Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Sunday 24th April 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 24/04/22
Read also
E2%80%94catholic-archbishop-abuja Buhari, Governors Need To Act Fast Because Nigerians Are Angry, Sad —Catholic Archbishop Of Abuja, Kaigama
File Photo of the Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama
Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Grace, Most Revd Ignatius Kaigama, has charged President Muhammadu Buhari and the 36 governors to without any further delay find possible ways to address the continued insecurity, economic downturn and national strike by university lecturers in the country.
The cleric made the call on Saturday while addressing the maiden general congress of the indigenous people of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja.
File Photo of the Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama
ICIR
He stated that Nigerian people were sad, angry and frustrated with the situation of the country.
The archbishop frowned at the unguided display of wealth by political actors, especially the high cost of party nomination forms for the 2023 general elections and warned that if the situation is not remedied on time, it might destroy the fabric of Nigeria’s nationhood.
He said, “There’s insecurity, hunger, unemployment, and the youths are out of school. Government should be responsible and provide for us. Unfortunately, that is not happening and there is a very great degree of disaffection. People are angry, sad and frustrated.
“We are saying the government should wake-up to its responsibilities. The government should open its eyes and look at the people with justice and mercy.
“The insensitivity of our politicians amazes me. They know there is sufferings in the land, but I can see an arrogant display of wealth in the way they organise their political activities and events, but there is no money to ensure security, to ensure the university students go back to school, to ensure that people can afford food in the market, and to service the health sector.
“I call on our leaders to rethink and know that there is God and He is watching. The resources we have, let us use it for our people and not personal interest. Politics is all about service to the people, and good governance. It is not just about aspiring to gain access to the wealth of the nation and use it in a very arbitrary manner.
“Our leaders must stop and think. Something is wrong. Our people are bottling up their anger for so long. Let the leaders not allow this anger to burst, because it is going to be terrible.
“We hope that something will be done quickly and also with sensitivity to the needs of the people, whether it is electricity, university education, water supply, roads, and above all, security. We need these things now. We elected our political leaders to provide these, and they promised to do so, but we are dismayed that they are so incapable and unwilling to provide these basics for the people.”
Christianity
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
Saharareporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Bandits Kill Another Kano Businessman After Ransom Payment
Suspected kidnappers operating along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari axis have killed another Kano businessman, Umar Sani, after collecting ransom from his relatives, Daily Trust reports.
The businessman, also called Magaji, was abducted two weeks ago alongside five others on the highway en route Buruku but was later confirmed killed by his co-abductees despite collecting ransom for their release.
The deceased hailed from Fagge Local Government Area in Kano metropolis.
An elder brother of the deceased, Hussaini Sani, who confirmed the death, said the kidnappers had called back on Thursday demanding another N20million from them despite killing the businessman.
“Nine of them were kidnapped along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road while on their way to Buruku. They later released three of them but withheld six.
“After some time, negotiation started with the families of the six people, and we later agreed to pay them collectively, only for us to see five of them coming back.
“When we asked them about the whereabouts of our brother, they confirmed to us that he was killed by the abductors. We called them (abductors) using the number they used for the negotiation and they insisted that our brother was still alive, and even went ahead to demand another ransom before they would release him.
“When we insisted that we must hear our brother’s voice before paying something again, they opened up to us that he was really killed, saying he was trying to escape. But his colleagues that were released said he was killed intentionally,” Hussain added.
Magaji is survived by his wife and four children, who presently reside in the Bichi Local Government Area of the state.
His death is coming barely 10 days after the family of another businessman’s corpse was discovered after payment of N6million ransom to his abductors in the same Birnin Gwari.
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
Saharareporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Nigeria As A Jackals’ Paradise, By Ogacheko Opaluwa
Another season of politics and politicking in Nigeria is here and expectedly, a lot of frenzied activities and horse trading are going on currently in the political space.
