The PUNCH learnt that Obiano, who had been on the watch list of the EFCC, was arrested while trying to board a flight to the United States.
Recall that the commission had in a letter to the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service dated November 15, 2021, asked immigration to place Obiano on a watch list and inform it anytime he is travelling out of the country from any of the International airports and other points of entry and exit.
The Commissioner for Information, Don Adinuba, had, however, dared the EFCC, insisting that his boss would return to the US – his original base – after leaving office.
However, barely hours after handing over to his successor, Prof. Charles Soludo, it was learnt that Obiano made his way to Lagos after which he proceeded to the international airport.
On sighting him at 8.30pm, immigration officers were said to have alerted the EFCC who immediately arrested him and took him down to their office.
When contacted on the telephone, the Spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the former governors’ arrest, promising to provide more details later.
“It is true. He was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport around 8.30pm,” said Uwujaren.
Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the late Biafra warlord, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu has expressed her optimism that Anambra State will be better.
TRIXX NG recalls Bianca trended on social media when she was involved in a fight with the immediate past First Lady of Anambra State, Ebelechukwu Obiano.
Both women had to be separated by security agents and some personalities as they exchanged slaps at the inauguration of Soludo. Mrs Obiano was later taken away and shortly afterwards, her husband, Willie Obiano left the venue.
Bianca while reacting to Thursday’s swearing-in of Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo as the new Governor of the state tagged March 17, 2022, ‘Liberation Day’, while stating that she is expecting ‘redemption’.
“It’s liberation day, and today we sing the Redemption Song. Anambra will be better!” she wrote on her known Facebook page on Thursday.
The management of the University of Ibadan on Thursday ordered students to vacate its halls of residence following the extension of the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union if Universities.
The Registrar of the UI, Mrs Olubunmi Faluyi, announced the order to vacate the hostels in a bulleting issued on Thursday.
The university however exempted post graduate students who have paid their fees and undergraduates students on industrial attachment and practical training from vacating the campus.
The registrar said, “Management, at its meeting on Wednesday, 16 March, 2022, deliberated on the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which had now been extended by eight (8) weeks.
“As a result, academic activities in the University have become paralysed.
“Consequently, the vice-chancellor, on behalf of Senate has directed that the university be closed until further notice.
“Therefore, all students are hereby mandated to vacate the halls of residence with immediate effect.
“Postgraduate students who have paid their school fees and undergraduate students who are on industrial attachment or practical training are exempted from this vacation notice. Such students are to visit the Office of the Dean of Students for accommodation arrangement.
“A new date of resumption will be communicated in due course.”
Some unknown gunmen on Wednesday ambushed officers of the Imo State correctional center, and killed two of them.
Society gazette reports that the incident happened this morning at Okigwe town, around the Umulolo axis of the state.
It was learnt that those injured have been taken to the hospital.
In recent times, the prevalence of insecurity in southeast states has risen to alarming levels, sending most residents into perpetual fear.
With criminality escalating in geometric magnitude, security operatives have not been spared from the onslaught of the lawbreakers. Soldiers, policemen, paramilitary officers, in their numbers have lost their lives just as a good number of police stations in some communities across the southeast states have been set ablaze.
Imo was worse hit in the immediate past year, and the attackers haven’t stopped yet.
Embattled Police Chief, Abba Kyari has claimed that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has been assisting drug dealers to bring in Cocaine into Nigeria.
This newspaper earlier reported that Kyari and four other police officers under the IRT were arrested in February for attempting to bribe an NDLEA officer with $61,000 to facilitate the release of seized cocaine.
POLITICS NIGERIA learned that Kyari made the claim in a N500 million fundamental right enforcement suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/182/22.
The disgraced police officer accused the anti-drug agency of assisting drug peddlers to ship in Cocaine into the country. He also stated that he was ‘framed’ by a disgruntled officer of the agency after he went to demand compensation for the whistleblower that gave information that led to the arrest of a suspect.
An affidavit filed by Kyari’s brother, One Mamman Nur, rehashed the claim stating that drugs were being shipped in from Ethiopia with the ‘knowledge of NDLEA officers’.
