Boko Haram sacks military camp in Niger, bandits attack emir in Zamfara

 

Minna- Suspected Boko Haram insurgents yesterday sacked the military base at Allawa town in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, as residents fled communities in the area to avoid being shot or kidnapped.

This came as bandits also yesterday attacked the palace of the emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Mohammed Bunu, but failed to kidnap him as he was whisked away to the state capital, Gusau, by security agents.

The Niger incident was said to have happened at about 1:30 am, as the insurgents “invaded the town on motorcycles with not less than three on each bike fully armed. They were said to have numbered about 200.

Our correspondent reliably gathered that the armed men must have embarked on a reprisal mission after the military neutralized about fifty of them in a fierce battle in the area last week.

An eyewitness in the area who pleaded for anonymity, also told our correspondent that a greater number of the insurgents stormed the military camp and sacked those on duty, while others invaded Allawa town and rained bullets on houses.

Cash, foodstuffs and other handy valuables were carted away from the residents of the town and other adjourning villages.
At press time yesterday, the number of casualties recorded in the village and on the side of the military and the terrorists could not be ascertained.

“There was a fierce battle between the insurgents and the military and it was around 1:30 am. It lasted for some hours.
“Because it was midnight, the number of casualties could not be ascertained,” the eyewitness said.

The military camp, it was also gathered, had been deserted by the military personnel deployed to the area.
Consequently, residents of Allawa town and adjourning communities, such as Pandogari, Kukoki, and Bassa among others, have started fleeing the area to safe grounds.

Just last week, suspected Boko Haram members ambushed and killed two military officers and four soldiers at Karaga in the same Shiroro Local Government Area.

Efforts to get confirmation and response to the issue from the state police command through the spokesman, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, proved abortive as his number could not be reached.

Similarly, bandits yesterday attacked the palace of the emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Muhammed Bunu, but failed in their bid to abduct him. resident of Zurmi, Malam Aminu Sale, told our correspondent in a telephone interview, that the bandits went straight to the emir’s palace and started shooting sporadically.According to the source, the bandits killed three people who were kidnapped during the incident.

He said the bandits, who entered the town at about 11:00 pm on Wednesday, also attacked the house of a former Military Administrator of Nasarawa State, Col Bala Mande, retd.

“We, the residents of Zurmi town, have witnessed a terrible situation in the bandits’ attacks. This is not the first time the bandits have entered Zurmi town, it is not the second time.

“Similarly, the bandits again on Wednesday night, attacked Maru town, the headquarters of Maru Local Government Council where they killed one person and kidnapped three people,” a resident of Maru town, who identified himself as Aminu Maru, told our correspondent on telephone.

According to him, the bandits spent more than two hours operating in the town without confrontation.

Source: Vanguard Newspaper 

Dangote refinery ranked above 10 biggest European refineries

 

                                              

A financial data and media company, Bloomberg, has ranked the Dangote Refinery above the top 10 biggest refineries in Europe.

According to data compiled by the business news platform, the refinery has more capacity than many European ones.

The $20bn-worth refinery located in Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos State, can refine 650,000 barrels of petroleum products per day.

The report sighted by our correspondent on Thursday stated that this is over 246,00bpd capacity, more than Shell’s Pernis Refinery, which is located in the Netherlands.

It added that the Pernis Refinery, which has an installed capacity of 404,000bpd, is the biggest in Europe. The BP Rotterdam Refinery in the Netherlands has a capacity of 380,000.

Bloomberg also reported that the GOI Energy ISAB Refinery in Italy was built with a refining capacity of 360,000bpd.

Also, the Total Energies Antwerp refining facility in Belgium can refine 338,000bpd.

Others listed in the report were the Orlen Plock Refinery in Poland with 327,000bpd; Shell’s Rheinland in Germany with 327,000bpd; Miro Refinery in Germany with 310,000 capacity; and the ExxonMobil Anterwep Refinery in Belgium with 307,000 capacity.

It added that the Saras Sarroch Refinery in Italy had 300,000 capacity; the ExxonMobil Fawley in England had 270,000bpd capacity.

The Bloomberg report described the Dangote Refinery as a ‘game changer’ and said it was taking advantage of cheaper US oil imports for as much as a third of its feedstock as it started up.

According to analysts, the refinery has been shipping products in recent weeks while readying two units to enable petrol output, which will deliver a long-promised transformation of the fuel market in Nigeria and the region.

“Dangote is going to influence Atlantic Basin gasoline markets this summer and for the rest of the year,” an oil expert, Alan Gelder, told Bloomberg.

