Thursday 21 July 2016

Halliburton scandal: Buhari’s wife sues Fayose

fayos aisha
Aisha, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has sued Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, for defamation.
Mrs. Buhari is dragging the governor to court for claiming that she was among those indicted in the Halliburton multi-million dollar scandal.
Recall that the President’s wife had on several occasions denied involvement in the scam and threatened to sue Fayose.
Similarly, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, stated that Aisha was not one of Nigerians mentioned in the scam.
But Fayose has continued to insist that the President’s wife was involved in the fraud in which Nigeria lost huge sums of money, alleging that the Federal Government’s anti-corruption war was selective and politically-motivated.
Premium Times reported on Wednesday night that Mrs. Buhari had dragged Fayose to court for tarnishing her image.
The online portal added that it had obtained the court summons, dated July 20, 2016, that Aisha filed against the governor.
SOURCE: DailyPostng

Rivers university student expelled for ‘speech and hearing challenges’ returns to school

The student who was expelled by the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, in 2015, for having “speech and hearing challenges” has been allowed to return to school.
Jane Ottah, 28, who dragged the university before a Rivers State High Court for expelling her over claims that she had disabilities, agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the University on Tuesday.
Ms. Ottah had demanded the university to pay her N20 million as damages in addition to providing the necessary support services and facilities to aid her learning. She also asked the court for a perpetual injunction restraining the university or their agents from discriminating against her in any way.
“I won the case, I’m going back to school,” Ms. Ottah informed PREMIUM TIMES in a Whatsapp message minutes after the court’s decision.
Rotimi Oguneso, the lawyer who took up the case after it was reported by PREMIUM TIMES, confirmed that the matter had been settled.
“We filed terms of settlement in court and same was adopted, the court recognized it as a settlement and it’s binding on all parties,” Mr. Oguneso, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said over the phone on Wednesday.
“So the university will take her back, she’s resuming in the next academic session.”
Blessing Didia, the school’s Vice Chancellor, also confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that they had agreed to settle out of court, but insisted that Ms. Ottah “was never dismissed ab initio”.
Benedict Ottah, the student’s father, said they agreed to the University’s plea to settle out of court because he wanted his daughter back in school
“We were in court on the 19th of February, the first sitting, their (university) lawyer pleaded for settling out of court,” Mr. Ottah told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday.
“Then, on the 11th of April, Rotimi (Oguneso) and Femi Falana met them, they agreed on that settlement, not on monetary basis but on educational basis that my daughter shoul resume back to school this September.”
While expressing gratitude to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr. Ottah said the school agreed to assist his daughter settle back in school, as well as carry forward the school fees paid and registrations done in 2014 to September this year.
“She will not be victimized again,” he said.
“The issue is, I didn’t go for monetary compensation, I just forgot about that, let my daughter resume her school.”
PREMIUM TIMES had, in November last year, reported how the University handed a letter of expulsion to Ms. Ottah after it claimed it had observed that she was “medically challenged and have hearing and speech difficulties.”‎
“Since the University does not have special communication facilities, the Vice-Chancellor has directed that you be de-registered on health grounds‎,” the school registrar’s letter to Ms. Ottah read.
“I am in the circumstance, directed to inform you that you have been de-registered on health grounds with immediate effect. You are therefore advised to hand over all University property(ies) in your possession to your Head of Department and thereafter leave the campus.”
The letter was dated 30th January, 2015.
The University’s action was widely condemned by lawyers and human rights activists who described it as “a crude treatment” for a person with disability.
Ms. Ottah, who was in her first year in the Department of Educational Foundation, was writing the semester’s examination when she received the letter.
She was admitted into the university in September 2014.
Before securing admission, Ms. Ottah had passed her West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination with three distinctions and five credits; scored 205 in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam; and passed the university’s post-UME test.
Ms. Ottah described the out-of-court settlement with the university as “not bad”.
“Half bread is better than none.
“My education is very important to me, and I thank Jehovah Ebenezer, the tear wiper has done it for me.”
SOURCE:Premiumtimesng

