Sahara Reporters Latest News Sunday 5th May 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 05/05/19
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target=_blank>We’re At The Mercy Of Criminals, Cardinal Onaiyekan Cries Out
Cadinal John Onaiyekan, the former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, has lamented the unchecked security situation in the country, particularly bandity and kidnappings along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
Onaiyekan spoke in Abuja on Saturday at a conference on migration, themed ‘Action against irregular migration of Nigerians’.The cleric warned people who have no vision or plan to develop the country to steer clear of politics.
“If you have no idea of how to develop Nigeria through education, security, amongst others then, do not go into politics,” he said.
“This same kidnapping issue happened along Lokoja-Kabba road some years back; I could not travel then. I could not understand that 30km of road cannot be policed. It just gives you a very sad impression that we are really at the mercy of the criminals. So you get ready to pay them, this is not the way to live.”On irregular migration, the cleric noted that migration is a fundamental right of every human being, but added that it must be done in ways that would not violate the laws of the host nation.
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target=_blank>Celebration On Twitter As Police Remove Abayomi Shogunle As Head Of Complaint Response Unit
Nigerians on social media went into a frenzy at the news that Abayomi Shogunle, Head of the Complaint Response Unit of the Police, had been removed from the position.
Shogunle’s removal came two days after making an unguarded comment on the illegal raid and rape of over 100 women by some Police officers in Abuja.
Shogunle had taken to Twitter to reply those condemning the Police, saying: “Those making noise on the clampdown on prostitutes in #Abuja; •Prostitution is a crime under the law •P is a sin under the 2 main religions of FCT residents •Medicine says P is spreading HIV & STD •P is lifeline of violent criminals •P don’t pay tax • (Nigeria) culture frowns at P.”
Those making noise on the clampdown on prostitutes in #Abuja;•Prostitution is a crime under the law•P is a sin under the 2 main religions of FCT residents•Medicine says P is spreading HIV & STD•P is lifeline of violent criminals•P don’t pay tax•🇳🇬 culture frowns at P.— Abayomi Shogunle (@YomiShogunle) April 30, 2019
A day after his tweet, he also posted on his timeline, “I have seen the video by one activist saying “No vagina in Abuja is safe” following the arrest & conviction in court of some women involved in prostitution. Pls inform girls making rape allegation with use of pure water sachet as condom to contact @PoliceNG_CRU on 08057000001-2.”
I have seen the video by one activist saying “No vagina in Abuja is safe” following the arrest & conviction in court of some women involved in prostitution.Pls inform girls making rape allegation with use of pure water sachet as condom to contact @PoliceNG_CRU on 08057000001-2.— Abayomi Shogunle (@YomiShogunle) May 1, 2019
Twitter users lambasted the Police and Shogunle, branding him a bigot.
Frank Mba, Police spokesperson, confirmed that Shogunle had been redeployed to a town in Ebonyi state, saying: “Yes he has been removed and redeployed to Ebonyi State as Area Commander of Nkalagu.”
Here are some reactions from social media:
@Gideon_Xclusive wrote “Mr Abayomi Shogunle case is like a king who rule well during his reigning people will never forget him while the one who rules the other way people will not forget him.. Abayomi enjoy Nkalagu to the fullest…happy”
Mr Abayomi Shogunle case is like a king who rule well during his reigning people will never forget him while the one who rules the other way people will not forget him..Abayomi enjoy Nkalagu to the fullest…happy 🎃— Xclusive🇳🇬 (@Gideon_Xclusive) May 4, 2019
@Medico_Zeal “Heard that Abayomi Shogunle has been transferred to nkalagu in ebonyi state. Brother yomi I guess this will help you to engage your brain more whenever you wanna talk or scrabble down words. Enjoy your stay in nkalagu ogbeni yomi”
Heard that Abayomi Shogunle has been transferred to nkalagu in ebonyi state.Brother yomi I guess this will help you to engage your brain more whenever you wanna talk or scrabble down words.Enjoy your stay in nkalagu ogbeni yomi— Olawale👑👑 (@Medico_Zeal) May 4, 2019
@Austynzogs “The loquacious head of Police Complain Response Unit,ACP. Abayomi Shogunle,has been transferred to Nkalagu,in Ishielu LGA, Ebonyi state from Lagos State,following several complaint about his insensitive disposition towards the complaints of citizens against Police”
@Gidi_Traffic The loquacious head of Police Complain Response Unit,ACP. Abayomi Shogunle,has been transferred to Nkalagu,in Ishielu LGA, Ebonyi state from Lagos State,following several complaint about his insensitive disposition towards the complaints of citizens against Police pic.twitter.com/bYsnzsudzI— AustynZOGS (@Austynzogs) May 4, 2019
@savndaniel “It is the end of the road for the Abayomi Shogunle! However, it is also the beginning of terror, lawlessness and police brutality in Nkalagu. Whilst we celebrate his redeployment, we sympathise with the people of Nkalagu, because an evil thing has been brought upon them.”