According to the average estimate of analysts at WoodMac, FGE, and Citac, the refinery is running at about 300,000 barrels a day, nearly half its nameplate capacity.

The complex has started shipping jet fuel, diesel, and naphtha as it widens to a full slate of products.

Reuters recently reported that the Dangote oil refinery could end a decades-long petrol trade from Europe to Africa, worth $17 billion a year.

Reuters, quoting analysts and traders, said the Dangote refinery was heaping pressure on European refineries already at risk of closure from heightened competition, adding that the refinery would be the largest in Africa and Europe when it reaches full capacity.

About a third of Europe’s 1.33mbpd average petrol exports in 2023 went to West Africa, a bigger chunk than any other region, with most of those exports ending up in Nigeria, Reuters said, quoting Kpler data.

Dangote Refinery has begun selling diesel into the Nigerian market, crashing the pump price from N1,600 to N940 in less than a month.

Use of firewood, charcoal kill 98,000 Nigerian women annually- Expert

 

                                             Cooking with firewood

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Gas 360, Emmanuel Uwandu on Friday revealed that over 98,000 Nigerian women die annually from the use of firewood and charcoal.

Uwandu added that about 21,000 women die annually from the usage in the Niger Delta.

He stated this in his keynote presentation during the 20,000 metric tonnes of Liquified Petroleum Gas Depot Project ceremony organised by Windek Energy Limited held at Atabrikang Aquaha Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

He revealed further that cooking with firewood and charcoal is equivalent to smoking 20 packages of cigarettes, noting that such is what Nigerian women go through on a daily basis.

Uwandu said, “Cooking with firewood, and charcoal is equivalent to smoking 20 packages of cigarettes For an average smoker that is too much, that is what women in Nigeria have to deal with daily.

“In Nigeria 98, 000 women die annually from the use of firewood and charcoal and across the 774 local governments that translates to about 2,700 deaths annually.

“In Niger Delta alone 21, 000 women die from the use of firewood and charcoal. If we bring that home to Akwa Ibom State 31 Local governments 75 women die every year from the use of firewood and charcoal”.

While noting that cooking with ‘dirty’ fuel is the highest killer, the MD lamented that attention is given to malaria and HIV Aids while nobody is talking about dirty fuel.

“Today, in Nigeria, cooking with dirty fuel is the highest killer of Nigerians but for some reason malaria and HIV get the attention, and nobody talks about cooking with dirty fuel. Globally, 4.6bn dollars was provided to fight against malaria and HIV for Nigeria but clean cooking receives less than 200 million dollars, we have to do more” He stated.

He called on Nigerian governments both at the national and sub-national levels to unlock global opportunities for clean cooking adding that what the global committee wants is to “see clean action plans on policy and support for the government to transform their communities from dirty fuel to clean cooking.”

Also speaking the Managing Director of Windek Energy Limited Nosa Igiehon Okunbo said that the company is not just launching a project but igniting a movement to encourage Energy use across the country ‘

Okunbo added that the company is committed to ensuring that deaths resulting from dirty cooking are prevented.

She added ” In our latest LPG facility we are not just launching a project, we are igniting a movement to receive energy use across Nigeria. Every year more than 600 women in Africa lose their lives to smoking from dirty cooking fuel, this is a preventable tragedy that we are determined to tackle headlong. With this facility, we are moving beyond business as usual and driving fuel for a future where free energy is accessible to all”

In his brief remarks, Minister of State for Petroleum, Obong Ekperikpe Ekpo appreciated Windek for their commitment to the project which he said marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards Energy security and economic prosperity.

The minister said, “I am delighted to join you today at this groundbreaking ceremony for 20,000 metric tonnes of LPG depot at Atabrikang Aquaha, Ibeno within the Liberty Oil and gas free zone here in Akwa Ibom State. First and foremost, I extend my appreciation to Windek Energy for their visionary commitment to this project which marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards Energy security and economic prosperity.

“The establishment of this Depot underscores the importance of strategic investment in the gas sector which is pivotal for driving industrialisation creating jobs and improving the livelihood of our people. As we gather here today to reaffirm our collective resolve to harness the immense potential of our natural resources, particularly in the gas sector, Nigeria is blessed with standard gas reserves and it’s incumbent on us to leverage these resources efficiently and sustainably for the benefit of current and future generations.”

The state Governor, Umo Eno who was represented by the deputy governor, Senator Akon Ayakenyi while expressing his happiness over the project said that the establishment of the project not only underscores the state’s commitment towards enhancing Energy capacity but signifies the growth and progress of Akwa Ibom State.

