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

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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.

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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”.

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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.

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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

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Centenary award to Abacha not unlawful – Presidency

The Presidency has defended the centenary award
given to the late military dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha,
saying the award was not a glorification of
corruption.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, who defended the
posthumous award given to Abacha during Nigeria’s
centenary celebration last week, said that the
award was not meant to celebrate moral virtues.
A cross section of Nigerians had questioned the
government for honouring some controversial
recipients, one of whom was Abacha.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, even rejected
his nomination for the centenary award, saying he
could not share the award with Abacha, who he
described as a “murderer and thief of no redeeming
quality”.
However, Abati told Saturday PUNCH that the
award did not mean that the government was
supporting sharp or corrupt practices, adding that
the allegation about money laundering and forfeiture
of money was another matter entirely in which the
government was also interested.
He said, “This (award) does not in any means
translate to supporting sharp practices or corrupt
practices. It is important to make the clear
distinction in this regard.”
He said, in giving the award to Abacha, the
committee in charge made it clear that he and
others under the same category were honoured
with regards to their contributions in keeping Nigeria
together.
Abati said, “I think it is important to make the
necessary distinction here. The centenary award,
like every award, has its own criteria. That
centenary award was in relation to the
amalgamation, the national unity, the history of
Nigeria and the roles played by certain individuals.
“The centenary award was not a test of sainthood.
In giving the award to the former Head of State,
Gen. Abacha, the committee in charge made it very
clear that the award in the category in which the
former Head of State appeared was awarded with
regard to the contributions of those individuals in
keeping Nigeria together.
“You will find out that under that category, there
were largely former Heads of State, persons who
have at one time or the other presided over Nigeria
and under whose watch, in spite of whatever
challenges they might have faced, helped to sustain
the unity of the country and helped to defend the
integrity and sovereignty of the country. That was a
specific criterion in this particular category. Of
course, every award at all, be it for beauty or any
other thing has its own criteria.”
Abacha was honoured during the nation’s centenary
award last Friday under the category of
“outstanding promoters of unity, patriotism and
national development.”
The reason given for his nomination was that “he
took over power when the nation was on the brink
of precipice. He mobilised the nation’s most
prominent political class into his cabinet and
succeeded in ensuring the continued unity of the
nation. He also raised Nigeria’s international
standing for his peace keeping military interventions
in Sierra Leone and Liberia.”
His award was received on his behalf by his widow,
Mariam.
Meanwhile, Abati added that the Federal
Government had always initiated moves to ensure
that stolen money is repatriated back to the country.
Abati said this while responding to questions by
Saturday PUNCH about the moves being made by
the Federal Government to recover $458m Abacha
loot seized by the United States.
He said, “The allegation about money laundering
and forfeiture of money is another matter entirely
and it is also a matter in which the Nigerian
government is interested in.
“The Nigerian government has consistently over the
years initiated efforts to ensure that stolen money is
repatriated back to the country and that such
repatriated funds are used for the benefit of the
people.”

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Boko Haram: Soldiers complain of poor welfare, low morale