Without fear of contradiction, I dare to say that Nigeria has been through, perhaps one of its worst periods in history under President Muhammad Buhari led APC government. I can recall vividly that around this very period in 2015, many Nigerians had become dissatisfied with governance in Nigeria under former President Goodluck Jonathan and his PDP political party.
Many believed that the former President was a weak and clueless leader that was bereft of political or administrative acumen. As a result, it was said that corruption thrived under his very nose while prebendalism became order of the day.
Based on what was happening at that time, I concluded that those Nigerians that believed that the leadership abilities of former President Goodluck Jonathan were inadequate were right to a certain extent. At least, the celebrated but nauseating case of putrid kleptomania of Nigeria’s former petroleum minister, a Mrs Allison or the alleged slush arm deals of former NSA Dasuki buttressed those beliefs; no matter what anyone believes or disbelieves about the government of the former President.
Capitalizing on the pervasive disaffection in the country and gauging the general mood of the nation at the time, a group of hawkish and desperate Nigerian politicians hurriedly cobbled the All Progressives Congress or the APC party together through a somewhat crude political caeserian process that is currently not only hurting the party, but also hounding the nation.
Just to remind us, the APC promised to redeem our dear nation from PDP’s maladministration and the devilish stranglehold of a gluttonous colony of politicians within the ranks of the former ruling party.
The promise resonated with Nigerians instantly and justifiably so. Nigerians believed APC’s promises and rallied behind the party’s Presidential candidate based mainly on the now dubious ‘redeemer’ personage to oust the PDP from power. Almost seven years after President Muhammad Buhari and his APC came to power in Nigeria, nothing seemed to have changed remarkably in Nigeria.
If anything, Nigeria has degenerated abysmally from the undesirable state of affairs that we found ourselves in 2015 to now verging dangerously on the precipice of failed States; thanks to pervasive poverty and insecurity in the country. Nigeria has become a jackal’s paradise, where predators wander in at will for a kill and saunter out with their spoils unchallenged.
Jackal in this context is a scant metaphor for the troublers of Nigeria comprising but not limited to insurgents, terrorists, foreign criminal gangs engaged currently in kidnapping enterprise and ethnic cleansing, corrupt public officials including the hierarchies of the nation’s security agencies and of course, cyclical politicians and false clerics. In terms of security, there is no need to dwell endless on the country’s intransigent Boko Haram insurgency.
This is because Nigerians are gradually getting accustomed to activities of the insurgent and terrorist group. What seem to matter to most Nigerians now is where could be their next destination and for whom will the next bell toll? However, what is most worrisome currently is how foreign criminal elements and gangs seem to have found a fecund playground in Nigeria for plying their evil trades mostly for economic reasons. Incursion of foreign criminals into Nigeria especially through the country’s porous northern borders is not a new phenomenon though.
It predates Nigeria’s independence when petty thieves, rustlers and armed robbers from Niger and Chad forayed occasionally into Nigeria’s border communities to steal and rob residents. This phenomenon was noticed mostly during local market days during the era of trans-Sahara trade.
However, the Chadian civil wars that were waged variously between 1965 and 2008 as well as several rebellions by bands of mutinous soldiers and Tuaregs in Nigeria Republic exacerbated incident of incursion by foreign criminals into Nigeria.
The major tributaries of foreign incursion into Nigeria are mainly through the country’s northernmost land borders; including the notorious rugu forest that stretches for over 200km through Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, parts of Zamfara and Katsina States up to Maradi in Niger Republic.
In fact, rugu forest is known to Nigerian security agencies as a major haven for the terrorists, insurgents, kidnappers and other criminal groups that are terrorizing the country currently. Also, the mountainous Gwoza and Sambisa forest areas of Borno State offer passages into Nigeria for criminals coming into our country from Chad and Cameroon.
Similarly, bands of foreign criminals are known to be constantly exploiting the fallow wastelands that stretch from Timbuktu to Gao in Mali, to Gaya in Niger Republic and terminating in Nigeria through Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State. According to the Nigerian Immigration Service, there are over 1,300 illegal routes into Nigeria along the about 1,470km stretch of land border between Nigeria and Niger Republic.
