Fraudsters Detain Policemen For Hours In Bayelsa

Two policemen who had gone to arrest alleged fraudster at the Mechanic Village, Tombia, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State were instead detained by the fraudsters who resisted arrest.

Punch reports that the policemen from Akenfa Police Division on the outskirts of Yenagoa, had received a complaint from one Mr. Frederick Ojukwu, and a witness, Mr. Ebi Ozegbe, over an alleged N140, 000 fraud.

Ojukwu was said to have given the suspects the sum of N140,000 as a deposit for a second-hand vehicle with the understanding that after inspecting the vehicle, he would pay the balance but when he had gone to inspect the car, the suspects, led by a man, identified simply as Obum, had shown him a rickety vehicle, said to be good only for the museum.

Ojukwu rejected the car and asked for a refund of his money which the suspects agreed to pay but after the incident they disappeared for months. Unfortunately for them, the complainant got information that they had resurfaced at the mechanic village. Ojukwu then proceeded with a journalist, Ozegbe to the Akenfa Police Station to report the matter and they were given two policemen, who accompanied them to the park to arrest the suspects.

But things turned around as they got to the park. As they tried to accost the alleged fraudsters, the suspects grabbed the policemen, the complainant and journalist and gave them the beating of their lives. They also tore the uniforms of the policemen who they held hostage for a few hours and seized the phones of the complainant and the journalist.

An eyewitness who pleaded anonymity for safety reasons said, "The four, including the two policemen, could have been lynched if not for the timely intervention of the police reinforcement, led by the Divisional Police Officer of Akenfa."

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Bayelsa command, Mr. Alex Akhigbe who had gone to fix his car there on that fateful day said he had to call the DPO when he saw the situation was getting out of hand.

It was gathered that the DPO led a team to the park and was able to arrest the situation, freeing their colleagues and arresting some of the mobsters while some escaped.

Sanga Local Governmemt Council Under 24-Hour Curfew

Emmanuel Adamu, the Chairman of Sanga Local Government Council of Kaduna State on Wednesday imposed a 24-hour curfew to check the wave of killings and rising tension in the area.

This was made known in a statement issued in Kafachan this afternoon. He said that the curfew was imposed to curb further loss of lives as well as restore normalcy.

According to NAN, the chairman confirmed that more lives were lost before 6p.m. on Tuesday, a development which further increased the tension in the area.

It would be recalled that no fewer than 38 persons were killed on Monday night in Kabamu and Ankpong villages in Sanga LGA in an attack launched by unknown gunmen. 

Adamu, who pleaded with residents to remain calm assured them that the security agencies were on top of the situation.

Related: Gunmen Kill 3 Policemen, 1 Civilian In Fresh Kaduna Attack

World Cup: Nigeria plots Argentina’s fall to end jinx

                           Eagles will battle the Argentines in their final group match.

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When the Super Eagles file out at the Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, it will be with an objective to make certain their qualification into the Round of 16 at the ongoing World Cup in Brazil.

The Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, made this objective clear to his players.

“We have come a long way. We have won one match, got a draw from another. Our chances are brighter now in the group.

“We shall go out there to put up a fight of our lives. In terms of technical preparation for the game, we are ready,’’ Ben Alaiya, Media Officer of the Super Eagles, quoted Keshi as saying.

The President of Nigeria Football Association, NFA, Aminu Maigari, on his part urged the Eagles to go all out against Argentina on Wednesday to ensure the qualification of the team into the Round of 16.

He said he would be delighted with a favourable outcome as the match-day would coincide on his birthday.

“My birthday is on the day we are playing Argentina, and I will feel special if we defeat the Argentines.

“But more than that, a place in the Round of 16 will bring joy to the Nigerian delegation here in Brazil as well as to our people back home.

“We have so many reasons to go all out on Wednesday for victory.

“The Argentines have always beaten us at the FIFA World Cup, though narrowly each time. We also need to show our true strength as the champions of Africa,” Mr. Maigari said.

Nigeria met Argentina first at USA ’94 World Cup.

The Eagles also lost to Argentina at the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup and 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Nigeria lost 1-2 to Argentina in Boston, USA on June 25, 1994, and was again piped 1-0 courtesy of a Gabriel Batistuta goal in Ibaraki, Japan on June 2, 2002.

When both sides met in South Africa four years ago, an early goal by Gabriel Heinze condemned the Eagles to a 1-0 defeat.

However, at the Olympic Games, the story was not the same. In Atlanta ’96 in the U.S., Nigeria defeated the Argentines to win the Olympic Games gold medal, a victory that left the Argentines flustered for many years.

Argentina U-23 team evened-up the Olympic record with 1-0 victory over Nigeria at the final of the 2008 Olympic Games in China.

There was also the 4-1 defeat the Eagles handed down to Argentina in a friendly in Abuja on June 1, 2011.

The victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cuiaba, Brazil had taken the reigning African champions to second place in the pool with four points.

The Eagles must still avoid defeat against the two-time world champions in Porto Alegre to be certain of a place in the knockout stages.

The Media Committee Chairman of NFA, Emeka Inyama, said that the board was impressed with the sterling performance of the Super Eagles and had promptly released the winning bonuses of the team.

“The team deserved all the accolades from well-meaning Nigerians over the impressive outing so far,’’ Inyama said.

He said the association had since ensured prompt meeting of their own obligations, so as to motivate the team to go all out to seek the round of 16 ticket.

He said they had urged the players to approach the last group match with the seriousness it deserved.

“We believe that now that the team had risen to the occasion and performed creditably, they should continue and make it into the round of 16.

“The Argentines are beatable, we have beaten them once at the Olympic Games – the 1996 Games in Atlanta,’’ Inyama said.

He said that the team could be beaten again.

The city, Porto Alegre, which will host the all-important game, is a city with history.

The stadium, located on reclaimed land on the banks of the River Guaiba, the Estadio Beira-Rio, is the home of International, arch-rivals to their Porto Alegre neighbours Gremio.

The venue has hosted four Copa Libertadores finals and is reputed to be largest football ground in the south of Brazil, nicknamed the “Gigante do Beira-Rio” (The Giant of Beira-Rio).

The facility was officially known as the Estadio Jose Pinheiro Borda and was opened in 1969.

It took nearly a decade to build with inter-fans lending a helping hand in its construction by donating bricks, cement and iron.

So anxious were some supporters to see the ground built that they would even leave games at the club’s existing ground, Estadio dos Eucaliptos, whenever the team was losing and head to the Beira-Rio to cheer the builders on.

World Cup: Suarez bites again as Italy crash out

                   Uruguay and Costa Rica qualify from Group D

Controversial Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez, exhibited his bad side once more as he appeared to have bitten Italian defender, Giorgio Chiellini, during his side’s 1-0 win over Italy in their final group game on Tuesday at the Arenes das Dunas.

Though Suarez escaped the eye of the referee, it is yet to be seen if the Liverpool forward will be slammed with another heavy ban as his action taints his country’s progress into the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.

This would be the third biting incident involving Suarez.The first came in November 2010 when Suarez, playing for Ajax, bit PSV’s Otman Bakkal on the shoulder during a 0–0 draw. Ajax suspended him for two games and fined him an undisclosed amount, but the Dutch League body increased Suárez’s suspension to seven league matches.

Also at the end of the 2012-13 season, playing with Liverpool in the Premier League, Suarez bit Chelsea defender, Branislav Ivanovic, on the arm. That earned him a 10-match suspension. He has since claimed to have stopped such acts.

Uruguay join Costa Rica in the Round of 16 from Group D as England could only manage a draw against the surprise group leaders.

Court to rule on ex-PDP chairman, Ogbulafor’s corruption trial July 24

Mr. Ogbulafor allegedly used his position as head of NEIC to verify several forged documents.

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Justice Ishaq Bello of the Abuja High Court on Wednesday reserved judgment till July 24 in a case filed by an anti-graft agency against former Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Vincent Ogbulafor and two others.

Mr. Ogbulafor, also former Minister of Special Duties, along with Emeka Ebilah and Jude Nwokoro, are facing a 17-count charge of conspiracy and award of fictitious contracts worth N107 million.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, alleged that Mr. Ogbulafor, as Minister of State for Special Duties in 2001, connived with the others to float three fictitious companies with which they allegedly perpetrated the fraud.

They were alleged to have used Henrichiko Nig. Ltd, DHL Consultants and Chekwas Industries, to siphon N82.6 million; N11.5 million and N6.2 million, respectively, in 2001.

Mr. Ogbulafor was specifically alleged to have used his position as head of National Economic Intelligence Committee, NEIC, set up to verify debts owed local contractors, to okay as genuine, several forged documents.

He was alleged to have relied on the forged documents to certify that the three fake companies successfully executed jobs worth N104 million.

Mr. Ogbulafor was also alleged to have collected kickbacks of N2 million and N28 million from Mr. Ebilah.

The offences levelled against the accused persons are said to have contravened Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Mr. Ogbulafor had admitted recommending the second accused to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for membership of the NEIC in July 2010.

However, he denied appointing Mr. Ebilah as the secretary of the committee after its reconstitution.
Mr. Ogbulafor told the court that he was directed to reconstitute NEIC by Mr. Obasanjo in July 2001.

(NAN)

No plan to demolish Abuja auto parts market – Official

Work is in progress on permanent site in Wasa.”
The auto parts sellers in Abuja have been assured that there is no plan to demolish their present shops in Apo District of the territory.