“This event marks a significant milestone in the development of our state energy infrastructure and the broader economic landscape of Nigeria. The establishment of this Depot not only underscores our commitment towards enhancing our energy capacity but also signifies the potential for growth and prosperity in Akwa Ibom State”.

In 2019, the UN disclosed that nearly 4 million individuals perished prematurely due to illnesses caused by household air pollution.

Sad story: Nigerian who relocated to UK in 2022 beat wife to death with skateboard

 

                                             Olubunmi Abodunde and his late wife, Taiwo

A United Kingdom-based Nigerian man, Olubunmi Abodunde, has beaten his wife, Taiwo, to death with their son’s skateboard, Daily Mail reports.

The couple, who had three children, arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2022 and always clashed over alleged affairs and arguments about bills.

According to the news platform, 48-year-old Abodunde had been repeatedly investigated by Suffolk Police about domestic violence and was due to go on trial for murder but changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday after a jury had been sworn in.

During the abuse, officers heard ‘a number of bangs’ inside the house, which Abodunde had gone into, despite bail conditions imposed the day before that banned him from the property following another violent episode.

When they finally entered 25 minutes later, they found the wife, 41-year-old Taiwo, with her ‘skull smashed in’.

However, Judge Martyn Levett, sitting at Ipswich Crown Court, warned him the only possible sentence was life imprisonment.

Suffolk Constabulary has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct, which confirmed three officers were under investigation.

An IOPC spokesman said, “We advised two Suffolk officers that they are under investigation for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour at the level of gross misconduct.

“We advised another officer that they are under investigation at the level of misconduct.”

Abodunde had a history of jealousy and suspicion and accused his wife of having affairs. He had been investigated by police a number of times over alleged domestic violence incidents before his wife’s death.

He was arrested on April 27 last year when police arrived at the couple’s home in Newmarket, Suffolk, and found Mrs Abodunde with a split lip.

Later that day, he was freed on police bail with the condition that he stayed away from the marital home and didn’t approach his wife.

But after working a night shift at Tesco, he went home just after 9 am to allegedly pick up his mobile phone.

Two officers arrived at 9.20 am to take a statement from Mrs Abodunde about the previous night’s incident and heard repeated banging noises inside.

But it wasn’t until 9.55 am that they forced their way in after getting approval from senior officers and found Mrs Abodunde ‘obviously dead’ near the front door.

A post-mortem examination later showed she had been throttled until she fell unconscious, then stamped on until her ribs were broken before her husband used the skateboard to finish her off. The blows were so violent that the skateboard was damaged.

Prosecutor Simon Spence KC told the court the banging officers heard was likely to have been Abodunde continuing to attack his wife after she was unconscious or dead.

Mrs Abodunde had a job as a care home assistant in Cambridge, but her husband, who had trained as a civil engineer, was unable to find work in his profession and took shifts at Tesco and Wickes.

After his arrest for the murder, Abodunde was taken to hospital “because he appeared to have some sort of mental episode”.

He later claimed in a police statement he had acted in self-defence, saying, “My wife has subjected me to physical abuse for a number of years.

“On November 28, we got into an argument. She ran at me with a knife, I grabbed the knife and cut my hand. I was defending myself.”

But the court heard while he did have an injury to his hand, there wasn’t a knife near his wife’s body.

Nneka Akudolu KC, defending, said the level of violence was ‘completely out of character’ for her client and might have been affected by medication he was taking. But she said no medical evidence would be provided to support this claim.

Detective Inspector Dan Connick, of Suffolk Police, said after the hearing, “This was an awful attack on a woman that has had a lasting impact on the community and, most importantly, on the victim’s family.

‘We are pleased that Taiwo’s family will no longer have to go through the pain of a trial.

‘Our thoughts remain with Taiwo’s family and friends and hope this result will bring some small comfort to them.’

Taiwo Abodunde worked for Cambridge Manor Care Home, which provides dementia care and residential and respite care.

A spokesman for the facility, which is owned by TLC Care, said: ‘We are all deeply shaken and upset by the tragic death of Taiwo, who was a much-loved member of our home community.

‘Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with her family. Taiwo always cared for those we support with compassion and kindness, and she will be greatly missed by all of us and our residents.’

Abodunde was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on May 9.

Naira fails to appreciate against Dollar in forex market despite CBN intervention

 

The Naira has failed to appreciate against the US dollar at the foreign exchange market despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recent additional release of $10,000 to Bureau De change operators.

