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The man who got a minor he allegedly impregnated, arrested and imprisoned for eight months, has been arrested by the police.
For over seven days, Nadum Nwitua, the man accused of impregnating Comfort Monday, the 17-year-old inmate, who had been incarcerated while pregnant at the Kirikiri Female Prison, Apapa, for eight months, over an alleged theft of N295,000, had evaded all attempts by federal and state government officials catching up with him.
Following the intervention of the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, through the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development in effecting Ms Monday’s release, Mr Nwitua had gone underground. Witnesses said he only returns to his abode at 2 Owode Street, Abule Egba, at midnight and leaves before dawn. Subsequently, police officers attached to the governor’s office and Alausa police station, arrested him on August 20, at about 6am, as he made to leave his compound. He is accused of sexually abusing Ms Monday.
Denies the charge
Mr Nwitua denied ever having any sexual relations with Ms Monday. “I have never touched her,” he said. “I have being arrested for an offence I have no idea; when everyone knows she has a boyfriend, Kennedy, who must have impregnated her. Why has he not being arrested and brought here?.” He also denied being invited by any government agency to answer any of the allegations levied against him. But Lucas Koyejo, the Assistant Chief Legal Officer of the National Human Rights Commission, produced a letter of invitation addressed to Mr Nwitua, dated August 9, 2010, alleging assault, rape, trafficking, child labour and malicious prosecution of Ms Monday, which was signed and received by Mr Nwitua’s niece, Princess, on August 11. “In view of the seriousness of the above allegations, the commission hereby request for your response within seven days of your receipt of this letter in order to make a fair and just decision in this matter,” the letter read..
Different tune
At the Police State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, Mr Nwitua began to sang a different tune. He accused the Lagos State government of conspiring against him; and boasted that the charge of impregnating Ms Monday, if proven, would show he is a man. “Comfort was given to me by her father and brother for marriage,” he said. “I paid them about N25,000. Even if I impregnated her, am I not a man? So what crime have I done? All this allegations are just lies. Everybody that is a Yoruba is a liar. All you Yorubas are all liars.” Vure Kara, lawyer to Mr Nwitua, said his client was willing to undergo medical tests to confirm whether he is the father of the baby, adding if positive, he would have committed no crime since Ms Monday is above 16 years. “Our law is clear, once a person is within the age of 16 years, the issue of having intercourse with anybody is not a crime at all,” he said. “It is only if you have sexual intercourse with any person under 16 that it is a crime. So if that happens, it will be resolved. There is always a way about it..”
Not so easy
But indications are that Mr Nwitua, who has being detained over the weekend at Panti, will be charged to a family court. This would mean he will be tried under the Child Rights Law of Lagos State, thus ensuring a stiffer penalty. “It is a criminal matter and there are several allegations against him,” Mr Koyejo said. “First of all there is the allegation of rape because he forcefully had carnal knowledge of an underage under his care and the penalty for that under the Child Rights Act is life imprisonment.”
Ademola Adeniji-Adele, the Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, whose ministry took over Ms Monday’s welfare since August 17, said both mother and baby were doing fine. He said it would be left to the court to determine when a paternity test would be carried out. “The ministry’s obligation is to the girl and the child,” he said. “Everything other thing is being handled by the police and the court. Ours is to ensure abuse in any form in Lagos State is addressed. This is what we have done and the ministry is grateful to NEXT for bringing this girl’s case to the fore.”
Project Fame Studios located inside Murhi International premises in flames last night.
PHOTO: AKIN FARINTO.
Equipment worth billions of naira were lost yesterday as fire razed Ultima Limited’s studios where MTN sponsored programmes; Project Fame and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire are recorded.
The studios, which are located inside Murhi International House, Omole junction, Isheri Road, Ojodu, were gutted by fire at about 8:30 p.m yesterday.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the fire started from an electric spark from the roof of one of the studios, shortly after the recording of an episode of the popular Who Wants To Be A Millionaire programme.
When P.M.NEWS visited the scene of the fire incident last night, the staff of Ultima Limited were seen counting their loss.
One of them, who could not control his tears, said “this is very sad. Where are we going to start from? We could not even take a pin out of the studios. I don’t think this is ordinary.”
When the fire broke out, most of the staff had gone home, having finished the recording of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Most of them had to rush back to the office following calls that their studios were on fire.
According to sympathizers at the scene of the incident, the damage would not have been that much if the of Lagos State Fire and Safety men had intervened fast.
In the words of a sympathizer identified as Wole, “when we discovered the incident, we immediately raised an alarm and tried all our efforts to bring the fire under control. But the fire service men did not come until about an hour after we called them. Even when they eventually came, they were short of water to combat the inferno immediately. We thank God that no life was lost.”
The Corporate Affairs Manager of the company, Olumide Akinlabi, was heard screaming “we are doomed! We are doomed.”
And when he eventually spoke with our reporter, he noted that “we just finished recording and I was almost home when I got the call, so I had to rush back…everything is gone.”
Meanwhile, the contestants of the on-going third edition of Project Fame West Africa have been relocated from their Academy to a nearby hotel.
Ultima Limited is a production outfit owned by Mr. Femi Ayeni.
—Bayo Adetu
Sally, we learnt, having got entangled in an illicit affair with Jim Iyke during one of his visits to Germany, couldn’t resist the crush she had on him. She became so attached to Jim to the extent that whenever Jim was in town, she would lie to her husband that she needed to
travel out of town, whereas, she would be locked in a hotel room with the brand Ambassador, Jim. In return of such good gesture, Sally, many times, would come to Nigeria to see her friend, Success, who is based in Lagos, but would sneaked out to see Jim without Success getting to know. Photo Above Jim Iyke & Sally .Photo Below Jim Iyke's Girl from the States Keturah
The relationship between Jim and Sally, later became public knowledge when the husband got wind of his wife’s adulterous moves with Jim and the quite but rich dude asked her to leave his house. The whole matter later became so complicated when the wife, Sally, told the husband that she was already carrying a baby for him.
The paternity of the baby was declined by the husband and that, we learnt, marked the beginning of her woes. After a lot of persuasions from friends and family, Sally, after she had been delivered of the baby, we gathered, opened up that Jim Iyke was responsible for the pregnancy and that he’s automatically the father of her baby. She further explained how she visited Jim in Nigeria three times without the knowledge of her husband or her friend’s, Success.
During the pregnancy period, rumour has it that, Sally contacted Jim in Nigeria to intimate him about the pregnancy only for Jim to have distanced himself immediately from her and warned her never to come to him or even call him for any reason again. Now, the baby is alive, an alleged split-image of Jim, but the sad tale about this whole story is that, Sally has now been diagnosed to be HIV positive and there is strong indication that Jim Iyke himself is likely to be sharing same status with Sally. Call it triple tragedy for Sally and you are not far from the truth. Effort to reach Jim Iyke to comment on this matter was aborted. .
The relationship between Jim and Sally, later became public knowledge when the husband got wind of his wife’s adulterous moves with Jim and the quite but rich dude asked her to leave his house. The whole matter later became so complicated when the wife, Sally, told the husband that she was already carrying a baby for him.
The paternity of the baby was declined by the husband and that, we learnt, marked the beginning of her woes. After a lot of persuasions from friends and family, Sally, after she had been delivered of the baby, we gathered, opened up that Jim Iyke was responsible for the pregnancy and that he’s automatically the father of her baby. She further explained how she visited Jim in Nigeria three times without the knowledge of her husband or her friend’s, Success.
During the pregnancy period, rumour has it that, Sally contacted Jim in Nigeria to intimate him about the pregnancy only for Jim to have distanced himself immediately from her and warned her never to come to him or even call him for any reason again. Now, the baby is alive, an alleged split-image of Jim, but the sad tale about this whole story is that, Sally has now been diagnosed to be HIV positive and there is strong indication that Jim Iyke himself is likely to be sharing same status with Sally. Call it triple tragedy for Sally and you are not far from the truth. Effort to reach Jim Iyke to comment on this matter was aborted. .
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Residents of Ogele, a community near Eiyekorin in Ilorin, Kwara State, were on Monday evening thrown into mourning as a policeman from the state mobile police unit allegedly shot and killed an assistant driver of a truck and injured another.
