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Security forces in the central Nigerian city of Jos seized a truck laden with bomb-making equipment on Friday, less than three months after explosions tore through Christmas Eve celebrations.

 

Sectarian violence in the region, where the mostly Muslim north meets the largely Christian south, has killed at least 200 people since the December attacks and the security forces are on high alert ahead of national elections next month.

Charles Ekeocha, spokesman for a joint military and police taskforce, said the truck was carrying a large amount of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer which can be used to make improvised explosive devices, as well as fuses and detonators.

"The vehicle was intercepted at our checkpoint coming from (the northern city of) Kaduna to Jos very late in the night," Ekeocha told reporters.

The tensions around Jos are rooted in decades of resentment between indigenous groups, mostly Christian or animist, and settlers from the Muslim north who are vying with them for control of fertile farmland and economic and political power.

Plateau state, of which Jos is the capital, is seen as a potential flashpoint, a few weeks before presidential, parliamentary and state governorship elections.

Previous polls in Africa's most populous nation have been marred by local violence but the use of bombs and other explosives is a new development.

Three people were killed and 21 injured by an explosive device thrown from a car at a ruling party election rally in the town of Suleja near the capital Abuja last week.

There have also been fire bomb attacks on opposition party offices and campaign rallies in Bayelsa state in the southern oil-producing Niger Delta.

The ruling party candidate has won every presidential race since the end of military rule 12 years ago and President Goodluck Jonathan, the first head of state from the Niger Delta, is widely considered the front-runner.

But he is resented in parts of the north because, if he wins, he will be serving what would have been the second term of late President Umaru Yar'Adua, a northerner who died last year.

The parliamentary and state governorship elections are also expected to be closely fought, and the ruling People's Democratic Party's (PDP) strong parliamentary majority and regional dominance are expected to weaken.

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Who owns this huge money? Ten million American dollars and one million Euros, equivalents of Nigeria’s N1.7 billion? In cash? And being moved out of Nigeria by four nondescript persons with no social or business pedigree? Could this huge sum be a proceed of money laundering by some politicians or funds being funnelled to some sources for terrorist activities? These are questions that officials of the State Security Services (SSS) are currently seeking answers to. Some SSS officials arrested the four men, believed to be of Northern origin, while they were attempting to board a flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The money was kept in sacks, commonly called Ghana Must Go bags. When the foursome could not explain how they came about the money and the purpose for which it was meant, the SSS officers promptly placed them on arrest and handed them over to officers of the Police Command at the Airport. The Inspector General, Mr. Hafiz Ringim yesterday ordered a Commissioner of Police to lead investigation into the money-cache. The chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri has also sent a team of her officials to get to the root of thge matter, which is within the purview of her organisation, since it borders on suspicion of money laundering and terrorism fund. A source said that the four men, who looked “ordinary”, could not explain what they were doing with such huge sums of money, even as they claimed to be on their way to the United Arab Emirates. It was further gathered that when the money was brought out from the bags and counted, the total sum was about $10m (N1.5b) and one million Euros about N205m. Said a source: “You know that there has been serious suspicion that some politicians and even governors, move money out of the country when the allocations from the Federal Allocation comes. This large amount could be one of such. It is also possible that the money is for some other activities that are terrorism related. You know this period, where there is crisis all over the country, anything could happen, really.” While Nigerian Compass on Saturday could not confirm from Police authorities, the spokesman of the EFCC, Mr. Femi Babafemi confirmed that his commission was aware of the development. According to him, “The EFCC is aware of the matter and we believe it is witin the purview of the EFCC to unravel the source of the money. We are already investigating the matter and would make it public soon” It was further learnt that the suspicion of security agencies on the source of the money was not unrelated with the crises that have become the lot of some parts of Northern Nigeria in the past one year and the incessant bomb blasts in the country recently.... While Borno State has been witnessing mayhem from a religious sect, Boko Haram, Jos in Plateau State has become a shadow of itself, over internecine wars, that border on both ethnic and religious reasons. Between October 1 and December last year, Abuja, the once peaceful Federal Capital Territory, has witnessed two separate multiple bomb blasts that has tens of persons killed. That is in addition to similar blasts in some other parts of the country.
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IS THIS FAIR ? One Man and his cohorts in Bank PHB have disrupted the careers and livelihood of over 1000 staff and their families fired recently !

EFCC seizes Atuche's multibillion naira assets *N50bn cash, 18 firms, 15 houses, 17 bank accounts
Written by Lanre Adewole
Friday, March 5, 2010

EMPOWERED accordingly by a federal high court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has seized over N50 billion, 18 companies and 15 houses from the sacked Group Managing Director of Bank PHB, Mr. Francis Atuche.