Wednesday 20 July 2016

Police recover decomposing corpse of Today’s Prints boss, Ogunranti; arrest killers

badmen1
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested the murderers of late Olalekan Ogunranti, Managing Director, Today’s Prints Ltd.
The late Olalekan Ogunranti was kidnapped on May 16, 2016 by some unknown gunmen in Osun State.
However, with the slow pace of the investigation, the Inspector-General of Police, Ag.IGP Ibrahim Idris on assumption of office ordered the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the IGP’s Monitoring Unit to take over the matter and ensure the arrest of the culprits in record time.
Force spokesman, Don Awunah, in a statement on Tuesday, saId the IRT swung into action, using all the technical resources of the Force available to them for the arrest of five prime suspects.
They include; Asimiyu Agboola; Adesina Meyidan; Ramoni Afolabi; Akeem Akorede and Coker Daniel.
Coker Daniel, one of the suspects and a 32 year old graduate, in his confessional statement led IRT operatives to Ibukun River in Ibukun local government area of Osun state where the mutilated body of the late Olalekan Ogunranti was recovered and deposited at LAUTECH Oshogbo as other suspects were arrested in Lagos and Ondo States respectively.
All suspects confessed they kidnapped, killed and mutilated the body of the late Olalekan Ogunranti.
badmen2
IGP Ibrahim Idris said the ”arrest of these murderers is a glaring evidence of the proactive nature of the Nigeria Police Force in the new dispensation,” assuring Nigerians that the Nigeria Police will always guaranty the security of lives and property.
SOURCE: DailyPostng

How Boko Haram forced me to watch my son beheaded – displaced Baga resident

Jummai Ibrahim
Over a year ago when Boko Haram insurgents swept through the fishing community of Baga in northern Borno State, horrified residents had limited options. The militants attacked and killed many, locals and security operatives alike.
Men, women and children who managed to flee, arrived camps for internally displaced persons with grisly tales of what they saw either during the attack, or while on the run.
One woman, Jummai Ibrahim, who braved all odds to stay alive, told PREMIUM TIMES chilling details of how she lost everything, including a 21-year-old son, and how Boko Haram insurgents forced her to watch him decapitated.
Back in Baga, Jummai and many other women that fled, lived fairly well, with good earnings from a booming fish trade near the Lake Chad. The 58-year-old was famous as a big time merchant, she said.
Now, seated at the Maiduguri IDP camp where she has lived for months, Jummai’s appearance tells nothing of that well-to-do past.
“All my life fishing is what I do,” said Jummai with some degree of pride. “It was fishing that took me and my husband to Baga and even into some parts of Chad in the past 40 years.”
She said they made money daily from fishing and food crops.
“Without being ungrateful to God, I will say we have made great fortune from our fishing business mostly on the Lake Chad waters,” she narrated. “But unfortunately, Boko Haram came in to dislodge our peace and caused us serious loss of our properties, and money.”
On the day Boko Haram insurgents struck in January 2015, Jummai said their last consignment of fish for day had been loaded to a truck at about 6 am, ready for delivery to the markets.
The cargo was not much that day at about N700, 000, she said.
When gunfire ran out, the town laid in ruin and residents like Jummai fled leaving all they toiled for.
“After loading the truck, we had to leave it in the park overnight for it to be transported the next morning. We later lost everything because everyone had to run for their dear lives when Boko Haram came in large numbers shooting their ways into every household and killing everyone they came across. All our food stuff stored in our silos were also left behind,” she narrated.
“We suffered a great deal fleeing to safety. Now that we have arrived the IDP camp in Maiduguri, we came to meet a life we never envisaged at all. It was a setback to many of us women who were once masters of their own in terms of financial resources; because back there in Doro-Baga, we do our business and make enough money to take good care of ourselves and our needs.
“It is ironical to see me here today begging to feed when I could make over N3 million in a single net-drag of fishes; the least we make in the sales of fishes could be around N500, 000. We do not know any other business except fishing and farming; and here we have nothing to do other than sitting down every day and waiting for handouts from government,” she said.
Jummai, a mother of seven children, who are mostly adults, said Boko Haram gunmen did not only invade their community, but went after them as they fled into the bushes. Many, according to her were killed in the bush and many, especially young women, were abducted by the assailants.
“I left all my belongings back in Doro-Baga when fleeing the attack by Boko Haram. I came with only the clothes I had on me,” she said. “We ran all day together with some of my children. When we got to a village called Kalwaram, I saw many people killed, and at the outskirts of the village I saw fresh corpses of two soldiers; one of the soldiers was stripped naked, his manhood was cut off his groin and forced into his mouth. I could not stand the sight of such horror, but I had to untie my wrapper and cover his body up to, at least, protect his dignity. I kept on running with only my underskirt and the blouse I had on me, until I got to a village called Minnati, where a woman saw me and out of sympathy gave me a wrapper to wear over my underskirt. That was how I got to the camp in Maiduguri, all on foot,” Jummai narrated.
Jummai said their journey out of Baga began on a bloody note as they ran into the insurgents on the outskirts of the town.
“I lost many of my relatives while fleeing from Baga. Immediately we made it to the outskirts of Baga, Boko Haram gunmen intercepted us and took away one of my daughters who was two months pregnant and her three-year-old son and 13 other ladies who were either my cousins or my husband’s younger ones that were living with us.
“One of my sons, Habibu, who was about 21 years old was killed by Boko Haram. When they saw him with me, one of the Boko Haram gunmen told me that ‘Mama this your son is old enough to join the Civilian-JTF, so he is assumed to be a potential member of the Civilian-JTF’. For that reason they dragged him to the ground in my presence and slit his throat. They wanted to force me to hold his legs while they were cutting off his neck, and I told them I could not do such thing. I attempted to close my eyes because I could not stand to see how they were killing my own son like an animal, but one of them hit me with the butt of their gun on my arm, and insisted that I must watch them as they killed my son.
“I watched him cry and calling on me to help him, when I cried out that I could not help him, then he kept on screaming that ‘mama pray for me, and forgive me if I ever offended you, pray for me’…(sobs)…that was how my child was slaughtered and beheaded,” Jummai narrated, weeping. “I have seen pains and torture from Baga to Maiduguri.”

