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Remember Vocal Slender ? Is Vocal Slender now living a lavish life in London read this to find out

Posted by cozzy webtatafo on March 4, 2011 at 8:45pm
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A lot of people remember Eric Obuh also known as Vocal Slender a native of Delta State. Vocal Slender was a scavenger turned aspiring artist that was featured on BBC documentary “Welcome to Lagos” last year April. It has been almost one year since the showed aired and his fan base and popularity has skyrocketed. I actually met him through a friend that was working with him in order to help him out of his current situation. When I spoke to Vocal slender I was in admiration of his good spirit, but was saddened to find out many of the future developments we all thought was going to take place actually never came into reality. To find out if his life changed for the better read this interview.

 

How were you picked to be on the BBC documentary?

 

I was in the dump entertaining my friends, a lot of the guys were dancing to my song, among the crowd were some white men, they walked up and told me that they will like to film me working and singing that is how they began filming me for the documentary.

 

Did you think the BBC documentary accurately showcase your life?

 

Yes, the documentary did. They were able to introduce me to the world.

 

What happened with CokoBar , are you guys still working together?

 

I no longer work with CokoBar because he is not truthful. He made a lot of promises but he didn't keep them. He promised that he will give me 400 pounds, he promised a remix of my song ( owo ti ya pa) with Wande Coal,and also promised a musical video. The music video wasn't of good quality so they couldn't air it. Even after my performance in Manchester he didn't pay me, and I know that they paid him.

 

Has your life improved since being on the BBC?

 

Life is so hard now, I don't have a house of my own to sleep, I stay with friend, and sometimes it gets so difficult I feel like I am killing myself to live.  I hope that sooner or later my life will change for the better. If I was able to travel to London with CokoBar and was signed on to a label, my life would have improved by now, when I was in the dump I never begged to eat, but now I beg to eat. All the information that CokoBar put out on the internet was to make people believe he has done so much for me, but he never lived up to the promises he made.

 

 

How has your music career grown since being on the documentary?

 

First, I thank GOD for all he has done for me, the documentary has helped my career. Some of my friends who saw what I was going through have decide to help me with my music. Now my music is being played on all radio stations. If not for the documentary I would have still been working on the dump site by now.

 

What are some future developments for your music?

 

I would like to release my album, and set up a studio so my brothers can work on there songs, and a record label.

 

How can the Nigerians support your efforts in the music industry?

 

They can help me by giving me advice, by encouraging me, by helping me get on different shows, and by telling the world my story. All I need now is there support, so that I will not go back to the dump, I feel I have let all my friends in the dump down, because they believe if I make it they too can make it, but I know my GOD will not let me down.

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Ibori goes Underground as EFCC can’t find the master criminal

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 28, 2010 at 8:13pm

There is a massive hunt for James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State, in connection with recently launched investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on his role in the illegal disposal of about 500 million units of Delta State-owned bank shares..

Sources in Abuja, over the weekend, said that Mr. Ibori, who is wanted for questioning over some of his actions while he was governor of the oil rich state from 1999 to 2007, has ‘disappeared’ and has not been seen in the past two weeks since NEXT exclusively reported that a new round of investigations into his activities had been launched.

Looking for him

Efforts to obtain an official position from either Mr. Ibori or the EFCC were unsuccessful at press time. But a source in the commission, who asked not to be named, told NEXT that “EFCC operatives were out looking for him to interrogate him. I think he got wind of it and has disappeared.”

Indeed, according to other sources, Mr. Ibori has cut off communication with all but few associates and relatives. “It is believed that he may be communicating with the Delta State governor, who is related to him,” the source said.

Indeed, Mr. Ibori, who was hitherto very visible in government circles, has suddenly become very scarce. It was not uncommon to find Mr. Ibori in the company of Vincent Ogbulafor, chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the presidential villa, in the era of the Yar’Adua presidency. However, he has not been seen in the State House in recent times.

Fresh charges

Asides the 107 count-charges brought against Mr. Ibori by the EFCC in 2007, the commission is preparing fresh charges against the former governor following a petition signed by some leading citizens of his state.

