(TRADE NEWSWIRE): Once the news leaked on CNN’s “BREAKING NEWS” that all the passengers who survived the turbulent RIKA AIR flight from London to Lagos on Friday 13th December 2013 had opted to get back on the flight back to London – rather than face the brewing turbulence in Nigeria, there was a huge scramble for seats from the rest of the media. It was no longer an exclusive scoop by CNN. Al Jazeera; Fox News; BBC; Reuters; Bloomberg; Sky News; and virtually all the global media – newspapers, magazines, news agencies and of course Twitter; Face book etc joined the frenzy.
What no one could figure out was why “Seventy Elders From Nigeria”, chartered accountants, who were protesting against the over-domination of the accountancy profession by just four international firms, were ready to forgo the joy of spending Christmas and New Year in their own country with their beloved families and friends.
Indeed, they would rather face another harrowing and bumpy ride in the sky regardless of the hazard which could be fatal. In any case, there had been no official enquiry whatever regarding the flight from London which nearly crashed over the Atlantic Ocean. The excuse from official quarters was: There was no trace of blood. No lives were lost. Hence, no further action is required!! How absurd.
Anyway, the Dalai Lama who had witnessed the chaos and despair which prevailed for four hours on the London/Lagos flight remained ever so calm and serene. According to him, governments all over the world can always come up with a ready excuse for doing nothing when powerful vested interests are involved. That had been his experience in four decades of protesting against the Chinese brutal oppression of his followers by the Chinese in Tibet. He escaped from certain torture or death by whiskers.
When the Dalai Lama was invited to grant a press interview on board. He declined very firmly. He did not want to offend the government of Nigeria (or any African country). Instead he chose to refer to some of the publications he came across in the airport lounge during his brief stay at Murtala International Airport.
Item (i) Front page headline: “ThisDay” newspaper of December 17, 2013”
“NSA: PEOPLE WITH CRIMINAL BACKGROUND IN GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES”
“National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd), has said there are many people with criminal antecedents masquerading as members of staff of various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government.
Dasuki who was represented by the Director,, Policy and Strategy, office of the NSA, Mr Layiwola Laseinde, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at a one-day workshop on the “Importance of Security Awareness Drills in Contemporary Nigeria”, organized by the Special Services Office (SSO), and Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
He warned that both government and security agencies could not afford to recruit people with criminal background, saying the MDAs should ensure that they screen out suspicious elements within their ranks.
He explained that the aim of the workshop was to ensure that those who have been selected in each of the agencies for training on security awareness should go back to enlighten the people and encourage them to be more security conscious.
According to the NSA, the job of ensuring the security of lives and property is not for the government alone and urged members of the public to be actively involved in fishing out people with questionable character.
He said: “We want to make sure that people of dubious character are not employed. In some areas, you find out that people have committed crimes and once they have criminal background, they are likely to perpetrate death.
I am not saying it is in all cases, but majority of the cases, so the government especially the security agencies, cannot afford to recruit people of dubious character. They want to make sure that each agency does it own in house screening to screen out undesirable people.
Government cannot afford for agencies to have staff with criminal record and that is the purpose of this workshop that those who are trained can go and train other people and also organize their parastatals and agencies to ensure that in terms of personal record and discipline everything is okay.
Fighting against security is not for government alone; the public needs to be carried along and in being carried along, awareness of the security situation, awareness of the environment, awareness of the people who are doing things that are suspicious is very important.
He urged the people to support security agencies in protecting lives and property by reporting people with suspicious character to security agencies.
Dasuki also raised the alarm on the activities of some Nigerians whom he accused of working to destabilize the country.
“It is rather unfortunate that there are some unscrupulous Nigerians who are exacerbating and exploiting the (insecurity) situation for their selfish interest.
I therefore, use this medium to warn these elements to desist from their unholy acts against the interest of the people and the country,” he said.
The NSA assured the public that the federal government was doing its best to discharge its constitutional responsibilities by taking measures to tackle terrorism, religious intolerance, armed robbery, kidnapping, pipeline vandalism, piracy, corruption and other related crimes which are impacting negatively on the economy, the nation’s development and its image.
He said the Department of State Services (DSS) had undertaken a robust vulnerability assessment of most of the MDAs in Abuja, followed up by improvement of their access control as a way of protecting their property and staff members.
“The Security Inspection Committee will continue to go round the MDAs to ensure compliance with the security regulations as they affect the safety of government’s personnel, documents and facilities/structure,” he added.
Item (ii) Front page headline in “Vanguard” newspaper of December 17, 2013:
“AJUDUA TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR DEFRAUDING BAMAIYI OF US $8.39 MILLION”
“Lagos -The absence of a Lagos based lawyer, Mr Fred Ajudua from court, yesterday, prevented his fresh arraignment before an Ikeja High Court for allegedly defrauding ex-Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Major General Ishaya Bamaiyi of the sum of $8.395m (N1.2bn) while he was in prison.