The victim, one Dele Olaniyi, died on the spot, while another assistant driver, Waheed Jamiu, was seriously wounded and as at Monday night receiving treatment at the General Hospital Ilorin, the state capital.
When our correspondent visited the scene of the shooting the body of the truck, marked Kwara XB 515 SHA, was seen riddled with bullets.
Our correspondent report that the police, which initially insisted that the truck was carrying illegal goods, were however surprised when the trunk was forced open and discovered that it contained only an empty 25-litre can.
The dead victim, who wore a white top and jean trousers, was found lying in the pool of his own blood in the front of the truck with his head riddled with bullets.
Hundreds of sympathisers gathered at the warehouse where the offending policemen was kept and tied before he was eventually rescued by a detachment of policemen from the state police command headquarters.
Youths of the community who insisted on instant justice for the mobile policeman sang war songs, demanding that the man who shot the victim be released to them.
The killed driver, who was an assistant driver with Mount Olive Farms Nigeria Limited, a commodity merchandising concern, a source told our correspondent, had driven past the police checkpoint without slowing down ‘’because the policemen were not in the habit of checking long trailers.”
Our correspondent learnt that the police were usually ‘’settled’’ on a monthly basis on behalf of the truck’ drivers to avoid harassment by the policemen manning the checkpoint. The checkpoint was however dismantled by irate youths immediately after the incident.
The policemen at the checkpoint when the incident occured allegedly fired shots at the youths when they attempted to apprehend them and injured many in the process.
Speaking with our correspondent, the farm manager, Dr. Sambo Hyelni, said that those present at the warehouse tried to rescue the policeman before he was forcefully snatched by the youths who mauled him before he was salvaged by his colleagues.
The Officer in Charge, MOPOL, Kwara command, Sadiq Abubakar, who led policemen to the scene refused to speak on the matter, maintaining that only his boss, Muktar Ibrahim could speak officially.
When our correspondent contacted the state police spokesperson, Ezekiel Dabo, he said he did not have details because “he had not received signals from those in the field.”
After twice visiting Mecca, the Islamic holy city, one would expect Alhaji Idowu Saliu to live above board like Ceasar’s wife.
But the police are claiming that Saliu is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
According to them, he has been the Second-in-Command of a gang of suspected robbers who were snatching exotic cars and selling them at giveaway prices.
Saliu, with his suspected partner in crime, Saheed Onitolo, were caught with sophisticated weapons, including military assault rifles, two cut-to-size locally made single barrel pistol, 22 rounds of 2.6mm life ammunition, and five live catridges concealed under their car’s door mat.
The Nigerian Compass gathered that luck ran out on Saliu’s gang after a tip-off from a woman, who had allegedly once been robbed by the gang.
Saliu was subsequently handed over to the police at the State Criminal Investigations Department(SCID), Panti, Yaba, for further investigations.
Police spokesperson, Frank Mba, told journalists that the Lagos State Police Command is determined, more than ever, to continue in the fight against all kinds of crimes and vices in the state.
His words: “We have two suspected armed robbers here in our midst. The two suspects identified themselves as Idowu Saliu and Saheed Onitolo. They were arrested on July 12, 2010, and were subsequently transferred to SCID for a much more comprehensive investigation after preliminary investigation at the local station showed that they indeed had some connections with some robbery incidents.
“One of the vehicles that had so far been recovered from this gang, is this Honda Bulldog Saloon car. But one of the intriguing thing here is the way and manner their arms were concealed in this car as at the time the car was recovered from them. Special anti-robbery operatives from the state CID who conducted a diligent search on this vehicle, recovered military assault rifles, two cut-to-size locally made single barrel pistol, 22 rounds of .6mm live ammunition, and five live cartridge.”
The suspect were said to have neatly packed the recovered arms into the side door-mat of the car. Mba said: “This was yet another ingenious way of concealing arms by robbers. It was like having a mobile armoury in an automobile.”
Saliu, 30, who has two wives and two kids, said he took to robbery due to frustration after he was duped of N1.5million by unknown persons.
He however narrated the circumstances that led him to robbery.
He said: “I live at Ayomare Street, Sango-Ota. I am married with two children. I am a cobbler by profession, but now a confirmed robber. I traveled sometime ago and was duped by unknown persons of N1.5 million. Tunji introduced me into this robbery business, and he owns the guns we use for all our operations. Whenever I visit him at his home, at Ikoyi, Lagos, he always gives me some money.
“One day, during such a visit, he introduced me to the business of snatching people’s vehicles and since then, I have been in the business.
“We usually target roads that are not motorable. Roads that are very bad, which we know that car owners would not be able to speed on. If they get to such roads, they’ll be forced to slow down. We snatch sport cars such as Camry, Honda and other cars of that class within Lagos State. So far, I have snatched six to seven cars. I used guns to carry out the operation. We are a two-man-gang. How we operate is this: we get to an area that is not too motorable and wait, pretending as though we are waiting for commercial vehicles, and when our innocent victims get close to a point we know will be difficult for them to turn, we bring out our guns and rob them of their cars; but we do not kill. Our operations are always during night hours.
“When we snatch the cars, our Oga will send people to come and collect the cars and pay us N150,000. When Tunji, our Oga heard of our arrest, he absconded and has not been found!”
On how he was arrested, he said: “I parked my car somewhere around Egbeda. I was strolling when one woman identified me as a member of a gang that snatched her car sometimes and called on people to arrest me.
“By the time I ran to where I parked my vehicle, it was too late. Angry hands grabbed and dragged me to the police station.
“My wife is not aware that I am into this sort of business and I regret becoming a member of a robbery gang.
“I regret being an armed robber. I pray to be forgiven. I also call on all the people I have snatched their cars to please forgive me. I took to robbery because I was duped!”
The other suspect, Onitolo, 22, who claims to be an automobile engineer, however said that although he was a member of the gang, his duty was to push any snatched vehicle to a selling point.
He further revealed that although he was not receiving much money from the business compared to the risk involved, the peanuts he received had so far been useful to him.
He said his pay for shifting the snatched vehicles was around the sum of N40,000 to N50,000.
Onitolo was once an inmate at the Ikoyi prisons. He explained that he was arrested and charged to court for working on a car brought to him by a customer; a car he never knew was a stolen one. He spent eight months in prison, there he met some criminal elements, who rather than change in prison, were busy plotting their next robbery operation once they gained their freedom.
His words: “I am Saheed Onitolo, from Oyo State. I am an automobile engineer. Someone I met at the Maximum Prison, Ikoyi, called Gbenga, initiated me into the business of robbery. When we were at the prison, he was very helpful, assisting me in all ways, including giving me food. When we were both released from the prison, he introduced me to a car dealer who was incidentally our boss.
“After every operation, I drive to the stand for sales. I have only been involved in three robbery operations.”
There was also another case where policemen from Elere Police Station made startling discoveries.
Mba said: “What you have here is a recovery made from Elere Police Station. This vehicle was intercepted on July 31, 2010. Policemen from the station, who were on routine patrol, intercepted the vehicle at about 12 midnight. Immediately police sighted the bus and flagged it down, the driver sharply pulled up and several men jumped out, scampering in different directions. Like well trained and moderated police officers, the policemen restrained from opening fire on the fleeing men. This was so because, it was difficult to know why they were fleeing.
“The abandoned vehicle was later searched but nothing was found. The vehicle was subsequently towed to the police station.
“Subsequent events showed that these robbers had a way of concealing their weapons in the vehicle, and this triggered the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to call for proper search of the abandoned vehicle.
“The vehicle was dismantled and proper search conducted. After the search, several arms were recovered from the vehicle including: three AK47 rifles, two sub-machine guns.
“The police have gone too far to look back. We thanked the state for its support and pledge to give our unalloyed support to zero tolerance in fighting crime in the state.
By Godwin Akpan and Yomi Ajiboye
The Recovered truck.
THE combined efforts of both the Lagos State Police Command and the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Adeniji Adele road, Lagos, frustrated the attempted diversion of a truck loaded with 40 feet container, containing three tractors, valued at several millions of naira belonging to the Borno State government by a syndicate.
