Jonathan Used Boko Haram Insurgency To Turn Nigeria To His ATM - Obasanjo

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed why he opposed the re-election of immediate past president, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election.

Mr. Obasanjo’s reasons are contained in a book, Against the Run of Play, written by Mr. Segun Adeniyi, Chairman of the Editorial Board of ThisDay Newspapers.

The book, an account of what happened in the 2015 presidential election, is due for public presentation in Lagos on Friday. 

The relationship between the former presidents, noted the author, had soured long before the election. Mr. Jonathan, whose political rise is widely credited to Mr. Obasanjo’s influence, had sought to make up with his presumed benefactor and keep him on his side for re-election. He arranged for a meeting with Mr. Obasanjo in his Abeokuta home.

Before leaving for the Ogun State leg of his campaign in January 2015 wrote the author, Mr.  Jonathan had concluded plans to visit Mr. Obasanjo, who had agreed to meet him.

Mr. Obasanjo, however, gave a condition: Jonathan must come along with someone of sufficient credibility to act as a witness at the meeting. Mr. Jonathan agreed to bring one along.

He approached the hugely influential General Overseer (GO) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor EA Adeboye, who accepted to play the role of a witness.

But on the evening of 12 January 2015, the agreed date of the meeting scheduled for Mr. Obasanjo’s Hilltop residence in Abeokuta, Pastor Adeboye arrived in the company of Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel.

 “It was only Pastor Adeboye that Jonathan told me was coming with him, but Bishop Oyedepo is a man I also know very well, so I had no problem with his presence at the meeting,” Mr. Obasanjo was quoted as saying.

The meeting, stated the author, was an unpleasant one for Mr. Jonathan, a man Mr. Obasanjo had assisted to become Vice President and then President. Mr. Obasanjo frontally told Mr. Jonathan that he was not going to support his re-election bid, saying he considered his performance as president sub-par and that he had acted less than honorably for reneging on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zoning arrangement, which prescribed that it was the turn of the North to produce the president.

“I told him in the presence of his witness that I was not going to support him for a second-term and I gave my reasons. Aside the issue of zoning on which he was reneging, his stewardship up to that point had also shown very clearly that he was not up to the job,” Obasanjo reportedly said to the author in December 2016.

Mr. Obasanjo, according to the author, claimed to have nothing personal against Mr. Jonathan, explaining that his disagreement with him was based on certain principles on which he was not prepared to compromise.

“My decision was based on what would be for the good of Nigeria and since I didn’t consider Jonathan god enough, I told him to his face. What would I be afraid of?” asked Obasanjo.

 The outcome of the meeting was a huge blow to Mr. Jonathan, who was initially billed to be on the ballot in February 2015 before the eventual postponement of the election. Mr. Jonathan, expectedly, left Abeokuta dejected.

The outcome of the meeting was the culmination of years of disdain, initially muted, with which Mr. Obasanjo held the Jonathan presidency. Signs of his irritation first manifested on 3 April 2012, when he resigned his position as chairman of PDP Board of Trustees.

Two months later, he delivered a wounding assessment of the Jonathan’s administration’s capacity to confront corruption.

On 15 June 2012, at a debate organized by the club De Madrid (an independent, non-profit organization comprising 80 former democratic presidents and prime ministers from fifty-six countries) in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr. Obasanjo laid into the Jonathan administration with full force.

“I haven’t seen that will of persistency and consistency in Nigeria because the people that are involved in corruption, they are strongly entrenched and unless you are ready to confront them at the point of even giving your life for it, then you will give in, that is the end of it,” he told BBC
 Ritula Shah, moderator of the debate. Clever sniping by an accomplished verbal sniper. From then on, Mr. Jonathan was a sitting duck.

A year later, Mr. Obasanjo abandoned sniping for an all-out shootout. His first major target was the oil pipelines protection initiative of the Jonathan administration. 

“This morning, on my way from Abeokuta by road, I was listening to the radio. I heard that the Jonathan administration said that they are going to set up an agency for pipeline protection. Now, what are the police there for? What are all the security agencies doing? This is another chop-chop,” Mr. Obasanjo said in Abuja during a thanksgiving ceremony to mark the 50th birthday of Dr.  Oby Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education.

He sustained his attack with details of how he thought the Jonathan administration was not interested in accountability, noting that its handling of the Boko Haram insurgency indicated that if allowed to continue in power, Mr. Jonathan could fatally damage the country. “Jonathan and his people turned Boko Haram into an industry for making money. Rather than seek for solution, Boko Haram became an ATM machine for taking money out of the treasury. Take the issue of the Chibok tragedy. If he had acted within the first 48 hours, they would have found most of the girls. The CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) Chairman of the local chapter in Chibok was here to see me and he explained how they were helpless with no reaction from the authorities for several days,” the book quoted Mr. Obasanjo as saying.

The author noted that Mr. Obasanjo had advised early in the life of the Jonathan administration that Jonathan, as president, needed to pay more attention to the Boko Haram insurgency, a counsel that was ignored.

In November 2012, the author stated, at a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary on the pulpit of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the then CAN President, Obasanjo suggested that the Jonathan administration was mishandling the challenge posed by the insurgency.

“My fear is that when you have a sore and you don’t attend to it early enough, it festers and becomes very bad. Don’t leave a problem that can be bad unattended…if you say you don’t want a strong leader who can have all the characteristic of a leader, including the fear of God, then you have a weak leader and the rest of the problems is yours,” he said at the occasion.

Mr. Obasanjo also accused Mr. Jonathan of clannishness and promotion of a form of Ijaw triumphalism, which he described as “sickening”.

“I once asked him: ‘What is this Ijaw thing all about? Can the Ijaw people make you president?’ I remember when he granted pardon to Alamieyeseigha (Diepriye, the former governor of Bayelsa State convicted for corruption) and it became an international embarrassment. I also asked him: ‘Why did you do it?’ He started by offering a lame excuse that it was a Council of State decision before I reminded him that Council of State was merely advisory and that the decision was his. After a while, he said if I was at the meeting, he probably would have acted differently because nobody opposed him on what he could do to address the problem. But it was either because he didn’t have the courage to broach the issue with Alamieyeseigha or he didn’t think it was important. he did nothing afterward,” Adeniyi reported Obasanjo as saying.

The author also noted that the public conduct of some Ijaw men such as ex-militant, Mujahid Dakubo-Asari, and a former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark damaged the image of Jonathan and that of his administration.

Mr. Adeniyi observed that the fact that Mr. Jonathan did not restrain them created the impression that he supported what they were saying and doing. For instance, in May 2013, recalls Adeniyi, Dakubo-Asari said Niger Delta militants would throw the country into chaos if Mr. Jonathan was not re-elected in 2015. Again, on September 9th,  2013, he declared that Jonathan’s presidential ambition in 2015 was already settled.

“The way things are going, there is no sitting on the fence in the battle before us… All of us will have to be in the ring and fight. 2015 is already a settled matter. Goodluck Jonathan would be president in 2015,” Dakubo-Asari declared.

A few days later, Chief Clark did the same, saying Jonathan would remain President in 2015 because it was not yet the turn of the North.

“In the Constitution of Nigeria, every president has two elections to be contested. (Alhaji Shehu) Shagari did it in1979 and 1983. In 1999, (Chief Olusegun) Obasanjo did it and 2003. In 2007, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of blessed memory did it and if he had remained alive, he would have done it again in 2011. So, Jonathan has the right to contest again. This is an incumbent that has not done a second-term. It is not yet the turn of northerners. They have the right to contest as Nigerians. Yes, but in other parties,” said Chief Clark.

At the same occasion, the late Alamieyeseigha bragged: “Aso Rock is not vacant. The northern agitators will all, at the appropriate time, join the moving train. They may have their opinion, but I can assure you that President |Jonathan will remain as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2015.”