There are mounting concerns in security circles
over the issue of special arrangement for the
security operatives deployed in the operational
areas in the three states of Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa which are under emergency rule.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that low morale occasioned
by lack of motivation and poor welfare package
might be some of the factors working against the
successful execution of the war against Boko
Haram militants in the zone.
The Islamic sect had killed close to 200 people in
the last one and half weeks including the massacre
of 53 schoolchildren in Yobe State. Thirty five
persons were also killed on Sunday during a fierce
gunfight between the insurgents and soldiers in
Mafa, a community that is 45 kilometres to the east
of Maiduguri in Borno State.
The Mafa attack was the third within 24 hours in the
troubled state. Last Saturday, a twin bomb attack
left 52 people dead while another attack on Mainok
village by the insurgents killed 39.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that both the medical care
and welfare packages for the fighting soldiers were
grossly insufficient to motivate them.
Saturday Punch had in a previous edition reported
that outdated military weapons hindered effective
war against the Islamic insurgents. It was reported
that the last time serious military hardware was
purchased for the Nigerian military was during the
Alhaji Shehu Shagari regime in the early 80s.
Also, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, had
warned that from what he had seen, the
sophistication of the weaponry of the Boko Haram
insurgents could not be compared with that of
Nigeria’s military.
But Saturday PUNCH findings showed that apart
from outdated weapons, other issues bordering on
welfare and motivation might be hindering effective
war campaign against members of Boko Haram.
Some of the soldiers who spoke to Saturday PUNCH
on the condition of anonymity, because it is against
military rules for unauthorised soldiers to speak to
the press, alleged that apart from the poor welfare
package, some of the wounded soldiers pick their
own medical bills while others do not get the
required comprehensive medical attention.
It was gathered that most of those injured in
conflicts were treated at the barracks while
complicated cases were referred to government
hospitals, including the University of Maiduguri
Teaching Hospital.
A soldier said, “Some of the injured are compelled to
pay for their drugs, they have to pay for the
expensive drugs, the only drugs available are
usually paracetamol and phensic. ’’
He claimed that some soldiers’ limbs had been
amputated due to lack of proper medical attention.
Another soldier told our correspondent that there
was a time one of them was shot in the stomach
and admitted at the UMTH. “’When we visited him,
we could not but be moved to contribute some
money towards his medical care, because he was
in great pain and had no money to treat himself.’’
Investigations revealed that since President
Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency
in the three Boko Haram endemic states on May 14,
2013, the Joint Task Force, which assumed initial
responsibility of combating the insurgents, put in
place an arrangement to pay N1,000 per day to
each security operative involved in the operation.
It was learnt that the same amount was paid to
soldiers, riot policemen, State Security Services
officials and other security operatives under the
JTF.
Security sources said that while the Federal
Government paid N45,000 per month to each
security operative, the authorities deducted the sum
of N15,000 from each personnel as feeding
allowances in the camps.
It was further learnt that the allowances were paid
strictly on a daily basis as N31,000 is paid for
months with 31 days; N30,000 for months with 30
days and N28,000 for the month of February.
Investigation further revealed that the present
arrangement makes a provision of N50, 000 for the
family of any soldier or security operative who gets
killed in action.
It was further learnt that no extra financial
arrangement was put in place to cushion the pains
of injured soldiers in the frequent audacious attacks
of the sect.
It was also learnt that while in principle, medical
arrangement was supposed to be made available
for injured soldiers, some of them with gunshot
wounds were left at the MRS.
The MRS is a short term for the traditional medical
facility in any military formation in the country.
In most cases, the MRS is not equipped to the level
of a standard medical facility with the capacity that
could give adequate treatment to gunshot wounds
inflicted on soldiers during gunfights.
It was further learnt that even those who were
taken to the general hospitals where they are
supposed to be treated for free had issues with the
quality and frequency of the feeding arrangement.
It was stated that a good number of security
operatives were being lackadaisical because of the
magnitude of risk and the associated loss involved
in the operation if things went the other way.
The source said, “What they pay is N45, 000 per
month to each security operative. When you say
soldiers, there is no difference between a soldier,
police, SSS, immigration, customs or any other
security agent.