Life in Maiduguri

Life at the IDP camp has been another tortuous phase for Jummai. She complains about how she and her surviving family now struggle to eat and get basic needs as clothing.
“Now I am left with nothing except rags,” she said, struggling a wry smile, but apparently fighting back tears.
“Last year, Borno State government came to share clothes for us and that was what we have been using since then. As you can see now, the clothes have turned to rags because of everyday use. Look at my body, look at our skins, we lack soaps to bathe and even the cheapest cream to oil our body. We do not even have washing bar to wash our clothes. It is so pathetic.
“It is even more pathetic now that I have over 20 children including some of my own that were able to make it on their own to this camp and those of neighbours that have been killed, all living with me in the same apartment here in the camp. Food that was recently distributed by the Borno state governor during this Ramadan did not get to us in our own house. We have to depend on one or two measures of rice that some good relatives brought to us.
“Just imagine the irony of life…(sobs)… me a woman of means in Baga, whom people do come to meet for help; even when the local government council was in difficulties, they do come to me for assistance which I did render without blinking an eyelid. I was a very independent woman financially. I was very famous and prominent in my community; none of our Lawans (District Head) and Bulamas (village heads) would say they don’t know me.”
On whether she would want to return to Baga to pick the pieces of their lives, Jummai said such an opportunity would be like “being offered free pilgrimage to the holy land”.
“But looking at what I passed through to get to safety here, I would rather wait here with my children until when the soldiers declare that there is no more Boko Haram,” she added cautiously.
Her immediate concern now is having an improved living condition in the camps where food and clothing will not be an issue.
“I am calling on government both at the federal and state level to come to our aid; especially in the area of feeding in the camps; of course the SEMA and NEMA normally provide food which are cooked by committee members and shared in the camp. But, sadly, most of the food cooked are not prepared in the best way that it could be consumed. That is why you see many people would rather dry the food in the sun and go out to sell them to get small amount they could use to buy something to eat. No one can eat the food here because it was poorly cooked.
“What we want is for the state government to come to the camp and give us the uncooked rice and corn flour so that we can cook them on our own, just like it did during this Ramadan. Allowing us to cook our food is better than some people coming to cook in the camp kitchen and at the end no one can eat what they prepare for us.
“I have seven children, one was killed; some that were captured by Boko Haram were able to reunite with us after soldiers rescued them. But most of them, especially the males have to leave the camp to go into the world to fend for themselves. One of my daughters who has 4 children has not seen her husband for a very long time now.”
SOURCE: Premiumtimesng

