After robbing him of the car, the robbers asked him to give his life to Christ if he survived the attack. Jideaka’s ordeal in the hands of the robbers, started shortly after he left the office on the fateful day at about 7.30 pm. After work, Jideaka headed for his home in Kubwa, a satellite town in Abuja.

The journey to Kubwa, was smooth as usual until a few metres to his house. His driver had barely stopped to buy him a recharge card when four young hefty looking robbers suddenly overtook his vehicle and ordered his driver out of the car at gun point. They forcefully moved the driver out of his seat and ordered him to take to the passenger’s seat behind...

Obviously confused about the attitude of the strange men, a now distraught Jideaka, requested to know why they were manhandling his driver. The response was precise. “You will find out when we get to the police station.” Immediately, Jideaka was also forced to move to the back seat of the car at gun point. The robbers sped off with him and his driver. The incident soon attracted his neighbours and family members, who ran to a nearby police station where the case was reported.

Richard took up the story: “It was when they forced me into the back seat with my driver that it dawned on me that they were robbers and not policemen as they claimed to be. They took my phones and the money on me and within three minutes they drove off with us with their gun pointed at my head to an unknown destination.

“While in the car, the robbers called me a 419ner. That I should regard myself kidnapped and that they were sent by my colleague to kill me and steal my car. Next they said if I am not a 419ner, where did I get money to buy a big car. When they saw my laptop, they felt convinced that I was actually a 419ner or that I was into yahoo, yahoo deals. I told them I am a journalist but they refused to believe me until they saw my tape recorder.

“They took the rings on my finger and asked me which one of them was my juju. I told them that none of them was a charm. One of them then threw the rings into his pocket and asked me to bring my wristwatch and the money in my pockets. I quickly handed them over. They commended me for cooperating with them and promised not to kill or harm me because I am a good man.

“Along the line, they asked me to pray that they do not encounter police on the way. That if they do, they would shoot me first. I prayed that we do not meet police on the way and they said ‘Amen’. Thereafter, they urged me to give my life to God if I survived the attack and I told them that I had since given my life to Christ. They said I should do that again, and I said okay.

“At a point, they asked me where I work. Sensing that they were thinking of asking for ransom, I told them I work for a new newspaper based in Abuja. The next question was where my wife works and I told them my wife is a retiree who was still waiting to be paid her gratuity by the ministry she worked with in Abuja. One of the robbers then concluded that I had nothing and that holding on to me would be of no benefit and therefore, I should be dropped in the bush. All along, I and my driver were not to fix our gazes on any of them. They had their guns already pointed at our heads.

“When I stole to look at the speedometer, I discovered that they were almost running the full speed of the car. I said silent prayers that we do not crash. I discovered that they were heading for the city centre instead of the Zuba they made us believe they were going. After about eight kilometres drive at break-neck speed, they branched off the expressway into the bush and asked us to come down and run for our lives. We obeyed immediately and dashed into the bush.

Together with their operation car [a Camry 1996 model] they drove off

“After spending sometime in the bush, we eventually trekked out and met some securitymen guarding some equipment and asked them where we were. They told us we were between New Tipper Garage and Katampe Hill. We then crossed to the other side of the road and boarded a bus back to Kubwa where my wife had already reported the incident to the police. “All my neighbours had gathered in front of my house and were offering prayers for my safety. As soon as they sighted us, the shout of praise the Lord rented the air even as they rushed to greet me.

“My wife and children who had locked themselves in the house, praying for my safety, rushed out of the house when they heard the shout of praise the Lord to find me in the hands of our jubilating neighbours who were too happy to see me return safely.”

As at press time, last weekend, Jideaka, was yet to recover his car.

A pregnant woman and four other suspects have been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for attempting to smuggle 6.3kg of narcotics out of the country.

The agency, on Wednesday, disclosed that the pregnant suspect, Osatohanwen Esohe, 29, who was nabbed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos for ingesting cocaine while trying to board an Alitalia flight to Rome, excreted 27 wraps of the drugs weighing 350g.

“Apart from Chukwuemeka Kingsley that ingested 1.4kg of heroin, Esohe and three others were smuggling 4.8kg of cocaine when they were caught,” said Mitchell Ofoyeju, spokesperson for the agency in a statement.