The author equally observed that Mr. Obasanjo, was, on many occasions, the target of attacks by prominent Ijaw leaders and groups. This, states the author, was one of the reasons for his famous open letter to President Jonathan in December 2013. Titled, “Before it is too late,” Mr. Obasanjo’s letter accused Mr. Jonathan of pursuing selfish interest by destroying his own party, polarizing the country along regional and religious lines and ridiculing Nigerians globally. “For you to allow yourself to be ‘possessed’, so to say, to the exclusion of most of the rest of Nigerians as an Ijaw man is a mistake that should never have been allowed to happen. To allow or tacitly encourage people of Ijaw to throw insults on other Nigerians from other parts of the country and threaten fire and brimstone to protect your interest as an Ijaw man is myopic and that you are not openly quieting them is even more unfortunate,” wrote Mr. Obasanjo.

Obasanjo’s criticisms of Mr. Jonathan were a boon to the opposition, whose disparate bits were in the process of coalescing into the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be reinforced by the defection of some PDP governors.

Cleverly painting Mr. Jonathan as dishonorable, Mr. Obasanjo said Mr. Jonathan told him before the 2011 election that he would serve for a single term and made the same promise to governors, party stakeholders, and Nigerians.

“As a leader, two things you must cherish and hold dear, among others, are trust and honor, both of which are important ingredients of character. I will want to see anyone in the office of the presidency of Nigeria as a man and woman who can be trusted, a person of honor in worth and character,” Mr. Obasanjo stated.

He referred to the “gentleman agreement” of a single term brokered in 2011. “Up till two months ago, Mr. President, you told me that you have not told anybody that you would contest in 2015. I quickly pointed out to you that the signs and measures on the ground do not tally with your statement. You said the same to one other person, who shared his observations with me. And only a fool will believe that statement you made to me judging by what is going on. I must say it is not ingenious. You may wish to pursue more credible and honorable path,” Mr. Obasanjo added.

Mr. Jonathan responded in kind and his battle axes in the media went for Mr. Obasanjo, an indication that a full-blown war had been declared. An expert at milking situations, Mr. Obasanjo did not allow his former protégé any respite. Speaking at the Ake Arts and Books Festival in Abeokuta, he delivered a dim verdict on Mr. Jonathan when asked to rate his administration.

 “I rate this current administration below average. When the head is rotten, the whole body is useless,” he said woundingly.

 In what seemed an attempt to deflect the accusation that he yoked the country with the Jonathan presidency, the author quotes Mr. Obasanjo as saying Mr. Jonathan was not his first choice as running mate to the late Yar’Adua.

“It was Dr. Peter Odili. But whether by fate or by some conspiracy, Odili had hurdles that made it impossible for him to take the position. That was how I settled for Jonathan,” the former president is quoted as saying.

While admitting not knowing Yar’Adua and Jonathan well enough, he stated that you can only accurately gauge people’s capacities when they are given power and responsibility.
 Obasanjo also rejected the notion that he knew that Yar’Adua was terminally ill before anointing him his successor.

“One, the lingering doubts about his health, while the other was a very pervasive allegation that he had a manipulative wife, who had too much influence on him,” the book quoted him as saying.

Mr. Obasanjo, however, said the accusation against Yar’Adua’s wife was out of jealousy, as she was close to the husband. On Yar’Adua’s health, Obasanjo told the author: “Not being a medical practitioner, I gave the report to a friend and a renowned professional in the medical field, who reviewed it, and told me the person in the report that he was not on dialysis, by which he meant either he didn’t have kidney problem or that he has successfully undergone a kidney transplant. That was the report I had about his health.”

Explaining why he endorsed Jonathan for the 2011 presidential ticket, following Yar’Adua’s demise, Mr. Obasanjo said: “I saw the emergence of Jonathan an opportunity to solve the problem of minority agitation. The three majority ethnic groups in Nigeria can always sort themselves out but not so for the minority. A good example is my state here in Ogun. Despite the best intentions, nobody from Ogun west has been able to become governor because of this minority issue and it will take a conscious effort to make it happen. So, it was in that context that I had to plead with prominent people in the north to allow Jonathan run for a term.”

Signs that Mr. Jonathan was not going to be a successful president, according to Mr. Obasanjo, manifested in certain actions the man took early in the life of his administration. One of such, he said, was the appointment of Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke as Minister of Petroleum Resources, an action he said he warned against and for which he received assurances was not going to be taken.

 “He (Jonathan) gave me the impression that he was not going to give her the portfolio. At the end, he did and then we can see the consequences. He, of course, knew what he was doing,” he told the author.

Mr. Obasanjo’s rift with his protégé oiled the opposition machine operated by Mr. Muhammadu Buhari, behind whom many disaffected politicians, including from the PDP, were queuing. He, however, denied supporting Mr. Buhari.

 “I didn’t join them in supporting Buhari, I joined in opposing Jonathan, so Buhari was just a beneficiary of my opposition to Jonathan since my position was AOBJ: Any Option But Jonathan,” he told the author.

 He explained that Mr. Jonathan and his supporters thought they could buy the country. “They were so arrogant about it that the PDP will print only one nomination form for him and him alone. If he was wise, he would have yielded the ticket to somebody else in the PDP,” he stated.

The former president also depicted Mr. Jonathan as corrupt and lacking the capacity to deal with Boko Haram in his three-part book, My Watch.

This, observed the author, was hugely damaging to Mr. Jonathan’s profile and persuaded the US and Britain to lean towards Mr. Buhari, whom they believed was strong on those key issues. Ever the man to time his attacks well, Mr. Obasanjo, in January 2015, just a few weeks to the initial date of the election, accused Mr. Jonathan of squandering $25 billion crude oil savings left behind by his administration.

The crippling allegation was made when he hosted southwest women leaders at his residence in Abeokuta. “Our reserve after we had paid off the debt was about $45 billion. As I said, it continued till the end of 2007, I heard that the reserve increased to almost $67 billion before the end of the year. Our reserve now, I learned, is left with around $30 billion. That is why the naira has been falling against the dollar,” he said.

While he mentioned no name, he left his audience in no doubt the target of his barbs.

“In the profession, I know very well, the military, what we normally say is that there are no bad soldiers, but bad officers. If you see a situation where the soldiers are not doing very well, you need to examine the officers in charge. So, it is in the family, the community, the town and the country,” Obasanjo stated.

He followed it up with an advice to Nigerians to use their votes judiciously during the general elections. Mr. Jonathan created some breathing space for himself when, two days after the scalding from Mr. Obasanjo, his government rescheduled the elections by six weeks.

But again, Mr. Obasanjo stepped up his attack, accusing Mr. Jonathan of copying former Cote d’Ivoire president, Laurent Gbagbo, who kept postponing election so he could manipulate the process.

 “It looks to me that the President is trying to play ‘Gbagbo’. I believe this is the sort of thing Nigeria may fall into if I am right in what I observed as the grand plan. We all remember that in the run-off Gbagbo lost with 8 percent behind Ouattara and then refused to handover. All reasonable persuasion and pleading was rebuffed by him and unleashed horror in that country until nemesis caught up with him,” Obasanjo said in London.

He equally expressed a dim view of the role of the military and security chiefs in rescheduling the elections.

 “I believe the President’s concern or fear is not about life out of office per se, but he and I have had occasions to talk about this, both seriously and jovially. I believe the President’s fear is particularly motivated by the person he sees as his likely successor, that is General Buhari. I believe people must have been telling him that Buhari is a hard man and he will fight corruption and he (Jonathan) will end up in jail if not in the grave,” added Mr. Obasanjo.

The attack, unsurprisingly, got the Jonathan camp red-eyed. Spokesperson of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, accused Mr. Obasanjo of desperately wanting to see Mr. Jonathan defeated.

 “He has raised issues and made assertions that are capable of derailing our democracy and creating chaos in the land. It is vital that we consider his motives for this latest outburst and his credentials as a leader and an elder statesman.  The truth is that he knows that President Jonathan will win the next month’s presidential election and that it why he wants to destroy the credibility of the whole process right from the beginning,” said Fani-Kayode.

