Some lawyers have been fighting furious in the public arena over the controversy triggered by the miracle money fest lately espoused by the Founder and General Overseer, Omega Fire Ministries International, Apostle Johnson Suleman. A social media user, Israel Balogun, had picked holes in the alleged miracle and was detained last week by the police in Abuja after he honoured their invitation for interrogation; he was subsequently released on bail.

Thirty-eight-year-old Balogun posted a video on his YouTube channel showing clips from two crusades conducted by Suleman – one in Auchi, Edo State, held last June and another one in Atlanta, the United States, held in July – where the clergyman declared to his congregations that angels were depositing money into their bank accounts and the members were shown claiming to have received miracle alerts. Balogun described the claims as false and criticised Suleiman for espousing a doctrine he viewed as fictitious. His remarks elicited mixed reactions on social media, with some users lauding his boldness while others accused him of merely seeking relevance. But when the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID), Abuja, last week invited Balogun for interrogation over allegations of criminal defamation and cyber stalking of Suleman, upon which he was detained, there was widespread condemnation by Nigerians. He was eventually released on stringent bail conditions.

Read Also: VIDEO: Why I won’t take COVID-19 vaccine, by Apostle Suleman

Speaking at the weekend, Suleman’s legal team said contrary to assumptions that the clergyman used the police to oppress Balogun for criticising the ‘miracle money’ doctrine, he considered the YouTuber to have gone beyond the ambits of free expression into criminal defamation of character, which was the complaint he lodged with the police. A member of the team, Samuel Amune, Esq., said Suleman wasn’t bothered about the view Balogun expressed over the feasibility of miracle alerts, but rather took exception to unprintable names he was called. For his part, Balogun’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, dared the clergyman to seek redress in court instead of complaining to the police. He insisted that it was  sheer falsehood for a ‘man of God’ to stand on the pulpit and command angels to credit money into people’s account, asking Suleman to command angels to credit the accounts of the Federal Government to assist the country. “The government is facing a lot of challenges, even to pay salaries now is a problem; to execute projects, the government has to rely on China. So, if we have an apostle in Nigeria who has the capacity to command angels to credit people’s accounts, why can’t he also credit the country’s accounts?” Effiong asked.

That people can be credited in their bank accounts with money they haven’t worked for is one claim that unduly stretches belief. And the challenge isn’t just from the point of empiricism, but also the underlying dubious morality. The issue of alleged character defamation, however, is something the courts should be left to adjudicate, and the police must be careful not to assume preemptive jurisdiction unless they’ve received their own miracle alerts.

Was it fake news? Those concerned haven’t said so. Indeed, they haven’t bothered to respond to the news, which reflects the same attitude manifested in the news.

On August 11, eyewitnesses said Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, and his aides, violated the airport security procedures, particularly at airport security checkpoints at the Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed Domestic Airport in Lagos. They said the governor and his aides treated the airport security rules and procedures with disdain.

“The governor had arrived at the airport for the inaugural flight of United Nigeria Airlines to Bayelsa International Airport,” SaharaReporters reported. “Upon arrival at the airport around 12pm, the governor and his aides headed for the screening points where they displayed outright disregard for the rules at the airport which triggered the security alarm system,” according to the online medium.

A passenger, who witnessed the incident, was quoted as saying: “The airport security officials did everything to get them to undergo the procedure at the security checkpoint but they refused to put their bags through the screening x-ray machine. They kept saying the bags belonged to the governor and they all forced their way through the checkpoint. The alarm system was activated.”

Read Also: Inaugural flight: Diri, lawmakers, others land in Yenagoa

The airport security officers were said to have pleaded with the governor and his aides but they stuck to their guns, and ended up flying after breaking a basic rule in the aviation industry.

Yes, the bags involved in the drama belonged to Governor Diri. Should they have been given special treatment because of that? Where did the governor’s aides get the idea that their boss’s bags should not be scanned?

What did the bags contain? Why was it such a big deal to allow them to be scanned? The governor’s aides, by their conduct regarding a matter of routine, exposed his idea of power.

The governor allowed his aides to do their drama, which is why it happened. He was supposed to know better, and demonstrate a sense of responsibility that could be lacking among his aides. In the end, it wasn’t clear if the governor himself lacked a sense of responsibility.

