Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 22nd September 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 22/09/21
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Infamous Ex-Minister, Fani-Kayode Hires Women To Stage ‘Mini Solidarity Welcome Rally’ After Defection Backlash
Femi Fani-Kayode
Amidst heavy criticism over his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), discredited former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode on Monday paid some women to welcome him back to his Abuja home, SaharaReporters has gathered.
The former Minister had shared a video showing the women dancing and singing.
Femi Fani-Kayode
“Home sweet home! Faithful God! Bless His name!” Fani-Kayode wrote while sharing the video.
The women were heard saying, “Our helper oo! Our helper oooo!! Our helper oooo!!! There is something that makes me come to your presence, our helper.”
SaharaReporters gathered from a reliable source close to the former minister that the women were paid to show support for Fani-Kayode amidst the backlash that followed his defection.
“The women in the video were paid, some as low as N3,000 to show that he has a support base,” the source said. The former Minister had last Thursday officially returned to the APC.
Fani-Kayode was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, by the Chairman of APC National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.
While speaking, Fani-Kayode had said he was instrumental to the defection of three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors to APC.
However, two years ago when it was rumoured that the former Minister had joined the APC, he completely ruled out the possibility of defecting to the ruling party.
Taking to Twitter at the time, he described the ruling party as “a filthy, rat-infested sinking ship.”
He also referred to the the party as “darkness” and “the Almajiri Peoples Congress (APC)”.
He had said, “The suggestion that l joined the APC is false and insulting. Those that are peddling this fake news should bury their heads in shame. With what we have witnessed, l would rather die than join a filthy, rat-infested sinking ship like the Almajiri Peoples Congress (APC).
“I am committed to opposing the APC and those that are in their ranks for the rest of my natural life and I will NEVER join them no matter what! They are nothing but darkness whilst l stand for the light of God and truth: there can be NO fellowship between light and darkness.”
Although Fani-Kayode said he returned to the APC for the unity of the country, SaharaReporters gathered that he defected to have his corruption cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) quashed.
He was arraigned in 2016, alongside a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman; Danjuma Yusuf, and a firm, Joint Trust Dimensions Ltd over an alleged N4.9 billion fraud.
The former Minister, who was also the Director of Publicity for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign organisation for the 2015 election, was accused of conspiring with the others to, directly and indirectly, retain various sums which the EFCC claimed they ought to have reasonably known were proceeds of crime.
In one of the counts, the defendants were accused of conspiring among themselves to “indirectly retain the sum of N1,500,000,000.00 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.”
The four were also accused of indirectly retaining N300 million, N400 million and N800 million, all proceeds of corruption, according to the EFCC.
Fani-Kayode was accused of directly using parts of the money at various times, including N250,650,000.00, which he allegedly used between March 20 and 25, 2015.
He was also accused of making a cash transaction of N24 million with one Olubode Oke, said to still be at large, on February 12, 2015 “to Paste Poster Co of 125, Lewis Street, Lagos Island.”
The duo were said to have made the transaction without going through any financial institution, an act the EFCC claimed was contrary to sections 1(a) and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.
Months later, the former minister was rearrested and solely arraigned on five counts bordering on money laundering to the tune of N26 million.
According to the EFCC, Fani-Kayode allegedly received the sum of N26 million from the office of the former National Security Adviser (ONSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) in 2014.
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E2%80%94-northern-elders Nigeria’s Next President Should Not Be Tribalistic Like Buhari— Northern Elders
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has said Nigeria needs a President who will act in the “opposite direction” to the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari come 2023.
NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, disclosed this on Tuesday when he featured on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ breakfast programme.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari.
Baba-Ahmed lamented that no Nigerian is happy with Buhari, even those within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, Nigeria needs a President who realises the need to rebuild the country, secure Nigerians, and boost the economy.
“The nation needs a leader that would do the things that President (Muhammadu) Buhari hasn’t done, create inclusiveness, address resentment and frustration in other parts of the country and in the north and speak and act for everybody,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed added that the 17 Southern Governors should stop threatening the North that their region must present the country’s President in the 2023.