Narrating the entire situation in the suit, Kyari stated; “That on that fateful day, the suspect as usual shipped drugs (cocaine) from Ethiopia to Enugu Airport. The officer of NDLEA cleared him within the airport, then officer of FIB-IRT arrested the suspect with the help of an information.”
“That before the informant accepted to work with the officers of FIB-IRT, they both had an agreement to compensate the informant.”
“That officers of FIB-IRT, having noticed that officers of NDLEA were the ones clearing the said suspect with his drugs (cocaine), they immediately took the suspect to NDLEA and also reported those officers involved in the act.”
“That instead of the NDLEA to handle the matter accordingly and bring their officers involved to book, they decided to frustrate the informant, thereby refusing to compensate the informant.”
“That it was at this juncture that the attention of the DCP Abba Kyari was called, who because the NDLEA officer involved is his friend, decided to intervene for the purpose of compensating the Informant.”
“That the NDLEA officer who refused to compensate the informant was the one who framed DCP Abba Kyari up on a trump-up allegation that he was trying to bribe him.”
“That the agent of the Respondent declared the Applicant wanted because of a mere allegation that he was trying to bribe an NDLEA officer without sufficient proof.”
“That the Nigerian Police Force, based on the allegation of the Respondent arrested the Applicant on February 12, 2022, and handed over to the NDLEA.”
Kyari’s bail hearing comes up on March 28th at a federal high court in Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reconstitution of the Governing Board of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), following the expiration of the tenure of the former Board.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the board has Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa as Chairman.
Other members, who were appointed to represent various interests as stipulated by the NBC Act, include Mr. Wada Asab Ibrahim, Mr. Iheanyichukwu Azubike Dike, Mrs. Adesola Oyinloye Ndu and Mr. Olaniyan Olatunji Badmus.
Also on the Board are Mr. Bashir Ibrahim, Mr. Obiora Ilo, Mr, Ahmad Sajo, Engr. Bayo Erikitola, a representative of the State Security Service, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture as well as the Director-General of the Commission. The Board has a three-year tenure.
Adunni Ade, a practicing lawyer, has recounted how she was beaten and bruised after boarding a bus filled with robbers at GB Iyana Ipaja, Lagos State, Naija News reports
According to Adunni, who expressed gratitude for surviving the ordeal, the incident happened last Thursday.
Amongst the things that were stolen from her was her phones, other valuables, and money.
She added that the mini bus was on motion while the robbers battered her.
She said, “On Thursday evening 10/03/2022 at about 7:30pm or 8pm, let’s just say I got very unfortunate because I fell into the hands of the wicked beasts living among humans. I work at Yaba and I live in Ipaja just right after Iyana Ipaja.
“All the way from Yaba, I already got to Iyana Ipaja and I was already happy I had almost got home. Right in front of GB Iyana Ipaja was a mini bus calling Ipaja Ayobo, before me was a woman in her 60s, I guess.
“She entered the bus and then I hopped in right after her. We only just asked for the price of the vehicle(sic) and under split of seconds one of the supposed passengers from the back just came to the front and the next thing I heard was ‘blood of Jesus’, ‘blood of Jesus’ beside me and then they pulled the woman to the back seat and put me in the middle.
“The next thing I knew I tried to get off the bus and then I kept struggling and I was terribly beaten after which they now took my phone and asked me to remove my iCloud from and then took my ATM, asked me for the pin and took all my valuables removed all my jewellery and beat the hell out of me, they even asked that I borrow a million naira or I better start calling family.
“All this was happening while the vehicle was in motion, we even got to a police checkpoint but at this time, I was asked to lay down between the driver’s seat and front passengers’ seat where they kept their legs on me and put a bag on my face in case anyone had to look into the bus.”
The Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government summoned an emergency stakeholders meeting in the power sector over the low electricity generation.
Naija News reports that this is coming after the latest collapse of the collapse of the National power grid on Monday morning.
Recall that no fewer than eight states including Lagos experienced blackouts, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company confirmed.
The states affected include Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and the Imo States, among others.
While the issue persists, EEDC in a terse text to its customers on Monday said that the system collapse occurred on the national grid at 10:40 am.
It said that the system collapse affected supply in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and the Imo States.
Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company had also confirmed the grid collapse to its customers, assuring that power would soon be restored.