Hamza Umar, MMIA commander for the agency, disclosed that the pregnant suspect’s action shows no respect for human life, as he described the act as weird.

“They do not have respect for their own lives neither do they respect the dignity of their children,” he said. “This is the height of desperation by drug barons and their associates.”

Mr. Umar gave the names of the other four suspects that were recently apprehended as Arovo Moses, 42, who ingested 1.7kg of cocaine; Darlington Nwanwere, 48, ingested 1.3kg of cocaine; Okeke Anthony, 46, who ingested 1.46kg cocaine; and Chukwuemeka Kingsley, 34, who ingested 1.4kg heroin.

Explaining her reasons for involving in drug peddling, Ms. Esohe disclosed that she was rejected by the man who impregnated her, adding that she had to fend for herself in order to survive.

“I am three months pregnant, and the man that impregnated me refused to take responsibility,” she said. “That was how I got involved in drug trafficking. They promised to pay me 2,000 Euros and I needed the money to take care of myself and the unborn baby.”

According to the agency, Mr. Okeke, a trader and father of three who was to be paid 4,000 pounds, was nabbed on March 19, during screening of passengers on Virgin Atlantic flight to London, while Chukwuemeka Kingsley, the only suspect that ingested heroin, was arrested for swallowing 95 wraps of the substance while trying to board an Alitalia flight to Milan for the sum of 5,000 Euros.

The agency’s spokesperson, however, disclosed that the suspects are to be prosecuted according to the dictates of the law.

“All the suspects will soon be charged to court,” said Mr. Ofoyeju.

Ibori's investigator attacked by gunmen

In a mafia Style take down reminiscent of the hollywood movie The Untouchables,

Solomon Yorr, an official of Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is in a battle for life as medical personnel struggle to patch up his bullet ridden chest.

Mr. Yorr, in the past few weeks, has been intensely involved in the investigation of the former Delta State governor, James Ibori . He is the second-in-command of the team in charge of Mr. Ibori's investigation.

Mr. Yorr, who is attached to the Economic Governance Unit, an elite group in the commission which handles mainly cases of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), was attacked by gunmen on Sunday night in his home in Keffi, Nassarawa.

Femi Babafemi, the head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, in a press statement yesterday, said that the operative is now receiving medical attention and has been installed in an Intensive Care Unit(ICU) in Abuja.

EFCC operatives, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, expressed fears that the attempt on Mr. Yorr's life was not unconnected with the high profile investigations that he has been handling.

Increased tempo and increased attacks

Mr. Babafemi of the EFCC told NEXT in Abuja yesterday, that the recent attacks on operatives of the commission was a result of the increased pace of high profile investigations undertaken by the commission, while debunking the idea that the recent attacks was indicative of a revamp in the quality of investigations being carried out by the EFCC.

"The steam has always been there. We are also raising the tempo of our activities. Some of these attacks are rooted in the desperation of some corrupt politicians to succeed in the 2011 elections. We had already alerted the public on the threats that we have been receiving," he said.

Mr. Babafemi said that between December, 2009 and March, 2010, two active operatives and one former operative of the commission had been killed. But he restated the determination of the anti- corruption agency to go ahead with its duties.

"The EFCC chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri, has since directed that security should be beefed up around the officer, while she prays for his recovery. She has equally stressed that the various attacks against the agency and its officials will not in any way distract or deter us," Mr. Babafemi said.

Taking care of its own

A Lagos-based human rights attorney, Jiti Ogunye, however, had harsh words for the leadership of the anti-graft agency, who he says is not doing enough to safe guard the lives of its operatives.

"My observation is that the leadership of the EFCC may not be doing enough to protect its operatives," he said, adding that he feared that the continued attacks on operatives could demoralise their colleagues.

"For a law enforcement agency, it is important that perpetually, the capacity of that agency is bolstered such that it stays ahead of criminals or would-be-criminals. Part of the capacity should be its ability to protect its operatives. It is very important that a law enforcement agency must be able to do that," Mr. Ogunye stressed..

Mr. Ogunye dismissed the idea that the EFCC may be working harder than in the past, and insisted that the leadership of the EFCC must look inwards to solve its current challenge.

"There might be a self-inflicted disability on the part of the leadership of the EFCC, because once the leadership is compromised, then the operatives will no longer be safe. The commission must look inwards to find out what they have not been doing right to protect their operatives," he said.