He boasted that the North has the kind of population that puts the region in a position of strength.
He, however, noted that both the North and the South still needs each other as neither region can produce the President without the support of the other.
He described the position of Southern Governors that the South must produce the President in 2023 as a threat and intimidation.
Baba-Ahmed has been criticised since on Saturday when he said at an event in Zaria, Kaduna State, that the North does not need to accept the demand of southerners that the South must produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023.He said, “Nobody needs to be a second-class citizen, certainly not the northerners. This country is not built to have second-class or first-class citizens, that is the beauty of democracy.
“What we said is that you cannot compel the North to yield to the southern part of the country, a right that has been given by the constitution, our right to choose and elect people that we want. If you compel us to do that, that makes us second-class citizens. Allow the democratic process to decide who becomes the president.
“We understand people who are desperate, the kind of people who say if you want justice, if you want equity, you must bring the southern presidency down but we say that is not the way to ask for southern presidency, you cannot threaten us (with) violence and intimidation.”
Baba-Ahmed said the North had lived under Southern Presidents — Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan — since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, and had no problems with it.
He, therefore, urged politicians in the South not to make the controversy over who succeeds Buhari to divide the country.
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2023: Renowned Economist, Utomi, Ex-Cross River, Kwara Governors, Others Form New Political Party To Challenge Buhari
Patrick Utomi
Some prominent Nigerians, on Tuesday, announced the formation of a new political party, Rescue Nigeria Project.
According to them, the new party, described as a project, will give Nigerians an alternative platform to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Patrick Utomi
Founders of RNP include former governor of Kwara State, Ahmed Abdulfatai; renowned economist, Professor Pat Utomi; a former Minister of Education, Professor Tunde Adeniran and a former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke,
Others include Senator Lee Maeba: Usman Bugaje; a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega; Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo; Yomi Awoniyi; Rose Idi Danladi and Sadiq Gombe.
The leaders of the RNP identified failure of leadership as the main factor behind the problems affecting the nation, Vanguard reports. Speaking on Tuesday, Abdulfatai lamented the state of the nation, noting that the high level of nepotism and lack of inclusiveness has given rise to agitations by different ethnic groups.
According to the former governor, in 2015, Nigerians embraced change, adding that today, “that change appears to be what we didn’t expect, as insecurity has taken over the nation.”
He said, “It is based on this that we decided to set up this Rescue Nigeria Project. We want to salvage this country and see how we can fix the mess. We want to set a template and key criteria leaders must have before they can attain any political position.
“Despite the great opportunities of the past, Nigeria has failed to live up to the dreams of its founding fathers and the hopes of successive generations of its citizens. “Perhaps, at no other time have these failings become more apparent than in the past decade or so.
“In 2015, Nigerians overwhelmingly embraced the promise of change. These hopes have not only been dashed, but they have arguably turned out to be the worst political statements ever to be made in this country. Nigeria today appears set to fulfil all the prophesies of doom.” He further noted that “Unprecedented nepotism and political exclusion have left the country more divided than ever as evident in the various separatists’ agitation that is threatening the corporate existence of the country itself.”
Also speaking, Adeniran noted that there is a disaster at hand, hence the move to rescue the nation.
He said: “You only rescue when there is disaster and when you fail to rescue during a disaster, it is more dangerous. “We have a disaster in our hands and we need to rescue the country. We need to look back and see how we get here. We know where Nigeria was before now. We know the task is not going to be easy, but we have to determine how to rescue the nation.”
In his opening remarks, the RNP national coordinator, Usman Bugaje, explained that the Rescue Nigeria Project was founded on the premise that the challenges bedevilling the country were largely derived from poor leadership.
Bugaje, taking a swipe at the President the Muhammadu Buhari-led government, said, “When you reduce the problems of this country to what they are, ultimately, it all comes to leadership.
