A beggar, Hadiza Ibrahim, has been arrested in Abuja with cash sums of N500,000 and $100.
The discovery threw residents into confusion.
The spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Social and Development Secretariat, Shaka Sunday, confirmed that the woman was in the agency’s custody at the Bwari area council.
He said the suspect had yet to explain how she came about the money found on her.
Sunday said, “We caught the woman with $100 and N500,000.
“The lady is still in our centre in Bwari. She is undergoing profiling because she has not been able to give us all the relevant information and how she came about the money.”
Governors of the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party under the aegis of PDP Governors Forum on Monday met in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital with a vow to unseat the ruling APC in the 2023 general elections over what it called misrule and bad governance APC has visited on Nigerians.
The governors while expressing concern over the readiness of President Muhammadu Buhari to bequeath to the country a reformed electoral framework urged him to sign into law the Electoral Act Amendment Bill recently transmitted to him by the National Assembly, advising that amendments could be introduced later if there are misgivings over it.
In a communique issued at the end of their meeting presided over by the governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu the PDP governors also applauded the performance of the party at the weekend Area Council election in FCT where the party won three of the six area councils and 43 of the 62 councilorship positions.
While applauding INEC over the improvements recorded, the party noted that the Gwagwalada and Abaji Area Council results show that manipulations are still possible, urging the electoral body to tighten all observed loopholes and further improve on the functioning of the BIVAS Machine for future elections.
The Governors expressed their displeasure on the issue of contaminated Fuel supplied to Nigerians and urged government to bring perpetrators to account.
They also frowned at what they call the duplicity, inconsistency, insincerity of the APC led Federal Government on the fuel subsidy regime, which according to them has been badly and corruptly administered.
PDP Governors Forum allege that the figures of consumption ascribed to Nigerians appear fictitious and bloated, calling for proper investigation on the matter.
The communique further read, “The Forum welcomed the Court decision on Police Trust Fund deductions from the Federation Account, a suit at the instance of Rivers State and urged the Federal Government to stop similar unconstitutional deductions from the Federation Account.
“In the same vein, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission should expedite action on the new Revenue Allocation formula in such a way as to increase allocation to States and Local Government.
“The Forum once again deplored the way and manner the CBN is being run as an alternate government, indeed, a government within a Government. It is time to streamline its functions and processes to be constitutionally compliant.
“The Forum once again decried the opaque nature of NNPC operations. They called for accountability and reconciliation of NNPC remittances into the federation account.
“As the National Assembly winds down this current phase of the Constitution Review exercise, the Forum urged that they revisit the issue of devolution of more powers to the States and Local Governments.
“This opportunity to rejig the framework for policing and securing Nigeria should not be missed. To this end, the Forum would set up a Panel of Consultants to have a thorough look at the security architecture of Nigeria and make recommendations.
“The Governors also urged the National Assembly to transfer some items from the Exclusive Legislative List to Concurrent List.
“The PDP Governors congratulated His Excellency, Governor Douye Diri on his second anniversary in office as he has made a positive difference for the people of Bayelsa State. They thanked him for being such a gracious and wonderful host.”
The meeting had in attendance Governors of Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State who is Vice Chairman of the forum, Gov. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state and the host governor, Gov. Sen. Douye Diri of Bayelsa State.
Others are, Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Gov. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Gov. Engr. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde of Oyo State, Gov. Nyesom Wike, CON of Rivers State.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba on Monday ordered the arrest of the suspended head of the Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari, and four other police officers for their involvement in an alleged case of criminal conspiracy, discreditable, unethical and unprofessional conduct, official corruption and tampering with exhibits in a case of illicit drug trafficking involving a perpetual transnational drug cartel.
The arrest of the officers was sequel to information received from the leadership of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on 10th February 2022.
A statement by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, explained the report of the interim investigation revealed that two international drug couriers Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on January 19, 2022 upon their arrival from Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET917.
The arrest, Adejobi, said led to the recovery of a substantial quantity of powdery substance suspected to be cocaine from the two narcotic couriers.
The operation, which was intelligence-driven, was undertaken by a Unit of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
He said: “Although the case and the two suspects were subsequently transferred to the NDLEA on the 25th January, 2022, the findings of the in-house investigation ordered by the Inspector General of Police established reasonable grounds for strong suspicion that the IRT officers involved in the operation could have been involved in some underhand and unprofessional dealings as well as official corruption which compromised ethical standards in their dealings with the suspects and exhibits recovered.
The two arrested drug couriers confirmed that the modus is for the transnational drug barons to conspire with the NDLEA officers on duty and send them their pre-boarding photographs for identification, seamless clearance, and unhindered passage out of the airport with the narcotics being trafficked.