Ultimately, observed the author, Mr. Obasanjo’s opposition to Jonathan’s re-election emboldened the opposition and suggested to many others that an incumbent could be defeated. He equally argued that Obasanjo helped to weaken Mr. Jonathan both within the PDP and in the general population of the country and convinced the US and Britain that the second term for Mr. Jonathan would be disastrous for Nigeria.

Also, Mr. Adeniyi reckoned that with Mr. Obasanjo’s weighty voice not being lent to Mr. Jonathan’s candidacy, big businesses, which are always backing the incumbent with billions of naira to the exclusion of the opposition, felt confident to support his opponent, Mr. Buhari.

“What this ensured was that for the first time in four attempts at the presidency, Buhari had enormous resources to campaign across the country in leased aircraft to an image makeover, hire entertainers for rallies, embarked on an expensive blitz and give a Jonathan a good run for his money. In the end, that went a long way in helping to tilt the scale in his favor,” wrote Adeniyi.

 

30 Football Fans Die at Calabar Viewing Centre While Watching Man U vs Anderlecht Match

Details are emerging of how no fewer than 30 persons were electrocuted to death on Thursday night in Calabar, Cross River State, South-south Nigeria while watching the Europa Football League match between Manchester United and Anderlecht.

The incident happened at around 9.30 pm at Nyagasang area of Atimbo in Calabar Municipality local government area, according to News Agency of Nigeria.

When URCHBABA visited the area, it was observed that a transformer near the viewing centre exploded during the match and this caused a high tension cable to drop directly on the viewing centre.

URCHBABA quoted an eye witness who escaped death as saying the electrocution was preceded by an explosion of a transformer which brought so much panic and tension.

“We were all inside watching the match when we heard the first strike from the transformer; the heavy sound caused panic because some people shouted and ran out.

“After a while, we came back into the viewing centre to continue with the match. Shortly, we heard another sound heavy sound and when some people tried to run away from the centre, they were affected.

“Over 50 of us escaped dead yesterday because we were standing by the door watching the game’’, he said.

URCHBABA observes that the viewing centre was constructed with zinc, while the television screen were also destroyed.

“We have heard of the incident, some of the people were rushed to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for treatment,”  ASP Irene Ugbo,   Police Public Relations Officer of Cross River Police Command said while confirming the incident.

She added that investigation into the incident has commenced.

Nigerian UN Worker Arrested For Robbing Four Banks In New York

A United Nations headquarters employee was arrested on Monday for robbing four banks over a two-month span, The New York Post reports.

Nigerian national Abdullahi Shuaibu, 53, was charged with two counts of robbery and two counts of attempted robbery.

All robberies were committed during his lunch breaks at banks within walking distance of the UN headquarters.

Mr. Shuaibu committed the first robbery on February 27 when he walked into a Santander Bank and demanded that the teller hand him cash, threatening to shoot if the employee did not comply.

In March, he tried but failed to rob a Bank of America. Later that month, he successfully robbed a separate Santander Bank location.

On Monday, Mr. Shuaibu walked into an HSBC bank and passed a note demanding cash to the teller, who did not read the note and asked for identification.

He then told the teller he had a gun and gestured to his hand in his jacket pocket.

After returning to work that afternoon, police arrested Mr. Shuaibu. A retired police officer working at the UN recognized the robber from a surveillance photo previously released by the New York Police Department and led the authorities to his arrest.

EFCC submits report on recovered fund to President Buhari

A report by Daily Trust indicates that the EFCC has submitted a report to the presidency on the N15billion it recovered in a flat in Ikoyi, Lagos on Wednesday, April 12.

According to the report, the anti-graft agency's report to the presidency gave details of the discoveries made during the operation and the origin of the money.

The fund recovered by operatives of the EFCC was made up of $43.4 million, £27,000 and N23million totalling N15 billion.

The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) had lay claim to the money, which it said was approved for covert operations by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, before the 2015 general elections.

Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike also claimed that the money belongs to the state, and gave the federal government seven days ultimatum to return the money to River state coffers.

Those who speak for the NIA anonymously said the apartment was being used as a safe. However, EFCC sources point out that the apartment is being rented by a private company.

The EFCC is, therefore, working hard to unravel the identities of the owners, sources said.

Also, the EFCC is said to be interested in the role some tenants in other apartments in the building may have played in stashing the money.

Among those who took up apartments in the highbrow area is a former governor as well as former senior officers of government agencies already under the radar of the EFCC over financial crimes.

URCHBABA gathered that the Director General of the NIA visited the acting chairman of the EFCC and requested the money be given back to his agency, but his appeals were turned down.

NIA source told Daily Trust that the apartment where the EFCC recovered the fund was protected by NIA personnel adding that “even those protecting the place were not aware of what was inside. There were NIA officials there when the money was taken by the EFCC.”

The source also said the president was aware of all NIA operations. He was being briefed appropriately.

On why the fund was not returned to the Federation Account 2 years after it was approved, the NIA source said “normally moneys budgeted for security operations are not returned to the treasury.”

The agency insists that the recovered N15 billion belongs to it and that the fund was approved for a covert operation.
Meanwhile, Senate President Bukola Saraki has decried the way the EFCC has been handling the fund recovery.

Saraki told Arise News Network on Monday, April 17 that the EFCC has poorly managed the issue, even as he stated that the anti-graft agency has a responsibility to tell Nigerians who the money belongs to.

According to him, it had become embarrassing that up till now there was no clarity on the ownership of the money.

North Korea Hacking Banks In Nigeria, 17 Other Countries To Fund Nuclear Program

North Korea’s hacking operations has expanded to more countries including Nigeria, a report by Russian cyber security firm Kaspersky has claimed.

The cyber security firm said hackers backed by North Korea were targeting financial institutions in 18 countries, including Nigeria.

According to a report on the hacking claims by CNN, two international security experts believe North Korea is likely spending the stolen funds on its nuclear weapons program.

“Banks and security researchers have previously identified four similar cyber-heists attempted on financial institutions in Bangladesh, Ecuador, the Philippines and Vietnam,” it read in part.

“But researchers at Kaspersky now say the same hacking operation — known as “Lazarus” — also attacked financial institutions in Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Poland, Taiwan, Thailand, and Uruguay.”

Hackers were traced to North Korea after Kaspersky detected a mistake, and a hacker from a group operation known as “Lazarus” connected from North Korea, the United Press International also reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, the hackers had previously routed their attacks from computer services in France, South Korea and Taiwan, a move which made it difficult for security experts to identify the origin of the breaches.

It added that Lazarus began to focus on banks late 2015, just before North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test then began to test-launch dozens of ballistic missiles in 2016.

British Government Set To Unveil Nigerian Property Owners

The British Government, will release information about Nigerians, who own property in that country next year.

Prof. Bolaji Owosanoye, Executive Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York that negotiations on this had reached advanced stage.

Owosanoye said the measure being taken by the governments of both countries was aimed at stepping up the fight against corruption.

“There’s no doubt that rogues in government oppress and impoverish their people by corruption and this must be sanctioned by collective action.

“We need to make sure that there is no safe haven for corrupt officials to run to.
“Britain has promised that by 2018, she will provide Nigeria with the information about who owns what and where; that’s very helpful.

“These include all the houses that have been bought by public officials or accounts that are held by public officials on which they are right now not paying taxes or which they cannot explain the sources.

“So if you cannot buy a house in England, you have to look for somewhere else.
“But if all countries criminalize this, then it becomes much more difficult unless you want to buy the house on Mars,” he said.

The presidential aide also explained that Nigeria and other African countries, who are victims of illicit financial flows, must challenge developed countries to block illicit financial flows from developing countries.

“Receiving states – the countries of the North – need to be proactive to block the proceeds of crime even before a request is made by victim countries.