“We have been unable to exit the leadership conundrum precisely because the leadership recruitment mechanism in our political parties is so flawed that, except for accidents, they are incapable of producing competent leaders with the requisite knowledge, discipline and commitment to make a difference. We are living with, or better still, groaning under the consequences of this folly.
“What this means is that any attempt to rescue this country from its troubles must first rescue it from the current leadership recruitment mechanism that seems to leverage on money and connection or ethnic sentiments and no premium on knowledge or competence.
“The challenge is how to introduce a set of criteria or better still re-calibrate the recruitment mechanism in our political parties to prioritize knowledge, competence and character. The deepening crises in the political parties are all the more reason this re-calibration is necessary.
“We must change the conversation about leadership. The first thing we should want to know about our President is not which part of the country he or she comes from, rather how competent is he or she? What is the content of his policy document? What is his team made up of?
“We also seek to ensure a seismic shift from the politics of big men to the politics of big ideas. The empty politics of big men have not taken us anywhere but down the drain. We simply can’t continue this way.”
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Ebonyi Governor Lists Kinds Of Criminals That Have Allegedly Hijacked Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB
Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi
The Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi has claimed that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by Nnamdi Kanu, has been hijacked by cultists, abductors, and armed robbers in society.
Umahi called on the pro-Biafra group to critically observe the current situation in the South-East region, describing it as worse.
Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi
The governor noted this on Tuesday at the Ecumenical Centre in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital, while inaugurating members of the South-East Traditional Rulers’ Council.
He said, “We all know that the Indigenous People of Biafra has been hijacked by cultists, kidnappers and armed robbers in our society and that is why we must ask questions, those who said that they are fighting for us, fighting for our marginalisation should take a critical look about our situation today.
“Today, it is very difficult to get trucks coming from South or North to the South-East. (This is) self-inflicted injury because we did not do comprehensive harmonisation to see what are the areas of comparative advantage and what are the areas we might see we have been marginalised.
“So of late we came together and told our youth that may we know your area of marginalisation and that is what we have done.”
“You don’t shave our hairs in our absence. We must stand to say enough is enough there is nothing we cannot get in Nigeria through dialogue and understanding.
“Our culture is never what is going on now, so I appeal to you, let’s do more and support our governors,” Umahi added.
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Nigeria’s Ruling APC Party Is Terror-loving For Not Publishing Names Of Boko Haram Sponsors—Opposition Party
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to publish the names of the financiers of Boko Haram terrorists ravaging the country.
According to the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is aiding and abetting terrorism for not revealing the sponsors of terrorism in the country.
This was disclosed in a press statement issued by the PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, and obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday.
SaharaReporters earlier published on Tuesday that a Presidential media aide, Femi Adesina said Buhari’s regime is not interested in naming and shaming Boko Haram’s financiers.
Adesina, during a Channels TV programme on Monday, said, “Naming and shaming will not be the motive. Bringing malefactors to justice will be it. Nigeria is not interested in naming and shaming anybody. Rather, it wants to bring them to justice.”
The opposition party reacted to the statement in a press release titled, “Expose Terrorism Sponsors if You are Not Complicit, PDP Challenges APC, Buhari Presidency.”
The PDP in the statement said, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asserts that the refusal by the Buhari Presidency to expose the names of sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria, vindicates its position that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government has been providing official cover for terrorists and bandits pillaging the nation.
“The PDP position is predicated on the declaration of the Buhari Presidency that it was not interested in making public the names of six Nigerians reportedly sent to the Federal Government by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as sponsors of terrorism in our country.
“The PDP holds that the decision of the APC-led government to cover the identities of sponsors of mindless mass killings, maiming, raping, kidnapping of our compatriots as well as the endless violent marauding of our communities under the APC watch, validates our stand that such individuals have connections with the APC.
“This unpatriotic stance by the Buhari Presidency raises serious national anxieties of high-level complicity in the administration and further explains the reported compromising of our security system in the escalated killings and acts of terrorism in our country in the last six years under the APC.”
PDP further stated that the APC has links with terrorism affecting Nigerians, and that’s the reason why Buhari’s government protects the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami from facing prosecution over terrorism allegations.