Beyond the governor and his actors, the country’s aviation authorities and the Lagos Airport authorities have not responded to the news. What happened reflected a failure of enforcement.  Governor Diri is not above the law, and he should not be allowed to think he could be.

Hardball

Unless there is some hypnotically induced blindness to the guide offered by history in the police force, newly-appointed Head, Intelligence Response Team (IRT) Tunji Disu will stay completely clear of a $10,000 gift being offered unsolicited by a Nigerian businessman to mark his appointment.

Disu, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), was recently named by Police Inspector-General Usman Alkali Baba to head the strategic unit following the removal of former head, DCP Abba Kyari, and his suspension from the force. The Police Service Commission approved that Kyari be suspended on the IGP’s recommendation over his alleged link with Ramon Abbas, a self-confessed international cyber fraudster better known as Hushpuppi. A four-member probe panel was as well raised to investigate the allegations against Kyari after a court in California ordered his arrest following an indictment by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). Hushpuppi had told the US authorities that he bribed Kyari with N8million to arrest and jail a Nigerian rival after a dispute over $1.1million proceeds of a scam carried out on Qatari business people. Kyari denied wrongdoing, saying he never collected money from Hushpuppi, but he has since deleted the Facebook post.

Read Also: Disu takes over from Kyari at IRT

Upon Disu’s appointment to head the IRT, an excited information technology expert and businessman, Aloy Chife, took to Twitter to extol his qualities and offered a $10,000 gift on behalf of “long-suffering young Nigerians as a slight  token of their affection and hopes for a professional police.” Chife, on 3rd August, tweeted: “News: IGP appoints Tunji Disu Head, Police Intelligence Response Team. Disu rising. A ray of hope for Nigeria. Congrats! @TunjiDisu1. I’ll be giving you $10k in the name of long-suffering young Nigerians as a slight token of their affection and hopes for a professional police. There is no future for Nigeria unless it boasts a professional police service. Nations are built by a few good men in their chosen fields. And you, Mr. Disu @TunjiDisu1 have an appointment with destiny. And we’re all desperate for your success.” Earlier, in January, Chife had tweeted that Disu was his choice candidate to be IGP.

To be sure, Chife may be truly motivated by altruistic considerations for the police force. But his monetary gift offer could compromise the newly appointed crack detective right from the outset. Not only should it be spurned, it would help if Disu or any other relevant authority in the force thoroughly investigates Chife’s business dealings to ascertain there are no sleazy underlinings the offer might have been aimed at beclouding to head off police scrutiny. When it is ascertained there are no strings attached and Chife yet feels in the generous mood, the money could be gifted to the entire police institution to improve its operations. That way, Chife would have done Nigeria, not just Disu, a good turn.

Hardball

It is interesting that there are requests for the creation of 20 more states in the country. This will take the number of states to 56 from 36. A report said the Senate had proposed the creation of 20 more states. But Senate spokesman Ajibola Basiru said it was misinformation.

“The report is a gross misrepresentation of the decision of the committee on the request for creation of more states,” he said in a statement, adding that the committee did not recommend the creation of any additional state. He also said the committee “is not in a position to recommend or propose the creation of any state unless there is compliance with the provisions of section 8 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic as amended.”

For clarification, he drew attention to the constitutional process concerning the creation of a new state.  An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new State shall only be passed if- (a) A request, supported by at least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new State) in each of the following, namely – (i) The Senate and the House of Representatives, (ii) The House of Assembly in respect of the area, and (iii) The local government councils in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly.

Read Also: Senate committee proposes 20 new states

Also, (b) A proposal for the creation of the State is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the State originated; (c) The result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the States of the Federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly; and (d) The proposal is approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.

Based on this, the Senate Committee “decided to refer the requests received to Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure compliance with section 8 of the Constitution by conducting referendum in the areas.”

It is puzzling that there are requests for the creation of new states even in the middle of an intense long-term public debate on the need to restructure the country and review its practice of federalism.

Importantly, many of the existing states depend on federal allocation to survive because they lack resource control, which severely limits their internally generated revenue. Creating more states under the current arrangement will put more pressure on the federal purse.

This is not the time to pursue the creation of more states. The national question needs to be resolved, as well as the federalism issue. Then those who want new states can chase their dreams.