Thursday 14 July 2016

15 Things You Need To Know About THERESA MAY

As Theresa May now becomes the UK new Prime Minister, these are what you really need to know about this powerful and stylish Tory woman.
  1. May was born on October 1, 1956 to Reverend Hubert Brasier, a VICAR of the Church of England, and his wife Zaidee in the English seaside resort town of Eastbourne, East Sussex.
  2. She attended a local grammar school before studying geography at Oxford University.
  3. She started her career at the Bank of England where she stayed for six years, before moving to the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS).
  4. She started her political career as an Envelope Stuffer to Conservative Party Chair.
  5. May was an only child and was very close to her father. Religion remains important to her, but she wasn’t imposed.
  6. Theresa May’s Parent died when she was 25 years. Her father died in a car accident in 1981 and she lost her mother months later.
  7. She is married to banker Philip May and has no children. The couple met at a Conservative Association dance party and have been married for 36 years. They live in Sonning, Berkshire.
  8. She is the longest-serving Home Secretary in 50 years.
  9. She is a shoe lover and a fashion-conscious politician. She’s known for her love of kitten heel shoes and designer outfits, chose a lifetime's subscription to Vogue as her luxury item to take to the island.
  10. She is a “serious workaholic”, and the closest thing to Margaret Thatcher in today’s political landscape. Many describe her as a liberal conservative.
  11. She has love for cricket game, enjoys occasional mountain walks and culinary experimentation - she owns more than 100 cookbooks.
  12. She is a keen gardener and as a much a feminist as Henry VIII.
  13. She has Type 1 diabetes which means she must inject herself with insulin at least twice a day for the rest of her life.
  14. She is the quiet woman of British politics. The Home Secretary played a clever hand during the EU referendum by staying out of the fray and letting events play out around her.
  15. She has immediately appointed her new cabinet. In the cabinet, we have: Philip Hammond as Chancellor, Boris Johnson as the new Foreign Secretary, Amber Rudd appointed Home Secretary, Michael Fallon will continue as Secretary of State for Defence, Liam Fox to head a new department for international trade.

Monday 11 July 2016

Baton Rouge killing: Black Lives Matter protest photo hailed as 'legendary'

A demonstrator protesting at the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US July 9, 2016.
Protests have continued in the United States, after violent incidents involving African American people and the police last week.

On Sunday, dozens of protesters were arrested in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where a black man was killed by police last Tuesday.

In an atmosphere of heightened racial tension, and amid growing debate over the seeming militarization of American police, one photo has stood out.

It was taken by Jonathan Bachman, a New Orleans-based photographer who has been working for Reuters in the past few days.

The image shows a young woman in a dress standing calmly in front of two police officers wearing layers of armour, and appearing to approach her in a hurry.


The demonstration, organised by the civil rights group Black Lives Matter, took place days after police killed Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge. A video showed two white police officers holding him down and shooting him. Police said they had received a report an armed man was making threats.

Reuters said the woman in the photo, which was taken on Saturday, was later detained, but little more is known about her and she has not yet been named.

Other notable figures online to share the image include Calestous Juma, a Kenyan-born professor at the John F Kennedy School of Government, who was once named among the 100 most influential Africans.

British-Indian novelist Hari Kunzru praised the "grace under pressure" shown by the woman in the photo.

Another angle of the incident was captured by Associated Press photographer Max Becherer.
AP reported that the woman in the photograph was grabbed by officers after refusing to move off the public highway.
A man protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. July 9, 2016
The protests were not entirely peaceful - Louisiana's The Advocate newspaper said 102 people were arrested, with eight guns seized. One police officer lost several teeth after being hit by a projectile, it said
SOURCE: BBCNEWS


Looters must be punished, don’t fall for their crocodile tears – MURIC warns US, others