“Out of the N45, 000, they deduct N15, 000 per
month from every operative for feeding.
“What they pay is N1,000 per day because they
pay N30, 000 when the month has 30 days and
N31, 000 when the month is 31 days. They pay
according to days in the month. As for allowances
for the injured, I am not aware of any such
allowances.
“If you are unlucky and you are injured, you are
taken to a general hospital, where you will be
treated. They will feed you but if you rely solely on
that and you don’t have money , hunger go wire
you .”
“There are also occasions when soldiers are taken
to the MRS where they simply dress the wounds if
there are no spaces in the general hospitals.
“And if a soldier or security operative is killed, they
pay N50, 000 to the family, they take the body back
home and that is it. Of course, this is apart from the
entitlement of the personnel in his service.
The source said that the issue of the N50, 000
death allowance to the family was a major
disincentive to the soldiers and security operatives
involved in the fight.
It was stated that many security operatives were
reluctant to be transferred to the operational areas
because of the feeling that N50,000 could be easily
made in a non-operational area and was not worth
the risk.
In Borno State, some of the soldiers who spoke to
Saturday PUNCH said they were not being paid the
feeding allowance.
One of them who said, “We were supposed to get
N45,000 monthly allowance which should also take
care of our feeding but instead of getting the whole
amount, we are only paid N30,000 monthly with the
understanding that the remaining N15,000 was
deducted to prepare food for us.”
The soldier, who is of the infantry unit of the
Nigerian Army, said that he was returning to the
troubled Maiduguri. He explained that in his first
sojourn to the troubled region, soldiers were served
thrice daily.
He said, “But now the food is brought just once; the
whole three meals are brought at the same time.’’
He also lamented that the quality of the food was
poor.
Another soldier, a Lance Corporal said, “I just dey
manage the food, it is not something that is worth
the N15,000 they are taking from me monthly but
wetin man go do?”
He said he believed that the allowance was jointly
contributed by the state and the Federal
Government.
The soldiers described the N1,000 per day
allowance as grossly inadequate. One of them said
it was generally believed that the allowance is
N5,000 daily, but that the officers were short-
changing them.
He said the most annoying thing was that the
soldiers were made to go back home empty-
handed after the exercise. The soldier, who said
this was his second time of being deployed in the
state, explained that: “The other security outfits in
the Joint Task Force deployed out of the state went
away with N1m when they were being deployed
from the state but those from the Army went with
nothing.”
One of the soldiers lamented that other incentives
from the governor of Borno State were not given to
them by their superiors. He said, “There was a day
we went out with the governor and he gave the
officers N12,000 each for a soldier but the officer
just bought a can of coke for each of us and did not
give us anything.
“It is a pity that there is so much corruption in the
system and this is discouraging, especially at times
like this when morale should be high to deal with the
insurgents.”
The soldiers, however, said the state governments
in the region had been helpful to families of soldiers
that lost their lives in the fight against the
insurgents.
“The states give N1m each to the families of slain
soldiers,’’ they said, but lamented that this,
sometimes, does not get to the family of the
deceased intact, alleging that officers sometimes
give as little as N250,000 to some families.’’
When Saturday PUNCH contacted the Director of
Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, for
comments, he said that he was not in a position to
state what local and state governments were giving
to the security operatives and asked that the inquiry
be directed to them.
He stated also that the assistance being rendered
by states was not general as each state had
arrangement which might differ from the others.
Olukolade explained that the military did not have
any special conditions of service for soldiers
engaging the Boko Haram insurgents in the ongoing
operation.
He said that the statutory conditions of service for
the operatives were in place in the event of any
incident.
He also debunked the claim that N50, 000 was the
standard compensation to families who lose their
members in action, noting that the amount was
dependent on the rank of the personnel.
He said, “That is not correct, the conditions of
service apply; there is no special condition for Boko
Haram, the conditions of service apply.
“There are other entitlements and it depends on the
rank of the personnel; there is the Nigerian Army
Welfare Insurance, which is paid to them; there is
Benevolent Funds which are also paid to them.
“All of them are meant to augment other benefits
that would come up. The details of the conditions of
service for soldiers apply and they differ…
“On the issue of what states or local governments
are giving, what Borno claims to be using to assist
may be different from that of Yobe and Adamawa, it
is not universal.”