These are being exploited daily by smugglers and foreign criminals. Nigeria therefore offers political and economic haven to citizens of neighbouring African countries that are currently suffering hardships imposed by political unrest, global economic meltdown and effects of climate change. Compared to her neighbours, Nigeria has a buoyant economy but has lax immigration rules due principally to ECOWAS travel protocols as well as poor border management and controls. Consequently, there is currently a deluge of economic refugees and foreign criminals that are pouring into Nigeria on daily basis. This accounts for the intensified criminality virtually across Nigeria that we are witnessing currently.
The terrorists attack on Kaduna airport on the evening of 26 March, 2022 and related attack on an Abuja – Kaduna bound train during dusk of 28 March, 2022 were indicative of the coalescence of several foreign criminal gangs operating in Nigeria with local bandits and Boko Haram stragglers into a formidable front capable of destabilizing Nigeria if we don’t act fast and act decisively.
That is why I laugh at the many political narratives that emerged from different quarters after those incidents. They remind me of what late Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm’ Gen Norman Schwarzkopf said in his memoirs, ‘It does not take a heroe..’ He said politicians think that warfare is like watching a ‘terminator’ film where some ‘Rambo’ deploys one magical fire spitting weapon momentarily and exterminates all his opponents with just a squeeze of the trigger.
Listening to the Honourable Minister of Transport and Aviation talking about frustration of his planned deployment of rail track surveillance system by his fellow politicians therefore resonated in my head with what the late Allied Forces Commander once said. If nothing at all, it taught me that politicians are the same all over the world.
Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Transport and Aviation escalated the political absurdity by adding that all Abuja – Kaduna train shuttle services shall be accompanied by Nigerian Air Force combat air platforms once the service resumes. Mr Honourable Minister, are you kidding me, or are you saying that Nigerian politicians are this daft?
The most annoying impudence of Nigeria’s ruling elites was the visits to scene of the train incident by some security chiefs; specifically the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
At least the COAS was physically on ground on the rail tracks amidst a bevy of heavily armed and body armour cladded aides to inspect the extent of damage, assess the tactics and possibly type of weapons that the terrorists may have employed to perpetrate the dastardly act. Whether we admit it or not, this has become part of the political correctnesses that have assumed officialese character in Nigeria. Rather than being a forensic analysis of the horrific attack in order to design preventive measures, the visit by the swagger- stick wielding COAS from all intent and purposes may just have been for its political correctness.
I stand to be corrected whenever I witness a proactive measure by his land forces to prevent a re-occurrence. The most annoying of the visits however is that of the IGP who, from recesses of his armoured plated official limousine car while being accompanied by a large retinue of heavily armed security aides, decided to travel some stretch of the Abuja – Kaduna road before returning to Abuja to brazenly inform Nigerians that the road is safe. Haba Mr IGP!, what do you take Nigerians for, some bloke headed folks? It may interest the security Chiefs to know that some innocent Nigerians were kidnapped on the same Abuja – Kaduna road that they touted as being safe while they were still in transit to their respective cosy and well fortified abodes in Abuja after those publicity visits. Who is deceiving who then?
There is no doubt that Nigeria’s security forces have made significant progress in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism since 2015 when President Muhammad Buhari assumed power in Nigeria. However, government’s apparent lack of interest and inadequate attention to the country’s land borders is threatening to reverse whatever gains have been achieved against Boko Haram so far.