FMDQ data showed that the Naira recorded another drop to N1308.52 per Dollar on Wednesday compared to N1,300.15 exchanged on Tuesday.

On a day-to-day basis, this represents an N8.37 drop from N1,300.15 per Dollar it traded on Tuesday.

In the parallel market section, the Naira was sold at between N1,250 and N1,300 on Wednesday from N1230 on Tuesday.

The development comes despite the Central Bank of Nigeria releasing 10,000 dollars each to BDC at N1,021 to a dollar with a caveat to sell at most 1.5 per cent above the bought price.

This is the third recent intervention for BDCs amid the bank’s effort to defend the Naira.

However, despite the FX rate record, the official window rate still surpassed the parallel market by N8.52.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the National President of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, Aminu Gwadabe, blamed peer-to-peer cryptocurrency platforms like Binance for the recent depreciation of the Naira against the Dollar in the foreign exchange market.

In recent days, the Naira has slumped six times against the Dollar in the foreign exchange market.

Kano, Jigawa top list of tobacco smoking in Nigeria – Report

 

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, has said Kano and Jigawa states top the list of states smoking tobacco in Nigeria.

CISLAC senior programs officer, Solomon Adoga stated this at a one-day multi-stakeholders’ engagement on tobacco taxation in Jigawa State, organized by CISLAC, with support from Tax Justice Network

He said the aim was to reduce the level of tobacco usage in the state, especially among the youth.

According to him, “it’s unfortunate that research shows Kano/Jigawa are on top the list of states in use of tobacco in Nigeria, while the majority of users are youths, some within minor age.

“To control tobacco usage, the state government must adopt and domesticate National Tobacco Control Act (2015) and Tobacco Tax Policy to save the lives of our youth who are future leaders.”

He added that the purpose of engaging and interacting with relevant stakeholders like traditional and religious leaders, youth groups, civil society organisations and the media was to help in creating awareness on the dangers of tobacco, as well to advocate to both the legislature and the executive to domesticate and adopt the laws.

PDP risks bleak future as Wike camp fights on

 

Last week, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, held its much anticipated 98th National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Abuja.

The meeting as expected was widely attended by prominent leaders of the party, including former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and former Vice President, Namadi Sambo.

Also present in the NEC meeting were the state governors: Bala Mohammed (Bauchi State); Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Ahmed Fintiri (Adamawa State), Ademola Adeleke (Osun State); Sim Fubara (Rivers State), Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, among others.

The NEC at the end of its meeting endorsed the Amb. Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the party, giving him a fresh bill of health to continue acting in office till the next NEC.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who read the communiqué by NEC, said that the issue of the party leadership, which was the main bone of contention before the meeting, would be considered in August.

Debo said that the NEC tasked all organs, leaders, stakeholders and members of the PDP to close ranks and put aside their differences and work together to reposition and return the PDP to power.

“Our party emphasises the need for reconciliation and stability within the party at this time. Therefore, the issue of the National Chairman, Damagum, has been deferred to the next NEC meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for August 15th.

“NEC also approved the reconstitution of the Party Disciplinary and Reconciliation Committees to further ensure the stability of the party,” he said.

However, the development, DAILY POST gathered, signalled an indication that Wike would continue to maintain an upper hand in the leadership crisis plaguing the party, with Damagun remaining as the acting National Chairman. This is despite his estranged relationship with the PDP.

Prior to the NEC meeting, the issue of whether Damagum should maintain his position or be changed was the main point of discussion among PDP officials.

The discussion restored hostilities between the Atiku and the Wike camps.

Wike is currently serving as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, despite his claim of still being a member of the PDP.

Speaking to DAILY POST, a Public Affairs Analyst and Communication Scholar at Peaceland University, Enugu, Nduka Odo, said the PDP was floundering not because Wike was too strong nor because of the strength of his tactics or manoeuvring.

According to him, Wike and others who press the neck of the PDP leadership, romance with the opposition, and attend NEC meetings with braggadocio were doing so because people have lost interest in the party.

Odo warned that if the PDP doesn’t put its house and acts in order, and atone for how it treated its strongholds, it may no longer exist at the national level in next election cycles.

He said: “People are getting it all wrong. What is happening is different from what most people and even the press described.

“I don’t see it as Wike having a strong grip on the PDP. For you to appreciate the situation properly, I want you to take a look at the forces that got the party where it is today.

“The party became blind to the sensitivities of its stronghold. The South-East has been the strongest base of the PDP. That’s followed by the South-South. When individual interests overrode party and national interest, the party hit rock bottom.