SOURCE: SATURDAY PUNCH

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How Obasanjo’s govt spent $500m Abacha loot – Okonjo-Iweala

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
has explained how the Olusegun Obasanjo
administration spent the loot recovered from the
late maxiumn dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha.
She said that contrary to reports that the sum of $
2bn was recovered from Abacha’s loot, only $500m
was recovered under her watch when she was first
made finance minister.
The minister made the clarification amidst
conflicting figures about the actual amount
recovered.
For instance, speaking in London in November
2006, the pioneer Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu,
had said that “Abacha took over $6bn from
Nigeria,” and that $2bn of the loot had been
recovered.
Ribadu repeated the same figure in the same month
during the 12th International Anti-Corruption
Conference in Guatemela.
Three months ago, Ribadu repeated the same claim
in Dakar at the 2nd Annual High Level Dialogue on
Governance and Democracy in Africa.
As Minister of Finance in the Olusegun Obasanjo
administration, Okonjo-Iweala, in 2005 – a year
before Ribadu made his claim – at a news
conference in Switzerland reportedly said that
Nigeria had recovered about $2bn total of asset
from Abacha.
But reacting to the conflicting claims on the stolen
money, the minister who spoke through her Special
Adviser Communication, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, said
that the recovered $500m under her watch was
verified and used in a structured manner for
developmental projects.Nwabuikwu said, “The
minister did not say only $500m was recovered as
the entire loot of Abacha. What she actually said
was that under her watch when she was in
government as a minister, it was that amount that
was recovered. And that money was used in a
structured way to carry out some programmes of
government.
“You will recall that at a point, she left government
to return after some years and she cannot be held
accountable for whatever happens when she was
not in office.
“So the bottom line is that only $500m was the
amount recovered when she was in government.”
On how the funds were utilised, the minister through
her special adviser said part of the recovered loot
was used to fund projects in the power, health,
works, health, education and water sectors.
The minister supported her claims with a report
jointly prepared by the World Bank and Ministry of
Finance – a copy of which was made available to
our correspondent,
According to the document, the sum of N21.70bn
was spent on power (rural electrification and power
generation); N18.6bn on works (priority economic
roads); and N10.83bn on health (primary health care
and vaccination programme).
Also, N7.74bn was utilised on basic and secondary
school education (primary schools, junior secondary
schools and federal government colleges) and
N6.20bn on water (potable water and rural
irrigation).

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The political situation in Rivers State is getting messy by the day as an improvised explosive device was thrown at the Administrative Block of the Office of the Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, in the early hours of today, causing a minimal damage to the building.

The Deputy Governor was unhurt in the explosion.
There has not been any official statement yet but
Mr. Godswill Jumbo, the Press Secretary to the
Deputy Governor confirmed that an incident like that
happened, adding that he would issue a statement
later.
Sources at the Government House assured that an
official statement will be issued after Governor
Chibuike Amaechi had inspected the scene.
Phone calls to Ahmad Muhammad, the Police Public
Relations Officer, PPRO, for the state, were not
answered.
Facts are also emerging that the fire that engulfed
the old section of the Mile One Rumuoji Market
today may have been caused by an explosive
device thrown into the stores in the market.
Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, the state Commissioner of
Information and Communications, said that arson
was not ruled out in the burning of the market as
explosions were heard in some parts of the state
capital the previous night.
She said explosives might have been thrown into
the market.
Interestingly, Police Public Relations Officer Ahmad
Muhammad told Premium Times that he was not
aware of any explosion in the state.
If the attack is proven, it would be a fresh twist in a
series of political crises that have rocked the
volatile oil producing state for months.