As it were, Nigeria is currently under siege by bands of foreign economic mercenaries that are combining with local gangs of kidnappers, armed robbers, ritualists, cattle thieves, including Boko Haram’s economic raiders as well as the insurgent group’s individual stragglers searching for personal economic fortunes. Therefore, unless Nigeria pays immediate attention to the country’s land borders and control influx of foreign criminals, the entire country; including Abuja may become unsafe for all of us. This is a critical assignment for the next President as our incumbent President has limited time on his hands and has demonstrated unwillingness to control the country’s borders effectively especially in the north because of certain political, religious and cultural considerations. If you doubt me, consider the timing of current decision by the Federal Government to re-open the country’s land borders against a backdrop of the impending general elections. Nigerians are currently living the Hobbesian nightmare in their country where anarchy reigns and human life and living have become ‘short, solitary, poor, nasty and brutish.’ As it is, the social contract between Nigerians and the Government appears to be collating or have collapsed because of failure of the latter to protect citizens from marauding bands of terrorists, insurgents, kidnappers, armed robbers etc.
Therefore, Nigerians must jettison all sentiments as we prepare to elect a new set of leaders in 2023 that we hope will help us to salvage the country from its current despondent state and possibly prevent it fro slipping ultimately nto failure.
We must reject all the politicians that have ruled us thus far from 1999 till date as it is evidently clear that they lack vision, are irredeemably corrupt and don’t have the amount of decorum required of leaders that could be entrusted with the task of repositioning Nigeria at this critical time.
Ogacheko Opaluwa is a Public Affairs Analyst and Social Critic. He contributed this piece from Abuja-Nigeria.
Opinion
AddThis
:
Featured Image
:
Original Author
:
Ogacheko Opaluwa
Disable advertisements
:
EXCLUSIVE: Document Exposes How Wema Bank Officials Offered Policeman Bribe To Stop Investigation On N1.7billion Money Laundering, Fraud
A report by the Nigeria Police Force has exposed how Wema Bank Plc offered bribe to the police officer investigating the N1.7billion illegally moved to account number 0122367964 domiciled in the financial institution and operated by one Isaac Adewole, a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God by top officials of the bank.
The Wema Bank staff members fingered in the fraudulent activities are the bank’s Executive Director, Wole Akinleye; Head of Cooperate Banking, Emmanuel Edah, and Head of Oil and Gas, Kingsley Ananwude.
The report signed by the Commander of Area G, Lagos, ACP Ibrahim Zungura, said multiple fraudulent transactions were carried out through the account.
“The culpability of WEMA Bank officers was further confirmed when the officers tried to bribe investigating officers with large envelopes that contained money.
“The officers declined the bribes but the Bank persisted. The officials spent time begging and persuading the inestigating officers to drop the case. The Executive Director of the Bank, Mr Wole Akinleye, was also invited and he tried hard to derail and stop the investigation. He also wrote a letter to ask that he be exonerated from the case when it was clearly established that the bank could not explain the transactions, that the movement of funds was a form of stealing from the bank which is sometimes referred to as ‘pay off source’.
“This is shown by the facts that the funds deposited were not removed in that order or in the sums deposited but carefully removed in different tranches as it is shown on the account statements. For his own part, Mr Adewole refused to cooperate with he investigations but instead did everything he could to assist the bank in covering up,” the report exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters read.
Meanwhile, the police has charged one Ojo Oladipupo, Chief Security Officer of Wema Bank Plc, to court for attempted bribery.
He was accused of offering a policeman, ASP Jonathan Egwemi (A/P No: 143699), monetary reward in order to stop him from carrying out a detail investigation into the fraudulent and money laundering activities of the bank.
“That you Ojo Oladipupo “M” and others now at large on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did intentionally attempt to offer the station officer A/P No: 143699 ASP Jonathan Egwemi monetary reward in order to reframe him from carrying out a detail investigation into the fraudulent and money laundering activities of your organization i.e WEMA Bank Nigeria Plc and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 64 of the criminal laws of Lagos State of Nigeria,” one of the charges read.
SaharaReporters had reported how N1.7billion were fraudulently moved to account number 0122367964, domiciled in the financial institution and operated by Adewole.
Multiple sources familiar with the fraud said Adewole, who is also the Managing Director of Shibawells Energy Limited, approached the bank in 2018 for a loan to boost his oil trading business using his neighbour’s assets as collateral.