“The party thought it wise to give its presidential ticket to Atiku, a northern Fulani Muslim, to replace Buhari, a northern Fulani Muslim in a country that has been run based on alternations.

“Now, the party is floundering, not because Wike is too strong. He seems to have a strong grip on PDP leadership, not because of the strength of his tactics or manoeuvring.

“Wike or anyone is able to press the neck of the PDP leadership, romance with the opposition, and attend NEC meetings with bragadacio because people have lost interest in the party.

“Future is no longer associated with the party at the national level. That’s what happens when individual interest overshadows party or national interest. Is it not recently that Emeka Ihedioha resigned from the party?

“There is a reduced interest in the party at national level. So, Wike or anyone can run the party anyhow and nothing will happen.

“If the PDP doesn’t put its house and acts in order, and atone for how it treated its strongholds, the party may no longer exist at the national level in two election cycles. APC is out to swallow carrier politicians. Labour Party is out to sweep up the younger generations disillusioned by the others”.

Meanwhile, the PDP in a press statement on Tuesday, after an emergency meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC), said it has reviewed the issue of the Caretaker Committee of River State.

According to the statement, NWC resolved to intensify action in the continuing consultation to resolving the issues amicably in conjunction with the PDP Governors’ Forum.

Hon. Debo Ologunagba, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, who made this known, said the NWC noted the existence of an ex parte order issued by the Federal High Court, Abuja, restraining it from further action with respect to the status of the Rivers State Caretaker Committee List as published.

He said the party organ also recognized the concerted intervention and efforts of various organs of the party, particularly the PDP Governors’ Forum to find a political solution to the crisis.

“However, while the Rivers State Caretaker Committee List as published stands in compliance with the Order of the Court, the NWC notes the concerted intervention and efforts of various Organs of the Party, particularly the PDP Governors’ Forum to finding a political solution to the issue of the River State Caretaker Committee,” he added.

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Osita Okechukwu has stated that “PDP’s blank communiqué with no mention of Wike’s masquerade signposts a sinking party.”

Okechukwu, who is the immediate past Director General of Voice of Nigeria, VON, told DAILY POST that the PDP instead of facing the realities in the party was busy heaping blame on hunger and insecurity in the land.

He said that “instead of careful introspection of its bleeding ailments and how to fix its troubled Wike’s Masquerade, imbibe the best tenets of internal democracy devoid of breach of the zoning convention, extant laws, planlessness and squandermania, the PDP arrogantly hauled unnecessary blame game on the APC.”

“My understanding is that PDP may not even recover in August after the ward, LGA, and State congresses and national convention, when they failed ab initio to embark on careful introspection to examine the root causes of Wike’s masquerade which led a party that boasted of 60 years uninterrupted reign to woeful failure in 2023 presidential election.

“Truly PDP needs soul searching to make amends, rather than sweeping its troubled faction under the carpet. The party must first clean the log in its eyes and learn that blame game is no solution provider, before playing an effective role as the main opposition party,” Okechukwu quipped.

He reminded the PDP that they not only agreed to remove fuel subsidy in the 2023 presidential election campaign, but were “the first to embrace neoliberalism, hence privatised both failed and lucrative State Owned Enterprises (SOE).”

He said the PDP cultivated the ground for Nigeria’s notorious World Poverty Capital status and palpable insecurity, by less than transparent sale of SOEs and squandermania of Oil Windfalls.

Okechukwu challenged the PDP “to name any SOE they privatised that succeeded as envisaged by neoliberals – all failed – NEPA, Ajaokuta Steel, Aluminum Smelter Company Akwa Ibom, NICON Insurance, Mambilla et al.

“PDP took sixteen years of planlessness and squandermania to sell our national assets, even legislators’ quarters, hence dislocated our socio-economic fabric, abandoned critical infrastructures and truncated our democracy.

“APC in the last nine years has been engaged in the Herculean task of reconstruction, rehabilitation and renewal under COVID-19 and poor oil revenue.”

Flights diverted as fire breaks out at Lagos Airport

 

The E54 Bridge of Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal One suffered a fire outbreak in the early hours of this morning.

Smoke was detected billowing from the E54 Bridge, leading electrical engineers to immediately cut off power to the airport’s E Wing.

A statement by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Federal Airports Authority, FAAN, Mrs Obiageli Orah Director, said that although the fire was brought under control at 06:41 am, all flight operations in Terminal 1 of MMA have been diverted to the D Wing

The statement reads: “At 05:29 hrs, smoke was detected billowing from the E54 Bridge, leading electrical engineers to immediately cut off power to the entire E Wing. The Airport Rescue and Firefighting Services (ARFFS) team was quick to respond, arriving at the scene by 05:30 hrs. Initial suspicions point to sparks from an electrical unit as the cause, but a thorough investigation is ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fire.