“This is because, in many situations, it is clear that illegality is taking place.
“We think that reversing the burden of proof to improve the confiscation of criminal proceeds of crime would help, especially when we are going after the asset and not necessarily the person.

“If the person who claims to own the asset would not cooperate in giving information, then this should be a point in favor of the state,” Owosanoye said.

He contended that the burden of proof for criminal proceeds should shift to the suspects and not the government, citing the case of a former Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

“A former Managing Director of the NNPC was found with nine million dollars cash and over 70 million naira in his house in a small place he has built.

“He said the money is a gift. He was asked if he could tell the very generous angels who gave him this money.

“He’s not been able to provide that information. That sort of disposition should be used to penalize a claimant of asset who cannot justify the origin of the asset.

“The proposed “Unexplained Wealth Order in England,’’ which hopefully we were told would pass through the legal process this year, should really help to deepen the conversation in this regard.

“It (Unexplained Wealth Order) would help to quickly recover assets,” the presidential aide said.

Owosanoye said available research records showed that about 60 per cent of capital flight from Africa came from Nigeria because of the size of its economy. (NAN)

At Least 9 Killed In St. Petersburg Metro Explosion

No fewer than 9 people were killed and 20 were injured after an explosion rocked a train in St. Petersburg, Russia on Monday.

The source of the explosion was a bomb filled with shrapnel, which detonated at 2:20 p.m. local time on a metro train traveling from the Technology Institute station to the Sennaya Square station.

Another bomb was deactivated at a separate St. Petersburg metro station shortly after the first blast, according to the Associated Press.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was visiting the city on Monday, said that investigations were underway to determine the cause of the attack. At the time of reporting, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the explosion.

“Law enforcement agencies and intelligence services are doing their best to establish a cause and give a full picture of what happened,” the Russian president said.

Russia has been the target of terrorist attacks carried out by Chechen separatists. In March 2010, double suicide bombings in Moscow killed 40 people in an attacked claimed by Chechen separatist Doku Umarov.

Herdsmen invade prison, kill inmate

The Benue Prisons Service on Monday confirmed that herdsmen invaded its Jato-Aka Farm Centre and killed an inmate, one Tersoo Agidi.

ASP Stephen Nwanchor, Public Relations Officer, Benue Prisons Service, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi that the incident took place on Saturday at the farm centre.

Nwanchor said that the invasion was not a failed jail break attempt.

“This is a new farm centre established in January, 2017. The herdsmen invaded the place, destroyed property, shot and killed one Tersoo Agidi, an inmate.

“We have evacuated all the remaining inmates from the farm centre to Gboko, pending the outcome of the investigation.

“We are not taking anything for granted. My Controller of Prison is on top of the issue, and all relevant security operatives in the state have been notified,” Nwanchor said.

The PRO said the service was investigating the invasion to ascertain the remote cause, noting that no arrest had been made so far.

Nwanchor said the service had tightened security in and around all its facilities in the state, assuring that there was no cause for alarm.

EFCC Probe Details How Senate President Saraki And His Aides Embezzled N3.5B From Paris Club Loan Refunds

Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have formally named Senate President Bukola Saraki, a former Managing Director of Heritage Bank, Robert Mbonu, a firm, Melrose General Services Limited, the relationship manager to Mr. Saraki, Kathleen Erhimu, the deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Saraki, Gbenga Peter Makanjuola, as targets of an investigation into the embezzlement of as much as N19 billion that accrued as refunds to state governments that had made excess payments on loans obtained from international lenders, the London and Paris Clubs. 

Also named by the EFCC as players in the huge scandal are Kolawole Shittu, the supplier of a controversial Range Rover vehicle to Senator Saraki, as well as one Obiora Amobi and one Oladapo Joseph Idowu.

In a report forwarded to the Presidency and obtained by SaharaReporters, the EFCC wrote, “Mr. Robert Mbonu is alleged to have received the sum of N3.5 billion into his company's account (Melrose General Services Limited) from the [Nigerian Governors’ Forum] through Account 0005892453 domiciled in Access Bank.” The report identified “one Kathleen Erhimu [as] the Relationship Manager to Dr. Bukola Saraki's account with Access Bank.”

The elaborate EFCC report authenticates a series of reports in which SaharaReporters disclosed that Mr. Saraki as well as numerous governors colluded to pocket most of the billions of naira in refunds. Mr. Saraki had accused SaharaReporters of fabricating the report, claiming that the EFCC was not investigating him in relation to the loan refund fraud. However, the document forwarded to the Presidency by the EFCC outlined Mr. Saraki’s deep involvement in the still unfolding embezzlement saga.

A part of the EFCC document reported that, at a meeting, Senator Saraki had “introduced one Joseph Oladapo Idowu and Gbenga Peter Makanjuola his deputy chief of staff to [Ms. Erhimu] and Makanjuola thereafter introduced Mr. Robert Mbonu to Ms. Kathleen Erhimu.” The EFCC told the Presidency that Mr. Mbonu operated corporate accounts for Melrose General Services at Access Bank. The accounts, listed as  0005892453 and 0005653500, were until December 13, 2016 operated as business accounts, according to the EFCC report.

The report further disclosed that Halima Kyari, the head of “Private Banking Group” at Access Bank, “stated in a letter dated December 13, 2016, [that] Mr. Robert Mbonu requested a transfer of Melrose General Services Company account from Business Account to a Private Banking Group Platform as he was expecting huge funds into the account. We learned that Mr. Mbonu’s move was at the instance of Senator Saraki who desired the use of the Melrose General Services Company account to warehouse his cut of the funds that came from the London-Paris Club refunds.

The EFCC report stated, “Subsequently, on December 14, 2016, the sum of N3.5 billion was lodged into Melrose General Services Company account number 0005892453 domiciled with Access Bank from the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).”

According to the anti-corruption agency, Mr. Mbonu subsequently introduced Mr. Amobi and Mr. Makanjuola to Access Bank as representatives of Melrose General Services Limited. The purpose of the introduction, the EFCC found, was to enable the two men to do cash withdrawals from the account. The report stated that Mr. Amobi and Mr. Makanjuola soon made several cash withdrawals in tranches of N5 million and N10 million.

The EFCC report stated that Mr. Mbonu also requested that one Oluyemi Braithwaite, the owner of Reinex Bureau de Change, Caddington Capital Limited and Westgate Limited, provide dollars in exchange for the naira-denominated withdrawals from the erstwhile Melrose account. Mr. Mbonu, a front for Senator Saraki, asked Ms. Braithwaite to hand over the dollars to one Mr. Gbenga in Abuja.

According to the EFCC, Ms. Oluyemi Braithwaite sought out one Hassan Dantani Abubakar, a cousin of former military head of state, Abdulsalam Abubakar, to produce the dollars in exchange for the naira provided by Mr. Mbonu. Dantani Abubakar’s role in the saga is significant in establishing another tie to Senator Saraki. Mr. Abubakar, who operates a bureau de change, has had a longstanding relationship with Mr. Saraki. In 2015, several members of the senator’s security detail conspired to steal N300m that Dantani Abubakar was moving for Mr. Saraki. Most of the security operatives, officers of the Department of State Security (DSS), were subsequently arrested when it was established that they ambushed the illicit funds being transported to the senator. The EFCC report stated that Ms. Braithwaite had, over the phone, introduced Mr. Mbonu to Mr. Abubakar. In addition to operating a bureau de change (BDC), Mr. Abubakar also owns several companies, including Hamma Procurement Limited, Ashrab Nigeria Limited and Inspire Solar Application.

The EFCC report added that, on December 16, 2016, Melrose paid the sum of N246 million into an account, No. 2030756168, held by Mr. Abubakar’s company, Hamma Procurement Limited, at First Bank. In return, Hamma Procurement released the sum of $500,000 to one Mr. Gbenga in Abuja. Mr. Gbenga, an aide to Mr. Saraki, acknowledged receipt of the same amount, said the EFCC.