Granting the loan to the pastor, the financial institution opened an account for him where the money was paid.
The account was, however, used to illegally move N1.7billion from the bank in 2021 to multiple accounts operated by top staff members and their proxies.
“He used his neighbour’s house for collateral of the loan which was granted to him and promised to return it within six months. But three years after, the man approached him for his house document, that was when he told him of the fraudulent act. He said the bank paid N1.7billion into the account using different multinational companies like Dana Airlines, Caverton Helicopter and two others, one N300million, one N270million, one N600million and like that, it’s only one of the transactions that they didn’t put a name there,” a policeman involved in the case had told SaharaReporters.
See Also
Exclusive
EXCLUSIVE: How Wema Bank Top Officials Used Redeemed Church Pastor’s Account For N1.7billion Money Laundering, Fraud
0 Comments
1 Day Ago
“Guess what they do after, they now moved that N1.7billion from Adewole’s account into different bank accounts in tranches. Like the one I told you —N600million, they immediately put it in another account in form of N150million, N100million, N100million, N90million. The pastor’s account is known as Shibawells Energy Limited. The one for Dana that they moved N160million to, that was how they did it too, they immediately sent it to another account in smaller units as well.
“So the pastor approached the bank instead of the police. The top management staff involved called him and asked him what he wanted, they now ended with an agreement that the bank would give him an extra loan of N1.5billion and he agreed. Remember I told you this man is the Managing Director of Shibawells Energy Limited, a company that does supply aviation fuel. So we realised it was well planned and the names of Dana, Caverton and others were intentionally used to cover up the fraud so people won’t notice. We also realised in our investigation that this money was given to the banks by the CBN and these top officials had to use an account to move it out and use it for something else.
“He has a partner, we called him and realised he wasn’t aware of the transaction. He was shocked, he realised the statement presented to him was forged to hide the fraudulent transaction.”
According to Adewole’s statement of account obtained by SaharaReporters, on January 28 2021 via transaction ID No: M35660, he received the sum of N424,811,000 from Caverton, N160,000,000 from Dana and N630,000,000 from Beam Energy, all with the same transaction number.
On June 18, 2021 via transaction ID No: M104031, the pastor received the sum of N300,000,000 via NIP transfer from an undisclosed account source.
Also on same June 18, 2021, via transaction ID No: M104031, Adewole received the sum of N270,000,000 from Messrs Morrifoil Oil and Gas Ltd., all totalling N1,784,811,000.
When contacted, a source at Dana Air said the airline didn’t do any transaction with Adewole nor his company, Shibawells Energy Limited.
“If I tell you we aren’t aware of this case, then I’m lying, the police some time ago invited us and we were surprised that the company’s name was used for such a fraudulent transaction. It will be wrong for me to share our bank statement with you but such a transaction wasn’t authorised by us,” a source at Dana Air told SaharaReporters.
“We weren’t involved in such a deal, only the bank management can tell you why they use Dana’s name for the transaction. Go to the bank tomorrow and send money to anyone and use Dana as the sender they won’t stop you from doing that. Jokes apart, if we have that kind of amount, my brother, we don’t have any problem,” the source added.
In January 2022, a group, Transparency Nigeria Group, asked the Central Bank of Nigeria to dismiss the Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank, Ademola Ademise, over alleged fraud.
The group in a statement by Dahiru Mohammed, its Communications Director, alleged that Ademise had grossly abused his office as CEO of the bank and contravened several extant regulations of the CBN.
According to the group, Wema Bank, under Ademise’s watch, covered up a massive fraudulent scheme perpetrated by companies and proxies of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.
Calling for his immediate removal, TNG said, “In doing this, Mr Ademise failed in his fiduciary duties and allowed a powerful politician to use Wema Bank as a clearing house for laundered funds.”
The group referred to a story dated November 23, 2020 by Peoples Gazette where bank records showed that Ocean Trust Limited, a company linked to Tinubu, shuffled billions of naira between its accounts with Wema Bank.
