Chiemeka Arinze, a co-defendant with alleged billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudi Dumee Onuamadike, popularly known as Evans, has died in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre.
Evans is standing trial alongside, Joseph Emeka, Arinze and Udeme Upong, over the attempted kidnap of Chief Vincent Obianodo, the Chairman of the Young Shall Grow Motors, before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos.
They are facing a seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempt to kidnap and sale and transfer of firearms.
According to POLITICS NIGERIA, Arinze died last Friday.
The Nigerian Correctional Service has confirmed a jailbreak at its facility in Jos, Plateau State, by suspected terrorists.
The Service in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Francis Enobore, revealed that the armed group invaded the Medium Security Custodial Centre at about 5:20 pm on Sunday.
THE WHISTLER had reported that the correctional facility located on Joseph Gomwalk road, Jos, is about 5.6km away from the Plateau police headquarters.
Enobore said the assailants “stormed the facility in large numbers with sophisticated weapons and immediately made for the main gate where they engaged the armed squad personnel in a gun battle before breaking into the yard.
“Although they gained entrance to the yard, they are however trapped within as men from sister security services were immediately mobilised to assist the armed guards to cordon the perimeter wall and the entire area”.
“Reinforcement from the response squad of the Service has also been mobilised to the center.
“The situation is presently under control as the attackers firing power is being subdued by superior fire from a combined team of security agencies. Update will be made available as event unfolds.
A tanker, loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol) on Sunday morning exploded around Oju Irin in Lafenwa area of Abeokuta, Ogun state.
Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, the Spokesperson, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), confirmed the incident to newsmen, saying the tanker was engulfed in fire due to the uncooperative attitude of people around the axis who were scooping fuel and other unwholesome act which sparked the fire.
The TRACE spokesman explained that the tanker, due to an axle problem overturned around 4 :45 am while making its way inbound Rounder from Oju-Irin, Lafenwa, spilling its content on the road.
He advised the general public to vacate the vicinity, saying that TRACE, police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Fire Service were all on ground to put the situation under control.
“Moreover, the motoring public going inward Rounder axis from Lafenwa, should use Olomore and Oke-Ata axis respectively as alternative routes, since traffic has been diverted away from the area of incident,” he said.
Akinbiyi stated that further information would be provided to the media as soon as possible.
Mr Ahmed Umar, the FRSC Sector Commander in the state, also confirmed the incident, saying that officers of the command are around to control traffic.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that some shops in the axis were affected by the fire. (NAN)
The investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death and burial of the Obafemi Awolowo University MBA student, Timothy Adegoke, took a twist yesterday following an allegation that the deceased was buried by workers of the Ife Central Local Government with the consent of the police.
Mr. Abiodun Williams, counsel to the detained Chairman of Hilton Hotel and Resorts, Chief Ramon Adegoke, now wants the police to widen the scope of their investigation to cover this allegation.
Williams, in a November 26,2021 petition to the Osun State Police Commissioner, claimed that some people working close to where the corpse was dumped reported the matter to the LG authorities who, in turn, contacted the police to seek their consent for burial.
The police subsequently granted the request, Williams said.
He said: “You will recall that some of the suspects in your custody allegedly confessed to dumping the corpse of late Mr Timothy Adegoke in the bush, they did not admit to burying him. You will equally recall that during the interview you granted to Rave 97.1 FM Radio on the 22nd day of November 2021, there it was insinuated that some of the suspects confessed to have buried the corpse in the bush at about 2km to the hotels somewhere along Ede Road, Ile-Ife, Osun State. However, there is now a strong rumour peddled by some people to the effect that that position may not be correct after all.
“It was the officials of the Department of Public Health, Ife Central Local Government, Ile-Ife that buried the deceased having received clearance from the officers of the Nigerian Police of one of the Divisions in Ile-Ife. We could not establish which of the divisions in Ile-Ife gave the clearance. However, we are of the view that, if the information is correct, discreet and diligent investigations will establish it.”
He said if the police could establish that officers of the Public Health Department, Ife Central Local Government were the ones that buried the corpse of Adegoke, it would go a long way in assisting the pathologists in their quest to unravel the circumstances that led to Adegoke’s death.
Williams said: “It would stop the question: ‘why did those that buried the corpse of Mr Timothy Adegoke keep silent all this while and allow an innocent man to be languishing in detention?’”