The latest petition, signed by 10 leading citizens of Delta State headed by a former minister of information, Edwin Clark, includes a demand for a probe of the former governor over the alleged illegal disposal of 528 million shares belonging to Delta State, in Oceanic Bank.

The EFCC responded by launching investigations.

The investigations led to the unravelling of some facts, which have now led to the latest move to interrogate the former governor..

Mr. Ibori allegedly sold off Delta State assets to fund private investments while he was still in office.

“The search has to do with the N44 billion loan which he took from Intercontinental Bank. He used Delta State shares in Oceanic Bank as security for the loan. He later asked the bank to sell off the shares, over 500 million units, to repay the loan,” our source said, adding however that Mr.

Ibori’s disappearance has now stalled the EFCC’s investigations.

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Police find shocking clues on Dina’s murder

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on January 27, 2010 at 9:09pm
Death could have been prevented if…, says vigilance group Detectives yesterday received shocking revelations, while investigating the Monday night murder of Ogun State Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate in 2007, Otunba Dipo Dina. After the crack team of detectives, led by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of investigations, Mr Israel Ajao, visited the crime scene and interrogated Dina’s driver and the prophetess, who was in his car when the killers struck, the police boss said: “We have good clues to solve this crime.” When Ajao, who had earlier visited the Lagos home of the slain politician, later led a long convoy of detectives to one Odo-Ore River, at Onigbongbo village, near Atan Ota, where the prophetess, Funmilayo Olagoke, had allegedly told the police that Dina was going for a ‘spiritual cleansing’, he was told how the gunmen, after killing their victim, drove to the riverside with the driver and the spiritualist and spent over 20 minutes there before they parted ways. He also learnt that the bandits shot Dina twice, when they cornered his Toyota Camry car near the Living Faith World Outreach Ministries (a.k.a. Winners Chapel) area of the Ota-Owode-Idiroko Road, as he was trying to negotiate some speed breakers on the road. Ajao, who did not comment on the revelation, said that Nigerians should be rest assured that the police would get Dina’s killers. He also pleaded that members of the public should help the police with further information, that could unmask the killers quickly. Ajao’s tour, which began in Lagos, and ended at the riverside, followed Vice President Goodluck Jonathan’s order that the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, should fish out the killers within a week. For about one and half hours at the Ogun State Police Command Headquarters, Eleweran, yesterday, the DIG interrogated Dina’s driver, Tunde Oyediran, and Funmilayo behind closed doors. As the prophetess was being led away, she could be heard crying and lamenting that she never knew that things would take “this turn”. The DIG, who arrived at the state capital at about 1p.m., grilled the two suspects between 2p.m. and 3.30p.m., after being briefed by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Musa Daura. The Nigerian Compass learnt that Ajao later took over the case file, after he went through it. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, denied reports that the late Dina’s vehicle, which was stolen after the killing, had been recovered. “It is not true. The car has not been recovered. But we are intensifying efforts to track down the killers,” the police spokesman stated. Meanwhile, the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Ado Odo/ Ota Local Government Command, Ogun State, yesterday, described the location where Dina was killed as a black spot and hotbed for armed robbery incidents. Addressing a press conference in Ota, the VGN Sector Commander, Alhaji Adeyemi Aiyetoto, said his association had complained severally to the police authorities about the black spot. According to him, the community opposite the Winners Chapel had for long been a notorious hideout for suspected criminals, hemp hawkers and people of questionable character. The association’s Assistant Commander (Administration), Mr. Nurudeen Serinkudi, who spoke on behalf of Aiyetoto, explained that criminals capitalised on the lack of police presence on the routes to strike. He said: “We feel that it is our responsibility, as an informal medium of security, to draw attention to the fact that the spot at which Otunba Dipo Dina met his unfortunate end has for long been a black spot and hot bed of armed robbery incidents in Ota. “Robbery attacks in that place have become a recurring decimal of sorrow and tragedy. We know this to be the fact because our vigilante teams have the responsibility to provide a level of security for the area of Ado Odo/ Canaanland