Another innocent life was lost penultimate Thursday in Osogbo, no thanks to a stray bullet that reportedly originated from a policeman in an incident to which the victim had no connection whatsoever. Thirty-year-old Saheed Olabomi was a commercial motorcyclist taking a passenger towards Old Oba Road in the Osun State capital on Tuesday, 27th July, when he ran into stray death. The bullet allegedly fired nearby by police personnel hit him in the face and left him on life support at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital from which he never recovered. On Thursday, 29th July, he gave up the ghost.

The late Olabomi, who had a wife and two children besides surviving parents, was said to have studied Business Administration at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, and earned an Ordinary National Diploma. His vocation as at death apparently was necessitated by prevailing economic conditions of this country.

Read Also: Why Nigeria is losing aviation investment to Ghana

Accounts slightly varied as to the exact circumstance of Olabomi’s death, but there was no question its cause was the stray bullet from a policeman. Some said as he was taking his passenger towards Old Oba Road, he ran into traffic gridlock at the popular Oke Onitea junction where some riot policemen were deployed to clear the road. The riot policemen were reportedly leaving the area when they fired some shots in the air, one of which hit Olabomi in the face. Other accounts linked the mishap to an altercation between the police personnel and some tipper drivers upon which the police officers allegedly started shooting, with one of the bullets hitting Olabomi. It was alleged that the policemen engaged a tipper driver who resisted arrest for causing traffic along the route in an argument, and eventually shot in the air while leaving the scene. While regretting the incident, the Osun State police command said the suspected culprit, whose identity it didn’t disclose, had been apprehended and arraigned in an orderly room trial. It vowed justice would be done. But the command had initially attempted to mitigate liability for the incident, with its spokesperson reported saying contrary to claims that the policeman shot at the victim, the gunshot was fired into the ground and the bullet spiked a stone that hit Olabomi. It was apparently that narrative the command was walking back when in a subsequent statement it apologised for the previous information on the matter, saying “it was due to misinformation from the culprit and some other testifiers that claimed to have witnessed the incident.”

It is good that the suspect is facing justice, only that nothing done now would bring back poor Olabomi. So, the question must be asked why policemen on urban traffic duty were hauling around live ammunition they felt like freely using. Besides the need to better educate some service personnel, there must be greater accountability for weaponry that tax payers funded. Mr. Inspector-General, get killer cops off our highways!

Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) is increasingly visible following increasing conflicts between farmers and herders in parts of the country.  It is said to protect the interests of about 100, 000 Fulani herdsmen in the country. Its activities include “liaising with the government on behalf of pastoralists, land use rights, nomadic education and conflict resolution between pastoralists and farmers.”

But beneath the surface, the group may well have a hidden agenda. It exposed this secret side by going outside its sphere.  MACBAN National President Dr Garus Gololo’s reaction to the US arrest warrant on embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and Head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force, Abba Kyari, said a lot about the group’s true colours.

Gololo said: “It is a shame that the Northern Elders Forum and other groups in the region would fold their hands and watch while sons of the north who have distinguished themselves in different fields are constantly being persecuted and maligned at the height of their careers.”

The United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, had issued a warrant for Kyari’s arrest based on his alleged links to Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, alias Hushpuppi, who is standing trial in America for various offences that include internet fraud and money laundering. Hushpuppi has pleaded guilty to the charges and is to be sentenced in October.

Notably, US court documents alleged that Abbas arranged to have an individual identified as ‘co-conspirator’ Kelly Chibuzor Vincent arrested and jailed in Nigeria by DCP Kyari. The police officer, described as “highly decorated,” also “allegedly sent Abbas bank account details for an account into which Abbas could deposit payment for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment.” Kyari has been suspended by the Police Service Commission and the allegations against him are being investigated by a special panel.

Curiously, Gololo blamed Kyari’s situation on the US and its agency, the FBI, as well as some elements in the South of Nigeria, saying they usually connived to persecute “shining stars” from the northern region, “using the media.” He added that Kyari “mustn’t allow himself to be rattled,” describing him as “Nigeria’s future Inspector General of Police.”