It is the end of the road for the Abayomi Shogunle! However, it is also the beginning of terror, lawlessness and police brutality in Nkalagu. Whilst we celebrate his redeployment, we sympathise with the people of Nkalagu, because an evil thing has been brought upon them.— Savn Daniel (@savndaniel) May 4, 2019
@Yitkyim “Abayomi Shogunle had to go. He was a supporter of police brutality against civilians. His utterances were too careless for a law enforcement officer talk more of a spokesperson for @PoliceNG”
Abayomi Shogunle had to go. He was a supporter of police brutality against civilians. His utterances were too careless for a law enforcement officer talk more of a spokesperson for @PoliceNG— Yitkyim (@Yitkyim) May 4, 2019
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target=_blank>Those Who Attack The Media Are Enemies Of The People, Says Dogara
Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has warned those who attack the media to desist from such in the interest of public good.
He made the charge in Abuja on Saturday while speaking at a two-day conference organised by the Premuim Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) to mark the Press Freedom Day.
The conference, themed ‘Press Freedom in Nigeria – Violent Extremism, Rule of Law and the Media’, was organised with the support of the British Council and the European Union (EU).
Dogara said those who attack the media by labe’ling reports as fake news are enemies of the people.He charged the 9th Assembly to dedicate itself to policies that will encourage press freedom, saying: “As legislators, we will always stand up and speak out for pressmen and media outfits that uphold the ethics of fairness, objectivity, truthfulness and patriotism in their practice.
“I hope the 9th Assembly will dedicate itself to enacting enabling laws that will prioritise the protection and welfare of journalists to enable them do their work democratically.”The theme of this year’s celebration is most apt as Nigeria now faces one of the worst periods of insecurity manifesting in violent extremism, rampant cases of kidnapping, cattle rustling.”Herder/Farmers violent conflicts and murderous campaign of bandits across Nigeria. These are major challenges to media practitioners. The media must constantly balance the need to inform the citizens with their equally weighty responsibility to ensure that their reports do not contribute to exacerbating an already dangerously tense and fragile situation.“In all nations of the world, the citizens appreciate the role of the press to inform, educate and entertain as well promote accountability of the government to the people. We are all witnesses to recurring examples of coercion, threats, brutality, arrests, incarceration and media shut down perpetrated by the state against journalists and their establishments.“Instances of these draconian measures adopted by state actors abound during the recent elections held in parts of the country and the general elections. Our media practitioners definitely deserve some applause. But we will do better, if we never stop documenting and exposing all cases of oppression of journalist by enemies of open society who masquerade as democrats.“If we never cease to demand that those in power must halt efforts to curtail press freedom and freedom of expression and above all, continue with courage to bring the laws and hold those in power to account.”
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target=_blank>EFCC Reveals How Ex-NAMA DG Transferred N9m Several Times A Day To ‘Defraud’ The Agency Of N2.8bn
Nurudeen Bello, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has narrated how Ibrahim Abdulsalam, former Managing Director of the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and others allegedly defrauded the agency to the tune of N2.8bn.
Appearing before Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Frriday, Nurudeen tendered a petition leading to the investigation and subsequent prosecution of Abdulsalam and others.
Abdulsalam is facing trial alongside Nnamdi Udoh (still at large), Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Segun Agbolade, Clara Aliche, Joy Ayodele Adegorite, Randville Invesment Limited and Multeng Travels and Tours Limited for conspiring to induce NAMA to deliver the sum of N2.8billion to Deposit Limited, Air Sea Delivery Limited and Sea Schedule Systems Limited under the pretext that the money represented the cost of clearing NAMA’s consignments.
Nurudeen, who was led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that a petition was assigned to his team on February 5, 2016, which was analysed and subsequent letters were written to various banks of the agency to furnish the commission with all account statements of Nama.