“The incident, which had escalated into a fire, was brought under control by 06:41 hrs. Efforts to ventilate the smoke from the building are in progress.

In the meantime, all flight operations in Terminal 1 of MMA have been diverted to the D Wing. More details will follow shortly.”

119 inmates escape as heavy rains destroy Suleja Prisons

 

No fewer than 119 inmates of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Suleja, Niger state, have escaped, following hours of heavy downpour which destroyed parts of the facility on Wednesday night.

Spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service NCoS, Adamu Duza disclosed this in a statement on Thursday morning.

He said, “A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, 24 April 2024 has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Suleja, Niger state, as well as surrounding buildings, destroying part of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of a total of 118 inmates of the facility”.

According to him, the Service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies has so far recaptured 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody, while still in a hot chase to recapture the rest.

Duza said the Service is not unmindful of the fact that many of its facilities were built during the colonial era and that they are old and weak, adding that the Service is making frantic efforts to see that all ageing facilities give way to modern ones.

“This is evidenced in the ongoing construction of six number of 3000-capacity ultra-modern custodial centres in all the geo-political zones in Nigeria as well as the ongoing reconstruction and renovation of existing ones.

“The Service wishes to assure the public that it is on top of the situation and that they should go about their businesses without fear or hindrance.

“The public is further enjoined to look out for the fleeing inmates and report any suspicious movement to the nearest security agency”, said Duza.

Lagos probes Indian school where Nigerians are denied admission

 

Some Nigerians have expressed outrage over suspected discrimination against Nigerians at the Indian Language School, Ilupeju, in Lagos.

This is as the Lagos State Government condemned the development and subsequently ordered a probe.

The PUNCH reported on Wednesday that the Indian High Commission vowed to sanction the workers at the school who refused The PUNCH correspondent access to the school facility for inquiries.

This followed online reports that the school was not admitting or welcoming Nigerians on its premises which prompted our correspondent to proceed to the school to investigate the claims.

While reacting to a post by @DejiAdesogan on Sunday, bordering on discrimination against Nigerians at an Abuja-based Chinese store, an X user @decommonroom shared his experience about the school.

He wrote, “The Indian school in Ilupeju only admits Indians. You need an Indian passport for enrolment.”

In a further chat with our correspondent, the user said, “My experience with the Indian international school in Ilupeju dates back to when my school had a debate competition with them in 2009. I discovered there were only Indian students. I was curious as to why because my school was also an international school and run by a foreign embassy with primarily expatriate kids and few Nigerians. Then I was informed their passport was a prerequisite for admission.”

Our correspondent visited the school on Monday but was denied entry by security officials who claimed to be acting on instructions of a receptionist.

When our correspondent asked to make inquiries for his uncle who had two kids and would like to enroll them in the school, one of the security men asked, “But that your uncle is an Indian man?”

“They said as a Nigerian, they (the management) cannot attend to you. So the person should come, the Indian person,” another security man added, saying that was the response of an unidentified administrative worker, said to be an Indian.

An email sent to the principal of the school, Sonali Gupta, seeking a reaction was not responded to on Tuesday. A reminder was also sent by our correspondent on Wednesday with no  response as of the time of filing this report.

On Tuesday, the press officer of the Indian High Commission in Abuja, Vipul Mesariya, said the commission was shocked by the experience of our reporter vowing sanctions.

Vipul said, “We are shocked to hear that you were not allowed inside the school. We are disciplining the security guard and the receptionist as they did not have the authority to make such a decision.”

It was however gathered that the school is primarily meant for Indian wards where they get accustomed with Indian style of learning and traditions.

Some Facebook users who commented on The PUNCH investigation expressed dissatisfaction over discrimination against Nigerians.

A Facebook user, Valentine Leo wrote, “Indians and Chinese are doing the most in this Nigeria. What’s the socioeconomic advantage of these businesses in Nigeria to Nigerians?”

“Terrible things are going on in this country,” Emmanuel Wilson lamented.

Another user, Freeman Ayo, called attention to how some Nigerians were treated at some Indian restaurants in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, but did not provide specific details.

He wrote, “You people need to go to Indian restaurants, especially in Abuja and see how Nigerians working there are treated especially the girls. It’s a long story.”