The Head of Public Relations, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Grace Zamani, gave the assurance while addressing the traders who staged pre-emptive protest on Tuesday.

She said the protest was not necessary.

She assured the traders that the land allocated to them in Wasa was going through due process.

“The problem has to do with communication. Work is in progress on the land in Wasa and we will hand it over to you when we conclude. Meanwhile, there is no plan to demolish the present site until you are properly relocated,” she said.

The spokesperson for the traders, Chime Ife, said that the protest was due to threat
by the Department to Development Control to demolish the market.

He said the traders had applied for an alternative space for the market which was granted but had not been handed over to them.

“They demolished our shops in Apo in 2006 and we had to move to a temporary site in the area. In 2011, we applied for an alternative land for our trade which was granted by the Minister while we remained in a temporary site in Apo. But a few weeks ago, they came to our temporary site without handing over the permanent site to us, that is why we are protesting,” he said.

(NAN)

Don calls for regionalisation of Nigeria’s security agencies

“APC is offering nothing different from PDP to Nigerians.”

A Professor of Political Science at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Aloysius-Michael Okolie, Saturday, called for the regionalisation of Nigeria’s security system.

Speaking as the guest lecturer at the third Zik’s Leadership Lecture Series/Luncheon organised by the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Unizik, Mr. Okolie said that Nigeria was already threatened by insecurity prior to the advent of Boko Haram; but it has been heightened by the terrorist group.

Mr. Okolie, whose presentation was titled, “Politics of Securitisation and Securitisation of Politics in Nigeria: The Boko Haram Experience,” explained that Boko Haram started as a political outfit but threw off the control of their political patrons.

Mr. Okolie noted that the sect mostly carried out their activities in states controlled by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and blamed the governors and elders of those states for failing to reveal the criminals among them to the security agencies.

According to him, every community knows the bad eggs among them and those states could not deny such.

On the other hand, he noted that there was nothing different between the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the APC was yet to offer anything different from what the PDP was offering Nigerians.

The professor also said he wondered why the president refused to declare a full state of emergency in the affected states as doing so would definitely amount to the “securitisation of politics.”

Mr. Okolie said that Boko Haram was not the only security threat to Nigeria, listing favouritism and the abuse of due process as other threats the country’s social and economic security.

Using the academic environment as an example, the university don said that 70 per cent of professors were undeserving of their positions. According to him, those that have the knowledge are often seen as security threats and denied promotions to professorship to the advantage of unqualified persons. He described the sort of occurrences as a threat to social and educational security and the reason why political scientists reject Nigerian political appointments.

“Political Scientists don’t go into Nigerian politics because they can easily see today and tomorrow. They know that touts within the government can’t tolerate them and that they will be definitely sacked because they cannot accept to be unnecessarily controlled or influenced by anybody,” he said.
Rejecting the Biafran movement, Mr. Okolie said that Igbos should be ready to face major crises if Biafra secedes because the Igbos are too selfish and greedy.

He pointed out that the Igbos fail to utilise little opportunities given to them by the government to benefit themselves and wondered how they could then manage themselves if given Biafra.

Using the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, as an example, Mr. Okolie alleged that various promotions were denied to those that merited them until a Hausa man became the sole administrator of the institution.

The don concluded by urging the federal government to encourage regionalisation of the nation’s security in such a way that security recruits of various regions must be indigenes of their various areas of assignment. According to him, indigenes would be in a better position to locate and destroy bad eggs in their communities.

In his address, the Head of Political Science Department of Unizik, Makodi Biereenu-Nnabugwu, disclosed that the lecture was highly necessary considering the current insecurity in the country. He promised that the department would sustain the annual lecture.

The president of the National Association of Political Science Students, NAPSS, Unizik chapter, Emeka Omaliko, expressed his satisfaction with the successful organisation of the event and thanked the head of the department for his support.

Other highlights of the event included musical performances and the presentation of awards to some personalities. The awards recipients included Ebele Ejiofor, Effective Representation Award; Silas Ejeabocha, Outstanding Leadership Excellence Award; and Ignatius Ngini, Selfless Leadership Service Award.

In their remarks, the award recipients thanked the Unizik Political Science Department for the honour and pledged to put in more efforts.

Mr. Ejiofor, who is a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, described the award as an encouragement to serve his constituency better. Mr. Ejeabocha, the speaker of Anaocha Local Council, expressing joy over the award, called on politicians to be leaders of thought. Mr. Ngini, the immediate past president of NAPSS, Unizik chapter, said that he served NAPSS with deep sense of humility and statesmanship. He described the challenges he encountered as the association’s president as instruments of shaping his idea of leadership for a better tomorrow and thanked the department for the honour.

The event which took place at Whyte View Hotel, Ifite Awka, was witnessed by students, academics, public servants and the press.