“We equally wrote to the Nigerian Custom Service to obtain the records of importation made by the Nigerian Airpace management agency from 2010 to 2016,” he said.
“We also wrote to Guarantee Trust Bank attaching the Nigerian Custom Service payment receipts seeking the authentification by the bank. Investigations showed that documents importation could not be confirmed from records. So, a response was sent back to the EFCC, stating that the purported documents said to have been issued by the bank could not be found in the records of the bank.”
At the resumed trial on Friday, Nurudeen was also showed the statement of the third defendant, which he identified as the statement he took on February 15, 16, 18, 22 and and March 12, 2016, and also identified the responses from the letters he wrote to Customs and their replies to the EFCC. The prosecution counsel, through the witness, sought to tender the statements of the third defendant, which were admitted and marked as Exhibits E 1-7 and F respectively.
When asked to read out the statement of account of Randville Invesment Limited, the witness listed several millions of naira that was received by Belosa, who withdraws this money from Nema account to transfer to Randville Investment, before transferring to Multeng Travels and Tours Limited, Multeng Engineering, Multeng Aviation, NNPC Retail Limited, Airspace Delivery and various BDCs. Cash withdrawals were mostly done by Segun Agbolade and Joy Ayodele Adegorite, for onward transfer to Segun Agbolade. Some cash payments were made to one Alaba Odulani.
Nurudeen further stated investigations revealed that those transfers were mostly below N9million in tranches on same day, and several days in different months, which was done to avoid triggering the reporting requirements of banks if money transferred is up to N10million.
He also stated that withdrawals made by Segun Agbolade, which where mostly N3million but in tranches, and the transfers to Multeng Travel and Tours, Multeng Engineering, Multeng Aviation, were made in order to facilitate withdrawals because of the cashless policy introduced by the bank.
While the several millions transferred to NNPC retail limited was to supply petroleum products to the filling station owned by Agbolade. The money transferred from Randville Invesment Limited to one Mr. Alaba Odulani was for the purchase of a filling station located at Egbeda, Lagos.
The proceeding was however cut off due to of fifth defendant Joy Adegorite’s ill-health.
The situation forced Justice Babs Kuewumi to adjourn further proceedings to June 13 and 14.
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target=_blank>VIDEO: Protesters Scream At Nigerian Policemen: ‘Shame On You For Raping Women’
Following the arrest of 65 women on Wednesday in and around nightclubs in Abuja, some Nigerian women have taken to the streets to protest the illegality of the action.
The protest, which was mobilised on Twitter, is called #SayHerNameNigeria. It held in Lagos, Abuja and Accra on Saturday.
The protesters bore placards with inscriptions such as ‘To be a woman is not a crime’, ‘Protect not molest’, ‘Shame on you for raping our women’, among others.
As reported by SaharaReporters on Thursday, some of the ladies convicted by a mobile court in Abuja for alleged prostitution spoke out about how the were raped by some of the policemen who arrested them — some without condoms and some wearing improvised “pure water sachets” as protection.
Video of Protesters Scream At Nigerian Policemen: 'Shame On You For Raping Women'
Protesters Scream At Nigerian Policemen: ‘Shame On You For Raping Women’
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E2%80%99s-dalliance-diddle-remi-oyeyemi target=_blank>Of Fallacious History And Pseudo – Science: The Ooni Enitan’s Dalliance With Diddle By Remi Oyeyemi
Remi Oyeyemi
Remi Oyeyemi
The seminal mandatory traditional reverence that are usually accorded our traditional rulers have come under egregious exploitation in recent months by the incumbent Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II. What has made this case more tragic is that he has engaged in this obnoxious exploitation of the culture and tradition of respects for elders and traditional rulers from the pinnacle of most revered stool in Yoruba History and Yoruba Nation.
Without let or hindrance, garmented in the ornamented honour and glory of Oduduwa Stool, Ooni Enitan has been yawning reeking breaths of History from the most sacred temple of the Yoruba Race; yes, from the Palaces of Ife Oodaye, ibi ojumo ti gbe mo wa. Ooni Enitan, in obvious oblivion of the History of himself, his people, the Yoruba Race, and the Stool on which he sits, has no idea why the occupant of that Stool is referred to as OLUAYE.
If Ooni Enitan had any idea of why any occupant of that revered Stool is called OLUAYE, he would not be adorning the drapes of dirty diddle and dawdle. If Ooni Enitan had allowed himself to be properly tutored, he would not have been twining and threading tapestries of tall tales to tarnish his own heritage, his own inheritance, his own people, his own Nation and his own Race.