According to the anti-corruption agency, “on the 21st December, 2016, Ms. Oluyemi Braithwaite contacted Hassan Dantani Abubakar requesting for another transaction of $370,000. Melrose General Services Company transferred the sum of N181m to Inspire Solar Application. The $370,000 was handed over to one Mr. Dapo in Abuja.”

Providing more details of the intricate maneuvers used by Senator Saraki to move funds, the EFCC report noted: “That on the January 4th, 2017, Mbonu through Melrose General Services Company transferred the sum of N248, 500,000 to Caddington Capital Limited belonging to Ms. Oluyemi Braithwaite who transferred same to Hassan Dantani Abubakar's FCMB account, Ashrab Nigeria Limited for the sum of $500,000. The dollar equivalent was handed over to Mr. Kolawole Shittu in Abuja an amount reportedly used to purchase a bulletproof Range Rover luxury car recently seized by the Nigerian Customs.

“That on January 10, 2017, Mr. Robert Mbonu through Melrose General Services Company transferred the sum of N99, 820,000 to Caddington Capital Limited belonging to Ms. Oluyemi Braithwaite who transferred same to Hassan Dantani Abubakar's FCMB Ashrab Nigeria Limited for the sum of $200,000. The dollar equivalent was handed over to Peter Makanjuola in Abuja.

“That on December 19, 2016 there was a cash withdrawal of the sum of N50 million from Melrose General Services account via [a] cheque by Gbenga Peter Makanjuola.

“Also, the sum of $1,570,000 was received by the trio of Mr. Gbenga Peter Makanjuola, Mr. Kolawole Shittu and Mr. Oladapo Joseph Idowu at various times and locations at Abuja FCT.
“That on the December 26, 2016, Mr. Robert Mbonu called Mrs. Kathleen Erhimu of Access Bank requesting her to source for a customer that would have the sum of $500,000 in exchange for the Naira equivalent. She introduced Mr. Robert Mbonu to Acarast Commercial Limited and Capital Field Investment to help him source for dollars.

“That on the 21st December, 2016, GCA Energy Limited paid the sum of $25,000 to Asterio Energy Services Limited which subsequently transferred the sum of $23,200 to Cactus Communication Limited account with Access Bank.

“The MD of Sought-After International Synergy Limited, Julius Okedele, stated that Mr. Kelechi Edomobi of Acarast Commercial Enterprises, contacted him and requested to purchase dollars after the transfer of N73,950,000 to Sought-After International Synergy Limited. Mr. Edomobi gave him the account number of Cactus Communication Limited [at] Access Bank as the nominated account to receive the dollar equivalent of the sum of $149,000.

The EFCC remarked that their investigation revealed that Cactus Communication Limited “is owned and operated by Joseph Oladapo Idowu, an aide to Bukola Saraki.” The agency further reported “Mr. Kelechi Edomobi also transferred the sum of N1m on January 15, 2017 to Joseph Oladapo Idowu's personal account number 0001679877 with Access Bank Plc.

“That Asterio Energy Services Limited on 21st and 22nd December, 2016 transferred $100,000 and $85,000 to Bhaskar Devji Jewelers LLC in Dubai respectively,” noting that this was “the same company that Dr. Bukola Saraki repeatedly made transfers to from his Black Card Account.”

According to the EFCC, “Cactus Communication Limited on December 30, 2016 paid the sum of $59,660.67 to Bhaskar Devji Jewelers LLC in Dubai.” In addition, the agency’s report disclosed that Asterio Energy Services Limited had transferred $46,000, $39,000 and $37,620 respectively to Cactus Communication Limited on January 20, 30 and 31, 2017.

“Based on the foregoing findings, it is clear that Robert Mbonu, the Managing Director of Melrose General Services Company, and his company were used to help divert proceeds of unlawful activities under the guise of payment for contractual obligations with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF),” the EFCC wrote in the report to the Presidency. The agency’s report added “all payments received by Melrose General Services Company from the NGF have hitherto been diverted directly via cash withdrawals and indirectly through transfers by Gbenga Peter Makanjuola, Kolawole Shittu and Oladapo Joseph Idowu who are principal aides of the Senate President.

“Furthermore, other payments from Melrose General Services Company [have] also been linked to companies that Dr. Bukola Saraki has interest in and [carries] out transactions with. This includes the sum of $183,000 which was transferred to Bhaskar Devji Jewelers, Dubai, a company Dr. Bukola Saraki had repeatedly made payments to.”

Added the EFCC: “Also, the sum of N200 million was transferred to Wasp Networks Limited that subsequently transferred the sum of N170 million to Xtract Energy Services Limited, a company that routinely made deposits into Dr. Bukola 's Access Bank United States Domiciliary Account.”

In its conclusion, the EFCC stated that a “prima facie case of conspiracy to retain the proceeds of unlawful activities and money laundering contrary to Sections 15(3) and 18(9) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2004 can be established against the aforementioned suspects.” It added that its operatives were investigating the personal accounts of the suspects, including Mr. Saraki.

Epidemic Breakout At Queens College Leaves 1,222 Students Sick

A recent laboratory report has shown that since the beginning of January 2017, over 1,222 students of Queens College (QC) in Yaba, Lagos State have been treated at the school’s clinic for abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.

Sixteen students have been admitted to various hospitals in the country, with one currently in the intensive care unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

This was revealed in a statement released by Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, the president-general of Unity Schools’ old students’ association. The statement claimed that a recent analysis carried out has shown that the water sources in the school are contaminated by different forms of e-coli and salmonella pathogens. It added that 23 of the 40 kitchen workers have tested positive for amoebiasis, 3 positive for salmonella and one positive for a tapeworm infection.

“The analysis also indicates that the boreholes that provide principal sources of water for the school are too shallow and too close in proximity to the sewage systems, to which the contamination has been traced,” the statement read.

A source at the school who reached out to Urchbaba attributed the breakout to the school’s poor hygienic environment. One of the kitchen workers also claimed that the school principal, Mrs. Lami Amodu, buys spoilt fish and molded rice at cheap rates for the students’ consumption. She believed that this must have also contributed to the current epidemic in the college.

Two Students Dead Already

QC came under public scrutiny when two of its students were reported dead due to their exposure to the unhealthy and unhygienic environment of the school.

Students Vivian Osuinyi and Bithia Itulua died on February 15 and February 22, respectively.

Before the news of Bithia’s death was reported in the media, and a day after Vivian’s death became known to the public, QC management had, in a press release, stated that no student of the school died and urged the public to disregard any report about an epidemic in the school.

The school management, in a bid to protect the image of the institution, sent text messages to the parents of the students disclaiming any death.

This move infuriated Vivian’s father, who claimed that the school was trying to cover up the death of his daughter as though her life did not matter to the management of the school.

Mr. Osuinyi told Vanguard newspaper that he was informed about his daughter’s condition only when it had gotten critical. The school had been treating her for malaria days before her parents were contacted. Vivian died four days after she was released to her parents.

Mrs. Itulua, whose daughter died eight days after the school informed her of her child’s deteriorating health condition, has similar story. In an interview with Vanguard newspaper, the bereaved mother said the school was treating her child with analgesic while she was seriously bitten down by a pelvic infection.

“My daughter was at the point of death when I eventually got to the school. She was saying incoherent words. We took her to hospital where diagnosis revealed that she had infections that affected her pelvis. My daughter died on February 22 and was buried the next day”, the mother said.

Bithia’s two sisters, Abigail and Blessing also blamed the school management for the death of their sister.

Abigail, the elder sister in SSS 3, said, “I blame the school authorities for my sister’s death. She had been complaining of headaches and a high temperature while in school. All they did was give her analgesic. It was after she refused to eat and her temperature became extra hot that my parents were called. If they had given her sick permit on time, maybe she would not have died.”

Another student of the school, who requested anonymity, told journalists that the real cause of the two students’ deaths was the contaminated water used in preparing their meals.