The syndicate led by one Garba Musa, now at large, in conjunction with two other suspects, Mohammed and Bello Yisa, was said to have perpetrated the act on July 12, 2010, between Apapa Wharf and Marine beach in Apapa Local Government Area of Lagos State. Two of the suspected criminals were nabbed by a team of police detectives following a tip-off.
Crime and Security gathered that the fleeing leader of the gang allegedly specialised in diversion of containers from Apapa Wharf both at the Tin can Island, and Roro Ports at Apapa business community of Lagos State. He was said to have approached one Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed, a staff of Mowan Maritime Services Limited with the intention of transporting the container from Apapa Wharf, Lagos to Maiduguri, Borno State.
It was, however, learnt that after the deal had been struck on the cost of transportation of the container between Alhaji Mohammed and Musa, the latter was said to have engaged the sevrices of Mohammed Abass, a truck driver at Apapa Wharf to use his truck to transport the container out of the Wharf under the guise that he was to deliver the container in Maiduguri before it was later discovered that it was missing.
An insider police source at the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Adeniji Adele Road, Lagos, informed Crime and Security that after a manhunt for both Musa and the truck driver, Abass, it was allegedly discovered that the truck did not travel anywhere as agreed by the two parties.
The source, who craved anonymity, disclosed that it later dawned on the agent of the clearing and forwarding firm, Alhaji Mohammed, that Musa had an ulterior motive and that the suspect had diverted the truck and the container belonging to the Borno State government to an unknown destination in conjunction with Abass.
“In fact, that was why the representatives of the owners of the missing container reported the case to the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad for investigation,” the source said.
And no sooner the case was reported than the police swung into action and effected the arrests of both Abass and Yisa, who were said to have concluded arrangement to divert the goods in connivance with the fleeing suspect.
Meanwhile, the truck driver, Abass who cliamed to be an indigene of Nasarawa State and a resident at 2, Odofin Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, denied the allegation that he was working in concert with the fleeing suspect, to divert the container.
The suspect who claimed to have spent two weeks in the police cell at Apapa Police Station, Area B, Lagos State after which he was transferred to the Federal SARS stated in an encounter with Crime and Security last week in Lagos that:
“The 1x40 feet container contained three tractors and up till now, I do not know the actual value of the tractors in naira and kobo and I have since pleaded with the police to understand my innocence, just as I begged them to release me on bail,”the suspect said.
The suspect has, however, promised the police to assist them in their quest to locate and arrest fleeing Garba Musa, provided he was granted bail, adding that he had put about seven years into transportation business and that he had never experienced such in his several dealings with his numerous customers.
Also, in a chat with Crime and Security, Yisa said he did not know anything about the diversion of the truck. The suspect who claimed to be a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers at the Marine Beach Branch, Apapa, said his duty at the park was to collect union dues of N500 on each truck that entered the park, irrespective of being loaded or not.
“I was on duty when a man came to meet me and said that the truck was loaded with his container and he gave me N200 as gift. He said that I should assist him in looking after the truck,” he said.
He also identified Musa as the man who gave him money and instruction to look after the truck, adding that the fleeing suspect also instructed him to call him anytime the truck was about to leave the park.
He added that his trouble with the police began when he saw a team of policemen that came to arrest the driver and he attempted to call the man ( Musa) on phone to tell him about the development.
“Musa asked that I should give the phone to one of the policemen, with view of speaking with him. And I did as I was instructed and I was later informed by the police that the man had during their conversation promised to come and see them, but that he has not showed up till now, hence the decision of the police to arrest me as an accomplice in the crime.”
Meanwhile, confirming the incident was the Commissioner for Police in charge of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Mr. Jubril Adeniji, who said that the suspects would soon be arraigned and charged with conspiracy and theft in a court as soon as the investigation into the case was concluded by the police.
Rogue Candidate: Former Military Dictator, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida
Written By Francis Falola, Minna
Members of a group campaigning for the emergence of the former military dictator, Gen Ibrahim Babangida, as President in 2011 were on Saturday stranded in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Members of the group, Campaign Network for IBB, from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, arrived in Minna on Friday for a meeting on the general’s ambition.
Most of the participants, who spoke in an interview with our correspondent in Minna, lamented what they described as neglect on the part of the organisers of the event.
They alleged that no arrangement was made for their accommodation, feeding and transportation.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that IBB’s campaigners in 2003 and 2007 during the immediate past administration of Alhaji Abdulkhadir Kure, were ccommodated at the state-owned Shiroro Hotel.
One of the delegates, who came from Kwara State, Mr. Shittu Mohammed, while lamenting their fate disclosed to our correspondent that against the practice during Kure ’s administration none of them was given any money nor arrangements made for their accommodation.
According to him, “We are really disappointed. In the past during the previous administration of Alhaji Kure whenever we were in Minna, we were sure of a very befitting accommodation in Shiroro Hotel with free food, at the end of the exercise.
“When we are coming for this programme, the vehicle we chartered developed a fault just after Jebba. Some of our delegates had to turn back and the four of us who managed to get to Minna had to pair in an unbefitting hotel with two male and two female sleeping in a room”.
Musa Yar'adua, the Aso Rock gunner, shows his Father's Wild Side. Image taken from "The Wild Little Ones" Yar'adua's Son, Musa
The wild teenage son of Umaru Yar'adua, Musa Yar'adua is here toying with a MOPOL weapon at the Aso Rock grounds. Do we need anymore fortune teller to reveal that a wild child like this will grow up to become a menace to the world? His father died in May from an unknown cause.
Musa posing with one of the many cars in Aso-Rock
Musa Yar'adua posing with one of the cars in Aso Rock
"Credit Crunch?" Not in the Naira House of the Yaradua's
Musa Yar'adua posing with wads of Naira Notes.
As the roads in Kubwa dey bad a big "Okada" is not a Bad Idea for a Yaradua
Musa Yar'adua on a motor bike
Determined to tackle crime and criminals in Ogun State and ensure that citizens sleep with their eyes closed, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Musa Daura, has ordered 24 hours vigilance on different areas of the state, leading to arrest of some suspected criminals.
Daura said his men, attached to various divisions within the state, were combat ready to fish out criminals disturbing the state, no matter the holes they had crawled into after perpetrating their operations. He cautioned criminals in the state to back off and try other states or else he would come down hard on them when they are eventually nabbed.
While revealing some of the achievements the command recently recorded, Daura said: “Detectives attached to Odogbolu Police Division have arrested Tosin Ayomide 28, with AK47 rifle, 28 rounds of live ammunition, two locally made double barrel pistols, one live and expended cartridges, one Genx Digital Camera, one army belt and four handsets.
“Also recovered is one extera jeep. Other gang members fled after engaging the police in a gun battle. They ran only after the police overpowered them in the shootout.”
Another suspected armed robber was also arrested by policemen attached to Ibarra Police Division. The suspect had been identified as Wasiu Aderupoko. He was nabbed by policemen who were on ‘Stop and Search’ duty at Ijeja Junction, Ibara Abeokuta, in possession of one Lincoln Motorcycle marked QE176AKM.
Other members of the gang were said to have bolted after sighting the police at the junction. They left Aderupoko who was later arrested by the police. Items recovered from the hoodlums were three single barrel guns and two double barrel locally made pistols.
In another development, a few of the armed robbers who had been terrorising motorists on the Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway had been arrested by policemen from Ijebu-Ode Area Command who were patroling the expressway.
The armed robbers were said to have been subjected to a search after they were flagged down at a ‘Stop and Search’ post. An army uniform and T- shirt with police inscription on the shirt were found on them. During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the police to have been using the uniform to rob innocent people.
Items recovered from the suspects were army identity card with Force number O3NA/53/3110, with police vest, with numerical figures scripted on it. There was a Baja Motorcycle, marked H150 KJA and a nylon containing Indian hemp.
Police spokesman, Ademuyiwa Adejobi, said that the suspects could not give a satisfactory account of how they got the clothing items found in their possessions.
Adejobi added that the command had warned anyone found or caught with military or police uniforms to be arrested for further investigations.
