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Inegbeniki, in a
statement, yesterday in Warri, on behalf of “APC Disciples in Edo,”
said, “It is unfortunate that our national leader, whom we all respect
so much and Timi Frank, have asked Oyegun to resign from office, without
disclosing the offence that he committed to warrant his resignation.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/nobody-can-force-oyegun-office-apc-national-chairman/
In what spells good days for the relationship between the Executive
and Legislative arms of Government, the Federal Government has filed a
motion to drop the charge of criminal conspiracy and forgery of senate
standing order against Senate President Bukola Saraki and his Deputy,
Ike Ekweremadu.
This was applied for by a litigation officer from the Federal
Ministry of Justice, Odubu Loveme, who filed an affidavit in support of
the motion before the High Court of Federal Capital Territory.
THE WILL recalls that Saraki, Ekweremadu, as well as a former Clerk
of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and a former Deputy clerk,
Ben Efeturi, were on June 20th arraigned before Justice Yusuf Halilu, on
charges of forgery of the senate standing order during the senate
leadership election held in June last year and all pleaded not guilty on
July 27, 2016.
In the motion filed by Loveme in the office of the Director of Public
Prosecution, he revealed that the prosecution had studied the case
diary and had decided to amend the charge in the manner stated on the
face of the motion paper while Maikasuwa and Efeturi would continue to
face trial over the case.
“That I depose to this affidavit in good faith believing same to be
correct to the best of my knowledge and information and in accordance
with the Oaths Act Cap 01 laws of the Federation of Nigeria,” he
affirmed.
Count 1 of the charge against the two civil servants, is that of
Criminal Conspiracy punishable under section 97 (1) Penal Code Act (
Northern States) Federation Provisions Act, 1960, Cap 345, laws of the
Federation 1990 as amended.
Anita Isama the wife of Paul Okoye of the former P-Square duo, quit
her 9-5 job recently and explained that she wasn’t finding fulfillment
in it.
She took to her Instagram page to share her reasons saying:
“Changes. This quote resonates with me because, at the beginning of 2016, I found myself unfulfilled in my 9-5.
Life was a bit robotic, mundane, I felt limited. I never knew I would be
an entrepreneur, but I knew I didn’t want to be sitting behind a desk
all day.
The creative in me wanted some shine and I had to answer.
Quitting my job, was a huge risk, financially and psychologically.
I swapped my high heels & Blazers for sneakers and hard hats.
I have no regrets, no looking back. I’ve been taking it one day at a
time, it’s not been easy, but I’m nearly ready to reveal my new
projects.”
LOKOJA—AS the ongoing
industrial action by workers in Kogi State enters day five today, the
state government yesterday, described the strike as act of sabotage.
This came as a human rights activist, Abdul Miliki, threw his weight
behind the strike, calling on the government to settle with labour as
well as resolve the lingering crisis in the state House of Assembly.
Yahaya-Bello
Yahaya-Bello
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria,
TUC, joined by the banks have been on strike since Monday protesting
government decision to open salary accounts for workers in Zenith bank,
while local government workers were opened in Access bank.
The workers are also protesting six months salary arrears, as well as
the sending-off of some top government functionaries on compulsory leave
without any allegation against them.
Government, however, in a statement by Commissioner for Information and
Culture, Muhammed Awwal, said the workers’ action was an of sabotage,
considering the fact that payment of arrears of salaries had commenced
two weeks ago.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/kogi-strike-act-sabotage-govt/Anita Isama the wife of Paul Okoye of the former P-Square duo, quit
her 9-5 job recently and explained that she wasn’t finding fulfillment
in it.
She took to her Instagram page to share her reasons saying:
“Changes. This quote resonates with me because, at the beginning of 2016, I found myself unfulfilled in my 9-5.
Life was a bit robotic, mundane, I felt limited. I never knew I would be
an entrepreneur, but I knew I didn’t want to be sitting behind a desk
all day.
The creative in me wanted some shine and I had to answer.
Quitting my job, was a huge risk, financially and psychologically.
I swapped my high heels & Blazers for sneakers and hard hats.
I have no regrets, no looking back. I’ve been taking it one day at a
time, it’s not been easy, but I’m nearly ready to reveal my new
projects.”
In
March 2010, the international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans
Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) discovered an outbreak of lead
poisoning in remote villages in Zamfara State, Nigeria. More than
17,000 people were severely poisoned and 400-500 children died as a
result of soil lead contamination associated with artisanal gold
mining/processing in residential compounds. International organizations
collaborated with Nigerian health authorities and local civil and
traditional governments to provide emergency medical, environmental,
technical, and public health response.
Remediation
activities, conducted in three phases from May 2010 to July 2013, were
modeled on Idaho/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “Superfund”
protocols. Post-cleanup activities included medical treatment in MSF-run
clinics, monitoring the sustainability of the remediation, and
implementation of safer mining practices. The epidemic has been
characterized as unprecedented, and the ensuing cleanup one of the
largest and most comprehensive ever undertaken by an African
government.
Remediating
the villages presented numerous resource, logistic, cultural,
institutional, and technical challenges. The remote area is difficult to
access and has little infrastructure. Village life is ruled by
overlapping civil, tribal, and Sharia governments, exhibits
gender-segregated social structure, suffers numerous endemic diseases
with limited healthcare, and a workforce dependent on primitive tools
and labor practices. The cleanup evolved from an emergency response
initially developed and directed largely by international personnel from
TerraGraphics (TG) to a multi-disciplinary program carried out by
Nigerian federal, state, and local governments employing village
workers.
On 14 April 2014 the insurgency group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from their local school in Chibok in Nigeria.
Two years on, most of the girls are still missing. And they are not
alone: We estimate that a total of 2,000 women and girls, as well as
many boys have been abducted.
Distressingly, girls and women that do return face mistrust and
persecution. Communities fear they may have been radicalised, and their
children born of sexual violence 'tainted' by the blood of Boko Haram
fighters. This puts them at risk of discrimination and even potential
violence in the future.
A new project
by International Alert and UNICEF seeks to address this. We aim to give
returning women and girls a future and support their re-integration.
Together with our partners, Federation of Muslim Women's Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and Herwa Community Development Initiative,
we run collective therapy sessions and dialogue clubs where survivors
can talk about their experiences. We also help local communities prepare
for their return by fostering empathy and trust.
The project is in early days, but is already helping transform lives. Read some of their stories below.
But there is an urgent need - and opportunity - to scale up this
work. This is why we are calling on the international community to not
only #BringBackOurGirls, but also step up support for the girls and
their communities when they do return.