“Nigerians can see why the APC-led administration has failed to take decisive steps to tackle terrorism, why it prefers to negotiate with terrorists and even makes a case for them, instead of apprehending and prosecuting them, as witnessed in the beheading of rice farmers in Borno state
“The PDP had always alerted of a connection between the APC and terrorists ravaging various parts of our nation and how the APC, as a party, had always failed to forcefully condemn acts of terrorism in our country.
“Nigerians can recall how the APC vehemently defended and still habours the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, a self-confessed terrorism apologist, despite national outcry and demand for his sacking.
“Also, the APC has failed to account for the bandits, thugs and hoodlums it imported from neighbouring countries to unleash violence on Nigerians and muscle the 2019 elections.
“If the APC and its administration have nothing to cover, our party challenges them to immediately publish the names of the sponsors of terrorism given to it by the UAE, instead of this vexatious desperation to provide official cover for them,” the statement added.
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E2%80%94governor-el-rufai Why Population Of North-West Nigeria Is A Blessing And A Curse—Governor El-Rufai
Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai says the North-West geopolitical zone of the country has human development indices that are closer to those of the Afghanistan.
El-Rufai disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking at the Human Capital Development Communication Strategy meeting organised by the National Economic Council under the chairmanship of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
The governor said the North-West region has the highest number of out-of-school children and the highest poverty rates in Nigeria.
He described the region as one that is troubled and in crisis.
El-Rufai further said that the population of the zone which is the highest in the country is a blessing as well as a curse.
According to him, the North West population is a blessing if the population is kept healthy with the children educated and given skills for the future and a curse if the children are not educated, they are not healthy and they feel hopeless.
Similarly, speaking at the Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit in April, El-Rufai spoke about the backwardness of some northern states.
“Yesterday, the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Muhammadu Sanusi II, made certain observations about the state of northern Nigeria within the larger Nigeria context,” he said.
“Because the truth of the matter is when you look at human development in the indices of Nigeria, they hide a lot of information. They saw us as middle income country, they saw that we are making progress in terms of education and health care.
“But when you disaggregate this number and look at them from zone to zone, from state to state, it is very revealing. It shows for, instance, that some states in Nigeria are as backward as Afghanistan in terms of education, health care and opportunities. And many of the states in the Northwest are afflicted with these challenges.”
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E2%80%94source-says-alleged Pro-Buhari’s ‘One Nigeria’ Rally In New York Bankrolled By Presidency Cabal—Source Says, Alleged Organiser Reacts
The pro-Nigerian government’s ‘One Nigeria’ rally held in New York, United States was bankrolled by the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency cabal, SaharaReporters learnt on Tuesday.
A source had earlier identified one Haruna Bello, a diehard supporter of Buhari who lives in the US, as one of the organisers of the protest allegedly bankrolled by the Nigerian government.
The source had said: “One of the organisers of the fake ‘One Nigeria’ protest who bribed some Nigerians with the money is Haruna Bello,” the source had said.
Another source who knows him well later noted that “Haruna Bello that organised the pro-Buhari protest in New York is one of my neighbours in Maryland. Never knew he’s connected to the (Presidency) cabals. He was definitely bankrolled by them.”
Bello, who stays in Maryland, United States was identified as one of the organisers who on Monday, allegedly gathered some Nigerians together in the US and paid them $50 each per hour to be part of the staged protest.
However, when contacted by SaharaReporters to react to the allegations, Bello said: “That’s not true. I’m a patriotic Nigerian and all I want is a united Nigeria, that’s all.”
Two Nigerian groups with conflicting ideologies confronted each other in New York over the President’s visit.
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EXPOSED: How Buhari Regime Hired Pro-Government Protesters In New York, Paid Them $50 Per Hour
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The groups had converged at the Nigerian House on 42nd Street, 2nd Avenue, airing opposing views about the issues of insecurity in Nigeria and its unity.