Policemen attached to Ewekoro Division received information about armed robbery operation along Sango-Ewekoro road, and quickly swung into action. Two of the suspected robbers were allegedly arrested with weapons. The suspects are Idowu Obaleewo, 25, and Ibrahim Yakubu, 24. They had in their possession one locally made pistol, two handsets and N4, 690.
Joseph Dashi, 38, a suspected kidnapper, was also arrested by the command. He was caught after abducting a young boy in Republic of Benin and brought him to Nigeria.
Dashi was said to have taken the boy to a native doctor in Ado-Odo Ota, to sell at the sum of N400.000. But rather than buy the boy for some nefarious purposes, the native doctor alerted the police.
Policemen attached to the Federal High Way Patrol team, which was on duty along Sagamu /Ikorodu road recently stopped a car for a search at night and discovered that the occupants were robbers.
The suspects are Tairu Yekini, Wasiu Liadi, Peter Adebanjo, and Wasiu Sara.
The Nigerian Compass gathered that after subjecting them to a thorough search, some incriminating items were found in their vehicle. Items recovered from them were one locally made short gun, two live cartridges, two Nokia GSM handsets; two bunches of keys and a sum of N3050.
Monday, 23 August 2010.
TRAGEDY struck in Enugu the Enugu State capital, on Sunday, when fire that gutted a two bedroom apartment at Abakpa Nike, a suburb of Enugu metropolis, claimed the lives of three family members.
The fire disaster was said to have engulfed the entire apartment at 7, Nwamadu Street , Ugbene II Abakpa
Nike, Enugu and destroyed property worth millions of naira.
A family source said the deceased persons were identified as Mr. Tobias Ibekwe, his wife and only child.
They hailed from Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Meanwhile, some residents of the area blamed the bad roads in Abakpa Nike, especially Ugbene II, for the deaths recorded in the inferno, saying that even when men of fire service swiftly responded to distress calls, they could not gain access into the street.
•London police, SFU launch manhunt
A pastor, who was accused of duping prominent Nigerians of over N2 billion, escaped from police custody in Lagos at the weekend.
Pastor Wale Adebajo, who heads the tabernacle arm of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Jesus House Parish, in Brent Cross, North-West London, was arrested and detained at the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, following complaints by some property scam victims, including governors, the Managing Director of a first generation bank, regional manager of the bank, and former presidential spokesman, Dr. Doyin Okupe.
Detectives at the SFU told the Nigerian Compass yesterday that the suspect escaped from police custody, when he was taken to the hospital for treatment, after he complained that he was sick.
According to the case details at the SFU, the bank MD was fleeced of N1 billion; the regional manager was duped of over N300 million; Okupe lost N100 million and one of the governors lost over N400 million to the scam, among others.
The monies were allegedly sent to Adebajo, who they claimed was offering non-existing property for sale.
“There could be more,” said the Commissioner of Police at the SFU, Mr. Moses Saba-Ndagi. “We’re still investigating. We’ve just returned from the bank now. Some of the transactions were genuine and some appear to be fraudulent. More people are coming forward with complaints and we’re looking at them.
“Already, we found that the suspect has four passports; two British passports and two Nigerian passports. We also found on his laptop, scanned emblem and stamp of the British High Commission.”
Saba-Ndagi told the Nigerian Compass, shortly before the suspect escaped from police custody on Friday night that a delegation from the British High Commission visited the SFU on that day, in connection with the case.
Further investigations by the Nigerian Compass revealed that the police in the United Kingdom (UK) have been alerted, as well as the office of Fair Trading, the Financial Services Authority, and the Serious Fraud Office.
In UK, Adebajo could face up to 10 years, if he is found guilty of the alleged fraudulent practices.
The victims saw Adebajo as a property mogul and a good deal maker, after they got reports that he had helped some prominent people to buy property in UK.
But problem started, when the bank manager, a woman, paid a surprise visit to UK and asked Adebajo to show her the properties which she had paid for.
When the pastor failed to do that, the woman picked up a fight and petitions began to fly in every direction.
In Okupe’s case, two earlier transactions had been successful, before he lost the N100 million, which he told the police was his children’s school fees channelled through Adebajo.
In most of the cases, as the police found out, there is no paperwork about the transactions. The bank manager only has bank tellers to prove that she sent money to the Pentecostal pastor.
When he was arrested, detectives at SFU took a mug shot of Adebajo, who they vowed to declare wanted today.
In a telephone conversation with the Nigerian Compass, Okupe said: “I don’t want to talk about Wale Adebajo. It’s a bad case... If you owe people money and you have certain things with which you can pay, why don’t you sell those things and pay? He accepted he owed them, but he didn’t want to part with what he has to offset those debts.”
One of the victims, who simply identified herself as Princess Deun, also spoke with the Nigerian Compass on phone.
She said: “I attend Pastor Adebajo’s church in Croydon, UK. I lost £20,000 to the scam and a friend of mine lost £40,000. We trusted him. That was why we lost the money.
“When he was in police custody, we had an arrangement that he should sell some of his belongings and use the money to clear the debts. The next thing we heard is that he has escaped from the police station. We have even sent a petition to the Inspector-General of Police.”
Police authorities at SFU told the Nigerian Compass yesterday that the officer who allowed Adebajo to escape has been detained, and detectives have been sent out to find the fleeing suspect at all cost.
Mostly affected were members of the Izala sect.
While some were said to have been stoned, others reportedly sustained machete cuts.
It took the intervention of the police for normalcy to be restored to the troubled spot.
An Armoured Personnel Carrier was also hurriedly deployed in the area from the headquarters of the state police command.
While the crisis lasted, three mosques located in the area were vandalised while some vehicles parked close to them were also damaged.
Those injured in the fracas were either rushed to nearby hospitals or given first-aid by their colleagues.
The Sarkin Sabo, Alhaji Ahmed Zungeru, blamed the clash on the Izala sect’s leaders and a sermon by a preacher fromJos, Plateau State.
Zungeru said the preaching of the cleric negated Islamic doctrines.
He claimed that when he saw angry youths heading to the area occupied by members of the Izala sect, he stopped them and appealed for calm. But when he sensed that his pleas were about to be ignored, he approached the police at Iyaganku division for help.
But one of the Izala leaders, Alhaji Abubakar Saliu, described Zungeru’s allegations as unfounded.
He alleged that Zungeru and his chiefs led the invasion, as part of a ploy to drive the Izala sect out of the area.
Saliu said the attack on his group was a fallout of last Friday’s judgment of a magistrate court in Ibadan, which ruled that the two groups should stop using loudspeakers during their services
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Rotting Teeth Causes
The human mouth is home to many bacteria, which are responsible for dental caries. Bacteria feed on the starch and sugar in the food that we consume and release acids that act on the teeth. These bacteria are deposited on the surface of the teeth forming a film that is known as plaque. This film is deposited constantly on the teeth and needs to be removed. Brushing the teeth regularly at least twice a day, or after every meal is necessary to remove the plaque. You can also consider using a mouth rinse and flossing regularly to maintain good oral hygiene. Plaque hardens if not removed periodically and forms a hard substance known as tartar. If we allow plaque and tartar to build up, acids act on the teeth and cause demineralization of the enamel and other tissues which lead to cavities and dental caries. It can also lead to gum disease.
Tooth decay or rotting teeth or dental caries all refer to the same concept. Any damage, holes or cavities in the teeth are due to acid which acts on the layers of the teeth. These cavities can penetrate through the enamel and dentin to the sensitive pulp.
Rotting Teeth Health Problems
Tooth decay and rotting teeth may be indicative of other diseases. Some studies also show that bacteria involved in dental plaque, can cause blood clots when they enter the blood stream. This could lead to heart attacks.
Another issue which can cause problems and perhaps embarrassment is bad breath, also known as halitosis. Most common source of halitosis is the bacteria that are present in the mouth, throat and tonsils. Sometimes some foods that we eat can cause bad breath. Rotting teeth are also an obvious cause of halitosis, which results from the rotting teeth smell. Also, infections and gum diseases such as gingivitis cause bad breath.