It would have been less painful and more bearable if this kind of macabre dance had been engaged in by lesser monarchs of lesser importance and relevance to the glorious, almost 2000 years of History of the Yoruba Race. Yes, almost 2000 years because before the advent of Oduduwa around 9th Century, there was the Yoruba Race, there was Ile – Ife, there were City States across the Yoruba landscape for over 700 years. And six of them were in the vicinity of Ile-Ife alone.
As the 51st on that Stool, Ooni Enitan is claiming things that have no basis in any type of History, whether written, oral or archaeological. These three major sources of History have always been the fountains of the Political history, Diplomatic history, Social history, Cultural history, Economic history and Intellectual history of a people, of a Race, of a Nation. Through all these, the cosmological understanding and existential philosophical principles of a Race, a people, are extrapolated and explained. They are the tools and building blocks for putting together the anthropology of a people and a race.
All these were totally held at bay by Ooni Enitan when he was fulminating his feruling fibs of Ibo people and their Obatala connections. This supposedly fugacious fib has been fabricated into a fibre of official, albeit false, narratives that have invited derision from the Ohaneze Ndi Ibo, who now reportedly claim to own Ile-Ife and that the Yoruba were once their slaves!
What a blasphemy!
Ooni Enitan, like a wide – eyed weirdo, weaved wondrous wires of fables about the Ibo Race and the Yoruba Aje Deity. The narrative that would have perplexed and embarrassed an intelligent six year old, not just with its wobbliness, but also in its ludicrously lousy logic, was furnaciously stunning to the Yoruba sons and daughters across the planet. It was a new low. It was disheartening. It was denigrating and disgraceful to the entire Yoruba Race.
In a desperate attempt to validate a vacuous and rhapsodic rendition of history, Ooni Enitan and his hapless, tired and confused co – travelers latched on to a pseudo – scientific research to engage in luciferous revisionism of History. In a manner evident in its howling hollowness, they hewed fallacy flagrantly and presented it as facts.
Ooni Enitan and his boondoggle scientists claimed there is “genetic connections” that show that the Yoruba and Ibo are the same and one. They fatuous assertion claim that the Ibo had roots in Ile-Ife when the Ibo themselves traced their origin to elsewhere. They lay claim to a spurious scientific research that has woefully failed the test of elementary journalistic examination, not to talk of rigorous academic peer review.
In an article published on September 1, 2014, by Kate Wong, a Senior Editor at the Scientific American, titled, “Tiny Genetic Differences between Humans and Other Primates Pervade the Genome,” she had written inter alia:
“In 1871 Charles Darwin surmised that humans were evolutionarily closer to the African apes than to any other species alive. The recent sequencing of the gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo genomes confirms that supposition and provides a clearer view of how we are connected: chimps and bonobos in particular take pride of place as our nearest living relatives, sharing approximately 99 percent of our DNA, with gorillas trailing at 98 percent.
“Yet that tiny portion of unshared DNA makes a world of difference: it gives us, for instance, our bipedal stance and the ability to plan missions to Mars. Scientists do not yet know how most of the DNA that is uniquely ours affects gene function. But they can conduct whole-genome analyses—with intriguing results. For example, comparing the 33 percent of our genome that codes for proteins with our relatives’ genomes reveals that although the sum total of our genetic differences is small, the individual differences pervade the genome, affecting each of our chromosomes in numerous ways.”
This article which was initially titled. “The One Percent Difference,” underscored how little difference there was or there is between these lower creatures and human beings while at the same time explaining what a BIG DIFFERENCE they make not just between us as humans but also between us and them as “lower animals.”
Also in a piece written on April 17, 2017 by Vivian Chou, “How Science and Genetics Are Reshaping the Race Debate of 21st Century,” she had made reference to a landmark 2002 study by Stanford scientists that examined “the question of human diversity by looking at the distribution across seven major geographical regions of 4,000 alleles. Alleles are the different “flavors” of a gene. For instance, all humans have the same genes that code for hair: the different alleles are why hair comes in all types of colors and textures.”
The general and specific conclusion of geneticists across the planet which is yet to be questioned insists that Race “cannot be biologically defined due to genetic variation among individuals and populations.” This gives two pointers:
(A) The old concept of the “five races:” African, Asian, European, Native American, and Oceanian. According to this view, variation between the races is large, and thus, the each race is a separate category. Additionally, individual races are thought to have a relatively uniform genetic identity.