Please join us to help raise awareness of these issues, and help build a better #FutureForOurGirls
- See more at: http://www.international-alert.org/future-for-our-girls#sthash.X30lD0sX.25QU3GtR.dpuf
Ado-Ekiti-Ekiti State
Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has lamented that one year of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Mohammadu Buhari,
has recorded nothing but woes and unprecedented hardship.
He said the country’s economy has been ruined so much that States could
no longer pay workers’ salaries, millions of jobs were lost, prices of
essential commodities skyrocketed to the extent that Nigerians could no
longer afford common tomato to cook and the middle class wiped away
completely.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications
and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said; “Despite President
Buhari’s electoral promise to reduce petrol pump price from the N87 per
litre that he met it and make life more bearable for Nigerians, he
increased the price of petrol to N145, increased electricity tariff in
spite of lack of power supply.”
He said; “food scarcity last experienced when Buhari was military Head
of State between 1983 and 1985 has returned to the country, with
Nigerians being unable to feed.”
The governor who said Nigerians should remove party, ethnic and
religious sentiments and ask themselves what they have benefited in the
last one year, reminded Nigerians that “Foreign Reserve was
$28.6 billion, Excess Crude Account (ECA) was $2.07 billion, dollars was
less than N200, petrol was N87 per litre and most importantly, one bag
of rice was N8, 500 and power generation was over 5,000MW when Buhari
assumed office.
The statement read in part; “Today, power generation is less than 1,400,
Foreign Reserve has reduced to $26.5 billion, dollar is now over N350,
petrol has increased to N145 per litre and one bag of rice is now over
N15, 000!”
“I read the president’s speech and all that I saw was a president still
sounding like he was campaigning for votes more than one year after
winning election. It is disappointing that the President’s speech was
once again about promises, not about what has been done.
“Not even a mention of one kilometre of road tarred by this
administration, no single job was created except the ones created in
Central Bank of Nigeria for their cronnies and children, not a single
megawatt of electricity generated. This is shameful.
“The reward Buhari gave to Nigerians for electing as president was to
increase petrol pump price by N58.50 and get the Vice President, Prof
Yemi Osinbajo to justify the increment by saying Nigeria was broke!
“In other words, President Buhari increased petrol pump price because
the country was broke and it needed to shore up its revenue base. The
N58.50 added to the previous pump price of N86.50 was an Indirect Tax
imposed on each litre of petrol purchased by
Nigerians.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/05/one-year-anniversary-buhariapc-ruined-nigerias-economy-fayose/
In
March 2010, the international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans
Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) discovered an outbreak of lead
poisoning in remote villages in Zamfara State, Nigeria. More than
17,000 people were severely poisoned and 400-500 children died as a
result of soil lead contamination associated with artisanal gold
mining/processing in residential compounds. International organizations
collaborated with Nigerian health authorities and local civil and
traditional governments to provide emergency medical, environmental,
technical, and public health response.
Remediation
activities, conducted in three phases from May 2010 to July 2013, were
modeled on Idaho/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “Superfund”
protocols. Post-cleanup activities included medical treatment in MSF-run
clinics, monitoring the sustainability of the remediation, and
implementation of safer mining practices. The epidemic has been
characterized as unprecedented, and the ensuing cleanup one of the
largest and most comprehensive ever undertaken by an African
government.
Remediating
the villages presented numerous resource, logistic, cultural,
institutional, and technical challenges. The remote area is difficult to
access and has little infrastructure. Village life is ruled by
overlapping civil, tribal, and Sharia governments, exhibits
gender-segregated social structure, suffers numerous endemic diseases
with limited healthcare, and a workforce dependent on primitive tools
and labor practices. The cleanup evolved from an emergency response
initially developed and directed largely by international personnel from
TerraGraphics (TG) to a multi-disciplinary program carried out by
Nigerian federal, state, and local governments employing village
workers.
On 14 April 2014 the insurgency group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from their local school in Chibok in Nigeria.
Two years on, most of the girls are still missing. And they are not
alone: We estimate that a total of 2,000 women and girls, as well as
many boys have been abducted.
Distressingly, girls and women that do return face mistrust and
persecution. Communities fear they may have been radicalised, and their
children born of sexual violence 'tainted' by the blood of Boko Haram
fighters. This puts them at risk of discrimination and even potential
violence in the future.
A new project
by International Alert and UNICEF seeks to address this. We aim to give
returning women and girls a future and support their re-integration.
Together with our partners, Federation of Muslim Women's Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and Herwa Community Development Initiative,
we run collective therapy sessions and dialogue clubs where survivors
can talk about their experiences. We also help local communities prepare
for their return by fostering empathy and trust.
The project is in early days, but is already helping transform lives. Read some of their stories below.
But there is an urgent need - and opportunity - to scale up this
work. This is why we are calling on the international community to not
only #BringBackOurGirls, but also step up support for the girls and
their communities when they do return.
Please join us to help raise awareness of these issues, and help build a better #FutureForOurGirls
- See more at: http://www.international-alert.org/future-for-our-girls#sthash.X30lD0sX.25QU3GtR.dpuf
On 14 April 2014 the insurgency group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from their local school in Chibok in Nigeria.
Two years on, most of the girls are still missing. And they are not
alone: We estimate that a total of 2,000 women and girls, as well as
many boys have been abducted.
Distressingly, girls and women that do return face mistrust and
persecution. Communities fear they may have been radicalised, and their
children born of sexual violence 'tainted' by the blood of Boko Haram
fighters. This puts them at risk of discrimination and even potential
violence in the future.
A new project
by International Alert and UNICEF seeks to address this. We aim to give
returning women and girls a future and support their re-integration.
Together with our partners, Federation of Muslim Women's Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and Herwa Community Development Initiative,
we run collective therapy sessions and dialogue clubs where survivors
can talk about their experiences. We also help local communities prepare
for their return by fostering empathy and trust.
The project is in early days, but is already helping transform lives. Read some of their stories below.
But there is an urgent need - and opportunity - to scale up this
work. This is why we are calling on the international community to not
only #BringBackOurGirls, but also step up support for the girls and
their communities when they do return.
Please join us to help raise awareness of these issues, and help build a better #FutureForOurGirls
- See more at: http://www.international-alert.org/future-for-our-girls#sthash.X30lD0sX.25QU3GtR.dpuf
On 14 April 2014 the insurgency group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from their local school in Chibok in Nigeria.
Two years on, most of the girls are still missing. And they are not
alone: We estimate that a total of 2,000 women and girls, as well as
many boys have been abducted.
Distressingly, girls and women that do return face mistrust and
persecution. Communities fear they may have been radicalised, and their
children born of sexual violence 'tainted' by the blood of Boko Haram
fighters. This puts them at risk of discrimination and even potential
violence in the future.