The One Nigeria group members carried placards on which were written, “Stronger together”, “Unity in diversity”, “Genocide in Eastern Nigeria plain propaganda”, “Nigerians want national unity, not secession”, “Nigerian Christians not targets of genocide or ethnic cleansing”.
They were, however, opposed by some anti-Buhari protesters who had been organising protests for days calling for a referendum to determine the fate of the country.
The protesters who are calling for self-determination alleged that the members of the One Nigeria Group were “fake” Nigerians hired to display Nigerian flags and take pictures.
One of the people involved in “the deal” told SaharaReporters that the “One Nigeria” protesters were promised $50 for one hour and $150 for three hours to be at the venue of the protest and to show support for President Buhari’s regime despite the glaring failures.
Also, a woman confirmed that she was contacted by the organisers of the “One Nigeria” protest but she declined.
The source said the organisers requested a copy of the identity card of those who would be joining the protest which caused an uproar and made some people back out of the protest.
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How Organiser Of Government-Funded Pro-Buhari Rally In New York Supported Twitter Ban, Condemned Complaints About Insecurity
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She said, “I was invited for the pro-Buhari protest. The organisers promised to pay $50 for one hour and we’ll be there for three hours. The person did not know we are Oduduwa adherents; we played along as if we didn’t understand him. He explained that he was given a contract to do it but yesterday, it became an issue.
“Nigerians who initially agreed later had an issue with the organisers because the organisers of the pro-Buhari protest said those who would join the protest must tender their ID cards, a copy would be made and taken to the Nigerian House but those ones refused because an ID card in America is very significant.
“With that, the organisers had to quickly go and look for any other Nigerian they saw or those who had no legal papers yet and who are in need of the $150, that they would take them to the venue. It was a staged protest. It was $50 an hour for three hours making it $150.”
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FLASHBACK: How Emir Of Buhari’s Home Town Conferred Talban Daura Title On Ousted Guinean President
Alpha Conde
In 2019, Emir of Daura, Umar Farouq conferred the traditional title of Talban Daura on former President of Guinea, Alpha Conde.
Mutinous soldiers had earlier in the month deposed Condé after hours of heavy gunfire around the presidential palace.
Alpha Conde
Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images
The soldiers, led by a 41-year-old colonel, Mamadi Doumbouya said they did so because of the rampant corruption, disregard for human rights and economic mismanagement under the ousted President.
Quoting the late Ghanaian ex-president John Rawlings who led a coup twice in Ghana, Doumbouya had said, “If the people are crushed by their elites, it is up to the army to give the people their freedom.
“The duty of a soldier is to save the country. We will no longer entrust politics to one man. We will entrust it to the people.”
Two years back, the ousted President was conferred a traditional title of Talban-Daura.
At the turbaning ceremony in Daura, Farouq had said the decision of the Daura emirate council to honour Condé was necessary considering his love for Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to the paramount ruler, the council approved the conferment of the title in recognition of Conde’s enormous contributions which he exemplified vis-à-vis stability and oneness of Nigeria and Guinea.
The monarch had said, “We honoured you today (Sunday) because of your endless support and love for our son, President Muhammadu Buhari, and the country. This traditional title is to further cement your relationship with our son and Nigeria in particular.”
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E2%80%94governor Southern Governors Passed Anti-Open Grazing Laws They Know Cannot Be Implemented—Governor El-Rufai
Kaduna State Governor Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai
The governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has stated that it is difficult to execute the Anti-Open Grazing laws which his counterparts in the Southern part of Nigeria have passed to curb insecurity in the region.
He, then, cautioned them not to deploy much energy on the laws, adding that it would take time for it to materialise.
Kaduna State Governor Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai
Speaking during a visit to the headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, El-Rufai revealed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has backed his state with N7.5 billion out of the N10 billion required to build a ranch.
He also disclosed that since there are over 14 grazing reserves in Kaduna State, he would be glad if the Nigerian Government can support his state with N140 billion to develop the grazing reserves.
According to El-Rufai, it is needless for the Southern states’ governors to politicise grazing rights and pass laws they know cannot be implemented.