The newspaper documented the transaction between January and June 2019 on how Ocean Trust summarily moved N16.4billion from its operations accounts into a fixed deposit account all domiciled in Wema Bank.
This was after the court case involving Dayo Apara, a former Managing Director of Alpha Beta, a company partially owned by Tinubu.
Ocean Trust was specifically mentioned in Apara’s court documents as one of the firms allegedly used to siphon funds from Alpha-Beta, the controversial Lagos tax contractor.
According to the report, Alpha Beta has received billions of naira from the Lagos treasury since Tinubu was governor.
Apara claimed the firm received N150billion in the past 15 years from Lagos.
Scandal
Exclusive
News
AddThis
:
Featured Image
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
How Our People Were Killed, Displaced In Akwa Ibom –Yoruba Leaders
Residents of Ilaje extraction displaced by the communal crisis between them and Ibeno indigenes in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have appealed to the state government to come to their aid, a report by PUNCH said.
They revealed they lost everything to the crisis.
Five people were said to have lost their lives, many injured and others still missing while property worth millions of naira were destroyed in the crisis.
Speaking at their camp in Eket Local Government Area of the state, head of the Yoruba community in Ibeno, Chief J. Olala, said a minor disagreement with their hosts triggered the crisis.
“We have been in this camp for more than two days. As you can see, everything was lost. Even I came out with nothing left, just like displaced persons. Our property and source of livelihood were destroyed.
“I can’t tell personally the cause of the crisis. That night, I slept late and around midnight, the village head of Ibeno community called me to say that there was a problem on Ojo Street. I told him it’s too late to come out that night. He urged me to come out, but I insisted that I wasn’t going there.
“Later, some boys came to my house; I saw them talking and shouting. I switched off my light so they wouldn’t know I was around, and then they started destroying my house and I ran away through the back door with my children and wife. We entered our neighbours house around 2:00am. The incident subsided a little but after some minutes, it resumed so I ran out.
“Throughout the night, I communicated with the chief and he said I should come out and I said I cannot until the following morning. Even in the morning, it continued. One of my sons called to tell me that I should come out. When I came out, he ran to the pole. I tried to talk to them but because of the way they were talking to me, I ran to the church. I cannot really tell you what happened.
“We need the government to assist us because as of now, many of our people are still indoors. Some are still hiding somewhere. The government should help us. We need the government’s intervention. We need police assistance,” he said.
The youth leader of the Yoruba community, Mr Meduoye Beneth, said he escaped miraculously from the hands of the hoodlums after sustaining a head cut.
Beneth explained that the crisis was triggered by a cult clash among some youth.
He said, “We don’t know the cause of this crisis. I think it’s between some cult groups and others. I cannot really tell what caused the disagreement. But what I know is that while I was in my house with my family, I heard a big bang on the door at exactly 1:30am. I wondered what was going on. I cautioned my wife and children not to move. I covered them with a blanket to prevent the stones thrown from affecting us.’
“They attacked only Yoruba because they insinuated that the Yoruba must leave and cannot stay. They said if they don’t go in peace, they would go by force. I think it is a planned work. This crisis with cultists has been happening but not to the extent of burning houses.”
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
All Progressives Congress Chairman, Adamu, Suspends All Directors Of Party
A pall of gloom descended on the ‘Buhari House’ National Secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress on Friday following the decision of the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, ordering all departmental directors at the party headquarters to proceed on an indefinite suspension.
Adamu had on assumption of office on April 1 hinted at the possibility of reorganising the national secretariat.
He has in the interim embarked on remodelling the party secretariat, relocating his office from the third to the ground floor.
On April 1, Adamu had disclosed the possibility of probing the staff of the secretariat, especially its directors.
The former Nasarawa governor declared that the party could not continue to carry on with the old way of doing things, adding that his administration will have zero tolerance for failure.
He immediately set up a transition committee headed by a former governor of Jigawa State, Ali Saad Birnin Kudu, to study the handing over note of the defunct Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and other sundry matters affecting the national secretariat of the party.