A new project
by International Alert and UNICEF seeks to address this. We aim to give
returning women and girls a future and support their re-integration.
Together with our partners, Federation of Muslim Women's Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and Herwa Community Development Initiative,
we run collective therapy sessions and dialogue clubs where survivors
can talk about their experiences. We also help local communities prepare
for their return by fostering empathy and trust.
The project is in early days, but is already helping transform lives. Read some of their stories below.
But there is an urgent need - and opportunity - to scale up this
work. This is why we are calling on the international community to not
only #BringBackOurGirls, but also step up support for the girls and
their communities when they do return.
Please join us to help raise awareness of these issues, and help build a better #FutureForOurGirls
- See more at: http://www.international-alert.org/future-for-our-girls#sthash.X30lD0sX.25QU3GtR.dpuf
Justice Abang Okon of the Federal High Court has ruled on Metuh’s
application on the change of trial judge, striking out his application
for lacking in merit, terming same as abuse of court proceedings.
It
would be recalled that one of the counsels to Metuh, Emeka Etiaba had
recently filed an application demanding justice Abang to disqualify
himself from the case for being bias.
However, ruling on the
matter on Friday afternoon, Abang held that the defendant had failed to
provide facts that he had exhibited bias in his handling of the matter.
He
ruled, “It is my humble view that the application lacks merit, it is an
abuse of court proceedings and is appropriately dismissed,” Justice
Abang said.
Earlier, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, on Friday faulted the allegation that the trial judge in charge
of Olisa Metuh’s case, Justice Okon Abang exhibited bias while carrying
out his function.
EFCC’s lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir said this during Metuh’s ongoing trial at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
According to Tahir, there is no evidence by the defendant to show that the trial judge had exhibited bias in his conduct.
The Federal
Executive Council will meet in emergency today over the 2016 budget
details submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari by the National Assembly
yesterday.
The Senior Special
Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu,
confirmed this exclusively to our correspondent yesterday evening.
Another top
government official also told our correspondent yesterday that the
details of the budget would be forwarded to all ministers between
yesterday and today for a review.
President Muhammadu Buhari had last week insisted that he would critically review the Appropriation Bill before assenting to it.
The source, who
craved anonymity, also confirmed that the executive would go through the
details of the budget, see the corrections and take steps on
implementation.
"Between today
(yesterday) and tomorrow (today), the budget details will be forwarded
to the ministers to start reviewing and seeing the corrections and also
taking steps on how to implement them. They want to do things based on
facts, not lies," he said.
The source said the ministers would go through the details of the budget "within a short time."
But asked how long the budget review would last, he simply said: "The ministers are the ones supervising the ministries.
The Minister of
Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, has appealed to the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC) to rescind its planned warning strike over the new
electricity tariff in the overall interest of the nation.
He made the appeal
in Abuja yesterday at the 3rd Triennial National Delegates Conference of
the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies
(SSAEAC).
Ngige said the
dispute over the increase in electricity tariff was before the National
Assembly, urging the NLC to allow the National Assembly arbitrate on the
matter.
The minister
advised investors in the power sector to provide decent working
environment for their staff as his ministry would no longer tolerate
unfair labour practices, even as he urged workers to do their best in
the promotion of productivity.
In Nigeria 276 girls remain missing after being abducted from their school by the terror group Boko Haram.
The girls were taken because they were pursuing their education – a
reminder to us all of the many obstacles related to culture and
tradition that girls in many parts of the world must overcome to improve
their lives.
As we pray for the girls’ safe return, we ask you to please stand with
girls everywhere risking their lives to attend school. Please provide
your email below.
In
March 2010, the international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans
Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) discovered an outbreak of lead
poisoning in remote villages in Zamfara State, Nigeria. More than
17,000 people were severely poisoned and 400-500 children died as a
result of soil lead contamination associated with artisanal gold
mining/processing in residential compounds. International organizations
collaborated with Nigerian health authorities and local civil and
traditional governments to provide emergency medical, environmental,
technical, and public health response.
Remediation
activities, conducted in three phases from May 2010 to July 2013, were
modeled on Idaho/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “Superfund”
protocols. Post-cleanup activities included medical treatment in MSF-run
clinics, monitoring the sustainability of the remediation, and
implementation of safer mining practices. The epidemic has been
characterized as unprecedented, and the ensuing cleanup one of the
largest and most comprehensive ever undertaken by an African
government.
Remediating
the villages presented numerous resource, logistic, cultural,
institutional, and technical challenges. The remote area is difficult to
access and has little infrastructure. Village life is ruled by
overlapping civil, tribal, and Sharia governments, exhibits
gender-segregated social structure, suffers numerous endemic diseases
with limited healthcare, and a workforce dependent on primitive tools
and labor practices. The cleanup evolved from an emergency response
initially developed and directed largely by international personnel from
TerraGraphics (TG) to a multi-disciplinary program carried out by
Nigerian federal, state, and local governments employing village
workers.
The Source of Lead Poisoning
The
source of the epidemic was artisanal gold mining that became prolific
in 2009-10. For several months, ore processing was conducted at numerous
sites within the villages. Because local religious and cultural
practices include the sequestration of married women, ore crushing,
washing, and gold recovery were undertaken within homes to utilize the
women’s labor. During the rapid increase in mining activities, a
dangerous gold ore exceeding 10% lead was introduced. By April 2010,
with death and illness prevalent, the local Emirates ordered a temporary
suspension of artisanal ore processing and later required that all
operations be moved approximately outside the villages. However,
extremely hazardous waste and contaminated soils remained in the
residences and communal areas.
MSF/TG
focused on emergency medical treatment and environmental response. MSF,
ZMOH, and FMOH developed village chelation therapy clinics. All
entities agreed that children could not live in contaminated homes as it
would compromise the treatment. Coupled with local resistance to
relocation, this required the villages to be remediated prior to
commencing chelation.
MOSCOW
(AP) -- In the list of presidents, prime ministers, sheikhs,
billionaires and other magnates cited in a sweeping worldwide
investigation into hidden assets in offshore accounts, there was an odd
man out: A Russian cellist.
Up
until now, 64-year-old Sergei Roldugin was known only in the Russian
music community — as a People's Artist of Russia and the artistic
director of the House of Music in St. Petersburg. What makes him stand
out from other Russian musicians, however, is his close ties to
President Vladimir Putin.