Ajudua was to be arraigned on 13-count charge of conspiracy and fraud alongside Elumile Adedeji (aka Ade Bendel), Kenneth and Princess Hamabon William now at large.
Ajudua alongside other suspects allegedly defrauded Bamaiyi at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, where he and the other fraud suspects were remanded.
Ajudua, currently answering various charges bordering on advanced fee fraud pressed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, according to his lawyer, Richard Ahonaruogho, was absent because he was only aware of the matter on Saturday, adding that his client was ill.
The anti-graft agency also alleged that Ajudua and others fraudulently claimed that $1m out of the total money collected from Bamaiyi was for financial assistance for the treatment of Justice Olubunmi Oyewole’s father, who was handling Bamaiyi’s case then.
Also, the former COAS, was said to have parted with the money in foreign currency to also bribe some eminent personalities to intervene in his case where he was charged alongside Major Hamza Al-Mustapha for the alleged murder of late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. He was later discharged and acquitted by the trial court.
The suspects were said to have informed Bamaiyi that Oyewole’s father, was admitted at Saint Nicholas in Lagos and the $1m was meant to assist the judge in treating his father.
Justice Ipaye then adjourned till February 12, 2014 for the arraignment, while she ordered that warrant of production should be served on the prison authority to produce Ajudua at the next hearing date.
The offences of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretences were said to be contrary to Sections 8(a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Related Offences Act No.13 of 1995 as amended by Act No.62 of 1999.
Item (iii) Front page of “ThisDay” newspaper of October 30 2013:
Headline: “PPPRA OFFICIALS IN N3.5 BILLION FRAUD SCANDAL”
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) have summoned top management officials of the Petroleum and Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) over an alleged N3.5 billion fraud in the Petroleum Support Scheme (PSF).
The invitation followed a petition by a Port Harcourt-based petroleum products marketer, Ledisi Dagogo-Jack.
In a petition dated August 13, 2013, Dagogo-Jack requested the ICPC to, among others, investigate the Executive Secretary of the PPPRA, Reginald Stanley; the Assistant General Manager (Finance), Peter Tokan; the Internal Auditor, Dominic Aniemeke, on their culpability in alleged fraudulent acts involving petroleum products surveys at the country’s ports.
In addition, the petroleum products marketer also wants the Personal Assistant to the Executive Secretary, PPPRA, Farouk Mohammed, probed along with two other aides, Gaji Mohammed and Hussaina Modibbo (Technical Assistant) over their roles in the alleged illegal award and execution of multi-million naira contracts involving two suspected unregistered companies, Bushfer Nigeria Limited and Ashmos Global Services.
According to an online news medium, Premium Times, the accused persons were expected to appear before the ICPC at its Abuja headquarters along with the General Manager (Operations), Wole Adamolekun; Internal Auditor, Dominic Aniemeke and one John Egundebi, who were accused of complicity in the alleged fraudulent acts involving the agency’s pension funds and tax returns on its pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) system.
In his petition, Dagogo-Jack said he was in possession of evidence of fraud committed under Stanley’s watch, in connivance with Tokan, which contravened the provisions of the public service financial rules and regulations.
I believe that the management of the PPPRA has a case of corruption to answer,” he said. I plead that you use your goodwill, exposure and credible anti-corruption platform to effect a thorough investigation of the financial dealings in the agency and rid the public sector of the monster of corruption.”
In one of the cases, Dagogo-Jack named five independent inspectorate firms (GMO, Saybolt, Inspectorate, SGS and Vibrant Ventures Limited) reportedly hired by the executive secretary on assumption of office in November 2011, allegedly to sideline the Inspectorate Department of PPPRA in ensuring quality control, haulage and survey of petroleum products under the PSF.”
Item (iv) Front page of “The Punch” newspaper of December 17, 2013
Headline: “WE ARE TOO BROKE TO FIGHT CORRUPTION – EFCC.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday admitted that lack of adequate funding of the agency by the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration was affecting its fight against corruption in the county.
The Secretary of EFCC, Mr. Emmanuel Adegboyega, raised the alarm in Abuja while briefing the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption, at a public hearing on the bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency.
This came as a confirmation of The PUNCH’s October 16, 2013 story, which revealed that the EFCC was so broke that it could not pay its lawyers and meet its other obligations.
Adegboyega told the Senate panel led by Senator Victor Lar that despite several appeals for fund, “the commission have been further starved of funds to finance its operations.”