He added: “We also gathered from the stories going round in the public domain that the artisans, workers and business owners around the premises where the body of late Timothy Adegoke was initially found reported the case to the police; who in turn cleared the officials of the Department of Public Health, Ife Central Local Government, Ile-Ife to bury the corpse.
“We heard that activities leading to the burial of the deceased young man were properly recorded on video and pictures taken by the officials.”
He implored the police commissioner to “use your good office to confirm the truth of the information stated here-above for the purpose of truly determining what role each of the suspects and/or anyone or officers of government played in the events that led to the death and burial of Mr. Timothy Adegoke to ensure that justice is done above all things.
“We are of the view that if the information relating to the burial of the corpse of the deceased is promptly investigated, it would further establish the innocence of our client.”
The Chairman of the LG, Hon Olayera Elugbaju,had told The Nation on Friday that speculations that some local government staff had been arrested by the police for their involvement in burying the corpse of Adegoke were untrue.
“No staff of the secretariat was arrested by the police. I cannot confirm to you now if our staff buried the corpse of Adegoke until I see the file they record corpses that the local government had buried in the time past,” he said.
There seems to be a silent war between Fuji singer, Mayegun Wasiu Ayinde, and his best friend, Bolaji Basia, following his recent marriage to Emmanuella Ropo.
Basia was the first to fire the shot in his congratulatory message to KWAM 1, saying that in as much as he would love to wish KWAM 1’s new wife to be his last, he knew it might not be possible. He then added: “But please try not to dump one for another since you are so blessed to have as many as you want.”
In a recent performance, thesinger said he would not curse anyone who was praying that his new marriage would not see the light of the day. According to him, they are not God; so, they should shut up.
The Mayegun also stressed that every one of them had their own shortcomings, which they should focus on.
His response was immediately tagged as an indirect reaction to the earlier post made by his best friend.
On Thursday, November 18, 2021, the Mayegun of Yorubaland, tied the knot with Ropo at the Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Even though it was meant to be a low-key ceremony, the number of dignitaries that graced the event was huge.
The federal government has ordered all civil servants on Grade Level 12 and below, who have been working from home as part of measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19 to resume duties on December 1, 2021.
The Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi- Esan gave the directive in a circular HCSF/ 3065/ Vol. 1/ 107 dated 26th November 2021.
Yemi Esan in the circular, which was addressed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Deputy Chief of Staff the President, Office of the Vice-President, Ministers/ Ministers of State, Permanent Secretaries, National Security Advisers, Chairman Code of Conduct Bureau and Federal Civil Service Commission among others, said the directive followed the advice of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 that this category of officers were expected to resume duties on December 1, 2021.
She noted that in line with the recommendation of PSC, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the vaccine mandate policy whereby all government employees were required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or present negative COVID-19 PCR test result done within 72 hours.
She advised all public officers who are yet to be vaccinated to visit the following centres in Abuja: Federal Staff Clinic, Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase I, Federal Staff Clinic, Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase ll, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Clinic, Mabushi, Federal Ministry of Finance Staff Clinic and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Staff Clinic and other centres nationwide that can be found on the website of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
She enjoined all permanent secretaries and heads of government agencies to bring the contents of the circulars to the attention of their staff as well as ensure strict compliance.
It will be recalled that civil servants from GL 12 and below have since March 2020 been directed to stay at home until further notice to streamline the number of workers who come to work daily as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the virus.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), said yesterday, that its support for the Federal Government over the planned removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), stems from the realization that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 16 makes no provision for subsidy.
Besides, IPMAN President, Chinedu Okoronkwo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that his association has consistently “advised the government to remove petrol subsidy because it is not in the interest of development of the downstream sector.”
But the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) threatened, yesterday, to shut down the country should the Federal Government go ahead with the planned fuel subsidy removal.
The students’ body also rejected the government’s plan to pay N5,000 transport allowance to 40 million Nigerians to cushion the effect of soaring fuel prices.
Okoronkwo, in the NAN interview, said: “We welcome the decision of the government to stop subsidising petrol by 2022 and we are hoping it will attract more investments to the sector, especially with the passage of PIA.”
He added: “What we want is that a level playing field be provided for everyone in the sector to encourage competition once the subsidy is removed.”