Rotting teeth in children can be another common health problem. Tooth decay in children and young adults is common, largely due to sugar in the diet and poor dental care. Young children have milk teeth which have a thinner coating of enamel than permanent teeth. Furthermore, they may be more accustomed to eating sugary food. Also, since children initially have milk teeth which are not permanent, damage to these teeth may not be taken seriously by parents.
Rotting Teeth Treatment
One way of treating rotting teeth is to have the cavities filled in by a dentist. In case the damage is more extensive, the dentist may have to cap the tooth, do a root canal treatment or extract the tooth all together. For these procedures special tools are used, including a dental drill that allows the dentist to take out the damaged portion of the tooth.
Ultimately the best way to avoid tooth decay is to maintain a good dental hygiene and reduce sugary and starchy foods. Given below are some daily dental care tips that will help to promote a good dental heath.
Teeth are an important part of our skeletal system. The beginning of food digestion takes place in the mouth where the teeth help in breaking down food and mixing it with saliva. They help us to eat by biting, chewing, tearing, and breaking down food. Teeth give shape to the jaw and also help in talking. Therefore, rotting teeth can interfere with these functions making eating and speaking difficult, causing pain and infection as well as destruction of the tooth. These can cause problems as the teeth are visible structures, and damaged and decayed teeth are unsightly and look disgusting.
In this article we will be concentrating on tooth decay symptoms, causes, health problems and treatment of rotting teeth.
In this article we will be concentrating on tooth decay symptoms, causes, health problems and treatment of rotting teeth.
Rotting Teeth Causes
The human mouth is home to many bacteria, which are responsible for dental caries. Bacteria feed on the starch and sugar in the food that we consume and release acids that act on the teeth. These bacteria are deposited on the surface of the teeth forming a film that is known as plaque. This film is deposited constantly on the teeth and needs to be removed. Brushing the teeth regularly at least twice a day, or after every meal is necessary to remove the plaque. You can also consider using a mouth rinse and flossing regularly to maintain good oral hygiene. Plaque hardens if not removed periodically and forms a hard substance known as tartar. If we allow plaque and tartar to build up, acids act on the teeth and cause demineralization of the enamel and other tissues which lead to cavities and dental caries. It can also lead to gum disease.
Tooth decay or rotting teeth or dental caries all refer to the same concept. Any damage, holes or cavities in the teeth are due to acid which acts on the layers of the teeth. These cavities can penetrate through the enamel and dentin to the sensitive pulp.
Rotting Teeth Health Problems
Tooth decay and rotting teeth may be indicative of other diseases. Some studies also show that bacteria involved in dental plaque, can cause blood clots when they enter the blood stream. This could lead to heart attacks.
Another issue which can cause problems and perhaps embarrassment is bad breath, also known as halitosis. Most common source of halitosis is the bacteria that are present in the mouth, throat and tonsils. Sometimes some foods that we eat can cause bad breath. Rotting teeth are also an obvious cause of halitosis, which results from the rotting teeth smell. Also, infections and gum diseases such as gingivitis cause bad breath.
Rotting teeth in children can be another common health problem. Tooth decay in children and young adults is common, largely due to sugar in the diet and poor dental care. Young children have milk teeth which have a thinner coating of enamel than permanent teeth. Furthermore, they may be more accustomed to eating sugary food. Also, since children initially have milk teeth which are not permanent, damage to these teeth may not be taken seriously by parents.
Rotting Teeth Treatment
One way of treating rotting teeth is to have the cavities filled in by a dentist. In case the damage is more extensive, the dentist may have to cap the tooth, do a root canal treatment or extract the tooth all together. For these procedures special tools are used, including a dental drill that allows the dentist to take out the damaged portion of the tooth.
Ultimately the best way to avoid tooth decay is to maintain a good dental hygiene and reduce sugary and starchy foods. Given below are some daily dental care tips that will help to promote a good dental heath.
- Brushing the teeth at least twice a day, preferably after every meal.
- Flossing regularly, thereby getting plaque out of places where the toothbrush cannot reach.
- Cutting down on sugary and starchy foods and snacks, especially sticky ones.
- Visiting a dental health care provider every six months.
JOS — THE Movement for the Survival of Plateau People, MOSOP, has condemned the attempt by some members of Plateau State House ofAssembly to impeach Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State last week. Thegroup said the move would have thrown the state into another round ofpolitical crisis.
This was stated in a press statement by its national President, Mr. Aliyu Babu Zungdet, weekend, and made available to Vanguard. It said:“We the people of Plateau State are embarrassed by the actions of our‘honourable’ members over an ‘honourable’ act of the governor, carriedout in good faith and for the interest of the public.
“We are now convinced that Governor Jang’s tenure is a bold departure from the rotten past when governors connive with legislatorsto plunder and loot public funds. Evidences of his prudence andaccountability are the numerous roads, bridges, schools, hospitals,electricity, water, agricultural development, etc, across the state inless than four years of his administration.”
Allegation
The crux of the matter, according to the statement, was the Governor’s alleged petition to Independent Corrupt Practises and othercrimes Commission, ICPC, over constituency funds in the legislative armof government. The Governor in the said petition was said to have urgedthe commission to investigate the entire 24 members of the House.
Howevr, 10 members who were not comfortable with the move allegedly went underground to improvise ‘slippery grounds’ to impeach theGovernor.
According to MOSOP, “the exercise though in futility will have many implications on the polity of the state for a very long to come. We,however, commend the people of Plateau State for resisting theimpeachment move by the members of the Plateau State House of Assembly.
“If the members have not abused their constituency funds let them not be afraid. We also want to ask: why are the honourable members justrealising that Governor Jang have diverted local government electionfund now that they are being investigated by ICPC?
“The local government election was done over two years ago. Just as we want the ICPC to complete their investigations, we condemn theimpeachment plot of the House and consider it a diversionary antic.
“We, therefore, want to use this opportunity to call on the legislators to apologise to the good people and Governor of PlateauState for attempting to draw the hand of progress backwards.”
Leadership of NUPENG has, therefore, vowed not to lift any product until police re-arrest and prosecute the suspects whom the uniondescribed as “economic saboteurs and enemies of the society.”
Vanguard gathered that the suspects were arrested on Friday, but were released the following day after an alleged meeting with themanagement of AGS Barma.
Confirming the development, Chairman, Western Zone of NUPENG, Comrade Tokunbo Korodo, accused the police of not only compromising,but also aiding and abetting economic saboteurs.
Comrade Korodu said: “On Friday, our task force got wind that some people were allegedly adulterating diesel and kerosine at AGS BarmaYard. Our team moved in swiftly but they were stopped at the gate by adetachment of police from Itire.
“I called on the Commissioner of Police and reported the matter. He gave the number of Area D, Mushin, commander to me. I called thecommander and he called the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, before wewere allowed into the yard.
“At the yard, 20 trucks and their drivers were allegedly mixing diesel with kerosine. They were promptly arrested and moved to ItirePolice station. From there, in company of some of our men they weretaken to Area D.”
N270bn spent to subsidise fuel imports —PPPRA
Meanwhile, Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, said weekend that the Federal Government spent N270 billion tosubsidise the importation of petroleum products by marketers in thelast seven months.
Executive Secretary, PPPRA, Mr. Abiodun Ibikunle, who disclosed this while briefing journalists on activities of the agency assured thatqueues were not likely to return in the country as adequate provisionshad been made to ensure uninterrupted supply of petroleum products.
Ibikunle said since assumption of office, the agency had deregulated the importation of fuel into the country to bring in more playersespecially “traders” outside the major and independent marketers toensure that scarcity did not resurface in any part of the country.
He debunked allegations that the agency was allocating licence for importation of products to “portfolio holding businessmen” who lackedthe capacity to deliver on the volume allocated to them, while thosewith the capacity had been sidelined.
WARRI – FORMER Vice Chancellor of Delta State University, DELSU,Abraka, Professor John Okpako Enaohwo, who was abducted last Wednesdayby gunmen that demanded N10 million ransom, has been released, but hehas opted to keep sealed lip on his ordeal.
Professor Enaohwo was returning from an early morning mass in his SUV car when gunmen, who apparently laid siege to his Ovu country homein Ethiope East Local Government Area, stormed out from their hideoutsand kidnapped him.
