How Reno Omokri was ‘paid’ $10 million to harrass Buhari in New York – Youth Coalition
The leadership of the National Youth Coalition has alleged that the a former Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan on new media, Mr. Reno Omokri collected the sum of $10 million from opposition members and some foreign enemies to ‘blackmail’ President Muhammadu Buhari before the international community in New York.
In a statement released to newsmen in Lagos on Friday by the National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Olugbenga Michael, the group accused Reno of betraying his country for a pot of soured porridge in a foreign land.
The statementread; “Reno who has no visible means of livelihood but survives on blackmailing his country and it’s leaders before the world however advised Nigerians in New York to speak the language Reno understands to him, saying Nigeria is our collective heritage and we must not allow any individual to destroy our image for selfish reasons.”
The group urged the international community to ignore Mr. Reno “because his activism does not reflect the true wishes of Nigerians or the state of affairs in the country”.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, on Friday night, debunked the claim in some quarters that the suspected financiers in respect of whom remand orders were procured by the Federal Government have been released.
Malami insisted there was no time he ordered or facilitated the release of the suspects.
The AGF’s denial was against the backdrop of an allegation by an online medium that 300 suspects of terrorism financiers had been released.
“The report is a malicious misrepresentation of facts relating to the ongoing investigation of terrorism financing suspects in Nigeria.
“It is important to reiterate at this point that the fight against the menace of terrorism is an ongoing operation characterized by intelligence gathering, arrest, investigation, and prosecution.
“The story is inherently contradictory and substantially mischievous.
“The contradictions in the story can best be understood from the point of the analysis of the affidavit that was said to have been procured by the online medium as deposed before a court in relation to the subject matter.
“By their own showing, the Office of the Attorney General, has deposed to an affidavit on account of which an order of a court was obtained, seeking for the continued detention of those financiers that were alleged to have been in custody.
“This, by implication, established that the matter is effectively submitted to the jurisdiction of the court” the AGF submitted.
Malami posited that it was common knowledge that where a matter is submitted to a court of law, it is only through the judicial process that any subsequent action can possibly be taken. According to the Justice Minister, the question then arising from the claim is this:
“When was an application filed in court by the office of the Attorney General by which the release of the purported suspects was procured?
“It amounts to approbation and reprobation for the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to, in one breath, obtain an order seeking for the continued detention of the alleged financiers of Boko Haram and at the same time having them released” Malami argued.
Insisting that the purveyors of the publication “must have lost their sense of logic in view of their inherent illogical position” the AGF maintained that if his interest was to have the people released, the idea of approaching the court for an order seeking for extension of time to have them in custody couldn’t have even arise in the first place.
“The most important, and in fact, the interesting aspect that people would like to know about the mischief associated with the position of the online publication was “who are the custodians of these people alleged to have been taken into custody?
“One needs to know by which communication or correspondence or application was their release procured since the matter is already pending before the court of law, and they were taken to custody on account of court order.
“It does not add up for the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to procure the release of someone that has been in custody on account of a court order without approaching the court.
The public, in essence, are entitled to know which application was it that was subsequently filed to procure the release financiers. When was the application filed, before which court was it taken and which lawyer is it that has taken the application and where is the court order on which account the release was effected,” the AGF queried in a statement issued midnight, Friday, by his media aide, Dr Umar Gwandu.
FG bans SSS1, SSS2 students from taking external WASSCE, NECO, NABTEB
The Federal Government has banned students in Senior Secondary School one and two from applying for and taking external West African Senior School Certificate Examination, the National Examination Council, and National Business and Technical Examinations Board.
This was contained in a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Education to principals of federal unity schools.
It was titled In the circular with no: FME/DBSE/US/DOC/III/16 and signed by the ministry’s Director Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir.
The circular was confirmed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Ben Bem Goong, on Friday.
“Yes, that is true. It is aimed at making them concentrate. You also know that it is not the right thing to do,” he said.
When asked if the ban extends to private school students, he replied, “It is not about whether private or public. We are after class. The aim for doing that is clear.”
In the circular, the government threatened to expel any SSS One and Two students who sat the exams.