Management Disregards Government Directives, Moves To Re-open March 19

Despite the Lagos State government’s recommendation that the school postpone classes till the premises are cleared of bacterial infections, the management of the school has asked its JSS 3 and SSS 3 students to resume without taking necessary precautions to ensure the students will be safe when they return to school.

Visa Denials Prevent African Delegates From Attending Africa Business Summit In US

The annual African Global Economic and Development Summit held at the University of Southern California featured no African delegates this year, as all were denied visas.

The Independent reports that some 100 African delegates were barred from entering the US.

The conference, attended by business leaders and government officials, aims to promote business investment and sustainable economic development in Africa.

Summit chairperson Mary Flowers disclosed to Voice of America that speakers from Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa were denied entry into the US.

“Usually we get 40 percent that get rejected but the others come,” she said.

“This year it was 100 percent. Every delegation. And it was sad to see, because these people were so disheartened.”

Voice of America reports that the US State Department declined to comment on the incident.
It remains unclear why delegates were denied visas.

Nigerian Senate Rejects Magu Again As EFCC Chairman

The Nigerian Senate has again rejected Ibrahim Magu as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Magu was rejected by a majority of the Senate membership after over an hour of grueling screening at the National Assembly in Abuja.

4 Suicide Bombers Die As Multiple Explosions Rock Maiduguri

Four suicide bombers died in Maiduguri, early on Wednesday morning, in bomb explosions they triggered.   Members of the Civilian Joint Task Force told Urchbaba that the blasts occurred at Usmannati and Alkunmi on the outskirts of Maiduguri at about 1:30 am. 

Civilian Joint Task Force sources also disclosed to Urchbaba that another suicide bomb attempt was foiled in Alkali village in the Muna general area.

Cameroon Opposition Politician Reported Missing

Joseph Wirba, an opposition member of the Cameroon national assembly from the Anglophone Northwest region, has gone missing.

The Africa Review reports that Mr. Wirba was absent from the opening session of the 2017 legislative year on Monday. Local media outlets reported that he fled the country in fear of being arrested for his activism on behalf of the rights of English-speaking Cameroonians.

The legislator was allegedly last seen in public last week.

Mr. Wirba, a member of the opposition Social Democratic Front, made waves in Cameroon after delivering a two-hour speech in parliament denouncing the government’s marginalization of Cameroon’s Anglophone community. He vowed that the oppressed Anglophones would resist all attempts by the government to infringe upon their rights.

The maverick politician then organized a rally in support of Anglophone rights, attended by some 5,000 people. He reiterated his message delivered to parliament, urging those present to fight for Anglophone rights and resist further marginalization.

English-speaking Cameroonians have been protesting since October 2016 demanding greater autonomy from the majority-Francophone government. The demands range from a return to the federalist system, which was scrapped in 1972, and complete secession from the Cameroonian state.

As the protests escalated the Paul Biya government began cracking down on dissidents. Prominent Anglophone activists were arrested and detained in unknown locations. In an attempt to silence the protesters, the government issued a ban on the internet in primarily Anglophone regions, leaving millions of Cameroonians without internet access for over fifty days.

Police Arrest 59-Year Old Traditional Circumcision ‘Expert’ After Failed Attempts To Extort Indigent Complainant

The Bayelsa Police Command on Monday confirmed the arrest of Ziworitin Keke, a 59-year old traditional health practitioner who allegedly cut off the genitals of a nine-month-old baby during circumcision.

Joseph Michael, the father of the victim, had been asked to raise between N5,000 and N10,000 before the case could be investigated.

Michael told Urchbaba that the real reason the suspect had been moving about freely after committing the crime was that he had no money to give to the police.

“I had gone to the Krokrosei Police Division to report the matter, but they asked me to bring some money before a case file can be opened.  They refused to entertain my complaint because I had no money.”

He said he told the police he would try to raise the money to pursue the matter but that he first had to run around to treat the baby who was in critical condition at the hospital.

“It is unfortunate that Nigeria Police work this way, it was the International Federation of Women Lawyers that wrote a petition what woke them up and we heard in the community that they arrested him on Saturday 11 March for an incident that happened in early February,” Michael said.

DSP Asinim Butswat, the spokesman for the police, said on Monday that Mr. Keke was in custody and an investigation underway.

“We arrested the suspect following a report of the circumcision incident, he is currently in our custody, and he was arrested on Saturday, and hopefully after investigation, the prosecution will follow subject to the outcome of the investigation,” he explained.

On the delay in arresting the suspect, the police spokesman said that the police got the report shortly after the incident in February, but the family was preoccupied with seeking medical care for the baby.
It will be recalled that the incident occurred at Odenwari, a coastal settlement in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa, on February 5.

“We got the report earlier from Krokrosei Division of the Command in Southern Ijaw which is the nearest Division, we have been working with the family on the case,” Butswat said.

Mrs. Eudora Michael, the mother of the baby, said on Monday that her nine-month-old, Oyintari Michael, was at risk and in excruciating pain, and desperately needs medical help.

The 35-year old said on Monday at Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa that she and her husband were indigent and cannot afford the specialized care the baby needs to stay alive.

“Since this sad incident occurred in February this year, we have been running around to raise money.  We have borrowed up and down and are in big debt, my husband has gone to the village to gather money, but people are not forthcoming.  People who had given us loan are not willing to give us more when we have not paid what we borrowed.”

She said her family was dependent on the mercy of doctors who are spending their own money when they see that her family is unable to provide the drugs they prescribe, the baby is in pain and always crying, cannot urinate and his bladder is swollen.

“I have to stand near the bed or bend down to breastfeed him so that the pipes connected into his genitals [do not] shift and go off and further complicate the situation,” she said.

She appealed to the wife of Bayelsa Government, Dr Rachael Dickson, and kind-hearted Nigerians to assist financially with medical bills to save her baby, pointing out that her jobless husband has no means to settle the high medical costs.

President Buhari Lands In Kaduna, Ferried To Abuja In A Presidential Chopper

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari today returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom where he has been receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed ailment for  50 days.

Mr. Buhari landed at the air force base in Kaduna airport amidst tight security. President Buhari plane 5N-FGT, a wide body presidential Boeing Business Jet landed at exactly 7:41 am Nigerian time. The President who was wearing a black kaftan alighted from the plane to greet Kaduna state officials and armed forces personnel who had been waiting for his arrival; he later boarded a presidential helicopter that took off to the federal capital territory seat of power in Abuja.

 Our sources in Kaduna said the President didn’t appear healthy at all.

The president left Nigeria on January 19 for a 10-day vacation, but that was extended indefinitely when he sent a letter to the National Assembly asking for more time.

Urchbaba has reported on the nature of the president’s illness and the struggle within the president’s inner cycle to get back into the country despite medical advice against a quick return.
Aso Rock insiders have been worried that the longer the president remained out of the country, the greater the rumors about his closely-guarded condition.

Security Operatives Storm Senator’s Residence Over Southern Kaduna Killings

Senator Danjuma Tella La’ah (PDP-Kaduna South) says his Kaduna home was invaded on Thursday by about 100 people, including armed regular and mobile policemen.

“They came in trucks, buses and pick-up vans around 5 am, forced my security man at gunpoint to open the gate,” he said in a statement issued in Kaduna, adding that they operated at gunpoint and a destructive search on the property without a court warrant.

A source in Abuja confirmed the visitors to have been “top investigators and operatives of Department of State Services and Nigerian Police Force” who made the visit in connection with the Southern Kaduna killings.

The Senator said the visitors used knives to tear open his furniture, broke the louvers on his doors, tossed things around, destroyed the delicately plastered ceiling of his bedroom and entered the roof.

“In the course of their search, they took away a pump action gun with its official permit granted me since 2008.  My two nephews, Friday Batan and Samson Tanko, who were in the house were manhandled by the armed security personnel and taken away to an unknown place. I am yet to establish contact with them.