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Don’t be a victim of scam

No one wants to fall for a scam. Yet, thousands of
people have been scammed over the years. It is
particularly tricky to avoid a scam when there is a
crafty fraudster involved. There are many forms of
financial fraud and scams today and experts say a
lot of caution is required by people if they are to
stand a chance of preventing themselves from
becoming victims.
Being careless will not only amount to the loss of
hard-earned funds or savings, it can also subject
the victim to ridicule. The Washington State
Department of Financial Institutions says, “Many
victims of financial crimes blame themselves for not
seeing through the scam”.
Calling on people to take steps to protect
themselves against scams it says, “No matter what
we call them — con artists, con men, scamsters —
they’re criminals. They steal our money. They’re
not just people next door trying to make a living.
They are trying to deprive us of the money that we
have worked hard to earn and save. They destroy
lives.”
To avoid becoming a victim, the WSDFI says the
following self-defence tips will be helpful.
Don’t be a courtesy victim
Con artists will not hesitate to exploit the good
manners of the potential victim. Remember that a
stranger who calls and asks for your money is to be
regarded with utmost caution and skepticism. You
have absolutely no obligation to stay on the phone
with a stranger who wants your money. It’s not
impolite to say you are not interested and hang up.
Don’t be rushed – check it out
Say no to any salesperson that pressures you to
make an immediate decision. If he or she doesn’t
have the time to explain the investment to your
regular investment professional, or other party, or if
they ask “Can’t you make your own investment
decisions?” Say ‘NO!’You have the right and
responsibility to check out the salesperson, firm,
and the investment opportunity itself. Before you
even consider investing, get the prospectus, review
it carefully, and make sure you understand all the
risks involved. But remember, even written material
sent from the promoter can be fraudulent or
misleading.
Always stay in charge of your money
Don’t be taken in by anyone who wants your money
and assures you that he or she is a professional
and can handle everything. Beware of any financial
professional who suggests putting your money into
something you don’t understand. And never let
yourself be talked into leaving everything in his or
her hands.
Always watch over and protect your nest egg
Never trust anyone who wants you to turn over your
money to them and then sit back and wait for
results. If you understand little about the world of
investments, take the time to educate yourself.
Constant vigilance is a necessary part of being an
investor.
Never judge a person’s integrity by how they look or
sound
Far too many investors who are wiped out by con
artists later explain that the swindler “looked and
sounded so professional.” Successful con artists
sound extremely professional and have the ability to
make even the flimsiest investment deal sound as
safe as putting money in the bank. Remember that
sincerity in a voice, especially on the phone, has no
bearing on the soundness of an investment
opportunity. Always do the necessary homework.
Watch out for salespeople that prey on your fears
Con artists know that many investors, particularly
older investors, worry that they will either outlive
their savings or see all of their financial resources
vanish overnight as the result of a catastrophic
event. It’s quite common for swindlers and abusive
salespeople to pitch their schemes as a way to build
up life savings to the point where such fears are no
longer necessary. Remember that fear and greed
can cloud your good judgment and leave you in a
much worse financial posture.
Exercise particular caution if you have limited or no
experience handling money
Ask a con artist to describe his ideal victim and
you’re likely to hear “elderly widow or widower.”
Many people now in their retirement years have
limited knowledge about handling money. They
often relied on their spouses to handle most or all
money decisions. Those who have received windfall
insurance in the wake of the death of a spouse are
prime targets for con artists. People who are on
their own for the first time in years should always
seek advice of family members or impartial
professionals before deciding what to do with their
money.
Monitor your investments and ask tough questions
Too many investors trust unscrupulous investment
professionals and outright con artists to make
financial decisions for them. They then compound
their error by failing to keep an eye on the progress
of the investment. Insist on regular written reports.
Check the written information. Look for excessive
or unauthorised trading in your funds. Don’t be
swayed by assurances that such practices are
routine or in your best interest. Don’t permit a sense
of friendship or trust to keep you from demanding
this information. If you suspect something is wrong
and you don’t get satisfactory answers, get help.
Look for trouble retrieving your principal or cashing
out profits
If a stockbroker, financial planner, or other
individual stalls you when you want to pull out your
principal or profits, demand to know why. Since
unscrupulous investment promoters have probably
pocketed the funds of their victims, they will go to
great lengths to explain why your savings are not
available.
Don’t let embarrassment or fear keep you from
reporting investment fraud
Investors who fail to report that they’ve been
victimised often hesitate out of embarrassment. Con
artists know all about such sensitivities.
They count on these fears preventing or delaying
the time when the authorities will be notified about
the scam. It’s true that most money lost to
investment fraud is rarely recovered. In many
cases, however, when investors recognised early
that they’d been misled, they were able to recover
some or all of their funds by being a “squeaky
wheel”.