They hijacked his vehicle and whisked him away and put a call to the chairman of the local government, Mr. Anthony Oboro, some hours later,asking for N10 million ransom.
It was not clear whether any ransom was paid before his release.
It was not clear too where the gunmen took the ex vice chancellor to, but, information reached Vanguard, weekend, that he had beenreleased, but he decided to keep quiet.
Some journalists managed to get to his country home at about 11:49 a.m. and confirmed he was in. The professor later said: “I want tokeep the media out of this; I do not want to grant any interview on myordeal in the hands of the kidnappers,” he said.
Among friends who came to rejoice with him last Friday morning were Dr. Patrick Muboghare, Mrs. Grace Odiri and High Chief Lord AlamBarovbe.
Vanguard source said the kidnappers passed both military and police checkpoints when they kidnapped Enaohwo with his Jeep from Ovu to apoint around Delta Steel Company, DSC, in Udu Local Government Area,where his vehicle was abandoned without detection by security agents.
Director of SSS in Plateau State, Alhaji Tijani Talba told newsmen that the suspect, Mr. Vincent Bulus was arrested as he approached members of the family of the governor claiming he was working for the service and tried to obtain money from them to kill an investigation on them.
He said members of the public should be wary of unscrupulous elements in the society who go about claiming to be with the service to dupe individuals.
The suspect who chatted briefly with THEWILL at the SSS office admitted that he committed the crime..
He said he met the governor's daughter (who was not named) and told her that he wanted her to be involved with him romantically.
Mr. Bulus said he further informed the lady that he could help her father out of the political problem he is having if the father could make some funds available for the project. She gave him N250, 000 naira and promised to make more available much later.
Bulus was arrested when he went to pick up another N800, 000 from the Ms. Jang.
*’How Obasanjo wasted $650m on power’
*Says Obasanjo wanted life presidency not Third Term
Since Friday, January 3, 2003, Atiku Abubakar has not stopped moving against the tide.In some instances, he survived and cameout victorious; at other times, he came off worse – but coming outworse might also be comparative and relative, depending on where youstand. For instance, it was his dogged fight against former PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo’s jackboot approach to party leadership thatfrustrated and led to the expulsion of the former Vice President fromthe Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and also made the IndependentNational Electoral Commission, INEC, to disqualify him, but for whichhe got a Supreme Court landmark pronouncement that INEC lacked thepowers to disqualify a candidate.
But it was the same move against the tide which left Atiku losing thepresidential contest of April 2007 with the Appeal and Supreme Courtsupholding his defeat at the polls.
Today, Atiku is ‘back’ in PDP and wants to contest the presidentialelection on the platform of the party. The tide this time, at leastaccording to the resolution of the National Executive Committee, NEC,of the PDP, is that President Goodluck Jonathan should complete theother four-year tenure of his joint presidential ticket with the lateUmaru Musa Yar’Adua. But the party, not wanting to get entangled byjudicial altercation, says the party’s zoning arrangement remains inplace.
Last Sunday, August 15, Atiku announced that “after due consultationswith my family, friends and political associates, I have come here toformally announce, with humility and a deep sense of responsibility,that I shall be offering myself as a candidate for election to theoffice of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 2011Presidential Election. I shall do so on the platform of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)”.
In this interactive session, Atiku speaks on some of the issues he hadnever really talked about. But the most interesting part of hisrevelation is the deal he said he has perfected with former militaryPresident, Ibrahim Babangida, who is also in the race. Following areexcerpts of his answers to questions posed by reporters at his Abujadeclaration.
By Jide Ajani, Deputy Editor & Dapo Akinrefon
YOU still have an issue with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The governor of your home state, Adamawa (Murtala Nyako),said you’re yet to be a PDP member. How do you intend to sort the issueof your registration as a member of the party?
The constitution of PDP provides how you can become a member and yourward is where your membership registration resides. You do not evenregister neither with your local government nor the state chapter andthe constitution of the PDP provides that you can register where youreside or where you have a home. All of these are provided in theconstitution.
*Atiku Abubakar
Before I returned to the PDP in Adamawa State, there was a crisis and the crisis divided the party into two camps: the governor on oneside and the rest of the stakeholders on the other. This came aboutduring the primaries of the governorship election. There were ninegubernatorial aspirants and at that point in time, Nyako was in ANPP.Former President Olusegun Obasanjo took him from ANPP and included himto join the nine other aspirants. That was how they went into election.
Since they came out of the election, the party has remained like that.
By the time I returned to the party, I registered at my ward but the governor said I had registered in the camp that was not recognized. Iwent back to my ward and went to the same camp which he said herecognized, held a meeting with both the ward and local governmentexecutives, applied to be re-admitted; they re-admitted me, gave me aslip in view of a membership card and when the membership card arrived,they gave me a membership card which I forwarded to the nationalheadquarters of the party’s secretariat.
Governor Nyako called the ward and local government executives and threatened them. They refused to be threatened or blackmailed, andthey said Atiku brought this party to us, he is our son and we cannotreject him. He threatened them that he was going to relieve them and Idared him to remove them because under the constitution of the PDP, hehas no power to remove them. This is where we are today.
Legally and constitutionally, Governor Nyako just has nothing to do with me and my membership is valid, it’s legal and it’s lawful. WhetherNyako likes it or not, that is his own business.
The crisis in Adamawa has been going on for over two years; nobody could bring the two parties together, not until I came in. I asked thenational headquarters to call the two factions to order and thenational headquarters is still in the process of reconciling andresolving the crisis in Adamawa PDP. So, I’m not the cause of thecrisis in Adamawa PDP and as far as my membership is concerned, it’s asettled issue. Constitutionally, legally and lawfully, I am a memberof the PDP.
President Jonathan has not declared his intention to run for the presidency in 2011 but I know that it is going to be aformidable race because General Babangida is also in the race and nowyou have joined. How do you see yourself in the context of this race?
Everybody will tell you he is going to win. Babangida is going to tell you he’s going to win, Jonathan will tell you he’s going to winand I will tell you I’m extremely confident but the electorate willdecide. But what we should insist on is internal democracy. Democraticprocesses should guide elections in this country, whether at the partylevel or in the general elections.
Only recently, the national secretary of the PDP announced new names of those granted waivers but your name was not onthe list. You have vowed to file an application for a waiver. If at theend of the day, your application does not scale through, what is thenext step you are going to take?
It is true that somewhere in the party’s constitution, if you are a returnee or a new entrant, there is a provision which states you cannotrun for either party or public office, until you have a probation ofeither two years or 18 months. I want to start by saying that all thoseprovisions were not there before.
They were inserted by Obasanjo to stop Atiku. I am a founding father of PDP. We crafted the constitution and at the time we did it,Obasanjo was not even in the PDP.
After the late President Yar’Adua came into office, the party saw there was need to reconcile those who were forced out or frustrated outof the party to return to the party. The famous Ekwueme Committee, inone of its recommendations, the report recommended unconditional returnof old members to the party and a white paper was issued by the party,saying that all those who were members of the party that had returned,should have unconditional and unfettered return to the party.
The NEC accepted the recommendations and directed state branches to issue registration cards to all returning members. Now, the questionis: is the provision of this white paper superior to the party’sconstitution or they are the same? Now, it is a matter of legalresolution but most lawyers say that based on the white paper and theacceptance and approval by NEC, I don’t need a waiver. But all thesame, I decided to request for a waiver and my application for a waiverwas filed this morning. You asked what will happen if I don’t get awaiver; I want to tell you, I will get a waiver because I moved out ofthe PDP together with Nwodo.
We were pushed out of the PDP at the same time and then, Nwodo was my returning officer at the AC convention in Lagos. I used the sameprovision from the Ekwueme Report to get my own waiver; I want to seehow they will deny me of a waiver. I’ve also requested for a waiver, Idon’t see how PDP will get of this but if they try to get of this, thecourts are there to interpret.
You were Vice President of this country for eight years and you were there with Obasanjo. You ran an administration that hasbeen dubbed one of the most corrupt in the history of this country.What moral pedigree are you marketing this time around?
I don’t know whether we ran the most corrupt administration in this country because I stand to be disputed. I don’t know about all therest, what I know briefly, I can say is about the power project.