He lamented that the EFCC was currently broke with less that N2m in its account. He said, “I could recollect when the committee paid us (EFCC) an oversight visit and I did make our financial position known to the committee. As at now, EFCC does not have N2m in its account. We don’t have money.
“We (EFCC) have been complaining that no money has been released to us for operations. As at now, we don’t have up to N2m. If we can afford to pay salary this month, that is all. That is the position under which we operate.” Adegboyega, however, kicked against the creation of the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Agency.
He said the NFIA should remain a “secret” agency under an existing anti-corruption agency. The EFCC secretary also faulted the :regulatory” powers granted the proposed NFIA. Adegboyega said, “The Financial Intelligence Agency if independent with enabling laws, will be exploited by corrupt persons to open a floodgate of injunctions, restraining orders and other litigation to stall anti-corruption trials. The bill is unnecessary and we should jettison it.”
However, the Central Bank of Nigeria supported the establishment of the NFIA but requested that section 6(g) of the proposed bill should be deleted. The Director, Legal Services of CBN, Mr. Amusa Ogundana, who said this when canvassing the position of the apex bank on the proposed establishment of the NFIA, said section 6(g) was on the “supervisory” function provided for in the proposed bill.
He said the section was a breach of the Money Laundering Act. Meanwhile, other stakeholders, like the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission; the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters; the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the National Intelligence Agency, supported the creation of the NFIA.
It will be recalled that members of the Senate had last Thursday expressed divided opinions on the bill which sought to create a centre for the purpose of independently conducting intelligence investigations into financial crimes in the country.
The bill proposes the establishment of the financial intelligence agency as the central body in Nigeria responsible for receiving, requesting, analyzing and disseminating financial intelligence reports and other information to the law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies.
It was presented separately as an executive and a private member bill by the duo of the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba and Senator Victor Lar.
The separate presentations were however harmonized because they both sought to achieve similar objectives, which was enhancing financial intelligence in the country.
Item (v) Front page of “Daily Sun” newspaper of December 18, 2013.
Headline: N300 (U.S.$2) BROUGHT ME TO JAIL, SAYS BOY 18
……..AS NUJ secures release of 10 inmates.
“As the Kaduna State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) yesterday secured the release of 10 inmates from the Kaduna Prison as part of its 2013 NUJ Week, an 18-year-old inmate said he was sentenced to two years jail term for stealing N300 (U.S.$2).
Securing the release of the inmates, NUJ Chairman, Yusuf Idris, said the decision to secure the release of the prisoners was to show by example what NUJ preaches to wealthy Nigerian. Idris said: “As journalists, we know that most times, when we talk about prison and prisoners, the main thing we call on the government, wealthy individuals or philanthropists to do is to find a way of assisting the government to decongest the prisons.
There is no expansion; there are a lot of criminal activities on a daily basis which means that lots of prisoners are being taken to these prisons and as such we want to say that every effort must be made by individuals to find a way of decongesting the prisons.
We want to see prisons as reformative centres, such that there should be some kind of skills and inmates could learn so that at the end of their jail term, they can come out and be useful to themselves, families and the nation at large.
I want to call on the government that in this era of SURE-P, it should not just stay outside. If they talk about skills acquisition by youth, they should come to reformation centres such as the prisons.Give these prisoners a human face by teaching them professional skills.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Comptroller of Prison in Kaduna, Ahmadu Bossan Williams commended NUJ’s gesture, saying it was a welcome development, adding that prison opened with 837 inmates against a capacity of 547 which showed that the prison was congested.
Speaking with Daily Sun on his ordeal,the 18-year-old Adamu Ibrahim said: ”I live at Ungwar Shanu in Kaduna. This is my second time of coming to prison. The first offence was a fight between me and a friend and I injured him so his parents dragged me to court and I was sentenced to prison. That was sometime last year and God saved me I got bailed out.
This second one came as a result of N300 plate of food. Me and my friends went to eat and our bill was N300 each. We ran away because we did not have money to foot the bill. I was the only person that was caught. All my friends were nowhere to be found. So, again I was dragged to court and was sentenced to two years imprisonment.”
He, however, promised he would for the rest of his life live peacefully to avoid going back to the prison.
Item (vi) Front page of “Daily Independent” newspaper of December 20, 2013
Headline: “MANKO LAMENTS INDISCRIMATE RELEASE OF ROBBERS BY COURTS”
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Umar
Manko, on Thursday in Lagos paraded a member of a robbery gang,
Nonso Egbuzobi, 28, who was among the robbers that allegedly
killed some policemen recently during a bank robbery in Ayobo area
of the State.
Three of the gang members, Daniel Onuoha, Eyo Bassey and another
member yet to be identified died during exchange of gunfire with
operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad SARS.