CREDITS: ADEMOLA ALAWIYE

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Centenary: Outrage as Abacha’s children attack Soyinka

Two children of the late maximum ruler, General
Sani Abacha, on Wednesday singled out Nobel
laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, for what can be
described as a venomous attack.
While Gumsu, one of the late dictator’s daughters,
took to her Twitter page to pass disparaging
remarks on Soyinka, his brother Sadiq chose blogs
and online forums to snarl abuses at him.
According to them, their grouse against Soyinka
borders on a statement he made that he rejected
the centenary award by the Federal Government
because of the inclusion of their late father’s name
on the list of awardees.
Soyinka had said it was an insult for him to be listed
alongside Abacha for the award saying, “I reject my
share of this national insult. We are speaking of a
man who placed this nation under siege during an
unrelenting reign of terror that is barely different
from the current rampage of Boko Haram.
“It is this very psychopath that was recently
canonised by the government of Goodluck Jonathan
in commemoration of 100 years of Nigerian
trauma.”
But Gumsu, who threw the first salvo, said in her
own wisdom, Soyinka’s statement was “stupid,
foolish and insignificant.”
“Someone should tell Soyinka that I liked his books
when I was younger but that is where it ends.
Today, I reject his stupid, foolish and insignificant
statement. I am not perfect, nor was my late dad.
We are human beings. God’s creation! We are not
perfect just like our fingers aren’t equal. Take it or
leave it,” she tweeted.
In what appeared as a coordinated attack, Sadiq
took time to write a 1,762-word open letter in which
he cast aspersions on Soyinka.
While claiming to be “lecturing” Soyinka, Sadiq said
he believes that the professor’s “brilliance is not
perfection” adding that the Nobel Laureate should
desist from always “pouncing” on his late father.
While defending his dictator father, he described
Soyinka as a “common writer” who has grown old
and fast “losing his grasp of reality.”
“Here I find myself defending my father 15 years
after his death because some of you have no one
else to pounce on, or rather, you have chosen a
dead person to keep pouncing on over and over
again when you have more than an array of
contestants,” Sadiq added.
But no sooner had their bombshells surfaced online
than a barrage of criticisms began to trail their
actions.
Many were quick to remind the children of the
autocratic ruler that the freedom of expression they
were exercising online by attacking Soyinka was
actually repressed during their father’s dictatorial
rule.
A political blogger, Babatunde Rosanwo, said it was
appalling that Abacha’s children were running
commentaries on highly respected individuals in the
country.
He reminded the two siblings that their father
brought much “sorrow” to the nation while his reign
lasted.
“When Abacha’s children begin to run commentary
on Wole Soyinka, you wonder if they were too
young to know their father. There is no need to
remind the Abachas of the sorrow their father
brought upon Nigeria.
“I blame President Jonathan for his short memory.
Today it is Wole Soyinka, tomorrow it may be Gani
Fawehinmi. The Abachas are enjoying the freedom
of expression their father repressed,” Rosanwo
added.
A few hours after Sadiq’s article was circulated
online, a blogger, Ayo Sogunro, who described
himself as a young Nigerian who sees Soyinka as
his “socio-political” father, took to his blog to defend
the literary icon.
In his 1,454-word blog post on ayosogunro.com , he
said the Abacha reign “have been the worst years
of my material life as a Nigerian citizen”, noting that
the attacks on Soyinka amounted to a “misguided
filial bravery.”
“You (Sadiq Abacha) can never eradicate the
infamy of your father’s legacy by trying to point out
the failings of another Nigerian. No length of finger
pointing will wash away the odious feeling the name
Abacha strikes up in the mind of the average
Nigerian.
“Wole Soyinka did not antagonise your father just
because he was a military man—Wole Soyinka was
against your father’s inhumanity. Your father was
intolerant of criticism beyond belief,” Sogunro wrote
in his blog post.
Lending a voice to the outrage, a public relations
practitioner, Isioma Osaje, wrote on Twitter that no
matter the amount of mudslinging from the late
dictator’s family, they cannot distort history.
She said, “You (Sadiq and Gumsu) should know that
it is unfortunate that he is your father. But Abacha
was everything he is accused of and more. A thief
is a thief, father or not. His sins are not your sins
unless you were cohorts and while it is admirable
that you defend your father, it does not change
history.”
Also, one Tobi Amoo, who claimed to have once
attended the same school with Sadiq, cautioned the
duo against further spewing rubbish in an attempt to
get back at Soyinka.
“Sadiq Abacha was actually a year my senior in
Maitama during his father’s terrible reign,” he said.
“If my father were a thief and murderer, I’d keep
quiet when people talked about it, not spew crap as
if na only me sabi speak oyinbo .
“If your father is a thief and you speak to support
him, you are a thief also. It’s the same freedom that
Wole Soyinka and others like the late Gani
Fawehinmi fought for that allows these badly-
brought up children to open their gob and spout
rubbish.”