“I know the school they’re talking about. They should be questioned as well. It’s high time Nigeria stepped up to some of these foreigners (who) look at us like slaves most especially Indians” Agber Lover Victor commented.

Busuyi Johnson wondered why Nigerians would be discriminated against in their country with the government folding arms. The user said, “Chinese bar Nigerians in their supermarkets, Indians bar Nigerians in their school and we have a government in Nigeria.”

Posting a laughing emoji, Uvwie Girl wrote in pidgin language, “Dem go dey come Nigeria come open schools and supermarket, dem no go allow Nigerians, inside Nigeria.”

But Ridwan Abdulkadir expressed a different opinion noting he would ordinarily not want his children to get used to the Indian culture. He wrote, “Why would I (a Nigerian) want my child to school in an Indian school? Schools don’t just teach Maths, English and sciences. They also teach customs/traditions and moral values. So why would anyone want his children to be taught by people whose customs/traditions and moral values are completely different from Africans?”

On X, users expressed similar outrage and some shared their experience with the school.

“I used to live close to the school 14 years ago. Even the black drivers that brought children to school will park and wait till closing hours so the children won’t interact with nobody,” @demongoakombo wrote.

Another user noted it was important for foreigners to respect Nigeria’s democracy.

@ezechukwumicha4 wrote, “We practise democracy and if you can’t operate on a fair ground, please leave Nigeria, period.”

“They are like this almost everywhere in the world. They form their own community, do their own things, hire their own people, etc. All Asians not just Indians,” @daviconet22 also said.

A user asked if Nigerians could do same in India. “Can Nigerians do this in Indian? Lols,” @victor_omonowa_ asked.

However, checks online show that some Indian and Chinese schools in the United States are primarily for natives. It could not be immediately verified if they were open to foreigners or barred foreigners from visiting the school premises.

Riverside Indian School in the United States is home to nearly 800 students representing over 75 native American tribes from throughout the US, according to information on its website.

Information about the school located in Oklahoma as seen on the website of Oklahoma Historical Society, said, “Riverside school presently has students from dozens of Indian regions attending grades four through 12. Admission requires a Certified Degree of Indian Blood. Riverside’s board of education, administration, staff, and faculty are predominantly American Indian. The State of Oklahoma and the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Elementary Schools accredit the school, which offers numerous specialised academic programmes.”

An activist and General Secretary of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, Gerald Katchy, in an interview with our correspondent, said discrimination of any kind “is a serious breach of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights Article 23, Article 28 Article 30 and other international and national treaties including our constitution.”

Gerald said, “Discrimination is any unfair treatment or arbitrary distinction based on a person’s race, sex, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, age, language, social origin or other status.”

When contacted on Wednesday, the Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, said the state ministry of education would be informed and a probe would be carried out to ascertain what was going on in the school.

The commissioner said the state government was not in support of any form of discrimination.

“The Lagos State government frowns at any form of discrimination in whatever guise or disguise. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is in the second term of his administration and in everything he has done, he has not discriminated against anybody irrespective of religion, colour or affiliation. I’m not sure the ministry of education has gotten a complaint from anybody but if what you’re saying is true, it is not in our character.”

Omotosho added, “The ministry of education will investigate the matter.”

Alleged fraud: EFCC goes hard on Yahaya Bello, Sirika

 

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday stepped up its bid to prosecute the duo of the ex-governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello and a former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, for alleged misappropriation of public funds.

Bello, who has been declared wanted by the EFCC, is alleged to have stolen about N80 billion from the Kogi treasury.

The anti-graft agency is now seeking to arraign him on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.

Last week, EFCC moved to arrest Bello when it laid siege in his home in an attempt to prosecute him in court for his alleged crimes during his eight years as governor of the state.

DAILY POST reported that the officers of the EFCC had, alongside armed security personnel, barricaded Bello’s Abuja home, blocking both entrances to his residence located at Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4.

However, the move met stiff opposition by Governor Usman Ododo, who the commission accused of whisking Bello away from his Abuja residence in his official car.

While the drama ensued, a conflicting court order over the arrest of the former governor emerged on Wednesday.

One of the rulings, which came from a Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, restrained the EFCC from arresting, detaining or prosecuting Bello.

The order was given by Justice I.A Jamil, ruling that infringing on the fundamental human rights of the former Kogi governor was null and void except as authorised by the court.

“By this order, the EFCC is hereby restrained from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the applicant except as authorised by the Court.

“This is a definite order following the earlier interim injunction given,” he said.

However, the EFCC, obtained permission from the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to arrest the ex-Kogi State governor in preparation for his arraignment last Thursday.