(B) Actual genetic variation in humans. Human populations do roughly cluster into geographical regions. However, variation between different regions is small, thus blurring the lines between populations. Furthermore, variation within a single region is large, and there is no uniform identity.
So, if the geneticists agree based on “Actual genetic variation” that despite the “smallness” of the genetic variation between “different regions” which blurs “the lines between populations,” variation “within a single region” is still large and that “there is no uniform identity,” wherefore is the basis of the claims being made by the purveyors of “genetic connection” between Yoruba and Ibo Races?
What science has shown is that all human race have over 98 percent genetic connection and even with some lower creatures. Science also agrees that the peoples domiciled on African Continent also have over 98 per cent genetic connections. If this be the case, the Yoruba genetic connection is not in any way mutually exclusive to the Ibo. Evidently, the Yoruba have genetic connection with other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. This implies that there is no basis to make spurious special cases for the Ibo to be connected genetically with and to the Yoruba.
I have challenged and I am still challenging the purveyors of this half-baked science of Yoruba – Ibo genetic connections to produce scientific evidence that shows the special genetic connection between Yoruba and Ibo that is different from those between Yoruba and any other ethnic nationality in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. There has to be a basis for COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SEVERAL OR ALL GENETIC CONNECTIONS OF AFRICAN PEOPLES, to be able to isolate which ethnic nationalities have “special genetic connections.”
This claim that Yoruba and Ibo is the same is a dangerous political campaign masked as science and aimed at rubbishing the Yoruba Race and turning them to second class citizens in their own land. It is part of the diabolical grand plan to take over Yoruba land stemming from the initial claim that Lagos is “no man’s land.” It is unfortunate that the loudest mouthpiece for this shenanigan is Ooni Enitan sitting on the stool of Oduduwa at Ile-Ife, the Orisun of the Yoruba Nation.
These merchants of Akotileta politics have even alluded to linguistic connections to validate their vacuous claims of Yoruba – Ibo connections. In their hallucinatory haste to heinous hiatus, they hung on to what could have been elements of study of linguistic etymology and claimed it as incontrovertible evidence of Yoruba -Ibo connections.
They have forgotten that the Yoruba even have more authentic and stronger linguistic and cultural links with Nupe and Igala. The kind of cultural links that exist between Nupe and Igala and Yoruba far outstrips any, if at all, between Yoruba and Ibo could ever be, in the next one hundred years with a deliberate, conscious and focus efforts of acculturation of the Ibo.
The Yoruba and Ibo are not the same by any stretch of imagination. We are two distinct peoples with different cultures and philosophical world view. We are not the same in more than several ways and this has been evident in our different approaches to the challenges that have faced us at different times as Nations.
It is not a bad idea for the Yoruba and Ibo to work together for whatever purposes. But this should not be on the basis of a spurious and fallacious claim of blood connection. It should not be on the basis of turning ourselves into slaves in our own land. It should not be on the basis of turning ourselves into Akotileta. It should not be on the basis of selling our heritage. The working together of the two ethnic nationalities could and should not be based on fallacy and falsehood. Otherwise, it would be failure ab initio.
Ooni Enitan has caused and is causing anger and consternation across the Yoruba Nation. There is shock and embarrassment among the sons and daughters of Yoruba Nation and in Diaspora. Agonised silence, permeated by bouts of betrayal has given way to whispers of disconcertion. Whispers of dismay are becoming loud voices of bewilderment and trepidation. There is a quietude akin to that of a sepulcher across Yorubaland, and everyone, young and old, rich or poor, powerful or weak, are wondering what is going on?
Ooni Enitan should leave science to scientists. He should take serious his responsibility to the Yoruba Nation. He should travel less and stay in that Palace. He should watch his utterances and cease bringing ignominy to bear on that throne and the Yoruba Nation. He should please, for the sake of our heritage, caution himself and be more circumspect. He should reflect more and weigh his words and actions.
Ooni Enitan should be properly advised, tutored and guided that the Stool on which he sits is a hallowed one. It is a sacred one and had to be put to the service of the Yoruba Nation. As Aare Ona Kakanfo Obadoke Latoosa, Asubiaro Agadagudu once posited, and rightly so, the Ooni Stool “belongs to all Yoruba.” To begin to promote foreign interests on that throne is treachery that is tantamount to treason. It should and must stop forthwith.