Following the embarrassing collapse for the second time in 2022, the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, summoned an emergency meeting to find a solution to the epileptic power supply across the country.
Sources at the power ministry told The PUNCH that the minister invited participants in the sector to the meeting to address the latest concern about the collapse of the grid.
Aliyu is reported to have told stakeholders to work together to stabilise electricity and shun the ongoing blame game among industry experts.
The meeting, which was held at the conference hall of the Federal Ministry of Power had in attendance delegation from power generation companies, TCN, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading and Niger Delta Power Holding Company.
Others include officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Shell, among other players in the power value chain.
“This meeting was summoned to address the current electricity situation in the country which we see and are not happy about. We must find a solution so that Nigerians will have electricity. I want us to have the patience to talk to each other, not blaming each other,” the minister reportedly stated
Nigeria’s largest Opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is set to resolve all the major crisis currently rocking the Party.
It was learnt that the party’s bigwigs held a major meeting on Monday night in Abuja to discuss and resolve serious issues within its ranks.
It can be recalled that the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike and Edo state Governor, Godwin Obaseki are currently at loggerheads over the former’s comments on Mr. Phillip Shuaibu, the deputy governor of Edo state.
Former Vice president, Atiku Abubakar, Ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Wike, Gov. Bala Mohammed, Emeka Ihedioha, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Ex-Gov Olusegun Mimiko, National chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu amongst many others were all Present at the meting.
Sources disclosed to this newspaper that the meeting was also centered on strategies to strengthen Synergy within party. The party resolved to postpone its National Executive Committee meeting which was scheduled for today.
National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba made this known to newsmen at the end of the meeting.
“The National Caucus meeting is adjourned to continue on Wednesday. The Board of Trustees (BoT) Meeting and NEC meeting will now be held on Wednesday, March 16.”
The Nigeria Police on Monday denied reports that some officers were planning to embark on a strike with effect from March 26.
The police, through its acting spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, described such reports as “fake and mischievous” attempt to “bring the Force to disrepute, misinform the general public and heat up the polity”.
The police noted that the Force has laid down rules that regulate its operations as well as tackle the grievances of the officers, “and in no circumstance is a strike action one of such means”.
Adejobi described strike actions as mutinous, noting that officers understand this adverse effect and as such, would not stoop to such level of disloyalty and indiscipline because policing services are paramount in maintaining order and peace in the nation.
The statement, however, linked the reason for rumours of the strike action to the failure by the Federal Government to increase the salaries of officers.
The statement read partly: “It is pertinent to emphasise that the IGP is accelerating efforts to ensure the full implementation of the increment of salaries and allowances proposed by the President and approved by the Federal Executive Council.
“It is important to accentuate that it was the President’s initiative without any demand from the Police to direct the process of increasing salaries and allowances. The Federal Government is therefore fully committed to the implementation of the new salary package.
“Since that approval, the Salaries and Wages Commission has issued an implementation circular, the Honourable Minister of Police Affairs and the IGP have been working with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to ensure the stoppage of tax deductions as directed by the President and approved by the Federal Executive Council.
“Similarly, the Inspector-General of Police reiterates that police officers under his leadership are well motivated with the ongoing reforms, especially the provision of kits, accoutrements, body armor, the cooperative society’s housing scheme, the renovation of training schools, upgrade of police training curriculum, procurement and deployment of technology to boost ICT-driven policing.
“The IGP equally assures that the police are committed to discharging their duties to the nation as expected and renew their commitment to ensuring public safety, and the protection of lives and property of all and sundry”.
Recall that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had in 2018, 2020 and 2021 promised an upward review of salaries without fulfilling the promises.
In December 2021, the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi announced after a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that Buhari had approved a new salary structure for officers.
The minister said the president had approved N1.1billion for the payment of outstanding uninsured benefits of the police of 2013-2020.
Also approved was over N127 million for payment as outstanding death benefits of 5,472 personnel for the uninsured period of 2013-August 2021, not covered under the group life assurance and many other approved benefits.
The Minister had said it would take effect from January 2022, but the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who fielded recently questions on the salary increase revealed that the increment was not captured in the 2022 budget.