Roldugin
features in Putin's early autobiography as a close friend and the
godfather of Putin's eldest daughter, Maria. He pursued a musical
career, and despite the fact that he never became a tycoon like many of
Putin's other friends, he did somehow acquire a stake in the Rossiya
bank, one of the first Russian firms slapped with U.S. sanctions
following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
The
U.S. Treasury in 2014 described the bank as being "designated for
providing material support to government officials" and co-owned by
members of Putin's inner circle. But unlike other Putin friends who have
built flourishing businesses in Russia, Roldugin, whose stake in
Rossiya was reported at 3.3 percent, was not slapped with sanctions.
A
myriad of documents that the Washington-based International Consortium
of Investigative Journalists gained access to showed Roldugin — or
someone posing as him — skillfully operating affiliated companies that
controlled a significant share of a business empire that earned tens of
millions of rubles per day from murky deals. The companies received
millions from Putin's friends and Russian billionaires as well as
preferential loans from a Russia-controlled Cyprus-based bank.
The
journalists who analyzed the leaked documents from the Panamanian law
firm Mossack Fonseca, one of the world's biggest creators of shell
companies, say the combined turnover of a company that Roldugin is
reported to have owned through an intermediary between 2009 and 2012 was
around $2 billion.
When
the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, which led the ICIJ investigation in
Russia, approached Roldugin after a concert, the cellist had a friendly
chat with the reporter but refused to talk about the offshore companies,
saying the subject was "delicate."
Roldugin was unavailable for comment on Monday. A receptionist at the St. Petersburg House of Music said he was not in.
The
release of what has become known as the Panama Papers has sent
officials in countries around the world scrambling. Some have pledged to
investigate claims of possible tax evasion, others like the prime
minister of Iceland and the president of Ukraine face political storms
over their alleged involvement in offshore companies.
In Russia, however, the trove of documents showing a money trail leading close to the president has gone largely unnoticed.
At
first, Russian state media and pro-Kremlin media ignored the Panama
Papers reports, then some reported only parts of it related to the
Ukrainian president's woes and those of an Argentinean soccer player. A
few hours later, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Western media
for focusing on Putin even though he was not directly linked to any
offshore activity.
Peskov
suggested the ICIJ had ties to the U.S. government. The ICIJ is part of
the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for Public Integrity.
"It's
obvious that there are many journalists there whose main profession is
unlikely to be journalism," he said, alleging that "former employees of
the State Department, the CIA, other security services" may have been
involved in the publication of the leaks.
Peskov said Roldugin was a friend of Putin's but added the president "has very many friends."
In
past years, as Putin's friends were building fortunes by getting
lucrative state contracts with no or little competition, independent
media in Russia have published countless investigations suggesting a
conflict of interest at the least — or possibly major corruption. These
reports, however, did not lead to any official investigations, Russian
government reshuffling or public discontent.
Arguably
the only exception was last year's protest by truck drivers who rallied
against a hefty new road tax imposed by a company co-owned by a son of
one of Putin's friends.
Russian
experts said even if the offshore scandal was getting coverage on
Russian television, Putin will still come out of it unscathed.
"There
aren't any accounts directly connecting Putin to the companies, but
even if there were, it is unlikely that this would shock his supporters
in Russia," Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Center in Moscow told The
Associated Press.
Putin's detractors, he said, are looking in the wrong places for problems that could potentially destabilize his government.
What
could be disastrous for Putin? "Anything that brings Russia back to the
1990s," said Baunov, referring to the withholding of salaries and a
slump in living standards.
In
a country where all officials are believed to be corrupt by default, a
revelation of corruption in Putin's inner circle or even his own
misdeeds are not viewed as much of a sin.
"In
a healthy society, all those friends of the national leader would
already be behind bars while the leader himself would be a pariah,"
Dmitry Gudkov, the only Russian lawmaker who voted against the Crimean
annexation said in a blog Monday. "In our (society) the reaction is: 'So
what? He does not drink newborn babies' blood, thanks for this.' We
know things could be worse."
While
Russian opposition activists were fuming on social media about the
Panama Papers revelations, the reports left many more Russians unmoved.
"Seriously,
if someone had posted a photo of Putin watching 'Peppa Pig' it would
have caused more of a stir," blogger Ilya Varlamov tweeted, referring to
a popular cartoon series.
Unlike
the reclusive banker Yuri Kovalchuk or Putin's childhood friend Arkady
Rotenberg, the soft-spoken Roldugin has never hidden from the press,
giving interviews about his love for music and Russian musical talent.
"I don't like talking about Putin. It's private, I hope you understand," Roldugin said in a 2014 interview.
But
when asked where he thinks Putin's government is failing, he said: "I
think there is not enough effort to fight corruption in Russia. I would
like to see more decisive action.
MOSCOW
(AP) -- In the list of presidents, prime ministers, sheikhs,
billionaires and other magnates cited in a sweeping worldwide
investigation into hidden assets in offshore accounts, there was an odd
man out: A Russian cellist.
Up
until now, 64-year-old Sergei Roldugin was known only in the Russian
music community — as a People's Artist of Russia and the artistic
director of the House of Music in St. Petersburg. What makes him stand
out from other Russian musicians, however, is his close ties to
President Vladimir Putin.
Roldugin
features in Putin's early autobiography as a close friend and the
godfather of Putin's eldest daughter, Maria. He pursued a musical
career, and despite the fact that he never became a tycoon like many of
Putin's other friends, he did somehow acquire a stake in the Rossiya
bank, one of the first Russian firms slapped with U.S. sanctions
following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
The
U.S. Treasury in 2014 described the bank as being "designated for
providing material support to government officials" and co-owned by
members of Putin's inner circle. But unlike other Putin friends who have
built flourishing businesses in Russia, Roldugin, whose stake in
Rossiya was reported at 3.3 percent, was not slapped with sanctions.
A
myriad of documents that the Washington-based International Consortium
of Investigative Journalists gained access to showed Roldugin — or
someone posing as him — skillfully operating affiliated companies that
controlled a significant share of a business empire that earned tens of
millions of rubles per day from murky deals. The companies received
millions from Putin's friends and Russian billionaires as well as
preferential loans from a Russia-controlled Cyprus-based bank.
The
journalists who analyzed the leaked documents from the Panamanian law
firm Mossack Fonseca, one of the world's biggest creators of shell
companies, say the combined turnover of a company that Roldugin is
reported to have owned through an intermediary between 2009 and 2012 was
around $2 billion.
When
the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, which led the ICIJ investigation in
Russia, approached Roldugin after a concert, the cellist had a friendly
chat with the reporter but refused to talk about the offshore companies,
saying the subject was "delicate."
Roldugin was unavailable for comment on Monday. A receptionist at the St. Petersburg House of Music said he was not in.
