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."
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Nigeria Customs Service at work!!!
Friday, 14 March 2014
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.”
Thursday, 13 March 2014
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.”
Tuesday, 11 March 2014
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
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”.