Recovered from the gang were five AK47 rifles, 30AK47 magazines,
300 AK47 ammunition, one police Walkie Talkie, 35 cartridges, one
Liberty Jeep, Nigerian Army uniform and one hammer.
Manko who expressed worries over the regular release of suspected
armed robbers by court order said the suspects were allegedly responsible for the killing of some of his men during a robbery operation. According to him, three of the gang, including a dismissed soldier were gunned down during exchange of gun fire with the police at Ilasamaja area of the state.
“I am disturbed with the trend of regular release of suspected armed robbers charged to court. I have discussed it with the Governor. The Ministry of Justice and the police are working out the modalities to put an end to the trend.
It is worrisome that people who kill officers and members of the public can just go free. I am doing everything possible to put an end to the trend. As long as I remain the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, no killer of any of my men will go free, “Manko said.
He said that the gang was responsible to the killing of three policemen at Ayobo Access Bank on November 16 and carted away three of their rifles.
“On November 20,at about 7.30 pm, I got information that a gang of deadly armed robbers that recently killed policemen at Access Bank, Ayobo had perfected plans to rob a businessman of a large sum of money running into millions of Naira at Ilasamaja area.
On the strength of the information, I directed Officer-in-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SP Abba Kyari, who immediately sent five of his men as decoy and ambushed the suspects at the junction leading to Akawo Street, Ilasamaja. Eventually, gun battle ensured between the police and the suspected robbers. As a result, two of the suspects were fatally wounded, while one of them, a 28-year-old man was arrested.
One AK-47 riffle, 11 AK-47 Magazines fully loaded, one Liberty Jeep with Registration No. LH 124 EKY and three Nokia phones were recovered from the suspects,” he noted. The Commissioner said that during further investigation into the case, the police discovered the house the gang was using as their base at Ayobo area.
Manko said that the house was cordoned off by the police, stressing that one of the suspects who attempted to escape through the roof was shot dead.
“During a careful search of the house, four AK-47 rifles, 19 AK-47 Magazine fully loaded, police Walkie Talkie and charger,300 rounds of AK-47 live ammunitions and Nigerian Army Uniform were recovered.
It is pertinent to mention that among the five AK-47 rifles recovered so far, four belong to policemen from Ayobo police Division killed during a robbery operation and one policeman from Igando police Division,”he said.
Item (vii) Front page of “ThisDay” newspaper of December 20, 2013.
Headline: “MAN SELLS OWN BABY TO FUND FATHER’S FUNERAL”
“The police in Abia State have arrested a 26-year-old man for selling his baby boy for N260,000 in order to foot the burial expenses of his father.
Kingsley Ubani from Umunkpeyi in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area was arrested for selling the baby, born to him by his live-in lover, Chioma Onu. He was among scores of child traffickers paraded yesterday by the police in Umuahia. Another suspected child trafficker, Chimere Sunday alias Boyoyo from Umuojima Ogbu in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area, was also arrested and paraded for allegedly selling his two children in collaboration with two female suspects, Mrs. Uloaku Chinweuba and Mrs. Ugochi Alozie.
Aside from the child traffickers, 19 pregnant teenagers rescued from a baby factory at Umuobia Olokoro were also paraded. The girls, in various stages of pregnancy, whose ages range from 15 to 23 years, were rescued from Nma Charity Home where they were being kept and fed until they deliver their babies for sale to prospective buyers.
In a swift reaction, the State Task Force on Environment and Allied Matters demolished the baby factory at Olokoro, making it the second time such a facility would be demolished in less than two weeks.
Ezuma Hospital in Aba was similarly demolished on December 7 for being used as a baby factory. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Usman Tilli Abubakar, who addressed journalists on the activities of the police in checking crime over the past five months, said Ubani was arrested based on a tip-off from some neighbours. He also said the proprietress of the charity home, Mrs. Nma Achumba, was originally running her charity home at Umunkpeyi, which she converted to a baby factory. Four months ago, she was said to have relocated to Olokoro where she had been operating secretly before a raid on her facility on December 12.
Abubakar said when the police raided the illegal charity home at about 5 am, following a tip-off, the proprietress had escaped but her son, Uche Ohuabunwa and his wife Tina, who were in charge of taking care of the pregnant girls, were arrested.
Speaking with journalists, Ubani admitted selling his baby boy, who was about four years old, for N260,000, adding that he was compelled to do so last November in order to raise funds to bury his father.
He added that the body of his father had been lying in the mortuary for 18 months and his siblings were not showing interest in the burial plans. Hence, he resorted to selling his baby to raise money for the burial ceremony.
This article was written by Bashorun J.K. Randle OFR, FCA, Chairman & Chief Executive, JK Randle Professional Services, Chartered Accountants.
E-mail: jkrandleintuk@gmail.com