The
release of what has become known as the Panama Papers has sent
officials in countries around the world scrambling. Some have pledged to
investigate claims of possible tax evasion, others like the prime
minister of Iceland and the president of Ukraine face political storms
over their alleged involvement in offshore companies.
In Russia, however, the trove of documents showing a money trail leading close to the president has gone largely unnoticed.
At
first, Russian state media and pro-Kremlin media ignored the Panama
Papers reports, then some reported only parts of it related to the
Ukrainian president's woes and those of an Argentinean soccer player. A
few hours later, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Western media
for focusing on Putin even though he was not directly linked to any
offshore activity.
Peskov
suggested the ICIJ had ties to the U.S. government. The ICIJ is part of
the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for Public Integrity.
"It's
obvious that there are many journalists there whose main profession is
unlikely to be journalism," he said, alleging that "former employees of
the State Department, the CIA, other security services" may have been
involved in the publication of the leaks.
Peskov said Roldugin was a friend of Putin's but added the president "has very many friends."
In
past years, as Putin's friends were building fortunes by getting
lucrative state contracts with no or little competition, independent
media in Russia have published countless investigations suggesting a
conflict of interest at the least — or possibly major corruption. These
reports, however, did not lead to any official investigations, Russian
government reshuffling or public discontent.
Arguably
the only exception was last year's protest by truck drivers who rallied
against a hefty new road tax imposed by a company co-owned by a son of
one of Putin's friends.
Russian
experts said even if the offshore scandal was getting coverage on
Russian television, Putin will still come out of it unscathed.
"There
aren't any accounts directly connecting Putin to the companies, but
even if there were, it is unlikely that this would shock his supporters
in Russia," Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Center in Moscow told The
Associated Press.
Putin's detractors, he said, are looking in the wrong places for problems that could potentially destabilize his government.
What
could be disastrous for Putin? "Anything that brings Russia back to the
1990s," said Baunov, referring to the withholding of salaries and a
slump in living standards.
In
a country where all officials are believed to be corrupt by default, a
revelation of corruption in Putin's inner circle or even his own
misdeeds are not viewed as much of a sin.
"In
a healthy society, all those friends of the national leader would
already be behind bars while the leader himself would be a pariah,"
Dmitry Gudkov, the only Russian lawmaker who voted against the Crimean
annexation said in a blog Monday. "In our (society) the reaction is: 'So
what? He does not drink newborn babies' blood, thanks for this.' We
know things could be worse."
While
Russian opposition activists were fuming on social media about the
Panama Papers revelations, the reports left many more Russians unmoved.
"Seriously,
if someone had posted a photo of Putin watching 'Peppa Pig' it would
have caused more of a stir," blogger Ilya Varlamov tweeted, referring to
a popular cartoon series.
Unlike
the reclusive banker Yuri Kovalchuk or Putin's childhood friend Arkady
Rotenberg, the soft-spoken Roldugin has never hidden from the press,
giving interviews about his love for music and Russian musical talent.
"I don't like talking about Putin. It's private, I hope you understand," Roldugin said in a 2014 interview.
But
when asked where he thinks Putin's government is failing, he said: "I
think there is not enough effort to fight corruption in Russia. I would
like to see more decisive action.
BAGHDAD
(Reuters) - The anti-Islamic State coalition conducting airstrikes in
Iraq and Syria has killed the IS militant believed responsible for an
attack on U.S. troops in northern Iraq last month that left a Marine
dead, it said on Sunday.
Militant
Jasim Khadijah, a former Iraqi officer not considered a high-value
target, was killed by a drone strike overnight in northern Iraq,
coalition spokesman U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters in
Baghdad.
"We
have information (that) he was a rocket expert, he controlled these
attacks," said Warren, referring to the shelling of a base used by U.S.
troops near the town of Makhmour, located between Mosul and Kirkuk.
That
attack killed Marine Staff Sergeant Louis Cardin and wounded eight
others, all part of a company-sized detachment of less than 200 troops.
They provide force protection fire to Iraqi army troops, who are making
slow progress in a campaign to clear areas around Mosul, an IS
stronghold.
Cardin's
was the second combat death of an American service member in Iraq since
the start of the campaign to fight the militant group in 2014.
Warren said five other Islamic State fighters were killed in the air strike.
(Reporting by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Clelia Oziel)
Vanguard learned that
the duo were part of a five man robbery gang who besieged the home of a
business woman in the community, name withheld, and attempted to rob her
of her valuables.
According to the source, “the armed men actually stormed the home of the
woman at about 10pm on Saturday night just minutes after she had
returned from her business place.
“After forcing their way into the woman’s house, they threatened to kill
her and her children if she did not surrender all the money in her
possession to them.
“The woman immediately acted fast and raised an alarm which attracted
neigbours and members of the local vigilante group in the area who
immediate rushed to the scene.
“Sensing danger, members of the gang fled from the village but two of
them were not so lucky, the villagers caught up with them and beat them
to death after which their bodies were set ablaze and burnt beyond
recognition.”
It was gather that the charred remains of the suspects were later
evacuated by the Police in the area.
When contacted, the Benue state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO,
Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu confirmed incident.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/irate-mob-set-two-robbers-ablaze-gboko/
BAGHDAD
(Reuters) - The anti-Islamic State coalition conducting airstrikes in
Iraq and Syria has killed the IS militant believed responsible for an
attack on U.S. troops in northern Iraq last month that left a Marine
dead, it said on Sunday.
Militant
Jasim Khadijah, a former Iraqi officer not considered a high-value
target, was killed by a drone strike overnight in northern Iraq,
coalition spokesman U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters in
Baghdad.
"We
have information (that) he was a rocket expert, he controlled these
attacks," said Warren, referring to the shelling of a base used by U.S.
troops near the town of Makhmour, located between Mosul and Kirkuk.
That
attack killed Marine Staff Sergeant Louis Cardin and wounded eight
others, all part of a company-sized detachment of less than 200 troops.
They provide force protection fire to Iraqi army troops, who are making
slow progress in a campaign to clear areas around Mosul, an IS
stronghold.
Cardin's
was the second combat death of an American service member in Iraq since
the start of the campaign to fight the militant group in 2014.
Warren said five other Islamic State fighters were killed in the air strike.
(Reporting by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Clelia Oziel)
Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been
given a further one-match ban, fined £20,000 ($28,630, 25,021 euros) and
warned as to his future behaviour after admitting a charge of improper
conduct following his red card at Everton last month, the Football
Association announced Friday.
Costa was sent off for the first time in his Chelsea career in the FA
Cup quarter-final loss and given an automatic two-match ban, ruling him
out of both the Blues’ draw with West Ham and this Saturday’s Premier
League match against Aston Villa.