“The two arrested drug couriers also confirmed that they have been enjoying this relationship with the NDLEA officers at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport since 2021 and had in this instant case of 19th January, 2022, been identified and cleared by the NDLEA officers as customary, having received their pre-departure photographs and other details prior to their arrival in Enugu, and were on their way out with the narcotics when they were apprehended by the Police.
“The Police investigations report also indicted DCP Abba Kyari, who had been on suspension for his alleged involvement in a different fraud case being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for complicity in the allegation of official corruption, tampering with narcotics exhibit and sundry unprofessional conducts that negate the standard administrative and investigative protocols of the Force as well as extant criminal laws. It is to be emphasised that DCP Abba Kyari’s involvement in these allegations occurred while his suspension from service was subsisting”.
On the strength of the findings of the in-house Police Investigation Panel, the Inspector-General of Police, he said, has ordered the immediate arrest and transfer of all the indicted police officers to the NDLEA authorities for conclusive investigation, while appropriate disciplinary actions are also being initiated against them by the Force leadership.
Adejobi said: “The concerned officers include DCP Abba Kyari; ACP Sunday Ubuah; ASP Bawa James; ASP John Umoru (at large), Inspr. Simon Agrigba and John Nuhu.
“They have all been, accordingly, handed over today 14th February 2022 to the NDLEA authorities.”
The National Association of Nigerian Students on Monday condemned the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
NANS President, Asefon Sunday, in a statement, expressed “great disappointment” at the “comprehensive and total” four-week strike declared by ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, on Monday.
Asefon slammed the Federal Government and the ASUU leadership for failure to resolve their issues amicably without resort to strike.
He also said Nigerian students will stage a nationwide protest to demonstrate their dissatisfaction.
ABN TV had reported that Osodeke at a press conference on Monday said ASUU National Executive Council resolved to embark on the strike as the government has failed to implement the Memorandum of Action it signed with the ASUU in December 2020.
But in the statement titled, ‘ASUU Warning Strike: A Reckless Irresponsibility’, signed by the NANS President, Asefon said, “We have received the news of the decision of ASUU to embark on a month warning strike with great disappointment. We have thought ASUU and FG represented by top executives would allow reason to prevail, reached compromise, act responsibly in the interest of the education sector and indeed Nigeria, to do all that is required to responsibly avert this avoidable strike.
“We are appalled by the impunity, recklessness, and irresponsibility the managers of this negotiation from both sides of the table has managed the fragile situation allowing it to degenerate to the level of industrial action. We are therefore compelled to believe that negotiators from both sides acted so irresponsibly because of their apathy of the interest and welfare of the major stakeholder of the sector(students) during the negotiations.
“We are equally disappointed at the government for not doing everything possible to avert this embarrassment. We are also disappointed with the ASUU for reaching this conclusion irrespective of the implications to the students, academic calendar, research they claim to love, national security, and sanity. The Government and ASUU by this action sent a direct message to Nigerian students to also take positions comfortable for our side of the table irrespective of the implications. Let me say equivocally that we will respond in clear language, the language the oppressors understand.
“I passionately appeal to all students leaders, NANS structures, and organs across the nation to mobilize to our national non-elective congress on the 17th of February where far-reaching decisions shall be made on our collective response to this blatant lack of patriotism, human feelings, and feelings for the collective future of education in Nigeria.
“Our decisions shall be decisive, collective, and irreversible until the strike is called off. We shall fight this impunity and recklessness without any consideration other than an immediate end to this strike.
“We, therefore, inform the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, to expect us in our numbers, and ASUU should be ready to return to the table to end this avoidable, reckless and repugnant strike. Let me assure the Minister of Labour that our protest in his office today is introductory and child play in what is yet to come. We are resolute more than before to ensure we hold government, especially the ministry of labour responsible for these incessant strike actions.
“Further negotiations should as a matter of urgency have students representative as part of the parties to allow balance in decisions that are capable of impairing the lives of students and derailing their progress. The contentions and issues are triangular and must be treated so, going forward.”
ASUU had embarked on a nine-month-long strike in 2020 and called it off after a lot of foot-dragging by both the government and the lecturers.
The National Executive Council, NEC, of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has vowed to sanction members, including the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, and others involved in the conferment of the position of Professor of Cybersecurity on the Minister of Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami.
Disclosing this at a press briefing in Lagos, The National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said this during NEC’s meeting in Lagos, where the union declared a month-long warning strike because “the Federal Government had ignored them and refused to meet their demands.”
On professorship, the union said the minister should resign his position for breaching due process as he cannot be a serving minister and still occupies a professorial seat in a university.
He said it was unfortunate that the education sector had been left to rot by the government.
“A lot of shenanigans are being perpetrated by people in government.
“One is the professorship conferred on Minister Isa Pantami.
“He is not a lecturer at FUTO and if he wants to be, let him resign his position and go and teach. All those involved would be sanctioned by our union including the Vice-Chancellor.