I am aware that the elders across Yoruba Nation are talking. The intellectuals of the Yoruba Nation are discussing and comparing notes on the way forward. Our traditional rulers are networking to see how this could be managed. All are seeking ways to diminish the damages that have been done by Ooni Enitan. I hope Ooni Enitan would let them.
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target=_blank>DSS Officials Arrest 43 Girls ‘Stark Naked’ From Calabar Brothels
No fewer than 59 commercial s** workers have been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Calabar.
The numbers are made up of 43 women and 16 men.
The DSS is primarily responsible for intelligence gathering within the country and for the protection of senior government officials, particularly the President and state governors; however, Ilupeju Adebayo, Director of the agency in Cross River, told journalists on Staurday that the girls were arrested at Peace Garden Hotel and Papsi Place along Murtala Mohammed highway.“We got an intelligence report and swung into action,” he said.
“We have been on the matter for months. We discovered that the girls are mostly underage, mostly 13, 15, and 19 years of age. We also know that they were brought in by a cartel, deeply involved in the business of trafficking and using the girls as commercial s** workers.“The girls then bring returns to them at the beginning or close of the week, depending on their modus operandi. We have made some arrests, including that of the owner of ‘Papsi place’, a brothel that houses mostly underage girls who pay him N2,000 on weekdays and N4,000 at weekends as lodging fee. They operate from the hotel to clubs where we arrested them stark naked.”He added: “We have contacted the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons while investigations are ongoing until all those involved in the illicit trade are arrested and charged to court.”
One of the girls said she was brought to Calabar from Rivers for a sales girl job, but she ended up becoming a commercial s** worker.
“I was brought to Calabar through a friend to attend night clubs,” she said.
“I ran away and then they traced me and brought me back; they wanted to force me to take an oath but I objected and absconded again to meet my friend whom I came with to Calabar then. Aunty Favour came there with the boyfriend and some cult boys and beat me up. And told me that if I run they will kill me or I will die.“So, I usually go to her house to make returns to her every week but I am not happy with the kind of work I am doing; it was never my intention to do this because my friend did not tell me that it was this kind of job.”
One of the suspects, Edem John, who was among the 16 men in custody, and owner of Papsi’s Place, denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he had been warning the underage girls not to come to his place for commercial s**.He, however, added that because of the trying times, he had no choice but to do his business.“I have been doing this business for about two years; they pay me N2,000 for the accommodation where they have s** with men,” he said. “Although I have been warning the underage ones to stay away from my place, they still come back — and I need to do my business because I have a family to feed.”
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target=_blank>Nigeria Has 14m Drug Users, Reveals Buba Marwa
Buba Marwa, the Chairman of Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse, says over 14 million Nigerians are activily abusing drugs.
He said this in Abuja on Friday while giving reports of his committee members to Mohammed Bello, the FCT Minister.
He said that the committee is working effortlessly to reduce the level of drug abuse in the country.
Marwa expressed his displeasure with the high rate of drug abuse among youth, citing several agencies that the committee had engaged for the assignment.
He said the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the police, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), ministers of health and education as well as regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical council and patent medicine dealers association of Nigeria had been contacted.
On his part, the FCT Minister urged the Nigerian government to help provide more funding for the NDLEA so that it can do its job better.
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target=_blank>Some Bankers Are Deliberately Sabotaging Our Investigations, Says Magu
Acting Chair of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu
Ibrahim Magu, the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has alleged that some members of staff of banks are sabotaging the commission’s anti-corruption fight.
He made this known in a discussion with regional compliance officers of commercial banks in Gombe, Gombe State capital, on Friday.
Magu, who was represented by Michael Wetkas, the Gombe Zonal Head of the EFCC, urged all the banks to be cautious when employing their staff.
He added that the ‘Know Your Customer’ policy shoul be taken seriously so that the bank will not “give room for fraudsters to open accounts for illicit or fraudulent transactions”.
Magu also stated that banks are important to the anti-corruption war, noting that it was for this reason that the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004, reserved some sections for financial institutions.
He said: “Within the banking industry, there are actions which deliberately sabotage our efforts and such are unacceptable to the commission.
“Some bank staff are in the habit of going behind the commission to notify customers whose accounts are placed on Post-No-Debit Order (frozen), aiding and abetting crime and obstructing the wheel of justice, instead of assisting the commission as stipulated by law.”