"Also my wristwatches, expensive jewelry belonging to my wife have [been] carted away. I am yet to ascertain the extent of missing valuables in residence. I was informed about the incident while I was in Abuja. I cannot also establish if something very incriminating has not been planted in my home as part of the orchestrated plot not only to rubbish my integrity but criminalize me with the aim of prosecuting me
Senator La’ah attributed the raid to his calling Governor Nasir El-Rufai to order this year over his clearly biased stand against Southern Kaduna natives in the ongoing genocide there, adding that it followed various interrogations and psychological harassment the SSS in Abuja has meted out to him since then.

“It is on record that some Christian clerics from Southern Kaduna have also been quizzed by the SSS over their condemnation of the killings of members of their congregation,” he said.  “Some youth leaders, journalists, and social commentators all from Southern Kaduna have been arrested and charged to court over innocuous comments on the ongoing killings in Southern Kaduna starting from last year.”

He said he wanted to put on notice that not only are law abiding, harmless natives of Southern Kaduna being maimed, killed and their communities destroyed by Fulani herdsmen, noting that Governor El-Rufai has traced some of the killers back to some African countries and paid them sums of money, and is making it a crime for anyone to mention the killings or call for lawful self-defence in the face of his failure to stop them.

“The Governor has not only made it a monopoly to be the one making very inciting and divisive statements over [these] killings, his clampdown on vocal voices of Southern Kaduna is making it harder for the much-needed mutual confidence on the parts of the beleaguered people of Southern Kaduna to look upon him as a fair and trustworthy leader,” the Senator said.

He called on all the people of Southern Kaduna not to take the law into their hands no matter the provocation.”  Instead, he urged them to remain focused, hopeful and prayerful while keeping a watchful eye on their communities.

Our source, however, indicated that the security operatives who raided Senator La’ah’s residence obtained some helpful “evidence,” but did not say what it was.
He said investigators had been following the lawmaker since last year.

Al-Shabaab Leader Surrenders

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Thursday confirmed that the leader of the militant group al-Shabaab has surrendered to government forces in Baidoa town in southern Somalia.

The AU mission confirmed that Hussein Mukhtar surrendered to the Somali National Army (SNA) on Tuesday following a government amnesty offer for militants to surrender.
“AMISOM calls on al-Shabaab fighters to heed the government’s amnesty," AMISOM said in a statement.
It called on al-Shabaab militants to lay down their weapons and join the Somali people to rebuild their county.

“AMISON hopes that other sons and daughters of Somalia who have been misled into terrorist acts will emulate the courageous action of Mukhtar," it said.

The Somali government announced an amnesty offer in 2014 to members of the al-Qaida linked group al-Shabaab, which had been launching attacks on government forces and AMISOM.

NAN recalls that al-Shabaab once controlled much of southern and central Somalia and imposed a harsh form of Islamic law that banned music and led to public amputations for accused thieves.

Government and African Union troops have recaptured most of the territory, but the militants were still able to kill several members of parliament last year, and launch two major assaults on the presidential palace.

The Somali government first offered amnesty to al-Shabaab fighters last September, after al-Shabaab’s top leader Ahmed Godane was killed in a U.S. airstrike.

Since Godane’s death, al-Shabaab’s leaders have been divided, but it has remained a strong fighting force and challenge to the Somali government.

In words directed at the militants, then president Hassan Mohamud said he knows many al-Shabaab members joined for “reasons that made sense at the time,” including the need for money, or a sense they were proving themselves to be good Muslims or good Somalis.

But, he added, “What you did does not have to dictate the rest of your life.”

Mohamud acknowledged some Somalis are uneasy about amnesty for al-Shabaab members. He said those who defect go through a process of “supervised rehabilitation” and are monitored by Somali security forces to ensure they continue to reject the militant group.

He asked Somalis to “accept the need for concession and to exercise forgiveness” in order to close “a dark chapter in Somalia’s history."

Senate To Probe Alleged Brutalization Of NYSC Member In Zamfara State

The Senate Thursday asked its committee on Youth and Sports to investigate the circumstances that led to the alleged brutalization of a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Esi Uwakwe serving in Zamfara State.

The mandate followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Philip Aduda (FCT) which drew the attention of the upper chamber to the incident.

Aduda said that the way the alleged brutalization of Uwakwe, serving in Kaura Namada, Zamfara State, was portrayed in the social media attracted his attention.

He said that the alleged brutalization of Uwakwe had been trending in the social media for over two days.

Uwakwe was said to have been brutalized by the police purportedly at the instance of an influential indigene of the area he was carrying out his primary assignment.

Aduda prayed the Senate to look into the matter with a view to finding out the truth about the incident and why Uwakwe was redeployed from Zamfara to Anambra State.

He noted that it would be unbecoming of the police to brutalize a corps member on national assignment if established to be true.

The FCT senator said that he would not have bothered to raise the issue but for the negative implication of the report.

He insisted that NYSC members must be protected wherever they were deployed to serve the country.

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided, said that the first step should be for the Senate to establish the fact of the report.

Ekweremadu said that would not jump into the matter without finding out the truth about what actually happened to Uwakwe.

Although he agreed that NYSC members on national service should be protected, Ekweremadu said that the Senate should first resolve to mandate its relevant committee to investigate the matter.

The lawmakers unanimously adopted the resolution that the Youth and Sports Committee should investigate the matter and report back to the Senate in plenary in one week.

Anglophone Cameroon Enters 50th Day Without Internet

Anglophone Cameroonians have now gone 50 days without internet access due to an indefinite internet blackout imposed by the Paul Biya government in January.

The internet ban took effect on January 18 as protests against the Cameroonian government’s marginalization of the minority Anglophone population gained momentum.

While the government claimed that it suspended internet service in Anglophone regions of Cameroon in order to prevent internet users from “inciting riots,” the protests were largely peaceful, only to be met with brutal government repression.

Before shutting down internet access in the Anglophone-majority Northwest and Southwest regions, the Cameroonian government arrested and detained Anglophone activists Agbor Balla Nkongho and Fontem Neba, leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, on charges of treason, secession, and terrorism. Shortly thereafter, the government arrested Supreme Court Justice Paul Ayah for his support of the Consortium.

Other activists, many of them college students, were whisked away by soldiers and police officers and taken to unknown destinations.

As the government’s crackdown on dissent and internet access has continued unabated, activists have called on the United Nations to take action on behalf of the marginalized English-speaking Cameroonians.

The few Anglophone Cameroonians able to access the internet are using the hashtag #BringBackOurInternet to call attention to the issue.

N541.8 billion Debt: Three Nigerian Banks Set To Take Over Etisalat

Despite the intervention of the Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, to broker a peaceful resolution between Etisalat Nigeria and a consortium of banks, it appears the effort may not have yielded a truce, as the banks are set to take over the telecoms firm today (Wednesday), URCHBABA learnt

The consortium of some foreign and Nigerian banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, and Zenith Bank, have been having a running battle with the mobile telephone operator over a loan facility totaling $1.72 billion (about N541.8 billion) obtained in 2015.

The loan, which involved a foreign-backed guaranty bond, was for Etisalat to finance a major network rehabilitation and expansion of its operational base in Nigeria.

However, following the failure of the company to meet its debt servicing schedule agreed since 2016, the three Nigerian banks, prodded by their foreign partners, reported Etisalat to banking sector regulator, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and its communications sector counterpart, the NCC.

Although Etisalat blamed its inability to fulfill its obligation to the banks on the current economic recession in Nigeria, the banks said their attempt to recover the loan, by all means, was fuelled by the pressure from the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, demanding immediate cut down on the rate of their non-performing loans.

A senior official of one of the banks who spoke with URCHBABA late on Tuesday said one of the options they have proposed to Etisalat management as a middle way out of the crisis was for it to request for a bankruptcy status.

The official, who requested that his name should not be revealed since he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the consortium, said the bankruptcy option would require having receivership management appointed by the banks to oversee its operations.