The warrant was granted by Justice Emeka Nwite at the instance of the EFCC.

During his planned arraignment in court on Thursday, Bello absconded trial at the federal high court in Abuja, making the Counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Phinro, to inform the court that Bello’s absence in court was a strategy to frustrate his trial.

On Tuesday, the Chairman of the Commission, Ola Olukoyede, came hard on Bello and vowed to follow his prosecution to a logical conclusion.

Olukoyede also vowed to resign as EFCC chairman if the ex-governor is not prosecuted.

He disclosed that the embattled former governor allegedly withdrew $720,000 from the government account.

According to him, Bello wired the money to a Bureau de Change operator to pay for his child’s school fees in advance.

He said: “A sitting governor, because he knew he was leaving office, moved money directly from the government to Bureau de Change (and) used it to pay his child’s school fee in advance.

“Over $720,000 or thereabout, in anticipation that he was going to leave the Government House. In a poor state like Kogi? And you want me to close my eyes under the guise of ‘I’m being used’. Used by who? At this stage of my life? Used by who?” He queried.

Olukoyede, who spoke in Abuja on Tuesday during an interactive session with newsmen, also revealed how he put a phone call across to Bello on the allegations of corruption against him.

He said Bello wanted EFCC to come to his village to interrogate him.

“I called Yahaya Bello, as a serving governor, to come to my office to clear himself. I shouldn’t have done that.

“But he said because a certain senator has planted over 100 journalists in my office, he would not come.

“I told him that he would be allowed to use my private gate to give him a cover, but he said my men should come to his village to interrogate him,” he further disclosed.

Before now, Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson to President Bola Tinubu, had urged Yahaya Bello to submit himself to the EFCC.

According to Onanuga, Bello has nowhere to run to.

The statement came after EFCC declared Bello wanted for an alleged financial crime to the tune of N80.2 billion.

In a post on his X handle, Onanuga said Bello should submit himself to the EFCC and get a good lawyer.

He said: “Yahaya Bello, where will you run to? It’s better you submit yourself to the EFCC and get a good lawyer.”

EFCC quizzes ex-Aviation Minister Sirika over alleged N8bn fraud

Still on Tuesday, the Commission quizzed a former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over alleged N8bn Nigeria Air fraud.

The accused ex-minister made an appearance at the EFCC’s Federal Capital Territory Command around 1:00 pm on Tuesday.

Olukoyede, who confirmed that the EFCC has been investigating the Aviation and Humanitarian Affairs ministries, said that the probe has not been about only Sirika and Betta Edu but everything about the two ministries.

“It is the system I am investigating and whosoever is now found culpable along the line, those are the names you will hear,” Olukoyede stated.

Sirika was accused of conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, contract inflation, criminal breach of trust and money laundering amounting to ₦8,069,176,864.

The Commission alleged that the sum was for four aviation contracts from the former minister to a company known as Engirios Nigeria Limited, owned by his younger brother.

The agency said apart from being listed as the company’s MD/CEO, Abubakar was the sole signatory to the company’s two accounts, domiciled in Zenith and Union banks.

Sirika was also alleged to have awarded the contracts to his brother Abubakar, knowing that he is a civil servant, a deputy director on Level 16 in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, where he has been working since 2000 till date.

DAILY POST reported the raging controversy over the “unveiling” of the supposed national carrier, Nigeria Air plane, at the twilight of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Many, including civil society organisations, said the matter should not be swept under the carpet.

The unveiling of Nigeria Air was carried out by Hadi Sirika, former Minister of Aviation, on May 26, 2023, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Reacting to the development, ex-chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, said the EFCC has suddenly woken up.

According to him, the anti-graft agency woke up to its duty because of public pressure, which followed after it arrested and convicted Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky.

Many Nigerians had criticized the EFCC for going after soft targets while leaving corrupt politicians.

In his post on X on Tuesday, Odinkalu said: “Since it went after #Bobrisky, @officialEFCC has suddenly woken up. But some people will tell you public pressure doesn’t matter sha….!”

Meanwhile, the Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Sam Amadi, has said that lawyers are now paid enablers.

Amadi revealed on Tuesday via a post on his X handle that an unnamed person contacted him asking if he knew senior lawyers who could be paid to defend the embattled former Kogi governor on national television.

He said: “Someone contacted me to say if I know senior lawyers who can be paid to defend @OfficialGYBKogi on @channelstv. The guy said of course I can never do it but help him with someone who can.

“Note: Lawyers are now paid enablers. When you see them on tv talking nonsense just remember.”