It is unclear how MACBAN arrived at the conclusion that Kyari is a victim of persecution. The association’s standpoint, publicised even before the result of the police investigation is known, suggests that its leadership has a peculiar mindset.  Kyari’s innocence in this matter won’t be determined by its bizarre perspective.

Hardball

Many Nigerians have been puzzled by what could have made a nine-year old torch the iconic Ebeano Supermarket in Lokogoma district of Abuja on 17th July, since the CCTV footage of how the fire was suspected to have started became public. The fire blazed through the supermarket that Saturday evening and raged until Sunday morning, leaving the multi-million business enterprise in ruins despite efforts by firefighters to put it out.

In the CCTV footage that got into the public domain on 26th July and swiftly went viral on social media, a female suspect who has since been apprehended was seen making entry into the supermarket with two other females. The girl, dressed in a black top and a pair of jeans, could be seen subsequently walkingalone to a section of the supermarket where gas cylinders and electric cookers were on display; she looked furtively around her as if ascertaining that no one was watching, thenpicked up a lighter, lit an item there, even dallied apparently to make certain the fire caught properly before walking away.The blob she left behind soon after exploded into an inferno that engulfed the supermarket.Moments later, the three females including the suspect were seen outside where sympathisers had gathered. In another video clip, the young suspect and two others were shown being interrogated. “My mum took me to the shop. She wanted to buy drinks for my sister. We went to the market first before going to the shop. My mummy was with my sister at the drink section,” the little girl stuttered while being questioned by investigators.

It is absolutely galling that such huge investment in Nigeria’s economy was considered a fitting target for arson attack, for whatever motive. Investigators would have to unravel whether it was sheer juvenile delinquency or malicious conspiracy involving accomplices that are of age, who would have whatever liability resulting from the madcap incident duly coming to them.But the fact that the major suspect is a nine-year-old also introduced an unusual dimension to the incident and its probe by security agents that calls for acute sensitivity to her status as a minor. The media trial of the young girl entailed in the release of the video clips into public domain, without her identity being shielded, violated the sensitivity that should characterise decent societies about the rights of minors. Actually, somelawyers have argued that statutes like the Penal Code make allowance for prior determination whether a minor understood the nature and consequence of a crime before such minor is deemed accountable. The police should bear this in mind as they process findings about the dastardly arson, lest we become a society of brutes.

Hardball

Representatives of the Police and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) at a virtual stakeholder dialogue on “Effective and Sustainable Strategies for Curbing Retail Corruption” sounded like jokers. They were reported to have urged Nigerians to stop offering officers of the agencies bribes. It was a laughable piece of advice.

At the event organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC),  which took place on July 27,  PACAC Executive Secretary Prof Sadiq Radda said citizens had a critical role to play in ending petty (retail) corruption, which usually involved bribery.

A Deputy Commissioner of Police, Olaolu Adegbite, of the Force Intelligence Bureau, said: “Citizens should stop the act of offering bribe and gratification, which is a crime under the Criminal Code.”  He added that Nigerians should report infractions by officers and men to the X-Squad, the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit and the Police Complaint Response Unit (PCRU).

According to him, “The X-Squad monitors unethical conduct. Citizens can approach the squad with information. The IG Monitoring Unit also conducts sting operations and arrests officers in the field and makes recoveries. Citizens must provide support through evidence.”

On his part, a senior FRSC official, Ntukidem Godwin, said: “Don’t commit traffic violations and don’t offer our officers bribe. Don’t tempt us with bribe so that we can let you go.”  He added that the Corps has deployed technology through body cameras to monitor officers’ field activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), saying there are plans to replicate it in other states.

He also said Nigerians who complied with traffic rules did not have a reason to offer a bribe to road safety officers, adding that some members of the public who make reports hardly present evidence, which makes it difficult to sanction erring officers.

The two men said things that presented their agencies positively. But the reality is that extortion gives the agencies a negative image.

Police extortion is inexcusable because the police are supposed to enforce the law and not break the law. It amounts to role subversion when policemen become extortionists.

The FRSC, whose statutory functions include making the highways safe for motorists and other road users, has degenerated to the point where some of its men employ not only extortion in carrying out their duties, but also brutality.

The point is that the two agencies need to address the extortion issue, and not give the wrong impression that it is a lesser issue than alleged bribery by members of the public.