“Proliferation of universities is embarrassing. Every senator now has a bill in which they are demanding that universities be set up in their constituencies without adequate provision made for the funding.
“We are suggesting that the law mandating the National Universities Commission, NUC, to license new universities be amended to ensure that at least a new university would have a take-off grant of not less than N30 billion kept somewhere.
“Some state governments that are owing lecturers in their universities over six months salary arrears are also setting up new ones; that is a huge joke. Where will they get money to fund them?”
The Nigeria Police Force, NPF, has arrested former Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Abba Kyari.
Kyari was arrested after the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA declared him wanted over links to a drugs cartel.
Spokesperson of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, at a press conference had detailed how Kyari belonged to a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug route.
Recall that Kyari was suspended over his alleged involvement with an international fraudster, Ramon Abass, popularly known as Hushpuppi.
A widow and 36-year-old mother of four, Mrs Opeyemi Omoyemi, has been sentenced to four and half years in prison for brutalizing and inflicting body injuries on his 12-year-old house helped Joel Sunday for stealing a piece of meat.
A Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital sentenced Owoyemi following her arraignment on a five-count charge.
She was sentenced to three and half years imprisonment with hard labour on count one charge bothering on grievous harm, while she bagged one-year imprisonment on count five.
The defendant was said to have used a stick and razorblade to inflict multiple injuries on the body of the house help which she accused of stealing pieces of meat from the pot of soup.
Omoyemi, according to the police prosecutor, Emmanuel Tanimowo was said to have committed the offence on February 6, 2022, at her residence located at Idimango Adewale axis of Ondo road, Akure, the state capital
Tanimowo, during the trial, applied for the withdrawal of the count four charges which were granted by the Magistrate, Mrs O.A Edwin.
The Defense Counsel, Folusho Kayode, who pleaded with the court to be lenient with the defendant said that the defendant was a first time offender.
Kayode also informed the court that Omoyemi who is a mother of four little children had been the one responsible for the welfare of the victim.
According to him “The court should be lenient in passing sentence on the defendant. The prayer for leniency is that the defendant has been the one solely responsible for the wellbeing and education of the 12-year-old Sunday. She has been doing this dutifully for the past four years since the death of her husband.
“The defendant has kids and they have been crying since the incident happened as they could not see their mother.
“The defendant is a first offender and has never been arrested for any inhuman behaviour. The court should graciously pass the sentence.”
Delivering judgement, the trial magistrate said that the sentence will run concurrently.
Magistrate Edwin added that “I know that the defendant is a first-time offender but the facts of the offences are not only an abuse on the victim but an offence against public policy.
“The sentence must therefore want to deter others and also ensure that justice is done to the victim.”
Magistrate Edwin has also adjourned the case to April 13, 2022, for trial in count three of the charge bothering on trafficking in persons to which the defendant had pleaded not guilty.
** Justice served, such cruelty won’t be tolerated in Ondo – Akeredolu’s wife
Speaking on the court verdict, the Wife of the Ondo state governor, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu expressed delight that justice has been served.
Akeredolu who decried maltreatment of house helps by people in the society said that such would not be tolerated in the state and that culprits would be brought to book not minding their status in the state.
The wife of the governor asked the state police command to track down the Pastor who handed over the victim to the convict as a house help.
She lauded the judiciary for the quick dispensation of justice adding that it would serve as deterrent to others who take joy in maltreating their house help thereby turning them to animals.
Mrs Akeredolu promised that the state government in conjunction with other partners would assist the kids.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has offered damning details of how the suspended Head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari offered its operatives $61,400 cash and negotiated the release of 25kg seized cocaine.
The agency, which declared the suspended Police chief wanted, said its investigations revealed he is a kingpin of a drug syndicate in the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug route.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, in a briefing on Monday, stated a sting operation exposed Kyari as running an illicit drug syndicate.
He said: “The saga started on Friday, January 21, 2022, when DCP Kyari initiated a call to one of the NDLEA officers in Abuja at 2:12 pm. When the officer returned the call two minutes later, Kyari informed him he was coming to see him to discuss an operational matter after the Juma’at service.
“He appeared at the agreed venue of the meeting with the officer and went straight to the crux of the matter. This was it: His team had intercepted and arrested some traffickers that came into the country from Ethiopia with, according to him, 25kg of cocaine.
“He proposed a drug deal whereby he and his team are to take 15kg of the cocaine and leave 10kg for the prosecution of the suspects arrested with the illicit drug in Enugu.
“In the meantime, the purloined cocaine will be replaced with a dummy worth 15kg. He asked the NDLEA officer to persuade men of the FCT Command to play along as well.”