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Ukraine crisis: EU leaders to hold emergency talks

EU leaders are to begin an emergency summit to
decide how strongly they should respond to
Russia’s troop deployment in Ukraine’s Crimea
region.
Some members, particularly from Eastern Europe,
are pressing for tough sanctions, but others – led
by Germany – put more stress on mediation.
The Brussels summit comes a day after high-level
talks with Russia in Paris ended without significant
progress.
Pro-Russian forces are in de facto control of
Crimea.
A tense stand-off continued overnight across the
southern region, where Ukrainian troops remain
blockaded in their bases.
The leaders of the 28-member EU block are
expected to open the emergency meeting at 10:30
GMT.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is hoping that
in alliance with Sweden, Poland and other Eastern
European countries he can persuade their
colleagues of the need for Russian President
Vladimir Putin to pay a price for the occupation of
Crimea, the BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson
reports.
They will push not just for the suspension of EU-
wide agreements with Russia on visa free travel and
energy, but also the explicit threat – though not the
implementation – of targeted sanctions, he adds.
However, other countries – led by German
Chancellor Angela Merkel – are believed to be
pushing for mediation as the best way out of the
escalating crisis.
Ms Merkel is said to be worried that tough steps
may undermine attempts to start a dialogue
between Russia and Ukraine and distract from the
need to support the new government in Kiev both
economically and politically, our editor says.
Ukraine’s new interim Prime Minister Arseniy
Yatsenyuk will also be present in Brussels.
The EU summit will probably impose some fairly
symbolic sanctions, like halting talks on visa or
trade liberalisation, the BBC’s Chris Morris in
Brussels reports.
But more substantive measures – including travel
bans or asset freezes against senior Russian
officials – are unlikely, our correspondent says. The
idea is to offer strong support to Ukraine and simply
try to keep talking to Russia.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry
described his Paris meeting with his Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov over Ukraine as “tough”,
but promised to continue talking.
Kerry said he was committed to working with
Moscow to ease the crisis.
However, he stressed afterwards that that Russia’s
violation of Ukrainian sovereignty “would not go
unanswered”.
The talks were also attended by foreign ministers
from the UK, Germany and France, but Mr Lavrov
refused to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy
Deshchytsia, whose government Moscow does not
recognise.
Deshchytsia is part of the new regime in Kiev,
which came to power after pro-Russian President
Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia.
Moscow regards the new government as
illegitimate, and says that Mr Yanukovych is still the
rightful leader.

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US intelligence under fire over Ukraine

The nation’s top intelligence office denies
suggestions the United States was caught off guard
by Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, calling
reports to that effect “highly inaccurate.”
Shawn Turner, a spokesman for Director of National
Intelligence James Clapper, said in a statement
Wednesday that the intelligence community has
“frequently warned of worrisome trends with
respect to Russia’s foreign policy” since Vladimir
Putin returned to the presidency in 2012.
He included examples issued several days before
Russia’s movement last week into the Crimean
peninsula during political upheaval in Ukraine.
Some members of Congress have been vocal in
their questioning of intelligence ahead of the military
steps taken by Putin, and vowed to investigate.
On Tuesday, House Intelligence Committee
Chairman Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican,
ordered a review of the intelligence assessment
leading up to the intervention, Rogers’
spokeswoman Susan Phalen said.
Separately, Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican
and a member of the Permanent Select Committee
on Intelligence, said on CNN’s “Erin Burnett
OutFront” that Russia’s intervention was “not
predicted” but was “among a list of possibilities.”
He said lawmakers would look at whether “more
intelligence could have been gathered” or whether
there was a problem with the analysis.
“Now the CIA is right in that they did give that as a
possibility but they certainly didn’t say it was going
to happen,” he said, noting there would be hearings
on the matter.
“But clearly we were not anticipating this level of
attack, this level of incursion by the Russians and
that is something that as we’re going to have I
believe an ongoing series of crises with the
Russians we have to do better in the future,” he
said.
In the Senate, John McCain pressed Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel at an Armed Services
Committee hearing on Wednesday on whether
Russia’s Crimea action was a surprise.