But, the NCC appears not to be favorably disposed to the takeover proposal, the source said, as it believes Etisalat was not only a viable going concern but also willing and able to negotiate its loan servicing.

However, a top source at the NCC said late Tuesday that the commission had approved the takeover, which is expected to occur today.

DPO’s Kidnappers Demand N50 Million Ransom

Kidnappers of Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Valentine Mbalu of the Nigeria Police Force’s C Division in Asaba, Delta State have allegedly established contact with the family of the victim, demanding N50 million in exchange for his freedom.

Mr. Mbalu was kidnapped by unknown gunmen on Sunday while he was traveling from Agbor to Asaba. He was blocked by armed kidnappers, who disarmed him and whisked him away to an unknown destination.

Confiding in Urchbaba, a senior police officer disclosed that Mr. Mbalu’s family established contact with the kidnappers on Monday, who demanded a N50 million ransom payment.

According to our police source, the negotiations are still ongoing.
While the identities of the culprits have not yet been confirmed, the police source believes they might be Fulani herdsmen, who have been terrorizing the state.

When contacted, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Andrew Aniamaka, said a police team has gone on a mission to rescue the DPO unhurt and smoke out those behind the act.

It would be recalled that the Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration has held several meetings with the leadership of the Fulani herdsmen across the state, none of which have yielded concrete results, as kidnappers continue to wreak havoc throughout the state.

How Sambo Dasuki’s Aide, Others Received N5.6 billion From NSA Office, Witness Tells Court

A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Nicholas Ashinze, a former aide to ex-National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, on Tuesday, told the Federal High Court, Abuja, how Mr. Ashinze and others got N5.6 billion from the Office of National Security Adviser.

Hassan Seidu, the first witness who is an EFCC operative, said he was part of the team that conducted the search in Mr. Ashinze’s house, located at No 67 Vision Court Estate Apo Abuja.
Mr. Ashinze, a retired colonel, is standing trial along with an Austrian, Wolfgang Reinl, Edidiong Idiong and Sagir Mohammed, on a 13-count charge of corruption and money laundering to the tune of N36.8 billion.

Other defendants in the case are five companies – Geonel Integrated Services Limited, Unity Continental Nigeria Limited, Helpline Organisation, Vibrant Resource Limited and Sologic Integrated Service Limited.

The witness said that on December 23, 2015, Mr. Ashinze was brought to their office for an interview and after the interview, he was asked if he would be able to respond to allegations of money laundering leveled against him.

He said after accepting, Mr. Ashinze’s statement was recorded, but it was his colleague, Mohammed Goje, who administered the precautionary word to him where he signed and voluntarily wrote his statement.

Mr. Seidu further said that following Mr. Ashinze’s statement, they conducted a search at his house at Apo where some items were recovered.

When the prosecuting counsel, Ofem Uket, sought to tender the search warrant as evidence, the move was objected to by the defence.

L.S. Nwoye, counsel to Mr. Ashinze, objected to the admissibility of the document, saying it had no date.
Mr. Nwoye sited Section 147 of Administrative of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which stated that a document must have date on it for identification.

He said even though the search warrant emanated from a magistrate, it was not addressed to anybody, and the name of the magistrate was not written.

The court said issues raised are omissions of details. Justice Gabriel Kolawale admitted the search warrant in evidence as exhibit two.

He also admitted items recovered which are one black diary, one blue notebook and one page of an unsigned document, written in red ink dated 17 April 2014 in evidence as Exhibit 2a, b, and c respectively.

The witness also said the one page of an unsigned document written in red ink (exhibit 2c) contained the list of 5 companies, their banks and account numbers of each of the company with the amount that has been transferred to them.

He said they got an analysis of it and found out that N3.125 billion was transferred to the account of Geonel Integrated Services (5th defendant) with Heritage Enterprise Bank from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

“N120 million was moved to Unity Continental Nigeria Limited (6th defendant) on April 22, 2014, and N150 million in favor of Law Partners and Associates with Zenith Bank on April 22, 2014.

“N500 million was also transferred from Geonel with Heritage Enterprise Bank to Helpline account (7th defendant) on April 24, 2014, and N100million was transferred from Heritage Enterprise to GTB account of Vibrant Resources Ltd (8th defendant) on April 23, 2014.

“On April 23, 2014, Sologic Integrated (9th defendant) got N120million from Geonel’s account at Heritage Enterprise, and Law Partners also received N450million another payment which is not in the document on May 5, 2014.

“The N450 million was transferred from Geonel’s account domiciled in Heritage Enterprise, and it was the only transaction not captured in the document,” Mr. Seidu said.

The witness further stated that they found out that the document (Exhibit 2c) was prepared three days after N3.125 billion was given value in the account of Geonel Integrated Service Limited.

He said they also found out that N2.5 billion was transferred from CBN to Geonel’s account on Feb 16, 2015, and the contract was awarded from ONSA to Geonel Integrated Services.

He said the N3.125 billion was for a purported contract given to Geonel as mobilization fee in securing 22 dams in Nigeria and the N2.5 billion was for full and final payment of the purported contract.

When asked by the prosecution the relationship of the defendants to the companies, the witness said Unity Continental Nigeria Ltd was owned by Sagir Mohammed (4th defendant) who is a course mate and friend to Mr. Dasuki.

“Law Partners and Associate belong to Barrister Edidiong the 3rd defendant who is a friend and associate to Dasuki.

“Helpline Organisation is owned by Bello Fadile, who was formerly second in command to Dasuki.
“Vibrant Resources belongs to Abubakar Dasuki, junior brother to Dasuki and Sologic Integrated Services Nig. Ltd belongs to Bello Ibiyemi Abayomi, son of Bello Fadile,” he said.

Mr. Seidu said after execution of the search on Dec. 29 2015, “we asked Ashinze if he would make a statement about the items recovered from his house, he accepted, and we recorded it.”

The prosecution applied to tender the defendant’s statement in evidence.
Mr. Nwoye, however, objected to the admissibility of the statement based on Section 6 of ACJA which demands voluntary giving of a statement.

He argued that Section 17 (1) and (2) requires the presence of a lawyer before a statement can be taken and that the EFCC investigators did not counsel him on the need to keep silent.

Mr. Nwoye insisted that the witness did not at any time inform the 1st defendant of his right to bring his lawyer before making a statement.

The prosecution said Mr. Ashinze was not compelled to write the statement in EFCC’s office rather he voluntarily wrote it.

Justice Kolawale after hearing the arguments, adjourned till March 21 for ruling on the admissibility of the statement and continuation of examination of the witness.

Heritage Bank Sends Ali Baba's Wife On Loan-Recovery Suspension

Heritage Bank of Nigeria has taken an unprecedented step against one its executive directors, Mary Akpobome, who happens to be the wife of popular Nigerian comedian Ali Baba: an indefinite suspension to go and recover loans she signed off on.

Heritage Bank is facing difficulties arising from insider abuse and self-dealing.  Saharareporters listed it as undergoing distress in 2016.

Several bank sources told Urchbaba that Mrs. Akpobome and powerful bank management were abusing their positions and engaging in fraud. But today, Mrs. Akpobomeand an unnamed account officer were sent packing leading her to clear her desk because she anticipates that the task was so impossible she may not return to the bank.

The bank management initially refused to touch the powerful executive directors, preferring to go after staff members suspected of revealing the bank's problems.

Urchbaba learned that the bank Managing Director, Ifie Sekibo has not been to work since January, and was reported to be ill.  Some of the sources within the bank, however, said his prolonged absence might have been to enable Mrs. Akpobome to be thrown under the bus as investors’ confidence has waned over the lack of action concerning top management staff fingered in fraudulent transactions.
It would be recalled that only last week, an Abuja company petitioned the Federal High Court and the Central Bank of Nigeria to liquidate the bank on account of its inability to meet customers’ demands.  
Geonel Integrated Services Limited, a security services company, cited its own experience, claiming it has over N1.8billion and another $85,859 trapped in various Heritage Bank accounts.