Also speaking on the issue, the immediate-past President, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Tunji Oyebanji, said continued subsidising of petrol was not sustainable in light of current economic realities.
He said the 2022 deadline was realistic and its impact might be mitigated with the coming on stream of the 650,000BPD Dangote Refinery, Bua Group Refinery, Waltersmith Refinery and other modular refineries.
Oyebanji, who is the Managing Director of 11 Plc, however, faulted the plan to replace the subsidy with cash transfer to Nigerians due to lack of a reliable data base in the country.
“In my personal opinion, I am of the view that such funds should be channeled to areas like education and mass transportation that would be accessible to ordinary Nigerians,” Mr Oyebanji said.
An oil and gas expert, Wilson Opuwei, said the conversation about fuel subsidy in Nigeria “should have been a thing of the past because it was an obvious wastage of the nation’s resources”.
Mr Opuwei, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Dateline Energy Services Ltd., maintained that the elite were the major beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy regime.
He said: “We should let market forces determine the price of petrol and other products, not the government dolling out subsidies with funds that we don’t even have.”
Declaring its position on the issue yesterday, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) threatened to shut down the country should the Federal Government go ahead with the planned fuel subsidy removal.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, NANS President, Comrade Sunday Asefon, said the union would mobilise its 41 million members across the country to protest what he branded a “strange proposal.”
The present economic realities in the country, Asefon said, made it wrong for the government to contemplate something as critical as deregulating the petroleum sector “without thinking it through, without consultation and without a robust debate.”
He described the move as a plan by the government to get money at all costs to squander and finance the ostentatious lifestyles of public officers and senior civil servants, adding that any attempt to aggravate the economic woes of Nigerians would not only be unconscionable but reckless.
“Nigerians are really suffering. We are in dire socioeconomic straits. We are weeping in our hearts and souls. We are dying in silence. We feel the agony and anguish because we are practically involved,” he said.
Continuing, he said:It will amount to testing the patience of Nigerians. And we wish to warn against it. The country is very stretched and tensed. In case the government is not aware, we are passing them this intelligence free of charge now. Again we advise: let the government not stretch it further.
“The consequences will be dire. The people are already flamed. Mendacity will beget mendacity
NANS is happy that the organised labour and civil society groups have all rejected the proposal.
”We shall ensure that the entire country is shut down and paralysed should the Federal Government proceed with its insensitive plan of deregulation, or even any further increase in the pump price of fuel. We have had enough.
”We know that neo-liberal and imperial economists will soon emerge to confuse themselves with some well- rehearsed stale analyses and commentaries.”
“It is therefore very strange that the Federal Government could contemplate the removal of fuel subsidy now. The four refineries are not functioning, and if they are functioning at all, it is at a near zero level. There is a zero consultation with stakeholders to even consider issues around deregulation and why it should or should not be. The survival of Nigerian workers and their wards is yet to be discussed, yet a date that may take lives out of them has been fixed.
”Furthermore, inflation is already passing a skyrocketing level. So we may need to find a word to describe the kind of inflation that will be experienced if the pump price of PMS goes above 200 percent. In fact, we are very convinced that the Federal Government is acting impulsively on a matter as sensitive as this. And our conviction is based on many things that cannot just add up. Beyond the issues already raised, let us consider the following economic confusions:
”In the 2022 Appropriation Bill, the FG already provided for fuel subsidies. One then wonders why it will provide for what it plans to eliminate.
”Upon which data did the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning determine that only 40 million Nigerians are vulnerable? And what is the definition of vulnerability in our socioeconomic context?
“Where does she intend to generate the money which will be paid to those 40 million Nigerians since there is no provision for it in the 2022 Appropriation Bill?
”Is it not a very strange economics to rob the poor to pay the poor even lower? In which economic sense or theory does 5000 the inflationary effect of 200 percent increment on the central economic item of a country?”
Asefon urged the government to rescind the plan till adequate arrangements like refining at home and utilising the nation’s petrochemical by-products are made.
”After that, there will be a robust discussion by all stakeholders to deal with associated socioeconomic issues and discuss the details of the new regime. It is only on this condition that there can be a corresponding social equilibrium, economic prosperity, job and wealth creation for Nigerians.”
Finance, Budget and National Planning Minister , Zainab Ahmed, had announced that the government would remove fuel subsidy and replace it with a monthly N5,000 transport grant to about 40 million poor Nigerians.