Before 2002, I was chairman of the National Council on Privatization and one of the sectors we were hoping to improve on, was the powersector; and we had, internally, reputable contractors to study thepower situation in Nigeria and advise us on how to go about it. Theysubmitted an excellent report and I still believe in that report. Andso, in 2002, I recommended to the President that there should bediversification of energy. We recommended the establishment of powerstations, it could be small or medium sized.
We further recommended attraction of foreign investments to fund the power projects. According to their report, by the year 2005 if we hadimplemented them, we would have been self sufficient in power. I tookit to the president and made a very strong presentation but opposed tomy own presentation, another presentation from the Minister of Power,who had recommended to the president an option that with $650million,we could revamp the power stations in Nigeria, make them functional andeven add more capacity. But in the consultants’ report, they also drewour attention to that, that an attempt to do that, would not solve theproblem.
The power stations are so old and after revamping them, they may not last for one year and then, they break down again. So, I drew theattention of the President to that aspect of the report. He was thePresident. At the end of the day, he decided to accept the minister’srecommendation of $650 million and released the money, and the moneywent down the drain.
By 2006, he gave the minister the money and who he said he revamped the power stations. Whether they were revamped or not, I cannot tell.But by 2006, he had come up with this idea of IPP (Independent PowerProject), all using gas, all located in the Niger Delta. So, thePresident called me, he said ‘VP, I want you to chair this IPP thingbecause you are in good terms with the governors, if you tell them tobring money, they will bring money.’ I told him ‘Mr President, I don’tbelieve in this, but since you said I should chair it, its okay, Iaccept.’
He (Obasanjo) inaugurated, I attended.
After the inauguration, anytime the IPP had to meet, I gave an excuse and Lyle Imoke presided. I never sat down in that committeeuntil I left government. I know of a contractor who was paid $1.8billion upfront in that scheme or scam and till today, he has notdelivered.
Then on top of it, when the Yar’Adua administration came on board, they gave additional money. We are still where we are and we are goingto be where we are, that is all that I know. If you are talking aboutcorruption, please count me out of it because there is no type ofdefinition that has not been done with me. I know Obasanjo went roundthe whole of this world, telling everybody that I am corrupt; now thatI am out of office; I have been meeting heads of state and presidentswho have been telling me what the former President has been tellingthem about me. So, please, count me out of corruption.
They said I sold everything to myself in this country; whether I sold everything to myself, you have had enough time to know if Iactually did sell anything to myself. My accounts have been turnedupside down, both home and abroad; so I don’t know anything about thissweeping allegations on corruption you are talking about.
Why should anybody trust you this time around about becoming President because you left the PDP, created the ActionCongress, AC, and now you’ve returned to the PDP?
This is not the first time I have been calling for the unity and progress of this country. I did it during the late MKO Abiola’s time in1993. He emerged candidate and I ran campaign for him until he won. In1998, if I had wanted, I would have picked the PDP’s ticket because Iwas virtually in charge of the PDP structure.
Again, in the course of an understanding we had at the Constitutional Conference of 1994 and 1995 and power rotation whichoriginated from the South; and so, we decided that the presidencyshould go to the South. In 2003, there was pressure and not until wewent to the convention ground, the governors were asking me whetherthey should vote for Obasanjo and I said they should go ahead and votefor him. It was worth sacrificing for the unity and progress of thiscountry. For me, it is much more important than my personal ambition.So, if I say I want to be president, there is nothing wrong there.
When we started this struggle, I remembered the late Shehu Yar’Adua saying that some of us might not be able to see it and in truth, he(Shehu Yar’Adua) did not live to see it. I think and I believe that Ihave the credentials.
We were pushed out of PDP and we decided to go to the Action Congress. When I was in AC, I made a case for a viable opposition partyand I was responsible for trying to bring about Buhari, Bafarawa and ACtogether. They made me chairman of the steering committee and we heldseries of meetings; and I recommended that the best way to go about it,was to adopt an existing political party because forming another party,would take time and they might not even register it. And adopting thesame party, we may end up in litigation like the AD case; so,eventually, they chose AC to adopt. I still said we must be pragmaticabout it.
I recommended that we open the constitution to allow the other parties contribute as how they want the constitution to look like. Ialso suggested that we relocate our national headquarters; Irecommended measures that will make the other parties feel part andparcel of AC. I also recommended that we tamper with the name, itshould be either ACP or ACN; we all agreed and I traveled abroad. Thenext thing, Buhari announced the formation of CPC.
I also heard that the NEC of AC met in Benin saying they are not changing names, constitution or logo. I asked what kind of people weare dealing with.
I returned to the country and called my political associates and said I wanted to create a viable opposition party that can stand out;all my efforts have now been dashed. I said after all, we were drivenout of PDP and now, the PDP is looking for us, let us go back. We heldseries of meeting here in Abuja; that was how we returned to the PDP.After I returned, they (AC leaders) went and adopted the same thing Irecommended; I went to Lagos to defend it.
I called my friend, Asiwaju Tinubu to Dubai to convince him, I traveled to Lagos and appeared before the caucus of the party to defendit, I had a long list of names and eventually, we settled for two, ACNand ACP. They cited instances of betrayal from ANPP when they had thejoint ticket of Falae and Shinkafi; they finally said they could nottrust anybody. I said if you cannot trust I don’t see how we can playpolitics; I don’t see how we can relate.
Looking at your relationship with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo over the years, Nigerians were surprised when you made a tripto Otta. One would like to know if you have actually reconciled.Because from all indications, it appears you are yet to reconcile withObasanjo. What exactly is your relationship with Obasanjo?
Before I visited Obasanjo, we happen to have some common friends that we both respect; and one of such friends is Ahmed Joda, who hailsfrom the same state with me. Joda is somebody I respect and I told himthat I don’t have anything against Obasanjo; if he wants to knowwhether I’ve forgiven him or not, I told him I’ve forgiven Obasanjo butI don’t think a meeting was necessary. He said okay and he left.
I came back to Abuja and early one Monday, the governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola was knocking on my door. He saidhimself and other governors met and felt that my boss and I shouldreconcile. I told him about the meeting Joda had with me in Yola justa few days before I came to Abuja . I told him as far as I wasconcerned, I have forgiven Obasanjo. But Oyinlola would not give up onthat and I told him that an immediate meeting was not possible becauseI was traveling out of the country.
He asked ‘when are you coming back?’.
I told him January 13 of that year. While I was abroad, he called meto confirm if I was still coming back on January 13 and I told him Iwould be in Lagos to attend Bisi Akande’s birthday celebration andafter that, I would leave for Ibadan to attend Lam Adeshina’s birthdayand then from Ibadan, fly back to Abuja. He asked what if I met withObasanjo in Ibadan at a neutral place and say we forgive each other. Isaid fine but I think he must have gotten back to Obasanjo who musthave asked him to convince me to come down to Otta.
After I finished attending the birthdays, he (Oyinlola) called me from Osogbo and said what if he came to take me to see Obasanjo. Hepressurized me and I asked him to come. I didn’t go with any of myaides. So we went together in Oyinlola’s convoy.
When we got there, Oyinlola thanked both of us for agreeing to meet. I was the next person to speak and I narrated the efforts of Joda andpersistence of Governor Oyinlola; I said Mr President you know I am thekind of person that easily forgives and I told him it’s all over. AsObasanjo was about to go into details, I told him, if you raise anyissue here, I will give you an answer that you won’t like. It’s eitherwe forgive each other, forget about the past and move on and help buildthis country. He said okay VP I know you. You can expect that Obasanjowill continue to fight you forever and you can expect that Atiku willcontinue to defend himself forever. So, that is the story.
In the event that you are unable to achieve you ambition, do you have any alternative to form an alliance?
Why do you want me to disclose to you my political strategy?
You have talked about efforts to reconcile you and Obasanjo, but what you have not told us is the real cause of theproblem. Was it power or money?
I think it was power because when we came into office, we were in aprivate discussion. He said ‘in 1979, when I left power, I leftGhadafi, Mubarak, Mugabe and Eyadema in power; 30 years after I left, Icame back to meet them in power and now you want me to go’.