‘Blood And Oil’: BBC Drama on the Niger Delta Crisis

As the Police reverted from the gunshot wounds that was alleged to have slaughtered Rimi saying it was heart failure. The

Driver of the late Abubakar Rimi yesterday gave a blow-by-blow account of how the former Kano Stategovernor died, saying Rimi began gasping soon after he saw wounds in his brother’s head after a brush with armed robbers on Sunday night.

Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, who worked with the Rimi family since 1979 when the late politician was elected governor, said their vehicle was forced to stop by a gang of armed robbers along the road to Darki/Gadar Janna near Wudil, south-east of Kano.

“The robbers had completely taken over the road when we approached Darki/Gadar Janna,” he said. “It therefore became compulsory for us to stop, otherwise they would shoot at us.”

“As we stopped, they searched us and collected our money and our handsets. They also beat my boss’ younger brother who was seated right behind me. The security aide to my boss was sitting at the front.

“The robbers were armed, but they did not use their weapons. They asked for money and we gave them. They asked me to open the boot and when I opened it, they searched all our luggage, including that of my boss, but one of the bags was difficult to open.

“At that time, I tried to frighten them by telling them that the police could come and open fire on us all.” Abdullahi said one of the robbers responded by saying: “to hell with the police!”

He said after the robbers were done with them, they asked them to proceed on the journey. As they moved on, Rimi said to him: “You see what robbery is nowadays. These men have now cheated us.” The deceased then said he would never travel at night again, because this was not the first time they encountered robbers.

“They have robbed us once and robbed us twice, therefore we should not fall victims again,” the driver quoted the late Rimi as saying.

He said at that point, Rimi’s brother Alhaji Sule Sa’a told them he was injured in the head and arm by the robbers. Rimi asked to see the wounds and immediately he saw them, he started coughing and gasping. He said as they got to Wudil town, Rimi’s son Nura rang the guard, whose hidden cell phone was not taken by the robbers.

Abdullahi said Nura suggested to them to take the late Rimi straight to hospital instead of coming home, though they assured him that Rimi was not physically attacked by the robbers.

“At that moment my boss started sweating to the extent that Alhaji Sa’a advised me to put on the car air conditioner. As we approached Gano town, my boss said to me ‘take me to Classic Clinic as soon as we get to Kano.’” At the Classic Clinic, Abdullahi said, “after he was examined by a female doctor, we were asked to take him to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH).” He said Rimi was already unconscious by the time they got to the teaching hospital.

“We—myself, Nura and the bodyguard—lifted him into the emergency ward. They later asked us to leave the room so that he could take fresh air. So I came out, but shortly Nura came out and started calling friends and family members to inform them that my boss was dead,” Abdullahi said.

Rimi, a former minister of communications and presidential aspirant, died Sunday night of complications from high blood pressure an hour after he had an encounter with armed robbers on his way back to Kano from Bauchi. (Daily Trust)

ABUJA—SET to make a mark within the next one year, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan is to head the nation’s moribund power industry; even as he has concluded plans to unveil new initiatives aimed at improving power supply in the next few days, in the reconstituted Federal Executive Council, yesterday.

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan (middle) in a group photograph with members of the Federal Cabinet shortly after the re-constitution of the Executive Council of the Federation at the State House, Abuja, yesterday. The Acting President is to work closely with a world renowned electricity power consultant and Chairman of Independent Power Producers Association of Nigeria, Professor Barth Nnaji, who currently heads government’s sub-committee on power. A statement by Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboro, shortly after the inauguration of the 38-man cabinet, said the government’s decision not to appoint a substantive Minister for the Power Ministry was deliberate. He said: “Acting President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, is to take charge of the Power Ministry for now. A new power team is being put in place to work in conjunction with the Professor Barth Nnaji led Power Sub-Committee of the Presidential Advisory council. This new body is to take charge of a new power initiative to be unveiled in a matter of days.” Niboro added that “the Acting President shall chair this body, with the minister of state, power, as deputy chair. The body is to be made up of experts in the different areas of power, from generation to transmission, distribution and finance”. The statement further disclosed that the list of two more ministerial nominees from Taraba and Ebonyi States has been sent to the Senate for clearance, adding that they were likely to take charge of the Health and Water Resources ministries..