Speaking on the anti-open grazing laws, he noted, “The northern state governors forum has already taken a position that open grazing is not a sustainable way of livestock production. And we must move towards ranching. “But moving towards ranching cannot be done overnight. We have to have a plan, we have to have resources and we have to implement it sensibly. It is not a matter of populist legislation or saying tomorrow this or that. It is not a solution.
“We have taken a position as northern state governors and we are implementing that.
“And in my state, for instance, we are developing a huge ranch to centralise the herders. And that is the solution, a long time. But can it be done overnight? No.
“This project we are doing will cost us about N10 billion. The CBN is supporting us with about N7.5 billion. And it will take about two years to do. We will be settling about 1,500 Fulani herder families.
“And I hope that they will see that there are alternative ways of producing livestock instead of running up and down with cattle going to people’s farms to cause all kinds of problems. We want to solve the problem.
“What is unhelpful is to politicise the situation and pass legislation that you know that you cannot implement. So, we have taken a position and we are working round the clock to implement that position.
“And these herders emanate from the north and we are going to centralise them. We cannot do it overnight. We need billions of naira. This is just one ranch that is causing 10 billion. I have 14 grazing reserves in Kaduna State and I will like to convert them into ranching. Do I have 14 times 10 billion naira? I don’t have.
“If the Federal Government will give me N140 billion, I will convert the other 13 into ranches and make sure that nobody comes out with a cow or sheep in Kaduna State because I will have enough ranches to take care of everybody. That is the solution. You can legislate but let us wait and see. And I wish them the best of luck.”
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E2%80%99t-indict-anti-graft-campaigner-suraju-forging-documents-against-nigerias-ex Police Didn’t Indict Anti-graft Campaigner, Suraju For Forging Documents Against Nigeria’s Ex-Attorney-General Adoke—Report
Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman of anti-corruption group, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), was never indicted in the report released by the police on its investigation into alleged forgery of documents to malign a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, SaharaReporters has learnt. According to a police report obtained by SaharaReporters, Suraju was not found guilty of forging any documents against Adoke.
A source privy to the issue also noted that Suraju never forged any documents against the former Minister.“This report never indicted Lanre Suraju for forgery, because he never forged any documents,” the source noted. Adoke, one of those the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting for alleged fraud in connection with the OPL 245 saga, popularly referred to as the Malabu scandal, had petitioned the police accusing some unnamed persons of circulating fabricated evidence against him to unduly incriminating him. The former Attorney-General said an email submitted to a court in Italy was never written by him as claimed just like the tape of a purported interview he granted an Italian journalist.Adoke asked the police to help uncover those who manufactured those pieces of evidence and bring them to book. A two-page report signed by the head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, Ibrahim Musa, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, accused Suraju of resorting to media trial. Although dated September 2, the report carried the date of certification of September 3. The report read in part, “A thorough investigation was carried out and in the course of investigation, it was evident that Mr Olarenwaju Suraju of Human and Environmental Development Agenda, an unregistered organisation, without verifying the authenticity of the purported telephone interview and email proceeded to use the social media handle of @HedaAgenda on Twitter and @HedaResourceCentre on Facebook to disseminate same. “And when invited by the Police to substantiate his claims, he feigned sickness, jumped bail and resorted to issuing press statements maligning the Police, writing frivolous counter petitions and filing civil suits in Court against the IGP Monitoring Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja and the Police, aimed to undermine the investigation and to evade the course of justice. “That the claims made by Mr. Olarewaju Suraju that, his foreign partners, national and international media agencies are the authors of the information he shared is misleading as he was the one issuing the press statements that were published by these media agencies. “That the totality of the conduct of Olarewaju Suraju is a calculated attempt to resort to media trial and to falsify relationship between Mohamed Bello Adoke, SAN, and Aliyu Abubakar while their cases are still ongoing in Court, thereby misleading the public, of which elements of a prima facie case of cyber-stalking, giving false information to misled public officer, injurious falsehood and criminal defamation with intent to incite exist.”
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