“Banks must endeavour to always activate the ‘Know Your Customer’ requirement by verifying the addresses of their customers before opening any account in order not to give room for fraudsters to open accounts for illicit or fraudulent transactions,” he said
Magu called on all the banks to work hand in hand with EFCC in revealing any suspicious transactions as required by law.
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The Media Has Abandoned Its Duty To The Nigerian People, Says Falana
Femi Falana (SAN), a foremost human rights lawyer, has slammed media practitioners for neglecting their duty to the Nigerian people.
He said instead of holding the government to account, the media now publicise the positions and activities of the government and politicians.
Speaking at a press conference to commemorate the 2019 World Press Freedom Day, Falana addressed burning issues in the country — from press repression to the controversial private visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United Kingdom.
“Given the crisis of underdevelopment, the press should not allow reactionary politicians to divert attention from the hydra-headed problems of comatose economy, unemployment, infrastructural decay, insecurity, looting of the treasury, armed robbery, kidnapping and terrorism,” he said.
“Instead of mobilising Nigerians to defend themselves from the gangs that overwhelmed the security forces, the press has joined politicians to shift public attention to reckless permutations for the region that will produce the President in 2023. Is there any evidence that Nigeria will be in a position to conduct elections in 2023?
“All elected public officers should be made to proffer solutions to the crisis of underdevelopment and stop the irrelevant debate on the educational qualification of any candidate. Therefore, the media should stop giving undue attention to the educational qualifications of a former military President and a former civilian Vice President to contest a presidential election in the country.
“Regrettably, the press has left the serious crisis of insecurity in all parts of the country to join the ruling party in questioning the citizenship of a former elected state governor and former Vice President of the country.
“Since the 2019 elections have been concluded the duty imposed on the media is to ensure that political parties and elected officials are held accountable.”
He added that with the growing rate of insecurity and killings by bandits in the country, Nigerians should begin to demand that Buhari and other governors outside the country come back and find a solution to it.
He also urged Nigerians to bar public officers from embarking on foreign, private or official visits to other countries until further notice.
Lamenting the absence of rule of law in the country, Falana stated that provisions of the Constitution have been “conveniently sacrificed for political expediency or self-aggrandisement of highly placed public officers”.
He added that the absence of rule of law has turned the country into a banana republic where the rule of law is substituted for the rule of the rulers. He noted that the ruling party uses the rule of law to its advantage and to oppress members of the opposition party.
“People in government, and particularly those in the executive arm, can abuse their powers and positions to promote their own interests or those of their friends and allies at the expense of public interest, through arbitrary acts and corruption, or through inconsistent application of laws,” he said.
“For instance, the anti-corruption campaign of the Buhari administration has been discredited through the selective prosecution of corrupt elements in the society. Worse still, corrupt members of the executive are currently using the police and anti-graft agencies to settle scores with corrupt opposition figures. It thus seems that politicians and associates of those close to the seat of power in Abuja are protected, despite strong evidence of corruption and money laundering against them. Such abuse of the rule of law is subversive of law and order in a democratic society.”
Condemning Buhari’s private visit to the United Kingdom, Falana said the government has failed to look at the “constitutional implications of the privacy of the visit” while adding that the movement and “activities of the No 1 Public Officer in the country cannot be shrouded in secrecy”.
He added: “No doubt, the President is entitled to embark on local and foreign trips to attend the engagements of family members and friends like other citizens.
“But the President is not permitted by the Constitution to abandon the enormous responsibilities of his office for 10 days on account of a private visit to the United Kingdom or any other country whatsoever. Since President Buhari’s current private visit to the United Kingdom for an undisclosed mission has made it impossible for him to preside over the meetings of the Federal Executive Council and perform other functions of his office he ought to have transmitted a letter to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives in compliance with section 145 (1) of the Constitution so that the Vice President can run the country pro tempore as Acting President.
“Having regards to the facts and circumstances of the controversial private visit of President Buhari, he is deemed in law to be on vacation or leave of absence for 10 days. Whether the President is on vacation or not, it is not in dispute that he is unable to discharge the functions of his office for 10 days.”
He stated further: “Section 145 (2) will be automatically invoked to transfer the powers of the President to the Vice President as Acting President if the President is unable to transmit a letter to the leadership of the national assembly once he abandons his duty for 21 days.”
Falana maintained that Buhari should, without any further delay, transmit a letter to the leadership of the National Assembly with an apology for not doing so before leaving the country for his private visit.
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