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Early treatment ‘cures’ second US HIV-positive baby

US researchers have revealed another baby
carrying the HIV virus, which leads to Aids, may
have been cured through early treatment.
Antiretrovial drugs were reportedly administered to
the baby in California just four hours after birth.
The unidentified nine-month-old child is now said to
be HIV negative.
It is the second such case after an HIV-positive
Mississippi infant brought into remission following
early treatment was reported in 2013.
“This is a call to action for us to mobilize and be
able to learn from these cases,” Johns Hopkins
University paediatrics specialist Dr Deborah
Persaud said at a Boston medical conference.
No trace of the virus can now be found in the
infant’s blood or tissues, the doctor revealed.
Dr Persaud said the nine-month-old child is still
receiving a three-drug anti-Aids cocktail, while the
three-year-old Mississippi child stopped receiving
antiretroviral treatments two years ago.
“Really the only way we can prove that we have
accomplished remission in these kids is by taking
them off treatment and that’s not without risk,” Dr
Persaud added.
Both children are reported to have been born to
mothers infected with HIV, which weakens the
body’s immune system.
The human immunodeficiency virus has infected
more than 34 million people worldwide, researchers
estimate.

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Neymar scores hat-trick against S’Africa

A much-hyped friendly between the last and next
World Cup hosts lacked bite as the ‘Selecao’
exploited woeful Bafana Bafana (The Boys)
defending.
Oscar opened the scoring on 10 minutes, Neymar
struck once in the first half and twice in the second,
and Fernandinho got on the scoresheet as well, AFP
reports.
Brazil had won four previous games between the
countries since 1996 – all by one-goal margins –
but showed no mercy this time.
It was the final warm-up for the 2014 World Cup title
favourites before the May announcement of the 23-
man World Cup squad.
South Africa, who stunned World Cup and Euro title-
holders Spain 1-0 at the same stadium last
November, were overawed and outclassed.
Coach Gordon Igesund has been branded a ‘dead
man walking’ after poor tournament results and this
loss greatly lessens his chances of a new contract
in mid-year.
South Africa gave a first cap to 22-year-old
goalkeeper Ronwen Williams in the absence of
injured captain Itumeleng Khune with centre-back
Thabo Nthethe taking over the armband.
Brazil also introduced new faces as coach Luiz
Felipe Scolari gave first starts to Bayern Munich
defender Rafinha and Manchester City midfielder
Fernandinho.
It did not take the South Americans long to establish
control before a crowd that grew to 51,000 after
heavy mid-day rain.
A Brazilian goal was inevitable and it arrived on 10
minutes as midfielder Oscar outpaced Nthethe to a
Rafinha pass and lobbed the ball over Williams.
Tortoise-slow Nthethe was suffering against the
slick visitors and his defensive partner Bongani
Khumalo was an early injury casualty, giving way to
Siyanda Xulu.
The persistent pressure told again on 41 minutes
with Neymar the scorer, hammering the ball past
Williams from close range.
Veteran Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar was a virtual
spectator until first-half stoppage time when a Dean
Furman drive flashed just wide.
Brazil made a planned half-time change from a
yellow-and-blue outfit to an all-blue kit and 25
seconds into the second half they were three goals
ahead.
Neymar had time and space he would not normally
be accustomed to and he calmly lobbed the ball
over Williams.
South Africa introduced Ayanda Patosi just past the
hour and he almost scored with his first touch,
forcing Cesar into an acrobatic block.
Fernandinho netted 11 minutes from time, latching
on to a loose ball and giving Williams no chance,
and Neymar scored in stoppage time from point-
blank range.

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