This, the education ministry, said would help to maintain decorum and boost standards of education in schools.
A copy of the circular obtained by our correspondent on Friday read, “The ministry’s attention has been drawn to the flagrant disregard to its directive on (the) writing of external examinations such as NABTEB (NTC and NBC), WASSCE, NECO (SSCE) by SS1 and SS2 students.
“Students who are involved in the practice find it difficult to settle down on serious studies. They become unruly and distract other students from achieving their goals.
“Any student caught to have written any of the above examinations in SS1 or SS2 classes will be expelled from the college. All students must write these examinations after they have been duly registered for the examination by the college.
“All students of Federal Unity College should adhere strictly to the content of this circular. And Principals are advised to bring the content of this circular to the knowledge of all parents of the college.”
Despite Evidence in handbook, NYSC Makes U-Turn denies express advice for corpers
In what appears to be a tardy disposition to the review of official documents, the management of the National Youth Service Corps has denied an express advice in the handbook issued to youth corps members.The handbook is titled, Security Awareness and Education Handbook For Corps Members and Staff.
The handbook, on page 56, had advised corps members travelling on “high-risk” roads to alert their “family members, friends and colleagues to have someone on hand to pay off the ransom that could be demanded” in case they are kidnapped.
The Scheme listed such roads as “Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Lokoja-Okene, or Aba-Port Harcourt” roads.
The handbook, on page 56, had advised corps members travelling on “high-risk” roads to alert their “family members, friends and colleagues to have someone on hand to pay off the ransom that could be demanded” in case they are kidnapped.
The Scheme listed such roads as “Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Lokoja-Okene, or Aba-Port Harcourt” roads.
Page 56 of the handbook stating the reason for ransom
The NYSC denies giving the advice, even when each corps member has the handbook, which has also been obtained by The PUNCH from a youth corps member currently undergoing the mandatory one-year national youth service
Insecurity: Tell Your Families To Prepare Your Ransoms When Travelling – NYSC Advise Corp Members
Society gazette Reports that the National Youth Service Corps have told Corp members to tell their parents and guardians to prepare for their ransom whenever they are to travel on high risk roads.
This is due to the rising insecurity situation of the country where people get kidnapped on the high way while travelling.
In the NYSC booklet, Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Lokoja-Okene-Oba-Portharcourt roads were listed as the high risk roads by the commission.
See Full List Of 45 Names Of Individuals Allegedly Sponsoring Boko Haram/ISWAP
A list containing the names of 45 suspects allegedly sponsoring operations of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in the country have been revealed.
Recall that the United Arab Emirates had recently released names of terrorism sponsors which included six Nigerians.
Following the release, Nigerians called on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to follow his UAE counterpart by naming and shaming the 400 Boko Haram financiers his government claimed to have arrested in March.
But Buhari’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina had in an interview stated that the present administration was only focussed on prosecuting and not shaming terrorists.
This was following an earlier refusal to name Boko Haram Sponsors by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa.
Also speaking from New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami stated that the country would not name sponsors of terrorism.
He however revealed that government has commenced steps to investigate, prosecute and bring to justice 285 Boko Haram financiers.
“Naming and shaming of suspects is not embarked upon as a policy by the federal government out of sheer respect the constitutional rights of Nigerians relating to presumption of innocence,” Malami had said in a statement.
“It is a product of constitutionalism and the law. It is rooted in the law and the names of the suspects will accordingly be made public at the point of judicial arraignment while the. Trials are judicial processes and not about media sensations. Naming and shaming in the Nigerian context must be rooted in constitutionalism. We must strike a balance between constitutional presumption of innocence and evidential proof of reasonable ground for suspicion in making disclosures associated with terrorism funding and financing.”
Sources have now revealed to Sahara Reporters, that only 45 of 400 are being prosecuted by the government before the court based “on prima facie cases of terrorism.”