axis where this unfortunate incident occurred. “Preliminary report and investigation so far indicated that the incident may be a case of armed robbery. Our interest is the wider picture of the implication of the murder of Otunba Dina and what has been happening in Ado-Odo/ Ota Local Government Area in general and in particular, on the roads stretching from Sango through Ota-Idiroko and from Atan to Igbesa to Agbara axis.” Aiyetoto claimed that the Chief Security Officer of the church some months back ordered his men to vacate the church areas, over undisclosed reasons. He added that the absence of his men coupled with the security lapses at the area enabled criminals to attack innocent motorists at will. He said: “If our men were at the area, this type of thing would not have occurred because we were always on ground. When some banks in the Winners Chapel were attacked by robbers, we pursued them to Imeko and recovered the vehicles of the church used for the robbery operation. Although, we couldn’t recover the stolen money. Even the Bishop of the church gave us two jeeps in appreciation of our effort,” he said. “The Idiroko-Sango route is also a dangerous haven of smugglers and robbers. However, police presence on these routes is scanty and ineffective. It makes the Idiroko-Sango route and the Atan-Agbara route the most dangerous routes to ply in Ogun State.” He submitted that “the lack of visibility of police on these routes clearly explains why the murder of such a prominent politician was carried out with relative ease on such a busy route without any speedy response from the police”. Aiyetoto called on police authorities to mount surveillance at the noted spots and guarantee effective policing, while expressing his association’s preparedness to cooperate with the police in unmasking the killers of Dina. Meanwhile, hundreds of Action Congress (AC) members yesterday took to the streets in Ijebu-Ode, protesting the killing of Dina by unknown gunmen. Led by a close associate of the slain politician, Alhaji Rasheed Alatishe, the protesters, who first converged on the Endurance Garden, GRA Ijebu-Ode residence of the Dinas, went round the town with placards to demonstrate their grievances. Alatishe said the police authorities should not allow Dina’s death to be among the growing list of unresolved murders in the country. The AC chieftain urged the police to fish out the killers and bring them to justice to serve as a deterrent to criminally-minded people. The senators representing Ogun West and Ogun East Senatorial Districts, Felix Kola Bajomo and Lekan Mustapha, yesterday joined the list of sympathisers over the gruesome murder, describing it as “unfortunate and barbaric”. In separate statements made available to the Nigerian Compass, the two senators said the latest killing was an indication that the nation’s security apparatus needed total overhauling to cope with modern security challenges. Bajomo, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant, Dapo Oke, said the Federal Government must address the growing insecurity in the polity ahead of the 2011 general elections. He lamented that Dina’s murder had robbed the state of one of the great future leaders of the country. Bajomo said: “The killing, to say the least, is tragic, uncivilized and quite unfortunate. Without prejudice to the outcome of police investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, I condemn the barbaric killing while leaving judgement to the All-knoweth God. “This development further raises the fear of most Nigerians on the problem of insecurity in the polity which the Federal Government must address urgently before the next general election. The fact that investigations into all the previous killings have not yielded any positive results is an indication that the security apparatus of the nation needs total overhauling to cope with the challenges of securing the nation. “I join other compatriots to mourn the demise of Dipo, a professional colleague, an astute politician and one of the great future leaders God has endowed to our dear state.” While expressing shock and dismay at Dina’s death, Mustapha, in his own statement, charged security operatives to be more determined in exposing the culprits behind the incident to serve as deterrent to other criminals, especially as the 2011 election approaches. He said: “I am saddened by the death of this dogged politician, who has impacted positively on the education and health sectors, the political terrain and also built churches for the Christian faithful, among other philanthropic gestures. “Otunba Dina had in no small means contributed his own quota to the development of Ogun State, which was why he became a household name, especially among indigent students and the downtrodden.” Senator Mustapha prayed God to grant the Dina family, his associates, supporters and the people of the state the fortitude to bear the loss. By Dipo Kehinde, Juliana Francis & Kunle Olayeni, Abeokuta
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