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Atuche was sacked along with heads of other nine banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the wake of the discovery of alleged fraud in the banking sector running into one trillion naira.

Seventeen bank accounts belonging to him were also frozen.

In one of the accounts domiciled with the bank, N25.95 billion cash was said to have been found.

The commission will also this morning commence the sealing off of all the houses traced to him.

Commission's spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi, confirmed the commencement of the exercise.

The commission had attached all the property traced to Atuche, who is standing trial for his alleged role in crippling the bank, to the Notice of Attachment placed before the trial judge, Justice A.O Ajakaye, who issued the order of temporary forfeiture on March 1, 2010.

Apart from the cash found in his bank account, Atuche also reportedly invested N1.5 billion in Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, N305,889,418 million in Arik Ltd and 500 million units of shares in Afribank Plc.

The houses traced to him are in Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Surulere, VGC Lekki, Ibusa, Delta State, Asokoro, Abuja, with a sole property at 59, Avenue Close, Avenue Road, St. John's Wood, London.

Some of the companies listed as alleged fronts in siphoning depositors' funds included, Guesstrade Services; Sentron Trading; Montra and Investico; Claremount Asset Management Limited; Arabian Probity Management; Clareville Trading and Service Limited; Commerical Trading and Services Limited; Afco Associates Limited; Trenton Trade Limited and Consolidated Business Support Limited.

He was also said to have used 15 fronts, including his wife, children and relatives.

The names listed in the court order included Elizabeth Atuche; Grace Atuche; Victor Udeh; Michael Atuche; Anthony Grace; Joseph Atuche; Nkeolisakwu Atuche; Mrs. Mariam Okonmah; Patrick Atuche and Kemi Ojelabi.

Some of the frozen accounts are SA-400221000004, 2190001272, 1160000011, PNA 0010184100002 and CA 001040100000, all domiciled in Bank PHB as well as A/C Nos; 10100061705 and CA 001020102315 belonging to Elizabeth Atuche.

Some of the houses are 2b Falomo Close, Ikoyi; 21 Kingsway Road, Ikoyi (hotel known as Clonades), 41B Anifowoshe Street, V.I, 11 Raymond Njoku Street, Ikoyi, 2000M 2 Plots of land at Ibusa, Delta State, 46 Mamman Nasir Street, off T.Y Danjuma, Asokoro, Abuja, among others.
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From AMOS DUNIA, Abuja

Sunday, February 21, 2010
Following the National Assembly resolution empowering Dr Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President, the cabal sympathetic to ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua has intensified moves to ensure the status quo is maintained.
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Sunday Sun gathered that as part of the plot to convince Nigerians that Yar’Adua was recovering and would soon return to the country to assume duties, the presidential fleet crew comprising the captain, co-pilots, flight engineer and attendants have been prevented from returning home even as they are said to be missing their families and dependants.

It was gathered that the passports of the crew members has been confiscated to ensure they do not leave Saudi Arabia while being confined to their hotels.

A dependable source informed Sunday Sun that even the movement of the crew members was being monitored in connivance with the Saudi Arabia authorities.

Back home in Nigeria, the powerful group is said to be working towards reversing the resolution of the federal legislature and paint the new leadership of the country as incompetent.

It is also said to be behind the worsening electricity crisis in the country and plans to sabotage fuel distribution across the nation, in an attempt to portray Jonathan as incapable of ruling Nigeria.

Sources said the group made up of some serving ministers, a handful of senators, House of Representatives members and some powerful businessmen from the northern part of the country was working to frustrate the government.

It was gathered that the same group has plotted to ensure that the power supply in the country gets worse. Electricity supply to major towns and cities in the country has plummeted in the past two weeks.

They are equally said to be targeting the petroleum sector to create artificial scarcity of petroleum products, all in an effort to discredit the Jonathan leadership.

It was learnt at the weekend that some members of the group in the House of Representatives were responsible for the death of the Bill for the alteration of Section 144 of the Constitution, which would have legitimized the action of the National Assembly in addressing the power vacuum created by the absence of Yar’Adua.

The group, which met in a Minister’s house on Wednesday night, resolved to ensure the death of any bill to alter the Constitution to favour the resolution of the National Assembly authorizing Vice President Jonathan as Acting President.

The group was reportedly formed to counter the growing influence of the National Interest Group (NIG) led by Bala Mohammed, which ensured that the National Assembly passed the resolution empowering Jonathan.

But, the pro-Yar’Adua group is said to be hampered by revelations that Yar’Adua is still believed to be in coma.

It is, however, said to be working towards selling a dummy to Nigerians that the ailing leader was recuperating fast. Although details of the plan are still sketchy, it was learnt that an official in the President’s office and others in the office of the first lady were coordinating the new dummy.
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