Now Costa, who had no case to answer over suggestions he bit Everton
midfielder Gareth Barry or made an inappropriate gesture to Everton
fans, will also miss the April 9 match at Swansea after incurring an
additional suspension for his aggressive protest to referee Michael
Oliver regarding his dismissal at Goodison Park.
“Following an independent regulatory commission hearing on Thursday
(March 31, 2016), Chelsea’s Diego Costa has been given a one-match
suspension, fined £20,000 and warned as to his future conduct.”
“The forward admitted a charge of improper conduct in relation to his
behaviour after he was shown a second yellow card in the FA Cup
sixth-round tie on March 12, 2016 at Goodison Park.
“This suspension will follow immediately on the conclusion of the player’s current ban.”
Costa’s automatic ban was two games as it was considered to be his
second dismissal of the season after he was handed a retrospective
three-match ban for clashes with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel
in September.
Spain forward Costa has scored 11 goals in his last 16 games for
Chelsea and with the reigning Premier League champions currently tenth
in the table and long out of the title race, interim manager Guus
Hiddink said Friday the final eight games of the season might be a good
time for the London club to experiment.
“We now have eight games coming up, and there’s not much to win for
Chelsea anymore. There might be some time for experiments,” the Dutchman
said.
LAGOS — Nigeria’s difficulty to import refined
petroleum products, particularly, Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known
as petrol, has worsened as foreign suppliers have blacklisted Nigeria
from further business until such transactions are dollar cash backed.
The development is further compounded with the deferment of about 5.4
million litres PMS daily production, as the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, announced the shut down of Port Harcourt
and Kaduna refineries. The announcement came four days after the plants
were closed. File Photo: Crude Oil
The NNPC, in a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public
Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said the shutdown of the refineries
was as a result of crude oil supply challenges arising from the recent
attacks on vital crude pipelines by militants in the Niger Delta. Blacklisting of Nigerian importers Vanguard exclusively gathered that the blacklisting of
Nigerian oil marketers by the foreign suppliers followed the challenges
faced by marketers to access foreign exchange due to stringent rules by
the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on foreign exchange transactions.
Marketers disclosed that they owe their foreign suppliers in excess
of $1.29 billion, even as the marketers were paid only N413 billion in
December 2015 for oil subsidies.
According to one of the marketers, who spoke in confidence, “yes,
government paid us subsidy, but there is no dollar to buy anywhere. The
Letters of Credit, LCs, that have matured since 2014 to 2015 are worth
$1.29 billion. We are supposed to use the subsidy paid to us to buy the
equivalent of what is due to our foreign suppliers, but the banks say
there is no dollar.
“To show you how bad the situation is, one of us has outstanding
matured LC of $75 million, but his banks are only able to provide $1.5
million last week. So how many weeks will it take the banks to offset
the outstanding sum for him to be able to pay hiss foreign suppliers?
“Remember that what government paid to us was the Naira component of
dollar transactions and government is still owes us the outstanding
payments on the foreign exchange differentials. This is because when we
brought in the products, exchange rate was N165 to $1, but by the time
we were paid, it had risen to N197 to $1.
“This is why the foreign suppliers have blacklisted us until we are
able to pay off our outstanding debts and back future transactions with
dollar cash. Also, government did not pay within 45 days under the terms
of our agreements, so they still owe us the interests on delayed
payments.”
Consequently, he disclosed that except for a few marketers, mostly
the majors, who already have foreign affiliations, all other marketers
have abandoned further importation of petrol until government finds a
way around access to foreign exchange. NNPC to provide dollars
The source further disclosed that in one of the meetings with the
Minister of State for Petroleum, the NNPC had promised to provide
marketers who were licensed to import products in the first quarter,
with dollars to pay for their products, as a way to ease the foreign
exchange challenges.
He added that it is uncertain that the promise had been fulfilled, as no products had come in yet.
However, NNPC’s Alegbe, in a test message response denied any
knowledge of such a promise to marketers, saying: “NNPC? Dollars? I’m
not aware NNPC made such a promise.”
He wondered if perhaps the marketer meant CBN or the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA. PPPRA pricing template
Despite assurances by the NNPC, scepticisms are high over the
capacity of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC
ABU DHABI—President Muhammadu Buhari has said that telecommunication
companies operating in Nigeria must adhere to the rules and guidelines
of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, noting that registration
of all mobile phone users without exception will help security agencies
to pre-empt terrorist attacks. President Muhammadu Buhari in discussion with Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed- 3rd Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking at an interactive forum with members of the Nigerian
community in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, President Buhari urged
telecommunications companies not to place their desire for huge profits
above the security needs of the nation.
He called on all stakeholders to work in unison to halt terrorism in
the country and assured members of the Nigerian community in Abu Dhabi
that his administration will deal decisively with the seeming resurgence
of oil theft, vandalism of pipelines and insecurity in the Niger Delta.
“The oil thieves and abductors are a less problematic target. We will
re-organise and deal with them. In the face of our new economic reality
of dwindling oil prices, there are a number of things we can really do
without to preserve our economy.
‘’We must develop the capacity to feed ourselves and we should be
spending our resources on real development projects, not luxuries,”
President Buhari said.
Pledging that more persons who abused the public trust would be
exposed and brought to justice soon, President Buhari maintained that
his government was committed to re-establishing former standards of
accountability and probity in the management of public funds which were
jettisoned under past administrations.
The President appealed for more patience and understanding from
Nigerians as his administration takes steps to safeguard the economy
from the shock of falling oil prices.
IF you can read this, it simply means you belong to the Generation Y who are SMS and social media compliant. Tanzania Digital migration: Lessons for Nigeria
Social media and text messaging are perhaps two of the things that
people do most daily. In public vehicles, restaurants, or even just in
the streets, you will find most people are on social media sites or text
messaging with their phones. These days, most youngsters are almost
inseparable from their mobile phones, not because they are constantly
talking, but because they are connecting with their friends through text
messaging.
Although mobile phones are banned in most secondary schools, but text
messaging and social media language have crept into academic discuss
and writing.
The 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum introduced by The Nigerian
Education Research and Development Council, NERDC, placed emphasis on
value re-orientation, poverty eradication and employment generation
capabilities in learners. In these reform initiatives, science,
technology, mathematics, and vocational education and training are
specifically designed to provide the contents, learning experiences and
skills for the socio-economic transformation of the Nigerian nation.
However, the tool to achieve these utopian goals, one of which is
writing, falls short of the expectation, as most students cannot write
legibly nor express themselves in simple correct grammar because of
mixing social media language with proper English grammar. Vanguard Learning sought to know how social media usage has
affected writing abilities; its import on communication and expression
and measures to improve the writing abilities of students.