According to Vanguard, Adamu, based on the committee’s recommendations, decided to suspend eight of the directors.
Some of the affected departments include administration, organisation, welfare, strategy, legal and publicity.
Adamu’s action is the first of its kind at the secretariat.
On assumption of office in June 2020, the then national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, had said he would reorganise the secretariat by removing those, who had no business at the party house.
He indeed embarked on some form of staff verification and weeded out those found wanting.
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
Saharareporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Civil Defence Officer Tortures, Brutalises Sister In Abuja For Allegedly Having Boyfriend
An officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ugwueze Ezekiel, has tortured and brutalised his 19-year-old sister, Amarachi Ugwueze, a microbiology student of University of Abuja, for refusing to surrender her mobile phone to him after accusing her of having a boyfriend.
The incident, which occurred at Aviation Estate in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Wednesday, left the young lady with multiple injuries.
Ezekiel is said to be in the habit of torturing his two sisters over suspicions that they had boyfriends.
SaharaReporters gathered that upon arriving home from work on Wednesday, he ordered Amarachi to bring her phone to enable him go through her text messages but she refused.
Angered by this, the NSCDC personnel descended on her heavily and forcibly seized the mobile phone.
He did not stop there but went ahead to lock her up in a room throughout the night where he physically assaulted her.
It was gathered that Ezekiel had previously seized her phone over the same issue, going as far as tearing her documents including
West Africa Examination Certificate and admission letter to a higher institution.
Narrating her ordeal to SaharaReporters, the victim said, “After he seized my first phone, I retrieved my SIM to get my contacts back with another phone my friend, Chisom, gave to me.
“Last Wednesday night when he came home, he asked for the new phone my friend gave me but I refused to give him. He immediately started hitting my head on the wall, slapping and using a stick to hit my legs. I had to bring out the phone because the beating was much.
“After that, he asked me to lie on the floor and was flogging me with a cable and belt and sized my admission letter and certificate.”
Amarachi and her sister had to run away from the house after the torture especially after threats from their brother of killing them because of disobedience.
SaharaReporters learnt that in an attempt to prevent them from reporting the matter to the police, the civil defence officer after touring the girl, sent some thugs to forcibly bring them home.
Findings by our correspondents revealed that their parents have been unable to curtail the excesses of Ezekiel as he had been rude to them.
He is known in the estate as a violent law enforcement officer because of the way and manner he intimidates people with his profession.
The two young ladies have since gone into hiding over death threats from their brother.
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Alaafin Of Oyo Told Us His Forefathers Were Calling Him Two Weeks Ago –Aide
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, had a premonition of his death, an aide of the palace has claimed.
She said this while speaking with journalists at the Alaafin of Oyo’s palace on Saturday.
The palace worker urged people to find solace in the fact that the late monarch lived a worthy life.
The aide said, “My father has gone to meet his forefathers. Atanda (Alaafin) went to play with his forefathers. He is not dead.
“Two weeks ago, he called and told us that his late father was calling him to come. We were afraid and asked if truly he saw his father.
“He ascended the throne at a young age and was wealthy and blessed with long life, preserved the stool, promoted the Yoruba culture and was an epitome of royalty. We are happy to have him as the Alaafin.”
Meanwhile, the Janazah (funeral) prayer has been conducted on the remains of the late Alaafin at the ancient palace in Oyo Town.
The monarch died at the Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Friday.
Alaafin Adeyemi, who served as the permanent chairperson of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, was reportedly sick and was scheduled to be flown abroad for treatment before he joined his ancestors on Friday.
He was the third to ascend the throne from the Alowolodu Ruling House and ruled for 52 years – making him the longest-reigning traditional ruler in Oyo town.
Adeyemi, who was born on October 15, 1938, succeeded Oba Gbadegesin Ladigbolu I as Alaafin on November 18, 1970.