They include Saidu Ahmed, Ibrahim Sani Bello, Mustapha Musa Adamu, Abubakar Sadiq Garba, Hussein Adamu, Muhammed Sani Adam, Abdulrahman Ibrahim, Ghazali Yusuf, Yusuf Ali Yusuf, Abubakar Adamu Yellow, Zahuraddeen Bashir, Haruna Garba Garo, Ibrahim Aliyu Usman, Hassan Idris, Musa Emma, Alhashim Mohammed Almashim, Baba Samaila, Bulama Tahir, Abubakar Ali, Mohammed Ambare, Danlami Hassan Nadabo, Danladi Talle Inuwa, Bashir Ali, Mansur Muhammad Usaman.
Others are Musa Tasiu Ya’u, Auwalu Ali Alhassan, Sadi Saidu Abdullahi, Suraj Adamu, Muhammed Auwalu, Ismaila Abdullaziz Mohammed, Munzali Ashiru Gambo, Yazid Muhammad Usman, Nabil Zakari, Gambo Auwalu, Muhammed Abba, Bashir Idris Shuaibu, Mohammed Yahaya, Auwalu Ibrahim, Abdullahi Umar Usman, Dahiru Umar Mohammed, Abdullahi Mohammed, Abubakar Yahaya, Hussaini Lawali Idrisu, Ladann Ibrahim, Nurudeen Gani Aliyu.
Nigerian Army reacts to video of Soldier dehumanizing Corper
The Nigerian Army (NA) says it has taken cognizance of a video clip currently making the rounds on social media, where a commissioned female officer, Lt. Chika Viola Anele was videoed dehumanising a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Ezeiruaku Ifeyinwa Fidelia. Fidelia was serving at 13 Brigade Headquarters in Calabar, Cross River State. The harassment happened after an argument between the duo.
The Army in a statement on Thursday by Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, its Director Public Relations, condemned the “unprofessional” act and stated that it is “against established precepts of discipline in the NA”. Apologetic Nigerian Army also noted that Lt. Anele has been sanctioned.
The Nigerian Army’s statement reads: “The NA therefore, condemns in strong terms, this act of gross misconduct. Undoubtedly, the officer’s actions has caused the NA monumental embarrassment and is highly regrettable. This unfortunate act of indiscipline does not in anyway represent the NA and will not be condoned in its entirety.
“For the records, the ugly incident happened in 13 Brigade, Calabar. The Brigade Commander immediately instituted an investigation and the officer involved has been identified and sanctioned on the interim and would be made to undergo regimental orders (trial) in line with the extant provisions of the Armed Forces Act. The submission that the Brigade attempted covering up was therefore misleading, as the NA remains a professional force that has zero tolerance for indiscipline amongst its personnel.
“The NA wishes to reiterate and assure the general public that such infractions would not be tolerated from its personnel. The NA also reassures that the rights of the citizenry is sacrosanct and must be respected by all personnel of the NA, as any form of infraction will be severely dealt with.”
“Therefore, the general public is enjoined to continue to report such infractions, as Human Rights Desks in all formations of the NA are emplaced to deal decisively with such erring personnel.”
“The NA further wishes to tender unreserved apology to the victim, her family members, friends, National Youth Service Corps and to Nigerians in general for the unwholesome treatment meted out to the Corps member.”
BREAKING: One policeman killed, scores wounded As Task Force, Okada Riders Clash In Lagos
Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit, also known as Lagos Taskforce, on Thursday clashed with commercial motorcyclists, popularly called Okada in Ajao Estate, Airport road, Lagos.
One policeman has been confirmed dead and several wounded.
It was gathered that Task Force officers seized bikes and it turned violent.
Breaking: Police Arrest Masterminds Of Bethel Baptist School Students Kidnap
The long arm of the law has caught up with three of the criminal masterminds behind the abduction of over 100 students of Bethel Baptist school, Kaduna State.
The criminals were arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police and were paraded on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba at the headquarters of defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), in Abuja.
The three suspects identified as Adamu Bello, Isiaku Lawal, and Muazu Abubakar told journalists on ground that 25 of them executed the abduction of the students.
Speaking on why they kidnapped the students, the suspects, dressed in military camouflage, confessed it was because of money.
“Twenty-five of us carried out the operation. We kidnapped 136 students and I got N100,000 share from the money,” 27-year-old Abubakar said.