I said Mr President, it is because Nigeria is a different country; it is not Libya, it is not Togo, it is not Egypt neither is itZimbabwe, you just have to go. It was just like a child’s play. If yourecall, he convened a political conference in 2005. One morning hecalled me and said ‘VP, I’m sending Kanu Agabi and Jerry Gana to comeand discuss some issues with you’. I said okay. Kanu Agabi and JerryGana came and they laid before me proposals to amend the constitutionwhich was eventually smuggled in. For two hours, we met; I told them,‘if I send you back to Mr President, will you deliver my message’?
They said ‘yes’.
I said ‘go and tell the President that I will not support this, not only that, I will fight it’. The next thing I did was to go into theconference, opened a secretariat and funded it; I also brought membersof the delegates together to say no, this is not good and we succeededin that.
The next was through the National Assembly and of course from that time, I was out of government. I held series of meetings with somepeople and I asked how we could stop the third term bid; but it was notthird term bid. I knew it was life presidency.
At the meeting, I raised my hand and said ‘you IBB and TY Danjuma sent Aliyu Gusau to me when I was presiding over a meeting at BolingoHotels. You said if we were giving the South the president, we shouldnot give anybody other than Obasanjo; I did not know Obasanjo. If youknew this is the kind of man he was, why did you ask us to vote forhim’. Babangida, could not answer, Aliyu Gusau could not answer,neither could Danjuma.
It was Buhari who raised his hand; he said ‘Mr President, I would attempt an answer’.
He said yes ‘we worked with Obasanjo when he was military Head of State, but then, we were the people with the fire power. If we toldObasanjo go right, he would go, if we said left he would go; we thoughtwe could handle him. But now, he is the Commander-In-Chief of the ArmedForces, he has all the fire power, he has executive powers’. I saidokay, ‘it is now we should meet and strategise on how to stop thisthing’.
So, it was the struggle for power but I was not struggling for myself, I was struggling for Nigeria. I knew Obasanjo was not lookingfor third term, he was looking to become life president and I was readyto give my head to be cut off, not for my sake but for this country.
Is it true that Professor Jega was your political adviser? Secondly, you were part of the struggle for internal democracyin the PDP and now you have a new leadership, are you satisfied withthe circumstances through which the new chairman emerged?
Professor Jega was never my political adviser. What happened was that I offered him the post and he declined.
About internal democracy, I’m certainly not satisfied yet. We still need to do more on internal democracy in the party. I won’t say we arethere yet.
In your debate on zoning, it appears your whole political aspiration depended on zoning. But a lot of people have giventheir own interpretation on zoning. What is your own take on theoutcome of the NEC meeting? In the build upto that meeting, what deal did you enter into with Babangida in theevent that you don’t run at the end of the day?
My interpretation of the decision of NEC is that they have retained the constitutional provision of zoning and of course the President hasthe right under the constitution of Nigeria, which is supreme, to offerhimself. That is the interpretation.
And of course, myself, IBB and Gusau were the conveners of the G15 and from G15 to the Northern Political Forum and our main objective isto preserve the unity and stability of this country through powerrotation, power shift or zoning because it will appear up till now, thecountry seems not to be politically developed to vote either regionalor ethnic cleavages up till now.
What we did during the draft 1995 constitution which we gave Abacha, we actually proposed a single term, provided that each zone would begiven a chance to rotate and we said by 30 years, all zones would haveproduced the president; after which we can review the constitutionalprovision. We also recommended two Vice Presidents, one from the zoneof the president, the other from either the North or South.
But when Abdulsalami came, NADECO went and met him; they said they did not want anything about Abacha. They went ahead to remove some ofthese provisions and then, we ended up with what we have today. Now,you can see the foresight we had in 1995 when we gave Abacha the draftconstitution; if we had that draft, we won’t be talking about zoningtoday, we would have moved on. I think this has taught us a lesson. Wemay have to revert to it at a later date. The deal I had with IBB isthat when this has been resolved, we will enter into a room and then,one person would emerge.
ENUGU—GOVERNORS of the South East Zone have for the second timedeclined the outright endorsement of a presidential candidate for the2011 election insisting that they would support only a candidate withthe best programme that will address the imbalance in the country andmarginalization of the zone.
The governors, however, said they would declare their position only when President Jonathan becomes a candidate even as the South EastForum, SEF, yesterday declared that it was firmly committed to zoningand rotation of power principle and therefore would work for theactualisation of a Northern President in the next year’s elections.
The South East governors, at the end of their meeting, however,expressed happiness with the performances of President GoodluckJonathan, especially the way he had piloted the affair of the nationsince he came on board.
Chairman of the Forum of South East Governors and Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi who read their resolution after a meetingin Enugu Sunday night, also said the governors noted with concern theongoing strike by the academic and non-academic staff of state-owneduniversities in the South East zone and resolved to negotiate theaggrieved workers even as they called for immediate reopening of theuniversities.
Obi said that the governors discussed the unfolding political scenario in the country and after assessing the political developments,“we agreed to restate our earlier resolve to stand and work togetherirrespective of party affiliations, and that none of us, the Governors,will vie for the post of President or Vice President of the nation inthe upcoming elections in 2011.”
“We will rather give support for Presidency, a candidate with the best programme that will address the imbalance in the country andmarginalisation of the South East Zone. We are not against anybody, butwhat we are saying is that we will only make our support known when allthe aspirants have declared. We are working for the interest of theregion and not for our personal interests.”
However, Secretary General of South East Forum, Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu who made the position of the forum known, weekend, in Abuja,said the North would produce the next president in 2011 forsafeguarding of democracy, peace, unity and national stability.
Besides, former Minister of Education, Prof. (Mrs.) Chinwe Nora Obaji, who attended the Thursday meeting of South South and South Eastheld at the residence of a former Federal Commission of Information,Chief Edwin Clark, has raised the alarm that her life has been underthreat following the position she took during the meeting.
Chief Iwuanyanwu said it was misleading, for anyone to say that the zone has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2011 presidency.
He said: “We want to assure the generality of Ndigbo that the South East Forum is firmly committed to the communique it issued with theNorthern Political Leaders Forum on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 to wit;the two groups believe in zoning and rotation of power principle as thebest safeguard for our democracy, peace, unity and national stability;that the two groups will work staunchly for the realisation of aNorthern President in 2011; and the both groups will also workassiduously for the realisation of an Igbo President in 2015.
However, former Minister of Education, Professor Chinwe Obaji who attended the meeting said her life is under threat because of “my standon the fact that the South East deserves a shot at the presidency come2015”.
Prof. Obaji’s statement entitled, “South South/South East meeting-a refutal” said, “the meeting of South- South and South- Eastrepresentatives held on Thursday 19 August 2010 at the residence of DrEdwin Clark was not reported accurately in the media.
“The meeting was summoned to look into ways of improving relations between the South-South and South-East geo-political zones. I and somesouth east delegates raised issues at the meeting that we consideredimpediments to fostering good and smooth relationship between the twozones and tried to proffer solutions. Some of those issues are quitesensitive and are sore spots to the average South-Easterner.
“It was unfortunate that some positions we took did not go down well with notable leaders from the South-South who telephoned me the nextday, threatening me.
“I believe sincerely that if there should be remarkable improvement in our relationship, the genuine concerns of the two zones must beaddressed in an open and sincere manner for the wider interest ofNigeria.
“The relationship between the two zones dates back before our time and by acts of providence, we have found ourselves as neighbors,in-laws, cousin’s even brothers and sisters etc and we should from timeto time dialogue on frosty issues that tend to divide us and makeattempts to find solutions to these issues. Any discussion which doesnot address the genuine concerns and aspirations of the South-East zonemay only be one-sided and could be short lived.
“It will be most unfair to me for anyone to invite me to a meeting of this nature and expect me not to represent the interest of the southeast zone as I know them, such an act could tantamount to a silentbetrayal of my people.
“Neither threats nor undue coercion will change my stand on the fact that the South-East deserves a shot at the presidency come 2015.
She concluded, “this position is just, equitable, fair and irrevocable and the kind of threat I have received is totally illmotivated and counter-productive.”
