Author: The Nation

By Kolade Adeyemi, Jos.

Gunmen on Thursday attacked the Jos aviation quarters in the Heipang area of Plateau State and abducted a housewife.

It was gathered that the gunmen gained entry into the quarters at about 8.15 pm and started shooting sporadically.

A source said that three persons were kidnapped, including a woman and her husband.

The husband and the other staff were later managed to escape while the gunmen went away with the woman.

The source said there was a prompt response from the security agents who went on the trail of the gunmen.

It will be recalled that Kaduna airport quarters has been attacked twice in the last three weeks with another attempted attack on the airport foiled last week.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday filed a one-count charge of drug trafficking against a 17-year-old (name withheld).

The NDLEA filed on one count of drug trafficking in the charge marked FHC/L/67c/21

The prosecutor, Mr. Jeremiah Aernan, alleged that the minor committed the offence on February 17.

Aernan said that the teenager was arrested at Ile-Epo, near Abule Egba, Lagos, while dealing in 200g of hemp.

He said that cannabis is categorised as a banned narcotic similar to heroin, cocaine and other restricted hard drugs which are all listed as prohibited in the NDLEA schedule.

He said the offence of drug trafficking contravened the provisions of Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation, 2004.

No date has been fixed for arraignment of the defendant.

By Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)  has arrested the Chief Executive Officer of 10 Kobo Wine Place, Ikotun, Lagos, Ibeh Theophilus and his mother in connection with the investigation of an alleged  N50 million computer-related fraud.

The suspect has allegedly confessed to have defrauded some victims, according to the Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren.

Uwajaren said in a statement that all the victims were extorted in Lagos.

He said the 28-year-old suspect was arrested in his room in Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, following credible intelligence reports about his alleged criminal activities.

He said: “During interrogation, Uche, who presents himself variously as Rachael Armstrong, Keanu Reeves, Rebekah Schwarzenberger, Keanu Private, Elizabeth Hortman and Stefan Paulson, confessed to being into Bitcoin investment scam, romance scam and identity theft.

“The suspect also confessed to have defrauded his victims to the tune of about N50m since he started the criminal activities in 2020.

“Investigations revealed that the suspect had been using a First Bank account belonging to his mother, who is one of his accomplices, to launder the proceeds of his alleged criminal activities.

“Items recovered from the suspect are one iPhone 11 Pro Max; one iPhone 12 pro max; two MacBook Pro laptops; a PlayStation 5; an iPad and a small Nokia touch phone.

“Others are a Mercedes Benz S550 2015 Sedan car and a Lexus RX 350 SUV 2016, among other incriminating items.

“The suspect will soon be charged to court.”

Also, the Benin Zonal Office of EFCC in the wee hours of yesterday arrested 10 suspected internet fraudsters in Oghara,  Delta State.

Those arrested are Ifeakachukwu Prince, Vincent Ikechukwu, Oki Morrison Onome, Lucky Morrisson Efe, Ejiro Nwaju, Onyije Ifeanyi, Sunday Fejiro, Wisdom Agharadoro and Peace Omaghoni.

Items recovered from the suspects include laptop computers, phones, Mercedes-Benz 350 4Matic and C330.

The EFCC said the suspects have made useful statements and will be arraigned in court as soon as investigations are completed.

By AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

The father of one of the 39 students kidnapped from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Mando, Kaduna, Ibrahim Shamaki, died yesterday of what sources called anguish.

News of Shamaki’s death came on a day when other parents of the kidnapped students met with the state government on the fate of the abduction victims.

The Nation gathered that Shamaki died apparently  of anguish caused by the abduction of his daughter, Fatima Ibrahim.

Fatina was identified as the girl with hijab in the video released by the bandits barely 24 hours after the abduction of the 39 students.

In the video, Fatima speaking in Hausa, said the bandits threatened to kill all of them in the event of the government sending troops to rescue them.

The students are spending their second week in captivity.

Parents of the other kidnapped students met with officials of the state government and security chiefs yesterday in Kaduna on the fate of the abductees.

The meeting was at the instance of the state government.

Details of the meeting were not disclosed but it was gathered that it was attended by Internal Security and Home Affairs Commissioner, Samuel Aruwan, and top security chiefs to let the parents know that the government felt their pains and was doing its best to see to the safe release of the students.

The parents had protested alleged inaction of the government in getting the students released .

They had urged Governor Nasir El-Rufai to negotiate with the bandits to secure the safe release of their children.

The bandits are demanding a N500 million ransom for their release.

Officials in Niger State yesterday confirmed the killing of two dozen local vigilance guards and a soldier by bandits late Monday.

The attack was reportedly carried out by scores of motorcycle-riding gunmen who opened fire on the guards outside Kotonkoro village in Mariga district.

Twenty bodies have so far been recovered.

The remaining ones are still in the bush.

The soldier was killed during an attack on a military post.

The vigilance group members were said to have given the bandits a chase after the attack on the military post only for them to run into an ambush by the assailants.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chadian lady, Vivien Tarmadji, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for alleged trafficking of 234.35 grammes of substance suspected to be heroin.

The agency said she was arrested while boarding a flight enroute Addis Ababa to Italy with the substance concealed in her private part.

The agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said in Abuja that  the trafficker “who runs a salon business in Italy since 2016 upon her relocation to the country via Libya was arrested by vigilant narcotics agents during an outward clearance of the airline at the boarding gate after being scanned.

“Under interrogation, she claimed she was contacted by a man who called her from Italy to collect the drug from one man.”

“She decided to insert 18 wraps into her private part and returned the remaining wraps to the man that brought them to her in the hotel.

“She said she came into Nigeria to raise money to pay for her house and shop rents which had expired in Italy, as life has been so difficult since the coming in of COVID-19 pandemic.

“She said the owner of the drug was to pay her 10,000 euros on successful delivery of the drug to Italy”.

Babafemi also said that another trafficker, Okojie James from Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State has been arrested while boarding a Turkish airline flight enroute Abuja-Istanbul-Cyprus.

He said that a number of illicit drugs intercepted are 1. 549 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, 223.80 grammes of Tramadol, 192.34 grammes of Rohypnol and 214.05 grammes of Flunitrazepam that were  concealed in tins and packed in a bag of foodstuff.

Babafemi said: “During interrogation, he claimed his friend, Mr. Elvis, who resides in Cyprus asked him to collect the luggage for him.

The Commander, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja Command of the NDLEA, Mr. Kabir Tsakuwa, said while Okojie James was arrested last Saturday, Vivien was arrested on March 23, noting that both suspects would soon face prosecution.

By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to deploy the funds looted by ex-Governor James Ibori, but returned to Nigeria by the British Government, to the completion of many abandoned Federal Government projects in Delta State.

A group of Delta State indigenes, under the aegis of Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), argued that the Federal Government’s plan to apply the recovered funds to the completion of projects outside the state would amount to double jeopardy for the Delta people.

UPU’s position is contained in a letter for appeal, sent to Buhari and copied the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

They named some federal projects that require urgent attention and revival within Delta State to include the Sea Ports, Steel Complex, Gas plant and Petroleum Refinery.

By Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

As the furore over wearing of hijab (Muslim headscarf) in grant-aided schools in Kwara State rages on, the 13 Baptist Conferences in South Western Nigeria yesterday urged Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to consider return of the schools to the original owners.

The Kwara and Kogi states’ spokesperson of the group, Rev (Dr.) Oyewale Oyeniyi, said this while addressing reporters in Ilorin.

Rev Oyeniyi urged Christians in the state to always maintain law and order “knowing that our God will surely continue to fight for us.”

He said: “It is high time the state government consider the return of mission schools to the original owners as we have seen in Lagos and Osun states. As Baptists, we have shown in these two states that we have what it takes to maintain and cater for our schools staff and students and we are willing to accept what belongs to us originally.”

“We also want the governor to be unbiased in the discharge of orders as pertaining to the wearing of hijab in the mission schools since the matter is still in the Supreme Court with the state surely served by the court; for the interest of peace and uninterrupted educational system, any Muslim parent who wants his /her child or children to wear hijab compulsorily should honourably withdraw his/her child or children to Muslim established schools instead of causing mayhem in the mission schools.”

By Emmanuel Oladesu

Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Dani Rodrik; President George Weah of Liberia; and Mohamed Yayha of the United Nations Development Programme are speakers at the 12th Annual Bola Tinubu Colloquium taking place virtually on Monday,  March 29.

The event is part of activities marking the 69th birthday of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Bola Tinubu Colloquium will focus on peace-building and national cohesion as a tool for growth and prosperity in Nigeria.

The theme interrogates these issues in the light of contemporary incidents and commentaries in the public space with ethnic and religious dimensions.

“Our objective is to explore the implications of violent conflicts and innovative strategies for sustaining peace in a heterogeneous society with multi-ethnic groups, such as Nigeria,” the organisers said.

Dani Rodrik is the Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is currently President-Elect of the International Economic Association and Co-Director of Economics for Inclusive Prosperity. He is an economist whose research revolves around globalisation, economic growth and development, and political economy. His current work focuses on how to create more inclusive economies in developed and developing societies.

The professor will deliver the keynote address titled: “Where Can Growth Go? The Social Conflict Push.” He will speak along the line of his thoughts as promoted in his work, “Where did all the Growth Go? External Shocks, Social Conflict, and Growth Collapses.” He postulates that domestic social conflicts are key to understanding why growth rates lack persistence and why so many countries have experienced a growth collapse since the mid-1970s.

His Excellency, Dr. George Weah, will also be speaking on the tenuous nature of rebuilding a country after brutal civil wars, emphasising the importance of national reconciliation, trust-building for the forging of national cohesion and unity, as well as bringing a country back from the brink.

The event kicks off at 12 Noon, and everyone can register at www.bit.ly/BolaTinubuColloquium.

All inquiries can be directed to the secretariat via email at secretariat@bolatinubucolloquium.org or info@bolatinubucolloquium.org. Or 0808164967981 or 08098943860.

The Bola Tinubu Colloquium is a unique event for sharing knowledge, experiences, and information around socio-economic issues and addressing Nigeria’s common governance challenges. For the last 12 years, the Colloquium has played a crucial role in strengthening rational decision-making within Nigeria’s political and social spheres. The Colloquium is convened every year with a theme relevant to Nigeria’s issues at the time and focused on her socio-economic pulse.