Prof. Ishaq Akintola
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has stated that allegations of vendetta and bias in the ongoing war against corruption were an attempt to blackmail President Muhammadu Buhari.
A statement on Sunday by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said the current probe was about sanitizing the military as an institution and compelling politicians to adopt transparency.
It reads: “We of the Muslim Rights Concern dismiss these allegations as attempts to blackmail the President. The aim is to force him to soft-pedal or halt the ongoing trials of powerful politicians thereby giving corruption undeserved victory. We insist that the trials must continue to a logical conclusion. The law must be allowed to take its due course. Any goat that desires freedom or peace must keep the people’s yam at arm’s length.
“Alleging vendetta or lopsidedness is just like ignoring the tangential to address the phenomenal. The question Nigerians should be asking is: were the offences committed? The offender’s political party, his religion or tribe should be ignored once this has been established. What we need to face is the substance in the allegation and not shadows or primordial sentiments.
“There is an urgent need to learn from other countries. How were they able to stem the tide of corruption? Did they revert to claims of vendetta, partisanship, ethnicity or religion? Did they defend the thief because he comes from their city or state? Did they defend the indefensible? Let us look at a few examples.
“In the United States, Robert McDonnell, former Governor of Virginia, was indicted on charges of accepting illegal gifts and convicted in 2014. John Rowland, former governor of Connecticut, spent ten months in jail in 2004 for diverting public funds to pay for his vacations and other extravagances. Alabama governor, Don Siegleman, bagged an 88-month jail term for mail fraud and obstruction of justice in 2006. Ex-Congressman Frank Balance was sentenced to four years in prison on October 12, 2005 for conspiring to defraud taxpayers.
“In Britain, David Chaitor, former member of the British parliament, got 18 months in 2011 for false accounting. In Greece, former defence minister, Akis Tsochatzopoulos was jailed for 20 years in 2001for receiving bribe. The court also jailed his wife, Vicky, and daughter, Areti, for 12 years each. His former wife, Gudrun, was sent to prison for six years. In Ukraine, former president Yulia Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 2011. In China, former security chief Zhou Yongkang, was recently sentenced to life in prison for bribery and abuse of power.
“In all the above examples from the United States, Britain, Greece, Ukraine and China, nobody raised the issue of vendetta, vindictiveness, ethnicity or religion. The concern of all was whether or not the crime was committed. The focus was to safeguard the national treasury. The offenders were punished. Other public office holders and the rest of the citizens learnt the rules of probity and accountability and the countries moved on to greatness.
“But in Nigeria political parties allege vendetta and lopsidedness. Agents of corrupt politicians, members of their families, people from their states and those who benefit from stolen funds are allowed to have a field day. A socio-economic scenario whereby 1% of the Nigerian population has arrogated 85% of the resources to themselves leaving a paltry 15% to the remaining 99% of the population is unacceptable. It has caused acute poverty. Corrupt politicians have siphoned away all the milk and honey in the land. We must stop defending them.
“How can a single military officer store billions of naira in a water tank in his private house? How do we explain a single woman using stolen public funds to purchase a whole ship (an oil tanker for that matter)? Where is the conscience of a state governor who siphoned about N1.6 billion within six months of getting into office and uses this fund to amass personal properties via fronts.
“How can any civilized citizenry overlook the crime of army generals who allowed the massacre of thousands by Boko Haram by pocketing billions of naira meant for fighting the insurgency? So what is there to defend in the face of indubitable evidence and admissions of guilt in many cases?
“As we round up, we charge the international community to ignore the false alarm being raised by the opposition party in Nigeria. The claim of vendetta and lopsidedness in the war against corruption in Nigeria is baseless. It is a war against ‘fantastically’ corrupt leaders.
“We call on Nigerians to learn from other countries and to eschew partisanship, ethnicity and religion in the war against corruption. This is the time to renew support for the war against corruption. There lies the survival of future generations of Nigerians. This country is doomed if we allow corruption to defeat transparency.
“Finally, we appeal to the press, columnists, civil society and opinion leaders to remain focused and avoid the company of corrupt politicians. Looters are influential people and they are capable of exploiting the widespread poverty (caused by them ab initio) to buy publications, sponsor articles and influence opinions. The masses are watching and the integrity of the press is at stake here. For the sake of Nigeria, therefore, let us resist the ephemeral temptations offered by these heartless plunderers. Let us unite against the monster called corruption and speak with one voice. A people united can never be defeated.”
SOURCE: Dailypostng