Speaking on social media use and its effect on the students’ ability
to write proper and correct English grammar, an English Language teacher
with Penny International College, Mrs. Chinweuba Nwanne, said “When I
was a teenager, relationships between boys and girls involve letter
writing. When a boy writes a girl, she checks his handwriting and
grammar, thus, both served as monitor to check their writing and
grammar.
“Today, that conscious effort no longer exists as youths text a lot.
For instance instead of writing the word ‘the’ students write ‘d’,
‘your’ becomes ‘ur’, while ‘you are welcome is ‘URW’. These
abbreviations make students miss-spell words and they lack the zeal to
write because when you give them essays to write, they finds it
difficult.
“But ask the students to text and they will gladly stay on it for
hours because a lot of things like wrong spellings and poor grammar, are
allowed. The most painful part of it is that it is becoming fashionable
and even the good students tend to copy this attitude so as to
‘socially belong’.”
Continuing, Nwanne added; “
Social media distracts students from their studies and it is addictive.
It has become part their lives that if want to punish a child, take away
the phone and that child will feel more punished than when you deprive
him of food or basic needs.”
Agreeing is the Principal, Tonia International School, Mr. Frances
Alayo, who said though social media has its positive use, the negative
effect on students would be immense if not checked.
His words: “Chief of the problems social media causes are the
introduction of laziness on the part of students and the increase in
poor writing ability, as evidence with the use of abbreviation and
repetition.” Abbreviation and repetition
Pointing out that social media language has done more harm than good
in the writing abilities of students, a Masters degree student of
English Language at the Lagos State University, Miss Esther Chioma, said
“the use of social media, amidst it’s many blessings, has caused great
deterioration to people’s writing abilities as most people don’t know
how to make or write good sentences, they tend to prefer the shorter,
elliptic, and sometimes incomprehensible version. In a nutshell, I don’t
think the use of phones should be encouraged in secondary schools.”
For Clementina Nzeako, an Economist based in Kano; “The use of phone
by students has brought about the issue of phone addiction. Students now
spend gargantuan portion of their time on their phones. Because of the
psychological effect it has on students; which has to do with making it
difficult for them to have profitable intellectual discussions in real
life, and inability to make real non-virtual friends, students now stand
the risk of losing their already dormant writing skills.” Students speak: A 200 level student of Chemical
Engineering at the University of Benin, Sylvester Nwokolo, said “I
wouldn’t lie to you, the thing is affecting me. Normally I facebook,
tweet, chat on Whatsapp and ping in short forms like ‘LWKMD’ – Laugh wan kill me die, also, since we don’t submit our notes like we did in secondary school, I use short forms when taking down notes in class.
“There was this particular exam that I wrote in short form because I
was running out of time and the course lecturer specifically came to
class after exam and said that those of us that used short forms have
lost 15 marks. I nearly fainted. He went on to say that we being in
science is not an excuse to not know proper English grammar; that if you
are a first class graduate and you speak poorly people will think you
bought your certificate.”
For Rebecca Obika, an SS3 student in one of the private schools in
Port Harcourt, chatting in long hand is boring. She said “I have a smart
phone because my parents always like to reach me. Teachers say it’s not
allowed but I have to have my phone that I use it for assignments too.
If I chat in normal long form, my friends will say I am boring. In fact,
instead of laughing normally, we just say ‘LOL’ amongst ourselves. It’s
the in thing and we have to keep with the trend.
“there was a time I accidentally used the short form in an exams but I
don’t think the teachers minded so much. At best they will remove two
marks. Is the important thing not to understand what they are teaching?
Does it matter how I type it?”
Toafeek Tajudeen, SS2 student of Federal Government College, Lagos,
said “I use my elder brother’s phone to chat with my friends because I
do not have a personal phone. I know that chatting with those
abbreviations will affect me but I use them so that the text message
will not exceed one page. I am usually conscious not to use it in
copying my notes because we submit our notes for grading and my teacher
will automatically give me zero if we write short form.” Way forward: Text message or chartroom slang affects
students’ academic performance either positively or negatively.
Positively because some use it for important academic message or family
members or friends both at school and at home for information especially
when they are out of credit and cannot make voice calls. Negative when
they become addicted to SMS, IM, BBM and so on when they use text slangs
to the point of writing such slangs in their continuous assessment and
examinations.
It is most astonishing to note that even though the students are
aware of the dangers associated with the use of SMS slangs, especially
during examinations, they still cannot stop it because they uncautiously
use it.
However, the use of SMS slangs can be overcome if only its users can
adopt the use of only simple and correct English when doing so.
The Federal Government, yesterday,
docked the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr.
Nnamdi Kanu, before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on a
six-count criminal charge bordering on treasonable felony.
This came just as the Rivers State Police Command arraigned ten pro-Biafra protesters in Port-Harcourt.
Kanu was arraigned alongside two other pro-Biafra agitators, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi.
The trio took turns and pleaded not guilty to the charge, which was
signed by the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mr. Mohammed Diri.
In the charge, the Federal Government alleged that the accused
persons committed treasonable felony by spear-heading an illegal
agitation for the seccession of ‘Biafra Republic’ from Nigeria, an
offence punishable under Section 41(C) of the Criminal Code Act, CAP C38
Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
FG alleged that the three accused persons were the ones managing the
affairs of the IPOB, which it described as ‘an unlawful society.’ To remain in custody
Meantime, shortly after the accused persons pleaded innocence to the
charge, yesterday, the DPP, who is personally prosecuting the case for
the government, applied for them to remain in custody of the Department
of State Services, DSS, pending the determination of the case against
them.
Diri insisted that it would be more convenient for the prosecution to
produce the accused persons to court from the DSS detention facility
for trial than from Kuje prison.
Citing security reasons, Diri, contended that anything could happen
on the way while bringing the accused person to court from the prison.
“‘The DSS had never failed to produce the defendants in court, but we
have had instances where accused persons in prison were not brought to
court for trial owing to logistic problems.
“‘The nature of the offence and the response of friends, relatives
and sympathisers of the defendants that we have seen, particularly when
the case was before the Magistrate’s Court, is what has prompted this
application.
“I have no personal interest against the accused persons. I am only
doing my job as the prosecutor and the DPP of the federation,” Diri
added. A better option FILE: Nnamdi-Kanu in court
However, his application was vehemently opposed by counsel to the
defendants, Chief Chuks Muoma, SAN, who told the court that his clients
would rather prefer to be remanded in prison custody.
Muoma argued that the prison was the most appropriate place to remand
an accused person that had entered plea before a court of competent
jurisdiction.