Controversial Islamic preacher, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has said the declaration of bandits as terrorists “will not change anything”, rather, “it will cause more mayhem”.
In a statement issued on Friday by Malam Tukur Mamu, Gumi’s Media Consultant, obtained by POLITICS NIGERIA, the cleric criticised Thursday’s verdict of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which proscribed the activities of some groups linked to banditry.
According to him, “I think the Federal Government has succumbed to media blackmail by a section of the country.
“It will not have any practical value because even before the declaration they are being fought and treated as terrorists.
“It is just a nomenclature which I believe will not change the dynamics on ground.
“If you can remember, IPOB was also declared a terrorist organisation. The declaration was even backed by the order of the Court, but as you can see even the international community did not recognise FG’s declaration on IPOB.
“So it has failed to be effective or to achieve the desired results.
“They have not been banned from travelling to other countries, while their citizenship remains intact; it has not been denounced. So what type of declaration is that?
“I sincerely hope that Nigerians will not take the herdsmen as terrorists, but should regard the criminality of the few among them against innocent people as acts of terrorism just as we see IPOB and their attacks on security agencies and other northern citizens as acts of terrorism.
“The proscription will cause more mayhem. The declaration will not change anything, it will not change the dynamics. Already the military is engaging them.
“It didn’t stop them from kidnappings and killings. The declaration will not end their aggression against the society.”
A former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday, stated that the next recruit of Boko Haram will come from out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Obasanjo made this claim while addressing participants at the presidential youth mentorship retreat held at Youth Development Centre, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
According to Obasanjo, no one needs an oracle to know that the 14 million out of school children would turn to Boko Haram recruits in the next ten years.
He said “A situation today where we have 14 million children that should be in school that are not in school, does anybody need to be an oracle to tell that 10 years or 15 years from now, those will be where you will recruit pure Boko Haram.
“So, if you deal with Boko Haram by stick today in few years time the situation will be worst because we are talking about security, it will be worst. So, if we are talking of insecurity, where should we begin? If we are talking of poverty where should we begin? It is education.
“Somebody said if everybody is educated who will be a servant and I said if everybody is educated then we will get a better servant than you should have gotten from those that are not educated.”
Obasanjo further stated that the unity of the country is important, adding that he would clamour for the unity of the country throughout his life.
He said, “If I was a Yoruba leader, I would not have succeeded as I succeeded for Nigeria, I might have succeeded for the Yorubas. Your brother from South East is right, I believed that every Nigerian is more respected in the committee of nations if Nigeria remains.
“Don’t let us deceive ourselves, will people still respect us because of our population, 200 million people, you cannot just waste them, even when I go out, people will say you Nigerians are not at the table and that is true, we are not at the table when we should be at the table.
“I have no regret for fighting for the unity of Nigeria and if it comes up tomorrow that it should be done and I have the ability to do it, I will do what I have to do. I believed that the last thing is not in our fighting for the unity of this country is in subsequent leadership that we have.”
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a 32-year-old drug trafficker based in Liberia, Maduabuchi Chinedu, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja with 9.30 kilograms of cocaine worth over N2.7 billion in street value.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Thursday, said the suspect who hails from Obaha Okigwe village, Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo state, lives in Liberia where he works as a miner.
“He was arrested during an inward joint search of Ethiopian Airlines flight 911 at the Abuja airport on Wednesday 24th November 2021 with 9.30kg cocaine with each pellet wrapped in candies wraps and concealed in his luggage.
“During his preliminary interview, Chinedu claimed he left Nigeria in 2018 to settle in Liberia where he now has a residence permit. He however added that economic pressure and the need to raise money to treat his mother for an eye problem led him to seek help from a friend in Liberia who introduced him to another friend based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia who eventually gave him the drug to deliver in Abuja for a fee of N1million,” Babafemi said.
According to Babafemi, Chinedu added that he was initially scheduled to deliver the drug in Ivory Coast but was rerouted to Nigeria at the last minute.
The NDLEA spokesman said while commending the officers and men of the NAIA Command of the Agency for their vigilance and working in synergy with other security agencies at the airport, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their colleagues in other commands to always remain two steps ahead of merchants of death who are daily getting more desperate to make money at the expense of the image of the country and Nigerians’ wellbeing.