Tradition
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Over 100 People Killed As Illegal Refinery Explodes In Imo Community
Illustration
At least 100 people have died after an illegal refinery exploded at Abaezi Forest in the Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State. The community is at the boundary between Rivers and Imo states.
Illustration
Many vehicles were also razed during the incident, which had thrown the community into panic. A source told SaharaReporters that the fire was ignited by a machine used to pump spilled crude into containers waiting to be loaded into their pots. Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Goodluck Opiah, who was at the scene of the incident, said that the state government had declared the owner of the illegal refinery, Okenze Onyenwoke, wanted. He advised the suspect whom he said was on the run to turn himself in at the nearest police station. The commissioner said, “This is a sad development. The Imo State Government has declared wanted, Okenze Onyenwoke, who owns this illegal refinery. I advise him to hand himself over to the police or any security agency.”
Accident
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
E2%80%99ll-kill-any-south-east-pdp-politician-who-accepts-party%E2%80%99s-vice-presidential-slot- We’ll Kill Any South-East PDP Politician Who Accepts Party’s Vice Presidential Slot –Biafra Group
The Indigenous Biafra-Warriors Worldwide has warned Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirants from the South-East region against accepting the vice presidential slot after the party’s primary election. Some of the PDP presidential aspirants from the region include Peter Obi, Anyim Pius Anyim, Sam Ohabunwa and Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze.
IBWW in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Lt. Jack Warrior, said the group had established that politicians from the South-East were set to sabotage Obi, Pius Anyim and others. He added that whoever did such would cry for betraying the South-East. The statement reads, “The Indigenous Biafra-Warriors Worldwide, independent militants in Biafra land, a military and civilian watchdog, has mounted its searchlight on PDP stakeholders in South-East and South-South. We’re in all the countries of the earth, no hiding place for our targets. “We have noted with most interest a perceived conspiracy against South-East presidential aspirants in PDP especially on Mr Peter Obi whom Nigerians have seen as the most qualified aspirants that will genuinely fix Nigeria. The established politicians in South-East are set to sabotage Mr Obi, Pius Anyim and others. “We are closely watching the body language of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as they are the leading “sabo” against the South-East producing the next president of Nigeria in 2023. “But one thing is very Sacrosanct and inevitable in 2023 which is either South-East produces the next president of Nigeria or Biafra is actualised by every means. “2022 to 2023 will be the worst political outing of corrupt politicians from Biafra land because blood will flow. We are carefully collecting and monitoring the names of “sabo”. Those politicians who are working against Biafra restoration and now turned to work against South-East to produce Nigerian president in 2023 should remove their hands or within one month from now their heads will roll. “We know many of you are working for Atiku Abubakar, Mohammed Bala, Bukola Saraki and Tambuwal in secret, it’s time to repent now. We want to tell South-East PDP presidential aspirants, Mr Peter Obi, Anyim Pius Anyim, Sam Ohabunwa and Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze, that any of you that will accept PDP vice presidential slot, have accepted death. We will wipe you and your children out from earth. “There will be “Jerry Rawlings judgment” to South-East political saboteurs both the small and great, only standing and working for South-East presidential aspirants can save you. The PDP delegates at every level in South-East should know that 2022 PDP presidential primary is not time to make money, but time to pick a right candidate to fix Nigeria, therefore they should choose either to work with South-East presidential aspirants or we will serve their heads in a plate. “We are aware that the major factor stopping Biafra restoration are Igbo politicians or the so-called leaders in Biafra land. We have remembered all corrupt politicians in Biafra land this time. None of you shall escape our wrath. You people are living with us and we are living with you people, we know your houses, offices and some of you that sent your children abroad to enjoy good education and good life, we will track your children and wives. “There will be cry of sorrow in Biafra land if anyone betrays South-East. We have taken this “suicide mission” to salvage Biafra land. We’re not afraid of death because we have died many years ago with injustice and marginalisation melted on South-East since after the war.”
News
AddThis
:
Disable advertisements
:
Read also
You can also check
