY PUNCH

Access Point Network Blog

Monday, 24 March 2014

Boko Haram bombs market, kills 29 in Borno

Keshi in Lagos for TomTom event

Immigration tragedy: Moro may appear before Senate Tuesday

Friday, 21 March 2014

Robbers invade church, steal phones, N2m

Private jet: Reps probe oil minister’s N10bn expenses

Government should stop giving actors money — John Okafor

Jonathan admits treating terrorism with kid gloves

Tuesday, 18 March 2014

Nigeria Customs Service at work!!!

Friday, 14 March 2014

State finance commissioners call for fuel subsidy removal

I am happy at Manchester United, Van Persie insists

Kidnappers fed me with garri and oil – Jonathan’s uncle

Reps uncover fresh missing N35bn

Gunmen kill 69 in Katsina

Landing gear of US Airways plane collapses

Iran dismisses claims on human rights situation

e won’t repeal anti-gay law, FG tells UN

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Ugandan rights activists challenge anti-gay law

Pension thieves cashed 400 cheques in one day – Witness

Gunmen open fire on Benue gov’s convoy

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

Mother sells three-day-old baby for N260,000

We won’t attend NGF retreat, says Jang group

Ugandan rights activists challenge anti-gay law

Anenih appeals to South-West PDP on unity

Saturday, 8 March 2014

Lagos Bar: Where homosexuality thrives

Popular Posts

Translate

Blog Archive