He went on: “By 11: 05 am on Monday, January 24, after the Agency gave the officer the green light to play along, he and Kyari began a WhatsApp call for the rest of the day. The officer conveyed “their” willingness to play the game.
“At this point, Kyari disclosed that the 15kg (already taken out) was shared between the informants that provided information for the seizure and he and his men of the IRT of the Nigerian Police. According to him, the informants were given 7kg while his team took 8kg which was already sold.
“He then offered to pay the NDLEA team (that is the officer and the FCT commander) by selling, on their behalf, half of the remaining 10kg, thereby further reducing the original cocaine for the prosecution to just 5kg.
“At N7m per kilogram, the proceed from the 5kg would amount to N35m at the exchange rate of N570 per dollar being the black market rate for the day, January 24, 2022. In effect, he would be delivering $61, 400 to the NDLEA team.
“He put pressure on our officer to wrap up the arrangement with the commander of the FCT Command to take custody of the drug and suspects from his men who were on ground in Abuja. At the time, he was speaking from Lagos where he allegedly travelled for private business.
“The next day January 25, Kyari offered to send his younger brother to deliver the payment while his men deliver the suspects but our officer turned down the suggestion, insisting he would rather deal with him in person and was therefore prepared to wait for him to return from Lagos.
“And by 5: 23 pm, Kyari was in Abuja and met with the officer at the same rendezvous where they had the first meeting. In their discussion, he disclosed how his team received the information from a double-crosser who betrayed the traffickers to him, showing a sordid connection between law enforcement agents and the drug underworld; he narrated how acting on the tip-off, his team departed Abuja to Enugu and arrested the traffickers, removed part of the consignment on his instruction and replaced same with dummies. He also indicated how to identify the remnant of the original cocaine that would be delivered to NDLEA, five original packages marked with red dots.
“The reason for this was to avoid the dummies being subjected to test. He forwarded a picture of the marked original cocaine package. According to the plan, once the 5kg cocaine has been tested in the presence of the suspects and confirmed positive, there would be no need to test the remaining ones, being dummies.
“He also brought with him the money from the sale of the 5kg share of the NDLEA team, a total of $61, 400. Our officer, however, preferred to take the money inside his car. Well, the car was wired with sound and video recorders. And the moment was documented, part of which I will play for you at the end of this briefing.”
The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, on Monday released the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, results for Private Candidates 2021- Second Series.
WAEC’s Head of National Office, Patrick Areghan, disclosed this during a press conference at the council’s office in Yaba, Lagos.
Giving a breakdown of the results, Areghan said that of the 51,444 that wrote the examination, 25,008 representing 48.61 percent obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
ABN TV had disclosed that the council will later today release WASSCE results for Private Candidates 2021- Second Series.
WASSCE for Private Candidates, also known as General Certificate Examination, GCE, is written in November/December.
It’s a private examination that doesn’t require uniforms, but biometric registration is compulsory.
This examination is usually taken by secondary school leavers who want to correct deficiencies in their results.
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has appealed to Nigerian youths to ensure unity and love grow among them for the overall interest and future of the country.
The group advised the youths to shun money politics for national development.
Alhaji Nastura Sharif, Chairman of the group, made the call during the Maitama Sule Leadership Lecture Series held at Bayero University, Kano, on the theme, ‘Role of the Youth in Shaping the Future of Northern Nigeria’, organized by the students’ wing of the coalition.
He explained that there was the need to educate the youths on the substance of politics for future leaders to learn how to tackle the challenges bedeviling the country.
He noted that this is the 18th lecture in the series and the aim behind it is to give the youths a chance to learn how to confront challenges politically.
A former Deputy Governor of Kano State, Prof Hafiz Abubakar, also lamented the dirty politics being played by Nigerian politicians, stressing the need for the youths to change their mindset for the better.
According to Prof. Abubakar, there is the need to inculcate new and responsible ideas in the youth to bring about a change in leadership focus devoid of selfishness and corruption.
“The money politics system is terrible and that is why we are here. We are playing wrong, dirty and unproductive politics,” he lamented.
He noted that the youth as tomorrow’s leaders should be aware of this because they are victims of bad leadership at all levels, saying that they want better leadership for themselves and the coming generations.
Prof. Abubakar explained that every one of them should realize this because they are on the wrong path, and have to chart a new course for a better Nigeria.
The National Coordinator of the students’ wing of the CNG, Jamilu Aliyu, stressed the need for integrity and avoidance of money politics, saying that it was the reason why they tagged the lecture series with the name of Maitama Sule, who is believed to be a man of integrity and honesty.
He explained that they are trying to eradicate the leadership of moneybags by avoiding money politics at this level. He added that it has become necessary, as people are already feeling the wrath of rotten leadership.
Former Chief of Staff to the Abia State Government and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Sir Mascot Uzor Kalu, has extended warm birthday...