”’No amount of convenience can over-ride the law. The prosecution has
not disputed the fact that we don’t have access to our clients. They
have not also disputed the fact that our clients do not have access to
phone calls. Two court orders in respect of this matter have been
disobeyed by the DSS, so what is the guarantee that it will obey
whatever order this court will make? ” Muoma queried.
Besides, he accused the DPP of giving evidence from the bar by
insinuating that the DSS detention facility is more secure than Kuje
prison.
After listening to both parties, trial Justice James Tsoho, over-ruled the DPP and remanded the defendants in Kuje prison.
”’I have given due consideration to arguments by the two counsels. It
is my respectful view that after arraignment, the appropriate and
constitutional pace for remand of an accused person is the prison except
when there is an extra-ordinary reason.
”It is my view that the complainant have all it takes to provide
logistic and security requirements not withstanding the distance between
the prison and the court.
”Therefore, application for remand of the defendants in DSS custody
is refused. Accordingly, the defendants are hereby remanded in Kuje
prison pending trial,” Justice Tsoho held.
Meantime, the court has adjourned till next Monday to entertain
arguments from both parties on whether or not the accused persons should
be released on bail pending hearing and determination of the charge
against him. The charges
One of the charges against the accused persons read: “That you,
Nnamdi Kanu and other unknown persons, now at large, at London, United
Kingdom, between 2014 and September, 2015, with intention to levy war
against Nigeria in order to force the President to change his measures
of being the President of the Federation, Head of State and
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation as defined in
Section 3 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999
(as amended) by doing an act to wit: Broadcast on Radio Biafra your
preparations for the states in the South- East geo-political zone,
South-South geo-political zone, the Igala Community of Kogi State and
the Idoma/Igede Community of Benue State to secede from the Federal
Republic of Nigeria and form themselves into a Republic of Biafra, and
thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 41(C) of the
Criminal Code Act, CAP C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”
It will be recalled that Kanu had on December 23, 2015, declined to
enter his plea to the charge which was then before Justice Ahmed
Mohammed of the high court.
It will also be recalled that Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the same
high court had on December 17, ordered the ‘unconditional’ release of
the IPOB leader, Kanu, from the custody of the DSS.
Kanu, who is also the Director of Radio Biafra and Television, was on
October 1, arrested in Lagos by security operatives, shortly after he
arrived Nigeria from his base in the United Kingdom.
He was subsequently arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in
Abuja over allegation that he engaged in criminal conspiracy, managed
and belonged to an unlawful society.
Kanu, on October 19, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was eventually granted bail to the tune of N2million.
However, the accused person alleged that the Nigerian government
refused to release him from detention despite the fact that he met the
bail conditions.
The Magistrate Court subsequently struck out the charge, even as it discharged the accused person.
In the bench ruling, Kanu was docked before trial Justice J.T. Tsoho
alongside two other pro-Biafra agitators, Benjamin Madubugwu and David
Nwawuisi.
Justice Tsoho, in a bench ruling, ordered that they should be remanded in prison custody.
When the matter was called up, yesterday, Kanu, sought the permission of the trial judge to address the court.
Speaking from the dock, Kanu who was flanked by the other two accused
persons, gave reasons why he would not subject himself to trial before
Justice Mohammed.
The IPOB leader said he had no confidence that the court would grant
him fair trial, saying he would rather remain in detention than to be
subjected to the rigours of trial that would eventually amount to
nothing.
Kanu insisted that the Department of State Services, DSS, had since
his travail commenced, shown that it had a knack for disrespecting valid
court orders.
He said: ‘Based on information available to me, I am convinced that I will not receive fair trial before this court.
‘”There has been several rulings delivered by competent courts of
jurisdiction which the Department of State Services, DSS, never
respected”.
At that juncture, the DPP, Diri, who is personally prosecuting the
matter for the government, interjected, saying it was premature for the
1st accused person, Kanu, to start raising such issues.
The DPP, contended that section ?396(2) of the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, provided that the court must firstly
enter the plea of an accused person before entertaining any preliminary
objection against the substantive charge.
“My lord, under section 396(2) of the ACJA, an objection to trial may
be raised by the defendant only after plea is taken, but not before.
“In this case, the defendant has decided to put the cart before the
horse by raising objection to his trial before the charge is read to him
and his plea taken.
“I urge your lordship to over-rule the objection of the 1st defendant
and order that the charge be read to the three accused persons for the
purpose of taking their plea, the DPP submitted.”
Responding, Kanu’s lead counsel, Mr. Egechukwu Obetta, urged the
court to ignore the DPP and accede to the request of his client.
Ruling on the issue, yesterday, Justice Mohammed, disqualified
himself from handling the matter, saying he will remit the case-file
back to the Chief Judge of the High Court for re-assignment to another
Judge.
The Judge said: ‘I am of the view that the 1st defendant has the
inalienable right to object to being tried by this particular court. Rivers State arraignment
Meantime,Rivers State Police command yesterday arraigned 10 pro
Biafra protesters arrested this week in the state at Magistrate court 7
and 14.
They were arraigned on two count charge of criminal conspiracy and treasonable felony.
Hearing on the cases were adjourned to 21 and 28 January while the suspects were remanded in prison custody.
Those arraigned are ” Onu Ifeanyi ‘M’, Prinace Onwazor ‘M’,
Princewill Anyanywu ‘M’, Sunday Egbim ‘M’. Uzoma Onyegbu ‘M’, Chigozie
Moses ‘M’, Chukwudi Enyidau ‘M’, Anthony Ochuel ‘M’ Enam David Okon ‘M’
and Friday Nwahiri ‘M’. ”
The state Police Public Relations officer, DSP Ahmad Muhammad said
they were arrested while on their way to embark on pro Biafra protest
from the neigboiring state.
He warned that the command will not tolerate any attempt to disrupt peace in the state.
Abuja – The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf
Buratai has directed all officers of the Nigerian Army who have not
declared their assets to do so immediately.
According to a statement issued last night by the Acting Director,
Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, the Army Chief gave the
directive during a conference with Principal Staff Officers and
Directors serving at the Army Headquarters.
“It is to be noted that the Chief of Army Staff has done so, soon on
his appointment as Commander, Multinational Joint Task Force in May 2015
and also on his appointment as Chief of Army Staff in July 2015. Copies
of both are with the Code of Conduct Bureau” Usman said.
“This directive is in order, considering the fact that all military
officers are having Presidential Commission and are public servants, as
well as subject to both civil and military laws.
“In addition, given the current drive of the country for probity and
accountability, the Nigerian Army should not only key in but should be
one of the key drivers for such laudable project” the statement added.
In Nigeria 276 girls remain missing after being abducted from their school by the terror group Boko Haram. 
